Captain Harlock (manga)

Captain Harlock
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Captain Harlock
宇宙海賊キャプテンハーロック
(Uchū Kaizoku Kyaputen Hārokku)
GenreSpace opera
Manga
Written byLeiji Matsumoto
Published byAkita Shoten
English publisher
MagazinePlay Comic
DemographicSeinen
Original runJanuary 1977June 1979
Volumes5
Anime television series
Directed byRintaro
Written by
  • Haruya Yamazaki (1–30)
  • Shozo Uehara (31–42)
Music bySeiji Yokoyama
StudioToei Animation
Licensed by
Original networkTV Asahi
English network
Original run March 14, 1978 February 13, 1979
Episodes42
Anime film
Mystery of the Arcadia
Directed byRintaro
Written byShozo Uehara
Music bySeiji Yokoyama
StudioToei Animation
ReleasedJuly 22, 1978
Runtime35 minutes
Original video animation
DNA Sights 999.9
Directed byMasayuki Kojima
Written byTatsuhiko Urahata
Music byKatsuo Ono
StudioMadhouse
ReleasedDecember 18, 1998
Runtime50 minutes
Sequels, prequels and remakes

Space Pirate Captain Harlock (Japanese: 宇宙海賊キャプテンハーロック, Hepburn: Uchū Kaizoku Kyaputen Hārokku; also romanized as Space Pirate Captain Herlock), also titled Captain Harlock, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Leiji Matsumoto. It was serialized in Akita Shoten's Play Comic from January 1977 to June 1979, with the chapters collected into five tankōbon volumes. The series follows the titular Captain, an outcast who has turned into a space pirate to rebel against Earth's government and humanity's general apathy.

Space Pirate Captain Harlock was adapted into an anime television series in 1978 directed by Rintaro and produced by Toei Animation. An animated film adaptation of the same name was released in 2013.

In August 2014, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of his debut, Matsumoto launched a retelling manga, Captain Harlock: Dimensional Voyage, illustrated by Kōichi Shimahoshi, which features some significant plot differences.

Seven Seas Entertainment has licensed the manga in North America. A sequel comic book written and drawn by Jérôme Alquié, in collaboration with Matsumoto, and published by Ablaze Comics began publication in 2021.