The manga was adapted into an animated television series in 2002. The Studio Deen production aired on the Tokyo Broadcasting System from October 5, 2002 until September 20, 2003, for a complete run of 49 episodes. It was also dubbed in English and broadcast by the anime television network Animax across its respective networks worldwide. The series was licensed for an English-language release in North America by TokyoPop, which released 27 volumes between February 10, 2004 and December 2, 2008. It has since lost the license to the property, and all existing releases are considered to be out-of-print.
Plot
The series tells the story of Ginji Amano and Ban Mido, a pair of superpowered individuals known as the "GetBackers". The duo operates a freelance repossession service out of one of the seedier areas of Shinjuku, Tokyo. For a fee, they will recover any lost or stolen item for a client with "a 100% success rate". The GetBackers' job often leads them into bizarre and dangerous situations in order to "get back what shouldn't be gone". Their targets range from lost video games to misplaced components of an atomic bomb. The plot mostly revolves around their adventures, often complicated by the pair's convoluted, individual pasts and a mysterious place known as the Infinity Fortress.A conglomeration of disused, condemned buildings clustered together to form a self-contained habitat, Limitless Fortress is subdivided into three specific tiers – Lower Town, the Beltline and Babylon City. Lower Town is the lowest in altitude, with several layers extending below ground level. The Beltline, the most dangerous area of The Limitless Fortress, is ruled by Der Kaiser, Ban's father. Babylon City, the upper most level of the Limitless Fortress, is said to be where the Brain Trust resides, and is the home of Ginji's mother. In actuality, Babylon City is what one might consider the real world, with everything else being a virtual reality creation. Only those who have won the Ogre Battle may enter Babylon City and when that happens, they can change the world as they see fit. Both Ban and Ginji go to the Fortress with Ban wishing to rescue a kidnapped Himiko from Kagami, and Ginji finding a possibility to meet his mother. Going to the Belt Line, the GetBackers encounter various warriors taking orders from a being known as Voodoo King from Babylon City. The Voodoo King seeks to obtain three "keys" which will help him unlock the gates from Babylon City sealed by Ban's grandmother various years ago. After finding the three keys: Shido's chimera spirit, Himiko's mirror and the GetBackers, the Voodoo King is faced by Ginji whose Lightning Lord alter-ego attacks him in a clash which destroys both beings. Following this, both Ban and Ginji face each other in Ogre Battle with Ban giving up, impressed with Ginji's will. Ginji goes to Babylon City where he meets his mother from a parallel universe, who explains how she created the Fortress and its sorrounding world. Following a discussion between the two of them, the Fortress' world remains unchanged except that the virtual people living become real beings. Ban and Ginji continue their retrieval job, ending the series when requested to go on a mission that will lead them to meet Ban's mother.
The plot of the anime adaptation of GetBackers follows the manga's closely until the first season's ending. The second season features various stand alone episodes focused in the GetBackers' missions, while also two story arcs, the second ending the anime series with an open ending.
PROTAGONIST:
BAN MIDOU
Ban Midou is one of the main protagonists in GetBackers. His name comes from his grandmother's surname "Midou" and the "Ban" from Japanese word for Savage (Yaban). This is the result of the first meeting between Paul and Ban. When der Kaiser first introduced the infant Ban to Paul, Ban kicked Paul in the face while being held by him, causing Paul to insist that the Ban of Yaban suited the child perfectly. der Kaiser agreed.
Known variously as "The Man with the Evil Eye" and "The Genius of Battles", he is the "B" in the GetBackers. He is 18 years old in the manga and 21 years old in the anime. He is one quarter German and the grandchild of the "Last Witch of the 20th Century". Ban is a brother-like figure to Himiko Kudo after she came to terms with her brother's death, and later it is revealed in volume 38 of the manga that Ban is actually related to her by consanguinity through the Witch Queen.
In the GetBackers duo, he's often the one who thinks of plans for their moves. Initially, Ginji Amano was seen to be a sidekick to him (in fact, when they first formed their partnership, Ban insisted that Ginji was only his sidekick), but as the story progressed, Ginji gradually held his own in their missions, and Ban acknowledged him as an equal.
