Golgo 13 is the oldest manga still published to this day, with 53 years now under its belt (and only one short hiatus, in 2020). The manga, authored and illustrated by Takao Saito, has been issued in Shogakukan's Big Comic starting in 1968. The series, which has won numerous awards since its debut, narrates several stories of the titular character, an infamous killer for hire.
Golgo 13’s tankōbon collection has reached one of the highest numbers of volumes ever. Having sold 280 million copies, it is one of the top five best-selling manga and the best-selling Seinen series in existence (sorry, Berserk). There are numerous adaptations: live-action feature films, an OVA, a 50-episode anime, an anime movie, and many video games. It's been an especially big hit in Japan, where it has become a cultural phenomenon.
At the center of this story, we find the homonymous hero, Golgo 13. He could definitely be characterized as the James Bond of manga: women, weapons, conspiracies, and international cat-and-mouse games of assassination and espionage are his specialty. The way Golgo 13, also known by the alias Duke Togo, is introduced is simply ideal: his first actual lines come really late within the first chapter and he is introduced instead through the mystery that surrounds him; through the elusiveness of his character. He travels around the world and murders high-profile figures for money. He is always lurking in the background and the shadows, but no one knows his true identity. The name by which he is known is supposedly a reference to the unlucky number 13, and also to the 13th disciple of Jesus, Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus and eventually through his actions sent him to Golgotha (hence “Golgo”). And this man is the best at one thing: killing. He mostly concludes his tasks with an M16 customized rifle (he is an excellent sniper) but he uses it more because he likes it than he needs it. He once killed 20 men with a knife.
Golgo 13 is not a good person or a hero. His actions are self-serving and only meant to advance him, his lifestyle, and his career as an assassin for hire. So, why keep reading? Why root for him? That is easy: one does not root for him, not exactly. He is just so capable at what he does and the various plots are so intriguing to follow that one becomes hooked. Golgo is single-minded, stoic, sometimes angry and he does not really evolve; for this manga that is an advantage, simply because two things drive his narrative: the captivating stories involving international conspiracies and the protagonist’s missions and his determination to complete them and keep moving on, no matter what.
Golgo’s missions occasionally serve some greater good, but only by chance and coincidence. In the end, the reason why he does everything, his ultimate purpose, is this: he does the work in order to be able to keep doing his job. That is it. He has no affiliations and while many speculate his origin (maybe he is Japanese?), in the end, he only reports to himself. His presence is as elusive as his character. This is why readers can focus on the action and the plots: from Cold War espionage to coup d'états in remote parts of the world, Golgo is involved in everything and Saito’s team clearly researches thoroughly. The gritty noir aesthetic is also an appealing factor.
At the end of the day, perhaps Golgo 13 is so successful because there is no overarching plot (a person can start almost at any point) and simultaneously the stories are always topical politically and historically. Unfortunately, only 13 of the 199 volumes are available in English, published by Viz media. Hopefully, more of his stories are translated into English going forward and he could eventually become a household name outside of Japan.