TV-Series
Description
Genzō Gōda is the elderly owner of a small ramen stand called Gen-chan, which he operates along the Naka River in Fukuoka. While his public face is that of a friendly and unassuming cook, he is also a highly respected and powerful figure in the city's underworld, serving as a mediator who receives requests for assassinations and distributes them to a network of freelance killers. His stall functions as a neutral meeting point and a base for his mediation work, frequented by many of the city's most dangerous individuals.
In his youth, Gōda was a legendary assassin known by the initials G.G., regarded as the best killer in Fukuoka. His career came to an end thirteen years before the main story when he sustained a serious injury, forcing him to retire from active killing. Following his retirement, he opened his ramen stand and transitioned into the role of a mediator, a position in which he has become equally renowned. Physically, he is an older, balding man with a lined face and sparse white hair. He is known for looking like an old man even in his youth, earning him the nickname jii-jii, but he insists his face simply makes him appear older than he actually is, a claim backed up by his surprising retained strength and speed.
Despite his advanced age and complaints of back pain, Gōda's personality remains sharp, wry, and often teasing. He maintains a calm and humorous demeanor, even when discussing serious matters of life and death. He enjoys watching the annual Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival, though he can no longer participate as he once did. As a coach for the local amateur baseball team, the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens, he is able to express a different side of himself, encouraging his players with a mix of grandfatherly support and strategic, sometimes ruthless, motivation, such as suggesting punishment games to inspire better performance.
Gōda's primary motivation is the successful operation of his network. He is not driven by personal gain but by a sense of responsibility for the killers who work for him and a desire to maintain a certain order within the Fukuoka underworld. He is pragmatic and quick to sever ties with anyone who proves incompetent or unethical, such as a killer who mistakes his target and then attempts blackmail. His reputation is such that when he cuts someone off and spreads the word through his mediator network, that person can no longer find work in the city.
In the story, Gōda acts as a crucial behind-the-scenes operator and a mentor figure. He provides jobs and information to the main characters, particularly the hitman known as the Niwaka Samurai, Zenji Banba. He also becomes a key supporter for Xianming Lin, showing immediate trust in Banba's judgment and quickly welcoming Lin into his circle. He sees potential in Lin and actively teaches him tactics useful both on the baseball field and in his dangerous line of work, treating him with an affection that resembles that of a grandfather for a grandchild. He also acts as a confidant to Banba, being one of the few people aware of his circumstances.
His key relationships are defined by this mentorship. His bond with Banba began years earlier when Banba was a teenager, and Gōda has since become his primary mediator and a source of guidance. With Lin, he is often amused by his demeanor and encourages his growth and integration into a team, both in baseball and in assassination work. He is also the coach of the Tonkotsu Ramens baseball team, a role that brings together many of the freelance killers who work for him, fostering a unique sense of community and rivalry.
Gōda undergoes quiet but significant development, mainly observed through his interactions with the younger generation. He reflects on how he has watched Lin become more open and cooperative due to his teammates, showing that he is a keen observer of personal change. He uses his experience to advise others, such as when he warns a fellow killer about the potential consequences of mixing family life with revenge business, demonstrating a wisdom born from a long life in a violent profession.
Despite his retirement and claims of old age and pain, Gōda possesses notable abilities. He retains remarkable physical prowess, capable of knocking down an enemy with a swift punch to the chest or stepping onto a baseball field as a pinch-hitter and winning the game with a home run. When the situation demands it, he sheds his apron and returns to the tactics of his past, retrieving weapons like a sword and a machine gun, using explosives, and coordinating a rescue with the skill of a seasoned veteran. His true power, however, lies in his extensive influence, his network of information and killers, and the deep respect he commands throughout Fukuoka's underworld.
In his youth, Gōda was a legendary assassin known by the initials G.G., regarded as the best killer in Fukuoka. His career came to an end thirteen years before the main story when he sustained a serious injury, forcing him to retire from active killing. Following his retirement, he opened his ramen stand and transitioned into the role of a mediator, a position in which he has become equally renowned. Physically, he is an older, balding man with a lined face and sparse white hair. He is known for looking like an old man even in his youth, earning him the nickname jii-jii, but he insists his face simply makes him appear older than he actually is, a claim backed up by his surprising retained strength and speed.
Despite his advanced age and complaints of back pain, Gōda's personality remains sharp, wry, and often teasing. He maintains a calm and humorous demeanor, even when discussing serious matters of life and death. He enjoys watching the annual Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival, though he can no longer participate as he once did. As a coach for the local amateur baseball team, the Hakata Tonkotsu Ramens, he is able to express a different side of himself, encouraging his players with a mix of grandfatherly support and strategic, sometimes ruthless, motivation, such as suggesting punishment games to inspire better performance.
Gōda's primary motivation is the successful operation of his network. He is not driven by personal gain but by a sense of responsibility for the killers who work for him and a desire to maintain a certain order within the Fukuoka underworld. He is pragmatic and quick to sever ties with anyone who proves incompetent or unethical, such as a killer who mistakes his target and then attempts blackmail. His reputation is such that when he cuts someone off and spreads the word through his mediator network, that person can no longer find work in the city.
In the story, Gōda acts as a crucial behind-the-scenes operator and a mentor figure. He provides jobs and information to the main characters, particularly the hitman known as the Niwaka Samurai, Zenji Banba. He also becomes a key supporter for Xianming Lin, showing immediate trust in Banba's judgment and quickly welcoming Lin into his circle. He sees potential in Lin and actively teaches him tactics useful both on the baseball field and in his dangerous line of work, treating him with an affection that resembles that of a grandfather for a grandchild. He also acts as a confidant to Banba, being one of the few people aware of his circumstances.
His key relationships are defined by this mentorship. His bond with Banba began years earlier when Banba was a teenager, and Gōda has since become his primary mediator and a source of guidance. With Lin, he is often amused by his demeanor and encourages his growth and integration into a team, both in baseball and in assassination work. He is also the coach of the Tonkotsu Ramens baseball team, a role that brings together many of the freelance killers who work for him, fostering a unique sense of community and rivalry.
Gōda undergoes quiet but significant development, mainly observed through his interactions with the younger generation. He reflects on how he has watched Lin become more open and cooperative due to his teammates, showing that he is a keen observer of personal change. He uses his experience to advise others, such as when he warns a fellow killer about the potential consequences of mixing family life with revenge business, demonstrating a wisdom born from a long life in a violent profession.
Despite his retirement and claims of old age and pain, Gōda possesses notable abilities. He retains remarkable physical prowess, capable of knocking down an enemy with a swift punch to the chest or stepping onto a baseball field as a pinch-hitter and winning the game with a home run. When the situation demands it, he sheds his apron and returns to the tactics of his past, retrieving weapons like a sword and a machine gun, using explosives, and coordinating a rescue with the skill of a seasoned veteran. His true power, however, lies in his extensive influence, his network of information and killers, and the deep respect he commands throughout Fukuoka's underworld.