Ban is very intelligent, having studied fighting techniques, science, history, and magic from a very young age as a result of being hunted in Europe by shamans during his childhood. More often than not, he is able to surprise everyone with his knowledge and abilities, such as being able to play the violin. He also bears a striking resemblance to his father. In fact, in the arcs where his hair is "down" (Venus de Milo and Kiryuudo arcs), he looks like der Kaiser during his Getbacker days with Paul. Another trait which both father and son share is that while they may appear cold and ruthless on the surface, they are actually very warm and caring towards their friends.
It was his grandmother who passed on the powers that Ban has today. Ban utilizes two main abilities. His primary technique is the Evil Eye ( Jagan), which allows him to force anyone he makes eye contact with to watch a one minute long illusion. It should, however, only be used three times per day and cannot be used on the same person for the next 24 hours. Furthermore, while the illusion only lasts for one minute, should Ban will it, the one affected by the Jagan can be placed inside a time-warp zone via the illusion created by the technique, meaning that to them, one minute in real life could last up to several hours in the Jagan's influence. It is rare for Ban to use the Evil Eye to defeat his opponents, preferring to use it to aid in the retrieval process or to give clients happy/nightmarish dreams; however, he has been shown to use it in defeating Takuma Fudou's insight during the blank second.
Additionally, there is a penalty for using the Jagan a fourth time within the 24 hour limit. After the fourth use the user disappears both from the physical world and from the memories of all who know him. With this in mind, Ban requested one final duel with Akabane Kurodou. After an intense struggle, the two manage to strike each other, causing Ban to collapse and Akabane to disappear. However, Akabane had not died, as assumed, but instead, implanted a surgery scalpel into Ban's chest as a "final favor", given to Ban for allowing Akabane to see his own limits. Akabane later explained that because having Ban disappear would be a pity, he attempted to fool the Archive by faking Ban's death and delaying Ban's disappearance from using his fourth Jagan just long enough for Ginji to reach Babylon City and resolve everything, thus saving Ban from disappearing.
His second ability is the Snakebite. Because he is a direct descendant of the Witch clan, and being born under the star of Asclepius, he possesses incredible superhuman strength, which gives him a gripping force of 200 kgf (2 kN]) in each hand. It is also shown that he is strong enough to break open the doors of an armored steel truck and punch hard enough to create large craters in the ground or break walls, occasionally even collapsing multi-story buildings. While powering up to 100 percent, the ghost-like outline of a giant snake can be seen surrounding him, although just as frequently, when he utilizes this attack, a single wing will appear above his right arm as he strikes. This occurred during his battles with Lucifer and then later during the Ogre Battle with Ginji. At full power, his right hand becomes that of a dragon's claw. He is also able to use the dragon's claw to rip a hole in the fabric of dimensions as shown when he believes Ginji has said farewell after Raitei's fight with the Voodoo King in volume 38.
In the "Get Back the Lost Time" arc, his skills grow by leaps and bounds due to his learning abilities. Against Natsuhiko, he manages to execute a new move, "Snake Kill", using his left hand.
Anime News Network praised the style of the Jagan in the manga to be a "horrifying nightmare." The Tokyo Pop translation of the Ban Midou dialogues has been criticized for making him sound like a gangster.
Voiced by: Nobutoshi Canna, Naomi Shindou (as child) (Japanese), Rich McDonald (ep 1-5) Jason Liebrecht (ep 6-49) (English)
Ginji Amano
Ginji Amano is the "G" in the GetBackers. He is 17 years old in the manga. Ginji is currently the Number 1 Getbacker after defeating Ban Midou in the "Ogre Battle", which determined the new King of Creation, and formerly the leader of a gang called "The VOLTS" in the Infinity Fortress, the fearsome Lightning Emperor (Raite).He received the title Lightning Emperor because of his ability to control electricity. This control grants him several unique abilities such as amazing regenerative power and the ability to become a human magnet and battery. Despite Ginji's dark past, his demeanor is one of an unassuming, energetic, and friendly boy with a strong sense of justice. He makes friends easily, often without trying — and is trusting and open to an almost naive extent. However, when exposed to remnants of his past, he has a tendency to revert to his darker "Lightning Emperor" persona. For comical purposes, he also turns droopy and super deformed, most likely designed after a Tarepanda. He's frequently beaten up by Ban for doing stupid things. As a child, his guardian was Takeru Teshimine, then ruler of the Infinity Fortress. Before his departure, Ginji founded the "VOLTS", a gang led by The Lightning Emperor, and "The Four Kings of the VOLTS" to protect the Infinity Fortress from the monsters of the Beltline. During the era of the VOLTS, only one man (Midou Ban) is known to have handed the Lightening Lord defeat.
