This page describes the Ryoma Nagare seen in the original manga franchise Getter Robo Saga. For other versions of the character, see: Ryoma Nagare (Disambiguation).
| Ryoma Nagare (Manga) | |
|---|---|
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| Vital statistics | |
| Title | Ryoma Nagare |
| Japanese Name | 流竜馬 |
| Gender | Male |
| Race | Human |
| Affiliation | Saotome Institute |
| Voice Actor(s) | Hideo Ishikawa (Getter Robot Arc) |
| Status | Absorbed by Getter Energy |
Ryoma Nagare (流竜馬 Nagare Ryōma) is one of the main characters of the Getter Robo manga and a few of its sequels as the pilot of the flight mode of the Getter robots. In Getter Robo Go, he returned as a supporting character in the wake of the Dinosaur Empire. He is the inheritor of a pragmatic style of karate used by his late father Ichigan Nagare and has been one of the few people that became closely tied with the Getter Rays.
Appearance[]
In his initial appearance, Ryoma was a lean and athletic teenager with messy black hair that went down his neck and extended at the front. His pilot suit featured a white helmet with red outlines and a clear visor, the suit was colored a light blue with dark blue outlines and featured a green scarf. In Getter Robo Go, he has grown taller with a much more defined build while his clothing resembles a torn black karate gi with bandages covering his limbs.
Personality[]
Ryoma is a hot blooded young man eager for a good fight even in the face of a powerful adversary. He possesses a compassionate but vengeful attitude to take on people who wronged someone such as fighting off a martial arts association for demolishing his father's dojo or going against the Dinosaur Empire for their inhumane experiments. Ryoma became rather close with his teammates despite having some disagreements with Hayato and mourned for Musashi when he sacrificed himself.
After viewing the power and dangers of Getter Rays from a possible future, Ryoma began to have doubts about this source of power especially after many of his friends were killed in an accident with the Shin Getter Robo. However he is willing to acknowledge when the power is needed and is ironically one of the people Getter Rays favor.
Abilities and Equipment[]
Ryoma was trained in his father's pragmatic style of karate from an early age and is quite powerful in combat, able to wound and injure enemies that have a more powerful constitution than a regular human with his fists alone. Even when he lost use of a tendon, he is able to defeat three armed thugs and was even able to defeat an entire squad of mounted soldiers. This combined with his strong fighting spirit impressed many including Dr. Saotome and even the Getter Rays themselves. As a pilot, Ryoma's skills are only matched by his teammates piloting any of the Getter robots to their fullest potential after only a few times piloting the controls. In terms of weaponry, he carries a small but powerful hand gun designed by Dr. Shikishima that holds the power of a missile.
History[]
Getter Robo[]
Recruitment[]
Ryoma crashed a karate tournament after the final fights were over and attacked the other competitors to showcase his father's karate style after his dojo was destroyed and knocked out the man responsible for the destruction the dojo. However after returning home he feels empty now that his task was complete before he was attacked by three thugs sent to test him. While he lost a tendon from a thrown knife, he managed to kill all three of them despite this injury. Dr. Saotome approached him and proclaimed he was the person he was looking for. Ryoma did not understand and passed out from exhaustion and pain when the knife in his shoulder was removed. On the way to the Saotome Institute the car was attacked by a flying Mechasaurus from the Dinosaur Empire. Ryoma regains consciousness in time for Dr. Saotome to get him to jump out.
