Watch Order
0 / 4 watchedOVA, then the Decode reboot run.
About Birdy the Mighty
Birdy the Mighty follows alien cop Birdy sharing a body with Tsutomu after a botched chase. Madhouse made the 1996 OVA across four episodes with Yoshiaki Kawajiri directing, a compact version of the early manga. A-1 Pictures rebooted it as Decode with 13 episodes in summer 2008, then Decode 02 with 12 more in winter 2009.
The Cipher OVA from 2009 bridges the two Decode runs as a direct to video bonus. The OVA and the TV runs are separate takes on the same setup, so either works as a start. No continuation is announced past Decode 02, which leaves the reboot as the complete longer telling.
Good to know
Release order is the suggested path. The 1996 OVA tells a closed four part version, while Decode and Decode 02 form one reboot run with the Cipher bridging them. Watch Decode before Decode 02 since the second assumes the Ryunka setup. The manga runs past both anime for readers who want Birdy's longer case files after the screen versions.
