Shonan Junai Gumi

Shonan Junai Gumi (Japanese: 湘南純愛組!, Hepburn: Shōnan Jun'ai Gumi!, "Shōnan Pure Love Gang!") is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa. It was published by Kodansha from October 1990 to October 1996, compiled in 31 volumes, and has been re-released in a deluxe edition of 15 volumes, from May to December 2005. Multiple adaptations were established during the series’ run, such as a five-episode anime OVA series released on VHS from 1994 to 1997, a Japanese television drama, and several live action movies. This is the manga that introduced the character Eikichi Onizuka, who would later star in the more popular sequel series Great Teacher Onizuka.

Shonan Junai Gumi
The cover of the first volume of Shonan Junai Gumi
湘南純愛組! (Shōnan Jun'ai Gumi!)
Genre	Action, comedy,[1] yankī[2][3]
Manga
Written by	Tooru Fujisawa
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	^NA Vertical
Magazine	Weekly Shōnen Magazine
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	October 10, 1990 – October 2, 1996
Volumes	31
Original video animation
Directed by	Katsumi Minoguchi (1-2) Gyou Suzuki (3) Takeshi Yamaguchi (4) Noboru Matsui (5)
Produced by	Mitsuo Sejima
Written by	Hideo Nanbu
Music by	Mao Saeki
Studio	J.C.Staff Life Work
Released	21 January 1994 – 24 January 1997
Runtime	52 minutes (each)
Episodes	5
Television drama
Directed by	Hideo Nanbu Noboru Matsui
Original run	27 January 1995 – 25 April 1997
Episodes	5
Manga
Shonan Seven
Written by	Tooru Fujisawa
Illustrated by	Shinsuke Takahashi
Published by	Akita Shoten
Magazine	Monthly Shōnen Champion
Demographic	Shōnen
Original run	January 6, 2014 – July 6, 2019
Volumes	17

The deluxe edition of the manga has been licensed for North America by Tokyopop, which retitled it GTO: The Early Years, although the editions retain Shonan Junai Gumi as a subtitle. The first volume was released in June 2006. The Tokyopop editions ended with volume 10. Publisher Vertical Inc continued and concluded the series in 2012.

Plot

The story of Shonan Junai Gumi deals with the Oni-Baku (Demon Explosion) duo, consisting of Eikichi Onizuka and Ryuji Danma, and their quest to lose their virginity and reach maturity. They are widely feared bōsōzoku, and are known for their tenacity and viciousness in a fight. However, this lifestyle does not endear them to the opposite gender, so they decide to change their ways. However, this is easier said than done. As the story unfolds, we meet the Oni-Baku's wide range of friends and foes, and the crazy situations they all get into. The story begins as a gag manga, but more serious issues present themselves as it continues, eventually striking a balance similar to that of GTO (which this manga predates).

Characters

Oni-Baku-gumi and friends

Eikichi Onizuka (鬼塚英吉, Onizuka Eikichi)

Voiced by: Issei Futamata

Japanese Live action actor: Naoki Miyashita

A former member of the Running-Wild Angels 暴走天使 (Bousou Tenshi) biker gang, otherwise known as the Midnight Angels, Eikichi looked on the leader Kyousuke Masaki as an elder brother. He met Ryuji Danma at Junior High (see Bad Company), where there was animosity between them, but it settled down into the strong friendship they now share. Deadly in a fight but not so skilled when it comes to dealing with women, Eikichi is a nice guy at heart (as seen in GTO) and despite his rowdy behaviour, he always manages to help people out. He lives with his mother in an apartment. Eikichi rides a Kawasaki Zephyr 1100, but is also the owner of Masaki's ZII.

Ryuji Danma (弾間龍二, Danma Ryūji)

Voiced by: Hideyuki Hori

Japanese Live action actor: Yamaguchi Yoshiyuki

The other member of the Oni-baku (Devil-bomb) duo, Ryuji is taller and maybe slightly more restrained than his partner, although get in his bad books and you're in for big trouble. He has more luck with women, having had a relationship with his teacher Ayumi, and later Nagisa (seen in GTO). Ryuji's family are nice, normal people, who appear quite wealthy, who totally disapprove of his 'bad behaviour', however his elder sister Yoko allows him to stay at her home when he needs to. His younger brother is called Yoshitaka. Ryuji rides a Honda CBX-400F, as seen in Bad Company.

He is a mechanic and runs a motorbike store in GTO and GTO: Paradise Lost. He is also involved in illegal races in GT-R.

Toshiyuki Saejima (冴島俊行, Saejima Toshiyuki)

Voiced by: Ken Narita

Along with his partner Kamata, he is feared as Kamakura no Kyouken (the Mad Dogs of Kamakura). This duo were renowned for their brutality, including shoving pencils through people's noses (which proves to be very ironic). However after being beaten by the Oni-Baku, the pair decided to join their gang. Saejima has a malevolent face, so much so that girls are afraid of him and assume he is a Yakuza. He, like Ryuji, comes from a fairly well-to-do family, who are terrified of him- his sisters speak to him through a lock on their bedroom door, and his parents jump at his slightest movement. Saejima rides a Kawasaki. In GTO manga, he's a corrupt police officer. In GTO anime, he also appears in shorts where he gives updates from Shonan characters as well as having his criminal acts highlighted.