Little is known of his past until the last volume of the manga where it is revealed that his mother, whom Teshimine told Ginji was waiting for him in Babylon City, had created the world in which the GetBackers live. Her reason for doing this was that in the real world (Babylon City), Ginji had died as a child. Unbearably sad, she considered cloning him, but realized that it would not be the same child, she created a back-up of the world where he could live and grow.
When transformed into Raitei, Ginji glows with a brilliant light and has bolts of electricity (even orbs of plasma at times) flowing around him. Although sharing the same body as that of Ginji, Raitei is the polar opposite of the happy-go-lucky Ginji; his features will harden and he will be merciless towards almost anyone. He first came into being when Ginji was a young boy, as the Beltline Monsters invaded the lower levels of the Infinity Fortress. Ginji and a friend were attempting to escape from the hunters when Ginji's friend was struck by an arrow. The whole invasion force was annihilated in an instant. From that point on, whenever Ginji is confronted with a difficult situation, emotionally or physically, Raitei appears to make everything that troubles Ginji disappear. However, this ultimately causes more pain for the peaceful Ginji, as death is the last thing he wants.
In the "Get Back the Lost Time" arc, after Raitei was successfully able to defeat the Voodoo King, it is revealed that the Raitei would never appear again as his reason for existing was over. The Raitei, who was born from the synchronization of Ginji's rage and Mugenjou's power, existed in order to defeat the person whose purpose was disrupt the plans of the Archive (the Voodoo King). His purpose was to protect the world without judgment from Good or Evil.
The source of Raitei's power is the limitless energy currents flowing through the Infinity Fortress, and as such, he draws as much power from them as he needs. Sometimes, though, this can put the Infinity Fortress in a bad situation if Raitei calls for more power in a single instant than the tower is capable of producing. For this reason, he is dangerous to the "Brain Trust" in Babylon City who possess the "Archive" (the sum total of human knowledge past, present and future) as he could potentially erase the "Archive" if he blacked out the Infinity Fortress (this fact was later used by der Kaiser in the Voodoo Child arc). Another reason why Ginji/Raitei is so dangerous inside the Infinity Fortress is because his existence is "random" in the Babylon City Archives. This means his existence was not foretold and therefore his existence inside the Limitless Fortress changes all the prophecies made by the Brain Trust. The reason for this most likely has to do with his mother.
Voiced by: Showtaro Morikubo (as an Adult), Ryōko Shiraishi (as a child) (Japanese), J. Shanon Weaver (English), Marcelo Campos (Brazilian Portuguese)
Major Allies:
Hevn
Voiced by: Rio Natsuki (Japanese), Ellie McBride (English)Hevn is a "chūkaiya" or negotiator, a person who mediates jobs between high-paying clients and retrievers (such as the GetBackers or Shido Fuyuki). She hangs out at the Honky Tonk cafe, and shares a good working relationship with Paul Wan, the owner.
It has been hinted that Hevn may know Masaki Kurusu, one of the Four Kings of VOLTs. In book 30, she requests Akabane to transport her to the top of Babylon Tower, after her first request of asking Akabane to transport the GB duo to the same place was turned down. Akabane cited conflicting interests as his reason for turning down the first quest. As Dr. Jackal left her, she wondered about the true nature of the "Lost Time", and hoped to see a man named Masaki at Babylon Tower. As it turned out, Hevn and Masaki were lovers. Although Masaki tried to forget his feelings for Hevn (and tried to kill her as well), in the end, the couple embraced after Masaki's fight with Ginji.
