Science Ninja Team Gatchaman/Characters

These are the characters for the series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.

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Ken Washio a.k.a. G-1, Ken the Eagle, Gatchaman

The leader of the Science Ninja Team. The Hero.

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• Ace Pilot: His skills are inherited from his father.
• Achilles in His Tent: Does this from time to time.
• Blue Oni to Joe's Red Oni. Sometimes reversed.
• Chaste Hero
• Commander Contrarian: To Dr. Nambu.
• Cool Plane: A Cessna plane that transforms into a supersonic jet. Supposedly operational underwater like the God Phoenix.
• Disappeared Dad: His father, Kentarou, abandoned him when he was young. It turns out he was going undercover as Red Impulse, and wanted to keep his son and only relative safe. And later he does die for real, just as Ken had found out who he was *and* they were starting to rekindle their relationship. This death was smoothly erased in Battle of the Planets. His father is described as having ejected at the last minute, though of course their reunion is off-screen. The whole thing is a variation on Luke, I Am Your Father, since the reveal is done by the son's comrades and its effect is positive.
• Mr. Fanservice: To a lesser extent than Joe, but his big blue eyes and boyish good looks score him points.
• The Hero
• Hilariously Abusive Childhood: Ken has a flashback about his younger days with his father which shows once scene of his dad attempting to drown him for fun.
• Parental Abandonment - Parents as People: Ken's father abandoned him when he was young and his mother died of illness a few years later. He eventually reunites with his father right before his father is Killed Off for Real.
• Ship Tease: With Jun.
• Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: Not afraid to do this to Dr. Nambu
• Took a Level In Jerkass: Right after his father died, until Jun called him out on it.
• Weapon of Choice: His bladed Precision-Guided Boomerang, informally called the "Bird Run/Birdrang". The blades can be extended and used in melee combat or detached by chain and used as a nunchuck.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy

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Joe Asakura a.k.a. G-2, Joe the Condor

Rebellious second-in-command. The Lancer.

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• Anti-Hero: Mainly a Type III with some slant towards Type IV, since he has no qualms with killing Galactors in cold blood for the cause. (The others will kill too, but more out of necessity rather than satisfaction.)
• All Girls Want Bad Boys: Part of his fanservice appeal.
• Back From the Dead: In Gatchaman II.
• Badass: A given considering his manliness, and no nonsense ass kicking methods.
  • Badass Abnormal: In the sequels.
  • Badass Baritone
  • Badass Driver: If there's a surface, he can drive on it or coast off of it. Even up the backs of Galactor mechs.
  • Heartbroken Badass: Often.
• But Not Too Foreign: Averted. Despite his Japanese surname, Joe is Italian (Sicilian, to be specific). That's because "Joe Asakura" is a false name to protect him from Galactor, his real name is George.
• Cartwright Curse
• Commander Contrarian: To Ken.
• Cool Car: A stock racing car in civilian form. Transformed it has puncture proof tires and can drive on improbable surfaces.
  • In the OVA, he has a Shelby Cobra that transmutes into the Goddamn Batmobile.
• Death Glare - Kubrick Stare
• Deus Angst Machina: And how
• The Gunslinger: The team marksman. He's shown using guns the most often and demonstrating his Improbable Aiming Skills
• Heroic Sacrifice
• Knife Nut: The ninja equlivent of this. While the entire team carry pointy tipped feather shuriken, Joe uses them so much more often than the rest that they become his trademark weapon. He's fond of letting them hang out of his mouth like toothpicks and attacking with Twang! "Hello." or Knife Outline
• The Lancer
• Manly Man: To Ryu's Sensitive Guy.
• Mr. Fanservice: Unconventionally for anime, as he is rough looking and not bishounenly handsome.
  • Exaggerated Trope in the OVA, where his civilian wardrobe consists of an open shirt exposing his bare chest along with tight leather pants, and he has a Shower Scene. And the camera wasn't shy in regards to showing him off.
• Parental Abandonment - His parents were murdered by a Galactor assassin as a child. He too was almost killed by said assassin.
• Pet the Dog: He nearly dies saving an orphaned puppy from being squished by a Galactor Mech.
• Red Oni to Ken's Blue Oni. Sometimes reversed.
• Shipper on Deck: During the finale, before his imminent death while giving his final speech to the team, he professes that Jun should settle down with Ken.
• Trigger Happy - Joe is almost unhealthily eager to fire the God Phoenix's Bird Missiles, which Ken has to constantly restrain him from doing when they don't have authorization. In one episode, he keeps hammering the fire button well after the ship exhausted its supply until the realization that yes, we are OUT of Bird Missiles finally sinks in.
• Troubled but Cute
• Weapon of Choice: He uses a Grappling Hook Pistol, which has a grapple from the front and and weighted one from the back. One mook found out the hard way when he pointed the barrel end of it at Joe after snatching it from him, not realizing that the triggers were switched. He got thrown across the room by it after pulling the trigger, knocking him out.
  • On top of that, the front can be interchanged to fire conventional bullets or power a portable drill for cutting things.
  • Also the primary user of the ninja team issued feather shuriken.

