 This article is about a Ranger in Avataro Sentai Donbrothers.
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Tsubasa Inuzuka (犬塚 翼 Inuzuka Tsubasa) is Inu Brother (イヌブラザー Inu Burazā), the Black Ranger of the Donbrothers. Tsubasa was once a main star for his theater performance's group alongside his lover, Natsumi until an encounter with the Juto had made him a wanted fugitive.
Due to the poorly thought out actions of his teammate, Tsuyoshi Kijino, Tsubasa fell to a fate he avoided the previous year, becoming a host to a Cat Juto. He was later rescued by Naoki Shiina as well as managing to kill his imposter.
Tsubasa is 24 years old at the beginning of Donbrothers.[2] His birthdate is April 3rd, 1997.[3]
History[]
Donbrothers[]
Tsubasa learned how to cook from the recipes of his father, a chef who did not spend much time with him because of being on the run for a crime he did not commit. At some point, he met Natsumi Kuramochi and fell in love with her.
One year before the events of the series, Tsubasa was an actor in a theatre troupe with Natsumi and after a big performance, the group went on a vacation retreat to a cabin in the woods. They were attacked by the Juto, who manipulated paper cranes to enter the mouths of the troupe members with the exception of Tsubasa who woke up and crushed his before it could enter his mouth.
He witnessed a paper crane entering Natsumi’s mouth and tried to wake her up, only for her body to become possessed. A large dark shadow appeared and said that the human female was “compatible”, and abducted Natsumi by pulling her into a portal. She regained consciousness briefly, pleading for Tsubasa to save her as he tried to grab her hand as she fell into the void. The large shadow bound Tsubasa in his arms to prevent a rescue, making a deal with him: if he could keep quiet about the events that had transpired there for one year then he would be able to see Natsumi again. The shadow vanished, Tsubasa was knocked out and the rest of his theater troupe were still comatose due to ingesting the paper cranes. Unable to explain the situation, Tsubasa was suspected of being behind the troupe’s current medical condition and the disappearance of Natsumi. Ever since then, he had been hunted by the police.
TV STORY-Don 17: Light and Tsubasa.
The primary officer working on Tsubasa's case was Kenji Sayama. During one chase on his birthday, Tsubasa ran into the storeroom of Shirokuma Express to hide from the police, taking Haruka Kitou hostage to defend himself. It was here that he met the other Donbrothers' for the first time, including Tsuyoshi Kijino, whom he shared his experience with Natsumi with. Convinced that Tsubasa was not a bad person, the team threw a birthday party for him, but they had to flee when Keisatsuki attacked the building. Despite the brief encounter, Tsubasa did not know the four people he had met were his teammates in the Donbrothers. In turn, they themselves were oblivious of his own life as Inu Brother. Tsubasa still fraternized with them from time to time after this event, developing a friendship with Tsuyoshi.
Tsubasa and Tsuyoshi bonded over their sincere feelings towards their loved ones as they kept sharing stories about Natsumi and Miho Kijino with each other. The two girls' resemblance in personality did pique Tsubasa's curiosity, but he always had near - misses whenever presented with the chance to meet Miho in person. His search for Natsumi also captured the attention of Noto general Sononi, who found his love for the girlfriend worth studying.
In an altercation with Choushinseiki, Tsubasa realized that Tsuyoshi's wife Miho might have actually been his girlfriend Natsumi. To confirm his suspicions, he followed her to the salon where she worked to get a haircut, which only further cemented the idea that she was indeed his lover. The woman, in turn, subsequently appeared to remember her previous life as Natsumi and left Tsuyoshi to return to Tsubasa. This angered Tsuyoshi so much that he ratted Tsubasa out to the police, resulting in the latter's capture and imprisonment.
