Fire Bird

"All things are born, and all things die. That is the law of heaven." According to legend, the Bird of Fire, called the Phoenix, is the eternal spirit of life, death, and rebirth. She oversees the cycle of reincarnation and the rising and falling of civilizations and species. Those who can obtain her blood will be granted eternal life, while to others she can grant infinite wisdom or eternal suffering. Throughout history, from the dawn of civilization to the extinction of the human race, those human souls touched by the Phoenix have hunted her over and over in multiple reincarnations, and their actions in one life determine or reflect the sins and sufferings of other lifetimes.

Phoenix comprises of 12 connected but non-chronological stories published between 1966 and 1988. Volume 12 from Viz contains an earlier version, which was published in Shojo Club 1956-1957.

First version of Hi no tori from 1954-1955 has not been collected in the regular editions.

• Incomplete due to Tezuka's passing

Volumes 200-212, 362-365 of the Osamu Tezuka Complete Works