Crusher Joe

• Ja Kanji — クラッシャージョウ • Ja Romaji — Kurasshā Jō

• Type — novel series • Author — Haruka Takachiho • Illustrator — Yoshikazu Yasuhiko • Publisher — Asahi Sonorama/Asahi Shimbun Publications • First — 1977 • Last — 2016 • Volumes — 13

• Type — manga • Author — Haruka Takachiho • Illustrator — Fujihiko Hosono • Publisher — Asahi Sonorama • Magazine — Manga Shōnen • Published — 1979 • Volumes — 1

• Type — film • Director — Yoshikazu Yasuhiko • Writer — * Haruka Takachiho • Yoshikazu Yasuhiko • Music — Norio Maeda • Studio — * Studio Nue • Nippon Sunrise • Runtime — 132 minutes

• Type — ova • Director — Toshifumi Takizawa • Writer — Fuyunori Gobu • Music — Keiichi Oku • Studio — * Studio Nue • Sunrise • First — 5 February 1989 • Last — 5 June 1989 • Runtime — 60 minutes (each) • Episodes — 2

• Type — manga • Title — Crusher Joe Rebirth • Author — Haruka Takachiho • Illustrator — Yu Harii • Publisher — Kodansha • Magazine — Evening • First — 12 September 2017 • Volumes — 6 Crusher Joe is a series of science fiction novels written by Haruka Takachiho and published by Asahi Sonorama from 1977 to 2005 (an additional trilogy was published between 2013 and 2016). During the late 1970s one of the founding fathers of Studio Nue, Takachiho, decided that besides being a designer he would try his hand at penning novels. The result was Crusher Joe, whose antiheroes were not the typical self-sacrificing types but noble in their own right nonetheless. Crusher Joe was made into an animated film in 1983 and two original video animation (OVA) episodes in 1989. The film version won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 1983. The film features several guest designs by Katsuhiro Otomo, Akira Toriyama, Rumiko Takahashi and Hideo Azuma. In 2021, Takachiho revealed that he worked with Otomo on a sequel film "a long time ago." Otomo created a storyboard for the beginning of the sequel and gave it to Sunrise, but the project fell through. The movie and the OVA series were licensed for English release by Discotek Media in 2016. A manga series illustrated by Yu Harii, titled Crusher Joe Rebirth, started in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Evening on 12 September 2017; the manga went on hiatus in February 2022, and the magazine ceased its publication in February 2023. Its chapters have been collected in six volumes as of December 2025.

Enter the tale of the Crusher Council, a group of rugged individuals known for assignments ranging from transportation to terraforming and everything in between. In the early days of space exploration the Crushers took on the job of destroying asteroids and defining space lanes. Because of their work, they were nicknamed "Crushers" which eventually became their business moniker. The Crushers work to a code that bars unethical and illegal assignments, and a Crusher who accepts one is expelled from the Union. Because the Union treats an accepted assignment as binding, clients with illicit aims attempt to secure the Crushers' agreement by misrepresenting the work. The series follows the team led by Crusher Dan and afterwards by his successor, Crusher Joe.

• Joe • The headstrong leader of his Crusher Team, Joe became a Crusher at the age of ten and replaced his father as the active head of the Crushers. Now nineteen, he maintains his Triple A rating. Joe has an intense dislike for authority (other than his own) and refuses to take orders from anyone, including his father. However, he does have a lighter side, which enables him to take the balance of a situation and to act quickly and calmly. He and Alfin are romantically involved. • Alfin • Princess of the Planet Pizanne who left her home and royal status to join the Crushers. After the Pizanne incident she sneaks aboard the Minerva and takes the late Gambino's place as navigator. Perky, bubbly and easily intoxicated, Alfin is also quick-witted and fearless. She and Joe are romantically involved. • Talos • Talos served with Joe's father, Crusher Dan, in the early days of the Crusher Union. After 40 years of being a Crusher, eighty percent of his body has been replaced with cybernetic implants. These artificial limbs often come in handy (his left arm contains a machine gun). Talos is gruff and reserved and possesses enormous strength, a trait that has saved his teammates on more than one occasion. He serves as the team's pilot. • Ricky • At the age of fifteen, Ricky is the youngest member of the Joe Team but this in no way hinders his performance as the ship's engineer. Orphaned when gang members killed his parents, Ricky stows away on board the Minerva. His sharp wits and instant reflexes soon establish him as a member of the team. He is quick tempered and easily riled, and his teammate Talos often finds himself restraining the young engineer. He also spars with Alfin like a younger sibling. • Dongo • The Dongo Mabot served with both Talos and Crusher Dan in the early days of the Federation. A robot with a warped sense of humor (he is often seen reading porn magazines), he is completely loyal and is capable of operating the Minerva when the team is absent.

