Japan's beloved manga assassin becomes the latest Covid-19 fatality

Golgo 13, also known as Duke Togo, is the main protagonist of a manga series created by Takao Saito. Photo: Filepic

Japan's ruthless animated hitman has become the latest victim of the coronavirus, as the nation's longest-running manga comic announced it would take its first hiatus in its 52-year history as social restrictions to contain the virus have made it difficult to produce the hand-drawn series.

The 599th instalment of Golgo 13 published in the May 25 issue of Big Comic would be its last "for the time being", the manga magazine published twice a month by Shogakukan said on Saturday, citing commuting restrictions.