In Ino-Head Gargoyle, supposedly taking place after GTO, we see him as police officer in Inokashira Park joining forces once again with Jun Kamata in acts at the edge of legality.

Jun Kamata (鎌田純, Kamata Jun)

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama

Kamata first appeared as a bad guy with his buddy Saejima, but when the Oni-Baku beat them they changed their ways. Kamata is shown to be incredibly strong, beating whole gangs when he's in a bad mood. He has a younger sibling, Kaoru, who causes all sorts of misunderstandings. Kamata has a painful history- he spent his childhood with his best friend Natsu and his older sister, but her rape at the hands of a vicious gang caused her to commit suicide. Natsu then killed the perpetrators, but Jun had arrived with some adults who took him away, shouting 'Traitor!' at his former friend. Jun leaves Shonan for the United States, honoring a promise he made, but makes an appearance in the final volume working in a bar. Kamata rides a Honda Steed.

He comes back to Japan in Ino-Head Gargoyle taking the role of a junior officer to avenge what drug dealers did to his little brother. He is helped by Saejima, Nakajo and Akustsu.

Hiroshi Abe (阿部寛, Abe Hiroshi)

Voiced by: Masaki Aizawa

From Iwamisawa in Hokkaidō, Abe appears as a serial womaniser, attracting the girls left right and centre with his expensive clothes and confident personality. This understandably irritated the Oni-Baku, until they persuade him to reveal his secrets. He joins the gang, and is a loyal friend in numerous situations, such as the Midnight Angels affair and the fight with Kamata and Saejima. Abe vanishes midway through the manga, but since no mention is made of it, he is probably supposed to still be around but not in the spotlight. Abe apparently rides a Honda CBX 1000. In GTO we learn from Saejima that he had become the owner of several stores, but recently has fallen onto hard times and now manages a single store (Saejima also claims he is bald and impotent).

Tsuyoshi Tsukai (塚井強, Tsukai Tsuyoshi)

Voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki (Ep. 1, 2), Toshiyuki Morikawa (Ep. 4)

A student at Enoshima Yonchuu Junior High School before coming to Tsujidou, Tsukai was a member of the 'Shitennou' (Four Heavenly Kings, meaning the strongest guys at the school). He was also a kohai of Kunito Nakajo, meaning he has knowledge of things other members of the Oni-Baku gang don't. He has a crush on Yui Itou, and later in the series she becomes his girlfriend. Tsukai is a strong fighter, and often has to overcome harsh odds to win, but always seems to come out on top. That said, he is not quite in the Oni-Baku's league.

By the time of GTO Saejima says he is married to Itou and they had a child. He also says he joined an athletic club and in GTO: Shonan 14 days we see he still hasn't stopped to be a biker along with Katsuyuki.

Makoto Hashiri (走真, Hashiri Makoto)

Voiced by: Nobutoshi Canna

Makoto is a loyal member of the Oni-Baku-gumi and despite his reasonably limited fighting skills he is always there to support his friends. He is very successful with women, and later settles on a girl called Mami. He was bullied by Saejima and Kamata before their reformation and was later manipulated to betray Eikichi when the Kamakura and Shonan gangs first met. However, he was brave enough to remain loyal to his friends.

Makoto is notable for being one of the few characters to actually change their hairdo over the course of the series, which he does a number of times.

Katsuyuki Tsumoto (津元克幸, Tsumoto Katsuyuki)

Voiced by: Showtaro Morikubo

Katsuyuki is the leader of the K.T. Butai (Katsuyuki Tsumoto Fighting Group), a kind of ‘sub-unit’ of the Oni-Baku gang, consisting of Yasuo, Atsushi, Saegusa, Kitamura and numerous other students. He has a hair-trigger temper, and as such can cause a lot of trouble without thinking about it. He has a rivalry with Tamura, and a long-standing grudge against Kenkichi Hino. He once fought Eikichi, but was beaten and decided to adopt him as a role model. He is loyal to the Oni-Baku and will fight anyone who badmouths them, but his main allegiance is to Eikichi.

During GTO: Shonan 14 days we see he is working in junkyard but he still finds time to be in a biker gang along with Tsukai.

Yasuo (ヤスオ)

A member of Katsuyuki's gang, Yasuo is incredibly loyal to 'Ka-chan' (as he calls him) and therefore also to Onizuka (although he initially disliked the Oni-Baku's control over everyone in their school). He holds a major grudge against Enoshima Shogyou (Enoshou) students, and is mainly seen in conflict with them. Although not a major character, Yasuo appears fairly often, even having starring roles in certain chapters. He rides a Yamaha XJ-R, and has a girlfriend called Mayumi.

Saegusa (三草)

Bearing a resemblance to both Saejima and Makoto, Saegusa is another member of the K.T. Butai. He is not a major character, but appears with his 'boss' and his friends at various times. Saegusa is not afraid of a fight, as shown by his actions in a cafe full of Enoshou students while being vastly outnumbered, and appears in many fights as backup. He rides a Honda CB-SF.

