Eikichi Onizuka
The ex-gang member who becomes a teacher to lose his virginity, but ends up finding a conscience.
Eikichi Onizuka is the 22-year-old protagonist of the Great Teacher Onizuka manga series, written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa. A former leader of a bōsōzoku (biker gang), Onizuka decides to become a teacher after witnessing a teacher's power over a schoolgirl. He earns his teaching degree, just barely, at a third-rate college. Hired as a long-shot teacher at a privately operated middle school in Kichijōji, he is tasked with taming a class that has driven one teacher to a mysterious death, another to a nervous breakdown, and one other to quit and become a Buddhist monk. Onizuka uses unorthodox, illegal, and life-threatening methods to reach each student, teaching life lessons rather than routine schoolwork.
Quick Facts
- Role
- Protagonist; Homeroom Teacher
- First appearance
- Chapter 1; Episode 1
Lore & Background
Onizuka's philosophy is shaped by his hatred of the traditional education system, especially when other teachers and administrators have grown ignorant and condescending to students and their needs. He sets out to become the greatest teacher ever, using his own unique brand of philosophy and the ability to do nearly anything when under enough pressure. His methods are unorthodox, illegal, and life-threatening, yet he manages to succeed in educating and opening up his students. Onizuka acts tough and confident but is actually shy and lacking in confidence to follow through on some of his desires. He is a simple character that stands by his own reasoning and principles and has his own conscience. Fujisawa gave him the viewpoint that you should take responsibility for your actions. Onizuka's role in the school is to provide a bridge between the students and teachers.
Reader's Guide
Eikichi Onizuka serves as the protagonist of the Great Teacher Onizuka manga and its adaptations. His first name, Eikichi, was taken from musician Eikichi Yazawa. When developing Onizuka's character, Fujisawa sought to incorporate real character traits from Japanese gangs often referred to as 'Yankees.' Onizuka's look is modelled on such gang members and was not intended to convey an 'American look.' Onizuka acts tough and confident but is actually shy and lacking in confidence to follow through on some of his desires. Fujisawa gave him the viewpoint that you should take responsibility for your actions, something he sees as important. The character of Fuyutsuki reflects the point of view of the average teacher.
Did You Know?
- Fujisawa built the series on his own school experience where teachers were mostly focused only on a good performance record rather than the teaching itself.
- Tatsuya Egawa has claimed that GTO plagiarized his debut manga, Be Free!.
- The manga has had over 50 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series in history.
More in Characters & Students
Elsewhere in Great Teacher Onizuka
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