TV-Series
Description
Paul Wan is the master of the Honky Tonk, a small coffee shop in the Ura Shinjuku district, and one of the important supporting figures in Getbackers. He is a man in his mid-thirties, born on April 14, standing 180 centimeters tall and weighing 75 kilograms, with blood type A. He is almost always seen wearing dark glasses, which are later revealed to be completely opaque. On the surface he appears to be a mild-mannered café owner who simply puts up with the strange people who gather at his establishment, but his past gradually reveals that he was once a far more dangerous presence.
His background is presented differently between the anime and the manga. In the anime, his history is explored in episode 42, where it is shown that he was once part of a trio of thieves. His ability to control the winds, combined with his tremendous speed, earned him the nickname the Gale Emperor. Even in his declined condition he can easily defeat the henchmen of Der Kaiser, opponents that the main duo struggle against, and in his youth a simple walk could generate a vacuum strong enough to cut like knives and render people unconscious. In the manga, his origins take a different shape: he was a member of the first generation of Getbackers alongside Ban's father. Together with Der Kaiser, he once ascended the Infinity Fortress and reached the threshold of Babylon City, but he was defeated by the Jujutsu King and driven back. The stigma placed on his eye at that time sealed his memories of the journey. After returning to Ura Shinjuku, he founded the Honky Tonk and eventually handed the name of the Get Backers down to a group of three young successors, from whom the name later passed to Ban and Ginji.
In personality, Paul is patient, tolerant, and extremely difficult to provoke. He endures the frequent damage that Ban and Ginji cause to his café and still serves them despite the enormous tab they have accumulated, though he is strict about his accounts and often demands payment or work before offering food. He acts as a philosophical father figure within the story, known for being a master coffee maker, a careful listener, and someone who can lift the spirits of those who are down. He is also computer-literate and maintains a wide network of contacts, giving him access to information that is difficult to obtain elsewhere, a side of him known to only a few people such as Hevn. His one notable weakness is a dislike or fear of heights.
His motivations are those of a man who has chosen to retire from an active life. Instead of seeking power or fame, he runs his café, provides support to the younger generation from the background, and shares his experience through advice and quiet encouragement. He values accountability, as shown by his insistence that debts be settled, and his philosophy centers on the idea that wisdom and experience carry more weight than physical strength. This belief is most clearly demonstrated in a fight against Shimon Miroku in the manga, when he briefly reverts to his younger and physically stronger self, only to consciously choose to return to his older form after realizing that the wisdom he gained over the years is his real strength, and he defeats his opponent in that state.
His key relationships revolve around the main characters of the series. He knows the pasts of both Ban Mido and Ginji Amano, and he is the person who gave Ban his name. The two use the Honky Tonk as a gathering point and base of operations, and Paul sometimes provides them with information, lets them eat on credit, or joins them on missions as a chaperone or backup. His staff includes Natsumi Mizuki, who works as his assistant, and later Rena Sendou also comes to work under him. His most significant historical ties are to Der Kaiser and Ban's father, with whom he shared the first-generation Getbacker era in the manga, while in the anime his connection to Der Kaiser is more directly combative.
His development across the story is centered on the contrast between his quiet present and his formidable past. The anime reveals that the gentle café owner was once a legendary fighter, and his choice to leave that life behind is depicted not as a loss of ability but as a deliberate decision to value peace, wisdom, and the success of others over his own past glory. This layered history makes him a stabilizing presence in Getbackers, an elder figure who has earned his calm and who now quietly watches over the next generation from behind the counter of the Honky Tonk.
His background is presented differently between the anime and the manga. In the anime, his history is explored in episode 42, where it is shown that he was once part of a trio of thieves. His ability to control the winds, combined with his tremendous speed, earned him the nickname the Gale Emperor. Even in his declined condition he can easily defeat the henchmen of Der Kaiser, opponents that the main duo struggle against, and in his youth a simple walk could generate a vacuum strong enough to cut like knives and render people unconscious. In the manga, his origins take a different shape: he was a member of the first generation of Getbackers alongside Ban's father. Together with Der Kaiser, he once ascended the Infinity Fortress and reached the threshold of Babylon City, but he was defeated by the Jujutsu King and driven back. The stigma placed on his eye at that time sealed his memories of the journey. After returning to Ura Shinjuku, he founded the Honky Tonk and eventually handed the name of the Get Backers down to a group of three young successors, from whom the name later passed to Ban and Ginji.
In personality, Paul is patient, tolerant, and extremely difficult to provoke. He endures the frequent damage that Ban and Ginji cause to his café and still serves them despite the enormous tab they have accumulated, though he is strict about his accounts and often demands payment or work before offering food. He acts as a philosophical father figure within the story, known for being a master coffee maker, a careful listener, and someone who can lift the spirits of those who are down. He is also computer-literate and maintains a wide network of contacts, giving him access to information that is difficult to obtain elsewhere, a side of him known to only a few people such as Hevn. His one notable weakness is a dislike or fear of heights.
His motivations are those of a man who has chosen to retire from an active life. Instead of seeking power or fame, he runs his café, provides support to the younger generation from the background, and shares his experience through advice and quiet encouragement. He values accountability, as shown by his insistence that debts be settled, and his philosophy centers on the idea that wisdom and experience carry more weight than physical strength. This belief is most clearly demonstrated in a fight against Shimon Miroku in the manga, when he briefly reverts to his younger and physically stronger self, only to consciously choose to return to his older form after realizing that the wisdom he gained over the years is his real strength, and he defeats his opponent in that state.
His key relationships revolve around the main characters of the series. He knows the pasts of both Ban Mido and Ginji Amano, and he is the person who gave Ban his name. The two use the Honky Tonk as a gathering point and base of operations, and Paul sometimes provides them with information, lets them eat on credit, or joins them on missions as a chaperone or backup. His staff includes Natsumi Mizuki, who works as his assistant, and later Rena Sendou also comes to work under him. His most significant historical ties are to Der Kaiser and Ban's father, with whom he shared the first-generation Getbacker era in the manga, while in the anime his connection to Der Kaiser is more directly combative.
His development across the story is centered on the contrast between his quiet present and his formidable past. The anime reveals that the gentle café owner was once a legendary fighter, and his choice to leave that life behind is depicted not as a loss of ability but as a deliberate decision to value peace, wisdom, and the success of others over his own past glory. This layered history makes him a stabilizing presence in Getbackers, an elder figure who has earned his calm and who now quietly watches over the next generation from behind the counter of the Honky Tonk.
Cast