Characters from the animated series Hit-Monkey.
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Protagonists
Hit-Monkey
Voiced By: Fred Tatasciore
A serious, hot-headed Japanese macaque who becomes a hitman after his tribe is wiped out in the crossfire of the murder of the assassin Bryce. Despite his temper, he has a strong moral code and vows to only kill killers as he seeks to avenge his family.
- Amplified Animal Aptitude: He's a macaque with no apparent prior exposure to humans and tools like guns, yet quickly intuits that the circumstances of Bryce's arrival is bad news for his tribe. After picking up a gun, he exhibits an uncanny talent for killing, as well as equal skill with a katana later. Played for Drama as his intellect is clearly distinct from his peers, and it's implied his tribe's elder always knew he was destined for greater things than the rest of them. Like cases of intelligent animals from real life, his intellect comes burdened with the capacity to feel profound emotional turmoil.
- Barefoot Cartoon Animal: The Monkey is a pint-sized Badass in a Nice Suit, but since his lower appendages are, functionally, a second set of hands, wearing shoes just wouldn't make much sense. Especially since he's just as capable of using them to dispose of his enemies as any other body part.
- The Berserker: His temper serves him well in battle.
- Dented Iron: Hit-Monkey collects a lot of scars over the course of the series, all the more visible because they're also bald spots on his fur.
- Dark and Troubled Past: His entire macaque tribe was wiped out by corrupt JGSDF soldiers after they killed Bryce.
- Handy Feet: Naturally, as a monkey, his feet are a second pair of hands. Something often forgotten by human opponents when they forget to bind his feet.
- Hero with Bad Publicity: The first season ends with Monkey as a national pariah for killing the recently elected and publicly beloved prime minister, who was secretly responsible for all the death and mayhem. Haruka vows to work to clear his name before smuggling him out the country.
- Hitman with a Heart: Despite his temper, Hit-Monkey is conflicted over his actions, feeling guilt over his first few kills. He ultimately resolves to only kill other killers.
- Hot-Blooded: Hit-Monkey has quite a temper. Before and during his assassin career, it gets him into a lot of trouble.
- Instant Expert: Whether it's ranged or melee weapons, he takes to it all like a duck to water.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Monkey is quick to anger and isn't the friendliest person to be around, but his warning to the rest of his tribe that Bryce could bring more trouble was correct.
- Katanas Are Just Better: Monkey eventually picks up a katana (which came from General Kato) and uses it in his battles as his primary melee weapon.
- Stranger in a Familiar Land: As a snowy owl tells him when he tries to return to the wild, the life he used to lead is too simple for him. Eventually, he's forced to take up arms again to defend his adopted tribe, and gets tragically rejected for it.
- Trauma Button: The lingering trauma of the gunfire that massacred his people provokes a berserker rage in the middle of firefights.
Bryce McHenry
Voiced By: Jason Sudeikis
A talkative, cynical assassin fresh off a job in Tokyo. When he and Monkey’s family are killed in the same attack, he finds himself a ghost bound to Monkey, who he must now mentor to avenge his death and ascend to the next life.
- Adaptation Expansion: In the comics, Bryce only showed up in the Hit-Monkey miniseries and was absent in Hit-Monkey's appearances in other books. Here, he has more relevance.
- Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Bryce takes his job ridiculously casually, often rambling about whatever topic comes to mind and treating the entire thing like he's on a wild vacation. He's still one of the best assassins in the world.
- Came Back Strong: After finally ascending to the afterlife in the season finale, he returns, apparently having taken a Deal with the Devil that grants him new abilities like being able to both interact with objects and move them telekinetically like a poltergeist.
- Cop Killer: He killed Hiroshi in "Pilot".
- Cold Sniper: What Bryce is known for. When he took out Takahara, he used remote controlled Barrett M82A1s to take down the holders propping the ballistic glass before the second volley of bullets killed him.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Bryce's past is revealed through flashbacks in "Home Sweet Home." His father wasn’t around and his mother Judy constantly brought home new boyfriends, which Bryce resented. He bonded with his mother's latest boyfriend, Eli, and started a family of his own. However, he learned that Eli (really Elwin) was on the run from some criminals he had crossed, and came home that night to find him standing over Judy, who he struck when she tried to stop him from leaving. Bryce confronted Elwin and accidentally shot him with his own gun; with his last breaths, Elwin urged him to run. Bryce disappeared, leaving his wife and young daughter with the money Elwin had stolen so that they could start a new life in the city.
