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The character sheet for the anime and film Speed Racer.
Main characters
Speed Racer (Gō Mifune)
Click here to see his appearance in the 2008 film.
The central protagonist. A young up and coming racing driver filled with determination who drives the Mach 5.
- The Ace: Speed has proven time and time again to be one of the best racers in the entire business, taking on some of the most dangerous racers and tracks in sports. When pushed to fight, he's also an extremely accurate shot with a firearm and has won quite his fair share of brawls when he has a chance. In the end, Speed almost always comes on top.
- Adaptational Jerkass: In the original manga, Mifune was a genuinely kind-hearted individual that only fought if he absolutely had to, to the point that one villain expresses a Villain Respect for him as one of the greatest men in the world by heart and honor alone. In the anime by comparison, he's far more willing to jump to gunning down and killing those that threaten the people around him or his own life, which clashes significantly with the Incorruptible Pure Pureness he originated as.
- Badass Driver: He's no slouch when it comes to being a racing driver.
- Berserk Button: Do not ever call Speed a coward or doubt his ability to race. Sometimes he has a light-hearted tantrum. Other times he's flipped out and made reckless to near-suicidal decisions that can endanger those around him. One time he grabbed Sparky by the collar of his shirt and seemed like he was about to throttle the kid due to the latter's concern over the cheating bad guys he'd have to race against.
- Beware the Nice Ones: Speed is, for the most part, a kind and friendly young man, yet he's very capable of whooping your ass.
- Big Brother Instinct: Very protective of Spritle.
- Big Brother Worship: Towards Rex.
- Chronic Hero Syndrome: Will often put the needs of others above winning a race.
- Dudley Do-Right Stops to Help: Pick a race where he forfiets to go help someone else. Any race where he forfiets.
- Fatal Flaw:
- Speed's desire to become a professional racer tends to make him rather reckless. Desperate to practice before his race against Racer X, Speed sneaks out of the house and drives in the middle of a thunderstorm, which is actually a serious risk in real life. Needless to say, Speed has to deal with heavy rain, strong winds, and fallen debris, nearly crashing and killing himself in the process.
- His Chronic Hero Syndrome (See also, Leeroy Jenkins), while admirable, has almost gotten him (and Trixi too) killed on many occasions. More often than not, he usually always runs into a given situation head-firsts and ends up in over his head with no backup plan or way out, and must rely on another character (Usually Spritle & ChimChim, or Racer X) to come bail them out. It's even caused him to forfeit and lose many races. Something X finally calls him out on in the final episode.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The responsible one to Spritle's foolish. Compared to Rex, however, he takes on the foolish side when he's not in the mood to listen.
- Good Is Not Soft: Just because he's a Nice Guy doesn't mean he's a goody two-shoes. He's chased down enemies until they die in an accident, gunned down numerous baddies when forced, casually brushes off one opponent's death by lava , and has moments of raw hostility towards even Trixie if she or someone else gets in the way of his desire to win.
- At one point Trixie asks him to lose a race so that Hap Hazard will be able to use the prize money to save his hospitalized sister. Speed's response, while sportsmanlike, is downright unsympathetic, as he outright refuses to lose even for altruistic reasons, and doesn't plan to give Hap any of the money afterwards either. He loses on a technicality anyway.
- Hot-Blooded: Racing is his passion, and he's darn eager to do it regardless of the risks involved. This lands him in trouble occasionally due to a leap-before-you-look mentality, often having to devise an Indy Ploy or rely on one of the mechanisms of the Mach 5 to survive.
- Improbable Age: Speed's only eighteen years old, one of the youngest up-and-coming racers around, and yet he's not only one of the best racers in the whole world, he borders on Child Soldier levels of combat skills and likely has the single highest kill count in the franchise.
- Improbable Aiming Skills: Speed's a surprisingly good shot with a firearm, and has disarmed people actively aiming at him, as well as rapidly cycling a lever-action rifle like it was an automatic and hitting every single enemy in his path per shot without blinking an eye.
- Jerkass Has a Point: As inconsiderate as Speed was being regarding Hap Hazard and his sister, it's hard to deny that he was correct in saying that making someone lose a race on purpose wouldn't have been fair play.
