TV-Series
Description
Norikuni Iwata is a supporting character who appears in both the manga and anime versions of Excel Saga. He is a member of the Urban Area Environmental Security Bureau, often referred to simply as the City Security Department, a government organization led by the eccentric Doctor Kabapu. Iwata joins the department alongside his friends and roommates, Toru Watanabe and Daimaru Sumiyoshi, largely due to his association with Watanabe rather than any specific professional aspiration.
In terms of personality, Iwata is consistently portrayed as brash, loud, and self-centered. He is an individual whose actions are frequently thoughtless, often leading to trouble for himself and those around him. His lack of social awareness and tendency to make inappropriate comments, particularly towards women, make him a source of constant irritation for his colleagues. Despite this, he is generally tolerated by his peers, though his behavior often results in physical reprisals, especially from his coworker Misaki Matsuya, who is frequently the target of his uninvited attention. His demeanor is that of a large ham, embracing his role as a cyborg action hero with childlike enthusiasm. He remains optimistic and unaffected by the chaos he frequently causes or endures.
Iwata is driven by simple, uncomplicated motivations. He is openly and noisily infatuated with his coworker, Misaki Matsuya, as well as with Ropponmatsu Unit 1, a class of android. His attraction seems to be primarily based on physical appearance. Conversely, he has a strong dislike for small children, which leads to a pronounced rivalry with Ropponmatsu Unit 2. Despite his often lazy and foolish demeanor, he is the only member of the City Security Department who genuinely approves of Doctor Kabapu’s unconventional plans, going so far as to call him a hero of justice.
His role within the story is to serve as one of the key comic foils in the City Security Department, one of two main factions driving the plot. As part of the trio sharing an apartment with Watanabe and Sumiyoshi, his daily antics and interactions form a significant part of the narrative's humor. While the other members of his team often question their involvement, Iwata remains a willing and enthusiastic participant in their often dangerous and absurd missions. His role is somewhat reduced in the anime adaptation compared to the original manga, where his character undergoes much more extensive development.
One of the most significant aspects of Iwata's story is his relationship with his colleagues. His unrequited interest in Misaki Matsuya is a persistent trait, though it is shown to develop over time. In the manga, there are hints of a deeper connection, with Matsuya admitting that Iwata helped her become more social during their college days. This relationship is explored further when her feelings for him become conflicted, culminating in a moment where she kisses him. He lives with Watanabe and Sumiyoshi, but his friendship with Watanabe is particularly notable; while Iwata shows a strange attachment to his roommate, Watanabe is frequently shown to harbor a deep-seated hatred for him.
A major turning point in the manga is Iwata's development following a terminal diagnosis. After being told he has numerous fatal conditions, he dies of colon cancer. However, he is immediately resurrected by the roboticist Gojyo Shioji, who transplants his brain into a robotic body. After this, he is rebuilt many times due to his own carelessness, with Shioji even meticulously reconstructing his male anatomy out of a sense of perfectionism. His consciousness is also unintentionally transferred into the bodies of the Ropponmatsu units at various points. In a later twist, it is revealed that his original human body was being secretly restored in a laboratory. During a final raid on an enemy base, the cyborg Iwata was actually a remotely controlled machine, and the real, restored Iwata reappears after the mission, much to the shock of his team.
Despite his idiotic nature, Iwata is noted to have a good brain. He comes from the Iwata family, a powerful and extensive faction in the medical world. His relatives often work as doctors, and his grades in university were reportedly excellent, much to his professor's regret. This background creates a stark contrast with his foolish public persona. He also has a cousin, Sekifumi Iwata, a horrible, lecherous doctor who once falsified his cancer diagnosis as an act of revenge for a childhood scar. In terms of abilities, aside from his resilience, his service as a cyborg grants him a degree of enhanced durability and combat capability, though he is far from an invincible fighter. He also has a notable fear of ghosts and other occult subjects.
In terms of personality, Iwata is consistently portrayed as brash, loud, and self-centered. He is an individual whose actions are frequently thoughtless, often leading to trouble for himself and those around him. His lack of social awareness and tendency to make inappropriate comments, particularly towards women, make him a source of constant irritation for his colleagues. Despite this, he is generally tolerated by his peers, though his behavior often results in physical reprisals, especially from his coworker Misaki Matsuya, who is frequently the target of his uninvited attention. His demeanor is that of a large ham, embracing his role as a cyborg action hero with childlike enthusiasm. He remains optimistic and unaffected by the chaos he frequently causes or endures.
Iwata is driven by simple, uncomplicated motivations. He is openly and noisily infatuated with his coworker, Misaki Matsuya, as well as with Ropponmatsu Unit 1, a class of android. His attraction seems to be primarily based on physical appearance. Conversely, he has a strong dislike for small children, which leads to a pronounced rivalry with Ropponmatsu Unit 2. Despite his often lazy and foolish demeanor, he is the only member of the City Security Department who genuinely approves of Doctor Kabapu’s unconventional plans, going so far as to call him a hero of justice.
His role within the story is to serve as one of the key comic foils in the City Security Department, one of two main factions driving the plot. As part of the trio sharing an apartment with Watanabe and Sumiyoshi, his daily antics and interactions form a significant part of the narrative's humor. While the other members of his team often question their involvement, Iwata remains a willing and enthusiastic participant in their often dangerous and absurd missions. His role is somewhat reduced in the anime adaptation compared to the original manga, where his character undergoes much more extensive development.
One of the most significant aspects of Iwata's story is his relationship with his colleagues. His unrequited interest in Misaki Matsuya is a persistent trait, though it is shown to develop over time. In the manga, there are hints of a deeper connection, with Matsuya admitting that Iwata helped her become more social during their college days. This relationship is explored further when her feelings for him become conflicted, culminating in a moment where she kisses him. He lives with Watanabe and Sumiyoshi, but his friendship with Watanabe is particularly notable; while Iwata shows a strange attachment to his roommate, Watanabe is frequently shown to harbor a deep-seated hatred for him.
A major turning point in the manga is Iwata's development following a terminal diagnosis. After being told he has numerous fatal conditions, he dies of colon cancer. However, he is immediately resurrected by the roboticist Gojyo Shioji, who transplants his brain into a robotic body. After this, he is rebuilt many times due to his own carelessness, with Shioji even meticulously reconstructing his male anatomy out of a sense of perfectionism. His consciousness is also unintentionally transferred into the bodies of the Ropponmatsu units at various points. In a later twist, it is revealed that his original human body was being secretly restored in a laboratory. During a final raid on an enemy base, the cyborg Iwata was actually a remotely controlled machine, and the real, restored Iwata reappears after the mission, much to the shock of his team.
Despite his idiotic nature, Iwata is noted to have a good brain. He comes from the Iwata family, a powerful and extensive faction in the medical world. His relatives often work as doctors, and his grades in university were reportedly excellent, much to his professor's regret. This background creates a stark contrast with his foolish public persona. He also has a cousin, Sekifumi Iwata, a horrible, lecherous doctor who once falsified his cancer diagnosis as an act of revenge for a childhood scar. In terms of abilities, aside from his resilience, his service as a cyborg grants him a degree of enhanced durability and combat capability, though he is far from an invincible fighter. He also has a notable fear of ghosts and other occult subjects.