Kitamura (北村)

The least regularly seen of the K.T. Butai, Kitamura is still present from time to time as a minor character. He is present when the Oni-Baku meet Saejima's new partner Kiwamezawa, and is jumpy at his every move (considering Kiwamezawa is 6'8" tall). Besides his appearances in minor capacities, Kitamura is not a very important character.

Atsushi Honma (あつし, Atsushi)

Yet another member of the K.T. Butai, Atsushi is the recipient of numerous injuries at the hands of the Oni-Baku-gumi's enemies- he is attacked by the zombie-like Yagyou Atsuki, and later is smashed in the throat by one of Joey's DOA gang members with a piece of wood. However, he is present in the major fights, and always remains loyal to his senpai Onizuka, and his friend Katsuyuki.

Yui Itou (伊藤唯, Itō Yui)

Voiced by: Hekiru Shiina

Itou first appears to clue the Oni-Baku in on their opponents Kamata and Saejima. She graduated from the same Junior High as they did. She develops a crush on Eikichi, but he is too busy fighting with the others over Kaoru, and this leads to a fight between Tsukai and Onizuka. She is Tsukai’s girlfriend for the duration of the series and in GTO we learn from Saejima that the two are married with a child. She is the first girl to be considered a part of the Oni-Baku-gumi, and mainly appears in later volumes at their gatherings.

Shinomi Fujisaki (藤崎志乃美, Fujisaki Shinomi)

Voiced by: Akiko Hiramatsu

Japanese Live action actor: Satou Shinobu

Shinomi had been a fat and rather unattractive girl who was defended by Eikichi. She reappears as a beautiful young woman who is involved with Takezawa Akira of the Idaten gang. After Takezawa is hospitalised after fighting Eikichi and he breaks up with her, she dyes her hair blonde and befriends the Oni-Baku-gumi. She has an attraction to Eikichi throughout the series, but since he sees her more like a sister he is reluctant to embark on a relationship with her. She becomes a friend of Nagisa’s, and is often seen hanging around with her. Shinomi is feisty and packs a good punch, and personality-wise is the female Eikichi, so they are pretty well suited. Shinomi appears in GTO as Tomoko's makeup artist, and at the end of the series seems to catch on to the identity of Tomoko and Mayu's teacher. She also appears in GTO: Shonan 14 Days (set between volumes 19 and 20 of GTO), lending a hand temporarily as the second caretaker at White Swan (although her real job is as a makeup artist).

Nagisa Nagase (長瀬渚, Nagase Nagisa)

Voiced by: Megumi Hayashibara

Nagisa first appears working in the Marine House seafood restaurant as a waitress, catching Ryuji's attention with her t-back bikini. However, although she seems sweet and innocent, she suffers from dissociative identity disorder, and has an evil side who calls herself Yasha. She is a member of the Midnight Angels gang under Junya Akutsu, and is his girlfriend. Her mental disorder arose after he raped her in the past. Ryuji saves her life, and she eventually overcomes her problems and becomes his girlfriend. They are still together in GTO.

Yoshio Tamaru (田丸善男, Tamaru Yoshio)

Inspired by his grandfather's dying words to become a 'strong man', the small and bullied Yoshio decides to change his life by joining the Oni-Baku-gumi. However, his overzealous approach to fighting gets him in trouble with Eikichi and Ryuji. He then takes control of the Atsuki Yagyou gang, who have been ruining the Oni-Baku's reputation, leading to a confrontation. He pulls a gun on Eikichi, but because it is old it misfires, injuring his hands. He never appears again after this.

Foes

Machida (町田)

Voiced by: Ikuya Sawaki

An eyebrow-less boxing champion who tricks Eikichi with a knuckle-duster and evasive maneuvers- he finally wins by smashing Eikichi with a street sign. While a reasonably good fighter, he only won because Eikichi wasn’t expecting him to be trained- the next time they cross paths, Ryuji takes down the whole gang singlehanded while Eikichi beats Machida’s teeth out, taking the boxer’s punches and hitting him back harder.

Takashi Yokokawa (横川たかし, Yokokawa Takashi)

A moustachioed yakuza successor, and formerly the Oni-Baku’s senpai. They totally dominated him and made his life hell (we also see this in Bad Company) but really he just gets what he deserves most of the time. He doesn’t really appear much after this, but we see his reaction to the Oni-Baku's fate in the final volume-he is, unsurprisingly, not too saddened by the news.

Mitsuaki Okubo (大久保光明, Ōkubo Mitsuaki)

Voiced by: Hisao Egawa

Okuba studied at of Kyokuto High School, he is known as Eguriya (Slasher) Okubo because of his vicious use of a knife in fights. As a member of the Madara gang, he causes trouble for the Oni-Baku when he appears- it turns out he had attacked Eikichi and stabbed him in the back during a fight, and wants to finish him for good this time. However, Eikichi gets the better of him in their fight, and beats him to within an inch of his life despite having a broken foot.

Fumiya Shindoji (神堂寺郁也, Shindōji Fumiya)

The younger brother of Ayumi's deceased fiancé, Fumiya wants to destroy her new relationship with Ryuji. A student at Kyokuto High school, Fumiya has a large gang who do his bidding, one member of which is Asakura Yoshiaki. Fumiya is defeated by Ryuji after kidnapping Ayumi, and later appears as an ally. He rides a Yamaha V-Max.

