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Last updated: 10 November 2026

Quick Answer

Banana Fish is MAPPA's 24 episode TV anime of Akimi Yoshida's manga, directed by Hiroko Utsumi and aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina block from July to December 2018. It follows Ash Lynx, a 17 year old New York gang leader investigating a drug called Banana Fish, and Eiji Okumura, the Japanese photographer who becomes his closest ally. Yuma Uchida voices Ash and Kenji Nojima voices Eiji. Netflix streams the series in select regions, including a human performed English dub released in 2026.

About Banana Fish

Banana Fish adapts Akimi Yoshida's manga in full. The manga ran in Shogakukan's Betsucomi magazine from 1985 to 1994 and fills 19 volumes. The anime moves the setting from the 1980s to the modern day, swapping in smartphones and current New York, but keeps the story's bones: Ash Lynx, raised by mafia boss Dino Golzine, hunts the truth about Banana Fish, the drug that destroyed his older brother in Vietnam, while gang wars and government interests close in around him.

Banana Fish is a TV anime from 2018, first released in Summer 2018. It belongs to the Action and Drama and Thriller genres and is listed as a completed series. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.

Story & Plot

Ash Lynx runs a street gang in Manhattan and answers, unwillingly, to Dino Golzine, the Corsican mafia boss who raised him as a pet and a weapon. When a dying man presses a vial and an address into Ash's hands, muttering the words Banana Fish, Ash finally has a thread to pull. It is the same phrase his brother Griffin repeated for years after coming home from Vietnam with his mind broken.

Into this arrives Eiji Okumura, a former pole vaulter from Japan assisting photographer Shunichi Ibe on a report about New York street gangs. Eiji is everything Ash's world is not: kind, ordinary and safe. Their friendship becomes the centre of the story as Ash's investigation pulls in the Chinese syndicate of Lee Wang-Lung, the young gang leader Sing Soo-Ling, journalist Max Lobo, who served with Griffin in Vietnam, and the full weight of Golzine's empire.

The second half widens into a conspiracy with military roots, as Banana Fish turns out to be a drug built to erase free will, and men in power want it badly. Ash fights with a genius IQ, perfect aim and nothing left to lose, while the people protecting him pay the price for standing close.

Banana Fish is a thriller, but its reputation rests on the bond between Ash and Eiji, one of the most loved relationships in anime. The ending adapts the manga faithfully. Go in knowing it will hurt, and that nearly everyone who finishes it calls it a masterpiece anyway.

Story Arcs & Episode Guide

The Banana Fish anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.

ArcEpisodesYearsAbout
The Words Banana FishEpisodes 1-62018Ash gets the vial and the address, meets Eiji, and the gang war with Arthur's crew begins.
Cape Cod and the Truth About GriffinEpisodes 7-122018Ash takes Eiji home to Cape Cod and, with Max Lobo's help, closes in on what happened to his brother in Vietnam.
The Lee Syndicate and Golzine's TrapEpisodes 13-182018Yut-Lung's schemes, Shorter's fate and a rescue mission push Ash toward an open break with Golzine.
The Final ReckoningEpisodes 19-242018The conspiracy behind Banana Fish is exposed and every debt comes due in the closing episodes, ending with The Catcher in the Rye.

Why Watch Banana Fish

  • Animated by MAPPA, directed by Hiroko Utsumi
  • 24 episodes adapting the complete 19 volume manga
  • Yuma Uchida won Best Actor at the 13th Seiyu Awards for playing Ash
  • Every episode title quotes a Lost Generation writer, from Hemingway to Salinger
  • A proper English dub finally arrived on Netflix in August 2026

Who Is It For?

Banana Fish is for adults. It deals directly with sexual abuse, child exploitation, gang violence and murder, and it does not soften any of it. Older teens and adults who can handle heavy crime drama will find one of the finest series of its decade; it is not a casual watch for younger viewers.

Main Characters

View all characters →

Voice Actors

The Japanese voices behind the main characters of Banana Fish.

