Osamu Akimoto's classic manga KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops is entering a new era. A brand-new anime project, New KochiKame: Tokyo Beat Cops, is now underway and is scheduled to air in 2027, giving longtime fans plenty to look forward to.
But Osamu Akimoto himself may be every bit as extraordinary as his famously larger-than-life creation, Kankichi Ryotsu. A list circulating among Japanese internet users has gathered 15 of the manga creator's most legendary accomplishments—and some of them make even Ryo-san look surprisingly ordinary.
Here are the 15 legendary Osamu Akimoto stories highlighted by Japanese users:
① His contest submission became his debut work
In 1976, KochiKame was submitted to a newcomer manga award and selected as a winning entry. Akimoto was still using the pen name “Tatsuhiko Yamadome” at the time. The manga was published as a one-shot in Weekly Shonen Jump before becoming a serialized series later that same year.
（ This is why some early editions of KochiKame volumes still credit the author as “Tatsuhiko Yamadome.” ）
② He never took a single break in 40 years
From 1976 to 2016, Akimoto completed 40 straight years of weekly serialization without taking a single hiatus. Illness and a lack of story ideas never caused him to miss an installment.
③ The manga had reached 200 volumes when its weekly run ended
KochiKame reached 200 collected volumes as a single manga series, earning a Guinness World Record at the time for the most volumes published for a single manga series.
④ More than 150 million copies in circulation
There were no flashy battles or epic adventures. A comedy manga centered on a small neighborhood police box still managed to surpass 150 million copies in circulation, leaving behind one of the most remarkable numbers in manga history.
⑤ He cut a seven-day workload down to five
Early in the series, completing a single chapter took a full seven days. Akimoto gradually brought that down to six days and eventually five, creating a production schedule that actually gave him time to rest.
⑥ Despite being a manga artist, he kept a strict 9-to-7 “office worker” schedule
Akimoto set fixed working hours, kept overtime to a minimum and avoided all-night deadline crunches. KochiKame lasted 40 years not because he constantly pushed himself to the limit, but because of meticulous self-management.
⑦ He hired his assistants as full-time employees
In an industry where such arrangements were highly unusual, Akimoto hired his manga assistants as full-time employees. He introduced a time-card system and made sure the staff could properly take time off.
⑧ He never waited until the last minute to finish a manuscript
Akimoto consistently kept a stockpile of completed chapters ready in advance. That way, unexpected appointments or emergencies would not disrupt the weekly serialization, giving his studio a remarkably stable production system.
⑨ He finished eight KochiKame chapters ahead of schedule just to make time for other manga
Whenever Akimoto wanted to work on a 40-page one-shot, he would first complete roughly eight KochiKame chapters in advance—about two full months' worth of weekly material—before turning to the other project. Even while producing a weekly series, he managed his schedule tightly enough to carve out time for entirely different works.
⑩ He constantly brought the latest technology and trends into the manga
Home electronics, communications technology, video games, vehicles and whatever was trending in popular culture at the time—Akimoto thoroughly researched new developments and worked them into the manga. Some chapters would later resurface online, with fans joking that KochiKame had somehow “predicted the future.”
⑪ KochiKame did not end because he ran out of ideas
The weekly serialization did not end because Akimoto was exhausted or had nothing left to draw. In fact, he had reportedly built up a long list of other projects he wanted to create outside KochiKame. New KochiKame one-shots have continued to appear since the weekly series ended, making it clear that there were still plenty of stories left to tell.
⑫ After ending a 40-year serialization, he quickly launched four new series across four magazines
After 40 years of producing a weekly manga, no one would have blamed Akimoto for taking an extended break. Instead, he soon moved ahead with four different works across four magazines, ranging from a Western and a spy story to a youth drama and a tale of everyday life in old-school downtown Tokyo.
⑬ He has collected major manga and cultural honors
Akimoto has received the Japan Cartoonists Association Award Grand Prize, the Shogakukan Manga Award's Special Jury Award and the Kikuchi Kan Prize, among other honors. In 2019, the Japanese government also awarded him the Medal with Purple Ribbon.
⑭ His manga even transformed his hometown
Akimoto was named an honorary resident of his native Katsushika City, while statues of Kankichi Ryotsu and other KochiKame characters have appeared throughout the streets of Kameari. In 2025, the neighborhood even welcomed the opening of the Kochikame Museum.
⑮ Fifty years after the series began, he is still drawing it
In 2026, Akimoto published a new one-shot and released KochiKame Volume 202, the series' first new collected volume in five years. KochiKame is far from a work that simply “ended”—new stories are still being created to this day.
Today, KochiKame is more than a beloved classic among manga fans—it has become one of the defining works of Japanese popular culture. Akimoto himself grew into one of the industry's most respected creators alongside the series, and looking back at these stories makes his seemingly endless passion for creating, along with his extraordinary discipline and perseverance, all the more impressive.
（ Related: Osamu Akimoto on KochiKame's 40-Year Run: “At First, I Thought I'd Miss a Deadline...” ）