TV-Series
Description
Joe Shimamura, designated Cyborg 009, serves as the protagonist and field leader of the 00 Cyborgs. He is a young man of Japanese heritage, specifically half-Japanese, with his unknown father often speculated to have been a United States soldier stationed in post-World War II Japan. His early life is marked by tragedy and hardship. In the most widely recognized version of his backstory, Joe was orphaned at birth when his mother died on the steps of a Catholic church in Kanazawa, leaving him in the care of a priest. Growing up as a mixed-race orphan, he endured discrimination and loneliness, eventually becoming a delinquent youth who was shunned by his peers.
Joe’s transformation into a cyborg stems directly from this troubled past. After his mentor, the priest, was killed by the terrorist organization Black Ghost and Joe was wrongfully blamed for the murder, he was captured by the organization while fleeing from the police. Black Ghost subjected him to radical cybernetic conversion, intending to turn him into a weapon. As the final cyborg produced in the 00 series, Joe is considered the most advanced of the team, built with a combination of technologies that surpass his comrades. His identity is defined by his rejection of his origin as a weapon. After escaping Black Ghost with the help of the other cyborgs and the scientist Dr. Gilmore, Joe chose to dedicate himself to dismantling the organization that created him and protecting innocent people.
Personality-wise, Joe is characterized by a deep-seated compassion and a powerful sense of justice, which often manifest as a strong desire for redemption over lethal force. He loathes killing and believes wholeheartedly that even his enemies can be redeemed, frequently appealing to their conscience before engaging in combat. This idealism is rooted in his own suffering and a profound drive to protect others, perhaps as a reaction to the loss of his own family. This self-sacrificing nature can lead him to shoulder burdens alone, much to the concern of his teammates. While generally rational and calm, his focus on protecting everyone, including former enemies, can sometimes cause friction with his comrades when their personal stakes in a mission are high.
Within the team, Joe acts as the primary field leader and first line of attack. His key relationships are central to the series' emotional core. He shares a deep, romantic bond with Françoise Arnoul, Cyborg 003. This relationship is a cornerstone of his character, growing from camaraderie into a more explicit romance in the original manga, and developing into a deep, implied mutual reliance in animated adaptations. He also shares a vital mentorship and fatherly bond with their creator, Dr. Gilmore, and a unique connection with Ivan Whisky, the infant Cyborg 001, whose psychic powers often guide and support him. Together with the other cyborgs, who each come from different nations and backgrounds, Joe finds a new family, a found family that replaces the one he lost and reinforces his commitment to humanity.
Throughout the story, Joe undergoes significant character development. He begins as a reluctant hero, doubtful of his own abilities, but grows into a confident and decisive leader. He is forced to confront the ghosts of his past, including the truth about his mother and the death of the priest, gaining closure through these experiences. Later arcs see him grappling with the broader consequences of being a cyborg, including public distrust and the psychological weight of his role as a protector of mankind. Even when forced into hiding or facing immortal new enemies, his fundamental commitment to protecting humanity remains unshaken.
Joe Shimamura’s most iconic ability is his Acceleration Mode, triggered by biting down on a switch embedded in one of his back molars. This allows him to move and perceive the world at superhuman speeds, often portrayed as making everything around him appear frozen. However, this power has a severe limitation: touching a normal human while accelerated would injure or kill them due to the intense air friction. Beyond this signature power, his cyborg body grants a suite of formidable abilities. He possesses superhuman strength, durability, and agility, and can breathe underwater or in a vacuum for up to an hour thanks to internalized artificial lungs. His enhanced senses allow him to see in the dark, and his cybernetic brain enables him to instantly operate any vehicle and understand any human language. In some storylines, his psychic abilities are also awakened or amplified, granting him powers like teleportation.
Joe’s transformation into a cyborg stems directly from this troubled past. After his mentor, the priest, was killed by the terrorist organization Black Ghost and Joe was wrongfully blamed for the murder, he was captured by the organization while fleeing from the police. Black Ghost subjected him to radical cybernetic conversion, intending to turn him into a weapon. As the final cyborg produced in the 00 series, Joe is considered the most advanced of the team, built with a combination of technologies that surpass his comrades. His identity is defined by his rejection of his origin as a weapon. After escaping Black Ghost with the help of the other cyborgs and the scientist Dr. Gilmore, Joe chose to dedicate himself to dismantling the organization that created him and protecting innocent people.
Personality-wise, Joe is characterized by a deep-seated compassion and a powerful sense of justice, which often manifest as a strong desire for redemption over lethal force. He loathes killing and believes wholeheartedly that even his enemies can be redeemed, frequently appealing to their conscience before engaging in combat. This idealism is rooted in his own suffering and a profound drive to protect others, perhaps as a reaction to the loss of his own family. This self-sacrificing nature can lead him to shoulder burdens alone, much to the concern of his teammates. While generally rational and calm, his focus on protecting everyone, including former enemies, can sometimes cause friction with his comrades when their personal stakes in a mission are high.
Within the team, Joe acts as the primary field leader and first line of attack. His key relationships are central to the series' emotional core. He shares a deep, romantic bond with Françoise Arnoul, Cyborg 003. This relationship is a cornerstone of his character, growing from camaraderie into a more explicit romance in the original manga, and developing into a deep, implied mutual reliance in animated adaptations. He also shares a vital mentorship and fatherly bond with their creator, Dr. Gilmore, and a unique connection with Ivan Whisky, the infant Cyborg 001, whose psychic powers often guide and support him. Together with the other cyborgs, who each come from different nations and backgrounds, Joe finds a new family, a found family that replaces the one he lost and reinforces his commitment to humanity.
Throughout the story, Joe undergoes significant character development. He begins as a reluctant hero, doubtful of his own abilities, but grows into a confident and decisive leader. He is forced to confront the ghosts of his past, including the truth about his mother and the death of the priest, gaining closure through these experiences. Later arcs see him grappling with the broader consequences of being a cyborg, including public distrust and the psychological weight of his role as a protector of mankind. Even when forced into hiding or facing immortal new enemies, his fundamental commitment to protecting humanity remains unshaken.
Joe Shimamura’s most iconic ability is his Acceleration Mode, triggered by biting down on a switch embedded in one of his back molars. This allows him to move and perceive the world at superhuman speeds, often portrayed as making everything around him appear frozen. However, this power has a severe limitation: touching a normal human while accelerated would injure or kill them due to the intense air friction. Beyond this signature power, his cyborg body grants a suite of formidable abilities. He possesses superhuman strength, durability, and agility, and can breathe underwater or in a vacuum for up to an hour thanks to internalized artificial lungs. His enhanced senses allow him to see in the dark, and his cybernetic brain enables him to instantly operate any vehicle and understand any human language. In some storylines, his psychic abilities are also awakened or amplified, granting him powers like teleportation.