G-5: Mimizuku no Ryu

Name: Ryu the Horned Owl/Ryu Nakanishi
Nationality: Japanese
Age: 17
Cover Occupation: Runs a marina (yacht harbor)

Specialties:
Pilots the Godphoenix, the Kagaku Ninjatai's command ship. He's extremely strong and has a strong affinity with the sea; he's a powerful swimmer and an excellent sailor. His chief weapon is an airgun similar to Joe's with suction cup and harpoon attachments (Gatchaman); the "Gripper," a green silly-putty type weapon that can be used as a staff or sling (Gatchaman II); Kusari-gama (sickle mace and chain) (Gatchaman F). The shoves and throws he uses in battle are based on Sumo moves.

Handicaps:
Seems not terribly bright (#78). He's often left behind to watch the ship, partly because he's the only member of the team who is not an orphan and Ken doesn't want his death to hurt his surviving family (explained to him in #57). He seems easily swayed by creature comforts (mostly for gag effect) and sometimes falls asleep on the job (though on one occasion, he was faking it).

History:
Ryu was raised in a fishing village on a small island in the Gatchaman equivalent of Northern Japan (Tohoku region). Ryu's family--his father and his younger brother, Seiji--is still alive, though Ryu's mother is never shown or discussed (only mentioned briefly in #57). It's unknown if she divorced, left the family, or just is never shown. According to an "interview" with the characters in Fantastic Graphics TV Anime Vol. 3, Ryu met Dr. Nambu when he and the ISO traveled to Ryu's home for research. There was a boating accident, in which Ryu saved the professor's life. In exchange, he was offered a favor, and Ryu asked to be taken to Utoland. Somehow, by accident or design, he wound up learning of the Kagaku Ninjatai and joined the team. In Gatchaman II, the New Godphoenix received an autopilot and Ryu received a smaller vehicle of his own: the "Horned Tank." In Gatchaman Fighter, the command vehicle Gatchaspartan is made of five separate ships, and Ryu either piloted his own ship or the assembled Gatchaspartan. Still, he was usually left out of the action save for a few special episodes.

Observations:
Ryu is a stereotypical Japanese "country boy." His accent and dialect are of the Tohoku region and the split toes of his boots are reminiscent of the tabi-style boots of Japanese construction and blue collar workers. Ryu is portrayed as not very bright or fast, and is used mostly for comedy relief or gags with Jinpei, but he's smarter and far more reliable than he lets on. He seems to be always eating or hungry, though his massive bulk is mostly muscle--much like the physique of a modern Sumo wrestler. He's unlucky in love--Jinpei actually gets a date before he does (#87)--and if he does find a girl who is interested in him, business interrupts (#44). Ryu is open, easygoing and cheerful. His thoughts are usually occupied with the simple things in life: food, sleep, friends and the satisfaction of a job well done (or the shame of a botched assignment). He doesn't spend much time in self-introspection and seems untouched by the dirtiness of war. He sometimes makes simple observations that startle his teammates because they'd been too preoccupied to see the big picture. He sometimes claims he's "only human," and if that's not enough to make him a member of the Kagaku Ninjatai, so be it (#73). Ryu is both sensitive and loyal, and can be especially hard on himself. If he fouls up, he's the first to apologize, accept punishment or give up his bracelet in shame. Dr. Nambu accepted his resignation once and learned not to do it again (#26). Ryu often complains about being left behind on the Godphoenix and not allowed to show his stuff in the field, but mostly accepts his fate with good-natured resignation. Relationships with others:

Ken: Ryu admires Ken as the team's leader, though he's not shy about criticizing Ken in his absence (#53). He will snap at Ken if he feels he's being patronized (#99).

Joe: Joe often mows him down through sheer force of personality, and Ryu seems to be at a loss over what to do about it, though he won't back down if pushed too far beyond his principles. One of the best exchanges between the two occurred in #105, where a dying Joe apologized to him for "disobeying orders," and Ryu responded with, "I'm not listening to your weak words. If you want to apologize, be well again and let me bust you one. Otherwise I'm not listening." The two have occasionally gone on outings together.

Jun: When working in cahoots with Jinpei, Ryu can get on Jun's bad side, and she scolds him much like she scolds Jinpei.

