The importance of the nuclear family, especially the relationship between parents and children, was a popular theme in many Tatsunoko shows. Gatchaman was no exception. With the exception of Ryu, the Kagaku Ninjatai were orphans who had lost their parents through war or violence. And while they all lamented the absence of parents and family, the five formed a stronger bond than most real families.If the Gatchaman has a vulnerable spot, it's through his long lost father. Ken is the son of Kentaro Washio, ace fighter pilot and spy, and now the leader of the special Red Impulse fighter squadron. When Ken was four years old, Kentaro underwent the most difficult and dangerous mission of his career: undercover research of the Gallactors' V-2 Plan. In order to protect his family, he faked his own death and left his wife and son under Dr. Nambu's care. Despite a nearly complete lack of evidence, Ken believes his father is alive, and someday father and son will be reunited. Little does he know that Daddy is closer than he thinks.
#3: "The Giant Mummy that Calls Storms": When Ken is assigned bodyguard duty to Professor Takahara, he finds he has something in common with Takahara's nephew, Makoto, whose father is also a pilot missing in a crash. When this pilot returns, both Ken and the professor have a hard time explaining to the boy that his long lost father is actually Katse in disguise. This is the first episode Ken mentions his own father.
#11 "Mysterious Red Impulse": When the Kagaku Ninjatai are assigned to guard the super prototype fighter plane Blue Hawk the Red Impulse squadron interferes, having been informed that the Hawk is already being controlled by Gallactor pilots. Unfamiliar with the Red Impulse squad at this point, the Kagaku Ninjatai believe the three pilots are attacking them. While Ken and the squad leader play "Who-the-hell-are-you-and-get-off-my-turf," the Hawk's missiles zero in on the oblivious Godphoenix...
#22 "Firebird vs. Fire Eating Dragon": After the Phoenix faces the Dragon and loses the first confrontation, the ISO tries another tack: fighting fire with ice. But the team is badly shaken, and Nambu calls Red Impulse to do the job. The leader refuses, knowing his son must stand up and fight for himself. Ken boards the Dragon alone and faces death either by freezing or by the Dragon's fiery crash.
#39-40 Jigokiller Parts 1 & 2: When Jun is captured by one of the woman-eating mutant flowers that has taken over Utoland, Ken faces the prospect of killing her by setting fire to a field of those flowers. This two-parter offers some insight on Ken's feelings for Jun, as well as an angst-ridden encounter when the leader of Red Impulse appears at Ken's airstrip to "try and talk sense into" his son with his fists.
#44 "Gallactor's Challenge": After disobeying orders, engaging an invulnerable enemy in battle and nearly becoming toast at Gallactor hands, the Kagaku Ninjatai is disordered and demoralized. The Red Impulse squad arrives to kick the team back into shape. During this retraining session, Ken discovers the way to defeat the Gallactor mech that had beaten them... but can he accomplish the dive necessary without going through the same "red-out" he suffered during his training? At the end of this episode, Dr. Nambu lets slip that Ken's father is alive, and once their next mission is completed, Ken will be able to meet him...
#52-53 The Red Impulse Story: Through Ken's special mission with the leader of Red Impulse, more background surfaces about Ken's past and his interaction with his father. It all boils down to the final scenes in Part 2: someone must fly the V-2 rocket into the Van Allen Belt to stop Gallactor's latest round of destruction. Ken and Red Impulse battle over who gets the job, and Jun tells Ken the truth. Son finally meets father, father throws son across room, and father departs aboard V-2 rocket to certain death. This is the climax to Gatchaman's first season.
#54 "Gatchaman Burns with Rage": Ken is understandably angry about his father's death, but his obsession with revenge causes him to make several nearly fatal mistakes and prompts blistering reprimands from both Nambu and his team.
#61 "Ghost of Red Impulse": Ken proves he's somewhat over his father's death (the first part of his recovery is declared in #58,where they battle a four-faced Buddhist statue) when Katse disguises himself as Red Impulse and tries to poison the Gatchaman.