In GTO: Shonan 14 days he helps Onizuka and he is revealed to have become a Tokyo Artists Production Representative.

Junya Akutsu (阿久津淳也, Akutsu Jun'ya)

Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu

The second leader of the Midnight Angels gang, Akutsu was a friend and kohai of Kyousuke Masaki, and was jealous of Eikichi taking some of Masaki's attention years before. He reappears full of plans to reclaim the Midnight Angels' place as the greatest of all Shonan gangs, with the Idaten (previously led by Akira Takezawa) under his control. He is also in control of Nagisa, and tries to get her to kill Ryuji, although she ends up injured herself. Akutsu has a penchant for setting petrol fires, and has made a nemesis of Toshiki Kamishima of the Satsuriku Butai (Butcher Fighting Gang) for causing him serious injuries in this way when they were both members of the second-generation Midnight Angels. He is beaten by Onizuka and Kamishima, and returns later in the series assisting the Oni-Baku in times of need.

In GTO: Shonan 14 days he is seen driving a sportcar at the head of the reborn "Midnight Angel". Katsuyuki points out he hasn't changed a bit and he is still crazy.

In Ino-Head Gargoyle he is in Tokyo with Nakajo helping Kamata in his revenge. He is sometimes followed by members of his gang.

Junji Kashiya (柏屋ジュンジ, Kashiwaya Junji)

Leader of the Blue Rose gang, Kashiya is a Yakuza successor. He is always smoking, and is known as the 'Tobacco Guy'. He controls a lot of smaller gangs such as DOA, and never directly gets involved with fighting himself if he can avoid it. He has a history with Kunito Nakajo, and the two often clash over events in Shonan.

In GTO: Shonan 14 days he has matured from his reckless days and he is a sub-boss of the Yokohama Group.

Akira Takezawa (武沢明, Takezawa Akira)

The leader of the Idaten gang, Takezawa is the boyfriend of Shinomi Fujisaki. However, after being hospitalised by Onizuka he disappears and breaks up with her. His gang fall under the control of Akutsu and the Midnight Angels, but he returns to reclaim leadership and despite Akutsu's orders the gang will not attack Takezawa. He later appears when Eikichi finds a new girlfriend in Misato Hazuki, recognising her as a former Idaten member, even though she is now very different than she once was.

Joey (ジョーイ, Jōi)

Leader of the DOA gang, who operate as part of the Blue Rose coalition, Joey is impervious to pain as a side effect of the medicine he takes to counteract his illness. He had a girlfriend Yoko, who met a tragic end, and this haunts him even now. Joey comes up against the Oni-Baku in a fight, which ends in a stalemate, and races Onizuka, but crashes and falls into the ocean. His brother saves him, and he appears to gain some sense of the mistakes he had made in his life.

In GTO: Shonan 14 days we see him still alive and well as owner of the L-club in Yokosuka.

Natsuki Smith-Mizuki (水樹・スミス・夏希)

Known as 'Shinigami' Natsu, is half American and half Japanese, was the best friend of Jun Kamata when they were young, until his elder sister Fuyuka committed suicide after being violently attacked and raped by a gang of thugs. Natsu went and slaughtered the perpetrators, but a worried Jun had gathered some adults to help find him, and they took Natsu away, calling his friend a traitor. Over the next few years, Natsu viciously beat and killed any who opposed him, earning the hatred of the Yokohama Kihei. This caused his death, as Nakagaki shot him in the back as he was helping Kamata up. Honouring a childhood promise to Natsu, Kamata left Shonan for the United States soon after.

Nakagaki (中垣) (Yokohama Kihei No. 1)

First appearing in Volume 8, Nakagaki is a nasty piece of work whose aim is to simply prove that his gang are more powerful than the Shonan gangs. He interferes in a fight between Katsuyuki and Tamura, and with Mauchi beats them both down. The two of them also take out a diner full of Enoshou students with no assistance. Nakagaki has a grudge against Natsu (a flashback in volume 8 explains his facial scar), and kills him during the fight with the Oni-Baku and Nakajo’s gang with a bullet in the chest. Eikichi then beats Nakagaki to a pulp.

Mauchi (真内) (Yokohama Kihei No. 2)

Mauchi is not a very talkative character (and often wears a surgical mask) so it’s easy to underestimate him and assume he’s just a lackey for Nakagaki. However, he beats up numerous gang members through the Yokohama arc and while Nakajo is able to take him down with ease, Nakagaki summarily beats Nakajo by smashing a chair over his head. They operate well as a unit, as seen when they beat up Katsuyuki and Tamura. Mauchi is quite resilient, since he takes a blow to the neck with an iron bar and gets up shortly after and fights Ryuji. Kamata beats him down after Onizuka obliterates Nakagaki.