At some point Ryoma passed out again. He later woke up in a room where he met Dr. Saotome's daughter Michiru Saotome who told him about her father and to get dressed since his clothes were removed to treat his wounds. Ryoma sees the robots around the Institute before Michiru shows him to her father and her older brother Tatsuhito Saotome who would serve as Ryoma's instructor. But before the doctor could leave, Ryoma demanded an explanation. Dr. Saotome only replied that he wouldn't understand anything as of yet before he got an emergency call about newts raining down on the Institute. While Tatsuhito held off some newts, Ryoma escaped with Dr. Saotome and Michiru while avoiding more newts. Dr. Saotome then showed the room with the incomplete Getter Robo before giving Ryoma a flamethrower to ward off the newts. When a brainwashed Tatsuhito appeared, Ryoma was reluctant to fight back especially when Michiru cried out for her brother but as Ryoma was attacked Dr. Saotome burned the newts and their mind controlled victims. As Dr. Saotome explained the situation he showed Ryoma the skeleton of a humanoid dinosaur that was found in the sight of an airplane crash. As the doctor kept explaining, Ryoma was still skeptical until a pterodactyl attacked the outside and Ryoma was guided to use the Getter Robo to escape the carnage and kill one of the Mechasaurus with Ryoma feeling the rush of power of the Getter Robo. Landing Ryoma watched the argument between Dr. Saotome and Michiru over Tatsuhito's death while noticing that the doctor was crying on the inside.
Recruiting Other Pilots[]
Ryoma was sent to the school house where the young terrorist Hayato Jin was attending. Coming to the school house after seeing a couple of Hayato's thugs, Ryoma fights his way inside before meeting Hayato face-to-face. Taking out a couple underlings, Ryoma asks him to come along quietly for the recruitment. Hayato attacks him but Ryoma fights back until one of Hayato's underlings comes out with an arm eaten by Dinosaur Empire Reptiloids. Ryoma applauds Hayato for being able to fight back against them but comes in to help when they start to be a problem due to their regeneration abilities. Ryoma manages to take them out and notices Hayato spooked by the outcome. When Ryoma tells him to come along, Hayato reveals a hidden one in a pile of rubble by ramming a pipe into it. As the Reptiloid pilots the Mechasaurus outside, Ryoma takes Hayato outside to pilot the Getter Robo that arrived with Dr. Saotome.
Ryoma straps Hayato in the Jaguar jet and later gets inside his Eagle jet. As it was about to launch, the Mechasaurus attacked the truck the jet was on but Ryoma manages to get in the air in time. As the Mechasaurus launches missiles, Ryoma manages to get away from much of the chaos and later combine with the other jets to form the Getter Robo and destroy the main body of the Mechasaurus while the head escapes. Ryoma chases after it using the Getter Robo's flight capabilities before noticing that Hayato and Dr. Saotome are not in a good condition. But before he can back up his arguments, Ryoma has the Getter dive into the ocean where prehistoric life is flourishing and the submarine fortress of Emperor Gore is there as well.
When Emperor Gore introduces himself and the history of his race, Ryoma has the Getter tear off some of the submarine's teeth. Before anything else could be done, a Mechasaurus was unleashed to combat the Getter. Before any major damage could be done, Ryoma and the others separated the Getter before reforming into Getter-2 and forming Getter-1 again to finish it off with the Getter Beam. Emperor Gore retreats and the Getter Team heads back to the lab.
With sighting of mysterious plant life and ape men on Mt. Daisetsu, the Getter Team prepares to sortie when maintenance is under way. Ryoma however goes alone on his insistance. He found the extinct volcano in the region has become active again with a base inside. When trying to get a closer look, he was attacked by a Mechasaurus and knocked down. Trying to escape the Empire's flying soldiers, Ryoma encounters more of the ape men as well as a judoka his age named Musashi Tomoe and helped fight off the soldiers with the ape men. As Musashi patched up Ryoma's injured arm and helped fix up his Getter Machine, they conversed how Musashi was able to lead the ape men by showing superior skill and intellect. They later witness the Japanese Self-Defence Force get taken down by a Mechasaurus.
The other Getter Machines arrive and Ryoma is having a hard time piloting his because of his injury so Musashi helps out with the controls. With the Getter Machines forming the Getter Robo, the Getter Team fights the Mechasaurus Doba. Ryoma manages to defeat Doba by ripping off the the head after releasing his unit from the main body and crushing the body. But the tails were still active and the Mechasaurus Giro and Bull showed up to make matters worse. With Getter-1 at a disadvantage, the Getter Robo changed to Getter-3 to fight back destroying the Bull and the Getter-2 to defeat Giro. The Giro was detonated to destroy the Getter but it dove underground to the base. With Captain Danba present, he showed the Getter Team the lab where humans were experimented on. Ryoma was reluctant to fight for it would likely kill some of people. Dr. Saotome instructed Hayato to use the Rocket Drill attack but before anything else could be done, Gore destroyed the base to prevent the Getter Team from getting data on their experiments. Ryoma could only curse the Dinosaur Empire as the Getter escaped.
