Endo Kenji grew up in late-1960s/early-1970s Japan, at a time when American phenomena, notably the space race and the era of Woodstock, were resounding around the world.  An avid reader of manga who often saw apocalyptic scenarios playing out, he always responded with the cry of "I would fight".  During this time, he and his friends made up a scenario for world conquest in order to play heroes.  Flash forward to 1997, when Kenji has taken charge of his family liquor shop, and turned it into a convenience store.  He is now raising the daughter of his sister, Kiriko (who disappeared immediately after leaving her daughter to Kenji), and living a fairly ordinary life.  However, after events from the prophecy he made up earlier begin to come true, he learns of an evil organization, led by a masked man called "Friend", which is using his plans to conquer the world.  As the organization's hold on the government strengthens, he becomes a wanted man and lives on the streets, continuing to (covertly) oppose Friend on the streets, partially through terrorism and partially through a protest song he wrote (named "Bob Lennon"), until  ~!he apparently dies trying to stop an exploding giant robot, just after seeing Friend's unmasked face.!~   ~!He survives however, although we do not know of any of his actions prior to meeting Damian Yoshida, gutarist of the Thriller band the Eroim Esseims, in 2014 at a crossroads and subsequently teaching him how to play "Bob Lennon".  It appears that he may have been suffering from amnesia at this time, as he identified himself as the devil (in a reference to the real life Blues  legend of Robert Johnson, said to have influenced rock 'n' roll.)  He then continued to wander Japan until the third year of Friend era (era in which Friend was declared president of the world), when a sudden surge of memory causes him to recall his identity.  While heading to Tokyo, he meets up with old friend Konichi, now a radio DJ, who, oblivious to Kenji's true identity, records his song  (a version of "Bob Lennon" with modified lyrics) and subsequently broadcasts it on radio.  As Kenji makes his way past border guards now under Friend's control, using charisma and song, he gains more and more of a following.  Once he reaches Tokyo, he confronts Friend and watches him and another old friend, Sada Kiyoshi, die together in an explosion.  Finally, he reunites with his old friends and niece, and there the story ends. !~

Humanity, having faced extinction at the end of the 20th century, would not have entered the new millennium if it weren't for them. In 1969, during their youth, they created a symbol. In 1997, as the coming disaster slowly starts to unfold, that symbol returns. This is the story of a group of boys who try to save the world. 
For Kenji, a simple convenience store manager who once dreamed of becoming a rock 'n' roll musician, a host of memories from his past come rushing back when one of his childhood friends mysteriously commits suicide. Could this new death be related to the rise of a bizarre new cult that's been implicated in several other murders and disappearances? Determined to dig deeper, Kenji reunites with some of his old buddies in the hope of learning the truth behind it all.
 
(Source: Viz Media)

War is over. The Friend is dead. Mankind no longer faces the threat of extinction. Peace has finally come to Tokyo... Or has it? The mystery still remains. Nobody knows who the Friend was and where he came from. The only clue is hidden deep within the memories—the memories of the hero Kenji. It is time to open Pandora’s Box to discover what is left at the bottom.
 
(Source: Viz Media)

Music video for Kazuyoshi Saito's song Boy, directed and animated by mangaka Naoki Urasawa.

Kenji Endou