City Hunter Creator Reveals Ryo Saeba Sparked Unexpected Pleas: 'Please Stop It'

City Hunter and Cat's Eye are finally rolling into the U.S. manga market, and creator Tsukasa Hojo is looking back at the loudest, weirdest, and most debated part of his biggest hit: Ryo Saeba, the gun-toting bodyguard with a soft spot for damsels and a hardwired penchant for horny jokes. Hojo says the reaction to Ryo was not what he expected back in the 80s, and the new Netflix live-action has his full blessing to tweak the guy for modern audiences.

The mokkori surprise

When City Hunter launched in Weekly Shonen Jump in 1985, Hojo assumed turning his lead into a self-proclaimed perv (the series leans into the term "mokkori") would scare off women. Instead, he says more women showed up than men, and it was the dudes who told him the boner gags were embarrassing. The humor was meant as broad 80s comedy, and the series balanced it with Kaori Makimura whacking Ryo back to earth whenever he crossed a line. The push-pull between chaos and comeuppance is a big part of why the manga clicked.

Backlash, and an editor who hung up

Not everyone was into it. Hojo recalls calls from womens groups accusing City Hunter of being sexist because of Ryo's relentless flirting and mokkori jokes. His editor at the time did not exactly invite a debate.

"No, this thing is popular with girls. Good day."

Then he hung up. Hojo still credits that kind of backup for keeping the series on track during the blowback.

What the manga actually became

City Hunter is about a Tokyo "sweeper" named Ryo and his partner Kaori taking on messy jobs, navigating crime, romance, and whatever trouble Ryo's libido drums up. It turned into a cultural fixture in Japan, spun off anime series, movies, and multiple live-action takes around the world — including Jackie Chan's 1993 version. Over time, Hojo says he left the big, flashy action set-pieces to the anime and films and steered the manga toward the human side: the relationships, the teasing romance, the way people bounce off each other. In his words, that ended up being the core of the series.

Netflix 2024: same Ryo, updated rules

The new Netflix live-action gives Ryo a tune-up without sanding off his personality. Star Ryohei Suzuki says Hojo told the team to treat City Hunter as theirs to shape for today, and to change what needed changing.

"My City Hunter is just mine; you can make your own City Hunter."

Translation: keep the mokkori humor, cut the behavior that reads as harassment now. Suzuki is clear that this Ryo does not put hands on women without consent unless it is literally a life-or-death situation. He also says the team adjusted small things to fit modern values, but nobody rewired the characters.

Why this matters now

Nearly 40 years on, Ryo Saeba is still a strange cocktail: action hero, romantic idiot, walking punchline. The old gags do not excuse real-world harassment — then or now — and the new movie knows it. But the fact that Hojo embraces updates while protecting the heart of the character is the interesting part here, especially as his work finally lands on American shelves in a big way.

• 1985: City Hunter begins in Weekly Shonen Jump; Ryo and Kaori start sweeping Tokyo.
• Late 80s–90s: Anime, films, and international live-action versions arrive, including Jackie Chan's 1993 movie.
• 2024: Netflix drops a new live-action take with Hojo's blessing to modernize.
• Now: City Hunter and Cat's Eye are making their long-awaited U.S. manga debut.

The practical stuff

City Hunter (2024) is streaming on Netflix in the U.S. If you have been waiting to read the manga in English — City Hunter and Cat's Eye — this is the moment to jump in. Are you picking them up? And do you think the mokkori man still plays in 2025? I am genuinely curious where everyone lands on this one.