Speed Racer / Gō Mifune (三船剛, Mifune Gō?)
* Voiced by: Katsuji Mori (Japanese), Peter Fernandez (English)
The focus character of both the anime and the manga is Speed Racer, originally Gō Mifune.[8] He is known for his love of racing and values his family. He drives the Mach 5 (as well as other cars, such as the Mach 6 in the movie) and always manages to wind up in extreme danger (such as encountering thugs, race fixers, gangs, etc.) with his younger brother or his girlfriend Trixie. Speed is shown to miss his older brother, Rex (secretly disguised as the Racer X) in both versions.
Casually, he wears a blue shirt with a yellow "G" (standing for his Japanese first name, Gō) that sports a white collar, a red racing bandanna around his neck, white pants, red socks, brown loafers and yellow gloves. He has a brown Elvis pompadour hairstyle. In racing, he sports a white open-face helmet with an M (representing Mifune Motors) flashed on top. On special occasions, Speed wears a red blazer with a yellow "G" embroidered on. This only happens in the anime. In the manga, he wears his standard outfit on special occasions. In the live action film, he wears a white leather racing jacket unzipped and over his classic outfit, and white pants. He wears his classic outfit (without the embroidered "G") in the first half of the Casa Cristo 5000. To strengthen character backstory between Speed and his older brother Rex, Speed's red socks were considered "lucky socks".
According to Peter Fernandez's introduction in the American release of the Mach GoGoGo manga, he wanted a name that everyone could remember. So he came up with Speed Racer, a name for both the main character and the actual series itself. In the 2008 film, he is portrayed by Emile Hirsch as an adult and Nicholas Elia as a child.
The American NOW comics adaptation states that Speed is only a nickname, and his actual forename was "Gregory", hence the prevalence of "G"'s on his clothing.
Spritle / Kurio Mifune (三船くりお, Mifune Kurio?) and Chim-Chim (三平, Sanpei?)
* Voiced by: Junko Hori, Hiroshi Ohtake (Japanese), Corinne Orr, Jack Grimes (English)
Speed Racer has a younger brother named Spritle, originally Kurio Mifune (三船くりお, Mifune Kurio?) and Chispita in the Latin American version who, along with his pet chimpanzee, who responded to the name of Chim-Chim in the American version,Sanpei (三平?) in the Japanese original, constantly got into mischief by hiding in the trunks of cars.[8]
Despite being children, they are delinquents. Their rebellious attitudes often lead them to trouble. Although they are this way, their mischief somehow often aids Speed away from danger. Oddly, Spritle and Chim-Chim dress in identical jumpsuits and striped hats and often perform identical physical actions. They both have an extreme appetite for candy and they are usually bribed with dessert or other presents by other characters, sometimes even by baddies. This occurs when Spritle and Chim-Chim refuse to do a favor at first. Spritle and Chim-Chim often use a slingshot to combat any threats that come to both themselves and/or Speed.
According to the Peter Fernandez's introduction in the American release of the Mach GoGoGo manga, Spritle got his name for him being an energetic "sprite". Chim-Chim got his name because he was considered a chimpanzee. In the live action film, they are portrayed faithfully like they were in both the anime and the manga. Spritle was portrayed by Paulie Litt in the film.
In the original Japanese release of the anime, Sanpei's sounds were realistic, sounding more like a monkey. In the American airing, when Jack Grimes provided the voice of Chim-Chim, Sanpei's sound-effects were also heard behind Grimes' re-recording, which explains why Chim-Chim has two "voices" in the American adaptation.
Pops Racer / Daisuke Mifune (三船大介, Mifune Daisuke?)
* Voiced by: Teiji Ōmiya (Japanese), Jack Curtis (English)
Speed's father, Pops, originally Daisuke Mifune (三船大介, Mifune Daisuke?) is a former wrestler-turned race car owner and builder.[8] Reluctantly quitting his job after feuding with a member of a corporate car manufacturing company who disapproved of the construction of a new engine for the Mach 5, he founded his own company, Mifune Motors (In the series' Americanization, the company was changed to Racer Motors). He is portrayed as a hothead who is overprotective of his family. His care for his family caused his eldest son, Rex (who would return as Racer X) to run away. In addition to Spritle and Chim-Chim, his attitude brings comic relief in the anime series and live action film. He wears an athletic red shirt and a beige mechanic's cap and is overweight. Despite his build, Pops is nearly unmatched in combat as he was once a champion heavyweight wrestler. His unique design skills have created very powerful engines for his cars, especially his (in the film) prized "Mach" Series, giving them the ability to travel at high speeds while at the same time sustaining maximum performance. He is portrayed by actor John Goodman in the 2008 film.
Mom Racer / Aya Mifune (三船アヤ, Mifune Aya?)
