Genichirō Ryū is the central protagonist of the story, a young Japanese boy who survives the catastrophic series of earthquakes and the eruption of Mount Fuji that devastate Japan in the early 21st century. The son of political figures who tragically perished while searching for him, Genichirō is separated from his family during the initial chaos and endures the immediate aftermath of the disaster by navigating the ravaged landscape with a rescued puppy and another survivor. After being presumed dead in a subsequent volcanic event, he reappears fifteen years later living in Taiwan, having been adopted by a Taiwanese couple after losing his memory due to the trauma he experienced.

As a person, Genichirō is defined by a profound sense of compassion and an unwavering commitment to non-violence and moral principle. He operates a noodle cart in a community where tensions are high between Taiwanese locals and Japanese refugees who fled the destruction of their homeland, a Japan now divided into northern and southern zones under Chinese and American governance respectively. His personality is marked by a resilient and indefatigable optimism, embodying the idea that even amidst catastrophe, there is hope. He is resourceful and possesses a strong sense of empathy, as shown in his youth when he shared scarce food and water with fellow survivors and encouraged them to care for one another.

Genichirō's primary motivation is to foster peaceful coexistence and to protect the vulnerable. He works to aid the Japanese refugee community in Taipei, which faces growing xenophobia from a segment of the Taiwanese populace, while simultaneously trying to prevent desperate Japanese refugees from resorting to terrorism. A pivotal event that galvanizes him into action is the murder of a Japanese woman and her child, whom he had personally helped by buying vegetables for them after a market trader refused them service. This tragedy drives him to help uncover a political conspiracy, backed by ultranationalist Taiwanese officials, designed to incite racial violence. Refusing to meet bigotry with violence, Genichiro organizes a silent protest march of tens of thousands of Japanese refugees as a powerful demonstration of peaceful resistance.

Throughout the story, Genichiro builds several key relationships that aid him in his quest. He befriends Chan, a Taiwanese gangster who undergoes a significant personal transformation through their association, and he is later joined by Ryoutarou Hata, also known as Yui Liao Ming, a police officer of Japanese descent who is grappling with his own hidden heritage. With their help, Genichiro eventually smuggles himself back to a fractured Japan to uncover the fate of his family, while fighting conspiracies that seek to prevent the reunification of the divided nation.

The character's development shows a progression from a traumatized, amnesiac survivor to a proactive and principled leader. Initially lying about his identity to avoid anti-Japanese hostility, he gradually regains his memories and ultimately chooses to confront the complex geopolitical and social conflicts directly. His arc concludes with a decision to return to the ruins of Japan, driven by a personal dedication to fostering reconciliation and helping rebuild amidst the enduring strife. While his specific abilities are not superhuman, Genichiro is exceptionally resourceful and possesses strong survival instincts. His most notable abilities, however, are his moral fortitude and his capacity for leadership, as seen when he organizes a massive, non-violent protest that successfully exposes a political conspiracy and averts further bloodshed. Although the broader conflicts of the world remain unresolved, his actions demonstrate the power of individual compassion and peaceful resolve in the face of overwhelming disaster and hatred. The story of Genichiro Ryu was originally presented in a long-running manga before being adapted into a two-episode anime television special.