TV-Series
Description
Reiji Oozora, written as Oozora Reiji in Japanese name order, is the main protagonist of the anime Dragon Drive. He is a junior high school student defined by a short attention span and a tendency to abandon anything he starts, which makes him appear chronically lazy. He is notorious for never keeping promises and for being perpetually late, a reputation captured in his nickname, the Tardy Champion. Beneath this apathetic surface, however, he carries a quiet desire to be special and to find something that truly holds his interest.
His everyday life is that of an ordinary, rather bored student who is poor at schoolwork and half-hearted in everything he does. His childhood friend Maiko Yukino, tired of watching him give up on everything, introduces him to the virtual reality game Dragon Drive. He is effectively dragged into the game against his will, but after his first taste of victory he becomes obsessed and, for once in his life, finds something he wants to commit to. Where he once seemed as unpromising at the game as at everything else, genuine motivation unlocks his hidden potential.
In the story he becomes the central figure in a conflict far larger than the game itself. He is paired with Chibi, known as Chibisuke in the Japanese version, a small, cute dragon that seems weak and lazy at first but turns out to be the rarest dragon of all. Chibi is eventually revealed to be the legendary dragon Senkokura, a savior of the world of Rikyu. Together they are drawn into the schemes of RI-ON, the organization behind Dragon Drive, which seeks the Jinryuuseki stone, an artifact that would allow its holder to command all dragons in Rikyu and, if obtained, would lead to the destruction of both Rikyu and Earth. To prevent this, Reiji must enter the Dragonic Heaven tournament and secure the stone. When confronted with conflicting accounts of Agent L, a RI-ON employee who helped him during his early games, Reiji does not blindly take sides. Instead, he resolves to fight so that he can discover the truth about RI-ON, Rikyu, and Dragon Drive for himself. Along the way he also faces rivals and classmates such as Daisuke, and Chibi gains a special sword after defeating a legendary dragon.
His key relationships define his growth. Maiko is the friend who pushes him out of his comfort zone and remains a steady presence in his life. Chibi is his closest partner, and their bond develops from an unlikely pairing into a deeply synchronized fighting team. He also meets Meguru, a girl who was transported to Rikyu, and gains many allies over the course of his journey. Agent L occupies a more ambiguous place in his story, serving as both an early mentor figure and a source of doubt and internal conflict.
His development is the heart of his character arc. A habitual quitter who never accomplishes anything, he transforms once he finds something worth pursuing, training himself and Chibi with dedication and revealing strengths no one expected of him. He possesses a rare ability to tame almost any dragon and becomes highly synchronized with Chibi in battle. Later story material shows him in the future as still lazy in temperament, largely unchanged in personality, but he is drawn back into action to help fight the forces of RI-IN and is eventually depicted living a settled life as the head of his own private veterinary clinic.
His everyday life is that of an ordinary, rather bored student who is poor at schoolwork and half-hearted in everything he does. His childhood friend Maiko Yukino, tired of watching him give up on everything, introduces him to the virtual reality game Dragon Drive. He is effectively dragged into the game against his will, but after his first taste of victory he becomes obsessed and, for once in his life, finds something he wants to commit to. Where he once seemed as unpromising at the game as at everything else, genuine motivation unlocks his hidden potential.
In the story he becomes the central figure in a conflict far larger than the game itself. He is paired with Chibi, known as Chibisuke in the Japanese version, a small, cute dragon that seems weak and lazy at first but turns out to be the rarest dragon of all. Chibi is eventually revealed to be the legendary dragon Senkokura, a savior of the world of Rikyu. Together they are drawn into the schemes of RI-ON, the organization behind Dragon Drive, which seeks the Jinryuuseki stone, an artifact that would allow its holder to command all dragons in Rikyu and, if obtained, would lead to the destruction of both Rikyu and Earth. To prevent this, Reiji must enter the Dragonic Heaven tournament and secure the stone. When confronted with conflicting accounts of Agent L, a RI-ON employee who helped him during his early games, Reiji does not blindly take sides. Instead, he resolves to fight so that he can discover the truth about RI-ON, Rikyu, and Dragon Drive for himself. Along the way he also faces rivals and classmates such as Daisuke, and Chibi gains a special sword after defeating a legendary dragon.
His key relationships define his growth. Maiko is the friend who pushes him out of his comfort zone and remains a steady presence in his life. Chibi is his closest partner, and their bond develops from an unlikely pairing into a deeply synchronized fighting team. He also meets Meguru, a girl who was transported to Rikyu, and gains many allies over the course of his journey. Agent L occupies a more ambiguous place in his story, serving as both an early mentor figure and a source of doubt and internal conflict.
His development is the heart of his character arc. A habitual quitter who never accomplishes anything, he transforms once he finds something worth pursuing, training himself and Chibi with dedication and revealing strengths no one expected of him. He possesses a rare ability to tame almost any dragon and becomes highly synchronized with Chibi in battle. Later story material shows him in the future as still lazy in temperament, largely unchanged in personality, but he is drawn back into action to help fight the forces of RI-IN and is eventually depicted living a settled life as the head of his own private veterinary clinic.