Ryoma observes Musashi's progress in attempting to pilot the Getter Robo and notices that he doesn't meet the minimum qualifications. Despite Musashi's constant pleas, Ryoma refuses to allow Musashi to join the Getter Team as there was more to it than just bravado. He was surprised when Musashi hijacked the Bear unit during a Mechasaurus attack. When the Mechasaurus proved to be more powerful as it could absorb Getter Energy, Ryoma comes up with the idea to overload it by charging it by releasing Getter Energy all at once inside the jellyfish body. Before Ryoma passed out, he fired the Getter Beam to make the jellyfish disintegrate from overload. Musashi managed to get the rest of the team to safety as he did not pass out. Ryoma compliments Musashi but also makes fun of him for not having much smarts. But Musashi brushes it off saying his time to shine will come.
Chiryu Clan[]
With Musashi singing in the night, Ryoma tells him to be quiet. When Musashi goes out to the bathroom, Ryoma speaks with Hayato about how Musashi might disrupt their teamwork, Hayato tells him to worry about himself more than others as his concern might disrupt their teamwork. Ryoma goes back to bed a bit insulted. When the Chiryu Clan attacks, Musashi sounds the alarm which wakes up Ryoma and Hayato. Before Garo can kill a wounded Musashi, Ryoma strikes him down and snaps his neck. With Musashi wounded, Ryoma strives to hunt the rest of them down. He and Hayato visit Dr. Shikishima for weapons, Ryoma teases the scientist until picking up a modified revolver magnum.
Before the Chiryu Clan could break through the last emergency panel, Ryoma blasted one of them with a cannon. With another shot he killed another, and when another was about to attack him, Ryoma used the revolver that broke through his body with multiple bullets. Ryoma was grateful towards Dr. Shikishima but was a little creeped out by his hobby of observing dead enemies and asking for a picture. When the Chiryu was still functioning, Ryoma and Shikishima were ready to shoot him dead in spite of Shikishima being taken hostage. When Shikishima made requests for his death, the soldier broke away and Ryoma shot him dead. Ryoma was weirded out when he found out Shikishima wasn't bluffing.
With a Mechasaurus approaching, Ryoma is worried that they can't win as no one to pilot the Bear Unit is in top condition and tells everyone else to get to the underground shelter. Musashi was determined to fight in spite of his condition but Ryoma and the others just removed his pilot suit. By the time the Mechasaurus attacked, Ryoma asked everyone to get to the shelter. Ryoma asks Dr. Shikishima to get to the shelter as he loaded bombs onto the Eagle unit. Ryoma plans to go in on a suicide mission to take out the Mechasaurus, Dr. Shikishima delights in this plan and Hayato comes in with the same plan, Musashi also comes in wearing armor ready to fight. Ryoma allows him to fight since there's no time left while telling Musashi not to die in the middle of the battle. Launching the Getter Machines, the Getter Team combines to form Getter-1 as the lab collapsed around them. Getter-1 manages to rise from the rubble and fight the Mechasaurus. After a Getter Change, the Getter Team is in danger when Musashi's injuries are starting to surface but the others manage to fight back by recovering Musashi and changing to Getter-2 and destroyed the Mechasaurus.