Tsubasa's jail time was a short one, since he was able to prove Natsumi was still around and no longer missing. His handling officer - Yuriko Kitou - promptly released and cleared him of all criminal charges after cross - checking his words. The officer asked for his help in solving several missing person cases, including that of Kenji Sayama, as she thought he possibly knew something about the Juto. Tsubasa agreed to keep tabs on Natsumi, only to react in horror as he realized she had been a Juto herself all along. Upon being sucked into and trapped in the Forest of Slumber, Tsubasa saw the body of the real Natsumi tied to a tree. In the Forest, he himself also was copied, as his Juto self returned to the human world to wreak havoc.
Thanks to the assistance of Naoki Shiina, Tsubasa was able to break free from the forest. He confronted his fake counterpart and quickly defeated it. Its rampage in the human world, however, made people mistake it for the real Tsubasa, and the police branded him a criminal again, forcing him to go back to being a fugitive. Armed with the knowledge that his real lover was still trapped in the Forest, as the one on Earth at the moment was only a fake, Tsubasa resolved to somehow reenter that place to save her.
When Don Murasame hunted him down on one occasion late in the series, he was badly wounded by it. Sononi came across his unconscious body and saved him after briefly considering ending his life. When he came to, he had a hallucination from his injuries, mistaking Sononi for Natsumi. Sononi played along and took him with her to hide from Don Murasame. This lasted until the fake officer Sayama also showed up to attack Tsubasa, making him come back to his senses. While angry at Sononi at first, Tsubasa protected her in return when he saw how she had been shielding him from harm. Wresting control of the Ninjarksword from the fake Sayama, he managed to kill it with the weapon in self defense. Sononi told him that if he killed the fake Natsumi - Tsuyoshi's wife Miho - the real Natsumi could be saved from the Forest of Slumber.
Acting on Sononi's words, Tsubasa brought the sword with him and tried to hunt down Miho. Just as he was about to land the killing blow, Sononi appeared to block it, confessing that she had told him a lie: If he destroyed the Juto Miho, the trapped Natsumi would also die herself at the same time. Tsubasa left Sononi to Sonoi and Sonoza, appalled by her deception.
His attempt on "Miho"'s life, however, turned him into the enemy of Tsuyoshi. He constantly tried to reason with Tsuyoshi, telling him that his "Miho" had never existed to begin with, but the latter refused to listen. When Kiji Brother prepared to fatally shoot Tsubasa, Sononi barged in once more to protect him by taking the blast, which resulted in her death.
Tsubasa resurrected Sononi using the Kibi-Points, which until then he had had no idea about. He told her to stay away from his life forever, much to the latter's sorrow. At this point, he also learned the human identities of the Donbrothers, as they also became aware of his being Inu Brother.
Desperate to save Natsumi, Tsubasa travelled with Taro Momoi to Jiro Momotani's hometown in search of a gateway. Here, he learned the truth and history behind the Juto's existence, as well as Jiro's original fate of having to become a guardian of the Forest. Thanks to Taro's plan, everyone in the Forest, including Natsumi, was freed, and the Juto were threatened into submission, reuniting Tsubasa with his lover at last.
Afterwards, Tsubasa formally introduced Natsumi to Tsuyoshi, trying to soothe his pain of losing his "wife". How he did so alienated Natsumi, though, because of his lack of tact in dealing with the matter. This, coupled with Tsubasa's unwillingness to share with her exactly how she had been saved, began to put a dent on their relationship. Further complicating matters was that Sononi still had feelings for Tsubasa, often saving him and Natsumi from the police.
Unable to reconcile their differences, Tsubasa and Natsumi ultimately broke up, as the latter came to be with Tsuyoshi. He ended up with Sononi after the Donbrothers' final battle against Sonoya and Sonona, both leading the lives of fugitives together.
Donbrothers vs Zenkaiger[]
Some time later, due to Jiro's financial support, Tsubasa and Sonoya stopped being fugitives and opened a bakery. Jiro's leadership, however, made the couple sick of being Donbrothers. He told Taro his decision to quit the team, which he promptly acted upon. After seeing Taro die alone in battle with Kikaiki, Tsubasa had a change of heart as he returned to being Inu Brother once more.
