The original Devilman manga by Go Nagai was published in 1972, meaning that it’s over 45 years old at this point. And even though it didn’t get a full anime adaptation until Devilman: Crybaby in 2018, it’s had more than its fair share of sequels, spinoffs, and crossovers in the intervening years. And amazingly, most of them were written and illustrated by Nagai himself – from the 1970s all the way through to the 2010s!

Today, we’ll be looking at the most interesting and bizarre parts of the Devilman universe. You want knights? Futuristic battle armor? A time travel story where Akira and Ryo accidentally start Hitler down his path of evil? We’ve got all of that and much, much more.

The original Devilman manga by Go Nagai had a lot to say about the state of Japan as well as the larger world in the 1970s. Its unflinching portrayal of the darkest parts of human nature helped solidify its status as a classic manga that still holds up (for the most part) to this day. The 2018 anime adaptation Devilman: Crybaby updates the setting to the present time and modernizes the social commentary along with it.

What’s so surprising about Crybaby is that it manages to be even more relevant and important to its contemporary audience than the original manga was over four decades ago. Let’s take a closer look at how the changes to Nagai’s legendary story struck a chord with the people of today.

Go Nagai’s 1972 manga, Devilman, tells the story of Akira Fudo, a mild-mannered teen who unwittingly gets possessed by a spirit from the underworld and becomes a vicious demon hunter. And just as Nagai’s later project, Mazinger Z, is considered to be one of the biggest influencers of the mecha genre, Devilman has had an enormous impact on the works that came after it.

The manga’s top-selling original run, as well as its many adaptations and spin-offs (such as Devilman Lady and Violence Jack), have secured its place in the popular consciousness for the past four decades. Today, Devilman’s influence can be seen across countless genres and even pops up in non-Japanese media on occasion. So let’s take a look at how this classic manga inspired the creators of some of our favorite series to turn to the dark side.