The Movie • Character — Japanese — English • Enoki Films (1983) — AnimEigo/ Coastal Studios (1997) • Joe — Hiroshi Takemura — Brian Cummings — Michael Brady • Alfin — Run Sasaki — Kathy Ritter — Juliet Cesario • Talos — Kiyoshi Kobayashi — Jan Rabson — Dave Underwood • Ricky — Noriko Ohara — Kathy Ritter — Shaun O'Rourke • Dongo — Issei Futamata — Amiga 3000 (speech synthesis) • Colonel Kowalsky — Gorou Naya — Jan Rabson — Marc Matney • Bard — Osamu Kobyashi — Bob Edwards • Dan — Akira Kume — Jan Rabson — Daniel Morris • Jonah Matua — Reiko Mutou — Stacia Crawford • Murphy — Chikao Ootsuka — Michael S. Way • Killie — Kazuyuki Sogabe — Robin Robertson • Nero — Takeshi Watabe — Kevin Potts • Roki — Daisuke Gouri — Sean P. O'Connell • Cat's Eye Norma — Kazuko Yanaga — Belinda Bizic-Keller • Valenstinos — Nobuo Tanaka — Pierre Brulatour • Cortigiano — Kouichi Chiba — Jerry Winsett • DuPrau Mardola — Hidekatsu Shibata — Norm Shore • Pirate Dr. — Masaru Ikeda — Patrick Humphrey • Pirate Chief — Masato Tachizawa • Pirate — Shin'ya Ootaki • Officer — Tomomichi Nishimura • Anessa — Kan Sakai • Control Room Officers — Hiroyuki Kumakura Fumihiko Tachiki Hiroshi Kawaguchi • Disk Jockey — LEO • Kei — Meri Mizuhara • Yuri — Yuri Akitsu The OVAs • Character — Japanese — English • Joe — Hiroshi Takemura — Michael Brady • Alfin — Run Sasaki — Juliet Cesario • Talos — Kiyoshi Kobayashi — Dave Underwood • Ricky — Noriko Ohara — Shaun O'Rourke • Dongo — Issei Futamata — Rick Forrester • Episode 1 • Eyecatcher — Roger D. Smith (in English) — unchanged • Hume — Iemasa Kayumi — Michael Titterton • Ghellstan — Yuzuru Fujimoto — Michael S. Way • Kabul — Mitsuo Senda — Jim Clark • Barney — Masaaki Tsukada — Jordan Rhodes • Figaro — Daisuke Gouri — Marc Matney • Female Newscaster — Masako Katsuki — Sara Seidman-Vance • Male Newscaster — Shin'ya Ootaki — Bill Shank • Reporter — Scott Simpson • Captain 1 — Masashi Ebara — Patrick Humphrey • Warden — Minoru Inaba • Prisoners — Naoki Makishima Hiroshi Hashimoto Hiroyuki Suzuki Akifumi Endou — Mark Franklin Rick Havoc Ronnie Lamana Jim Leonard Mark McCoy Sean P. O'Connell • Communications Officer — Tony Schnur • Staff Officers — J. David Arnold Larry Tobias • Waitress — Keiko Yamaoka — Pamela Weidner-Houle • Guards — Tyson Harris Thomas Roday • Prison Robot — Steve Wilkins • Assistant — David Woods • Announcer — Lanelle Markgraf • Workers — Nat Burton Lyndon Daverwood • Soldier — Bill Nixon • Pilot — Robert Hodge • Episode 2 • Major Tanya — Yoshiko Sakakibara — Sinda Nichols • Colonel Mardo — Kenji Utsumi — Pierre Brulatour • President Elgarno — Mikio Terajima — Michael S. Way • Lieutenant Jimenes — Kiyoyuki Yanada — Rick Havoc • Dr. Carlos — Yasuo Muramatsu — Larry Tobias • Captain 2 — Ikuya Sawaki — Paul Johnson • Pilot — Hiroshi Hashimoto — Nat Burton • Hoira — Shouji Ehara • Officer/Major Diek — Katsumi Suzuki — Lee Taylor • Enlisted Man/Sergeant Wheeler — Hiroyuki Suzuki — Kevin Guthrie

• Crusher Joe 1: Crisis on Solidarity Planet Pizanne • Asahi Sonorama, (November 1977), (November 2000) • Crusher Joe 2: Extermination! The Space Pirates Trap • Asahi Sonorama, (January 1978), (April 2001) • Crusher Joe 3: The Final Secret of the Milky Way • Asahi Sonorama, (January 1978), (July 2001) • Crusher Joe 4: Cave of the Cult of the Dark God • Asahi Sonorama, (January 1978), (November 2001) • Crusher Joe 5: Treachery Toward the Galactic Empire • Asahi Sonorama, (January 1978), (February 2002) • Crusher Joe 6: Challenge of the Human-faced Demon Beasts • Asahi Sonorama, (June 1979), (May 2002) • Crusher Joe 7: The Beautiful Demon King • Asahi Sonorama, (1983), (August 2002) • Crusher Joe 8: Kukuru, the Haunted City • Part 1: Asahi Sonorama, (November 1989), (October 2002) • Part 2: Asahi Sonorama, (March 1990), (November 2002) • Crusher Joe 9: The Phantom Beast Wormwood • Asahi Sonorama, (October 2003) • Crusher Joe 10: The Holy Virgin Dairon • Asahi Sonorama, (26 May 2005) • Kurasshā Jō Bekkan 1: Nijiiro no Jigoku • Novelization of the movie, Asahi Sonorama, (January 1983), (February 2003) • Crusher Joe Extra 2: The Doruroi Storm • Asahi Sonorama, (26 May 2005)

The 1983 film version was released on LaserDisc in 1996 with English subtitles. It was released on VHS in the United States by AnimEigo on 27 June 2000 in both dubbed and subtitled versions. A DVD released by AnimEigo on 23 September 2003 contained the original film and both OVA versions. All are now out of print. Discotek acquired the rights to retail the film and OVAs in English in 2016. The film was released on June 20, 2020 while the OVA was released on August 25, 2020. A version of the 1983 film was released in the UK on VHS, under the name Crushers. Aimed primarily at children, this version was dubbed into English. Particularly violent and sexual references were cut.

Crusher Joe: Kanraku Wakusei no Inbou was released in 1994 by Family Soft for the PC-98.