Once he had helped defeat Kikaiki and Kashiwa Mochi World, Tsubasa and Sononi left behind their bakery, choosing to start their lives as outlaws anew, since he had grown to like the thrill of being on the run.
Personality[]
Tsubasa comes across as egotistical, snarky, aloof, and distrustful of others, which results in people' dislike of him when they first meet. By his own admission, he prefers to work alone, never in a haste to find out who his teammates in the Donbrothers are. Despite this, Tsubasa is well - meaning at heart, willing to offer help to those in need. He has attempted to talk out a suicidal man, even offering to stage a scenario so that he can be with his girlfriend again; and tried his best to help a failing restaurant despite his own fugitive status.
He does have a softer side as well. When Taro, Tsuyoshi, Shinichi and Haruka throw an improvised birthday party for him upon learning it is his birthday, he cannot help being moved to tears by this act of kindness. He later tries to protect them from Keisatsuki when it attacks by drawing it away from the group (He does not yet know they are Donbrothers at that point). His kindness is shown even further that he bears no grudge against Tsuyoshi's cruel betrayal, understanding his plight of losing a loved one. In fact, Tsubasa even goes at length to comfort him over his problems.
He believes in true love, considering it something beautiful and sublime, as shown in his past happy relationship with Natsumi. When she has been abducted by the Juto, Tsubasa wastes no time trying to find her at all costs, often putting himself in harm's way to do so. When he finally reunites with her in the final episodes, Tsubasa is filled with joy and relief. It is his sincere feelings for Natsumi that also gradually endears him to Sononi.
Ironically, he hates dogs despite his transformation turning him into one, much to his annoyance. His appearance as Inu Brother means people (namely Haruka) often mistake him for a real dog and treat him like one. He dislikes being unexpectedly forced to fight when he is busy, often telling everyone to hurry up so that he can return to what he is doing.
While he often acts as a cool person, Tsubasa is shown to have some comedic traits such as never keeping a real photo of Natsumi, which leaves Tsuyoshi unable to help him identify and search for her. Having been an actor in a stage theater, he often behaves like a character that he is portraying. Tsubasa often behaves in an awkward manner whenever he is talking about Natsumi, whom he deems a better performer than he is.
Compared to Tsuyoshi, Tsubasa maintains a significantly better composure after he has learnt the truth of Miho Kijino and his fiance. In spite of his broken heart, he is still accepting of the harsh truth regarding of the nature of the Crane Juto that has taken on the form of Natsumi and keep moving forward in order to properly face the one who has been impersonating his fiancee. Furthermore, Tsubasa doesn't bear any ill will towards Tsuyoshi after Natsumi ends up being with him, influenced by her memory as "Miho".
Although he never wants to cause harm, Tsubasa's overtly direct manner gives the impression that he is insensitive to others. His efforts to sympathize with Tsuyoshi's pain essentially boil down to forcing the man to forget his wife entirely, without truly empathizing with him. This failure to communicate has turned Tsuyoshi into his enemy for a while, something that has almost cost Tsubasa his life. His refusal to share the details of his work as a Donbrother also drives Natsumi away from him, which eventually results in a breakup.
A year after Taro has stepped down, Tsubasa has started a relationship with Sononi, going into the pastry business with her, thanks to Jiro's charity. However, this has decreased Tsubasa's capability to cook as it's not purely from his heart, his symbolic trait and he is saddened by this fact when Taro notices the decreased quality of his food. Initially quitting the Donbrothers because of his new life, he chooses to return because the team is better when Taro is the leader. Tsubasa despises the way of Jiro's leadership, with his rigid formations and even blatant blackmail. Tsubasa has also grown accustomed to living as a fugitive, ultimately leaving behind his bakery to continue doing so with Sononi.
Non-Ranger Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
to be added
Abilities[]
- Cooking Proficiency: Tsubasa's ability to cook is acknowledged even by Taro Momoi, who is usually very judgmental on the matter.
