Kankichi Ryotsu is the central figure and Chief Patrol Officer at a neighborhood police station. He possesses a distinctive middle-aged appearance: short, robust, with a crew-cut, thick body hair, visible stubble, and an iconic M-shaped unibrow. On duty, he wears the standard uniform but consistently rolls up his sleeves and opts for wooden geta sandals over regulation shoes, insisting they grant him exceptional running speed. Off-duty attire includes shirts with long pants, island shirts with shorts in summer, or sleeveless tops during physical labor. Born and raised in Asakusa, Tokyo, his youth involved mischievous acts like climbing factory smokestacks and hijacking a bascule bridge, fostering a negative local reputation. Hijacking that bridge caused a young police officer, later revealed as his future supervisor Ohara, to fall into the river. An arrest by Ohara for public drunkenness during unemployment is suggested as a catalyst for his joining the police force. His personality blends pronounced laziness and disinterest in routine duties—often sleeping, building models, or playing games on the job—with aggressive financial ambition rooted in an impoverished upbringing. This drives relentless, often illegal, money-making schemes capitalizing on trends or inventions, which invariably fail catastrophically, damaging property or the police force's reputation. Despite this, he holds deep knowledge of Japanese culture, excelling in Shogi, Beegoma, and Kendo, and demonstrates surprising expertise in contemporary pop culture, business trends, and technology, engaging in detailed discussions. He resides at the Niconico Hostel and commutes on a white bicycle named Chidori, frequently arriving late. Leisure pursuits include pachinko, gambling, video games, model building, and visiting cabaret clubs. Linguistically limited mostly to Japanese, he relies on multilingual colleagues for translation, though he occasionally uses basic English phrases. Family dynamics are complex. He shares a highly strained, combative relationship with his physically similar father, Ginji Ryotsu, due to their similar temperaments. His relationship with his mother, Yone Ryotsu, is comparatively better; she acts as a voice of reason and mediator. His younger brother, Kinjiro Ryotsu, contrasts sharply, exhibiting respectful behavior, above-average intelligence, business success, and a stable family life—achievements considered rare in the Ryotsu family. Interactions with police colleagues define his professional life. He shares a good-natured friendship with Keiichi Nakagawa, bonding over discussions juxtaposing his traditional Japanese views against Nakagawa's global outlook. Nakagawa frequently opposes Ryotsu's reckless schemes but provides material support via his family's corporation. Ryotsu maintains a cooperative working relationship with Reiko Katherine Akimoto, who offers female insights and language assistance; their interactions sometimes involve gender-based humor with mild sexual undertones. His defining dynamic is with supervisor Daijiro Ohara ("Bucho"). Their relationship is perpetually adversarial, marked by Ohara's furious reprimands ("Baka Mon!") for dereliction of duty and schemes. However, a deeper, almost father-son bond exists: Ohara genuinely cares for Ryotsu's discipline and potential, takes pride in his rare successes against crime, and has shown kindness, such as gifting the geta sandals early in Ryotsu's career after complaints about police shoes. Hayato Honda, a motorcycle officer, acts as a supportive underling and friend, often reluctantly aiding Ryotsu's plans and providing transportation. Notably, he exhibits superhuman physical capabilities—immense strength, tenacious stamina, and remarkable running speed—relied upon during chaotic situations despite his undisciplined lifestyle. A recurring personal detail is his birthday on March 3rd (Hinamatsuri or Girls' Festival), which he despises due to a perceived curse causing annual catastrophic mishaps stemming from a childhood incident mocking the celebration. His character appeared consistently throughout the entire original manga run, featured in nearly every chapter since its 1976 debut, spanning approximately 1,960 chapters and 200 volumes. This longevity included numerous crossover appearances in other Weekly Shōnen Jump series, notably a Dragon Ball Z crossover where he was reassigned to planet Namek, confronted Frieza over illegal spaceship parking, and demonstrated comical invulnerability to attacks, attributing it to being a "gag manga character".