Tohru | |
---|---|
Personal Info | |
Full Name | Tohru |
Nickname | T Big T T Monster (Finn) Family Size (Hak Foo) Tiny My Apprentice (Uncle) Big Boy (Sumo Girl) Big Man (Finn) |
Alias | The Chosen One (mistaken) |
Race | Human Mountain Demon (temporarily) |
Nationality | Japanese |
Family | Tohru's Mother (mother) |
Martial Arts | Sumo |
General Info | |
Base of Operations | Uncle's Rare Finds |
Occupation | Antique Salesman Good Chi Wizard |
Previous Occupation | Enforcer |
Affiliation | Chan Family Section 13 |
Previous Affiliation | Dark Hand |
Team | J-Team |
Previous Team | Enforcers |
Partner | Uncle Jackie Chan Jade Chan |
Previous Partner | Valmont |
Details | |
Debut | Season 1 Episode 1 |
Closing | Season 5 Episode 13 |
English | Noah Nelson |
Japanese | Naomi Kusumi |
"I enjoy serving people; especially those I like." |
Tohru is one of the main characters in the Jackie Chan Adventures series. As an Enforcer of the Dark Hand, he originally appears as an antagonist throughout Season 1, but ultimately choses to reform, becoming an indispensable ally to the Chans in subsequent seasons.
Appearance[]
Tohru is portrayed as a large Japanese man with with a build like a sumo wrestler. He has a downward-pointed nose, thin eyes, a wrinkled forehead, and small ears, weighing approximately 480 pounds and standing taller than most of the characters in the series with muscular arms and legs and an obese midsection. His size even dwarfs taller characters such as El Toro Fuerte, Ratso, and Hak Foo. His main outfit consists of a white T-shirt with black or gray two piece overalls and brown sandals. He has black hair in a chonmage hairstyle, which is the traditional hairstyle of samurais and sumo wrestlers with a slight widow's peak.
Personality[]
Tohru is generally a rather slow person, both physically (because of his great bulk) and mentally. This does not mean that he is completely stupid, only that he goes rather easy on letting his mind do the hard work. During his time with the Dark Hand, Tohru was ruthless and would carry out any orders by Valmont to the limits of his efficiency and, if possible, beyond that. Ever since he quit the Dark Hand and joined the Chans, he has become more demure, easygoing and likable (mostly because of being in a more friendly place), and is very protective of his new friends and family. He is especially fond of Jade, with whom he has a brother-sister relationship. However, he is often ashamed of his criminal past and his status as an ex-convict. He even once threatened to turn his old master Valmont inside out if he doesn't keep Jade safe, as well as break free of the Mountain Demon Chi's power when Jade screamed. He often finds himself being roped into Jade's plans.
Tohru knows detailed and important information about the Oni from childhood stories told by his mother, which become vital during their hunt for the Oni Masks. He is very fond of kittens, likes grape soda and hates fish (which is a cultural irony, considering that in Japan fish makes up a large part of the local diet). The only things he truly fears are Oni and his formidable and constantly critical mother. He also refuses to hit women, as shown when faced with the world's strongest woman, who was hired by Bartholomew Chang. However, this statement can be contradicted, considering that he once attempted to cut open Jade's stomach to retrieve the Rooster Talisman and that he was ready to fight Viper's clone with no signs of holding back.
Tohru enjoys serving people, especially those he likes. In The Chosen One, he's dismayed at being forbidden to do chores he'd normally be happy to do. And he shows a great deal of tolerance for other people's antics and bossing (like those of Jade and Uncle), rarely voicing his opinions forcefully. Tohru has a somewhat immature sense of humor, finding crass acts like belching humorous. Tohru also seems to possess a somewhat playful side, even willing to dress up as a giant bumblebee and making buzzing sounds to amuse trick or treaters during Halloween.
Tohru, however, has one condition in exchange for his loyalty: appreciation. His mother's acceptance means so much to him that he briefly considered working with a Japanese crime syndicate in order to regain that acceptance. He put up with Valmont's ungrateful attitude for a long while and gradually grew more and more resentful towards him until he was forced to fight Shendu with obviously slim chances and was left for dead when he was easily defeated. This act alone caused him to hold a deep grudge against his former master. Torhu also briefly got fed up with Uncle in The Demon Behind for attempting to overwork him instead of thanking him which led to a fallout between the two. This trait was seen again in Tohru Who? when Vamont used an amnesia potion on Tohru to convince him he still works for him and that Jackie Chan is his enemy. Although it worked initially, Tohru ultimately turns against Valmont once again and rejoins the Chans despite not yet regaining his memories after Valmont abandons him when danger comes along while Jackie remains by his side and fights with him.
