Reborn!

Reborn!, known in Japan as Home Tutor Hitman Reborn! (家庭教師ヒットマンREBORN!, Katekyō Hittoman Reborn!?), is a comedy manga written and illustrated by Akira Amano.

Reborn! is about a boy, Tsunayoshi “Tsuna” Sawada, who is chosen to become a mafia boss. Tsuna unwillingly undergoes training from Reborn, an assassin from Italy. Timoteo a.k.a. “Vongola IX,” the head of the Vongola Famiglia (“Famiglia” is “family” in Italian), sent Reborn to train Tsuna; the first Vongola boss moved to Japan, and Tsuna was his great-great-great grandson; the other candidates for the position of the head of the Vongola family died. Enrico, who was the leading candidate to become “Vongola X”, died in a gun battle. Massimo, the second, “sleeps with the fishes.” Federico, the favored son, was found as a pile of bones. For these reasons, Tsuna is the only remaining heir.

Reborn’s main instrument of choice in teaching Tsuna is the Deathperation Shot (‘dying will bullet’ in the Japanese versions) which will make the person be “reborn” as a stronger self intent on fulfilling his dying will.

The manga is published in Japan by Shueisha’s Jump Comics imprint.

Viz Media recently licensed this series for release in the US in October of 2006; the title will simply be “Reborn!” , removing “Katekyo Hitman” from the title for unknown reasons. The first episode of the anime version first aired on October, 6, 2006.