Kyojin no Hoshi (巨人の星 / Star of the Giantsnote , 1966-1971 — Shōnen Magazine) was a baseball manga written by Ikki Kajiwara. Its story is simple: Hyuma Hoshi, a frail and impoverished boy, is harshly trained by his father Ittetsu (himself an ace baseball player before a WWII injury) to become the best baseball pitcher in Japan and one of the Yomiuri Giants
' best stars at all costs. This work, which immediately became one of the manga industry's biggest hits, singlehandedly codified the 60s-70s spokon ("Sports" + "Kikon" / perseverance) manga genre, which focused on tropes like extremely sadistic physical and mental training, ascetic devotion to self-improvement, near-quixotic self-sacrifice, isolation from friendships and other percieved weaknesses, obsessive rivalries, physics-defying signature moves and tragic endings. Drawn by Noboru Kawasaki, also known for Inakappe Taishō and The Song of Tentomushi — his other major work with Kajiwara was Otoko no Jōken (男の条件 / Qualifications of a man, 1968-1969 — Shonen Jump), a drama about a poor boy struggling to become a manga artist, which was later heavily referenced by Bakuman。
It was followed by Shin Kyojin no Hoshi (新巨人の星 / New Star of the Giants, 1976-1977 — Yomiuri Weekly), a much less popular sequel. After disappearing from the public eye since a career-ending injury, an adult Hyuma Hoshi unexpectedly returns to the Giants as a pinch hitter/runner, and later as a pitcher with his uninjured arm. Unlike most of his old colleagues and rivals, Hyuma seems to be cursed to live a life fully dedicated to baseball — will he take his body to harmful extremes with the help of his father, just like in the past? Drawn once again by Noboru Kawasaki, whose style became more complex. Received a Stealth Sequel in Kyojin no Samurai Honoo (巨人のサムライ炎 / The Samurai Flame of the Giantsnote , 1979-1980 — Yomiuri Weekly), drawn by Joya Kagemaru, where Hyuma acts as the titular baseball player Honoo Mizuki's coach.
It had an anime adaptation directed by Tadao Nagahama.
This series contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Ittetsu Hoshi was intended to come off as merely a flawed but loving father who simply wanted his son to achieve his full potential, even if that meant giving his son Tough Love. Since Hyuma's childhood consisted of nothing but Training from Hell punctuated with constant verbal abuse when he faltered or acted defiant, and Hyuma's older sister Akiko was forced to fill the role of her dead mother to support the two of them during this, a lot of readers didn't agree. In-universe, Hyuma does resent his father for a while, before reconciling, and Akiko is far more judging of Ittetsu than her little brother is.
- Animated Adaptation: A 182 episode animated series aired from 1968 to 1971 — it was the second ever sports-based anime to hit Japanese televisions, being beaten to the punch by Speed Racer one year prior. It also spawned two anime sequels (1977's Shin Kyojin no Hoshi and 1979's Shin Kyojin no Hoshi II), several anime movies (Chizome no Kesshousen [1969], Ike Ike Hyuuma [1969 as well], Dai League Ball [1970], Shukumei no Taiketsu [1970], and The Movie [1982]), and a 13-episode series centered on Hyuuma's Friendly Rival Mitsuru Hanagata (Special Edition: Fierce Tiger Hanagata, 2002).
- Animation Bump: Being created in 2002, the Fierce Tiger Hanagata series has a much smoother animation quality than the prior three TV series.
- Ascended Extra: Mitsuru Hanagata was introduced as mere rival for Hyuma, but went on to become such a popular character that he ended up getting a 13 episode series dedicated to him in 2002, and in 2006, mangaka Yoshiyuki Murakami wrote Shinyaku "Kyojin no Hoshi" Hanagata — basically a retelling of the original manga from Mitsuru's point of view.
- Bash Brothers: Chuuta Ban is Hyuma's best friend, but that never stops the two of them from ribbing each other or competing with all their might. Then Chuuta gets scouted for a rival baseball team, and things really get strained between them.
- Break the Cutie: Hyuma is a nice guy, but holy shit, the amount of suffering he goes through is ridiculous, including but not limited to: his mom dying, a childhood of brutal training, his sickly love interest Mina Hidaka dying whilst he's playing baseball, and finally suffering a catastrophic Career-Ending Injury in the form of permanent damage to his dominant hand and arm.
- Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: A flashback in the anime establishes that Ittetsu was a brooding, dour man even in his youth, but his light-hearted and optimistic future wife balanced him out. Her death broke the last straws holding him together after his Career-Ending Injury, and he spiralled deep into depression and alcoholism, with the only thing he found to live for being his dream to train Hyuma to be a famous baseball player.
- Calling the Old Man Out: As she ages, Akiko grows increasingly less tolerant of her father Ittetsu's crap, and she does her best to protect her little brother Hyuma from his crazier moments. Ironically, Hyuma tends to be the one pushing for them to reconcile when she grows particularly aggravated with him. Two of the biggest examples are one time when she walks out on her father, and after Hyuma suffers his Career-Ending Injury, which leads to her bitterly chewing Ittetsu out for all the suffering he put Hyuma through.
- Career-Ending Injury: The manga places a great deal of emphasis on the immense physical demands required to be a professional sports player, and the brutal finality with which a career can be ended if the body breaks down and doesn't heal right. Ittetsu's entire drive to push Hyuma into baseball is after his own baseball career was ended by a gunshot wound he took to the arm during World War II and subsequently aggravated until it permanently crippled him by rushing back into playing. Ironically, the series ends with Hyuma crippling his own left hand as well, ending his baseball career.
- Cool Big Sis: Akiko is Hyuma's substitute mother and showers him with the love and affection he can't get from his father. As a result, he adores her.
- Ill Girl: Mina Hidaka is a rare case where the story actually explains what's wrong with her; malignant melonoma. It ends up killing her.
- Parents as People: Ittetsu Hoshi is a mess of a man; cruel, demanding, and a raging alcoholic. But he's also deeply tormented by the death of his wife and the loss of his beloved baseball career, and he wants Hyuma to become a star baseball player to become wealthy and safe, as well as to relieve his old glories.
- Promotion to Parent: With her mother dead and her father a brooding, crippled, baseball-obsessed drunk, Akiko Hoshi had no choice but to step into the role as the maternal head of the Hoshi family.
- Training from Hell: Ittetsu's training of Hyuma was extreme to the point of insanity, often putting him at severe risk of physical injury.
- Tough Love: Ittetsu's treatment towards Hyuma as a child was meant to "toughen him up" so he could become a great baseball player and live a comfortable, easy life.
