Hadashi no Gen
Barefoot Gen
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Hadashi no Gen

Alternative Titles

Synonyms: Barefoot Gen - Bomb on Hiroshima
Japanese: はだしのゲン
English: Barefoot Gen
More titles

Information

Type: Manga
Volumes: 10
Chapters: 54
Status: Finished
Published: May 22, 1973 to Sep 10, 1974
Genre: Drama Drama
Theme: Historical Historical
Demographic: Shounen Shounen
Serialization: Shounen Jump (Weekly)
Authors: Nakazawa, Keiji (Story & Art)

Statistics

Score: 8.341 (scored by 27452,745 users)
1 indicates a weighted score.
Ranked: #2632
2 based on the top manga page. Please note that 'R18+' titles are excluded.
Popularity: #1698
Members: 12,284
Favorites: 234

Resources

8.34
Ranked #263Popularity #1698Members 12,284
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Volumes: /10
Chapters: /54

Synopsis

1945, Japan. Gen Nakaoka is a spirited six-year-old boy who lives with his poor yet loving family in wartime Hiroshima. As the second World War rages on, Gen's father Daikichi stands among the few outspoken who are opposed to the emperor and stand for the innocent civilians bearing the brunt of the war. However, in a society with nothing but feverous support for their nation, Gen and his family are ostracized as traitors. Unbeknownst to them, a terrible fate awaits the people of Hiroshima...

One quiet morning, the US forces drop an atomic bomb on Hiroshima. In an instant, the city is completely destroyed, leaving thousands dead and many more exposed to radiation. Though Gen manages to survive the blast, he finds his life irreversibly changed. Regrouping with what's left of his family, Gen must now grapple with starvation, destitution, and an unsympathetic public who see survivors as little more than disease-ridden beggars.

Based on author Keiji Nakazawa's real-life experiences, Hadashi no Gen follows Gen and his fellow survivors in their struggle to survive in post-war Hiroshima. Gen resolves to soldier on with unwavering determination, while never forgiving those who caused the atrocity, never forgetting the pain of the bomb, and never letting his spirit be broken by the tragedy.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Background

Hadashi no Gen is based on the events experienced by author Keiji Nakazawa and other survivors of Hiroshima. After publishing the one-shot Ore wa Mita, Nakazawa's editor encouraged him to write more of his experiences. The manga was first serialized in Shonen Jump in 1973, but was cancelled the following year due to low polling. It continued publication in three different magazines until concluding in 1987—Shimin (Citizen), Bunka Hyouron (Cultural Criticism), and Kyouiku Hyouron (Educational Criticism). Nakazawa planned to write a sequel following Gen becoming a mangaka in Tokyo, but this idea was scrapped when he retired due to failing eyesight and illness.

Hadashi no Gen was first published in English as Gen of Hiroshima in comic book format by EduComics, in cooperation with the pacifist organization Project Gen, a group of voluntary translators that sought to bring the manga to a larger audience. Volunteers around the world likewise picked up this project, partially translating this title into French, Italian, German, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Indonesian, Tagalog, Esperanto, and by 1994, completely into Russian.

In English, only two comic book issues were released originally between January 1980 and April 1981 before the publication was cancelled. Since then, a number of publishers partially published the series as Barefoot Gen, including New Society Publishers, who published the first four volumes from September 3, 1986 to December 1, 1993; Penguin Books, who published the first two volumes from August 1, 1989 to August 1, 1990, under the Penguin Originals imprint, with a new edition published July 27, 1995; and Last Gasp, who started publication from September, 1986, initially only publishing the first four volumes. After the revival of Project Gen, Last Gasp finally published all ten volumes unabridged (with subtitles) from September 1, 2004 to February 1, 2010.

Characters


Reviews

Jun 3, 2024
This manga is an *experience*. While it may seem like a dramatic analysis, there is simply no better way I have found to describe just how fundamentally impactful it was to read.

This review will be a short one, because I doubt any number of words placed here could even come close to properly conveying the masterpiece that is Hadashi no Gen.

(Regarding the manga vs anime question) As I will touch on later, I do believe this iteration of the story to be vastly superior to the already phenomenal movie adaptation, in all aspects except one.

It has been several weeks since I finished reading said manga, ...
Mar 14, 2023
I wanted to write about this manga for a long time but I never had the necessary elements to take my courage in both hands. So now I'm going to describe you my memory of a few years ago.

Gen of Hiroshima is a poignant manga by Keiji Nakazawa that tells the story of a young boy, Gen, who survives the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
The manga that offers a unique perspective on the horror of war, especially on the consequences of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in 1945. This work is considered a classic of Japanese comics, largely due to the author's ability to ...
Sep 14, 2022
Close to what Camus called Absurdist, there is no trace of hope during this whole autobiography manga written by a Hiroshima strike survivor. Hadashi no Gen is indeed one of the heaviest pieces of all literature. Nakazawa Keiji bleeds ink from his own veins in a clearly distressed, and perhaps the most angry, dissatisfacted writing out there. Although Gen Nakaoka's life is a heavy duty, he never gave up. But what for?

One of the things I appreciate the most in any form of writing is honesty. I'm someone who always struggled with depression, and I've been through harsh moments in life. To produce and ...

Interest Stacks

50 Entries · 4 Restacks
35 Entries · 30 Restacks

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Recent Forum Discussion

Is this the only manga that criticizes the Emperor?
PxHC - Oct 11
2 repliesby GinIonSui »»
Oct 12, 11:13 PM
A true masterpiece.
Lucky_Z - May 3, 2023
1 repliesby Atsunome »»
May 14, 8:08 AM
Chapters?
Ni_Go_Zero_Ichi - Nov 3, 2011
7 repliesby crescensXG »»
Aug 22, 2020 3:27 PM