- Ironic Fear: In episode 7 he confesses to Monkey that, when he was alive, he used to fear ghosts, which is quite ironic since he is one himself now.
- Mind over Matter: Bryce demonstrates the ability to levitate objects when he returns to Monkey after making a Deal with the Devil to leave Hell.
- Motor Mouth: Being played by Jason Sudeikis, he naturally falls under this trope. His rambling does not endear him to the people he works with.
- Named by the Adaptation: The assassin that became Hit-Monkey's spirit advisor never had a name in the comics. He is given the name Bryce in the show.
- Parental Abandonment: He grew up with an absent father. "Home Sweet Home" also reveals that he was forced to abandon his young daughter.
- Salt Solution: Salt can keep him at bay and even stop him from following Monkey, as Bryce is initially unable to cross a barrier made of salt. Monkey uses a circle of salt in episode 7 to trap him when he starts to think of him as a demon forcing him to do evil things so that he can return back home alone. In the season 1 finale, Bryce is able to overcome this weakness, and even discovers he can render himself temporarily visible and tangible to mortals by dousing himself in salt. He uses this so he can fight Lady Bullseye.
- Spirit Advisor: After his death, Bryce’s ghost is supernaturally tethered to Hit-Monkey. He ends up advising him on the workings of the human world and the ins and outs of assassination.
Humans
Superheroes
Silver Samurai
Voiced By: Noshir Dallal
A mutant samurai superhero sworn to protect the Prime Minister.
- Adaptational Heroism: Silver Samurai's still an asshole, but is also a superhero sworn to protect the Japanese Prime Minister.
- Good Is Not Nice: He may be a hero, but he's also a major jerk.
Yuki
Voiced By: Reiko Aylesworth
An ancient Japanese spirit sworn to protect Tokyo from evil.
- Adaptational Badass: Yuki was a regular human and member of The Hand in the comics, but a powerful spirit in this show.
- Adaptational Heroism: She's a member of the Hand in the comics, but is considered one of Japan's super heroes in the show.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Yuki has red eyes which become fiery when she’s angry.
- Takes One to Kill One: Or at least hurt one; since she is a ghost herself, she is not only able to see and hear Bryce, but also able to physically interact with him, like lifting him up by his neck; something no mortal can do.
Politicians
Ken Takahara
Voiced By: Keisuke Hoashi
An idealistic politician running for Prime Minister only to be killed by Bryce.
- Small Role, Big Impact: His death in "Pilot" drove Monkey and Bryce to work together and figure out if it's connected to a conspiracy.
Shinji Yokohama
Voiced By: George Takei
Ken’s soft spoken right-hand man who takes over his campaign following his assassination.
- Big Bad Wannabe: He and Bonsai Master are the masterminds behind the conspiracy, but Shinji himself is grossly unprepared for the conflict that arises from it. By the time Bryce and Hit-Monkey discover his involvement, they've already massacred most of his allies and Lady Bullseye only deigns to protect him so she can have a rematch with the pair.
- Canon Foreigner: He's a character originally made for the show.
- Corrupt Politician: Shinji becomes prime minister of Japan after Ken was killed during his election campaign with indirect help from the Bonsai Master.
- Large Ham: In "End Game: Part Two", he shouts his confession to his niece that he conspired with Bonsai Master in order to get him to be the candidate for prime minister.
- Villainous Breakdown: The minute Shinji hear that Monkey's coming, he realizes that the jig is up and just tells Akiko that he allowed Bonsai Master to get rid of Ken so that the campaign to be the prime minister can be a success.
Itaru Ozu
Voiced By: Paul Nakauchi
A corrupt politician running for Prime Minister against Ken and later Shinji.
- Corrupt Politician: A proud, vindictive man who has a follower attempt to run Akiko off the road and is in league with Banzai Master, though he isn’t the one who ordered the hit on Ken.
- Red Herring: Despite his corruption, he’s not the one who ordered Ken’s death. He points out that he was already ahead of Ken in the polls; the assassination turned him into a martyr.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
Hiroshi
Voiced By: Eijiro Ozaki
An honest, hardworking cop partnered with Ito before his death.
- By-the-Book Cop: Honest and serious about his work.
- Small Role, Big Impact: His death in "Pilot" drove Ito to solve his murder after Takahara was killed.
Haruka
Voiced By: Ally Maki
A fresh faced cop from Hokkaido who is partnered with Ito.