Weaknesses[]
to be added
Forms[]
Inu Brother's insert theme is Oboro.
Inu Brother
- "(traditional/rock music remix) Inu Brother! Hey yo! Wonderful!"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
to be added
Attacks[]
to be added
Abilities[]
to be added
Weaknesses[]
- Acrophobia: Tsubasa has an intense fear of heights, and feels uncomfortable to fight on high places.
Arsenal[]
Mecha[]
Appearances: Donbrothers Episode 2-20, Avataro Sentai Donbrothers The Movie: New First Love Hero, 21-44, Avataro Sentai Donbrothers Spin Off: This is the Donbrothers' Roll Call! The True Form of the Donbrothers!?, Avataro Sentai Donbrothers vs. Avataro Sentai Donburies, 45-50, Avataro Sentai Donbrothers vs. Zenkaiger, Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger vs. Donbrothers
- "(triumphant traditional music) Inu Robotaro! Hey yo! Wonderful!"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
Inu Brother can use the Inu Brother Robotaro Gear to transform into his mecha form, Inu Brother Robotaro (イヌブラザーロボタロウ InuBurazā Robotarō).
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
to be added
Attacks[]
to be added
Abilities[]
to be added
Weaknesses[]
to be added
Arsenal[]
to be added
Appearances: Donbrothers Episode 10-20, Avataro Sentai Donbrothers The Movie: New First Love Hero, 21, 24, 27-32, 34-42
Using the Avataro Gears of Legend Sentai, Inu Brother has access to the powers of any Black Ranger of his choosing. When activated, he reverts back to his original size.
DynaBlack
- "Hey yo! Kagaku Sentai!"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
to be added
Attacks[]
- Black Art of Delivery
- Great Explosion
- Super Dynamite
- New Super Dynamite
Abilities[]
to be added
Weaknesses[]
to be added
Arsenal[]
to be added
Appearances: Donbrothers vs. Zenkaiger
FiveBlack
- "Hey yo! Chikyuu Sentai!"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
to be added
Attacks[]
to be added
Abilities[]
to be added
Weaknesses[]
to be added
Arsenal[]
Appearances: Donbrothers Episodes 22
NinjaBlack
- "Hey yo! Ninja Sentai!"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
to be added
Attacks[]
to be added
Abilities[]
to be added
Weaknesses[]
to be added
Arsenal[]
to be added
Appearances: Donbrothers Episodes 41
Kyoryu Black
- "Gaburincho! (samba sounds, then firing sfx) Hey yo! Zyuden Sentai!"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
to be added
Attacks[]
to be added
Abilities[]
to be added
Weaknesses[]
to be added
Arsenal[]
to be added
Appearances: Donbrothers Episodes TBA
Oushi Black
- "Seiza Change! Hey yo! Uchu Sentai!"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
to be added
Attacks[]
to be added
Abilities[]
to be added
Weaknesses[]
to be added
Arsenal[]
- Seiza Blaster
- Kyutama
- Oushi Kyutama
Ryusoul Black
- "Ryu So Cool! (Cheery Samba Jingle) Bwahahahahaha! Hey yo! Kishiryu Sentai!"
- ―Transformation announcement[src]
Powers and Abilities[]
Powers[]
to be added
Attacks[]
to be added
Abilities[]
to be added
Weaknesses[]
to be added
Arsenal[]
- Ryusoul Changer
- Ryusoul Ken
- RyuSouls
- Black RyuSoul
Relationships[]
Allies[]
Rangers[]
- Donbrothers
- Taro Momoi/Don Momotaro: Tsubasa doesn't like Taro. But, he is aware for the fact that Taro is not normal and is better not to be messed with.
- Shinichi Saruhara/Saru Brother: There is no proper relationship between them other than being fellow members of the Donbrothers.
- Haruka Kitou/Oni Sister: There is no proper relationship between them other than being fellow members of the Donbrothers.
