Crying Freeman

Crying Freeman
First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Yō Hinomura
クライング フリーマン (Kuraingu Furīman)
Manga
Written by	Kazuo Koike
Illustrated by	Ryoichi Ikegami
Published by	Shogakukan
English publisher	NA: Viz Media (former) Dark Horse Comics
Magazine	Big Comic Spirits
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	1986 – 1988
Volumes	9[1]
Original video animation
Directed by	Daisuke Nishio (1–3) Shigeyasu Yamauchi (4–6)
Produced by	Akira Sasaki Naoko Takahashi Tomiro Kuriyama
Written by	Higashi Shimizu (1–3) Ryunosuke Ono (4–6)
Music by	Hiroaki Yoshino
Studio	Toei Animation
Licensed by	NA: Streamline Pictures A.D. Vision Discotek Media UK: Manga Entertainment
Released	September 1988 – January 1994
Runtime	50 minutes (each)
Episodes	6
Anime and manga portal

Crying Freeman (クライング フリーマン, Kuraingu Furīman) is a Japanese manga series written by Kazuo Koike and illustrated by Ryoichi Ikegami. Crying Freeman follows a Japanese assassin hypnotized and trained by the Chinese mafia (called the "108 Dragons") to serve as its agent and covered in a vast and complex dragon tattoo. A quiet but complicated killer, Freeman reflexively sheds tears after every killing as a sign of regret.

The manga was originally serialized by Shogakukan in its magazine Big Comic Spirits from 1986 to 1988. It was first published in North America by Viz Media in comic book form. Viz later republished the series in graphic novel form in two versions: an initial set and longer volumes that combined the initial volumes together, dubbed "Perfect Collections." From 2006 to 2007, the manga was republished by Dark Horse Comics in five volumes.

The story was adapted into an anime OVA by Toei Animation, released from 1988 to 1994. Crying Freeman has also been adapted into three live-action films: two 1990 Hong Kong films in Cantonese (Killer's Romance and The Dragon from Russia) and a 1995 French-Canadian production in English.