Kusama Daisaku: The main focus of the show; son of a scientist who apparently defected to the Experts from Big Fire. Only 12-years-old, he came to control Giant Robo when his father died. His father gave him Robo to fight against Big Fire and Daisaku tries to do so to the best of his ability by aiding the IPO. His father was killed by Big Fire when he tried to wrest Giant Robo from them, leaving Daisaku to finish the battle.
The master of Giant Robo, Daisaku is considered one of the most (if not THE most) important operatives of IPO and, consequently, a prime target for Big Fire. That rather unwanted status has caused the death of many an agent who tried to save him, something that Tetsugyu finds difficult to accept. The only son of Giant Robo's creator, Daisaku lost his parents when they were killed by Big Fire after his father discovered the true purpose of his creation. This tragedy slightly traumatized Daisaku, to the point that he now considers "Robo" to be his only family. However, with time, Ginrei, Taiso and the others start to take an increasingly important place in his life, giving him the human relationships he misses so much. Idealistic to the point of self-sacrifice, Daisaku is also a fervent defender of the Shizuma drive, which he sees as Humanity's savior. Daisaku has no special powers, but since he controls Giant Robo, he does not really need any.
Schtick:Controls Robo; what more of a gimmick does a
boy need? Wears Western clothes, sort of a British schoolboy's summer
uniform.
Ginrei: The main (okay, almost the only) female character. Kind of a big sister to Daisaku, tends to spend a lot of time protecting him, either from Tetsugyu (see below) or Big Fire (see further below). Connected with the Tragedy of Bashtarlle ten years ago, which almost destroyed human civilization--possibly a relationship with the man believed responsible. She is a survivor of the Tragedy, having saved herself by teleporting away. She is the daughter of Franken von Fogler, who was thought to have died at the tragedy of Bashtarlle, and sister to Genya. She managed to escape the tragedy along with one of the assistants to the five scientists developing the new power source by means her ability to teleport. However, the cost of using her power is that it shortens her life.
Ginrei is one of the IPO's best agents. At 18, she has completed many missions and is one of the operatives directly in charge of the Shizuma Drive Incidents operations. This involvement is twofold: first, she wants to rid the world of the evil of Big Fire and its thread; second, she wants to make sure that whatever happens, the tragedy of Bashydalle will never be repeated. She also feels responsible for that incident, as it was her father who provoked it. She likes Daisaku a lot and treats him like a little brother, to Tetsugyu's despair. The attitude of both the big ox and Taiso displease her, but she is ready to concede that they are good at what they do. Based in Beijing, where the IPO has one of its main branches, Ginrei is known as an ace marksman and uses handguns with the practiced efficiency of a professional. Big Fire, who sees her as one of their principal nuisances to their plans, does not seem to know that she and "Iron Mask" (whom we see at the beginning of Episode One) are the same person, giving her a great flexibility in her missions. Beautiful and very intelligent, she loves to tease men, especially the young and impressionable ones.
Schtick: Your basic Female in Short Dress with Big Gun character. Her power is teleportation, which is incredibly rare. However, she uses it only in the most extreme cases; it has adverse effects on her health and can kill her if overused.
Go-Gakujin: The brains of the outfit, a scientist who's normally pretty calm except when it comes to the Shizuma Drive--then he tends to get rather upset. The Chief's right-hand man, not as much of a field agent as the others. Previously an assistant along with Genya to the five scientists at Bashtarlle, he is one of the few survivors of the tragedy and was left to believe that both Genya and Dr. Franken von Fogler died when the experiment went wrong. The memory of that tragedy haunts him throughout the story as he tries to figure out and come to terms with what really happened 10 years ago. As an expert of the IPO he serves as their primary expert on the Shizuma technology
Also known as Go-sensei by his friends, he is one of the IPO's greatest scientists and chief scientist of the Beijing Branch. Although his calm and demure manners are that of a medieval courtier of imperial China, one should not be fooled. He is a master in the "Tessensu" ("Iron Fan") martial art and fights with consumate skill. He knows professor Shizuma and is a great admirer of his work. After Shizuma's death, Go-sensei tries to find a solution to stop Big Fire, but up to now, his research has not been successful.
Schtick: Only weapon seems to be fans, BIG ones. Can be recognized by his green robes, his hair, and the fact that he almost never opens his damn eyes (which may be an anime shorthand for Chinese characters--see also Yakumo from 3x3 Eyes).
Taisou: He's basically everyone's hero, even though he acts like quite a rogue at times. Father-figure for Daisaku; brother-figure to Tetsugyu. Also husband to Youshi Blue Face. Dies in 4 in a duel with Alberto.
A master of the "Funshaken" ("Jet Fist") and the most powerful Expert of the IPO, Taisou is the typical hero/big brother every 12 year old kid needs to set him straight in life. He could also be considered a party animal, but that wild streak is tempered by his wisdom. He is a man of honor, who will never let you down, whatever happens. He is rarely seen without a gourd (full of sake, his favorite drink), which helps him to summon his power and serves as a communication device. His special power lets him run at fantastic speeds, enhancing his martial arts skills. Taiso is Lord Alberto's ultimate nemesis. They both fight with extreme ferocity in Episodes One and Four of Giant Robo. Alberto wins, but Taiso managed to buy the necessary time for the IPO to more or less succeed in their mission. Unfortunately, Taiso dies in the process.