Battles and Capture[]
Later, Ryoma is at a meal with Musashi, Genki, and Michiru. After being teased by Musashi, Ryoma left. A Mechasaurus was on the attack and the Getter Team deployed. As they traveled inside a cloud, a lightning storm caused by the Moba appeared and when trying to combine the pilots were knocked off course. Ryoma ended up in the ruins of a town where he met surviving elementary schoolers that wanted to avenge their fallen friends and family. Seeing the mobile base, Ryoma figures out how they manage to collect so much energy. But when he tells the kids they had to remain behind as they only had dynamite, they didn't listen and ran ahead. Ryoma tries to get back to the Eagle unit but it was already being piloted. When one of the boys Masaru was going in for a suicide approach, Ryoma was delighted to see that Hayato rescued him. Hayato informed him that Musashi was piloting the Eagle and that the other machines were ready to go. The twisters caused by the machine almost caught the Getter Team but by riding the winds, they managed to combine and take out the spinning turbines and later fight the Moba. However the Moba's electric attacks begin to overwhelm the Getter and it looked like the end until Sho appeared throwing dynamite at the Mechasaurus. By using a box full of dynamite, the mobile base takes major damage, Ryoma manages to save Sho before he's caught in the explosion. When one of Moba's heads attack, is unable to avoid due to shards from the windshield penetrating his face. Without much energy or focus, Ryoma disengages from the rest of the Getter to chance his survival while his friends escape from the explosion.
Ryoma's body wasn't found on site and everyone assumed he was dead. However, he was actually captured by the Hyakki Empire and lost his memories from the explosion. This allowed the empire to experiment and treat him as a soldier. When Hayato and Dr. Saotome were driving to a conference a bandaged and amnesic Ryoma went in front of the car and tussled with Hayato until Dr. Saotome called out his name which caused Ryoma a headache and ran when an approaching car came and dropped medicine from Y City. Back at the city hospital as Ryoma was regaining his memories the head doctor restrained him and had him prepped for surgery to make him into an Oni.
However before the operation could begin, Hayato and Musashi were at the hospital and a Mechasaurus attacked. As the experimented townspeople were controlled by the head doctor and Hayato came to find him, Ryoma woke up and attacked the head doctor. Ryoma carried Hayato out and met Musashi and called out to him. But Ryoma still couldn't recall anything but went with Hayato and Musashi back to the Institute.
Recovery and Loss of a Friend[]
After Ryoma is brought back, a doctor examines him but tells the other that only time can produce results. Ryoma is left unable to pilot the Getter with his memories gone. As the fleet of Mechasaurus comes in, Ryoma steps outside to confront them to regain his memories. As missiles are fired at him and are stopped by Hayato, he begins to regain some of his memories and remains outside when the attack continues. Michiru goes in to help him as he was about to be hit by missiles and did not regain some of his memories. Ryoma then watches as Musashi launches the Getter Machines and he begins to regain some of his memories. He later watches as Musashi removes the Getter Energy tank from the Getter Robo which causes the Getter to explode and destroy the Mechasaurus army. Ryoma calls out Musashi's name in agony as he picks up Musashi's armor.
With the destruction of the Getter, Ryoma plays his role in a plan by Dr. Saotome to avenge Musashi. Ryoma pilots the new Getter Robo G with Hayato to fight Emperor Gore's Mechasaurus. Using some illusions to cover the Getter G, they reveal themselves to Gore and pursue him as he tries to escape. At the ocean, they notice that the Mechasaurus navy fleet was destroyed by a Hyakki Beast. With Gore's empire abandoning him as the Hyakki Empire attacked, Gore resolves to fight Getter to the finish but is sucker punched by the Hyakki Beast.
Getter Robo G[]
Hayato's Capture[]
With Gore dead, Ryoma reads an article about attacks on a bank while watching the new Saotome Institute's recruit Benkei Kurama pilot the Getter Poseidon. When Hayato was captured by his former gang, Ryoma goes to question a gang member at a diner. When Yasuda was revealed to be an Oni, Ryoma chased him with a dart gun that shot out projectiles that slowed Yasuda down and interrogated Yasuda along with his capabilities. When Ryuji came to personally fight the Getter, Ryoma and Benkei went out in the Getter to fight. The gang members quickly attacked and assumed the form of Maoki. When Ryuji accepted Hayato's challenge by piloting the Getter, he and the rest of Devil King was forcibly controlled to attack. Hayato boarded the Liger unit and used the Getter Liger's speed to break the control over the rest of Devil King's body by isolating the main unit that was Ryuji. After changing to the Getter Dragon and taking damage, the Getter Team manage to win by destroying Maoki's head.
