Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!!

Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!! (爆走兄弟レッツ&ゴー!!) is a manga by Tetsuhiro Koshita that appeared in CoroCoro Comic centered around Mini 4WD racing. It was later adapted into three TV anime series, each of which consisting of three 51-episode series, and was also made into several games. The series also released various merchandise, including CDs, trading cards, and stickers.

Manga

 * The manga series ran serially in CoroCoro Comic starting in the June 1994 issue through the October 1999 issue.

TRF Victorys
The TRF Victorys [ sic ] are a team of Mini 4WD racers in the WGP competition, consisting of the main characters and representing Japan. TRF is an abbreviation for "Tsuchiya Racing Factory" (named for Dr. Tsuchiya), and it is also a reference to the real-life Tamiya Racing Factory, which also goes by the initials "TRF."
 * Retsu Seiba (星馬 烈 Seiba Retsu) - Yuriko Fuchizaki
 * Retsu is one of the two title characters. He is a fifth-grade student who is 11 years old, and Go's older brother. Although he is able to control his patience better than his brother, he still lets out his annoyance with someone once in a while. Retsu sports a green hat as his trademark. His primary color is red, which is the color of his hair, eyes, gloves, shirt, and Mini 4WD cars. Together with Go, they are known as the "Let's Go Brothers" (レッツゴー兄弟 Rettsu Gō Kyoudai). In WGP, he is the captain of the TRF Victorys.
 * Cars: Sonic Saber (ソニックセイバー Sonikku Seibā), Vanguard Sonic (バンガードソニック Bangādo Sonikku), Sonic 600 (ソニック 600,Sonikku rokuhyaku), Hurricane Sonic (ハリケーンソニック Harikēn Sonikku), and Buster Sonic (バスターソニック Basutā Sonikku), and Blitzer Sonic (ブリッツァーソニック Burittsā Sonikku) and the latest, Rodeo Sonic.
 * Birthday: April 10
 * Blood type: A
 * Height: 124 cm (roughly 4'1")
 * Weight: 28 kg (roughly 62 pounds)
 * Hobby: Collecting postcards
 * Hometown: Japan


 * Go Seiba (星馬 豪 Seiba Gō) - Haruna Ikezawa
 * Go is the second of the two title characters. He is Retsu's younger brother by one year, and he is in the fourth grade. Go is rash, impulsive, careless, impatient, and brash. He is usually seen wearing goggles, but they are on his forehead most of the time as opposed to covering his eyes. His primary color is blue, which is the color of his hair, eyes, gloves, and boots, as well as his cars.
 * Cars: Magnum Saber (マグナムセイバー Magunamu Seibā), Victory Magnum (ビクトリーマグナム Bikutorī Magunamu), Magnum 600 (マグナム 600 Magunamu rokuhyaku), Cyclone Magnum (サイクロンマグナム Saikuron Magunamu), Beat Magnum (ビートマグナム Bīto Magunamu), Lightning Magnum (ライトニングマグナム Raitoningu Magunamu'')and the latest,Bison Magnum.
 * Birthday: August 1
 * Blood type: O
 * Height: 120 cm (roughly 3'11")
 * Weight: 25 kg (roughly 55 pounds)
 * Hobby: Manga, video games
 * Hometown: Japan


 * Ryo Takaba (鷹羽 リョウ Takaba Ryō) - Urara Takano
 * Ryo is a wanderer who, with his brother Jiromaru, lives off the land. When he first meets the Seiba Brothers, He quickly becomes their rival, particularly that of Go. Eventually however, he becomes a friend of the Seibas and as well as a member of the TRF Victorys.
 * Cars: Tridagger X (トライダガーX Toraidagā X), Neo-Tridagger ZMC (ネオトライダガーZMC Neo Toraidagā ZMC), Rising Trigger (ライジングトリガー Raijingu Torigā)
 * Birthday: August 27
 * Blood type: O
 * Height: 140 cm (roughly 4'7")
 * Weight: 37 kg (roughly 82 pounds)
 * Hobby: Fishing
 * Hometown: Japan


 * Tokichi Mikuni (三国 藤吉 Mikuni Tōkichi) - Chie Koujiro
 * Tokichi is a spoiled rich boy, because his father is the owner of Mikuni Corporation. When he first meets the Seiba Brothers, Go takes an instant liking to him, most likely because of his money. His family owns an arcade (which instantly attracts Go), which is always the hot spot for kids. When speaking, he pronounces "desu" (です, meaning "is" or "to be") as "degesu" (でげす). His strength is making cars with emphasis on their technical cornering ability. Tokichi also likes to make his entrances in overly extravagant manners stereotypical of rich people, such as jumping out of a helicopter, arriving in a limousine, and surrounded with an entourage with great fanfare.
 * Cars: Spin Axe (スピンアックス Supin Akkusu), Spin Cobra (スピンコブラ Supin Kobura), Spin Viper (スピンバイパー Supin Baipā)
 * Birthday: March 3
 * Blood type: B
 * Height: 118 cm (roughly 3'10")
 * Weight: 28 kg (roughly 62 pounds)
 * Hobby: Japanese tea ceremony
 * Hometown: Japan


