It's not every day that two highly popular and classic anime series get to do a major crossover event.
However, Cyborg 009 and Devilman have officially come together, and fans can now watch the three-episode series on Netflix, first in Japan, and then later across the world in 120 countries. The limited series will also get dubbed into over 20 languages, including English.
Cyborg 009 started life as a manga series way back in 1966, and still remains a fan favorite even today. It follows the story of nine humans who get kidnapped and turned into cyborgs. These cyborgs band together to stop an evil organization from starting the next world war. They also often go up against major world threats, including mad scientists and supernatural beings.
Cyborg 009 became an anime movie in 1966, followed by another film in 1980 and one in 2012. An anime series ran in 1968, with two more series: one in 1979 and the other in 2001.
The Devilman anime series, also based on a manga, ran from 1972 to 1973 and tells the story of a shy teenager, Akira Fudo, who learns of the existence of demons, eventually leading him to don an ancient mask that allows demons to possess him, turning him into Devilman. Akira uses his powers, though, to save humanity from demon attacks.
Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman brings the two series together for the first time. Here's the official description of the series as it appears on the Anime News Network:
"After discovering the existence of demons in Tokyo, the original Cyborg crew led by Dr. Gilmore find themselves in conflict with Devilman, a strong demon believed to be in league with the war-profiteering terrorist organization, Black Ghost. Meanwhile, a bigger threat emerges when Dr. Adams, a Black Ghost scientist unleashes his new line of high teen Cyborg models against 009 and his friends."
The three-episode series originally ran as a theatrical release in Japan in October 2015, but this is the first time that it will air on Netflix, as well as becomes available to the rest of the world.
Cyborg 009 vs. Devilman is available now on Netflix in Japan, but there is no release date yet for the anime series' worldwide debut on the subscription streaming site.
