#gabu samejima

Lawful Good "They seek to eliminate evil, and are willing to forego their own comfort or safety to protect others."

Sho Yamato - Sho is the textbook definition of a superhero in terms of morale. He refuses to sit idly and is very much willing to go out his way to bring justice to every wrong he comes across. That's his very character.

Miss Yuki - Yuki, much like Sho, goes out of her way to help out. Even before she found out about Sho as the owner of an Idaten Bike, she was quick to assist them to make sure he doesn't caught in a bad place. This behavior is recurring, and her compassion extends to even to the likes of Gabu despite what the kid did.

Ayumu Yamato - Much like his brother, Ayumu is very willing to help out deal with situations. He's empathic, and is willing to take the extra mile to help or thank people (ex. meeting Kiku). He doesn't like to stand to the side, but is still an obedient kid considering how much he respects Sho and the "no riding" rule early into the Team X arc.

Neutral Good "Those under this alignment are willing to recognize unjust laws, and are open to bending the rules if it helps more people."

Kyoichi Shido - I initially put him under true neutral considering his behavior earlier on, but for the entire show it seemed more fitting that he'd be put in neutral good. He's a lot less willing to go out his way compared to Sho, but will step up and help someone out if need be. That doesn't mean he's all goody-two-shoes though, as he will go against the rules if it meant for the better good (ex. rescuing Takuma from the volcano eruption despite Idaten Battle rules stating no riders should interfere with a race). A more prominent example though is that he's more than willing to omit information and even say hurtful things to Sho and co. if it meant helping the team improve.

Kakeru Sakamaki - Kakeru wasn't given enough screen time by the show compared to Sho and Makoto, but given how he responds to situations he has a very strong sense of right and wrong. He's quick to call out Shark Tooth in episode 1 how the race's winning conditions were unfair and is even willing to compromise for the training grounds, but he doesn't have enough driving force to push through what he says.

Chaotic Good "They don't care much for rules or regulations, but a strong sense of right and wrong remains rooted in the hearts of Chaotic Good characters."

Makoto Shido - Girlypop is very willing to throw hands against every antagonist in the show. - But for real though, Makoto, much like Sho, is very willing to step up and deal against injustice, but unlike her friend who'd do it through races, Makoto is very much willing to forego those formalities to get the point across (throwing a metal basin against one of the rouge gang members in ep. 10, consequences be damned, and she even has a wrench ready for round 2). She's also very vocal about injustices towards her as a female, and although her fighting against is has a notion beyond herself. She's belittled constantly because of her gender (and Japan IRL is very patriarchal), but yet she proves time and time again that she's just as capable as the rest of them, and by extension proving that girls are equal to their male peers.

Lawful Neutral "Lawful Neutrals believe in organization. Many are devoted to law and order, believing that their nation or faction would collapse without it."

Arthur - Predictably as a knight, Arthur has a very rigid moral code. Although he could've fallen more in Chaotic Good during his disguised era, with his fake reckless/clumsy acts causing mayhem, my defense is that his people, his royalty were the ruling organization before Shark Tooth, hence he's only doing what he can to restore that rulership while he's by himself. The reason why he falls under neutral instead of good is because he's more rigid with his morales, hardly considering Gabu an ally while battling against Team X, unlike Yuki who has the patience to console Gabu despite it all. Another reason why I consider him more neutral is because of his response to Imperial Knights and possessed Kyoichi: he may mourn that they were possessed by the Dark Emblems, but he doesn't let that hinder him from accomplishing the responsibilities assigned to him.

True Neutral "...are often characterized as survivors, doing whatever they have to do in order to keep themselves or their loved ones alive and thriving."

Koei & Kiku - It makes sense that these siblings are more likely to look after each other first before anything, considering that they're financially struggling. Koei was a pickpocketer prior to being hired by Gabu, and even then he chose to work under Shark Tooth as a means to fund his sister's medical needs rather than going for an honest job. - Kiku could've been put in the Chaotic Neutral aspect, since she desperately yearns for her own freedom and disobeyed Koei and the hospital staff for it, but considering how quickly she was to try and protect Ayumu after she befriended him this alignment seemed to suit her better. She's quick to defend her loved ones on their behalf, going out of her way to defend Koei's honor not only to strangers but to Sho as well. However, maybe it's because she's physically ill but we've never seen her go out of her way to help out people she didn't know, so she fails to be in the Good alignments because of that.

