Jinpei

AKA: G-4, Tsubakurou no Jinpei (Jinpei the Swallow)

Nationality: Japanese (?)

Age: 10 (Gatchaman Graffiti)

Height: 4'0" (120 cm)

Weight: 66 lbs. (22 kg.)

Hair: Dark brown

Eyes: Dark brown

Occupation: Works part-time at the Snack Jun as a cook and dishwasher

Specialties: Is very fast and agile, and almost always underestimated.

Weaknesses: He's an eight-year-old kid; immature, impressionable, and has the bad habit of dragging home stray animals (seals, baby whales, mountain lion kittens, hippies... ;-) )

Weapons: "American Cracker," bolos that can be outfitted with blades or explosives [Gatchaman]; "Rebound Ball," a Jai-Alai ball and glove combo [G-II]; the "Swallow Top," a top and string combo wielded like Jun's yoyo [G-Fighter].

History: Jinpei was found as an infant by Jun on Mount Jupiter, home of the Jupiter Ninja clan. It is not known if he is truly a descendant (and only survivor) of the original Jupiter Ninja clan before it was taken over by Gallactor--the only man who could have told him for certain might have lied in order to protect him. Since she had discovered him, Jun was responsible for naming him and giving him a birthday. Jun and Jinpei resided in the Shirayuki Orphanage until they were discovered by Dr. Nambu and adopted to train for positions in the Kagaku Ninjatai. The Professor didn't actually want both of them, but they insisted on going together or not at all (Fantastic Graphics Interview).

Observations: Jinpei was originally intended to be the featured character of the series (before Ken and Joe took the bits in their teeth and ran with it), a model for the series' young target audience. For the most part, he's innocent and optimistic: the child in need of guidance. His age lets him be more free with his emotions than the others. Dr. Nambu and the rest of the Kagaku Ninjatai are his family: the Professor as his uncle and the Team members as his brothers and sisters. Jinpei always refers to Ken as "Aniki" (big brother) or "Ken [no] Aniki." Joe is sometimes referred to as "Joe [no] Aniki." Ryu is considered Jinpei's "partner in crime" for comedy relief, and is referred to by name only. Of all of them, Jun is the closest to being a true sibling, and Jinpei doesn't call her anything but "On�echan" (big sister) until ep #95. He badmouths Jun relentlessly, but she is usually the one he clings to for comfort in times of trouble. Much attention has been paid to his need for parental support (his longing for a mother, or a father figure to confide in), but he seems to manage well enough on his own. Of all the Team, Jinpei's aging is the most apparent as the series progress, mostly due to the aging of his voice actor, Yoku Shioya.

Personality: If Jinpei has any chip on his shoulder at all, it's in proving that he isn't so small and can handle his share of the load just like everyone else on the Team. He often isn't taken seriously, which drives him crazy and leads him to run off and get into trouble on his own.
Compared to other children his age, Jinpei is remarkably mature (of course he'd have to be, given his situation). He has a shrewd business sense (and is responsible for nagging Ken about his unpaid bar tab), and could probably run Jun's snack bar on his own (he does most of the cooking, anyway). One of the planning sheets mentioned that his ultimate peacetime goal would be to become the president of a pharmaceutical company (!!). He can be a bit of a smart-aleck, earning him swift retaliation from Jun, Joe or Ryu. He is occasionally foul-mouthed and often cuts loose with some truly awful puns.

Featured Episodes (first series):

#8 "Secret of Crescent Coral": Jinpei doesn't feel he's being taken seriously enough compared to the others, and sets out to prove himself. What he does is wind up captured in a sea anemone mech and drive the others nuts.

#17 "Big Beetle Operation": Jinpei captures a stag beetle (a traditional Japanese thing to do in summer), and takes it home. Problem is, the bug is actually a monstermech that feeds on and utilizes the destructive energies of children (I suspect this one was written by someone who was having a rough time with his kids).

#18 "Revenge! Whale Operation": Jinpei finds another animal to take home. This time he rescues and befriends and orphaned baby whale, which leads the Team to a local Gallactor base. Wonder if it was something he said that gave Joe the idea to rescue that puppy two episodes later?

#19 "Hell's Speed Race": In order to protect a precious microtape from Katse, Jinpei pretends to swallow it. Unfortunately, Katse is not fazed by this, and plans to retrieve the tape by whatever means necessary.

#29 "Demon Galakku X": Jinpei takes Ryu to visit his old orphanage, and decides to teach the orphans about kickboxing by taking them to a match. It's here they encounter Galakku X, a Gallactor cyborg going through tests under the guise of a kickboxer.

#32-33 "Big Operation Gezora": Jun and Jinpei are captured and held hostage by Gallactor in an elaborate game of decoy and keep away.

#45 "Yogiri no Ashika Ninjatai": No comfortable quickie way to translate this title, sorry. Suffice to say, Jinpei rescues a group of hostages with the assistance of a herd (?) of seals. He even tries to take one home.

#49: Mecha Dokuga: Jinpei does more sneaking around Gallactor bases in disguise, gets aboard the latest mech (a giant butterfly), and signals the others.

#50 Torakodon: Jinpei and Ryu play the comedy relief thing to the hilt as they are chased through the desert by armies, Gallactors, assassins, and giant dinosaur fossils...

#66 "Demon Fashion Show": Jinpei comes up with the idea for the Bird Rollers--putting the Team on roller skates. Blame Ken for liking it. ;-)

#69 "Cemetery Beneath the Moon": A village woman mistakes Jinpei for her long-lost son, Jinbei (and the resemblance is convenient). For a short period of time, the kid gets to experience what it's like to have a mother. But his work exacts a price, and he must leave her behind in order to save the villagers....

#71 "Immortal Sosai X": After sightings were reported, Jinpei takes off alone for the Himalayas in search of the Abominable Snowman. What he finds is trouble.

#72: Jinpei accompanies a researcher into the jungle to puzzle on why the world has suddenly been afflicted by plagues of locusts.

#85: "That Guy is G-4": Dave, a Gallactor spy disguised as a pipe-smoking hippie, is hired by Jinpei to help him out at the Snack Jun. Dave's assignment is to find out the KN's secret identity, and he has his suspicions about the other kids in the Snack, but there's no way this nice little kid could be one of the Kagaku Ninjatai... Surprise! Another interesting note in this episode is that Jinpei is nearly busted by "cops" (goons in disguise) for driving his dune buggy. He does carry a special driving permit, but prefers to keep the driving discreet.

#87: Jinpei has his first brush with young romance when he rescues a rich girl, Maria-chan, from Gallactor kidnappers.

#95: Jinpei goes off to Mt. Jupiter to find his roots, and meets the last of the original Jupiter Ninja clan. Is he a descendant of the clan? It's up to the viewer to decide....