20th Century Boys
20 Seiki Shonen (Japanese)

(20世紀少年, Nijyusseiki Shōnen) is a science fiction mystery manga created by Naoki Urasawa

Online Info:
Growing older is pretty rough and Kenji is finding out just how hard it can be as life starts wearing down on him. On top of trying to make ends meet running a convenience store he has to care for the niece that his missing sister left in his care. Memories of youth make it easier, until those memories come back to haunt him.

Kenji and his old friends are slowly being drawn into a mysterious conspiracy that could threaten the world. Who is the mysterious "Friend" and how does he tie into Kenji's youth? Why are there disappearances and deaths tied into Ochanomizu University? Their memories hold the keys to the puzzle, but time and age have clouded their minds.

The strange occurrences and the reach of the "Friend" conspiracy grow by the day. It will all culminate on New Year's Eve 2000. Will Kenji and the others be able to put together the puzzle and save the world?

• CHARACTER INFORMATION ON PAGE 2

  Kenji Endō (遠藤健児, Kenji Endō)

The central protagonist of the first half of the story, which revolves around his childhood in the '60s to the present day. He is generally laid-back, and appears to be heavily interested in Rock 'n' Roll. He, his relatives, and friends play crucial roles as the plot unfolds. He disappears after the events of the "Bloody New Year's Eve", but is rumored to still be alive. A man with a striking resemblance to Kenji, singing his songs on an old guitar has appeared in later volumes. In volume 19, the man reveals himself to be Kenji.

Kanna Endō (遠藤カンナ, Kanna Endō)

Kenji's niece, she serves as the protagonist for the events in the aftermath of the "Bloody New Year's Eve". She seems to possess supernatural abilities from which the source is unknown, coupled with her charisma she makes an able leader. She leads a rebel faction against "Friend" under the moniker, "Ice Queen". It is later revealed that her father is Friend.

Otcho (オッチョ, Otcho^?)

Kenji's childhood friend and benefactor, he typically is referred to as "Shōgun". He is in prime physical shape, and has escaped certain death many times. Originally believed to be Friend, it has been revealed that he was simply living in Asia's seedy underground after his son died. Later in the story he serves as a protector for Kanna and her mission. His real name is Chōji Ochiai.

Friend (ともだち, Tomodachi)

An enigmatic character who draws on the childhood ideas of Kenji and his friends to commit acts of terrorism to gain power. Friend pretended in the New Year's Eve of 2000 to have saved the world from a pandemic of hemorrhagic fever (similar to Ebola). That, adding to his unique charisma, made him the political leader of Japan with his "Friendship Party", and a great moral figure of the 21st century. He remodeled Japan in a retro style, presumably to evoke nostalgia of the main characters' childhoods. His motives remain unclear, but it is known that he is somehow involved with Kanna and her mother Kiriko. Friend's original identity was Fukubei, however when Fukubei was killed, a new "Friend" took his place. His Identity was revealed in "21st Century Boys" as being Katsumata.

Yoshitsune (ヨシツネ, Yoshitsune)

Kenji's childhood friend who once made the mistake of ordering 1000 printer cartridges when he only needed 4. He was one of Kenji's friends who answered the call to fight back with him on the Bloody New Years Eve. In the year 2014 he is the leader of an underground organisation bent on taking down friend.

God (神様, God)

God is an old homeless man who is bent on the return of Tenpin Bowling as a major sport in Japan. God has the power of foresight and can see what will happen before it comes to pass. God was the one who warned Kenji and told him of his future. Later in the series, God becomes extremely rich by using his foresight to play the stock market. With his newfound wealth, he became the first Japanese civilian to travel into space.

Yukiji Setoguchi (瀬戸口ユキジ, Yukiji Setoguchi)

Kenji's only female childhood friend. During Kenji's school years, Yukiji was a high toned tomboy, whereas in the manga's adult years Yukiji is portrayed as a rather professional feminine woman. She is reunited with Kenji working at an airport in Tokyo as a customs official, often comically mistaken for a narc, along with a drug sniffing dog named Blue Three (pronounced "Buru Surii" a Japanese pun on the name Bruce Lee). Yukiji too also assists Kenji in the event of the Bloody New Year's Eve. Since Yukiji has acted as Kanna's guardian replacing Kenji after his mysterious death/disappearance. In the 3rd of Era of Friend she has opened a dojo, teaching a large amount of neighbourhood children Judo as she once learnt as a child.

-wikipedia