Burai's Schemes[]
Ryoma and Benkei are left to watch the Saotome Lab while the Saotome family and Hayato go out. When they were under attack, Ryoma was unable to contact the others due to the communications being disrupted by a Hyakki Beast. Ryoma and Benkei manage to destroy it and get to the building in time. When Ryoma was ready to rescue Hayato and the Saotome family, another Hyakki Beast called Kyojyuki appeared. When Ryoma tried to combine with the others, he was attacked by Jyuboki but as he was getting strangled, Ryoma used a windshield shard to pierce Jyuboki's eye before having the Dragon unit change into the head and kill Jyuboki. Ryoma combines with the others to form the Dragon formation and destroy the Hyakki Beast.
Ryoma heard about a mountain village that came under a biological contaminant and was dispatched to investigate. Seeing some armed goons armed with flamethrowers about to kill a kid, Ryoma shot them with his handgun. Before he could take the victim to a hospital, the Hyakki Empire Fortress Jeronigan appeared and Ryoma contacted the Institute as it released a Hyakki Beast. By the time Hayato and Benkei arrived, the Getter easily destroyed the Hyakki Beast. Ryoma was put in stasis to be treated after being in contact with the boy he found to prevent himself from being infected by the epidemic. By the time he woke up and saw the dead boy, Ryoma was ready to fight back and prevent the Empire from getting their hands on it. The Getter team fights against the Hyakki Beast who were trying to claim the disease and later Hidler and the Jeronigan crew. Ryoma refused to believe it when Hidler revealed that the disease was made by a human country and could only curse when he found out they were telling the truth.
Later when the Hyakki Empire launched the suicide Hyakki Beast called the Kyoraiki at the Saotome Institute, Ryoma and Hayato launched their Getter Machines to take out the Hyakki Beast by getting impaled and destroying the body controlling the missile while sacrificing the Liger unit.
Atlantis and Final Battle[]
Ryoma goes with Michiru to a movie after winning a draw but on the way a truck is being attacked by the Oni soldiers. After the Empire is dealt with, Ryoma speaks with an assistant scientist about a robot head to a machine called Uzahra. Bringing the assistant and the robot head to the lab, Ryoma and the others heard the story about a discovery of Atlantis and that Uzahra came from there. They also learned that the Hyakki Empire has taken control of Atlantis and Uzahra had to be destroyed to prevent the Hyakki Empire from getting their hands on it.
As Hyakki Beasts controlled by the Three Ghouls appeared, the Getter team confronted them and fought. Uzahra began to move on its own as the Getter was pinned down. As Gohonki closed in with its saw blade, the Dragon formation hit it with a Getter Beam while the other machines moved out of the way destroying the Hyakki Beast and pilot. As Ipponki moved in for revenge, Nihonki was destroyed by Uzahra's head. The head then combined with its body and destroyed Ipponki as he attacked to avenge his brothers. As Ryoma armed the Getter, Uzahra attacked. The battle looked hopeless but Ryoma refused to give in. Humanoids appeared on Uzahra and spoke to him about why he continues to fight a one-sided battle. Uzahra asked again and Ryoma would reply he would fight knowing the threat Uzahra could bring that he would fight to the finish. Ryoma and the rest of the Getter team continued to fight in spite of warnings from Dr. Saotome. The Getter was unable to fight in the invasion of the Hyakki Empire after being dragged off by Uzahra.
Ryoma woke up inside Uzahra where he spoke again with the Atlantean from the last encounter. He learned what happened on Atlantis, why it sank, and why Uzahra was created. Ryoma apologizes to the Atlanteans and follows them into a room where Hayato and Benkei are restrained and they explain that the Atlanteans plan to transplant their brains into the Getter Teams bodies. When the Getter Team were about to damage themselves to prevent their bodies from being taken, Hyakki enforcers appeared to attack Uzahra. Before they could finish off the Getter Team's captors, Ryoma attacked one of them while the other was dealt with by Hayato. As Uzahra was under attack, the Getter team got back on the Getter Robo G to fight the Hyakki Beast outside.