- There's also how Hap himself really wasn't helping his own case by how he was treating Speed throughout the whole episode. From his false accusations of Speed (harming his sister, sabotaging his car, and destroying Hap's Pineapple), and trying to steal Speed's pineapple for the race and still treating Speed like trash, even After Speed saves Hap's life.
- Motor Mouth: He has a tendency to talk rather fast. This is due of course to the show's dubbing.
- Mr. Fanservice: Yes.
- Nice Guy: What else can you say about someone who'll abandon a race to help you out?
- Steven Ulysses Perhero: He's a guy named Speed Racer who can race.
Spritle Racer (Kurio Mifune) and Chim Chim (Sanpei)
Spritle is Speed's younger brother. Always following along on adventures by sneaking into the trunk of the Mach 5. Chim Chim is his pet monkey
- Amplified Animal Aptitude: Chim Chim.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: Downplayed, as Speed doesn't usually mind Spritle. That said, he can get fed up with his whining (see The Most Dangerous Race episodes).
- Bratty Half-Pint: Spritle tends to be like this towards the older characters.
- Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: The two of them might seem like a hapless child and a silly chimpanzee, but the two of them have proven to be able to hold their own against actual threats.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Spritle is the foolish to Speed's (relatively) responsible.
- Little Stowaway: They tend to sneak into the trunk of the Mach 5 (or in briefcases, or on airplanes) when no one's watching.
- Motor Mouth: Spritle has a tendency to talk rather fast. Granted, the hyperactive Spritle likely has waaay too much sugar in his diet, but substandard dubbing undoubtedly plays a part.
- Nice Guys
- Plucky Comic Relief: They provide most of the humor.
- Sweet Tooth: These two love candy so much that they fight between themselves over whatever bribes they manage to collect. Needless to say, they eat a lot of candy!
- Timmy in a Well: Chim Chim will attempt to notify other Go Team members about whatever fix Speed is in.
Pops Racer (Daisuke Mifune)
A talented engineer who built the Mach 5. Is the father of Rex, Speed and Spritle.
- Action Dad: Much like his children, he's very capable of kicking ass.As champion of the Westside Grunters and Groaners I promise you are in for a lot of groaning!
- Badass Driver: Like father, like son.
- The Engineer: Pops is a brilliant engineer, having created the Mach 5, which is largely considered to be one of the most advanced racing vehicles in the world.
- Fantasy-Forbidding Father: He was one towards Rex, but he grows out of it by the time Speed is a young adult.
- Genius Bruiser: A brute of a man who knows how to use his hands, both in fighting and designing state of the art race cars.
- Good Parents: Towards Speed, Spritle and Rex.
- Happily Married: Loves his wife dearly. In the movie Pops even says marrying his best friend was the greatest thing to happen to him besides his sons.
- Hot-Blooded: Pops takes his work and race-car driving very seriously. doesn't take much to get Pops angry. And when he gets angry, he's a force of nature.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Pops can be very loud, grouchy and quick to anger at times, but underneath it all, he loves his family with all his heart and only wants what's best.
- Motor Mouth: His words fly nearly as fast as the cars he designs. Again, dubbing.
- My Greatest Failure: His over-protectiveness over Rex and refusal to let him become a racer is what drove Rex to run away. Years later, Pops still seems to shoulder a lot of guilt over the incident, and is determined not to make the same mistake with Speed.
- Papa Wolf: Don't mess with his children or he'll let you have it.
- Retired Badass: It's mentioned a few times in the series that Pops was once a wrestling champion known as "Dragon Racer" and we see a lot of times that he's still got it.
Mom Racer (Aya Mifune)
The mother of Rex, Speed and Spritle.
- Ascended Extra: In the movie Susan Sarandon plays her as a strong, caring mother who provides emotional support and inspiration for Speed.
- Good Parents: Towards Speed, Spritle and Rex.
- Happily Married: To her beloved husband, Pops.
- Nice Girl: She's a kind woman, never shown to have a negative attitude towards anyone throughout the series.
- Only Sane Woman: Relatively; she's the only person within the series (outside of perhaps Inspector Detector) to never have an extreme moment of emotion.
Rex Racer, aka Racer X
Speed's older brother who ran away from home years ago to become a racing driver. He keeps his identity hidden by entering competitions as Racer X. Also works for Interpol as Agent 9. Drives the Shooting Star.
- Badass Driver: It should be expected given that he's Speed Racer's brother.