Toshiki Kamishima (神島俊生, Kamishima Toshiki)

Voiced by: Yasunori Matsumoto

Kamishima used to be a member of the Inamura subdivision of the second-generation Midnight Angels, and is now the leader of the Satsuriku Butai. Kamishima leads Kamakura's Satsuriku Butai against his nemesis Junya Akutsu, who caused the scars on his face and body by dousing him in petrol and setting him alight during a previous fight for control of Shonan. He is also against the Oni-Baku-gumi, making the fight three-way. He is thoroughly beaten by Akutsu, and later caught in an explosion the latter caused. He rides a Kawasaki GPZ900R. During the conflict with the Atsuki Yagyou gang, who are ruining the Oni-Baku’s reputation with violent attacks, a member of the gang appears riding a GPZ900R, their face covered in bandages, initially tricking the Oni-Baku into thinking he's Kamishima. Kamishima appears at the end of the series in an institution fully healed save for his original scars. However he does appear to have been driven totally insane.

Other characters

Ayumi Murakoshi (村越鮎美, Murakoshi Ayumi)

Voiced by: Hiromi Tsuru

Japanese Live action actor: Nin Nakayama

The Oni-Baku meet Ayumi and Mariko at Yoron Shima in volume 1; while Eikichi sees it as a chance to ‘get lucky’, we get the impression that Ryuji is greatly taken with Ayumi. Despite the revelation that the two women are not students as they claim, but are teachers at their new school, the romance continues for a time, despite Fumiya Shindouji’s attempts to break them up (it turns out Ayumi was engaged to his brother, who died). However, when the pair decide to marry, Ayumi realizes that she would be ruining Ryuji’s life by denying him the experiences of youth, and she leaves on a train. Ryuji is understandably heartbroken by this turn of events. Well, at least until he meets Nagisa. But even then Ayumi, in her rare appearances, manages to turn his head, to Nagisa’s extreme consternation.

Mariko Izumo (出雲真理子, Izumo Mariko)

Voiced by: Masako Katsuki

The Oni-Baku meet Ayumi and Mariko at Yoron Shima in volume 1; Eikichi sees it as a chance to ‘get lucky’ and is constantly trying to grope Mariko.

With the revelation that the two women are not students as they claim, but are actually teachers at their new school, Eikichi seeks revenge on Mariko but eventually they get along. When Ayumi leaves, Mariko remains an occasional member of the SJG cast and mainly helps the pair out of difficult situations. She is also the daughter of a Yakuza boss, and a former member of Kadena Nao's 'Purple Haze' gang.

Nao Kadena (嘉手納南風, Kadena Nao)

Voiced by: Michiko Neya

Japanese Live action actor: Tachigawa Noriko

A former car club member and street racer, Kadena is a teacher at Tsujikou, taking over from the absent Nanno. She uses her beauty to inspire her male students to work hard, and entices the girls with attractive university guys. She feels responsible for her younger brother Kazuhito being in a coma, because he crashed his car in a race with her. Onizuka lifts her out of her bad mood by racing her, showing that it can be fun if you aren't too reckless. She later 'helps' set Shinomi up with Eikichi, but things don't quite go right.

In the anime adaptation of Great Teacher Onizuka, Nao Kadena takes the role of the school nurse played by Naoko Moritaka in the manga. Her techniques and past are remarkably similar to her character in Shonan Junai Gumi - though she was clearly introduced as a brand new acquaintance to the existing cast. In later storylines her actions were adaptations of Moritaka's from the manga.

Youkou Minamino (南野用高, Minamino Yōkō)

Minamino, or ‘Nanno’ as he is universally known, appears in volume 9 as a yakuza-esque teacher recruited to whip the delinquents into shape, which he does quite a good job of until he is challenged to a one-on-one fight against Ryuji, who refuses to accept his bullying tactics. Eikichi, Abe and Saejima, who know that even Ryuji is no match for Nanno’s ‘Hokuto Shin Ken’ style martial arts, dig around until they find an incriminating fact- Nanno has a lolita complex and bring the girl that got him in trouble, Myou-chan (who always has a black strip over her eyes) to the fight, and threaten to tell everyone if he doesn’t lose to Ryuji. So Ryuji wins, and Nanno is forced to be the Oni-Baku-gumi’s slave. He leaves the school after fighting Kiwamezawa and trying to escape the police.

Masami Sato (佐藤昌美, Sato Masami)

Voiced by: Tetsuya Iwanaga

A friend of the Oni-Baku since their Midnight Angel days, he runs the Sato family garage and repair shop. He first appears to tell Eikichi that his car design won’t win the exhibition, and gets taken hostage by Yokokawa until his KS Benz is repaired. He later appears in the Akutsu affair, and at various other times when someone needs a bike fixed, or Onizuka wants to use Masaki’s ZII.

Kunito Nakajo (仲条國士, Nakajō Kunito)

Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa

Nakajo is the main leader of all the Enoshima gangs, he is a student at Enoshima Shogyou High School. He was Tsukai’s senpai at Enoshima Yonchuu Junior High, and controlled the Enoshima subdivision of the second-generation Midnight Angels. Nakajo has numerous facial scars, and works at the Select petrol station. In the past, the Oni-Baku beat his entire gang, which means there is some tension between them, but Nakajo is a useful ally in many conflicts, such as against the Yokohama Kihei and the Atsuki Yagyou. Despite the constant ill will between the Enoshima and Tsujikou students, Nakajo remains detached from most of the fighting until later volumes, and at the end of the story he challenges Eikichi to a one on one fight.