  • Ash LynxTeenage gang leader hunting the truth about Banana Fish
    Japanese voiceYuma Uchida
  • Eiji OkumuraJapanese photographer's assistant who becomes Ash's closest ally
    Japanese voiceKenji Nojima
  • Shorter WongChinatown gang leader and Ash's most loyal friend
    Japanese voiceMakoto Furukawa
  • Max LoboJournalist who served with Ash's brother in Vietnam
    Japanese voiceHiroaki Hirata
  • Dino GolzineCorsican mafia boss who raised Ash
    Japanese voiceUnsho Ishizuka
  • Shunichi IbePhotographer reporting on New York gangs, Eiji's mentor
    Japanese voiceShinji Kawada

Staff & Production

Original Creator
Akimi Yoshida
Director
Hiroko Utsumi
Series Composition
Hiroshi Seko
Character Design
Akemi Hayashi
Music
Shinichi Osawa
Animation Studio
MAPPA

Manga & Source Material

Banana Fish adapts Akimi Yoshida's manga, a landmark of 1980s shojo that told a hard American crime story. The anime was made as part of the project marking 40 years since Yoshida's debut, and it adapts the manga to its ending, updating the setting to the present day. Viz Media publishes the manga in English.

  • Written and drawn by Akimi Yoshida
  • Serialised in Betsucomi magazine from 1985 to 1994
  • 19 collected volumes, published in English by Viz Media
  • The anime moves the story from the 1980s to modern day New York
  • Episode titles reference works by Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Salinger and other Lost Generation writers
  • The anime was announced in October 2017 for Yoshida's 40th anniversary project

Music

Shinichi Osawa's electronic score gives the series a cold, urban pulse. The theme songs bookend it perfectly: rock band Survive Said The Prophet and Blue Encount on the openings, and King Gnu's Prayer X as the first ending, a song now inseparable from the show's saddest scenes.

Opening Themes

  • “found & lost”by Survive Said The ProphetFirst opening, episodes 1-13.
  • “FREEDOM”by BLUE ENCOUNTSecond opening, episodes 14-24.

Ending Themes

  • “Prayer X”by King GnuFirst ending, episodes 2-13. King Gnu's breakout song.
  • “RED”by Survive Said The ProphetSecond ending, episodes 14-23.

Series Timeline

  1. 1985-1994

    Akimi Yoshida's manga runs in Betsucomi and becomes a classic, filling 19 volumes.

  2. October 2017

    The anime is announced as part of Yoshida's 40th anniversary project.

  3. July to December 2018

    The 24 episode anime airs on Fuji TV's Noitamina block, streaming worldwide on Amazon Prime Video.

  4. 2019

    Yuma Uchida wins Best Actor in a Leading Role at the 13th Seiyu Awards for playing Ash Lynx.

  5. Late 2025

    Amazon briefly adds an AI generated English dub, then removes it within days after a strong backlash from fans and voice actors.

  6. 12 August 2026

    Netflix releases the series in select regions with a proper English dub performed by human actors, eight years after the original broadcast.

Release Schedule

Premiere
5 July 2018
Broadcast
Fuji TV (Noitamina)
Streaming
Netflix (select regions, sub and English dub)
Episodes
24 (complete)

Details as of 10 November 2026.

Quick Answers

Is Banana Fish finished?

Yes. Banana Fish has finished airing, so you can watch the complete story from start to end without waiting for new episodes.

What genre is Banana Fish?

Banana Fish is a Action and Drama and Thriller anime. You can browse more titles like it on our Action anime page.

When did Banana Fish release?

Banana Fish first released in Summer 2018. It is a TV series.

Where can I watch Banana Fish?

Netflix streams Banana Fish in select regions, including the US, Canada, the UK, Ireland and France, with subtitles and the English dub. It originally streamed worldwide on Amazon Prime Video, where it is no longer available in most regions.

Does Banana Fish have an English dub?

It does now, but it took eight years. The series was Japanese only from 2018, apart from an AI generated dub Amazon added and quickly removed in late 2025. Netflix released a proper dub with human actors on 12 August 2026, with Brandon McInnis as Ash and Jonathan Tanigaki as Eiji.

How many episodes does Banana Fish have?

24 episodes in a single complete season. It adapts the whole manga, so the story is finished and there is no second season.

Is Banana Fish a romance?

It is a crime thriller built around the deep bond between Ash and Eiji. The series never labels their relationship, and fans read it in different ways; what is on screen is total devotion between the two of them.

Is Banana Fish suitable for young viewers?

No. It contains graphic violence and deals directly with sexual abuse and exploitation. It is aimed at adults and older teens who are ready for heavy material.

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