Great Teacher Onizuka
A visceral explosion of raw delinquency meeting the cold sterility of Japanese academia, where a sledgehammer-wielding rebel shatters the glass walls of student apathy to find the heartbeat of true mentorship.
Great Teacher Onizuka
Great Teacher Onizuka

グレート・ティーチャー・オニヅカ

30 June 1999 — 17 September 2000 Japan 1 season 43 episode Ended ⭐ 8.4 (241)
Cast: Wataru Takagi, Junko Noda, Isshin Chiba, Junichi Suwabe, Kazuhiro Nakata
Drama Animation Comedy
Rebellion against Institutional Rigidity The Burden of Academic Pressure Mentorship and Emotional Intelligence Healing from Trauma and Bullying Non-Conformity as a Virtue

Great Teacher Onizuka - Characters & Cast

Character Analysis

Eikichi Onizuka

Wataru Takagi

Archetype: Antihero / Unorthodox Mentor
Key Trait: Indestructible physical and moral resilience.

Motivation

Initially driven by the desire to date high school girls, his motivation evolves into a fierce, protective love for his students, whom he views as his younger "comrades."

Character Arc

Onizuka begins as a self-centered, horny ex-biker looking for a "lazy" job. By the series finale, he has matured into a selfless protector who is willing to take the fall for his students' crimes and leave his dream behind to ensure their future. His growth is not in his intelligence, but in the depth of his commitment to his pupils.

Azusa Fuyutsuki

Junko Noda

Archetype: The Idealist / Moral Compass
Key Trait: Empathy and hidden strength.

Motivation

A genuine desire to help children, which is initially stifled by her fear of conflict but later empowered by Onizuka's radicalism.

Character Arc

Starting as a timid, by-the-book teacher who is easily intimidated by both students and faculty, Fuyutsuki finds her voice through Onizuka's influence. She learns that being a "good teacher" involves more than just following the curriculum, eventually becoming a courageous advocate for the students alongside Onizuka.

Urumi Kanzaki

Kotoe Taichi

Archetype: The Tortured Genius
Key Trait: Super-intellect masked by apathy.

Motivation

Seeking revenge against a world that treats her as a specimen rather than a child; eventually seeks genuine human connection.

Character Arc

Kanzaki enters as a cold, manipulative terrorist who uses her 200 IQ to destroy teachers. Through Onizuka, she confronts her traumatic origin and the abandonment by her parents, transitioning from a nihilistic threat to Onizuka's most loyal and protective ally.

Hiroshi Uchiyamada

Chafurin

Archetype: The Antagonist / Bureaucrat
Key Trait: Comedic misfortune and rigid adherence to hierarchy.

Motivation

Restoring order and protecting the school's reputation (and his car) at any cost.

Character Arc

The Vice Principal serves as the primary foil to Onizuka. While he remains largely an antagonist, his arc reveals the tragedy of the "salaryman"—a man who lost his family's respect and his own passion for life, finding solace only in his car. He occasionally shows glimpses of his former, better self due to Onizuka's chaos.

Noboru Yoshikawa

Kousuke Okano

Archetype: The Victim / Growing Hero
Key Trait: Vulnerability and gaming expertise.

Motivation

Desire to escape his pain, which evolves into a desire to protect his new friends and his teacher.

Character Arc

The first student Onizuka saves from suicide. Yoshikawa transforms from a terrified victim of bullying into a brave young man who eventually stands up to his tormentors and finds love, symbolizing the success of Onizuka's life-first teaching philosophy.

Cast

Wataru Takagi as Eikichi Onizuka (voice)
Junko Noda as Miyabi Aizawa (voice)
Isshin Chiba as Ryuuji Danma (voice)
Junichi Suwabe as Kouji Fujiyoshi (voice)
Kazuhiro Nakata as Hajime Fukuroda (voice)
Fumiko Orikasa as Azusa Fuyutsuki (voice)
Kotono Mitsuishi as Urumi Kanzaki (voice)
Hikaru Midorikawa as Yoshito Kikuchi (voice)
Naoki Yanagi as Tadaaki Kusano (voice)
Tomokazu Seki as Kunio Murai (voice)
Ayako Kawasumi as Tomoko Nomura (voice)
Yoshiko Okamoto as Ryouko Sakurai (voice)
Katsumi Suzuki as Tadashi Sakurai (voice)
Cho as Hiroshi Uchiyamada (voice)
Akemi Okamura as Anko Uehara (voice)