List of Cyborg 009 characters

This is a list of fictional characters appearing in the Cyborg 009 manga by Shotaro Ishinomori and its adaptations.

Protagonists

00 Cyborgs

- Cyborg 009, and the main character/leader

Cyborg 009, formerly Joe Shimamura, is considered the most advanced of the nine 00-Number Cyborgs, possessing the most refined cyborg body of the team. He possesses superhuman strength, durability, and agility, and has mechanical lungs that allow him to breathe underwater. His most prominent ability is Acceleration Mode, the power to temporarily move at a speed so fast that everything else looks like a statue to him, which is triggered by a switch embedded in one of his molars. In Acceleration Mode, Joe must take care touching or moving anything, as the extreme air friction causes inanimate objects to rapidly heat up and burn and living beings can be seriously injured or killed. Additionally, repeated use of Acceleration Mode in a short period tires him out. During Conclusion: GOD'S WAR, 001 unlocks his latent psychic abilities, granting him teleportation.
Joe is originally from Japan, although he is actually half-Japanese. His unseen father was presumably a soldier in the US Army stationed in Japan after World War II. A delinquent youth who was shunned by his peers because he was a hāfu, he escaped from a juvenile detention facility before being captured by Black Ghost. In the 2001 anime, his mother dies on the steps of a Catholic church in Kanazawa soon after giving birth to him. The priest takes him in as an orphan, where he grows up alongside his fellow orphans and friends Mary Onodera, Shin'ichi Ibaraki, and Masaru Oyamada. When he turned 18, his mentor was killed by Black Ghost, with the organization taking orphans to use in their cyborg experiments. Joe was wrongfully blamed, being captured by Black Ghost while he is on the run from the police. In the 1960 and 1980 film versions, Joe was a famous racer, nicknamed "Hurricane Joe", who gets into a crash and is recovered by Black Ghost, who then adds several body enhancements during the process of being turned into a cyborg.

- Cyborg 001

Originally from the Soviet Union, infant Ivan Whisky, known as Ivan Asimov in the English dub of the 2001 anime, was born with a severe brain illness. His father, famous brain surgeon Gamo Whisky, was driven to madness trying to cure his son, performing numerous experimental brain enhancement processes. These procedures granted Ivan a mental capacity far exceeding that of a normal human. Ivan's mother Erika protested the enhancement procedures, which led to Gamo murdering her in his madness. Ivan's enhanced brain gives him several psychic powers, including, telepathy, telekinesis, and extrasensory perception. However, using his abilities to any significant degree quickly tires out his infant body. This causes him to sleep for several days at a time in order to recover his energy. It is implied in some continuities that, because of his cyborg enhancements, Ivan will never physically age and will remain an infant for the rest of his life.
When Gamo abandoned Ivan to Black Ghost, Ivan was further modified and designated Cyborg 001, replacing Jet Link, who instead became 002. He was one of the 00 Cyborgs who were cryogenically frozen until more advanced technology and procedures were developed. While still a pacifier-sucking infant, he is talented in scientific analysis and can telepathically converse at an adult level.

Jet Link - Cyborg 002

Unmistakable with his swept-back hair, confident smile and longer-than-real-life nose, Jet has thrusters built into his feet, allowing him to fly at speeds of up to Mach 5. Jet is also equipped with a prototype Acceleration Mode module, though it is not as powerful as the refined model that was installed in 009, so 002 only uses it in desperate circumstances. During Conclusion: GOD'S WAR, 001 unlocks 002's latent psychic abilities, allowing him to fly at the speed of light.
In the 2001 anime continuity, Jet was originally 001, but was replaced by Ivan. He is one of the four original 00-Cyborgs cryogenically frozen until more advanced technology was available, though he notably was the only one of the original four who did not experience any adverse side-effects from his cybernetic parts. Jet comes from New York City in the United States and was the leader of a street gang on Manhattan's West Side. His character is introduced in both the manga and the anime holding his own in a fight with a rival gang; when the police appeared he was aided by nearby Black Ghost members who offered to take him away from the scene. Rendered unconscious, he was eventually brought to the organization's scientific headquarters to be unwillingly made into a cyborg. Brash and stubborn, 002 often comes into conflict with his teammates because of his hot-headedness, but is otherwise a loyal and good-hearted teammate.

