Rideback (manga)

Musashino University Rideback Club

• Ogata Rin (尾形 琳)
• Rin is a freshman in the drama department at Musashino University. Being a talented ballet dancer, she was expected to be the natural successor to her late mother Yuki, having participated in dance competitions from a young age. However, she subsequently decided to quit after fracturing her left ankle two years before enrolling at Musashino University, where she first comes across the red Rideback Fuego.
• Kataoka Tamayo (片岡 珠代)
• Tamayo is a junior in the French literature department at Musashino University, being an upperclassman to Rin and Haruki. She is the current champion for the Eighth All Japan Rideback Race Championship using her green Rideback RBZ.
• Okakura Tenshirō (岡倉 天司郎)
• Okakura is the adviser of the Musashino University Rideback Club, who possesses a strict character and a large nose. He was honorably discharged from the GGP.
• Hishida Haruki (菱田 春樹)
• Haruki is a sophomore in the engineering department at Musashino University and an upperclassman to Rin. He is an enthusiast of Ridebacks.
• Uemura Shōko (上村 しょう子)
• Shoko is Rin's childhood friend, who becomes Rin's roommate at Musashino University.
• Uchida Suzuri (内田 すずり)
• Suzuri is a freshman in the fine arts department at Musashino University. She is extremely enthusiastic as she is a huge fan of Rin.

GGF / GGP

• Romanofu Karenbāku (ロマノフ・カレンバーク)
• Romanov is a colonel sworn in as the corrupt commander-in-chief of the GGP, who runs the government with a dictatorship approach. He is later shot and killed by Misawo. He is an anime original character.
• Yokoyama Misawo (横山 みさを)
• Misawo is a member of the GGP, who moonlights as a lecturer of the literature department at Musashino University. She is later revealed to be a double agent for Kiefer.

BMA

• Kiifa (キーファ)
• Kiefer is a first lieutenant and the leader of the BMA, who rides the black Rideback Black Knight. During the Battle of Arizona ten years ago, he served as a soldier in the same unit of the GGP as Okakura and Romanov before later defecting to the BMA.
• Ogata Kenji (尾形 堅司)
• Kenji is Rin's younger brother.

Other characters

• Ogata Yuki (尾形 遊紀)
• Yuki is Rin's mother, a talented ballet dancer who died six years before the series' story.
• Yoda Megumi (依田 恵)
• Kei is a freelance journalist who works alongside her partner Sato.
• Kataoka Ryūnosuke (片岡 龍之介)
• Ryunosuke is an executive of the National Police Agency and Tamayo's older brother.

Manga

Rideback, written and illustrated by Tetsurō Kasahara, was serialized in Shogakukan's manga magazine Monthly Ikki from April 25, 2003,[3] to October 25, 2008.[4][5] Shogakukan collected its chapters in ten volumes, published from May 28, 2004, to February 25, 2009.

Volumes

Anime

An anime adaptation was announced in April 2007.[16] The 12-episode series was animated by Madhouse and directed by Atsushi Takahashi.[17][18] It was broadcast on Chiba TV, TV Saitama, tvk, KBS Kyoto, Sun TV, Tokyo MX and AT-X from January 12 to March 30, 2009.[19][20] The opening theme is "Rideback", performed by Mell, and the ending theme is "Kioku" (記憶) by Younha featuring Goku.[18][21]

In North America, Funimation announced the license to the series at Anime Central in May 2010.[22] Funimation released the series on Blu-ray and DVD on June 28, 2011.[23] The series made its American television debut on July 26, 2011, on Funimation Channel.[24]

Episodes

Novel

A novel, titled Rideback: Cannonball Run (RIDEBACK―キャノンボール・ラン―) was released by Shogakukan, under its Gagaga Bunko, on January 21, 2009.[25]