Genki

Genki is a young boy of about ten. The most noticable thing about him is that he is VERY energetic. He seems to be constantly in motion, as Suezo says, "I get tired just looking at him." He is also extremely courageous, and never gives up, no matter the bad the situation gets. His stubborn streak has gotten him into trouble, but it has also carried him through to victory, even when he and his friends were on the verge of defeat.

Genki is from our world, and is a master Monster Rancher player. Even before he found himself in the world of the monsters, he dreamed about going there, and is very happy to have had his dream come true. While he misses his family, he is even happier being with his new family. He cares about his friends very much, especially Holly and Mocchi, and will do anything for them.

Genki is very idealistic, and will fight very hard for what he believes is right. Fortunately, Genki is not without battle skills. When he puts on his rollerblades, he becomes a dangerous adversary, fast and agile, with a powerful kick. Most often, though, Genki uses his skates to escape from trouble, often scooping up Holly or Mocchi on his way out. Without his skates, he seems to be much less capable, and will not fight without them.

Genki is somewhat naive, and prone to act without thinking. He is VERY confident, and faces danger with brash talk and strong action. He is not egotistical, though, and in fact can become embarassed by the praise of strangers. He is capable of deep sensitivity, and can turn a battle around with words, as well as with his fists. His compassion, both for people and for monsters, can get through to even the hardest, toughest enemies.

Holly

Holly is a young teenaged girl, maybe thirteen or fourteen. She has brown hair and brown eyes, the same as the character from Monster Rancher 1. She seems more mature, however, than in the game, and is calmer and less excitable. Holly's background also does not match that of the game, and so it is not likely that Genki has been zapped into a video game. More likely, he is on a world that just looks like Monster Rancher.

Holly was born in the Monster Rancher world, and has grown up around monsters. She has a magic pendant, which guides her to Mystery Disks, and to her allies. The pendant was given to her right before her village was destroyed by Moo's troops. The only other person who was able to use the pendant was Holly's father, who was banished from the village when she was young. Because these experiences were both associated with storms, Holly is a little frightened of thunder.

Holly seems to care about Genki a great deal, and often expresses concern for his safety, especially when he is about to do something stupid. She is close to Suezo, too, as he is her monster, and also seems to be a little fond of Golem. Holly, like Golem, is a very gentle being, and she probably sees a kindred soul.

Holly is not much of a fighter. Her one combat experience was in the first episode, and even then it was played for laughs. For the most part, she serves as support to the others, giving reassurance when needed, and acting as Genki's guide in the monster world. Of all the group, she is the one with the most discipline, and except for Hare, is probably the one with the most intelligence. She is also a sweet and compassionate girl, and can be very charming when she needs to be.

Mocchi

Mocchi is a little monster, about six inches shorter than Genki. He has a pink body, beady black eyes, a beak-like mouth, and a green "shell" that runs down his back. The Mocchi, in Monster Rancher 2, is supposed to represent a Japanese sweet cake, and in fact that is where Genki gets the name, in the TV show. The sweet cake also represents cherry blossoms, and many of Mocchi's attacks involve pink cherry blossom petals.

Mocchi is a young monster, though, only a baby, and does not show much combat ability as the series begins. He proves to be suprisingly tough, however, having a mean punch, and the ability to take a few blows, as well. He usually rides on Genki's back, using Genki's speed to give himself an advantage during a battle. Around episode 10, he starts to develop stronger attacks, and becomes even more dangerous. He is brave, but inexperienced, and can be easily overpowered without Genki around to guide him.

Mocchi adores Genki, and follows him everywhere, when not riding on his back as mentioned above. He often repeats what Genki says, although he seems only able to say "Mocchi", or "Chi" on his own. He is almost constantly hungry, although this may be due to his age. The cuteness of the character, and his "Chi" catchphrase, is somewhat similar to a certain yellow rabbit from another monster cartoon.

Suezo

For those who haven't seen the Monster Rancher game, Suezo is a round, yellow monster with a single, large eye, and a short tail that he stands on. If Mocchi is Genki's monster, Suezo is Holly's. He is with her from the first episode, and serves as her guardian. Suezo isn't much of a fighter, but when pressed, he can be a lot of trouble.

Suezo is sarcastic, rude, self-serving, insulting -- an all around obnoxious character. This may be a sign that Holly spoils her monsters, but it also seems that Suezo was "born" that way. He's a joker, and often tries to lighten a tense mood by fooling around, but this usually backfires. Interestingly, he can become angry if people don't take him seriously, or take him for granted.

He cares a lot about Holly, and Genki too, actually, although he would never admit it. Publicly, he seems only to care about himself, and that's probably not too far from the truth. He is quite a bit the coward, and will do his best to avoid harm. If forced to continue towards danger, he will usually complain about it the whole time.