* Voiced by: Ryoko Kinomiya (Japanese), Corinne Orr (English)
Speed's mother, Mom, originally Aya Mifune (三船アヤ, Mifune Aya?) is a side character in the series. She rarely appears in the anime or manga, having limited dialogue.[8] In the live action film, however, she is portrayed as an encouraging, caring, parental figure by Susan Sarandon.
Racer X.
Racer X (The Masked Racer) (覆面レーサー, Fukumen Rēsā?)
* Voiced by: Kinya Aikawa (Japanese), Peter Fernandez (English)
A frequent recurring character, driving car number 9, the "Shooting Star," is the enigmatic Racer X (Fukumen Racer (覆面レーサー, Fukumen Rēsā?) in the Japanese version and El Corredor Enmascarado in the Latin American version). Racer X is a heroic, mysterious, flamboyant, selfless, sympathetic and often brooding soldier of fortune whose secret identity is that of Rex Racer (Ken'ichi Mifune (三船健一, Mifune Ken'ichi?) in Japan) Speed's older brother. Six years ago, Rex had a falling out with Pops after Rex wrecked a race car that Pops had built. Pops had told Rex prior to the race that Rex was not yet prepared to compete at the professional racing level. With less than one lap to go in his first major race, Rex was leading and cruising toward victory, but lost control of the car and wrecked it. Pops exploded with anger and berated Rex. In even more enraged response, Rex fled the family and exiled himself while vowing to become the world's greatest race car driver. It was at that time that Rex assumed the mysterious, Racer X identity, to pursue his racing career. In both Speed Racer X and in the 2008 movie, however, Rex is thought to have died in that accident. In the film, he is portrayed by two actors, Scott Porter as a younger Rex Racer, and Matthew Fox as the older Rex Racer and Racer X.
It was acknowledged by both Pops and Speed over the years that Racer X was the superior driver of the two, and the greatest driver that they had ever seen, but Speed always vowed to defeat Racer X as the two vigorously competed. In the anime, Speed was often suspicious of Racer X's identity and motives because Racer X would repeatedly, and inexplicably, sacrifice winning races to protect Speed from drivers and others who tried to harm him. The assistance from Racer X nearly always led to Speed winning races, while Racer X came in second place. Racer X always left the scene unnoticed, receding into his secret life. It was not until the episode "The Trick Race" that fans of the show finally got to see the face of Racer X. Early in the series, in the episode "Challenge of the Masked Racer," Speed had already begun to suspect that Racer X might, in fact, be his estranged older brother; this suspicion would be expressed by Speed in later episodes such as "Race Against The Mammoth Car."
[edit] Supporting characters
Trixie (志村ミチ, Shimura Michi?)
* Voiced by: Yoshiko Matsuo (later Michiko Nomura) (Japanese), Corinne Orr (English)
Originally Michi Shimura (志村ミチ, Shimura Michi?), Trixie is Speed's chaste girlfriend. The "M" adorning Trixie's blouse stands for Michi. Michi would often fly around in a helicopter during a race, advising Speed Racer via a radio link to the Mach 5, in effect acting as his spotter, a function she also serves in the live-action film during the Casa Cristo 5000. In the manga it is mentioned that her father is the president of Shimura Aviation, which explains why she owns her own helicopter. Further implying that she is a "rich girl", she can also be seen driving a Mercedes (in the anime; in the manga, it's a generic symbol not representing any car company). A recurring event, used to add comic relief in the anime, is when Trixie becomes jealous and arrogant if Speed is appalled or enthralled by another beautiful girl or when she is ignored or left alone. In the 2008 live action film, she is portrayed by actress Christina Ricci. She had a reddish brown bob cut with bangs in the Anime version her hair was dark brown.
Unlike most female characters in cartoons at that time, Trixie is not portrayed as a helpless perpetual victim in need of saving. Trixie often proves herself the equal of Speed when forced into physical altercations. While Trixie has been captured on occasion by the villains, she refuses to cower or plead for her release, more often giving the bad guy a serious tongue-lashing until she is either rescued or escapes on her own. On some occasions, Trixie has even been the one to rescue Speed or other male characters from their predicaments.
Casually Trixie wears a pink blouse with the aforementioned embroidered "M" on her left side. She also sports red pants. In racing events where she spots for Speed as his navigator, she dons a white long-sleeve shirt with pink overalls placed over it. The overalls also have the embroidered "M". In this situation, she also wears a pink cap with racing goggles placed over it. In special occasions, Trixie wears a blue hat and dress.
Sparky (サブ, Sabu?)
* Voiced by: Kei Tomiyama (Japanese), Jack Grimes (English)
Other regular characters included Sparky, whose full name in the movie and in Speed Racer: The Next Generation is Wilson Sparkolemew (in the manga and anime, he is only called Sparky), was originally named Sabu (サブ?) and is called Bujía in the Latin American version, the company mechanic, whose yellow shirt bears an "pid" that matches both his original Japanese name and the North American renaming.[8] both in the anime and manga as a quirky young man who is a best friend of Speed and knows everything about cars. In the live action movie, he is portrayed as older than Speed but is still his close friend, and still retains the quirkiness of the original character. He is portrayed by actor Kick Gurry in the live action film. He makes a cameo in Speed Racer: the Next Generation.