In Ino-Head Gargoyle he is in Tokyo with Akutsu helping Kamata in his revenge. He is still very protective when it comes to his car.

Akimitsu Tamura (田村亜希光, Tamura Akimitsu)

Tamura first appears as the second-in-command of Toshiki Kamishima, in the Satsuriku Butai of Kamakura. Here his rivalry with Katsuyuki begins, as the two clash with each other on numerous occasions. He is fighting Katsuyuki when the two are thoroughly thrashed by Nakagaki and Mauchi, the leaders of the Yokohama Kihei. During the resulting hospital, they fight over the attentions of the pretty nurse Nene Mihara (who had bern a member of a widely respected gang), but in dealing with Sakaki Ashura they put aside their differences. Later Tamura is Nakajo’s assistant, and still rivals with Katsuyuki.

In GTO: Shonan 14 days his younger brother is at the head of a new Satsuriku Butai but he gets beat up by Onizuka along with his 50 members gang.

Onizuka's mom

The long suffering Mrs. Onizuka tries her hardest to tolerate Eikichi’s punkass behaviour, but eventually has to kick him out to keep her apartment. She herself is rather a tough lady, and apparently had her son at a young age. She works as a club hostess, according to the GTO B.A.D. Action guidebooks. Eikichi’s dad- the former head of the SPEED motorbike gang- is never seen, but he doesn’t seem to live with them. Mrs. Onizuka is still an attractive looking woman, with long brown(?) wavy hair. She does seem to dress older though.

In GTO: Shonan 14 days it is revealed she has moved to Hawaii; in chapter 7, Onizuka mentions that his father was a womaniser, which probably explains his absence during the original Shonan Junai Gumi series.

Yoshiaki Asakura (朝倉良明, Asakura Yoshiaki)

Voiced by: Hiro Yuuki

An underling of Fumiya’s (and therefore a Kyokuto student), Yoshiaki is beaten when the Oni-Baku take Fumiya down. He appears in the next volume under the control of Okubo, and is a reluctant pawn because Okubo kidnaps his girlfriend Natsumi. He turns on Okubo and helps Onizuka by getting Ryuji and the Oni-Baku-gumi to come to his aid (he was already suffering a broken foot, which had him at something of a disadvantage against an entire gang of armed punks). He appears after these events with Natsumi, and they appear to have returned to life as normal, and is seen during the Midnight Angels conflict causing problems for the police with his gang.

Usagi Kiwamezawa (極沢うさぎ, Kiwamezawa Usagi)

2m (6’8) tall, Kiwamezawa first appears purchasing Sailor Moon magazines. He is a student at Kamakura Ryokuryou Kou, and Saejima recruits him as part of the ‘New Kamakura Combi’ after Kamata leaves. We also see his family, consisting of 5 siblings (all of whom look exactly like him, including the girls) and his attractive young looking mother, who is married to a 4-foot (1.2 m) tall, amiable looking man who cannot possibly have fathered the enormous Kiwamezawa clan. When a delivery man arrives who looks identical to Kiwamezawa, however, Saejima puts two and two together. It doesn’t seem like any of the family have done the same though. Kiwamezawa also appears when Saejima is hospitalised after a second altercation with some pencils.

Ashura Sakaki (榊阿修羅, Sakaki Ashura)

Sakaki transfers to Tsujikou from Asahikawa Nanryou High School in Hokkaidō, and calls himself ‘Kita no Shogun’ (The General of the North), ‘Hokkai no Maou’ (The Demon King of the North Sea) and ‘Okhotsk no kaidanji’ (Okhotsk's 'Mr. Nice Guy'). He seems to be impervious to pain, (even though he bleeds) since he takes numerous beatings to no real effect. His father is a famous boxer, known as 'Sandbag Sakaki'- his son shares his ability to absorb damage. It appears that he takes down Onizuka and Tsukai, and Katsuyuki and Tamura try to get revenge on him for this, however Tamura is injured and Katsuyuki has to find Ryuji. When they confront him, a huge gang of Asahikawa Nanryou High School students, led by Higashida, arrive, but they beat Sakaki up for causing trouble and apologise to the Oni-Baku for his behaviour. It also turns out that he hadn’t beaten Eikichi up, but Katsuyuki stabs him repeatedly anyway. He later appears during the Atsuki Yagyou crisis as a new student at the Oni-Baku's high school, where he is ignored by everyone (save Saejima, who finds him incredibly annoying).

Kaoru Kamata (鎌田薫, Kamata Kaoru)

She is Jun Kamata’s younger sister. She first appears when the Oni-Baku-gumi arrange their ‘get-together’. Her brother bumps into her and recognises her (apparently they haven’t seen each other for a while) and spends the whole evening trying to keep the others away. Eikichi is obsessed with Kaoru and doesn’t pay any attention to Itou at all, which results in a fight with Tsukai. However, ‘she’ is actually a male and after the whole thing is solved he still dress up in front of Onizuka which never seems to realize the truth during the series.

