The Men and Women of SV2
Shige, Hiromi, Ohta, Noa, and Asuma The various individuals who make SV2 into probably the most unique section in the police force. At first glance they might seem to be a motley crew but they have learned to work and live together very capably. Kanuka sums it up nicely in her report summary of the unit: Dogmatic, great audacity, didactic, troublemakers, One-track minded, obnoxious, intolerable! Undesirable! Insane!.... Delete the previous line. As an organization, it is full of problems. However, its achievement is beyond my initial expectation. There are words they have faith in. Those are: Wisdom and Courage
Primary Characters: Kanuka ClancyA relatively tall woman with straight black hair and intense eyes (while she is Japanese-American, she's the most Asian-looking member of the cast). A sergeant in the NYPD, she has been assigned to Second Unit for six months for labor experience, and is Ohta's forward, constantly trying to keep him under control. While she is somewhat cool and stand-offish to the others, she nonetheless gets involved in some of their capers, or at least keeps her mouth shut about them. On occassion, a softer side of her appears. A dedicated officer, she graduated with top marks, has a degree in electrical engineering from MIT, is an explosives expert, speaks four languages, and practices judo and kendo. Her only immediate family seems to be her grandmother in Hawaii, who she cares for greatly.
Goto KiichiA tall medium-built man in his forties, he is the head of Second Unit. While he always looks and sounds bored, he is an extremely sharp, clever, and perceptive man. It is implied that he was actually too clever for his superiors, which is why they exiled him to the Patlabor unit on the edge of nowhere. He is an expert on "persuading" people (usually Asuma) into doing things for him they ordinarily wouldn't do. He doesn't like the double-dealing his superiors sometimes involve them in (especially when their aim is to blame Second Unit for their mistakes) and usually manages to turn the tables on them. His past is something of a mystery although it seems he has made more enemies than friends. He also likes to bet on horse races which he listens to on a walkman, much to Shinobu's displeasure. He and Shinobu have a lot of respect for one another and it seems as if they are attracted to each other as well. But neither of the two have been open enough to admit it to the other.
Ohta IsaoA short, stocky man with dark hair and an angry-looking face. He is usually scowling at one thing or another. He is the pilot of Ingram 2. Completely dedicated to his job, he believes force is usually the answer to everything, and he who strikes first wins. He gets enraged very easily which often leads to some part of his Patlabor being destroyed during a fight. Despite his endless bluster, he is not an unlikeable person, and is undeniably brave and honest. He also has some problems dealing with women on a personal (non-job-related) basis. Addicted with massive firepower, the Patlabor's revolver is usually the first thing he whips out no matter what the situation is. As Asuma once pointed out, Ohta is a much better sharpshooter than Noa, but Noa is a better pilot and she knows every aspect of her Pat-chan inside and out.
Izumi Noa - Miina TominagaA spunky young redhead with rather unusual looking eyes. She joins Second Unit in the first episode, and becomes the pilot of Ingram 1, which she promptly names 'Alphonse' (when she was young, her dog, and then her cat, were both named `Alphonse' as well). Sakaki mentions that she is the type who melds with machines with her heart, and she truly loves her labor, always worried about anything happening to her 'Pat- chan'. She is a caring and open person, but has a very hot temper when she gets mad. While a dedicated police officer, she only received average marks in the academy, and her career was undistinguished before she joined the Patlabor unit (where it rapidly becomes infamous). She and Asuma hit it off almost immediately and the two have a very good relationship. Although open romance is never talked about.
Kumagami TakeoA slim, short-haired, very attractive woman in her late twenties who joins SV2 after Clancy goes back to New York. She is very efficient, intelligent, and competent; a suitable replacement for Clancy indeed. She is probably the most straight-laced individual in the group but she also has her moments of weakness. Her one major fear is for anything that has to do with the supernatural. Ghost stories scare her to death. But besides that, she is a strong-willed individual, an exceptionally quick learner, a great cook, and overall a very nice lady. She seems to have known Richard Wong from her past when she was working in Hong Kong.
Nagumo Shinobu - Ryoko SakakibaraA tall, attractive woman in her late thirties with long brown hair, usually tied back. She is the head of the much more elite First Unit. A more by-the-book officer than Goto, she's usually critical of the unprofessional antics of Second Unit, but nevertheless shares Goto's distaste for the manuverings of their superiors, and is always ready to help Goto with information or backup if he needs it. It is a matter of annoyance to her that Second Unit got the Ingrams, which are rather more advanced than the labors First Unit has. A highly intelligent and competent officer, a bit of her past was revealed in the second movie and it seems that she once had an affair with an older officer before.
Sakaki SeitaroA tall, aging man with receding gray hair, he is rarely seen without his dark glasses (he took them off once in TV episode #46) and cap. A long-time engineer, he is the head of the labor maintenance squad, and acts like a drill sergeant (always threatening to throw any slackers into the sea) whenever the dispatch alarm goes off, yelling orders to everyone. Also known as the 'Old Man', he is often Goto's confidant whenever he's uneasy. Usually he's very strict, but has been known to let Second Unit and his mechanics get away with things from time to time. Privately, away from the unit, he appears to be calm and dignified.