Françoise Arnoul - Cyborg 003

The only female member of the team, 003 has enhanced vision and hearing, allowing her to see through walls and sense objects an enormous distance away, Through her experiences with the group, she also becomes an excellent pilot, technician, and mechanic. During Conclusion: GOD'S WAR, 001 unlocks her latent psychic abilities and grants her clairvoyance, precognition, and telepathy.
Françoise was originally a ballet dancer from France. Her brother Jean, a member of the French Air Force returning to Paris on a one-week leave, was to meet Françoise at the train station. However, she was kidnapped by Black Ghost operatives, despite repeated attempts by her brother to save her along the way. In the 2001 anime series, Black Ghost offers a fake professional dancing career so they can kidnap her. 003 rarely fights, lacking the same combat ability as most of her companions, and is often seen either directing missions under Gilmore's guidance or caring for 001. She was one of the 00 Cyborgs who were frozen until more advanced technology and procedures were developed. As such, she is chronologically in her 50s, being 19 when captured. Among the 00 Cyborg team, she and Joe are closest, having a budding romantic relationship by the end.

Albert Heinrich - Cyborg 004

Albert was originally from East Germany. He and his fiancée, Hilda attempted to escape to West Berlin in the guise of circus performers. When Albert forgot to retrieve his forged identification from a guard, he panicked and sped off. The border guards opened fire on the truck, severely injuring Albert and killing Hilda. Black Ghost agents arrived on the scene and lied to Albert, telling him they would take him to a hospital.
004 often has a gruff exterior which belies his friendly personality and disgust with war, and he is also a skilled combat tactician. He was the last of the 00 Cyborgs who were frozen until more advanced technology and procedures were made and is chronologically the oldest of the group, being 30 years old when captured. The severity of his injuries also resulted in him receiving the most extensive and most outwardly apparent cyborg modifications, with it being mentioned in the 2001 series that his only remaining organic parts are his brain and spinal cord. 004 is also the most heavily armed member of the team, with multiple weapons hidden throughout his body. The fingertips on his visibly artificial right hand conceal machine gun barrels, his left hand hides a laser knife, and he has missiles hidden in his knees. In some continuities, it is implied he may also have a nuclear bomb in his abdomen. In the movie 009 Re:Cyborg, he mentions that his weapons are difficult to resupply because they were custom-made for his body. During Conclusion: GOD'S WAR, 001 unlocks 004's latent psychic abilities, granting him the power to guide his machine gun hand's bullets with telekinesis, also coating the bullets with psychic energy and increasing their power. In the 2001 series, upon waking up as a cyborg, Albert was horrified at how he was now a "weapon", which was aggravated by the side effects of his modifications causing him additional physical pain and strain. This ultimately forced Black Ghost to halt the cyborg program for decades, and put the existing cyborgs in suspended animation until technology developed sufficiently to make future cyborg soldiers more stable.

Geronimo Jr. - Cyborg 005

Geronimo Junior, also called "G-Junior" for short, was originally from an undisclosed part of the southwest United States. G-Junior is a Native American who was unable to find work because of widespread racism. He was approached to be a Native American chief in a sideshow, but G-Junior simply punched the sideshow owner in the face, refusing to further the stereotypes about his culture. Black Ghost agents overheard the conversation and offered G-Junior a job far from home. G-Junior accepted, admitting that he really had no home anymore. In the 2001 anime series, he was instead a freelance construction worker bribed into accepting a very promising job offer by disguised Black Ghost agents. 005 was the first created when Black Ghost resumed its cyborg soldier program.
The largest of the 00 Number Cyborgs, 005 possesses immense strength and armored skin, able to lift and toss objects like large boulders with ease. In contrast to his hulking appearance and power, he is a quiet, reserved man with a deep reverence for nature and life. In some continuities, it is implied that he may have a sort of sixth sense that allows him to sense changes in nature and possibly other people's thoughts that does not originate from his cyborg implants. During Conclusion: GOD'S WAR, 001 unlocks 005's latent psychic power, granting him even greater strength.

Chang Changku - Cyborg 006

Chang was originally from China. He was an impoverished Chinese farmer who once owned a pig farm. One day, almost all of his pigs ran away and he was starving and suffering under heavy taxes. Hopeless, Chang decided to end his misery by hanging himself, but was "saved" by a bullet from Black Ghost which cut the noose. Chang fainted and was later delivered to the Black Ghost laboratory. In the 2001 series, he owned a restaurant, thus explaining why he is such a good cook, but accidentally burned it down after drunkenly doing a fire-breathing trick, which resulted in him losing everything. Black Ghost agents then abducted him after he fainted from the shock. He is a jovial fellow who is well-versed in the ways of cooking; his refined cuisine and happy personality always manage to bring his teammates back to good spirits. After Black Ghost's apparent defeat, Chang opens a Chinese restaurant in Tokyo, employing his teammate 007 as a sous-chef. He is frequently partnered with 007 on missions, with the two constantly bickering.
Chang's power allows him to breathe huge flames, which burn hot enough to melt rock, allowing him to tunnel underground. He also frequently uses his flames in cooking. During Conclusion: GOD'S WAR, 001 unlocks 006's latent psychic powers, enhancing his abilities to grant him full pyrokinesis.