- Big Brother Instinct: Very protective of Speed and Spritle.
- Big Brother Mentor: Will provide Speed with advice and guidance when ever he can. This is especially ironic since Racer X actually is his older brother, making this a literal example of the trope, but Speed is completely unaware of it.
- Black Knight: He is a feared and brooding international spy often seen thwarting evil schemes.
- Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Given that he's older and more experienced than his younger brothers, he's often the most responsible one in the room.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Outwardly he seems very cold and seems to only care about winning races, but inwardly he will risk his life to protect others, particularly his younger brother Speed.
- Long Lost Sibling: Unbeknownst to Speed, Racer X is really his long lost brother (Ken'ichi Mifune). The Narrator tells the viewer this every chance he gets; or Rex thinks about it where only the viewer can hear.
- Refused Reunion: At one point, Racer X does plan to reveal himself and go back to his family, but changes his mind when he realizes his job as a secret agent will put them (and himself) at great risk.
- Sdrawkcab Name: From Rex Racer to Racer X (pronounce 'Racer Rex' quickly...)
- You Can't Go Home Again: He originally plans to go back to his family after helping out his brothers, but decides not to in "The Trick Race" as he ultimately decides to become a full-time agent.
Trixie (Michi Shimura)
Speed's forceful girlfriend. During races she often follows him from above in her helicopter, acting as a spotter.
- Action Girlfriend: Manages to throw a few punches against Speed's foes when she is a passenger in the Mach 5 during races.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: She gets jealous if Speed is with another girl that is at her age, even if Speed is just being friendly towards the other.
- Mission Control: During races, she is most often seen in her helicopter above the Mach 5, radio-relaying information to Speed.
- Never a Self-Made Woman: The manga notes that her father is the president of Shimura Aviation, and therefore flying is easy for her.
- Only One Name: English anime only. In the Japanese version, she is Michi Shimura. The English release of the manga keeps the Shimura Aviation mention, implicitly naming her Trixie Shimura. In Speed Racer: The Next Generation, her last name is Tredwell.
- Wrench Wench: A solo helicopter pilot who can operate Speed's gadgets.
Sparky (Sabu)
A mechanic who works for Pops and is the best friend of Speed.
- Grease Monkey: Works as a mechanic and knows more about the inner workings of the Mach 5 than anyone else, except for Pops.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Sparky gets jealous that he doesn't get to be with Speed during some of the big races and instead Trixie joins. He does get his turn in the final episode.
- Nice Guy: One of the kindest characters in the show. Almost never gets angry.
Inspector Detector
A police officer with Interpol who investigates criminal activity. Quickly becomes an ally of Speed.
- Friend on the Force: A good friend of Speed's and distinguished police officer.
- Interpol Special Agent: As a member of the International Police, the inspector moves around the world.
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Always listens Speed when he stumbles upon a criminal plot.
- Steven Ulysses Perhero: He's an Inspector who's name is Inspector Detector.
Recurring and one-off characters
Car Acrobatic Team
A group of rival racers, with a reputation for doing whatever it takes to win a race.
Tropes applying to them as a whole
- Enemy Mine: They form one with Speed in "The Trick Race."
- Jerk Jock: Most of them are talented racers, and they will frequently show off their skills by performing tricks.
- Never My Fault: All of them blame Speed for Snake's injury. Never mind the fact Speed tried to warn Snake about his car leaking gas, but Snake wouldn't listen.
- The Rival: They're the closest thing Speed has to one outside of Racer X, but we only see them for two arcs out of the entire show.
- Ramp Jump: True to their name, these are the kind of antics the Car Acrobat Team do.
Captain Terror
The leader of the Car Acrobatic Team.
- Big Bad: He's the man in charge of the Car Acrobatic Team
- Even Evil Has Loved Ones: He vows vengeance against Speed when Snake Oiler gets injured during the dangerous race he and Speed were taking part in.
Snake Oiler
A member of the Car Acrobatic Team who becomes Speed's main competition during "The Most Dangerous Race."
- Canon Foreigner: He wasn't in the manga.
- Decomposite Character: Some of Captain Terror's traits in the manga were given to him.
- Dirty Coward: Is this in the movie, most notably when Speed has him at his mercy.
- The Dragon: To Captain Terror.