Shiba ShigeoLanky young man with glasses, brown hair, white overalls, and something of an overbite. The chief labor mechanic and assistant tech to the 'Old Man', he is also the main programmer for SV2. He is also Sakaki's heir apparent. He has a tendency to overreact when things go wrong. Usually stays around the hanger, but gets out into the field on occasion. He is also the only mechanic who hangs out with the guys from Second Unit on a regular basis during their days off. Can't stand anyone else working on 'his' labors.
Shinohara Asuma - Toshio FurukawaA slim, medium height young man vwith bluish-black hair. He is Noa's forward and her best friend (throughout the series you can see that Asuma and Noa care for each other very much but they never formally get together). His father runs Shinohara Heavy Industries, one of Japan's biggest labor manufacturers, and makers of the Ingram. Asuma's relationship with his father was rather strained throughout the series although it seems like they did manage to resolve some problems in P16. He also had an older brother once who committed suicide since their father was too overbearing. He nevertheless is a good officer, with a great deal of knowledge about labors. He also likes to do detective work every now and then and Goto often sends him on an "errand" or two.
Shinshi MikiyasuA tall, thin man with glasses, he is the carrier driver for Ingram 2. A rather shy and slightly fumbling man, he is the only married member of Second Unit. While he usually acts like he is oppressed, both by his job and his wife, he believes in his work, and is capable of some surprising introspection at times. At least when Ohta isn't screaming at him. However, under direct abuse, or if someone makes fun of his wife, he can go into psychotic rages that frighten even Ohta (you can tell when he's off his rocker when his glasses are shining). As for his wife, Tamiko-san, she seems to be a pretty ideal and loyal wife. In return, Shinshi is very protective of her. She is just a housewife but is rather proud of Shinshi's job and loves him dearly. Watching her is always entertaining in one way or another.
Yamasaki HiromiA VERY tall and well built man, he drives the labor carrier for Noa and Asuma. While his size is impressive, he is quiet and gentle, perfectly at home with his chickens and tomato plants, but pulls his weight (so to speak) with never a complaint. Fond of folklore and legend, he is perhaps a bit too superstitious for his own good. He comes from a small fishing village, but couldn't follow his father because he gets seasick. In many ways probably the most reliable member of Second Unit. He also seems attracted to Kumagami-san later in the series.
Secondary Characters: Commander FuwaA medium height woman with glasses and closely-cut brown hair in her late thirties. She is the leader of a labor-paratroop team for JSDF, and also an old friend of Shinobu. Willing to go out on a limb in pursuit of the bad guys, she is very impressed by Noa's abilities.
Gomioka TsutomuA tall, dark haired man; the perfect picture of a police officer. The senior labor pilot for First Unit, he is an expert martial artist and a cool, consistent police officer. A quiet man with strong loyalties to SV2, and its personnel. He doesn't show up very many times throughout the series.
JitsuyamaA short, balding, elderly man, he is one of the chief engineers for Shinohara Heavy Industries, and helped Asuma's father set up the company fifty years ago. He has known Asuma all his life, and worries about the strained relations between father and son.
KurosakiTrue name as of yet unknown, a tall, slim man with glasses. He usually oversees operations to obtain combat data for military labors by drawing out and fighting the Ingrams of Second Unit for Richard Wong. He is Richard Wong's bodyguard and companion. Very cool and calculating.
MatsuiA short stout man with tiny eyes (for an anime character), he is a detective-inspector for the Toyko police. He meets Goto during the Teleport City incident and they become friends. He occasionally pokes around for Goto and obtains information for him. A good detective with good instincts.
MomokoA cute female tv news reporter with long brown hair, she seems to like to follow the SV2 unit around whenever they're doing anything particularly out-of-the-ordinary. She has a pretty good relationship with the people of Second Unit so they don't mind helping each other out occassionally.
Richard Wong(aka Utsumi while in Japan) - A medium-sized man who's perpetually -smiling face hides the mastermind behind SV2's most dangerous rival, the black Griffon. His real name is unknown as "Richard Wong" was his pseudonym while he was operating in Hong Kong. Apparently knows Kumagami from the past and it seems like the two might have had a relationship before.
BudBud is a child video game prodigy who just also happens to be the pilot of the black Griffon labor for Richard Wong. Extremely competitive, he views everything as one big game and is deadset in defeating Noa and Alphonse.
This character page has it's basis taken from the character page done by Donald Simmons. Modified by Ben Cheng with corrections by Kazuo Ishikawa. [Main Page][P-Series List][Original OAVs] [CD Info][Artbook Info] This page created and maintained by Ben Cheng. Please notify me if there are any problems or if you have any suggestions. Thanks! |