History[]
Background[]
Little is known of Tohru's past with many details of his early life such as his childhood, adolescent years or even his surname and the identity and status of his father or other family (aside from his mother) being relatively unexplored, other than the fact he has ancestors that were samurai. It is known that he was born a native Japanese citizen and, even as a child, is shown to have been very large. He developed a crippling fear and frequent nightmares of the Japanese demons known as Oni as a boy which was brought unintentionally on by his mother, who told him stories of their monstrous exploits against disobedient children so he would not misbehave. As an adult he moved to America at some point and became an enforcer for Valmont but did not especially desire such a life, only doing so because he was in need of money (which indicated he either did not receive a full education, or was unable to make enough money through legitimate means to support himself and/or his mother). Tohru was once the best enforcer for the Dark Hand who led Valmont's Enforcers during most of the talisman hunts on behalf of the dragon sorcerer Shendu, and a personal servant to Valmont. Despite his formidable size and strength, he proved to be no match for Jackie's martial arts skills and Jade's cunning. His string of defeats displeased Valmont so much that, for the hunt for one of the last talismans (the Pig), he hired the then-freelancer Hak Foo to ensure success of the mission - a switch which Tohru greatly resented.
Eventually, Tohru changed sides when the Dark Hand succeeded in reviving Shendu, who then double-crossed Valmont. Forced to fight Shendu alone, Tohru was quickly defeated and sent flying out the side of the building, which he survived with moderate injuries. After providing Jackie and his friends with the decisive clue to track and stop the demon (specifically Shendu), he turned himself in to Section 13's authorities. When Shendu possessed Valmont and intended to free his fellow demon sorcerers, Jade recruited him into the fledgling J-Team.
As part of the hunt for the demon portals, Uncle chooses Tohru as his apprentice in Chi sorcery. Tohru's magical skills become more proficient and independent over the course of the show. He also develops a sibling-like relationship with Jade, each understanding and protecting the other.
Tohru's knowledge of Oni greatly helped his allies and he had shown prowess in his magical abilities. During Jade's trip to the future, she learned Tohru will become a Magic sensei to Jimmy. However, Jimmy became swayed by evil but thanks to Jade bringing past Jimmy to the future and allowing him to see what he will become it is likely Jimmy won’t become a villain.
Powers and Abilities[]
Tohru's fighting style is rather unique from the other characters in the series because of his large size, and combines the use of thrusts and tackles. He is not agile (and as such is unable to dodge attacks as well as Jackie or Jade). However, he has demonstrated fast reflexes at certain times, which is evidenced at one point when he blocked a swordfish Jade threw at him by using the Rooster Talisman. He is not afraid to use his weight to his advantage (such as when he used it to break open the water tower in order to defeat Valmont/Shendu). Tohru can also withstand extremely cold temperatures as he was the only member of the Dark Hand Enforcers to not wear any protective clothing while they were in the Himalayas in search for the Horse Talisman in The Rock , and in Clash of the Titantics when searching for Tchang Zu's chi with the Chans.
Out of all the members of the J-Team, Tohru possesses the greatest amount of physical strength and endurance. He is able to lift a sumo wrestler who was 1/3rd larger than him completely off the ground, which means that he is able to lift more than 500 pounds. He is also able to withstand devastating attacks that could potentially kill a normal human but he was able to survive these attacks, albeit with injuries or being knocked unconscious.
When working for the Dark Hand, Tohru would use more lethal attacks that could potentially kill his enemies, such as felling a large tree with a single punch, throwing a swordfish at someone like a large javelin, or choking his target with a vice grip. Since joining the Chan family, he prefers a non-lethal approach and usually resorts to picking up his enemies and simply tossing them; in the case with his former enforcers. When battling brutes like Hak Foo or the Ice Crew (under Drago's influence), he will use his full strength to render them unconscious.
Tohru has a habit of picking up from his environment anything he can and using it as a weapon, like a giant boulder or box of tennis balls. In The Warrior Incarnate, Tohru shows that he can use a nunchaku to the point of twirling it around himself with surprising ease.
Over the course of the series, Tohru gains knowledge on using chi spells, which he mainly uses as means of banishing demons, removing Oni Masks, and trapping the Demon Sorcerers' powers. Unlike Uncle, he does not use chi spells by means of offense, preferring to use his physical strength when engaging in combat.
Weaknesses[]
Due to his weight, Tohru can only get to places if it is strong enough to support him. He also gets seasick on cruise ships easily. Ironically, he showed no signs of such prior in Season 1, as shown in the episode of The Jade Monkey where he battled Jackie on a boat. His feet are very ticklish. Tohru also has a fear of Oni, as shown in Season 4. He would often have the willies when an Oni is nearby. He was also hesitant to attack Chow in possession of an oni mask, but soon came to overcome his fears when Jade encouraged him.
