The cast of
Cyborg 009:
Joe Shimamura, aka Cyborg 009.
The Hero and most advanced of the nine cyborgs, with a more powerful body and his semi-unique
Acceleration Mode, which enabled him to move at
incredible speeds via a switch hidden in one of his teeth. Very sensitive and compassionate, he sometimes wound up juggling the
Hero Ball while trying to avoid
difficult decisions.
- Ace Pilot
- Akira Kamiya (Radio dramas)
- Badass Driver
- But Not Too Foreign - Half-Japanese and half-American.
- Cartwright Curse ( Helen, Princess Tamara from the 80's movie and Artemis die, Princess Ixquic is stranded in time. Only Francoise (and Jet, if you like your Ho Yay) are immune)
- Character Development - Is forced to throw away a part of his naïvete as time goes on, but does his best to remain gentle and compassionate without losing his backbone.
- Conveniently an Orphan - his father is never acknowledged. In the 2001 series, his mother died when he was a baby, right after entrusting him to a priest
- The Hero - Maybe one of the best examples in anime
- Heroic BSOD - Getting catapulted into the Bad Future will do that to you.
- Hey, It's That Voice!: Tai, is that you?
- Katsuji Mori - 1968 series, under "Setsuya Tanaka"
- Kazuhiko Inoue - 1979 series and 1980 movie
- Japanese Delinquents - Was one in the original manga and some adaptations.
- Lightning Bruiser - Very powerful and very fast.
- Not Himself - Happens twice; first during the Ixquic incident, and later during The Yomi Arc.
- Orphanage of Love - Lived in one of these in the 2001 series
- Peek-a-Bangs
- Save the Villain - Attempts this more than once.
- Shoot the Dog
- Takahiro Sakurai - 2001 series
- Takeshi Kusao - 2009 CD dramas
- Time Stands Still - How he perceives the world while acclerated. One episode leaves him stuck like this for a while. It's pure Nightmare Fuel for him.
, aka Cyborg 001. A small Russian baby with incredible
Psychic Powers - in fact, he was likely the most powerful of the lot, but
using them left him exhausted, and he could only use them to their fullest after sleeping for two weeks. Played the
Chess Master at times,
co-ordinating attacks and
providing the enemy's weaknesses.
Jet Link, aka Cyborg 002. A
Fiery Redhead from New York City, he used to be part of a gang before getting into just a little too much trouble and winding up with Black Ghost. In addition to being able to fly via rocket engines in the soles of his feet, he possessed the prototype
Accelerator, underscoring his
relationship with Joe.
, aka Cyborg 003. A French ballerina who was given
vastly enhanced hearing and sight, making her great at surveillance...
if not so good at the whole direct combat thing (
and she painfully knows it). Depending on the adaptation, she ranges from
The Chick to
Action Girl; however, she always serves as
The Heart of the team and Joe's
Love Interest (the only one immune to the whole
Cartwright Curse thing...)
- Affirmative Action Girl
- Battle Couple - With Joe.
- Brought Down to Normal - Her powers can be disrupted by sandstorms and such things.
- Hey, It's That Voice!: Hey it's Kaoru!
- I Just Want to Be Normal - Goes through this early on; later transitions to I Just Want To Have More Pro-Active Powers. Mainly appears in the episode detailing Gilmore's Backstory, where she's suddenly thrown into battle without advice and, naturally, she has a Freak Out
- Kazuko Sugiyama - 1979 series and 1980 movie
- Machiko Toyoshima - 2009 CD dramas
- Mission Control - She works best with Ivan and Gilmore.
- Plucky Girl
- Satsuki Yukino - 2001 version
- The Chick - Though she's more outspoken than the standard.
- Team Mom - Not only to Ivan and Jet (the youngest members of the cast, at least physically), but to everyone in the team. Lampshaded more than once.
- What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway? - Portrayed very realistically, since having to watch the guys fight - and nearly get themselves killed at times - left Francoise feeling helpless at times and nearly sent her into a Heroic BSOD once or twice. Didn't prevent her Crowning Moment of Awesome, though... The original Downer Ending turned this into outright Blessed with Suck that only made the Tear Jerking worse.
- Wrench Wench - In the 2001 series, apparently thanks to her enhancements. Which let her dismantle a biological bomb on her own.
, aka Cyborg 004. A quiet,
thoughtful,
sensitive,
German man in his 30's with a talent for
Deadpan Snarking and
plans who had most of his body replaced with various weaponry. His terribly
tragic past doesn't help much, either.