- Tsuyoshi Kijino/Kiji Brother: Due the fact that Tsubasa is a fugitive, his relationship with Tsuyoshi starts off badly. However, they meet up often and become proper friends. Tsubasa will always ask for his help whenever there is a trouble that he can't avoid, personally. Their relationship turns sour for a while due to complications surrounding the Juto and Tsuyoshi's wife Miho's identity. Tsuyoshi has even tried to kill Tsubasa at one point because of these incidents. The two have made up and come back to being friends.
- Jiro Momotani/Don Doragoku/Don Torabolt: Tsubasa disdains Jiro and prefers to not get in close with him. Tsubasa has a grudge against Jiro due to being treated like a dog for once, beaten up to steal his power against Taro, and interfered with when he is trying to mend a broken love relationship of a couple.
- Noto Trio
- Sonoi: Former Enemy
- Sononi: Tsubasa has an awkward relationship with Sononi because she is interested in Tsubasa's love life. After she has gotten close to Tsubasa and talked about love, Sononi no longer approaches any man and prefers only him. Despite being on different sides, Sononi will not attack Tsubasa when it's not the time for him to fight. By the time she joins the rangers' side, Sononi's relationship with him has been significantly strained when Sononi tricks Tsubasa into nearly killing Natsumi Kuramochi so she can take her place. Since then, Tsubasa has been cold towards her, utterly rejecting her approaches and refusing to thank her even after she protects him and Natsumi from the police. After Tsubasa has been left for real by Natsumi as she can no longer tolerate the secrecy he carries and prefers to be with Kijino, Tsubasa is now in a close relationship with Sononi and the relationship becomes even better after a year of Taro's step down. And much like how Tsubasa cares for his ex in the past, he does his best to show how he cares & loves Sononi.
- Sonoza: Former Enemy
- Don Murasame: Former Enemy
- Kaito Goshikida/Zenkaizer Black: TBA
Family[]
to be added
Others[]
to be added
Enemies[]
Noto/Juto[]
- Kenji Sayama/Cat Juto: Tsubasa's officer in charge of pursuing him. He remembers him well before Kenji becomes Keisatsuki. Tsubasa eventually fears Kenji as the Cat Juto, putting a one-sided fight against Tsubasa. This causes Tsubasa to run away instead of fighting since the rest of the Donbrothers won't arrive whenever a Juto appears. Tsubasa ends up killing Kenji by accident when he destroys the fake Juto copy in self-defense.
- Miho Kijino: Tsubasa always mistakes her as Natsumi, due to the Crane Juto's copying the latter's appearance.
- Sonoshi: TBA
- Sonogo: TBA
- Sonoroku: TBA
- Sonona: TBA
- Sonoya: TBA
Family[]
to be added
Others[]
to be added
Behind the Scenes[]
Portrayal[]
- Tsubasa Inuzuka is portrayed by Totaro (柊太朗 Tōtarou).[6] As Inu Brother, his suit/motion capture actor is Kazuya Okada (岡田 和也 Okada Kazuya). In the final six episodes, his suit/motion capture actor is Shigeki Ito (伊藤 茂騎 Itō Shigeki) for episodes 45-48 and Naoya Iguchi (井口 尚哉 Iguchi Naoya) for the final two episodes.
Design[]
- Inu Brother features a super-deformed body design, with a small torso and skinny limbs alongside disproportionately large hands and feet, and an oversized helmet with dog stylings and a tail at the rear. Like the other Donbrothers, his visor is styled after sunglasses.
Etymology[]
- His last name contains the kanji for "dog" (犬 Inu).
Legend Sentai Devices[]
Inu Brother Key
Notes[]
Totaro using Don Momotaro's suit on set, which would be composited to black in post-production.
- Inu Brother is based on the dog from the Momotaro legend, who joined the titular hero in his quest to defeat the Oni upon being offered rice cakes. The various versions of the story interpret the dog differently in its size and which of the Japanese regional canine breeds it is. Some tales describe the dog as “big as a colt”, while others depict it as a Shiba Inu or a white medium sized dog such as a Shikoku Inu or Kishu Inu.