 * J - Kumiko Watanabe
 * Initially a battle racer in the Ōgami Corps, trained under Dr. Ōgami, he later finds enjoyment in regular racing with the Seiba brothers. Because of this, he decides to leave Ōgami Labs, renouncing the anything-to-win attitude instilled by Dr. Ōgami, and goes to live with Dr. Tsuchiya in his laboratory as an assistant. As a result, he also gradually changes in his personality, turning from an introvert into a more cheerful boy. Of all the other team members, J is the most skilled technician/mechanic, having prior experience with computers and machines while under Ogami's training. These skills are proven on many occasions, namely when he repaired the damaged Tridagger X to repay Ryo for damaging it in a previous race, when he helped Go design and build the Cyclone Magnum and when he designed the Proto Saber EVO. He appears to be best friends with Go.
 * Cars: Proto Saber JB (プロトセイバーJB Puroto Seibā JB), Proto Saber Evolution (プロトセイバーエヴォリューション Puroto Seibā Evoryūshon)
 * Birthday: December 14
 * Blood type: AB
 * Height: 140 cm (roughly 4'7")
 * Weight: 32 kg (roughly 71 pounds)
 * Hobby: Gardening
 * Hometown: Japan

Other racers

 * Jirōmaru Takaba (鷹羽 二郎丸 Takaba Jirōmaru) - Ikue Ōtani
 * Jirōmaru is Ryo Takaba's younger brother. He likes Ryo a lot, and follows him around everywhere. In his speech, he always mispronounces "desu" (です, meaning "is" or several other forms of "to be") as "dasu" (だす), and calls Ryo "anchan" (あんちゃん), a cross between "aniki" (兄貴) and "oniichan" (お兄ちゃん), both ways of referring to one's older brother in Japanese. His cars, which he named "Jirōmaru Special", "Jirōmaru Special Special", "Jirōmaru Special Special Special", "Jirōmaru Special Special Special Special", and "Jirōmaru Special Special Special Special Special" are constantly damaged in races. Most of these cars resemble Ryo's first car, Tridagger X.


 * Jun Sagami (佐上 ジュン Sagami Jun) - Chinami Nishimura
 * Jun has been a friend of the Seiba brothers since they were infants. She is an ace pitcher in baseball, and plays for a team named "Jun Chanzu" (ジュンちゃんず). At first, she is a novice at Mini 4WD racing, but improves in her skill through the influence of the Seiba brothers and others. Jun's name, combined with those of Retsu and Go, is a reference to Jun Retsugō (レツゴー じゅん Retsugō Jun), the stage name of Japanese comedian Yoshiji Watanabe (渡辺 美二 Watanabe Yoshiji). Her cars are named Wild Home Run, Home Run Manta Ray, and Super Home Run Manta Ray. Her cars most always resemble a van with monster truck proportioned wheels.


 * Chīko Mikuni (三国 チイコ Mikuni Chīko) - Akiko Yajima
 * Chīko is Tokichi's younger sister. She has a crush on Retsu. She uses her own Mini 4WD called the "Flower Axe", which is a customised variant of the Spin Axe.


 * R - Arisa Andō
 * R is J's older sister, originally thought to have died in a plane accident on her way to America while she and J were still kids. She was first disappointed at J for defecting from Ogami but later understood why after the first race of the SGJC. She is last seen returning to America, saying that if J sees her there, she would show J what real racing is.

Supporting characters

 * Dr. Tsuchiya (土屋博士 Tsuchiya-hakase) - Masashi Ebara
 * The head of the Tsuchiya Racing Factory. His first name is never mentioned; he is simply referred to as Dr. Tsuchiya. He is named after Hirotsugu Tsuchiya, a Tamiya employee. His ongoing conflict in ideals continue against Dr. Ogami as the story progresses.


 * He also has a past of being a jet pilot and engineer of jet planes, as shown in his lesser-seen parts of his labs. It is also where he found the inspiration to create the Super Avante; the prototype used for all the Saber series of Mini 4WD racers.