Kazuki Fuuchouin
Kazuki Fuuchouin Is a major supporting character and ally of the GetBackers. Formerly one of the Four Kings of the Volts, known as Kazuki of the Strings, Kazuki is the last master of the Fuuchouin String Arts, a fighting style which utilizes koto strings controlled by vibrations in his fingertips. The strings are very sharp and can tear up solid earth, bones, skin, muscles, and sometimes steel based on the vibrations of the finger. The strings also have other uses, such as listening in on distant conversations. The strings are stored in two bells tied to the front right strand of his hair to ease manipulation.It is later revealed that the enemy clan, the Kokuchouin, destroyed Kazuki's clan. Kazuki is usually an ally of the GetBackers, due to his friendship with Ginji. He and Ban tolerate each other, but are not close. In manga Kazuki almost killed Kurayame Tojite.Kazuki is also the most notably feminine character among the males. Although he dresses and exhibits behaviors of a woman, in one episode, it is hinted that he is not gay as some may think. He gets very annoyed when someone calls him gay. He also has strong ties to one of their enemies, namely Juubei, because they had been friends in the past.
Voiced by: Soichiro Hoshi (Japanese), Matt Hislope (English)
MakubeX
(Makube + Ekkusu) is the major antagonist in the 'Limitless Fortress' arc when the GetBackers are hired to retrieve the mysterious 'IL' from him.It is later discovered that IL is a computer disc containing important data required for producing an atomic bomb. MakubeX was found in a sack as a child. Only his last name, Makube, is known, due to the fact that it was written on the bag. He later came to be known as MakubeX, the 'x' symbolizing an unknown variable, and his "name" is always written in romaji. MakubeX is a genius hacker, capable of manipulating computers to do whatever he pleases. He was originally taught by Gen but swiftly surpassed him in skill.He was raised by Gen, whom he calls Grandfather, but left home to join the VOLTS. During the VOLTS's rule of Infinity Fortress, he was one of the "Four Kings", alongside Shido Fuyuki, Fuuchouin Kazuki, and Masaki Kurusu. After Ginji Amano left the fortress, he, as the only one of the Four Kings remaining, took over, instituting a dictatorial rule; he was known at this period as the "young demon king".
MakubeX's second-in-command is Sakura Kakei. In the IL arc, his four chief subordinates were Juubei Kakei, Haruki Emishi, Takuma Fudo, and Kyoji Kagami; Fudou vanished afterward, but Juubei and Emishi remained with him. In the manga, after the Divine Design arc, Toshiki Uryuu came under him. He is especially close to Sakura, as shown in the Lost Time arc when he was forced to fight her while she was under the influence of the Black Thread. He is also fond of Haruki Emishi, and treats him like family.
In the manga, MakubeX discovered at a young age that all actions in Infinity Fortress were controlled by the 'god' of Babylon City, the top area of the fortress. Realizing this, he decided to give the god an edict: Turn back time to the time of the rule of Volts, or Infinity Fortress will be destroyed.
It also revealed in the Lost Time arc that he has latent special powers. During his losing battle with Sakura, MakubeX was able to manipulate Infinity Fortress's virtual space at will using an "Omega Theorem" without the use of his computer. By then, MakubeX had realized how he was a virtual program, a part of Infinity Fortress itself and knowing this, MakubeX attempted to sacrifice himself to the Archives and erase its memory bank and AI from within — much like a computer virus. However, he was stopped by Ban, saying that MakubeX's loss would serve no purpose but to further enrage Ginji into destroying Infinity Fortress and everyone in it.
At the end of the Lost Time arc, he gains the ability to leave Infinity Fortress, thus implying that he has become an average teenager, although he seems to have retained all his computing skills. He was last seen bumping into the majority of the cast while shopping with Sakura.
Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (Japanese), Scott Yi (English)
Masaki Kurusu
Masaki Kurusu is the last member of the Four Kings during the era of VOLTS. His techniques allow him to control light, bypassing any physical defense and inflicting internal damage, thus earning him the title "the Controller of Light / Flash Master". He is also able to use light to blind his opponents' senses.In the manga, he's Hevn former lover and a good friend of the GetBackers duo. He is the one who explains the Brain Trust's Qualia plan for Mugenjou to the GetBackers.