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Jun a.k.a. G-3, Jun the Swan

Sole female member of the Science Ninja Team. Demolitions expert. The Chick (usually).

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• Action Girl or Faux Action Girl: Depending on the script. Still, she can kick as much Galactor ass as her male teammates. And let's not forget she was quite the revolutionary figure in anime gender roles, as one of the first girls who fought alongside the boys.
• Badass Biker Babe: She can pull off some rather impressive stunts on a bike.
• Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: She sometimes fall into this.
• But Not Too Foreign: Half American, half Japanese
• Cool Big Sis: When she's not acting as Jinpei's Parental Substitute
• Cool Bike: Transformed, it can ride on water surfaces even.
• The Chick: She sometimes trades off this with Jinpei.
• Kick Chick: A lot of her fighting scenes are kick based.
• Mini-Dress of Power: Combined with Zettai Ryouiki.
• Ms. Fanservice: In a more conservative way mostly, but she still qualifies. Mainly due to the underwear exposing mini-skirt of her costume.
  • Intensified in the OVA remake where her chest is dramatically enlarged and her outfits are much more revealing compared to the original. (And a naked Transformation Sequence, natch.)
• Panty Shot: Constantly, thanks to her very short skirt.
• Parental Abandonment: Like Jinpei, she's an orphan.
• Plucky Girl
• She Fu: Justified as it goes along with the team's fighting style. The male characters will also use flips and cartwheels to dodge/maneuver around (even Ryu can come off as being agile).
• She's Got Legs: As shown off by the lower half of her birdstyle.
• Ship Tease: With Ken.
• Stuff Blowing Up: Usually the one to invoke this trope being the Demolitions expert.
• Technical Pacifist: Most adverse towards and visibly upset by killing on the team. However, even she will use lethal force on the job.
• The Smurfette Principle
• Thigh-High Boots
• Tsundere: Type B.
• Weapon of Choice: She has her Killer Yoyo, which has a concealed blade and can be remotely detonated to explode.
• You Gotta Have Green Hair
  • Averted in the OVA, where she was given short brown hair.
• Zettai Ryouiki: Her birdstyle.

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Jinpei a.k.a. G-4, Jinpei the Swallow

Youngest member of the Science Ninja Team. The SmartAss Kid (usually).

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• Annoying Younger Sibling - is this towards Jun sometimes
• Badass Adorable or Tagalong Kid depending on the script, but like his sister, is usually a capable fighter.
• Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: Jinpei sometimes fall into this.
• Friend to All Children - mainly because he is one, but even when he ages to 12 in the sequels he still has a way with them
• Friend to All Living Things - has been known to bring along many an animal.
• Hover Tank - His personal ATV Buggy.....thing. Can hover and function underwater transformed.
• Just a Kid: Sometimes victim of this
• Kid Hero
• Mouthy Kid
• Parental Abandonment - Like Jun, he's an orphan.
• Pet Baby Wild Animal - See Friend to All Living Things above.
• Playful Hacker - The OVA made him one of these to make him more obviously useful; he even carried a Password Slot Machine.
• Plucky Comic Relief, sometimes.
• The Smartass Kid: Sometimes he trades off this with Jun.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: Somewhat. Not so much in maturity level, but the fact that he can handle various adult tasks like cooking and driving cars at age 9.
• Weapon of Choice: Bolos.