With the Getter repaired, the Getter Team fights back against the Hyakki Beasts and the entire empire with the Getter and Uzahra, rescuing their comrades at the basement of the Saotome Institute. The Getter Team manage to free the hostages the empire gathered and took the battle to outer space. The Getter begins to thrash its way about the base before being confronted by Raoki piloted by Gura. The Getter has a tough time fighting it for the heat and radiation it is giving off and is later restrained. Ryoma manages to blast the Raoki out into space and free itself before the Hyakki Beast self-destructs. With the Getter energized by the direct sunlight, Ryoma has the Getter unleash the Shine Spark that destroys the Empire's base before asking Uzahra to take the remains of the empire into space and bidding the robotic dragon farewell.
Shin Getter Robo[]
Some time after the battle with the Hyakki Empire, Ryoma and the rest of the the Getter Team returns to the Saotome Institute that was attacked by stragglers of the Dinosaur Empire using the Getter Robo G. Using an original model Getter Robo, the Getter Team manages to defeat them due to their better experience. But the Getter Team's troubles only started to get worse when the Getter and Getter G were out for tests, a meteor came down from the sky. When the Getter robots confronted it however, it was revealed to actually be a revived Emperor Burai. With the Getter team struggling the new Getter, Shin Getter Robo was released to fight and overwhelmed Burai who told the Getter Team that he was revived by forces that bore a grudge against the Getter. This new enemy appeared to fight the Getter during an experiment with the Getter Dragon. Ryoma could only mourn the loss of Benkei as he was consummed by the Getter Rays as he dove into the Earth with the Getter Dragon especially when seeing Dr. Saotome become obsessed with the outcome.
Later Ryoma is put in the Shin Getter as an experiment to test its speed. Ryoma pushes the Getter to its limits but is transported to an apocalyptic future where Getter Robos lead by Getter Emperor ravage the universe. When Ryoma wakes up he is in the Getter with the others saying he passed out. But memories of the event were still in his mind making Ryoma doubt the Getter Rays and the Getter Robo. Before he could think further though, the mysterious enemy from before attacked again going after the evolving Getter Dragon as it was encased in a cocoon of Getter Energy. Ryoma and Hayato went after them and managed to push them back with the power of the Shin Getter Robo G. But even though the battle was won, the Saotome Institute was later overwhelmed by Getter Ray radiation with everyone being wiped out. Only Ryoma and Hayato survived.
Time Skip[]
After the Saotome Institute incident, Ryoma severed ties with Hayato and the Getter and founded a dojo in the mountains that taught Nagare-ryu Karate. At some point, he had a relationship with a woman who joined his dojo and had a son named Takuma Nagare.
Getter Robo Go[]
For several years, Ryoma remained in his dojo while trying to distance himself from anything related to the Getter. A new Getter pilot named Go Ichimonji appeared at his dojo with his team along with the young religious leader Tahir having been sent by Hayato to pilot the Shin Getter Robo with the Dinosaur Empire's resurfacing. Ryoma declined with his fists still remembering the events that took his friends away because of the Getter. But when the Dinosaur Empire attacked and when Go put up a fight with him, Ryoma changed his mind and decided to pilot the Shin Getter as it was about to be attacked. After everyone except Go, Tahir, and Ryoma lost their sanity due to the exposure to Getter Rays Ryoma witnessed Go attempt to destroy the Shin Getter. Ryoma convinced him not to go through with it as the Dinosaur Empire was still present, even though he as well wanted to stop the Getter from advancing. With the Dinosaur Empire throwing everything it had at the Saotome Institute, Ryoma piloted the Shin Bear Unit for a final battle. With the Dinosaur Empire's forces wiped out, Ryoma along with the other two plunge the Shin Getter onto Mars' surface melting its polar ice caps while sacrificing their lives.
Getter Robo Arc[]
After Ryoma's death and sacrifice, he is seen within the Getter Rays through Takuma's vision in space before returning to his time.
Gallery[]