In the anime, he is openly allied with Babylon City. He kidnaps MakubeX on their orders and reveals that he had been spying on Raitei and Volts for Brain Trust while he was one of the Four Kings.
Voiced by: Hideyuki Hori (Japanese), Robert Kraft (English)
Shido Fuyuki
Shido Fuyuki , first introduced as the Beastmaster, has the ability to control animals, although it should be better stated that he asks them for favors, as he views animals as his friends.Previously one of the VOLTS' Four Kings, after they disbanded, Shido left the Infinity Fortress to make a living outside, like Ginji Amano, the leader of VOLTS and whom Shido respects as a friend. After reconciling with Ginji (whom he felt had betrayed Volts by leaving the Infinity Fortress) during the "Get Back the Sound of Life!" arc, Shido took a cue from the GetBackers and started his own retrieval service — occasionally aided by Emishi. He is generally very independent and cold to others. Even though his powers allow him to control animals, he considers them friends, and tries to protect them as they do him. He eventually ends up living with Madoka Otowa, and he has an ongoing rivalry with Ban Mido.In VOLTS, Shido was paired with Masaki Kurusu to protect the East Gates of the Infinity Fortress. Because of this, he knows a lot about Masaki and his followers, although it is doubtful that he knows about Masaki's true identity as a vassal for the Voodoo King. In the "Get Back the Lost Time" arc, he remarks that Masaki has changed a lot from what he used to be, 'a man who will protect the weak.'
Both in the manga and anime, his relationship with Madoka has progressed to a stage whereby he would do almost anything to protect her. As a sign of how well a companion Madoka is, Shido even noted that she could talk to animals, a trait not many ordinary humans could achieve. In the manga finale, he was seen carrying Madoka's shopping bag, possibly a homage to the ending of the anime series, where he does the same thing.
As the last survivor of the Fuyuki Clan, his Chimera form is one of the three "keys" to opening the sealed gates of Babylon City, which Ban's grandmother sealed long ago. Even without activating its powers, he was seen to be able to subdue Kazuki Fuuchouin, even as he went berserk as the Cruel Prince. His Shikizoku power is "Awakening": Using this skill, he can release the potential powers which are hidden within that person. He used this to restore Ginji's powers (and turn him into Raitei) in the Kiryuudo arc.
Voiced by: Takanori Hoshino (Japanese), Omar Gallaga
Paul Wan ( Japanese: Wan Pōru, Chinese Pinyin: Wáng Bōér) is the owner of the Honky Tonk cafe in Shinjuku where the GetBackers meet frequently. Ban and Ginji always have unsettled tabs with him, and he sometimes forces them to work off their debt or refuses to give them food. While he seems to be mostly retired, Paul has large source of connections and access to hard-to-get information — which only Hevn and a select few others seem to know about. He is sort of a philosophical father-figure in the series. Later in the manga, it is revealed that Paul, along with Ban's father, were the first generation of GetBackers and they had, in their time, ascended to the top of the Limitless Fortress, even entering Babylon City. However, neither can remember their time there as a result of the seal, which the "stigma" eye gained at that time, placed on the memories of that time. In his fight against Shimon Miroku (the Miroku 7's father), he once reverted back to his younger self (during his days as a GetBacker), when he was stronger physically. But, alluding to the wise words he has given to others, he realised that his true strength lies in the wisdom he has discovered in himself since the time he set up the Honky Tonk. He turned back to his older self, donned his trademark dark glasses, and proceeded to defeat his opponent. His dark glasses are compltely opaque, forcing him to rely on his "Sixth Sense" to detect his opponent's attacks. Paul controls the winds and this ability, along with his great speed, earned him the nickname, "Gale Emperor" .
Paul is the one who gave Ban his name. After being shown the infant by der Kaiser, Paul received a kick while holding the still unnamed child. In anger he declared that der Kaiser's son should be named Ban (蛮) from Japanese word for Savage (Yaban). His friend was unimpressed, saying that as he expected, Paul had no name sense, but agreed to name his child Ban regardless.
