Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M

Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M (め組の大吾) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masahito Soda. It was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from September 1995 to June 1999, with its chapters collected in 20 tankōbon volumes.

The manga has been licensed in North America by Viz Media. An anime film produced by Sunrise was released in July 1999. A television drama adaptation was broadcast on Fuji TV in 2004. A manga sequel, titled Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange, started in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Magazine in October 2020.

In 1996, Daigo of Fire Company M won the 42nd Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category. By December 2022, the manga had over 14 million copies in circulation.

Plot
As a child, Daigo Asahina's life was saved by a fireman. He grew up and never forgot the brave, nameless man who rescued and inspired him to become a firefighter himself. Now as a firefighter in training at Medaka-Ga-Hama Fire Station in Sengoku City, Daigo must grow up quickly, learn the ropes, and find out if he truly has what it takes to become a heroic fireman.

Characters

 * Daigo Asahina (朝比奈 大吾)
 * An 18-year-old young man who thinks he knows everything about firefighting.
 * An 18-year-old young man who thinks he knows everything about firefighting.


 * Shunsuke Gomi (五味 俊介)
 * The captain of Fire Company M whose easy-going attitude is initially off-putting to the overzealous Daigo.
 * The captain of Fire Company M whose easy-going attitude is initially off-putting to the overzealous Daigo.


 * Shizuka Ochiai (落合 静香)
 * Daigo's high school teacher who continues to offer encouragement even though he is no longer her student. She treats him as though he is her little brother, though Daigo has feelings for her.
 * Daigo's high school teacher who continues to offer encouragement even though he is no longer her student. She treats him as though he is her little brother, though Daigo has feelings for her.


 * Shirō Amakasu (甘粕 士郎)
 * Daigo's serious-minded rival at Kujiradai Fire Station, one of the busiest stations in the area.
 * Daigo's serious-minded rival at Kujiradai Fire Station, one of the busiest stations in the area.

Manga
Written and illustrated by Masahito Soda, ''Firefighter! Daigo of Fire Company M was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday'' from September 6, 1995, to June 16, 1999. Shogakukan collected its chapters in twenty tankōbon volumes, released from January 18, 1996, to August 7, 1999. Shogakukan republished the series into eleven bunkoban volumes from October 4, 2005, to May 13, 2006.

In North America, Viz Media licensed the manga for English language release. The twenty volumes were released from December 10, 2002, to November 13, 2007. In December 2013, Viz Media published the series digitally on their platform.

A sequel, titled Firefighter Daigo: Rescuer in Orange, started in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Magazine on October 6, 2020.

Anime film
An anime film produced by Sunrise premiered on July 27, 1999.

Drama
A 11-episode Japanese television drama was broadcast on Fuji TV from January 6 to March 16, 2004.

Reception
By December 2022, the manga had over 14 million copies in circulation.

Daigo of Fire Company M won the 42nd Shogakukan Manga Award in the shōnen category in 1996. The manga was awarded an Excellence Award in the Manga Division at the 2nd Japan Media Arts Festival in 1998.