Devilman evolved from Go Nagai's previous manga, Demon Lord Dante, after Toei Animation approached Go about turning Dante into a television series. The producers wanted certain elements toned down, and a more human-like anti-hero created. Devilman was born as a result of this; Go Nagai worked on the anime's scenario along with Masaki Tsuji, a well-known anime scenario writer (who later worked on such series as Captain Future, Urusei Yatsura, and Dr. Slump) and a highly successful and regarded novelist of several mystery fictions. Along with the television series, Devilman was also produced as a serialized manga in Shukan Shōnen Magazine over 53 issues beginning in 1972. Go Nagai designed the manga to be more horror-like and mature than the anime version, making it similar in tone to Mao Dante. It was later reprinted in a five-volume series, and has enjoyed over a dozen reprints and in five different languages. The manga's occult horror elements, extreme violence, and complex apocalyptic story line made it an instant hit.