 * Takeshi "Mini Yon Fighter" Sugiyama (杉山 闘士 Sugiyama Takeshi, ミニ四ファイター Mini Yon Faitā) - Showtaro Morikubo
 * The emcee, announcer, and commentator for most Mini 4WD races. In the animation, he is shown to possess a Shining Scorpion Mini 4WD racer. In the manga, he is shown using a customized version of the Victory Magnum known as Fighter Magnum VFX.


 * Tamotsu Sagami (佐上 保 Sagami Tamotsu) - Hidenari Ugaki
 * Tamotsu is Jun's father and the manager of the Sagami Model Shop that the Seiba brothers frequent. Despite running a business, he refuses to supply any Battle Racing Parts as he believes that racing is not about destroying other vehicles.


 * Kaizō Seiba (星馬 改造 Seiba Kaizō) - Hidenari Ugaki
 * He is the father of the Seiba brothers. Kaizō quickly developed an interest for Mini 4WD and likes to race together with his sons. His personal vehicle is a customized variant of the Saber series of mass produced racers, which he personally calls "Godfather".


 * Yoshie Seiba (星馬 良江 Seiba Yoshie) - Shinobu Adachi
 * The mother of the Seiba brothers, she has a bighearted and courageous personality. At first, she dislikes Mini 4WD racing, mostly due to her annoyance with Retsu and Go constantly fighting about them, but she eventually grows used to it.

NA Astro Rangers (USA)
The NA Astro Rangers are a team of NASA trainees in the WGP competition, representing the USA. All members use the same car, the Buck Blader, but each one has a different tuning setup despite their identical exteriors. The Buck Blader is noted for their versatile build due to their all-terrain custom chassis.


 * Brett Astaire - Kentarō Itō
 * The team captain of the NA Astro Rangers.
 * Car: Buck Blader (with Power Booster; a last-use ability which forces the machine into overdrive, thus draining all the remaining battery of the vehicle right before the end of a race)
 * Birthday: June 2
 * Blood type: O
 * Height: 154 cm
 * Hobby: Crossword puzzles
 * Hometown: Washington D.C.


 * Edge Blaze - Hisayoshi Izagi
 * Car: Buck Blader (all-purpose setup)
 * Birthday: September 26
 * Blood type: B
 * Height: 147 cm
 * Hobby: Skateboarding
 * Hometown: Los Angeles


 * Josephina "Jo" Goodwin - Akiko Yajima
 * Car: Buck Blader (high speed setup)
 * Birthday: June 18
 * Blood type: B
 * Height: 140 cm
 * Hobby: Surfing the Internet
 * Hometown: New York


 * Michael Miller - Hidehiro Kikuchi
 * Car: Buck Blader (cornering specialist setup)
 * Birthday: September 15
 * Blood type: A
 * Height: 120 cm
 * Hobby: Ice hockey
 * Hometown: Salt Lake City


 * Hammer "Hammer D" David Grant - Takuma Suzuki
 * Car: Buck Blader (high-torque setup)
 * Birthday: June 23
 * Blood type: A
 * Height: 175 cm
 * Hobby: Basketball
 * Hometown: San Francisco

Eisen Wolf (Germany)
Michael CV: Shinobu Adachi The leader of the Eisen Wolf. A nature-lover boy. His M4WD is the Bergkaiser Type:R.

Schmidt CV: Akira Ishida Member of the Eisen Wolf along with Eric. He is always overprotective to Mikhail. His M4WD is the Bergkaiser Type:L

Erich CV: Shin-ichiro Miki Also a member of the Eisen Wolf. His M4WD is the Bergkaiser Type:R

Adolf a member of Eisen Wolf

Häßler a member of Eisen Wolf

Rosso Strada (Italy)
Carlo CV: Hiro Yūki

The leader of Rosso Strada. Serious and a cool guy also. His M4WD is the Dio Spada.

Luchino

Giulio

Leone

Zola

CCP Silver Fox (Russia)
Yuri Shuvolks CV: Yuka Imai

A boy who is kind and careful. A nature-lover also. His M4WD is the Omega01.

Savannah Soldiers (Africa)
Asides from their manager/coach (Kai Okita), the Savannah Soldiers consist purely of female racers. Their Team's Machines are the Beak Spider Zebra; modelled directly after their coach's original machine, the Beak Spider.

Light Scorpion (China)
Huan:

A Chinese boy who never gives up as a Mini-four Racer. His Mini 4WD is the Shining Scorpion.

Odins (Northern Europe)
Nieminen CV: Shibihara Chiyako

He always says that his M4WD is the strongest(he said in Japanese "buchigiri!"). His M4WD is the White Knight.