Appearances[]
Quotes[]
- "I hate fish."
- "Cookies."
- "Grape." (referencing to his fondness of grape soda)
- "Thank you fish." (after Uncle's blowfish revealed that Tohru was not an evil clone)
- "I am Tohru's clone."
- "What?" (usually in a confused manner, triggered when someone is angry at him for doing something wrong)
- "The (item of importance)" (used mostly while working for the Dark Hand. Items of importance include the talismans, the mask, the crystal, and the shield)
- "Yu Mo Gui Gwai Fai Di Zao."
- "Your uncle is fine for now, Mr. Chan, but every hour I do not possess the shield..." The Dark Hand
- "Fool! Say sayonara to your uncle!" The Dark Hand
- "Rest assured Master. We will find your Talisman. (hits a tree, causing it to fall over) And I will break Jackie Chan." Snake Hunt
- "Chan? I thought I heard your voice. Maim him." Shell Game
- "Mmm... Peppy." (about the Rabbit Talisman's power) Shell Game
- "Who's a — chocolate — bunny — now?" (attacking Jackie with the Rabbit Talisman) Shell Game
- "Whoa! I did not know he could do that." Shell Game
- "Hmm, 'Black Tiger'. He does not look so ferocious. (Hak Foo demonstrates his skills on Tohru) Uh, looks can be deceiving." The Dog and Piggy Show
- "It's always Tohru's fault. Everyone blames Tohru." The Tiger and the Pussycat
- "Chan tells the truth!" The J-Team
Trivia[]
- Tohru is the only protagonist in the show to be of Japanese origin, as opposed to Chinese like the Chan family.
- Tohru weighs 480-485 pounds which he says is too small for a sumo, but in fact the average Japanese sumo weighs 330 pounds. However, the sumos in the same episode he says this were shown to be about 50% bigger than him.
- The sumo he faced in the competition closely resembles King Of Fighters character Chang Koehan, although without the chain and iron ball.
- The talisman Tohru commonly uses is the Monkey Talisman, which he uses to turn enemies into kittens (which Uncle scolded him about in one episode, since Uncle is allergic to kittens). He is also known to use the Rabbit Talisman, which allows him to defeat enemies and carry objects over great distances in a short amount of time (perhaps to make up for the lack of agility decurrent of his immense size).
- In the second episode of Season 1, he is buried in several crates' worth of fish until he regains consciousness with a bellow of disgust, prompting the line, "I hate fish." This line becomes a running gag, spanning multiple seasons (at one point when he lost his temper he even commented on the frequency he is "smothered with FISH").
- By pure chance, it was discovered that he is a descendant of samurai.
- Like Jackie and Uncle, Tohru has a background theme that plays occasionally. His theme involves the use of a bass drum.
- Tohru is featured in the first season opening sequence as the large, opposing figure that Jackie knocks to the ground with a single punch. The only other seasons Tohru is featured in the opening is the third and fourth where he only briefly slides over the screen, despite being promoted to a main protagonist.
- Tohru seems to possess a rather merciful attitude towards children, as before leaving the Dark Hand, he never made any attempt to seriously hurt Jade, despite his many opportunities to do so (the one exception being when he needed to cut open Jade's stomach to retrieve the Rooster Talisman).
- Tohru claims he is a poor swimmer. This is likely due to his considerable weight and lack of nimbleness.
- Tohru's favorite food is cookies and his favorite drink is grape soda.
- It is revealed that Tohru wears a pair of blue boxers with yellow smiley faces in The Mask of El Toro Fuerte.
- At night, Tohru typically wears a set of green pajamas with orange polka dot and slippers.
- According to Tohru, his favorite card game is Go Fish.
- It is revealed in the episode It's All in the Game that Tohru has no reservations about eating bugs should the need arise.
- Though Tohru seemingly doesn't object to doing frequent chores, it is revealed in The Good Guys that he'd prefer to have someone else wash the dishes.
- The episode of The J-Team is the last time Tohru addresses Jackie as "Chan" as how all of his enemies refer him as. Later throughout the rest of the series he addresses Jackie by his first name being that he's now acquainted with him. If we count the episode Tohru Who?, then it would be the final time he's addressed Jackie as "Chan". Although, this occurrence wouldn't necessarily apply since Tohru was not actually himself, but suffered memory loss from Valmont's potion.
- Due to Through the Rabbit Hole likely taking place sometime after the events of Shell Game, Tohru (along with his former enforcers) would be considered the oldest character(s) in the cast or roughly around the same age as Uncle if the episode were to be considered canon to the main story.
Gallery[]
- Main article: Tohru/Gallery