Sakamoto Days

Sakamoto Days (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuto Suzuki (manga artist). It has been serialized in Shueisha's manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump since November 2020, with its chapters collected in 26 volumes as of March 2026. It is simultaneously published in English by Viz Media and the Manga Plus online platform.

The story revolves around Taro Sakamoto, a retired legendary hitman who has settled into a quiet and mundane life as a family man. However, his peaceful life is disrupted when former enemies and colleagues from his hitman days come seeking revenge. To protect his family and loved ones, Sakamoto must use his exceptional combat skills to face off against a variety of adversaries while trying to maintain his ordinary facade.

An anime television series adaptation produced by TMS Entertainment aired from January to March 2025, with a second cours aired from July to September of the same year. A second season has been announced. A live-action film adaptation is set to premiere in Japan in April 2026.

By August 2025, the manga had over 15 million copies in circulation.

Plot

Taro Sakamoto used to be an unrivaled hitman, earning legendary status in the criminal underworld by being feared by some and idolized by others. One day, however, Sakamoto fell in love at first sight with Aoi, a convenience store clerk. For them to date, Aoi gave him the ultimatum that he must quit being a hitman and never kill again. Sakamoto agreed, and after his retirement, they started dating, got married, had a daughter named Hana, and eventually opened a family-run convenience store of their own in the suburbs of Tokyo.

Several years later, Sakamoto has settled into his humble life, but also grown portly as a result of his relative inactivity despite still being immensely powerful. The world of hitmen eventually locates him, and many soon attempt to target the Sakamoto family, either seeking revenge or resenting his retired status. Now, with the help of three other former criminals who become employed at the store under Sakamoto—clairvoyant hitman Shin Asakura, orphaned crime boss daughter Lu Xiaotang, and sniper Heisuke Mashimo—Sakamoto must protect his family (or die trying) against the criminal underworld, all while maintaining Aoi's no-kill policy.

Production

The idea of pairing up Taro Sakamoto with a character that can read minds allowed for insight into the character's motivations and for comedy to flourish since Suzuki intended for Sakamoto to be a quieter and reserved character. According to editor Soushiro Ishikawa, Suzuki focuses on readability while creating action scenes, and his background in style of painting allows him to create interesting layouts. Suzuki and Ishikawa would hold meetings every week in person to discuss how to progress the story, but after the COVID-19 pandemic, they hold meetings online.[1] Suzuki is influenced by manga artists Katsuhiro Otomo, Takehiko Inoue, and Hiroya Oku, and by the works of director Christopher Nolan. He draws inspiration from action films such as The Equalizer and the John Wick series.[1]

Suzuki originally drew dark one-shot stories. However, when creating Sakamoto Days, he opted for a more lighthearted tone to better suit the demands of weekly serialization. For the concept of Sakamoto being a retired hitman, Suzuki said he was fascinated with the idea of a fat person being incredibly strong, thinking as well about the reasons that led him to that state; "Why is he fat? Because he retired. Why is that? Maybe because he got married? That's how I made it." He was particularly intrigued by the idea of a strong, obese fighter, a notion that was partly influenced by the comedic action film Enter the Fat Dragon. Regarding action scenes, Suzuki strives to captivate readers by incorporating unexpected twists and surprises. He employs an analog pen for character illustrations and works with a team of assistants. The character Shin emerged from Suzuki's interest in exploring the potential of an esper who interacts with Sakamoto through telepathy. Meanwhile, Lu was conceived as a Chinese assassin heroine, reflecting Suzuki's desire to diversify the cast. Although Suzuki acknowledges that his characters can sometimes be difficult to distinguish visually, he found Gaku to be the easiest to draw due his independent personality. Suzuki commented that he had already planned the ending of the series by 2022.[2] The series is set to start its "final battle" on August 4, 2025.[3]

Media

Reception

By October 2022, the manga had 2.2 million copies in circulation;[47] over 4 million copies in circulation by November 2023;[48] over 5 million copies in circulation by May 2024;[49] over 5.5 million copies in circulation by August 2024;[44] over 7 million copies in circulation by December 2024;[50] over 8 million copies in circulation by March 2025;[51] over 12 million copies in circulation by June 2025;[52] and over 15 million copies in circulation by August 2025.[53]

The series ranked sixth on the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2022.[54] Manga author Hiromu Arakawa recommended the series with a comment featured on the of the sixth volume.[55] Sakamoto Days was nominated for Best Print Manga at the 2021 Next Manga Awards. It placed sixth out of 50 nominees, but won the U-Next Prize.[56] The series was nominated for the 68th Shogakukan Manga Award in the category in 2022.[57]

Katherine Dacey of The Manga Critic recommended the first volume, praising its artwork and fight choreography. She noted that while some later chapters were not as tightly executed as the initial ones, the series successfully balanced character development with action.[58] Anime News Network's Rebecca Silverman gave a positive review, describing the first volume as highly entertaining, with a strong cast, an engaging premise, and effective execution.[59] Sheena McNeil of Sequential Tart observed that the premise could appeal to fans of Kousuke Oono's The Way of the Househusband, while its tone resembled the action-comedy blend of Akira Toriyama's earlier works. McNeil found the protagonist's familial relationships and dynamic with Shin particularly engaging.[60]

Reiichi Narima of Real Sound (website) noted that despite the protagonist's comedic appearance, he called Sakamoto Days an entertaining action series with superbly illustrated action scenes, which he compared to those in Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. He observed that the series began with a comedic focus but gradually shifted toward battles, aligning it more with a standard Weekly Shōnen Jump title.[61][62]

Allen Moody of THEM Anime Reviews praised the anime adaptation for its humorous premise and execution, highlighting Sakamoto's exaggerated skills and the energetic contrast provided by supporting characters Shin and Lu. The villains were also well-received, though Moody noted the season ended on an unresolved note, expressing anticipation for a second part.[63]

Sakamoto Days was Netflix's global most-watched anime in the first half of 2025, garnering 24.4 million views according to the platform's mid-year report.[64]

External links