In Ino-Head Gargoyle it's revealed he moved to Tokyo in order to become a police officer and got himself a girlfriend. Unfortunately while trying to bust a drug commerce he gets beaten into coma. This event brings Jun Kamata to come back in Japan to avenge him, helped by Saejima, Nakajo and Akutsu.

Hazuki Misato (葉月ミサト, Misato Hazuki)

Misato appears at the karaoke club where she meets Eikichi, who has been left by the group of girls who were in his booth and is now feeling sorry for himself. They get along well, and Eikichi naturally falls for her. She cooks for him, and she offers to have sex with him, but he refuses (basically since he’s too nervous). The two of them come across Shinomi and Takezawa, and he recognises her- she was a member of his gang in the past, but as a man. Naturally this is bad for Eikichi, and when she reveals the truth to him, he can’t handle it and she leaves. Eikichi does seem to have rather bad luck when it comes to women.

Kenkichi Hino (火野剣吉, Hino Kenkichi)

A kohai of Ryuji’s from junior high (but apparently the one from which he transferred, since Hino is not familiar with Eikichi), Hino has an intense hatred of Katsuyuki, who gave him the scar on his right eyebrow. Their feud almost separates the Oni-Baku duo, despite Tsukai’s efforts to get everyone to get along, culminating in a fight on the beach where Tsukai beats the crap out of both of them; however by this time the Oni-Baku have already made up. Joey of DOA later beats him up for being in his territory putting up Oni-Baku stickers, but Ryuji forgives him after beating the crap out of about 20 DOA gang members. In the 'feud' in the final volume, he is on Ryuji’s side.

Saya Minazuki (水無月沙也, Minazuki Saya)

The leader of the Enbutou female biker gang in the Blue Rose coalition, Saya appears in volume 11 after spotting Eikichi and the gang escaping from the police after fighting Joey at the railway. She runs into Eikichi when buying some porn and beers, and the two get talking. She then rides off with her gang. She turns up in volume 12, and clashes with Shinomi over her attempts to seduce Eikichi. In volume 15 she is present at the final fight on the rooftop, and she is one of the few people to stay and show her respects to the Oni-Baku at the end.

Nozomi Takagi (Takagi Nozomi)

This 3rd Year Hatsuchuu Middle School student has a major crush on Ryuji, even collecting photographs in a series of scrapbooks. (Her friends are lusting after Eikichi at the same time.) Her ambition is to get into Tsujikou, despite her brother pointing out the sub-standard school records. She decides she wants to be Ryuji’s girlfriend (obviously she doesn’t know him at all, or she’d have known about Nagisa…) and follows him around, ending up sitting next to him in a pachinko parlour. He helps her win a big payout of balls, but when she goes to thank him he’s already gone. She watches the Oni-Baku clowning around for a while, and somehow gets over her crush. The next day, she receives her results and finds that she can now go to Tsujikou.

Manabu Midouji (魅堂寺学, Midōji Manabu)

A senior member of the Bousou Tenshi/Midnight Angels (Kanburen= Executive Members’ Group), Midouji appears near the end of the Midnight Angels affair with a group of senior members, which shocks Akutsu. They watch the fight between Onizuka and Akutsu, and are present at the conclusion of the race, when Akutsu is carted off to hospital. He also appears at the climactic rooftop battle, and pays his respects later on. Midouji also appears in Bad Company, and is apparently rather humourless and taciturn, as he finds the youthful antics of the new members rather annoying, particularly when the Bousou Tenshi are trying to conduct a serious biking run.

Machiruda (待留田)

Formerly a member of the SPEED motorcycle gang, Machiruda knows Eikichi's family from the past (the GTO B.A.D. Action 200 II guidebook mentions Onizuka's dad being the first-generation leader of the SPEED gang) and is on good terms with Eikichi during the DOA crisis despite never appearing before then. He now owns a café/restaurant, named after his old gang, with his partner Misako. He is involved in the business with Mafuyu and Zelda.

Misako (みさ子)

Misako used to be a member of the Speed motorcycle gang, and appeared to be rather intimidating in the past. She co-owns/manages the Speed café with Machiruda, and now appears very good natured and relaxed (almost stoned, in fact).

Kiyoma (清間)

The possessor of mighty ‘Chounoryoku’ or psychic powers, Kyoma appears when Harumurata of Gochuu Middle School and Samehara of the Satsuriku Butai, in an attempt to find Makoto, turn up at Tsujikou. They first attack a teacher but are threatened by Kamata and Saejima, but Kyoma turns up and scares them off, since they’ve heard of his reputation. However, it turns out that his powers are limited to lifting girls’ skirts and bursting buttons off people’s coats, which annoys Saejima because such a big deal has been made of it all.

Akira Saijou (西條あきら, Saijō Akira)

A schoolmate of Nagisa's; he asks her to marry him, despite knowing about Ryuji, but she laughs it off, but agrees to a date with him (at the time she's angry at Ryuji for taking her for granted and only wanting to sleep with her). Ryuji spies on them, but when Saijou asks Nagisa to go with him to Tokyo she turns him down, saying she's already happy. Ryuji makes more of an effort hereafter. He's a skilled karate practitioner, as Ryuji sees through the window of his dojo smashing breeze blocks to powder.

