Kondoru no Joe, or Condor Joe. He's the
Science Ninja Team's badboy: "Do it now, forget about what happens later."
He has a fiery temper and an itchy trigger finger.
He is the team's marksman and his favorite weapons are the feather
shuriken and a "gun" with all kinds of gadgets built into it (drill, torch,
cable launcher...fires from the front and back of the weapon...and he seems
to be the only who knows how to use it). Playing with his toys can be
deadly...
When the hotheaded Sicilian isn't enjoying target
practice or kicking Gallactor butt, he is on the racetrack, which helps him
relax or cool his bad temper. He races by profession when he is not on duty
and lives in a small trailer that he uses to get from race to race.
Despite the horrible temper, Joe does have a tender spot in his
heart that gets him into trouble.
Repressed memories of seeing his parents' death return to haunt him. He remembers seeing his parents killed by Gallactor when he was eight years old and becomes driven by nothing but revenge.
Joe is one of those guys with trouble written all over his face. It follows him from episode to episode. He is the sad hero and the loner. Even his girlfriends turn out to be Gallactor. One can't help but have a soft spot for Joe.
To add to his anguish, midway through the series,
he becomes more and more ill from brain damage due to bits of shrapnel. Joe
suffers painful headaches, dizziness and terrible sensitivity to light,
all of which combine to cause paralysis at the most inopportune times.
When Joe falls ill and finds out he has a few days
left to live, he infiltrates Gallactor's headquarters, deciding he will either
stop Berg Katse (Gallactor's leader) or die
trying. He is captured and tortured and then
drugged to live longer for the sake of Berg Katse's entertainment.
Eventually, the Condor becomes too badly injured.
His will is strong though and he manages to do what is necessary to help
his team defeat Gallactor, but the team has no other choice but to leave
him behind to finish their mission.
The first series closes with the Condor left for dead,
but never found.... it is assumed the Condor is no more...
The first three
episodes of Gatchaman II tease the audience into thinking about the possibility
of Joe being alive. He makes his first appearance on Gatchaman II during
the fourth episode, the reunion episode. Our troubled hero returns even more
troubled at heart and much stronger in body as he was transformed into a
cyborg by a doctor who saved him from the brink of death. Feeling rather
inhuman instead of grateful to be alive, Joe carries this burden throughout
the series. He often throws himself into danger to prevent his teammates
from doing so.
This image to the right is my favorite. Click on the image to go to Carolyn's page, where the picture lives. Thanks Carolyn!
Be sure to visit
Condor Joe's
Trailer
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