- Arm Cannon - He has gun barrels for fingers on one hand; he has to hide this by wearing gloves. For bonus points, there's a knife on the side of his other hand, and he has Knee Cannons, too. And in some versions, the guy even had a nuclear bomb in his stomach.
- Artificial Limbs - Goes hand-in-hand with the above. His body is the most obviously reconstructed of the lot.
- Big Brother Mentor - Towards Francoise, Jet and Joe. He also pulls Pyunma out of an Heroic BSOD after his last upgrade.
- Cybernetics Eat Your Soul - Subverted, though he has difficulty remembering this at times. Highlighted when he faces off against a Robotic Evil Twin in the 2001 series.
- Fanservice - Lots of Shirtless Scenes. Hot damn...
- Fatal Attractor - If you're attracted to him, well, good luck.
- Germanic Depressives - Comes from his past as an East Germany runaway and how It Got Worse
- Monochromatic Eyes - His eyes are completely white in the manga and earlier anime versions. In the 2001 series, his eyes have light blue sclera and dark blue irises with no pupils.
- Keaton Yamada - 1979 series and 1980 movie
- Nobuo Tobita - 2001 series
- Nobutoshi Canna - 2009 CD dramas
- The Smart Guy - Of the Genius Bruiser variety.
- Sugar and Ice Personality
- Tragic Keepsake - His dead girlfriend Hilda's ring. Turns out it comes in handy while fending off 0011 with a half-paralyzed body.
- What Measure Is a Non-Human? - Is the one with more modifications, since his body was horribly torn in the explosion that killed Hilda. Sometimes worries about it very much, specially in "Compu Utopia" and "Man or machine?".
, aka Cyborg 005. A mature, wise, very gentle Native American who was basically transformed into a
walking tank, with
superhuman strength and
endurance unmatched by any of his teammates. In the 2001 series, he also possesses a bond with nature that
isn't one of his Black Ghost-given powers.
Chang Changku, aka Cyborg 006. A cheerful
Chinese chef who was given the ability to
shoot fire out of his mouth. He uses his considerable cooking skills to
keep the team together and well-fed, as well as providing a fair amount of the
comic relief alongside 007.
Great Britain (or 'G.B.' in the 2001 english dub), aka Cyborg 007. Once one of the best British actors, he was transformed into a
Shapeshifting Master of Disguise who could transform into anything simply by touching his bellybutton. He frequently plays a
Large Ham to entertain the others and distract them from
navelgazing.
- Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever - Uses this against a stampede of mutated animals. Doubles as Full Frontal Assault as he's either naked (manga) or in a Loin Cloth (2001 series)
- The Atoner - Tries to be this in "The Fog of London" episode of the 2001 series. He was supposed to act with his girlfriend Sophie in a small theater, but he ditched it for a greater acting chance. Twenty years later, he finds out that Sophie's daughter Rosa is acting in a revival of exactly the same play...
- Backstory - In all continuities, he's a former actor, but the details behind his fall from the spotlight vary:
- '60s series: A Former Child Star who's still Just a Kid when Black Ghost decides to use him in their experiments.
- '79 series: Used to go hiking in the mountains with his best friend, a fellow actor. During one of their trips, however, equipment failure led to his friend falling to his death. Since this happened shortly after his friend had gotten a lead role over him, everyone assumed he'd killed him out of jealousy. Unable to Clear His Name and reeling from the loss, he descended into depression and became a drunkard.
- 2001 series: Started out in a small theater with his close friends and his girlfriend, Sophia. As they were preparing to perform "Mists of London", he received an offer to act at a prestigious theater; though he was reluctant at first, Sophia encouraged him to go. He became a great actor, but left his old friends and flame behind in the process. When his star fell, he was too ashamed of that abandonment to contact them, especially as he spiraled into drunken depression.
- Bald of Awesome - Though the flashbacks in his Back Story show him with blond hair.
- Crossdressing Voices: Voiced by Machiko Soga (AKA Bandora/Rita Repulsa) in the 60's anime and movie. In the rest of the anime adapations, he was voiced by males.
- Executive Meddling - His stint as 009's Bratty Half-Pint Kid Sidekick in the '60s anime; this is used for a few Mythology Gags now and then.
- Flip Flop of God - While the '60s anime was running, Ishinomori incorporated his child persona into the manga by having Gilmore upgrade him. First introduced as a permanent new form, it later flitted between Sleep Mode Size to a Super-Deformed mode for comedy moments to being discarded and forgotten entirely and back again. A Whole Chapter Flashback that Retconned their escape so that 007 was already in child mode (or just flat-out a child) didn't help, either...
- James Bondage - Mainly in the '79 series, where his attempts to spy on the enemy often went awry. He was more savvy in the 2001 one.
