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Ken is the quintessential hero, fighting the battle of good vs. evil not because he wants to, but because it has to be done. Although eager in the beginning of the series, he soon starts growing cynical after the death of his father, Red Impulse, soon after Ken learned he was alive. He is a highly capable pilot, taking after his father, and handles himself expertly in the occasional dogfight.
Raised by Doctor Nambu since he was eight, Ken has grown up training for his position, and has known his friends for many years. He and Joe are as close as brothers (and argue like brothers, as well), and his feelings for Jun eventually begin to show after the end of the first series (although not much). He cares deeply for all his friends and would rather risk his own life than allow anything to befall them, although he realizes the benefits of teamwork and respects everyone's role in the team (until Gatchaman Fighter, when his growing bitterness causes him to become more reckless in the fight against Galactor).
Where Ken is the restrained, rational type, Joe is exactly the opposite. Joe would just as soon set out to destroy every Galactor before Nambu thought to issue the order. This "shoot first, ask questions later" mentality constantly brings him to odds with Ken and occasionally gets the team into bigger trouble.
Joe's motivation is mainly revenge -- as a child, he watched as his parents were assasinated by a Galactor's bullet. He was almost killed, himself, but was nursed back to health and taken in by Dr. Nambu, who trained him as one of the Science Ninjas.
With Ken's help, Joe eventually remembers that his parents were also Galactors, killed for turning traitor to the organization. This realization helps him to mellow a bit, sympathizing with those who may have family ties which keep them in Galactor. His dedication, to the team, however, is never in question, as he risks his life time and again to put an end to the Galactor organization.
Joe is an accomplished racer and knows his way around a car. He has a soft spot for a pretty face, which gets him into trouble when Galactor women end up falling all over him.
Jun was discovered by Dr. Nambu in an orphanage, and, after insisting he take Jinpei along as well, was trained with the others as a Science Ninja. She is a highly capable fighter, able to handle a number of Galactors without blinking an eye, and is an expert with explosives and electronics as well. Occasionally, however, her actions cause her to get into a pickle that requires the rest of the team to come in to rescue her (though she's far from the only one).
She cares for Jinpei as her little brother, occasionally to his chagrin, and has feelings for Ken that surpass their long friendship.
Jinpei was taken in by Doctor Nambu after Jun insisted he take both of them out of the orphanage they had been living in. Though he is the youngest of the team, he is an able fighter -- agile and quick in battle and accurate with his weapons.
He tends to have a rapport with children and animals, which occasionally comes in handy for the team. For all intents and purposes, Jun is his older sister, having known him for most of his life. However, he also treats Ken (and Joe, to a lesser extent) as his older brothers, looking up to them, and, occasionally rebelling when he feels he's being overlooked. Ryu is his buddy and, as such, gets somewhat less respect than either Ken or Joe (although Ryu will be the first to rap Jinpei in the head when he deserves it).
Ryu is the pilot of the God Phoenix and the only member of the team to have a family (that he knows of). The combination of these two factors tend to mean that Ryu gets left out of many missions, though he is a capable fighter in his own right.
Coming from a small fishing village, Ryu is somewhat the "country boy" -- a little less sophisitated than the rest of his teammates, perhaps, but the first to open his heart to others. He occasionally hangs out with Joe at the track and can more often than not be found teasing Jinpei about something if he isn't at home visiting his family.
DOB as given by the fanzine "Das Chronisch GM Syndrom," published in January of 1983
Gatch I ages obtained from Gatchaman Graffiti
OAV ages obtained from Kakinuma's Gatchaman Novel Series and Wendy Dinsmore, who provided the information
| Images taken from a box of action figures made in Korea for the "5 Eagle Brothers" translation of the show |
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Jennifer Nolan | jnolan@bit-net.com