Star of the Giants

• Ja Kanji — 巨人の星 • Ja Romaji — Kyojin no Hoshi • Genre — Sports

• Type — Manga • Author — Ikki Kajiwara • Illustrator — Noboru Kawasaki • Publisher — Kodansha • Magazine — Weekly Shōnen Magazine • First — May 1966 • Last — January 1971 • Volumes — 19

• Type — TV series • Director — Tadao Nagahama • Studio — Tokyo Movie • Network — YTV • First — March 30, 1968 • Last — September 18, 1971 • Episodes — 182

• Type — Film • Title — Kyojin no Hoshi: Chizome no Kesshōusen • Studio — Tokyo Movie • Released — July 26, 1969 • Runtime — 90 minutes

• Type — Film • Title — Kyojin no Hoshi: Ike Ike Hyūma • Studio — Tokyo Movie • Released — December 20, 1969 • Runtime — 70 minutes

• Type — Film • Title — Kyojin no Hoshi: Dai League Ball • Studio — Tokyo Movie • Released — March 21, 1970 • Runtime — 70 minutes

• Type — Film • Title — Kyojin no Hoshi: Shukumei no Taiketsu • Studio — Tokyo Movie • Released — August 1, 1970 • Runtime — 60 minutes

• Type — TV series • Title — Shin Kyojin no Hoshi • Studio — Tokyo Movie Shinsha • Network — NNS (YTV) • First — October 1, 1977 • Last — September 30, 1978 • Episodes — 52

• Type — TV series • Title — Shin Kyojin no Hoshi II • Studio — Tokyo Movie Shinsha • Network — NNS (YTV) • First — April 14, 1979 • Last — September 29, 1979 • Episodes — 23

• Type — Film • Director — * Satoshi Dezaki • Tadao Nagahama • Studio — Tokyo Movie Shinsha • Released — August 21, 1982 • Runtime — 110 minutes Star of the Giants is a Japanese sports manga series written by Ikki Kajiwara and illustrated by Noboru Kawasaki. It was serialized in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine from 1966 to 1971. It is about the actual baseball team Yomiuri Giants using fictional characters. It was launched by the "Yomiuri Group" which at the time owned not only the actual baseball team, but the TV network Nippon Television, the newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun, as well as Yomiuri Telecasting Corporation. It was adapted into an anime television series broadcast in Japan in 1968. It later spawned two anime sequels and different anime films. In total there were episodes.

The story is about Hyūma Hoshi, a promising young baseball pitcher who dreams of becoming a top star like his father Ittetsu Hoshi in the professional Japanese league. Ittetsu was once a 3rd baseman until he was injured in World War II and was forced to retire; now an impoverished and bitter widower, he's raised Hyūma and his older sister Akiko in a very severe environment. The boy would join the ever popular Giants team, and soon he realized the difficulty of managing the high expectations. From the grueling training to battling the rival Mitsuru Hanagata in the Hanshin Tigers, Hyūma would have to take out his best pitching magic to step up to the challenge.

• Hyūma Hoshi: Tōru Furuya • Ittetsu Hoshi: Seizō Katō • Akiko Hoshi: Fuyumi Shiraishi • Ban Chūta: Jōji Yanami • Mitsuru Hanagata: Makio Inoue • Kawakami Tetsuharu: Tadashi Nakamura • Masaichi Kaneda: Teiji Ōmiya • Kyōko: Reiko Mutō • Hosaku Samon: Shingo Kanemoto • Mina Hadaka: Yoshiko Matsuo

Beginning in 2001, the series was re-released on DVD format. In June 2013, a five set Blu-ray release was released.

Kyojin no Hoshi (The Anime Super Remix) was released for the PlayStation 2 by Capcom on June 20, 2002. There were also a number of other games on the same platform.