- Keiichi Nanba - 2009 CD dramas
- Master of Disguise - Uses his abilities like this. His acting skills are very helpful, too.
- Morphic Resonance - Tends to keep his distinctive eyes while transformed, except when playing Body Double.
- Plucky Comic Relief
- Rubber Man and Voluntary Shapeshifting - His powers
- Sad Clown - With a very, very complex and sad backstory
- The Mind Is a Plaything of the Body - Subverted. He's so good a stage actor that it seems like he's become the person he's shapeshifted into, but on the inside it's still G.B..
, aka Cyborg 008. An African ex-slave/guerrilla warrior (depends heavily on which media we're talking about) who was remodeled into an underwater warrior, able to swim at great speeds and breathe underwater. Was also one of the only cyborgs who had combat experience
before crossing paths with Black Ghost.
Doctor Issac Gilmore, a Jewish scientist who worked on the cyborg project before
deciding to defect from Black Ghost and helping them escape. He comes to view the cyborgs as
his adoptive children, and serves as
The Professor and
Team Dad.
Black Ghost, aka Scarl. The commander of the Black Ghost Organization, he plans to create a
Crapsack World torn apart by
constant,
profitable wars. His other hobbies include setting up
Sadistic Choices and no-win situations that leave the rebel cyborgs
questioning their victories.
Cyborg 0010, the next result of the 00-project and the first assassin sent after the heroes. Like 009, he benefitted from being the latest model, has his own
Accelerator,
and got
bonus lightning powers thrown into the mix. Unfortunately, he's also an overconfident
Jerkass.
Oh yeah, and there's two of them.Cyborg 0011Cyborg 0012Cyborg 0013- Adult Child (acted like this outside the battle)
- Anti-Villain (One of the most sympathetic enemies in the series)
- Cute Mute (Subverted: he was a boy in his teens and sometimes spoke... but only through telepathy)
- Hidden Eyes
- Kid with the Leash (of a huge robot)
- Tragic Monster ( He was a normal young boy before being cyborg-ized. Even when fighting 009, he went out of his way to protect any Innocent Bystanders, punished the people who killed Joe's adoptive father and kidnapped the Cyborgs's ally Dr. Koizumi, and was finally Driven to Suicide because he knew he'd never recover his freedom.
Dr. Klaus Von BogootApollo, the leader of the Greek Gods who have 'returned to
punish humanity for their sins!'
He's really pumped about this, too.
Artemis, the beautiful older sister of Apollo and
his complete opposite. She takes no joy or pride in
their duty, but sees it as
just punishment, and nothing more.
Hera, the
Psychic of the Gods (as opposed to being the
Queen). Possesses the stock
Psychic Powers of
psychokinesis,
mindreading, and
teleporting.
Also knows the truth, but doesn't care.AchillesMinotaurPoseidonAtlasPanNereusDoctor Gaia, an old colleague of Gilmore's, though not an old friend. "
My Gods can beat up your cyborgs!
Who's laughing now, huh?"
Doctor Gamo Whisky - Another colleague and rival of Gilmore's, as well as
Cyborg 001's
Disappeared Dad. Already not very well in the head beforehand, Gamo went fully nuts searching for a cure for his child's lethal illness, ended up as a borderline
Complete Monster and then used a group of
Time Travelers for his own purposes,
deleting their memories to make them his puppets.
Nicholas -
The original leader of the group and a survivor of the wars from the future, as well as Lina's lover. In the middle of an apocalyptic future, this young man discovered a lost journal that depicted more peaceful, love-filled times, thus
he told his friends to attempt time travelling and search for the owner of said diary. Unfortunately,
It Got Worse.
Lina - A membress of the Psychic Assassins, she appears to be a cold bitch but is actually the most soft-hearted and gentle of the group. She seems to be the only one who retains a part of her memories, attempting to take care of Phil since he reminds her of her missing little brother and hesitating more than once in regards to her mission.
Phil - The youngest of the group, very childish and impulsive. Is often the first one to experience
the downside of his powers.
Mai - Snarky, cold and efficient, this young woman is the most levelheaded and mentally stable member of the group.
She's the first one who expresses open doubts about the deal, and when Joe and Lina are thrown into the future, she contacts the Cyborgs to join forces and rescue them.Cain - Field leader of the group and
The Dragon to Dr. Gamo.
Very aggressive in the use of his powers, but with far more skill than the
Hot Blooded Phil.