Suezo's one redeemable feature is that his eyesight is incredible. He is able to spot individuals and identify who and what they are, even several miles away. While he has never demonstrated the mental powers of the Suezo from the MR game, he has used his tail and Tongue Punch in battle. It is possible that he, like Mocchi, will develop attacks as the series continues, as he is only about two years old.

Golem

Golem was introduced into the team in episode 3, where he was referred to as an "enigma". And that he is, a stone giant, with great strength, who is nonetheless unwilling to fight. The only survivor of a great battle, Golem is cursed to guard the Lost Disks of monsters who died in that battle. But when Genki and the others arrive on the scene, they convince Golem to come with them and free the Phoenix. Not only will the Phoenix be able to turn the bad monsters good, but it can also unlock all of the Lost Disks.

Golem's experience, however, has left him a creature completely unsuited for battle. He is gentle and kind, becoming concerned if even a flower or a bird is injured in his presence. When he is forced to fight, it is usually defensively, using his body as a shield to protect his friends, or to stop the charge of a foe. Only when Golem becomes enraged, something that has only happened so far in the episode in which he was introduced, does he unleash his full power. This is usually fatal to his adversaries.

Golem is not terribly quick thinking, but he is not stupid, either. He speaks very slowly, but it is not because he thinks slowly. Rather, his speech is very direct, blunt, to the point. When he has something to say, he speaks, and when he does not, he does not. Likewise, Golem is capable of moving very fast when he needs to. If he does not move quickly most of the time, it is simply because he does not need to move quickly.

Tiger

The Tiger of the Wind joined the cast in episode 5, when Genki ran into his pack in a desert canyon. At first a wild, angry creature, with a deep hatred of humans, Genki's kindness and compassion slowly wore through his hatred, and gave him a reason to fight Moo again. Moo had taken Tiger's brother, and his troops eventually kill off the rest of Tiger's pack. Tiger's brother, we later learn, has become one of Moo's henchmen. So, more than anything else, Tiger is driven by a desire for revenge.

Tiger is a loner, he keeps his feelings to himself, and he does not trust anyone or anything, except for Genki. He has stolen to survive in the past, and sees nothing wrong with doing it again. He can be a violent fighter, and is easily driven into a rage. His voice is very calm, very quiet, (and sounds a lot like Clint Eastwood) but with an anger raging just under the surface. He can be insulting, and sarcastic, especially to Hare.

Tiger has several extremely powerful attacks, including his Roar, which is capable of producing gale force winds. Tiger's connection with the wind is often alluded to in the series, by sudden breezes or gusts of wind that come up whenever he appears. He is strong enough to kill a fairly powerful Dino with one Slash, and he often takes on the task of pulling a cart or wagon. But Tiger's primary power is his speed, which is so great that he can literally run down the side of a cliff, and land safely on his feet at the bottom.

Tiger's relationship with Hare is interesting. On the surface, he seems to hate the rabbit, but deep down there may be a little respect there. He and Hare both have been thieves, and what probably galls Tiger is that Hare is so much better at it. He is very protective of Holly, as he is of anyone he sees as an innocent caught in the crossfire. But it is his trust of Genki, and his obvious respect for him, that is at the heart of why Tiger is with this group.

Hare

A thief, trickster, a con artist to the extreme, Hare joined the cast in episode 6, after tricking Genki and his friends out of the winnings from both first AND second place in a tournament, and almost getting them in trouble for sneaking out of an inn without paying. He seems to be along for the challenge of the battle with Moo. He loves to fight, and looks forward to testing his skills against Moo and his henchmen, but surely it is his wits that Hare REALLY wants to test.

Hare's strength is his intelligence, and he is a planner and a thinker. Mostly, he thinks about getting others to do his work for him, but he is also capable of using his brains for the benefit of others. He is a quick thinker, and his plans rarely go awry, but when they do, he's quick to react with a backup plan. His successes have given him a rather large ego, and he often boasts about his "genius".

Hare loves to goad Tiger, which means that he is either unaware of just how dangerous that is, or he is a lot better fighter than he lets on. It may be a little of both. Hare is fast, and packs a real whallop, being able to lay Tiger out with one punch. (Although he did catch Tiger off guard that time) He is a cagey fighter, pressing the attack when he has the advantage, trying to back off and outsmart his opponent when he's on the defense.

Of all the group, Hare is probably the one least emotionally attached to his friends. But his high intelligence can sometimes give him some insight that his more emotional allies may miss. He obviously regards his friends as good friends, and would not betray them again as he did when he first met them. It is not because he has "learned his lesson", it is because these are his friends now, even Tiger, and he wants to give them the benefit of his wisdom.

Provided by Richard Ryley

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