- By-the-Book Cop: She makes it clear to Ito she won’t accept him stealing evidence and is honest with her superiors about their investigation, even if it means being laughed at over having a monkey as their suspect.
- New Meat: Haruka was a transfer to the TMPD from Rishiri, Hokkaido, which is located up north of Japan, geographically near Russia.
Ito
Voiced By: Nobi Nakanishi
A stern veteran cop with a checkered past looking to avenge his partner’s death.
- Canon Foreigner: He's a character originally made for the show.
- Dirty Cop: He takes his job seriously enough and doesn’t abuse his position, but he is stated to have taken a bribe in the past, which hurt his reputation quite a bit.
- Generic Cop Badges: He shows Akiko his official police ID and badge. The Lieutenant rank does not exist in Japanese law enforcement. The actual rank would have been Inspector. The emblem in the middle is not the official Asahikage emblem.
- Sacrificial Lion: Lady Bullseye murders him, establishing herself as a bigger threat than the rest of the Big Bad Ensemble.
Civilians
Akiko Yokohama
Voiced By: Olivia Munn
Shinji’s warm-hearted niece who forms an unexpected bond with Monkey.
- Canon Foreigner: She's a character originally made for the show.
- Foreshadowing: Akiko was seen reading a Punisher comic in Japanese in "The Code". At season's end, when she's consumed by grief at the loss of her sole remaining family, she takes Lady Bullseye's domino mask and tries it on.
- Revenge Before Reason: Despite her Uncle not only being responsible for the events of the series but also attempting to murder Detective Haruka in front of her, she still decides to go after Hit Monkey despite the fact he only killed her Uncle to save Haruka's life.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Begins the series as this, strongly believing in Ken’s progressive ideals.
Hayley
Bryce’s old flame and the mother of his child.
- Break His Heart to Save Him: Bryce was forced to abandon her and their child so they wouldn’t have to be on the run with him for his stepfather’s murder.
Manzo
A recurring civilian that keeps getting his life ruined by Monkey.
- Butt-Monkey: He's first injured during Monkey's attack on the Double Dragon Casino, but recovers and gets another job as a truck driver, only to have his truck wrecked during a chase involving Monkey, at which point he's lost one of his arms and is begging for death.
Minor Antagonists
Keppei and Teppei
A pair of Yakuza toughs in charge of the Double Dragon Casino.
- Those Two Guys: They're always seen together and are never apart.
Fat Cobra
Voiced By: Noshir Dalal
A superpowered criminal working for the Accountant.
- Acrofatic: He can be surprisingly fast for a man of his size; something Bryce even warns Monkey about when Monkey is about to fight Fat Cobra.
- The Dreaded: Has killed many hitmen that attempted to kill him.
- Fat Bastard: A fat criminal with electrical powers.
- Heel–Face Turn: After Monkey spares his life in Sugamo Prison, he helps him hold off Silver Samurai in the last episode.
- Shock and Awe: He can shoot lightning from his feet.
- Tattooed Crook: His body is covered in tatoos of Japanese writing.
Antagonists
The Rooster
Voiced By: Feodor Chin
A Yakuza thug involved in arranging the deaths of Ken and Bryce.
- Blackmail: Has incriminating evidence on multiple influential figures and is even said to be willing to blackmail his own mother.
- Body Double: He has several of them to throw potential assassins off his trail. Monkey hunts them down one by one until he gets to the real Rooster.
- Genuine Imposter: 'Toilet Rooster', the body double that the protagonists interrogate in the bathroom, is the real Rooster disguised as a fake Rooster. Complete with a wig of his distinctive hairstyle, worn over a bald-spot cap, worn over his actual hair.
The Accountant
Voiced By:
A white collar criminal turned prison gang leader handling the money for Ken’s assassination.
- Even Evil Has Standards: He thinks that the plan to take out Takahara wasn't a good idea at all.
- Had to Come to Prison to Be a Crook: He was a white collar criminal who was locked up in a Hellhole Prison and left in a particularly nasty cell block full of the worst offenders in the prison, which had been walled off from the rest of the prison. He eventually went mad and took over the cell block by using his connections on the outside to control the drug supply, forcing inmates to the death for his own amusement.
- No Name Given: Even his prison sheet says that his name is the Accountant
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General Kato
Voiced By: Eijiro Ozaki
A corrupt military general in command of the men responsible for Bryce’s death.
