City Hunter: Secret Service DVD

Ryo Saeba is the best sweeper in Shinjuku — a freelance operative available for bodyguard work, investigation, and the elimination of threats that conventional law enforcement cannot or will not handle. He works out of a small office with Kaori Makimura, the younger sister of his late partner, who serves as his business manager, moral compass, and primary source of percussive correction whenever Ryo's attention wanders toward their female clients. His reputation is impeccable. His professionalism, when women are involved, is considerably less so. The Secret Service special sends Ryo and Kaori into the most heavily protected environment they have ever encountered: a diplomatic summit at a luxury hotel, where an assassination plot against the head of a small Central American nation requires Ryo to operate under the noses of the Secret Service, the CIA, Interpol, and a small army of professional security operatives — all of whom are both extremely competent and deeply unhappy about his presence.

City Hunter: Secret Service is a 1996 television special based on Tsukasa Hojo's City Hunter manga, which ran in Weekly Shonen Jump from 1985 to 1991 across 35 volumes and remains one of the most beloved action-comedy manga ever published. The City Hunter anime franchise spans four television series totaling 140 episodes, three theatrical films, and multiple TV specials. The English dub was produced by ADV Films in Houston and uses the Americanized name "Joe Saeba" for Ryo. The DVD was the first time City Hunter was available to North American fans on DVD, released by ADV Films on June 25, 2002. The franchise was later fully licensed by Discotek Media in 2019, who have been releasing the complete TV series, films, and specials in subtitled editions beginning 2020.

Notable Staff & Voice Talent

Original Manga: Tsukasa Hojo (serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump, Shueisha, 1985–1991; 35 volumes)
Studio: Sunrise
Music: Tatsumi Yano

Japanese Cast:
- Akira Kamiya as Ryo Saeba (Dragon Ball, City Hunter, Urusei Yatsura 2, Great Dangaioh)
- Kazue Ikura as Kaori Makimura (RG Veda, Project ARMS)
- Mami Koyama as Saeko Nogami (Tekkaman Blade II)
- Toshio Furukawa as additional cast (Urusei Yatsura 2, DBZ, Sailor Moon)

English Dub Cast (ADV Films — Houston):
- Scott Simpson as Ryo Saeba / "Joe Saeba" (Oh My Goddess! OVA, Shinesman)
- Tiffany Grant as Kaori Makimura (Evangelion, Nadesico, Sorcerer Hunters, Burn Up Excess, Noir)
- Marcy Bannor as Saeko Nogami (Sorcerer Hunters, Burn Up Excess)
- Jason Douglas as additional cast (Sorcerer Hunters, Arc the Lad)

DVD Features

- ADV Films Previews
- Note: First City Hunter release available on DVD in North America

Spoken Languages: English & Japanese Audio, English Subtitles

Edition Details

Japanese Title: シティーハンター: 秘密指令 (City Hunter: Himitsu Shirei / Secret Service)
Runtime: ~90 Minutes (TV Special)
Studio: Sunrise
DVD Release Year: 2002 (U.S. Release, June 25 — ADV Films)
Original Broadcast Date (Japan): 1996
Publisher: ADV Films
Rating: 16+
Region: Region 1 (U.S. / Canada)
Note: First City Hunter DVD release in North America. Full TV series and complete franchise later licensed and released by Discotek Media beginning 2020. English dub uses "Joe Saeba" for Ryo Saeba.
Genre: Action, Comedy, Romance
Themes: Shinjuku Sweeper, Diplomatic Assassination Plot, Secret Service, Mokkori Comedy, 

Media assumed VG+ unless otherwise noted.