In the anime, Paul's background is revealed in episode 42, and is quite different from the manga. Here, he was once part of a trio of thieves.
Voiced by: Yasunori Matsumoto (Japanese), Corey Gagne (English)
Kuroudo Akabane , also known as "Dr. Jackal", works as a "Transporter" and has frequently been the Getbacker duo's enemy. He wears a 3-piece suit and an overcoat with a tie and a hat that usually covers most of his face, as he generally speaks with his head inclined. His weapons of choice are 108 razor-sharp surgical scalpels concealed inside his body, which come out and attack at his will. Akabane's other greatest asset is his incredible speed, which is matched by Ban's only: he can dispatch opponents with great ease, and this feat remains unchallenged even when his opponents are monsters from the Beltline.
Unlike the other transporters in GetBackers, Akabane seeks entertainment, rather than money. He chooses jobs exclusively for his own amusement and as his own ability which he himself has never known of. Kyoji Kagami refers to Akabane as "Babylon City's Kuroudo Akabane", so it is safe to assume he was, at one point, a resident of the upper towers. It is later revealed that he used to be a surgeon on the battlefield. When he failed to save Semimaru Kanade's son despite his best efforts, Akabane decided that his destiny is to kill people rather than to save them. According to Dr. Amano (Ginji's mother), this wish was the cause of Akabane's ascension to a Transcendental being with power nearly unparalleled in GB's world.
While the manga presents Akabane's sword and scalpels as being ordinary-looking physical weapons, the anime opts instead to illustrate them as glowing constructs that seem to be made of energy. His scalpels commonly glow white, but turn red when he uses his Bloody Rain, Cross, Hurricane, or Stream. His Bloody Sword is always red, manifesting in his hand as a sword of energy. Every time Akabane reappears in the manga, his hair and coat increase in length, and his hat brim grows outward.
Akabane's English voice actor, Shannon McCormick, has revealed in the commentary of episode 5 that the fight between Akabane and Ginji was jokingly referred to as the "Battle of the Shannons", since both voice actors have that name.
Voiced by: Nobuo Tobita (Japanese), Shannon McCormick (English)
Himiko Kudou
Himiko Kudou is a freelance transporter and first appears in act 3 part 2 (episode 3 in the anime) working against the GetBackers. She once worked with Ban Midou as a thief in the pre-GetBackers days, along with her older brother, Yamato. However, a misunderstanding took place upon witnessing the apparent murder of her sibling by Ban. Since then, she had a vendetta against him, vowing to kill him some day. In the manga, it is not clear in the series if Ban did explain himself to Himiko. Though they did work together during some missions while in the anime, it is explicitly said that "Ban made no excuse and offered no explanation for the incident."When Yamato was 28 years old, he was alone with Ban in their house so that they might face his "Voodoo Child mirror" (Himiko was sent out to buy a cake.) As a Voodoo Child, if one of two halves dies, both perish. Ban realizes this too late when his "Snake Bite" killed Yamato's other half. When Himiko came back with the cake, she saw Ban's hand covered with Yamato's blood. Since that day, she has held a grudge against Ban. Occasionally an enemy, but more frequently an ally, Himiko has mixed feelings for Ban, whom she sees is a good person, but cannot reconcile this with her brother's killer. On Ban's part, he treats Himiko more like a little sister.
Known as "Lady Poison", Himiko, with her brother, Yamato, had developed around 200 poison concoctions, but they only carried seven with them at any one time. Some of the commonly used scents are:
- Flame Perfume - causes fire to burn the inhaler from inside out. Sometimes Himiko inhales a little of the perfume herself, and by using controlled breathing techniques, is able to exhale fire like a flame thrower.
- Retrogression/Devolution Perfume - turns the inhaler into a pre-historic, ape-like creature.
- Time Limited Perfume - paralyzes the inhaler for a certain period of time, depending on the amount of poison used.
- Puppet Perfume - a perfume emitted by Himiko's own body chemistry, it allows her to control the inhaler's movements against their will.
- Trailing Perfume or Following Poison - when used, it leaves a trace scent on who, what, or wherever it's left on. This allows Himiko to track an object's movements or to find a certain location.