- Rogue Soldier: In command of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Forces 128th.note
Lady Bullseye
Voiced By: Reiko Aylesworth
A deadly assassin feared for her vindictiveness and sadistic nature.
- Cop Killer: She does kill Ito after he takes a hurled pin to the chest. She also nearly kills Haruka.
- Previosly, Lady Bullsye detonated explosives that demolished Akiko's residence and nearly killed Haruka and Ito.
- Comic-Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: Averted for Lady Bullseye, who is known exclusively by that title. Her real name, Maki Matsumoto, is never mentioned.
- Composite Character: Lady Bullseye is a mix of herself and the original Bullseye, having the latter's sadistic personality.
- Dark Action Girl: A feared Japanese assassin in the criminal underworld.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Lady Bullseye’s debut scene sees her murder a flight attendant who made her put her drink away because the plane was landing, a cab driver who initially ignored her, a hotel clerk who told her that her room wasn’t ready yet, and a sleazy guy who hit on her at a bar. Evil Is Petty indeed.
- Dragon-in-Chief: Lady Bullseye is the most persistent of the assassins after Hit-Monkey, and easily far more dangerous than any one member of the conspiracy. When Hit-Monkey comes after Shinji in the finale it's plainly clear that he has lost any control he had over the situation, with Lady Bullseye only deigning to protect him so she can settle the score with the monkey.
- The Dreaded: Greatly feared by the underworld and law enforcement for her accuracy in killing her targets with thrown items (or firearms) that Bryce tells Monkey to get away from her when they still can.
- Establishing Character Moment: After she arrives in Tokyo, she kills the stewardess, her cab driver and a guy who tried to hit on her in "The Long Goodbye".
- Rogues' Gallery Transplant: The sole costumed villain to show up in the first season is Lady Bullseye, an enemy of Daredevil in the comics.
Ichiro Hazaki aka Bonsai Master
Voiced By:
A mysterious Japanese crime boss and the man behind the murders of Ken and Bryce. His ultimate goal is to restore Japan’s glorious past.
- Big Bad: Responsible for the events in the show that happened, including the death of Monkey macaque group and Bryce.
- Disc-One Final Boss: Is killed in the penultimate episode, leaving Lady Bullseye and Shinji as the final targets.
- The Man Behind the Man: Responsible for secretly running Shinji, Lady Bullseye and Kato from behind the scenes.
Eli
Voiced By: John Hawkes
Bryce’s stepfather and a fugitive criminal.
- Wicked Stepfather: Played with. While he does treat Bryce and his family well, he is a criminal on the run, lets Bryce use his truck when he knows very bad people are using it, and hits his mother as he attempts to flee.
Animals
Monkey’s Tribe
The tribe of Japanese macaques Monkey used to belong to. They were all killed along with Bryce.
- No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: They found a mortally wounded Bryce and nursed him back to health… only to be killed with the soldiers hunting Bryce caught up with him.
- Spirit Advisor: While not as overt as Bryce, Monkey does get visions of the tribe’s elder who criticizes his path and choices before ultimately encouraging him.
The New Tribe
A tribe of Japanese macaques that moved into the hot springs of Monkey’s old tribe.
- Replacement Goldfish: Over his time with them, they start to become like a new family to Monkey. Sadly, this does not last.
The Red-Stipes
A violent gang of Japanese macaques with red-striped backs who seek to run the new tribe out of the hot springs.
- The Bully: They are first seen tormenting the young macaque Koji before Monkey steps in.
- Would Hurt a Child: Their leader kills young Koji by bashing him in the head with a rock.
Bradley
A cat owned by Akiko. Does not like Monkey.
- Cats Are Mean: Is very antagonistic towards Monkey.
- Whatever Happened to the Mouse?: After Lady Bullseye blows up the house, Bradley is last seen retreating into a hole in a wall and is not seen again.
The Rat
A rat Monkey encounters while infiltrating a prison to confront the Accountant.
- Androcles' Lion: After Monkey frees him from a trap earlier in the episode, he repays him by helping him escape the prison during a riot and returning his gun.
The Guard Dog
A vicious guard dog working at the prison holding the Accountant.
- Beware of Vicious Dog: Attacks Monkey in their first encounter.
The Snowy Owl
An owl who lives in the forest where Monkey’s tribe lived.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Eats the flesh of dead animals.
- Moment Killer: Interrupts a dramatic scene of Monkey finding Bryce’s corpse to ask if she can eat the body.
