Joe Thax, alternately known as Joe Asakura across adaptations, operates as second-in-command of a tactical unit battling alien android forces. His traumatic childhood—marked by witnessing his parents’ assassination by their adversaries—drives an unrelenting quest for vengeance. Rescued by a guardian who concealed his survival through a staged death, he was rigorously trained into a formidable fighter shielded from further retaliation.

Impulsive and tactically aggressive, he frequently clashes with the team’s cautious leader, their strategic disagreements underscoring a tense yet unshakable loyalty. A pivotal revelation reshapes his worldview: his parents, once members of the enemy organization, were killed for attempting defection. This discovery tempers his vengeful resolve, fostering empathy toward those bound to the antagonist faction by blood or circumstance.

Critical narrative elements include an explosive device implanted near his heart by foes, later surgically removed—a departure from source material where the device influenced pivotal events. Proficient in high-stakes vehicular combat, particularly racing scenarios, he navigates missions complicated by fraught romantic ties to female adversaries.

Adaptation adjustments minimize his cybernetic modifications to distance him from purely mechanical beings. Backstory inconsistencies emerge around a key antagonist initially presented as male, later revealed as a brainwashed woman artificially aged and manipulated by the central villain—a narrative shift stemming from editorial revisions to obscure source material’s violent complexities, altering flashbacks and climactic confrontations.