Sir Great Britain - Cyborg 007

007 has the ability to reshape his cellular structure at will, allowing him to take the form of any object, creature, or person he wishes when he presses a button in his navel. With his superb acting skills, he can also blend in with the enemy to use sneaky maneuvers and attacks. During Conclusion: GOD'S WAR, 001 enhances 007's abilities to allow him to possess others and use astral projection. 007's abilities make him a master of infiltration/espionage and by morphing into a dangerous animal or gigantic form he can also be very useful in field combat.
"Great Britain," whose real name is unknown, was originally from the United Kingdom. He was once a famous and talented stage actor with a broad knowledge of famous shows but a weakness for alcohol caused his downfall. In the 2001 TV series, Great Britain was in love with an actress named Sophie, who worked with him. Later he became more famous and gradually ignored his past love. One financial problem after another arose, and the once great thespian was reduced over time to a penniless nobody who would do anything for a drink or a smoke. Black Ghost agents, noticing his plight, easily lured Great Britain into their vehicle with an alcoholic beverage. Later when he escapes with the other cyborgs he returns to the United Kingdom and finds out that his ex-girlfriend had a daughter, Rosa. With the possibility that she might be his child, Great Britain tries to talk to her but is rejected and scorned for his past actions with Rosa believing him to have betrayed Sophie, to be redeemed only in the end when he replaces a main actor in a production of The Mists of London, a play 007 once acted in alongside Sophie, and manages to give them both closure. Great Britain is outwardly a lighthearted and amiable man who always tries to defuse tension between his teammates with a joke, but has lingering doubts and regrets about his past, being prone to serious introspection and using lines from theatrical roles to relate to a situation. Giving credence to his personality as a comic relief, there is a running gag where Great Britain often takes the form of a precocious, almost super deformed, spoiled child fearing for his own life. Of his team members, he is closest to 006, with the two frequently seen partnered together and forming a comedic duo.
In the 1960s anime versions, he is a child rather than an adult, in an attempt by the producers to appeal to a younger audience. Though Ishinomori initially disapproved of this, he later temporarily mirrored it in the manga version by having Gilmore alter 007's body to make the child form his standard form in a one-shot titled "The Man in the High Castle".

Pyunma - Cyborg 008

Pyunma, the only member of the team with prior combat training, has mechanical lungs that allow him to survive indefinitely underwater as well as thrusters built into his feet that allow him to swim at great speeds. During Conclusion: GOD'S WAR, 001 unlocks 008's latent psychic abilities and grants him the power of hydrokinesis. Pyunma is also the primary pilot of the Dolphin, the team's flying battleship.
Pyunma is originally from Kenya. Originally, Pyunma was to have been made a slave along with the people of his tribe, but he escaped from his chains and ran off. Cornered by the slave drivers, all seemed lost until the slave drivers were shot dead by Black Ghost agents from out of nowhere. Holding Pyunma at gunpoint, they led him to their plane so he could be taken to the cybernetics laboratory. In the 2001 series, Pyunma was a guerilla fighter from the fictional African nation of Muamba who fought against the tyrant ruling his land along with his friends Kabore and Mamado. During one battle, he was caught in the crossfire and was taken by Black Ghost in the chaos. Pyunma is a serious fighter and decision-maker when the situation demands it. His talents include guerrilla-style land maneuvers plus undersea recon and demolition. Near the end of the 2001 series, Pyunma is grievously injured in battle. Dr. Gilmore, out of a misguided desire to make Pyunma stronger, rebuilds him with silver-scaled fishlike skin, which dramatically decreases his water resistance and allows him to swim even faster than before. Pyunma is initially horrified by his new appearance, believing he has lost his humanity, but after a talk with 004 he accepts it and even gives his new parts an effective and ingenious use in a fight. In the original 1960s and 1970s incarnations, Pyuma's body design was inspired in the darky iconography of older American cartoons. This is in contrast to the seriousness of the character's no-nonsense, battle-trained personality. In the 80s movie Chou Ginga Densetsu, Pyunma was redesigned as less caricatured and more naturalistic; this same revamped design was updated for the 2001 series.