AR Boomerangs (Australia)
Jim CV: Miyazaki Issei

An Australian boy. His M4WD is the Native Sun; which is equipped with Solar Panels used for powering the vehicle to eliminate the need for changing batteries. The Native Sun is also equipped with auxiliary batteries used for powering both the vehicle and the wipers (used for removing foreign objects blocking the panels).

Cool Caribbeans (Jamaica)
Pico:

A Jamaican Racer and the leader of Cool Caribbeans who loves to dance. His M4WD is the Jammin RG.

Anime

 * Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!! aired on TV Tokyo from January 8, 1996 through December 30, 1996
 * Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!! WGP aired on TV Tokyo from January 6, 1997 through December 22, 1997
 * Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!! MAX aired on TV Tokyo from January 5, 1998 through December 21, 1998
 * The film, Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!! WGP Bousou Mini 4wd daitsuiseki, was released on July 5, 1997

Other songs

 * "Get Up! V Magnum" (theme of Victory Magnum) by Hironobu Kageyama
 * "Kaze no Cornering" (theme of Vanguard Sonic) [Cornering of wind]
 * "BATTLE ACTION" (theme of Neo Tridagger ZMC)
 * "Inazuma wo Sase" (theme of Spin Cobra)
 * "Killed by Beak Spider" (theme of Beak Spider) by Masaaki Endoh
 * "Yume ijou Koi miman" [More than a Dream, Less than Love] by Sayuri Doumoto
 * "My Little War"" by Marina Ohgami
 * "Lady be BAD" by Jun Sagami
 * "I want FIRE" by Jo
 * "Bongo, Bongo Happy!" by Savanna Soldiers
 * "Theme of Ladies' Grand Prix" by Let's & Go Girls
 * "Get the World (From Bakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go!! WGP)" by Yoko Ishida

Voice cast

 * Haruna Ikezawa as Go Seiba
 * Yuriko Fuchizaki as Retsu Seiba
 * Akiko Yajima as Chiiko Mikuni
 * Chie Koujiro as Tokichi Mikuni
 * Chinami Nishimura as Jun Sagami
 * Urara Takano as Ryo Takaba
 * Ikue Ōtani as Jirōmaru Takaba
 * Kumiko Watanabe as J
 * Masashi Ebara as Doctor Tsuchiya
 * Shōtarō Morikubo as Mini Yon Fighter
 * Satoko Kitō as Rei Hijikata
 * Yuka Imai as Kai Okita

Let's & Go!!

 * Arisa Andō as R
 * Masako Katsuki as Tamami Yanagi
 * Motoko Kumai as Makoto Kohiro
 * Ryūzaburō Ōtomo as Doctor Ōgami

WGP

 * Akira Ishida as Schmidt
 * Akiko Yajima as Jo
 * Chiyako Shibahara as Nieminen
 * Hidehiro Kikuchi as Miller
 * Hiro Yuuki as Carlo
 * Hiroyuki Yoshino as Giulio & Hassler
 * Issei Miyazaki as Jim
 * Kentarō Itō as Adolf & Brett
 * Shinichiro Miki as Erich
 * Shinobu Adachi as Michael
 * Yōji Ueda as Luchino
 * Yuka Imai as Rion Cuzco, & Yuri

Indonesian airdate
On May 2003 - August 2004, Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!! broadcasted on RCTI.

Staff

 * Original Story: Tetsuhiro Koshita
 * Director: Tetsuro Amino
 * Planning: Keisuke Iwata (TV Tokyo), Mirono Oono (Yomiuri Koukokusha), Hidefumi Kawamura (Shogakukan), Masao Yagi (Shogakukan)
 * Series Composition: Hiroyuki Hoshiyama
 * Character Design: Akio Tamaki, Mitsuru Ishihara

Games

 * Mini 4WD Shining Scorpion Let's & Go!! (1996, Super Famicom, ASCII Corporation)
 * Mini 4WD GB Let's & Go! (1997, Game Boy, ASCII Corporation)
 * Mini 4WD Super Factory (1997, Sega Saturn, Mediaquest)
 * Bakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go!! WGP Hyper Heat (1997, PlayStation, Jaleco)
 * Mini 4WD GB Let's & Go! All-Star Battle MAX (1998, Game Boy, ASCII Corporation)
 * Bakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go!! Eternal Wings (1998, PlayStation, Jaleco)
 * Bakusou Kyoudai Let's & Go!! POWER WGP2 (1998, Super Famicom, Nintendo)

Trivia

 * Due to its early premiere date, the MAX series is the first anime to use TV Tokyo's current logo.
 * In episode 18 of the WGP season, when Chiiko becomes jealous of the female WGP competitors, she imagines a scene where a group of female admirers crowds around Retsu. Oddly enough, the group includes Riichi, a male character.