Jinpei: This is his partner in crime, the one he plays "straight man" to. Ryu and Jinpei are often confused by Nambu's scientific explanations and will poke each other and trade friendly insults during briefings. Ryu teases Jinpei quite a bit and sometimes overdoes it (#95).

Featured Episodes (First Series Only)

#12 Ibukuron, the Monster with a Huge Appetite: Ryu joins Ken and Joe in a tour through the innards of a giant sugar-eating cockroach mecha and almost literally gets put through the wringer.

#26 Return! Godphoenix: Ryu botches up a mission by falling asleep on the job. Unable to forgive himself for this, he quits the team and returns home to his fishing village. But Gallactor shows up even there, and Ryu decides to deal with the syndicate and their manta ray mechs all by himself. Ken follows him and both are taken captive; Ryu reclaims his freedom first and rescues Ken, and Ken won't reveal their location to the rest of the team until Nambu agrees to give Ryu his job and title back. Still, they could be too late.

#29 Demon Man Galakku X: While watching a kick boxing match with kids from Jinpei's old orphanage, Jinpei and Ryu notice a fearsome contender named Galakku X (actually a cyborg). After the match, the orphans are threatened by Galakku X, and when Ryu interferes, he is badly injured. Can the rest of the team succeed in defeating the latest Gallactor plan without Ryu's help?

#34 Evil Aurora Operation: While snoozing on his fishing boat, Ryu is blasted with a mind-bending ray that makes him think he's a cat. Joe provides a "one-punch antidote."

#42 Great Escape Trick Operation: Ryu gets lost and has the misfortune to hitch a ride aboard a prison van. He winds up as one of the inmates of Jin Jin Prison, which is targeted by Gallactor as a source of fresh cannon fodder until the plan is thwarted by the Kagaku Ninjatai. In the interim, Ryu befriends the "bird man" of Jin Jin Prison and witnesses the tragedy of the whole operation.

#50 Trachodon, the Dinosaur Skeleton: Ryu and Jinpei play this episode for both gags and suspense. They are sent to recon a city in Indiria and wind up pursued by all sorts of nasties (assassins and aircraft) before they discover the Gallactor base hidden beneath some old ruins. This episode features the first and only shower scene in any of the original Gatchaman series... and Ryu's the one taking the shower.

#66 Demon Fashion Show: Most notable in this episode are two scenes of Ryu learning to roller skate and Joe attempting to teach him.

#73 Get Katse! Ryu and Joe are paired up and sent into the jungle to ferret out a fleeing Katse. Along the way, Ryu manages to stumble into all the traps he can find, but he also has the chance to remind Joe of his humanity when he braves the traps to rescue a wounded fawn.

#73 King of the Sea Monsters, Jumbo Shakora: The battle with Gallactor gets personal when a monstermech sinks a fishing boat commanded by Ryu's father, and he and the crew disappear. Ryu must choose between loyalty to his job and loyalty to his family, and he's so badly distracted that he makes mistakes that result in two botched missions. Ken swiftly comes to Ryu's defense before Nambu and orders the team to search for Ryu's father. In return for the rescue, Mr. Nakanishi imparts some special information to the impressive young ninja that he doesn't realize is his son... or does he?

#86 Gallactor Corners the Market: To uncover another plot to steal the world's sugar (this time for the syndicate's workers and children), Jinpei and Ryu masquerade as entomologists in search of "sugar ants" that might lead to one of Gallactor's smuggling conduits. Ryu falls for a pretty informant who turns out to be Katse in disguise, and is trapped aboard one of the sugar transport mechas.

#90 Armored Beast Metangar: Ryu gets a brief scene where he tries to talk sense into Ken, but soon loses his temper.

#94 Electro Beast Angler: This episode features the characters in separate vignettes. Ryu returns home for his father's surgery, but is stranded on the train when the power goes out. He can do nothing now but wait and worry.

#95 Big Joining Ninja Operation: Ryu teases Jinpei mercilessly about his made-up birthday until the kid finally loses his temper and runs off. Ryu later feels so bad about this he painstakingly finds the kid a small birthday gift. In one scene of this episode, while he, Ken and Joe are fighting a group of chariot-riding ninja, Ryu topples a two-horse team barehanded.

#96: Uncover the Gallactor Base: Ryu fakes falling asleep and ignores a distress call from Jinpei in order to take the enemy by surprise.