- Like Kiji Brother, Inu Brother's design and diminutive stature means that he exclusively appears rendered in CGI when present in full body shots, using isolated costume parts in extreme closeup shots, though for certain scenes of physical interaction a scale puppet is used instead. Despite this, traditionally-made suits would later be made for stage shows.[8]
- The Toei production team doesn't possess a physical Inu Brother suit. Therefore, in the transformation sequence filming, Totaro would use Don Momotaro's suit instead, which would subsequently be composited to black during post-production.[9]
- Tsubasa is the first person not to die upon the destruction of the Juto taking his form, since he was freed before said Juto was destroyed.
Appearances[]
Avataro Sentai Donbrothers
- Don 2: Big Peach, Small Peach
- Don 3: Light Thief
- Don 4: Onigiri Oni
- Don 5: Holed Up Dog
- Don 6: Short-Lived Pheasant
- Don 7: Group of Teachers
- Don 8: Long Hair Captivity
- Don 9: Worn Out Taro and Robotaro
- Don 10: The Rainbow The Oni Saw
- Don 11: The Dog Gets Sunstroke
- Don 12: The Moon Is Lying
- Don 13: Goodbye Taro
- Don 14: Substitute Jiro
- Don 15: Welcome Back Taro
- Don 16: Darkness Switch
- Don 17: Light and Tsubasa
- Don 18: A Jawsome Strike
- Don 19: Hello Ghost
- Don 20: High Nose Elegy
- Avataro Sentai Donbrothers The Movie: New First Love Hero
- Don 21: The Extreme Ramen Path
- Don 22: Hellish Road of Manga
- Don 23: Dog Becomes a Dog
- Don 24: Son, Trench Coat for Two
- Don 25: Hero-Worker
- Don 26: Finale Forward Step-Out
- Don 27: Duel for Real
- Don 28: Secret's Secret
- Don 29: Mourning and Murasame
- Don 30: Juto Hunter
- Don 31: Doggie Face Reveal
- Don 32: Duel Part 2
- Don 33: The Wasshoi Bird
- Don 34: Natsumi Meets Me
- Don 35: Origami Song
- Don 36: Dog Dog Battle
- Don 37: I and Ni and Za and Shi
- Don 38: Nonsensical Cooking
- Don 39: Unexpected Button Pressing
- Don 40: Dangerous Love Ride
- Don 41: Santa Struggling
- Don 42: Off-putting Family
- Don 43: Run Through Time, Run Through the Mysteries
- Don 44: White Revealed, Black Revealed
- Avataro Sentai Donbrothers Spin Off: This is the Donbrothers' Roll Call! The True Form of the Donbrothers!?
- Avataro Sentai Donbrothers vs. Avataro Sentai Donburies
- Don 45: Laughing Village, Rugged Village
- Don 46: A Natsumi Night's Dream
- Don 47: DonNo Conference
- Don 48: 9 Donbro
- Don 49: Last Memories
- Don Final: We Have Made True Bonds
Avataro Sentai Donbrothers vs. Zenkaiger
Ohsama Sentai King-Ohger vs. Donbrothers
References[]
- ↑ https://twitter.com/alwendozhang/status/1506686428964540417
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs named:0 - ↑ https://www.toei.co.jp/tv/donbrothers/story/1228626_3246.html
- ↑ https://urahiro003.hatenablog.com/entry/2022/08/10/172249
- ↑ https://twitter.com/JRa1amrez/status/1557357871607648256?t=Y7NRnya_qwQhjAYyMtX6xA&s=19
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedDonbroCast - ↑ https://figsoku.net/blog-entry-296092.html
- ↑ https://www.oricon.co.jp/pressrelease/1116148/
- ↑ https://pbs.twimg.com/media/F7U-K5_bQAAzkzP?format=jpg&name=large
Footnotes[]