The Pu'Awak Sisters
The five
princesses from the Pu'Awak subterranean kingdom, forced into slavery by their rivals the Athans, which have them as
their living food supplies. The Black Ghost group comes in and offers help, but soon they prove themselves to be just as bad as the Athans, and force the five girls to be a part of their plans. However,
the girls decide to rebel themselves... And yes, they're quintuplets. Look at the color of their tiara jewels to distinguish them.
Sadly, the five girls are coldly killed by Von Bogoot towards the end of the arc. Many tears were shed by fandom.ViinaThe eldest sister, has a blue tiara. She's also the first one to rebel, when
Von Bogoot abandons Helen to her luck and bans Viina from rescuing her. Viina does so anyway and they join the Cyborgs. She and 004 fight a lot because he doesn't trust her intentions, but they ultimately bond over their wish to be free, change their destinies and give their people a better life.
- Big Sister Instinct (She was more or less loyal, until Von Bogoot wanted Helen to die.)
- Broken Bird
- Heroic BSOD ( Has one when Helen and several of the Cyborgs are brainwashed by the Athans and almost kill 004 and her. It gets worse when she and 004 are captured by Von Bogoot and about to be executed. She does recover, but just in time to be killed off with her sisters.)
- Plucky Girl
- Ship Tease (Had quite a bit of chemistry with 004 once they came to trust each other more)
- Talking To Herself (The five girls were voiced by Yuki Masuda)
- Tomboy (The only sister who uses pants)
- Twin Telepathy (Can use her and her sisters's psychic bond to see what the other girls can see and know what they think. )
AphrosSecond sister, green tiara. Outspoken and strongwilled, is the leader of the girls when Viina's not around.
DeenaThird sister, pink tiara. Quiet and gentle, is a mediator between Daphne and Aphros. And... well, not much more is known.
DaphneFourth sister, purple tiara. Very insecure and heavily traumatised by the whole deal.
That causes her to betray the sister's plans and give info to Von Bogoot. Too bad Aphros catches her in the act. To be fair to the girl, she does try to repair the damage done and frees Gilmore and some of the other Cyborgs, captured by Von Bogoot...HelenThe youngest of the girls, red tiara. Also quite insecure, but for a different reason:
she has been mindwiped by Von Bogoot, who uses her as The Mole to discover where the Cyborgs live and destroy their HQ. He commits the big mistake of abandoning Helen to her luck once this is accomplished; that causes an horrified Viina, who used their Twin Telepathy to see through Helen's mind and tell him info, to double-cross him instead.)Other Characters
Dr. Koizumi, an old friend of Gilmore's who provides the newly escaped rebels with shelter and advice, helping them adapt to their new lives as best he can.
Hilda, Albert's fiancee, who tried to escape from war-torn
East Germany with him.
It didn't end well. To make matters worse, it's implied in most versions that they only got caught because Albert forgot to take his wallet back from the guard after showing him his pass. The guard called out, Albert panicked, and...
Well, the results are obvious.
Cynthia Finder, daughter of a scientist who was forced to work for Black Ghost. To keep him in line, they kidnap Cynthia some time later and try to use her as a hostage, but she's rescued by the Cyborgs. She asks them to help her rescue her dad, but is deeply shaken when she discovers what Dr. Finder has been doing...
Princess Ixquic, the guardian of a mysterious pyramid made of gold, along with a robot named Kabrakan. She's very kind and gentle, but also clingy and weak-willed; to make things worse, Kabrakan often goes in
murderous rampages as soon as it sees/senses other people around, and she cannot control its instincts.
Jimmy, A young boy from New York that befriends Jet when he returns home and lives in the Bronx.
Cathy, Jimmy's recently-divorced mother, she works very hard to sustain herself and her boy but has grown disillusioned of the world. Considers Jet as a mere slacker and jerk that fills Jimmy's head with stupid fantasies at first...
Arisu, A young girl that Joe meets when travelling through the Japanese countryside. She claims at first that a bunch of men are following her, but there's more than meets the eye...
Carl Eckermann. The son of an old friend of Gilmore. He develops a crush on Francoise when the Cyborg Team visit his father in the cyber city that father and son built, Compu-Utopia.
The most remarkable thing, though? Carl died the year before. But somehow, his emotionally-needy and genius-level mindset was uploaded into Compu-Utopia's main control, the powerful computer "Sphynx"...Shinichi Ibaraki, Masaru Oyamada and Mary Onodera. One upon a time,
Two Guys and a Girl were Joe's friends in his times in the orphanage (or as a teen delinquents, in the manga). They cared for him very much and he saw them as his first
True Companions ever. Later, they'll meet again...
but this will end in tears, as they were forcibly made into cyborgs by Von Bogoot and have been tasked with killing him.