Chaotic Neutral "...chaotic neutral characters value their freedom above all else." "Chaotic Neutrals are individualists first and last." (note: the initial candidates for this category was Yoko and Rika because it's so hard to find recurring characters under this alignment, but after watching through some eps I found the best candidate for it)

Hosuke - Since most of Hosuke's screen time is dedicated to his character as an amnesiac owl, this is how I based him. In a literal sense, episode 2 his introductory lines is literally begging for the group to free him, but overall as a character Hosuke tends to put his wants first, even so much as to throw the kids under the bus when he felt neglected in favor of women flaunting over him in episode 7 (side note: a character trait of his that I absolutely despised, and im thankful they toned it down much much later on in the show) and demanding more food from the Four Kings in episode 38 without regards of whether they had more or not. He his selfish yes, but what keeps him from being categorized under the evil alignments is that he wouldn't go out to cause unnecessary harm, and is willing to accept the consequences of his transgressions (sometimes). If something is not going his way, he will very much be vocal about it.

Lawful Evil "...are capable of vicious cruelty and plenty of illegal deeds — but they follow a strict internal code, and thus often believe they are doing what is right or honorable." - Putting it out now, "lawful" doesn't mean the laws of the land or ethics as a whole, but rather a character's capability of adhering to a set of rules. Tyrants, fanatics, and extremists are best examples of this alignment, but the reason why Gabu isn't on here will be explained later on

Taiga Samejima - Despite the examples given, I consider Taiga to be in this alignment is because of the definition of following a strict internal code. Yes, he's willing to put heinous henchmen out there to hinder the protagonists, or for the benefit of Shark Tooth, but still he believes in playing fair during Idaten Battles. Outside that though is a far different topic (in episode 11 he had no qualms about Captain Jackal deserting Sho and co. in an abandoned island, but scolded him and the crew for violating the rules of Idaten Battle). He followed and assisted Gabu without complaints, only trying to step in and interfere when he realized that his brother was going too far. Yes, he's capable of harm, and yes he will do it if need be, but only if it doesn't go against his own code.

Neutral Evil "They have goals to accomplish, and they're certainly not going to stand in their own way."

Gabu Samejima - It's like this alignment was meant for him. Gabu will do whatever it takes to become the strongest out there and hold the power for himself. What makes him different from Lawful Evil is that he doesn't care; if you're in his way, he will take you out. He has an eye for theatrics through intimidation, and gains satisfaction from it. He's self-serving and willing to blackmail and manipulate people to get what he wants, but he's meticulous about it as well. He's impulsive, sure, but he won't go out of his way to cause unnecessary collateral (and yes, during the Team X arc sabotaging plans and wanting to abandon the group multiple times was necessary collateral for him; he knew he couldn't get Imperial X by himself, despite what he says). He hardly holds remorse for his actions, since he could really care less about what the others think of him.

The Four Kings - As Gabu's loyal henchmen, they'll do whatever they needed in order to give Gabu the upper hand—moral code be damned (hence why they fall in this category and not in Lawful Evil). Although there are times they question Gabu, in the end they'll still bend their backs for him.

Chaotic Evil "These characters often take pride in causing suffering, and pursue destruction for its own sake."

Starting off with Gabu, can I just say that when we did Conduct disorder in class, I couldn't help but think that Gabu might have this?? Now, I'm not diagnosing him, but a lot of his behaviour does fit the symptoms and tendencies seen in Conduct disorder, which include a disregard for rules, harming people, physical violence and violating others' rights.

Drawing from this, I also want to point out that Gabu also seems to have issues with authority. This is canonically implied with scenes where, when Taiga tells him they should just go back to their world, Gabu says "What's there to go back to? We'll go home and have to listen to our parents and go to school."

This scene is actually the basis for my major headcanon that is the Samejima family's situation. Although it is never addressed in the show, I deeply suspect that Gabu comes from a low ses family, and part of why I think so is because of this scene where they have come back from X Zone and Gabu's clothes look like this:

now, idk what the fashion was like in 2005, but maybe this is supposed to indicate something.

So basically my theory is that Taiga and Gabu's father died soon after Gabu was born, and their mom remarried because she couldn't raise them both by herself. Except their new step-father is abusive, and their mom has basically just given in to the whole situation where she as a victim cannot get out, and can't even protect her children like she is supposed to.

I think Taiga did have a fairly loving and stable childhood with their parents, but because he knows that Gabu is especially the target of their step-father (cause maybe Gabu looks like their dad, while Taiga looks like their mom) he tries to do whatever Gabu wants. He acquises to Gabu's demands in his own way to try and make him happy.

Gabu has been shown to be a mischievous kid since very young, and one reason for such attention-seeking and willful behaviour is when parents neglect their kids (re: his mom, who turns a blind eye to the abuse they both suffer from) but also, it's an act of defiance on his end because Gabu reacts to stressors with the "fight" response, rather than flight.

