The Doberman Detective

Doberman Deka
Cover artwork of the first volume from the Jump Comics edition
ドーベルマン刑事 (Dōberuman Deka)
Genre	Detective fiction
Manga
Written by	Buronson
Illustrated by	Shinji Hiramatsu
Published by	Shueisha
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Jump
Original run	1975 – 1979
Volumes	29
Manga
Shin Doberman Deka
Written by	Buronson
Illustrated by	Shinji Hiramatsu
Published by	Nihon Bungeisha
Demographic	Seinen
Magazine	Weekly Manga Goraku
Original run	2012 – 2013
Volumes	2

Doberman Deka
Toei Company
Directed by	Kinji Fukasaku
Produced by	Norimichi Matsudaira Kyō Namura
Written by	Kōji Takada
Starring	Sonny Chiba
Music by	Kenjiro Hirose
Edited by	Isamu Ichida
Distributed by	Toei Company (Japan)
Release date	July 2, 1977 (Japan)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	Japan
Language	Japanese

Doberman Deka (Japanese: ドーベルマン刑事, "Doberman Cop") is a hardboiled manga series written by Buronson and drawn by Shinji Hiramatsu. It was serialized in the Weekly Shōnen Jump manga anthology from 1975 (Issue 39) throughout 1979 (Issue 48) and was originally collected in a 29-volume tankōbon edition. A later aizōban edition was published, as well as a bunkoban edition, which compressed the number of volumes to 18. The manga was also adapted into two live-action feature films (one of them starring Sonny Chiba and directed by Kinji Fukasaku) and a TV series.

A sequel titled Shin Doberman Deka (新ドーベルマン刑事, "New Doberman Cop") was published in Weekly Manga Goraku from 2012 to 2013, lasting 2 volumes.

The protagonist is Joji Kano (加納 錠治, Kanō Jōji), a detective employed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department's special crimes division, which handles serious criminal cases. His gun of choice is a customized .44 Magnum-caliber Ruger Blackhawk. Kano's harsh methods are the subject to criticism by the media, but he doesn't mind the reputation at all. While Kano has no pity for serious criminals, he holds a respect for children and elderly people, as well as former criminals who want to reform themselves for their prior misconducts.

At the beginning of the manga, the only members of the Special Crimes Division were Kano himself and Superintendent Hiroshi Nishitani (西谷 博, Nishitani Hiroshi), but they would gradually be joined by additional members such as Detective Tetsuji Miyatake (宮武 鉄二, Tetsuji Miyatake), a gang specialist who was transferred to Shinjuku from Osaka; female detective Ryuko Mimori (三森 竜子, Mimori Ryūko); and from the United States, female detective Judy Terao (ジュディー寺尾). While the series started with a hardboiled atmosphere, it gradually became more light-hearted as it progressed.