- Meaningful Name: His voice in the English dub sounds like a sleazy snake oil salesman.
- Jerk Jock: Is a talented racer, and is not humble about it.
- Sinister Shades: The visor on his helmet covers his eyes, giving this effect.
- Smug Snake: Is characterized as this in the movie.
Kobra
Snake Oiler's brother.
- Avenging the Villain: He is Snake Oiler's brother. After Snake's defeat he seeks revenge against Speed.
Flash Marker Jr.
Antagonist of "Race for Revenge." He uses his deceased father's car to get revenge on the ones who killed him.
- Big Brother Bully: Towards Lily.
- Death by Adaptation: Flash survived the helicopter crash in the manga, and was convinced to turn over a new leaf. His anime counterpart, unfortunately, did not have that luxury.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Near the end of the episode Lily implies that he was once a good kid before the Three Roses Club killed their father.
- Villain of the Week: Only appeared in "Race For Revenge" in which he was the villain.
- You Killed My Father: He wants revenge on the Three Roses Club for killing his father during a race.
Gadge Zoomer
A former racing driver who becomes the champion car wrestler in "The Great Car Wrestling Match."
- Vehicular Combat: Makes his living competing by competing in "Car Wrestling" which is essentially a more violent version of demolition derby.
Dr. McFife
A mad scientist who built the terrifying monster car to gain revenge in "Car with a Brain."
- Mad Scientist: Used to be a brilliant scientist, but went insane and constructed the "Monster Car," a huge automobile controlled by a computer, which then went on a rampage.
Karat Goldminter
"The richest man in the world." Hosts the Around the World Grand Prix, in the episode "Race Around the World," offering a "small mountain of the purest gold" and his daughter's hand in marriage to the winner.
- Engagement Challenge: An incredibly wealthy man who holds the great Around the World Grand Prix and offers his daughter's hand in marriage to the person who wins it.
Lovelace Goldminter
Daughter of Karat Goldminter.
- Engagement Challenge: Daughter of Karat Goldminter. Enters the Around the World Grand Prix hoping to disrupt it and thus not be forced to marry the winner.
Cruncher Block
A mobster and owner of the Mammoth Car seen in "The Race Against the Mammoth Car." Also appears in the movie where he works for Arnold Royalton to "fix" races through intimidation and kidnapping.
- Bad Boss: Forces one of his goons to use their finger to plug a hole in his fish tank full of very hungry piranhas.
- The Dragon: In the film he works for Arnold Royalton, who is a Non-Action Guy, and does all the kidnapping and other illegal activities on Royalton's behalf.
- Venturous Smuggler: In the original anime, Block is a mobster who stole $50 million dollars worth of gold. That gold was melted down and made into the Mammmoth Car so it could be smuggled out of the country during a race.
Characters exclusive to the film
Arnold Royalton
The wealthy CEO of Royalton Industries. One of the major players involved in the corruption of the World Racing League.
- Big Bad: Of the movie.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Acts all friendly to the Racer family, only to reveal he's a nasty piece of work when Speed declines his offer.
- Corrupt Corporate Executive: Is this big time, as he uses his influence to fix races so they will increase his company's stock.
- Evil Is Hammy: Even the most negative critic of the movie found Roger Allam's over-the-top performance enjoyable.
- Faux Affably Evil: He pretends to be polite to the Racer Family when he meets them for the first time, giving them a tour of his factory. However, once Speed declines his offer, the mask drops and his true nature is revealed.
- Non-Action Big Bad: All of his actions are as a Corrupt Corporate Executive who gets things done by throwing money around. He never drives a vehicle or physically threatens Speed, since that's what Cruncher Block is for.
- Psychopathic Manchild: Rigs races for profit, actually thinks cheating if fun. And hates Speed with a passion to the point of wanting to ruin his career and kill his family, all because Speed refused to join his team.
- Villainous Breakdown: When it is revealed that he rigged the Grand Prix, because of the illegal Spearhook that Cannonball used in an attempt to take out Speed, he's already starting to crumble in demeanor as the women and crowd leave him. Then Speed gets back in the race, and all Royalton can do is scream at the top of his lungs as all of his plans (and the very beliefs by which he led his life) unfurl before his very eyes.
- Arnold Royalton: STOOOOOP HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMM!!!