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Ryu Nakanishi a.k.a. G-5, Ryu the (Horned) Owl

Pilot of the God Phoenix. The Big Guy.

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• Acrofatic
• Berserk Button: He doesn't take kindly to giant cockroach monsters messing with his sweets.
• Big Eater
• The Big Guy
• Cool Plane: The God Phoenix doubles as his personal vehicle when not combined with the other vehicles. It can operate underwater or in near space.
• Dumb Muscle: Sort of. He's quite a good pilot, but otherwise he's Book Dumb.
• Farm Boy: Hails from a rural fishing area and speaks with a Japanese country accent.
• Friend to All Living Things
• Gentle Giant
• Heroic Self-Deprecation: Every now and then, especially in episode 26.
• I Just Want to Be Normal: Tries to quit a few times due to feeling he's too inadequate to be on the team. They end up being Ten Minute Retirements.
• Parental Abandonment: Averted, since he's eventually the only one on the team with a living family consisting of a father and a kid brother.
• Sensitive Guy: To Joe's Manly Man.
• Stout Strength
• Weapon of Choice: Carries a Grappling Hook Pistol which he doesn't really use, preferring Good Old Fisticuffs.
• "Well Done, Son" Guy: Sorta.
• You Gotta Have Blue Hair - He has plain brown hair in the original series and sequels, but the OVA gives him wild, two-toned hair: blond on the bottom, PINK on top.

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Dr. Kozaburo Nambu

Head Scientist for the International Science Organization (ISO). The Mentor.

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• Killed Off for Real: In Gatchaman Fighter.
• Omnidisciplinary Scientist
• The Mentor
• The Professor
• Team Dad

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Red Impulse a.k.a. Kentaro Washio

The mysterious leader of the fighter squadron that bears his name. In reality he is Ken's father. The Sixth Ranger.

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• Ace Pilot: After all, Ken's skill rubbed off from him. He can still outfly (and outfight) Ken and teach him a few lessons.
• Char Clone: Inverted. Red Impulse predated the Trope Namer.
• Cool Plane: The Red Impulse squad pilot red/white trimmed, sleek looking planes to great effect.
• Daddy Had a Good Reason For Abandoning You
• Get a Hold of Yourself, Man! - He delivers percussive therapy to a traumatized Ken in the Jigokiller arc.
• Heroic Sacrifice
• Hero Secret Service - The Red Impulse squadron, especially in the OVA.
• Luke, I Am Your Father
• Mauve Shirt - Red Impulse's two subordinates, Onishi and Masaki. Both manage to outlive their commander and resurface at the tail end of the series to help out the Science Ninja Team (Joe in particular). Unfortunately they are also brought back to be brutally killed.
• Nice Hat
• Sixth Ranger
• Zen Survivor

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Berg Katse

The masked head of the criminal organization Galactor.Later revealed to be a fusion of male and female twins resulting in a mutant that can change gender at will. The Dragon.

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• Driven to Suicide
• Evil Laugh - A very distinctive staccato-like laugh
• Faux Symbolism: Sosai X created Katse as a being "neither male or female", like angels were said to be.
• Gender Bender: He's eventually revealed to be a mutant that can switch genders more or less at will.
• Master of Disguise
• The Reveal: Near the end of the first season finale we found his true identity as an alien who can shapeshift genders at will. Nambu finds s/he has an IQ of 280, not because of being that smart, but because s/he has two I Qs at the same time.
• Villain Exit Stage Left
• Villainous Breakdown - After realizing X's deceit,Katse is then Driven to Suicide and jumps into a lava pit.

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Sosai (Leader) X

The true power behind the Galactor Organization.The one who fused twins to create Berg Katse. The Big Bad.

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• Conspicuous CG: The OVA had X represented by a bizarre piece of computer-generated art, reportedly included because one of the producers liked it after seeing it elsewhere.
• Offscreen Villain Dark Matter
• Sufficiently Advanced Alien