G-5: Mimizuku no Ryu

 Mimizuku no Ryu Name: Ryu the Horned Owl
AKA: Ryu Nakanishi (Gatchaman); Tiny (BotP); Hooty (G-Force) Ollie Keeawani (Eagle Riders)
Nationality: Japanese
Age: 17
Cover Occupation: Runs a marina (yacht harbor)
Info: Simple, solid and steadfast Ryu is the pilot of the Godphoenix and acts as general backup. He the only member of the Team with surviving family (his father and younger brother, Seiji), and the others give him special treatment, trying to keep him from getting hurt or killed, because of it. This often frustrates him, as he'd like a bigger part of the action. Ryu is the typical Japanese "country boy"--his accent and way of speaking are extremely regional. He loves the ocean and enjoys fishing, sailing or scuba diving. He always seems to be either eating or hungry, though his massive bulk is almost all muscle. One running gag in the series is his horrible luck with women. He is the only character in the series shown actually pursuing a date.
Voice Actors: Kanemoto Shingo (Gatchaman); Tachiki Fumihiko (Gatchaman 94); Alan Dinehart (BotP); Jan Rabison (G-Force); Paul L. Schrier II (Eagle Riders)



Diinzumo's Review: Good ol' Country Boy

Ryu and his little brother, SeijiOAV Ryu in profileRyu was another sorely underrated character; the big, friendly oaf with the Sendai accent. Not much is known about him--for instance, we see his father and brother, but his mother is never shown. We don't know how or why he joined the team, save for a brief snippet in an "interview with the characters" from the Fantastic Graphics Book 2 on Gatchaman. According to the interview, Nambu visited Ryu's island, and Ryu took him out in a boat and saved his life during a mishap. In exchange, Nambu offered to take him to Utoland, and he wound up staying with the Professor.

Ken mostly ignores him. Joe bullies him. Jun worries about him. Jinpei is his partner in crime on many occasions, with the two trading off the role of straight man. Ryu was often puzzled by the foibles of the others. He seems to admire Ken and Jun and does not understand Joe at all. My favorite episode featuring these two (#73, "Get Katse!") has Joe and Ryu teamed together in an effort to find Berg Katse in the jungle. Ryu's bumbling compassion proves a terrific foil to the dark, formidable Joe, and while he often pulled Ryu out of danger, he learned a thing or two about giving of himself. ("Some could say the Condor's heart grew two sizes that day.")

I wish Ryu had gotten more respect in the original series. Here I think that the Gatchaman OAV actually did the character a good turn with its redesign. The OAV version of Ryu is just as large, but less of a parody character. He pulls the occasional pratfall, but he's mostly cheerful, formidable and deadly competent. The character I wanted to see more of in the OAV was definitely Ryu.



Jinpei << Ryu >> Supporting Characters