Nextworld
A Cold War parody about mutant animals and a toxic cloud.
Next World (Japanese: 来るべき世界, Hepburn: Kitarubeki Sekai), also called Nextworld, is a Japanese science fiction manga series created by Osamu Tezuka in 1951. It serves as the third and final installment in Tezuka's early science fiction trilogy, following Lost World (1948) and Metropolis (1949). Although each story stands alone, they are frequently published together in collected editions.
The plot was written during the escalating Cold War and acts as a parody of the strained relations between the United States (depicted as the "Nation of Stars") and the Soviet Union (called the "Uran Federation"). The central story involves atomic tests that produce a race of mutant animals called Fumoon, who possess psychic abilities and superior intelligence. These Fumoon devise a plan to evacuate hundreds of animals and a small group of humans from Earth because a massive toxic cloud is approaching the planet, threatening all life. Meanwhile, the two rival superpowers edge closer to open conflict.
A related anime television film, titled *Fumoon* (1980), was produced for Nippon Television Network's annual 24-hour charity program *Ai wa Chikyū o Suku* ("Love Saves The Earth"). Its story is based on *Nextworld*. The film follows a similar plot but removes several characters from the manga. Another difference is that Kenichi—a character who also appears in the *Metropolis* manga and its anime adaptation—is a teenager in the film, whereas he is a child in the original manga.
- type
- Manga series
- creator
- Osamu Tezuka
- year_published
- 1951
- genre
- Science fiction
- series_position
- Third in early science fiction trilogy
- related_works
- Lost World (1948), Metropolis (1949)
Quick Facts
- Ja Romaji
- Kitarubeki Sekai
- Genre
- Science fiction
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Created in a time when the Cold War was becoming hotter, Nextworld is Osamu Tezuka's parody of the tense relationship between the USA (represented as the 'Nation of Stars') and USSR (known in the work as the 'Uran Federation'). The main storyline focuses on atomic tests that create a race of mutant animals known as Fumoon, with psychic powers and intelligence beyond humans, who formulate a plan to evacuate hundreds of animals and a small group of people off the planet Earth. The reason for this is due to a large toxic cloud approaching the Earth, threatening to wipe out all life. Meanwhile, the two warring superpowers draw closer and closer to a confrontation.
Reader's Guide
Nextworld holds significance as the concluding chapter of Osamu Tezuka's early science fiction trilogy, reflecting Cold War anxieties through a satirical lens. Its plot—centering on atomic tests creating psychic mutant animals and a toxic cloud threatening Earth—anticipates later environmental and nuclear themes in manga and anime. The work's legacy extends to a 1980 anime television film titled Fumoon, produced for Nippon Television Network's annual 24-hour charity program. The film adapts the manga's plot but omits some characters and ages the protagonist Kenichi from a child to a teenager. Nextworld remains a key example of Tezuka's early engagement with science fiction and political commentary, often reprinted alongside Lost World and Metropolis.
Did You Know?
- Nextworld is the third and final work in Osamu Tezuka's early science fiction trilogy, which also includes Lost World (1948) and Metropolis (1949).
- The manga parodies the Cold War, with the USA represented as the 'Nation of Stars' and the USSR as the 'Uran Federation'.
- The mutant animals in the story, called Fumoon, possess psychic powers and intelligence beyond humans.
- A 1980 anime television film titled Fumoon, based on Nextworld, was created for Nippon Television Network's annual 24-hour charity program.
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