Taejo Togokahn
A talented racing driver and heir to Togokhan Motors.
- Affably Evil: While calling him "evil" might be pushing it a bit, Taejo is extremely polite and friendly towards Speed, even cheering for him as Speed wins the Grand Prix. He also looks impressed when he finds out that his sister went behind his back to get Speed the invite to the Grand Prix and never bothers to expose her.
- Ain't Too Proud to Beg: When Cruncher Block threatens to have his hands eaten by piranhas.Taejo: No, please!
- Face–Heel Turn: He asks Speed for help winning the Crucible to avoid Royalton buying his company from him, and they race in The Crucible together as teammates. Later it is revealed that he only intended to win the Crucible to increase the price of his company's stock, so he could sell out to Royalton for more money.
- Heel–Face Turn: Taejo does not harbor any ill will towards Speed or his sister and even cheers for Speed during the Grand Prix at the end of the movie. Reinforced in the end, evidenced by a displayed newspaper headline stating Taejo testifying against Royalton and Block, which leads to their convictions for fixing the WRL.
- Hot-Blooded: Is very passionate and prone to becoming angry.
- Manipulative Bastard: He tells Speed that he has evidence that could potentially get Royalton indicted, but refuses to give it to the Racer family unless they help him win the Casa Cristo 5000 so that he can increase the value of his company to prevent Royalton from buying them out. In reality, he never has any evidence, and always intends to let Royalton buy them out anyway, for the right price. Increasing the value of his company was simply a means to get more money for it.
- Mr. Fanservice: Rainnote as Taejo.note
Horuko Togokahn
Taejo's sister.
- Loophole Abuse: After her father and brother Taejo swindle a victory at the Casa Cristo 5000 (using Speed Racer, Racer X and Inspector Detector as dupes), an incensed Horuko undermines their efforts to sell the family company to Royalton (at an inflated price) by giving Speed a invitation to the Grand Prix, which (according to the rules), Speed may participate in by virtue of being part of the "winning team" at Casa Cristo. Speed's eventual victory at the Prix dismantles her family's evil scheme.
- Ms. Fanservice: A very lovely young lady, who (up until she destroys her family's evil plotting), serves next to no purpose in the film other than looking hot.
- Nice Girl: Unlike the rest of her family, Horuko's a sweetheart, and totally honest.
- Pretty in Mink: Horuko shows up to help the Speed family, coming straight from the opera, and wearing a white dress with a white fox fur wrap.
- Spanner in the Works: Her father and brother's scheme to jack up the value of their company by tricking Speed Racer and Racer X to help them win the Casa Cristo 5000 would have gone flawlessly but for her interference. Disgusted at her family's duplicity, she presents Speed with an invitation to the Grand Prix, which he ultimately wins.
- Token Good Teammate: She is appalled when her father and brother trick the Racer family into helping them win the Casta Cristo race. To make up for it, she goes to the Racer family and gives them Taejo's automatic invitation to the Grand Prix.
Ben Burns
A race commentator and former racing champion.
- Broken Pedestal: Poor Speed, in regards to his racing hero, when he learns that the Grand Prix is always fixed and Burns and several of the racers he looked up to are nothing but corporate shills whose "wins" were always planned.Speed: Mr. Burns? The '43 Prix. Did...you know you were going to win?
Ben Burns: Y'know, everybody thought that me and Stickleton hated each other. Funny, ain't it? - Fake Ultimate Hero: A racing icon and one of Speed's personal heroes whose defining victory turned out to have been orchestrated by greedy corporations the entire time.
- Forced into Evil: Implied at the end. The fact that he's celebrating Speed's victory at the end, which also exposed the public to race fixing and Royalton's crimes, indicates that he wasn't happy participating in rigged races.
- Karma Houdini: Was just as crooked as the other racing champions, but it looks like he'll never have to answer for it. Though most likely he was never happy with the situation in the first place.
- Precision F-Strike: He gets one when Speed shows up to the final race. "Holy sh[*bleep*]!" The Double Take his fellow commentator Cass Jones gives him is just icing on the cake.
Jack "Cannonball" Taylor
A racing driver for Royalton Industries. He is one of the best drivers in the World Racing League, but is known to play dirty.
- Cheaters Never Prosper: His attempt at taking Speed out with an illegal Spearhook during the final race costs him the Hall of Fame.