Acting out of order gives him a sense of freedom, and Gabu clearly has a desire to have control over everything. Such a strong desire from control is likely to emerge especially because someone doesn't have any control in their early life or other roles in life. I think that because Gabu cannot control his home situation, he displaces his anger, resentment and other feelings onto weaker people he can have control over. These include his friends, and the people of X Zone when he obtains Bloody Fang.

I also think that Gabu fundamentally has an Avoidant attachment style, which likely developed from the situation where his father died soon after his birth and his mother probably wasn't able to provide enough attention or love to build a secure relationship. This can be seen when he discards Taiga, and repeatedly insists that he doesn't want or need friends.

Gabu has said many times a statement that really made me think of this whole theory, which is the line "The strong ones have it all. The weak have no place here." I think it's very indicative of an abusive home he grew up in, where power (both in status and physically) decides who gets to have control. And because he is the weak one there, it doesn't fit his own self-image, because Gabu believes himself to be amazing.

This belief is what makes me think he has Conduct disorder, because his high self-esteem is probably rare in such an environment.

I also have a separate headcanon that Gabu is actually quite smart. Maybe he is not super good at book smart stuff, but I think he's actually pretty good at languages. I mean, he only speaks Japanese so I have no clue about English, but his handwriting is canonically quite legible (and in my personal opinion, fairly casual and pretty in style) and he is good with kanjis, because he pointed out to Taiga how Koei's name is written.

Moving onto Taiga, I love this guy so much. I cannot put it into words. So of course the backstory I designed for him will reflect my personal projections, lol.

So I think that Taiga had a fairly loving and normal childhood, which is why he grew up pretty okay compared to Gabu's defiance. But because he has lived both the good life and the bad one, I think he has a strong sense of doing things fairly and rightly. He is straightforward and respectful and I think all of this is because he was forced to grow up a little when his mom remarried and he had to protect her at times.

The reality is that he couldn't do much which is why I think Taiga harbours a lot of guilt. In the initial half, he seems to listen to Gabu a fair bit, which I think is his way of trying to make up for Gabu's shitty childhood by trying to be a kind brother for him to lean on. Unfortunately, Gabu has the habit of pushing away the people around him because of an inherent fear of relying on anyone since he has an Avoidant style.

Taiga knows that what Gabu is doing is not right but it takes him a while to get to the point where his sense of fairness and justice outweighs the guilt he feels towards Gabu, and then he asks Sho to help stop Gabu because he doesn't know what to do. I think because Taiga loves Gabu deeply and has always let him have his way, he cannot truly fight him beyond scolding. He also never resorts to physically stopping Gabu, most likely because he doesn't want to hurt Gabu like their step-father does.

Unlike him, Gabu has no problems hurting others and he is likely displacing his anger and hurt at the violence by hurting others. It gives him a sense of satisfaction, and possibly it is what he sees as "fair" because why must only he suffer?

I think this theory/headcanon makes a lot of sense because Gabu, as a 10 year old who lived in a whole different world, never once wanted to go home. Although Taiga did, he also never mentions their parents or home life. In fact, Gabu refuses to leave X Zone, and when he gets back, he immediately tries desperately to go to X Zone again.

All of this makes sense if we consider that X Zone is the one place where Gabu can truly be the strongest, where he is the one in control, and where he can do what he wants. He is free in X Zone, which is why he has no desire to go home to a neglectful mother and abusive step-father.

Also, biking is something Gabu excels in and racing probably is one of the things that makes him feel powerful and free. All of this blows up when they reach X Zone, a place where MTBs are the measure of strength and power, not your physical strength.

My lighter headcanons for Taiga include the idea that he is one of the types who look scary but rescues kittens by the roadside. I especially like to think there is a black cat that he once saved that sometimes follows him around. Idk man, he seems like the type to feed stray kitties and accidentally carry one home.

I also think he is pretty average at school, but wants to hurry up and finish so he can get a job and escape their family life with Gabu. He also wants to protect their mom, which is probably harder to do because victims of abuse become helpless and are affected mentally in self-defeating ways.

I like to think that towards the end of the show, where Team Sharktooth is with Sho's gang, Gabu actually starts learning to rely on others, builds friendships and actually build a solid social support system for himself.

That's all for this long post, folks! If you actually read the whole thing, colour me surprised, but I wrote this just because I had a lot of thoughts and ideas about the Samejima brothers and their family life. I have more to say on the Shidou siblings and their family life too, but that will be a separate long post on its own lol;;

NOTE: these are just my headcanons/theory, this is not canonically said!! although my idea is based on canon implications, it is just my personal opinion and I am not claiming this is reality in any way. I would love to read and hear other ppl's hcs on these characters!