Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world. 
For Kenji, a simple convenience store manager who once dreamed of becoming a rock 'n' roll musician, a host of memories from his past come rushing back when one of his childhood friends mysteriously commits suicide. Could this new death be related to the rise of a bizarre new cult that's been implicated in several other murders and disappearances? Determined to dig deeper, Kenji reunites with some of his old buddies in the hope of learning the truth behind it all.
 
(Source: Viz Media)

War is over. The Friend is dead. Mankind no longer faces the threat of extinction. Peace has finally come to Tokyo... Or has it? The mystery still remains. Nobody knows who the Friend was and where he came from. The only clue is hidden deep within the memories—the memories of the hero Kenji. It is time to open Pandora’s Box to discover what is left at the bottom.
 
(Source: Viz Media)

Two manga artists are trying their best to have their work accepted by someone who appears to be their superior. However their latest work has been denied and their superior requests that they should write a manga about a drama where a man protects the peace of the world. The two get together and begin to write a manga about a boy who promises a girl protection!

Music video for Kazuyoshi Saito's song Boy, directed and animated by mangaka Naoki Urasawa.

Kenji was born in 1960. At that time, Japan was running toward the future. In the time of the economic growth, Japanese children saw a lot of cultural movement. Some are gone, some remain. "20th century boys" this based on that chaos. Kentaro Takekuma, who was born in the same year as Kenji, is going to reexamine the culture of that period.
This is the best guidebook to understand the background of 20th Century Boys.

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