Kyosuke Masaki (真樹 京介, Masaki Kyousuke)

The Original Leader of the 1st generation Midnight Angels gang is Eikichi Onizuka and Ryuji Danma's idol, he is a legendary street racer who died on a corner that Onizuka races Akutsu on. His jacket unique to the entire Midnight Angels gang in the anime is in Onizuka's possession. At the end of the series Onizuka is seen cremating the jacket as a way for honoring him.

In the GTO manga he makes an appearance in Onizuka's vision urging him to become the greatest teacher in Japan.

Aina Yarita (ヤリタ アイナ, Yarita Aina)

Voiced by: Junko Asami

Media

Manga

Shonan Junai Gumi is written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa. The series was published in Kodansha's Weekly Shōnen Magazine between October 10, 1990 and October 2, 1996.[4] The manga was compiled into thirty-one tankōbon volumes published by Kodansha between March 14, 1991 and December 11, 1996.[5][6] It has been re-released in a deluxe edition of 15 volumes, from May 12 to December 9, 2005.[7][8]

In North America, the series was licensed by Tokyopop in 2005.[9] The version released by Tokyopop was the fifteen-volumes deluxe edition by Kodansha.[10] The first volume was released on June 13, 2006,[11] and the series was discontinued after volume 10,[12] published on February 9, 2009.[13] In May 2011, Vertical announced the license of the series.[12] Vertical release started with volume 11, published on February 21, 2012,[14] and volume 15 was published on October 30, 2012.[15]

In November 2013, the December issue of Akita Shoten's Monthly Shōnen Champion announced a sequel spin-off manga to Shonan Junai Gumi, entitled Shonan Seven, starting on January 6, 2014. The manga is written by Fujisawa and illustrated by Shinsuke Takahashi.[16] The manga finished on July 6, 2019[17] and has been compiled into seventeen tankōbon volumes.[18] The first volume was published on June 6, 2014[19] and the last on September 6, 2019.

Original video animation

An OVA series was produced by J.C. Staff. The series has never been released on DVD.[3]

Episode list

Ep. #	Title	Length	Release Date
1	Shonan Junai Gumi! Down the Delinquent Highway! (湘南純愛組!: 高速道路の犯人の下！)	51 minutes	January 21, 1994
2	Shonan Junai Gumi! 2 (湘南純愛組!2)	48 minutes	September 23, 1994
3	Shonan Junai Gumi! 3 Runaway Angel of Hell (湘南純愛組!3 地獄の暴走天使)	44 minutes	June 23, 1995
4	Shonan Junai Gumi! 4 Hunting Death (湘南純愛組!4 死神狩り)	44 minutes	May 24, 1996
5	Shonan Junai Gumi! 5 Forever Onibaku (湘南純愛組!5 鬼爆よ永遠に)	44 minutes	January 24, 1997

Drama

A five-episode adaptation was made between 1995 and 1997, starring Naoki Miyashita as Onizuka and Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi as Ryuji.

A live-action web drama adaptation starring Kanichiro as Onizuka and Daichi Kaneko as Ryuji was released on Amazon Prime Video in Japan on February 28, 2020.[20][21]

References

1. "GTO: The Early Years -- Shonan Junai Gumi Volume 1". Tokyopop. Archived from the original on January 12, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
2. 男の中の男を知る！定番ヤンキー漫画5選. music-book.jp (in Japanese). February 4, 2016. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
3. Toole, Michael (March 24, 2013). "Out of Order - The Mike Toole Show". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
4. "週刊少年マガジン　湘南純愛組!(藤沢とおる)". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
5. "湘南純愛組！（１）" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
6. "湘南純愛組！（３１）＜完＞" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
7. "湘南純愛組！　ｖｏｌ．１" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
8. "湘南純愛組！　ｖｏｌ．１５＜完＞" (in Japanese). Kodansha. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
9. Macdonald, Christopher (December 16, 2005). "New Tokyopop Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
10. Koulikov, Mikhail (May 29, 2006). "Tokyopop - Anime Boston 2006". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
11. "GTO: The Early Years -- Shonan Junai Gumi Volume 1". Tokyopop. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
12. Manry, Gia (May 26, 2011). "Vertical Adds GTO Prequel, Sequel Manga". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
13. "GTO: The Early Years -- Shonan Junai Gumi Volume 10". Tokyopop. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
14. "GTO: The Early Years Volume 11". Penguin Random House. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
15. "GTO: The Early Years, Volume 15". Penguin Random House. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
16. Loveridge, Lynzee (November 5, 2013). "GTO: The Early Years Manga Gets Sequel With New Artist". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
17. Rafael Antonio Pineda (May 3, 2019). "Tohru Fujisawa, Shinsuke Takahashi's Shonan Seven Manga Ends in 3 Chapters". Anime News Network. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
18. "SHONANセブン 第17巻" (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
19. "SHONANセブン 第1巻" (in Japanese). Akita Shoten. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
20. https://www.crunchyroll.com/en-gb/anime-news/2020/01/22/web-drama-adaptation-of-tooru-fujisawas-shonan-junai-gumi-gto-the-early-years-manga-planned
21. http://younggto.com

External links

• Shonan Junai Gumi (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia