Cyborg 009

Cyborg 009 is a 2001 anime adaptation of a manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori in 1964. The series aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from October 14, 2001 to September 29, 2002. The English dub of the series premiered, edited for content, on Cartoon Network's Toonami block on June 30, 2003.

The second half of the series aired outside of Toonami on Cartoon Network in an early AM time slot, likely due to its dark content or the fact that ratings for season 1 had been poor.

Plot
The tale of nine regular humans kidnapped by the evil Black Ghost Organization to become human experiments. The result of this tampering are nine cyborgs, each one having super human powers. The nine cyborgs band together to fight for their freedom and to stop Black Ghost. The evil organization's goal is to start the next world war, by supplying any rich buyers with their choice of countless weapons of war and mass destruction.

Characters
Cyborg 009 (Joe Shimamura) — Joe Shimamura, designated "009", is one of the nine protagonists of the series. He was originally a half-Japanese orphan who was raised by a Catholic priest until he was wrongfully framed for his murder and the fire that followed, that was actually started by Black Ghost. He is seen as a powerful combination of almost all his Cyborg companions, possessing Geronimo, Jr's strength, Pyunma's underwater breathing, and an upgraded version of Jet Link's acceleration module.

Joe is chronologically old, but has the body of a teenager. He has dark brown hair that looks windswept, with red eyes; one eye is always covered by his bangs. Like his teammates, Joe usually wears a red, double-breasted military uniform with four large buttons on the front, padded shoulders, and black bands underneath. On his waist is a black belt with a holster for his gun, which has three shooting modes, and he wears knee-high black boots and a long yellow scarf.

Cyborg 008 (Pyunma) — Pyunma, codenamed "008", is one of the nine protagonists of the series. An African native who ran away from his slave owners, he was about to get killed before being captured by Black Ghost's men and being made into a cyborg. His abilities consists of him being able to breathe underwater, but it's mentioned that he can breathe in situations where no others can breathe which may vary to realms such as space.

Pyunma has blonde buzzed hair and black eyes, he usually wears a red, double-breasted military uniform with four large buttons on the front, padded shoulders, and black bands underneath. On his waist is a black belt with a holster for his gun, which has three shooting modes, and he wears knee-high black boots and a long yellow scarf.

Cyborg 007 (G.B.) — Great Britain (real name unknown), designated "007", is one of the nine protagonists of the series. Once a popular and beloved actor in his time, he was disgraced and developed a drinking problem prior to getting picked up by Black Ghost's men. Great Britain has the ability to reshape his own cellular structure by pressing his belly button, allowing him to take on the form of anything he wishes.

Great Britain is a tall, bald man with large black eyes, a hawk nose, a mouth stretching across his face, and a gangly physique. He usually wears a red, double breasted military uniform worn by the Cyborgs, with padded shoulders and black arm bands just beneath them. On his waist is a black belt with a holster for his weapon, a gun with three shooting modes, with knee-high black boots and a long yellow scarf.

Cyborg 006 (Chang Changku) — Chang Changku, designated "006", is one of the nine protagonists of the series. Originally a Chinese pig farmer who lost everything due to heavy taxes, Chang attempted suicide out of depression but was captured by Black Ghost's men before he could do so. His abilities enable him to breathe extremely hot torrents of fire that could burn materials up to 3,000 degrees.

Chang is a short, round man with black hair, a large bulbous nose, and a Salvador Dali-esque mustache. He usually wears a red, double-breasted military uniform with four large buttons on the front, padded shoulders, and black bands underneath. On his waist is a black belt with a holster for his gun, which has three shooting modes, and he wears knee-high black boots and a long yellow scarf.

Cyborg 005 (Geronimo Jr.) — Geronimo, Jr., designated "005", is one of the nine protagonists of the series. Originally, due to widespread racism against those with Native American heritage, Geronimo was unable to find work, until he came under Black Ghost's hands through a job offer and was promptly kidnapped. His enhanced strength and armored skin easily makes him the most resilient and powerful of the 00 Cyborgs.

Geronimo Jr. is an 8 ft. tall, Native American with a black mohawk. He usually wears a red, double-breasted military uniform with four large buttons on the front, padded shoulders, and black bands underneath. On his waist is a black belt with a holster for his gun, which has three shooting modes, and he wears knee-high black boots and a long yellow scarf.

Cyborg 004 (Albert Heinrich) — Albert Heinrich, designated "004", is originally a German, and is one of the nine protagonists of the series. He was betrothed to a woman named Hilda before he became a cyborg. When they were both escaping Berlin their Semi crashed and she died. He ended up being taken by Black Ghost and turned into a cyborg. His abilities are a razor disc on his left rand and machine guns for fingers on the right hand as well as rocket launchers in his knees. Like the others his body is durable. He thrives in tactical thinking and planning.

Albert is a tall, grey haired man with grey robotic eyes. He was captured roughly around the 60s. Making him about 30 years before being frozen, he is the oldest cyborg. Albert wears a red, double-breasted military uniform with four large buttons on the front, padded shoulders, and black bands underneath. On his waist is a black belt with a holster for his gun, which has three shooting modes, and he wears knee-high black boots and a long yellow scarf.

Cyborg 003 (Francoise Arnoul) — Francoise Arnoul, designated "003", is one of the nine protagonists of the series. Originally a talented ballet dancer from France, she became a cyborg after she won a contest held by a professional ballet troop, which turned out to be a scam designed by Black Ghost. Francoise is endowed with combined telescopic and x-ray vision along with enhanced hearing, allowing her to detect enemies miles away. Francoise is a pretty girl with long, wavy blond hair with bangs swept to the side and a red headband, and blue eyes.

Like the other cyborgs, she wears a red, double-breasted military uniform with four yellow, large buttons in the front, and a black belt with a holster for her weapon, a gun with three shooting modes. She also wears knee-high black boots and a long yellow scarf. The only female member of the team, is also the most pacifistic of the cyborgs. She prefers to try to reach through to their enemies and only fights when it is absolutely necessary. Originally a very shy girl, she learns to warm up to her cyborg teammates throughout the series.

Cyborg 002 (Jet Link) — Jet Link, designated "002", is one of the nine protagonists of the series. Originally an American teenage gang member, Jet became a cyborg when, while on the run from police officers, he encountered two Black Ghost operatives and escaped with their help, not knowing of their shady connections. Jet has high-end boosters installed into his feet, enabling him to fly airborne at speeds recorded at Mach 5 and making him useful at both aerial rescue and offense, as well as a scout for airborne enemies.

Jet is a tall person with a lanky, yet athletic build, most popularly characterized by both his long, bright red windswept hair, and his pointy beak-like nose. He usually wears a red, double breasted military uniform worn by the Cyborgs, with padded shoulders and black arm bands just beneath them. On his waist is a black belt with a holster for his weapon, a gun with three shooting modes. Jet also wears knee-high, black boots and a long yellow scarf. Brash and hot tempered, Jet is defined as the most outspoken of the 00 Cyborgs.

He is sarcastic and cynical, and often does not hesitate to express whatever is on his mind, no matter if what he has to say will offend his listeners. Due to his upbringing in the streets of New York City, Jet takes on a hardened and tough demeanor in order to cope with his own hardships, and has a "Fight first, think later" mentality that is usually applied in battle.

Cyborg 001 (Ivan Whisky) — Ivan Whisky, designated "001", is one of the nine protagonists of the series. Rendered a cyborg while still a baby, he was able to escape captivity from the Black Ghost organization along with his fellow cyborgs, and is instrumental in making Joe Shimamura aware of his cyborg constructs. He gained his trademark psychic abilities as the result of several brain enhancements performed on him by his father Gamo, but due to the strain of his newfound abilities Ivan is usually seen sleeping.

Because Ivan was made a cyborg at such a young age and frozen until better technology and procedures were developed, his growth was stunted severely to the point he remained an infant. He has light blue hair with long bangs covering his eyes (though they were seen glowing on occasion whenever his powers were used), and is typically seen with a yellow pacifier in his mouth. His red cyborg uniform has four yellow buttons, padded shoulders, and black bands just below them; in his case, however, it was tailored in the form of a miniature baby gown, with a white bib replacing the usual scarf. Ivan's primary caretaker/guardian is Cyborg 003, who serves as a mother to him since his real one was murdered in the past, and often carries him around in her arms during battle. When not with 003, he is reclining in a baby's basket, which occasionally he makes levitate with his psychic powers.

Ivan's personality follows that of a baby, not being able to walk or talk and relying on his team, mostly 003, to care for him. However, his vulnerable appearance merely hides the fact that out of the nine cyborgs made, he is the most intelligent and most powerful, with his thinking processes functioning on a level exceeding the average human adult. Because of this, he is more aware of his own surroundings than his teammates think, and acts as the real leader of the cyborgs based on his maturity and wisdom.

Voice Cast
''Note: Due to the dub's non-union status, Sony Pictures left many actors uncredited and had others credited by aliases. What follows is an attempt at cataloging the voice cast.''

Episodes
The entire series has not been released on DVD in the United States. In 2004, 2 DVDs containing 4 episodes each were released: "The Battle Begins" and "Good Vs. Evil". Also in 2004, "Unedited and Uncut" a 2-disc DVD containing the unedited first 8 episodes was released. All of those release came from Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.

At Otakon 2017, Discotek Media announced its license to the series, with the intention for releasing the entire series on SD Blu-ray and DVD. Once its producer (and Anime News Network founder), Justin Sevakis, got the materials for the series, they were in poor shape. Because of this, he had to get as many of the tapes as possible to release the series with the dub in the best shape as it can be. A special feature will detail the entire process. The SD Blu-ray will be released on June 25, 2019.

Broadcast History
Cyborg 009 aired in Japan on TV Tokyo from October 14, 2001 to September 29, 2002. The series premiered in the United States, edited for content, on Cartoon Network's Toonami block on June 30, 2003 and ran for 26 episodes until August 4, 2003. The series then aired in reruns on the Toonami block through September 26, 2003, when it was replaced with Transformers: Armada. The series, including the remaining unaired episodes, then aired outside of Toonami on Cartoon Network, in a late Friday night/Early Saturday morning time slot, through Fall of 2004. The series also aired on Cartoon Network's SVES block, from January 31, 2004 to November 6, 2004. "Yomi Group" and "When You Wish Upon a Shooting Star" were scheduled to air, but ultimately went unseen in the United States, along with the "GOD'S WAR: Prologue" episodes.
 * Japan (TV Tokyo) — October 14, 2001 - September 29, 2002
 * United States (Cartoon Network) — June 30, 2003 - September 26, 2003; January 31, 2004 - November 6, 2004
 * Latin America (Cartoon Network) — February 3, 2004 - 2004
 * Australia (Cartoon Network) — July 5, 2004 - 2004

Toonami Broadcast History
The first 26 episodes of the series premiered in the United States, edited for content, on Cartoon Network's Toonami block from June 30, 2003 to August 4, 2003. The series then aired in reruns on the Toonami block from August 5, 2003 to September 26, 2003, when it was replaced with Transformers: Armada. The rest of the series never aired on Toonami.
 * Toonami (United States) — June 30, 2003 - September 26, 2003
 * Toonami (Latin America) — February 3, 2004 - 2004
 * Toonami (Australia) — July 5, 2004 - 2004