- Sleep Perfume - one whiff and the inhaler falls asleep instantly. Himiko's favorite poison (along with Flame Perfume) to use on Ban when he angers her.
- Acceleration Perfume - Himiko's most powerful and most dangerous perfume. It causes the inhaler's movements to become inhumanly faster, but three or more whiffs of the poison take a heavy toll on the user and is life-threatening.
- Antidote Perfume - neutralizes the effects of Himiko's other perfumes.
In later chapters, it is revealed that she is Ban's sister by consanguinity through the Witch Queen. In the final chapter, she is shown with her trademark short hair, together with the other Transporters, as they set out for their next job, which is linked to Ban's mother.
Voiced by: Natsuko Kuwatani (Japanese), Deanna Shoemaker (English)
Haruki Emishi
Seiyu: Mitsuaki Madono - Japanese Version / Judson Jones - English Version) - One of the followers of VOLTS in the Limitless Fortress, he was known as the "Fresh Blood Joker" (Senketsu no Joker) because he would always laugh as the blood of his enemies was shed. Also, his skills in combat mean that he is often covered in the blood of his enemies after battles. Emishi's weapon is a long whip woven from the hair of the women of his people, which is also referred to as "Dragon's Hair" because, thanks to the special way the hair is looked after before and after it's woven as well as the special way that it's braided, the whip itself is as strong and pliable as a dragon's whisker. The whip itself consists of a single grip in the middle with two whip lengths protruding from each side, which Emishi handles very well with quick and fluid attacks such as "The Spinning top," "Venom Imitation," "Sandstorm," or "Winds of Destruction." Another technique Emishi has is that his blood, as with all Loulan warriors, is highly combustible when it make contact with oxygen, though, unfortunately for Emishi, it only seems to work when a large, arterial flow of blood is used. He went under the rule of MakubeX after VOLTS broke up as one of the new four kings, chosen for his speed and fighting prowess and fought the retrievers of IL in the Limitless Fortress. He is the only male descendant left from the ancient Western Chinese desert kingdom of Loulan (Rouran) who are able to fight. He is also an admirer and good friend of Shido after the Beastmaster made his way to his village in the Limitless Fortress, delivering food to the starving children, an image radically different to the wandering rumours.
Juubei Kakei
Juubei is sometimes called Juubei of the Flying Needles (Tobari no Jūbe) because he fights using long acupuncture needles. His needles have different powers, some even lethal, and he must control them with precision in order for them to be effective. Juubei is protective of his older sister, Sakura, and will come to her defence if she is threatened. Ever since he was a child, he has protected Kazuki, as he betrying believed his clan was destined to guard his family. When VOLTS disbanded and Kazuki left, Juubei offered his support for MakubeX in pursuit of a new Endless City. When Kazuki goes with the GetBackers to stop them, they faced each other in a battle.The heir to a clan that has served the Fuuchouins as doctors since time immemorial, he and Kazuki Fuuchouin were childhood friends. In the Limitless Fortress, he assumes the second post under Kazuki in the legendary gang. When Kazuki left Limitless Fortress, Juubei remained and they eventually met in battle during the IL retrieval, at which point Juubei lost his eyesight. However, in the aftermath of the battle, they were reconciled and became close again.
He recovers his eyesight in the arc "Get Back the Lost Time". In this arc, he battles with Ginji. The fight reaches a point when Ginji reverts to his old self, the boy Raitei, and proceeds to destroy everything in his path, including Juubei. However, Juubei is saved by Ban and MakubeX, and the former manages to make Ginji return to his former state. Later, he, together with his sister, Sakura Kakei, and his rival-turned-comrade, Toshiki Uryuu (all remnants of Fuuga), present a last stand at the gate to the Beltline, in order to protect the GetBackers, MakubeX, and Kazuki as they enter the threshold of horrors. After this, Juubei somehow manages to join up with Kazuki as the latter faces off with the Ura-Fuuchouin clan. For a while, his heart is ripped out of its body by Yohan. In the end, he is saved by Kazuki, who manages to end the feud between his younger brother, Yohan, and the rest of his clan.
Voiced by: Koyasu Takehito (Japanese), Brent Werzner (English)