Car Acrobatic Team
The Car Acrobatic Team (or the Car Acrobats) is one of the original set of characters that appeared both in the manga and in the anime. The 16 racers' (automobiles numbered 11 through 26) uniforms are embroidered with a letter from the English alphabet. All of the cars in the team, except for number 11, look the same in appearance, with purple and black accents. The cars also act similarly in function. The cars sprout wings from both sides, making them capable of traversing large gaps and gorges. The most notable of the team are Captain Terror and Snake Oiler (the latter being a character exclusive to the anime). It should also be noted that the initials of the Car Acrobatic Team form the word, CAT, an agile and acrobatic animal.
Captain Terror is the leader of the Car Acrobatic Team, is shown as an arrogant racing car driver in the manga, sabotaging races for his own benefit. His arrogance gets the best of him, and he ends being humilated when his team member Snake Oiler got severely injured in an explosion after not heeding Speed's warning about his car leaking oil in the dangerous Alpine Race. He has a "Z" embroidered on his racing uniform, and has a face of skeletal features and a lone feather atop his helmet. He drives the number 11 car, the only car different in appearance to the rest of the Car Acrobatic team.
In the anime, Captain Terror's character exists, but his original attitude in the manga had formed a new character for the anime, Snake Oiler, a hothead racer, eager to win. Embroidered with an "S" on his uniform and tinted visor on his striped helmet, Snake Oiler drives the number 12 car, similar in appearance to the other cars in the Car Acrobatic Team. The role Captain Terror had in the manga was lifted on to the Snake Oiler character, therefore Captain Terror's role in the Alpine Race was replaced with Snake. Although Snake didn't exist in the original manga, he was more notable in the West due to his appearance in the anime.
In the live action movie, Snake has completely changed in appearance. He is no longer part of the Car Acrobatic Team as it never existed in the film's timeline. However, in homage to the Car Acrobatic Team, Snake is leader of his own racing team, named "Hydra-Cell". He wears large shades and sports a black pompadour. His racing uniform is made entirely of snake skin (complete with a yellow snake on his helmet) and his car is now completely orange. Despite the change in appearance, Snake's car number and attitude are still intact in the film. He is portrayed by Christian Oliver.
Captain Terror, one of his "Car Acrobat" team members, and their cars make a recent cameo in Speed Racer: The Next Generation during a flashback sequence.
Also iin Speed Racer: The Next Generation, Zile Zeisick was seen wearing a racing outfit similar to Captain Terror during the episodes Comet Run: part 1-3, thus leaving it to the imaginations of the fans that Zile is/was Captain Terror, and Stan, Zile's main henchman, noted that Speed Racer had raced against Zile's Racing Team back in the day.
[edit] Westernized appearance of characters
One distinct feature seen in Speed Racer is the Westernization of their characters' physical appearance and, to some extent, their mentality. This is partly due to Tatsuo Yoshida's affinity for the United States through portrayals of American life in numerous films. This use of Western appearance can somewhat be referred as mukokuseki (literally meaning, "stateless"), though the term relates to more abstract anime and is used for hyperbole in this case. In Speed Racer, the fair complexion and American attire can be seen as an example of mukokuseki, but it can take many unconventional forms.[9][page needed] This can be seen more readily in later anime in the fantasy and mecha genres, where characters are given more unusual traits like unusually colored hair (pink hair, blue hair etc.), enlarged eyes, and dysmorphic humanoid bodies (such as Tetsuo and the Espers in Akira). Reasons behind the presence of mukokuseki may be to diversify the character roster and distinguish between individuals, but it can have cultural implications.[9] Other aspects of physical appearance, such as disproportionally large eyes, are used to promote kawaii, or “cuteness”, as seen in many shōjo anime. It has even been implied that the large eyes could have its roots in early influences from older cartoon characters like Mickey Mouse and Felix the Cat.
Despite their Westernization, the series falls into the familiar manga-anime storyline, which is a form of Japanese expression.[10] Speed Racer embodies the typical manga characterization of a teenage boy with superior skills (in this case, racing skills) facing unreal adversity through a multitude of villains; this is seen more in mecha anime such as Mobile Suit Gundam and Neon Genesis Evangelion.[citation needed] Though always doing his best, he frequently receives a helping hand from his virtually superior brother (Racer X) when he falls short of his goals. This kind of continuing support can easily be identified in the episode “Challenge of the Masked Racer”. Another persistent manga component is the overreactions of many characters. The long, drawn out dialogues with no pauses are very distinct in Speed Racer, from Pops speaking his mind to Ace Deucey's thugs in "The Great Plan" to Racer X’s monologue of his thoughts to Speed after crashing in "Challenge of the Masked Racer."