A strong sailor type, he joined the IPO when he was 12 like Tetsugyu did. He is one of the most powerful members of the organization, with the exception of their Chief. It is he who caused Prince Albert of Impact to lose an eye and has earned his enmity because of that. He serves as source of strength, wisdom, and a sense of what is right to do for both Tetsugyu and Daisaku. He also provides some important insights into his enemy.
Schtick: Possibly the most powerful person in the group. He seems to generate something akin to an electric field, as he uses his body as a power generator at one point. Always carries a gourd of something with him. Wears fairly traditional clothing.
Tetsugyu: Name is translated as 'Iron Ox', which is a nicely succinct description of the character: very big, very strong, and very stubborn. He worships Taisou; there's an indication that the two grew up together. This would explain why he calls Taisou 'aniki' (brother). Tetsugyu also has a fairly obvious crush on Ginrei. Tetsugyu is like a younger brother to Taisou and at first he resents Daisaku. He grows very fond of Daisaku and tries to lead by example showing that no amount of personal pain should be a reason to give in. He usually wields a pair of battle axes attached to long chains (of about any length he wishes them to be).
Taiso's best friend and very nearly (Taiso is stronger) the strongest Expert of the IPO, Tetsugyu was recruited at the age of twelve and has been fighting crime ever since. He is not an intellectual and would rather bash his way through a problem than think about it. His enthusiasm for combat is without limit and he is a master of "Kiko Senpu" ("Spiritual Force Hurricane"), which he uses for his favorite attack, "Black Whirlwind". Tetsugyu is very much in love with Ginrei, but she does not want to hear of him. His relation with Daisaku is rather tense because of Ginrei's attentions for the boy. Tetsugyu is very courageous, but he cries fiercely when he learns of Taiso's death.
Schtick: Incredible strength; only other weapon seems to be a pair of throwing axes on chains. Clothing similar to Taisou's.
Yoshi Blue Face: The only female in the show besides Ginrei; loud and brash, but obviously cares about her friends. Taisou's wife, she is strong and direct. She serves as a good counter for Taisou when he is too serious but in truth she has the same type of role in the story: She shares the blunt honesty and truth to do what is right, even at the cost of one's own life. She wields a staff that can be any length she wishes and cannot be broken. It is possible she died at the end of 4, while fighting Ko-Enshaku.
Schtick: Partnered in the field with Issei; she's often a foil for, or locus of, many of his spells. Her hand-to-hand weapon is a staff, which seems to be infinitely extendable, and has some sort of explosive device in the center.
Issei: A monk of some sort (from the costume and spells, I'd guess maybe Shinto, but I certainly could be wrong). Doesn't show much of his personality in the first couple of episodes. May have died at the end of 4 as well, thrown from the Greta Garbo after separating the two sections. This is not a given, however, as up to now he has shown remarkable resilience to things like being dropped on his head from great heights. He is frequently cast as Youshi's partner. He is a curious mix of Taoism and Buddhism and other odds and ends. Although he is capable of offensive tactics his role functions more as support in any attack. A master of illusion and disorientation, he can frequently lend his teammates the extra edge they need.
Schtick: Works with Yoshi, and is a heavy spellcaster--lots of wards, illusions, that sort of thing. Wears traditional clothing, and carries a sword.
Chief 'Silent' Chujo: The head of the Peking branch of the IPO. Possibly the calmest person in the entire show. Da boss. What more is there to say? The 45 year old director of the Beijing IPO branch, The Chief seems to be unflappable, whatever happens. He always seems to be in control of both himself and the situation. That is indeed a good thing, with Taiso and Tetsugyu hanging around. He is a good friend of Go-sensei, but tries to remain distant with the other Experts. Althrough he has not shown any special powers so far, it is suspected that he can pack quite a wallop! In Episode Four, he tries to help Go-sensei discover what exactly is going on with the Shizuma Drives. He is apparently the most powerful of their experts. So powerful that when he almost enters battle in episode one Go-sensei entreats him not to engage. What can he do that would cause Go-sensei to risk Ginrei, Daisaku, Dr. Shizuma and the third sample?
Schtick: Wears Western suits. It's implied in 2 that he has a power of some impressive magnitude, but it isn't shown off yet. Almost always has a pipe, and always has dark glasses.
Kenji Murasame: One of the Paris branch operatives, 27 year old Murasame was caught right in the middle of the Paris incident and decided to investigate all by himself. This is when he discovered both the underground base and the plans of Big Fire. He was also the one who witnessed the apparition of Prof. von Fogler on the Notre-Dame cathedral. Murasame is a lone wolf and it sees that this is a requirement for his special powers (which we have not yet seen, though). Always wearing a pink trenchcoat and hat, he seems to have the talent of concealing them in his disguises. As we can see in Episode Four of Giant Robo, Murasame was very probably badly hurt by the explosion of "the Eye". He appears in the Ginrei OVA, where he shows his exceptional talent for disguises. Daisaku likes him, even if he is rather prone to brooding.
His power is his curse. His friends and those he cares for die. He is forced to keep himself separate and can only serve as a sober lesson for people like Daisaku who have to come to terms with the results of this war they are engaged in. He has a special place in his heart for Ginrei as we find out and this causes him his final pain.
Schtick: He has a rather special power and in some ways is supposed to be able to rival Chujo. The basis for his power, however is not offensive. Kenji is immortal. He can not die.