Kojiro Inaba

is the leader of the mechanics in STORAGE.
==Personality==
Kojiro is a quiet man who gives off an old-fashioned Showa atmosphere and sometimes displays an unexpected skill, but his past is shrouded in mystery. His nickname is and the members of the maintenance crew trust him deeply.https://m-78.jp/news/post-5506/https://en.tsuburaya-prod.co.jp/news/2029
He possesses a rigorous craftsman spirit that doesn't compromise on ideals, and he approaches various individuals, from team members to subordinates, with enthusiasm and friendliness.
==History==
===Life-Threatening Decision Height ―The Story of STORAGE's Founding―===
Kojiro Inaba was born on July 30, 1961, in Shinjo City, Fukuoka Prefecture『ウルトラマンZ完全超全集』構成・間宮尚彦 執筆・大石真司、小学館〈てれびくんデラックス 愛蔵版〉ISBN 978-4-09-105171-4. In his early twenties, he joined GAF as a term-based team member and steadily progressed through the organization's hierarchy. He advanced to the rank of Technical Sergeant and further ascended to the officer rank after completing the Officer Candidate School. In addition to his military career, he held flight qualifications as a certified pilot. During this period, he entered into marriage and became a father to a daughter named Ruri.
While being responsible for weapon development at the Integrated Research Institute, he became acquainted with the then GAFJ Director, Kimizaki, whose arrangement allowed him to bypass the regular candidate process and become a test pilot for combat aircraft.
In 2009, while Inaba was engaged in the development of bipedal walking robots, he was introduced to Deputy Director Saburo Kuriyama by Kimizuki. Kuriyama had a plan to introduce robots as facilities to counter monsters, leading to Inaba's invitation to participate in establishing the Robot Development Department. Due to budget constraints, the department struggled to achieve significant results until January 2010 when Grigio Raiden crashed in Yamanashi Prefecture. An investigation revealed unknown energy and technology from extraterrestrial civilizations. Initially, Inaba was hesitant to apply this technology to robot development, but under Kuriyama's persuasion, he decided to incorporate this technology.
Following the establishment of the Special Airborne Armor Development and Test Unit in Gifu Prefecture, Inaba was appointed as the head of the development and experimentation class, and two test pilots were selected. However, with the failure of the SC prototype test flight, pilot Yasuko Kuroe tragically lost her life. Disheartened, Inaba once contemplated submitting his resignation, but under the leadership of another pilot, Hebikura, he managed to muster his determination once more.
In June 2015, the SC1 Sevenger was officially put into operation and was first deployed to combat the Namegon, which had been attacking Japan for two weeks. The footage of its inaugural battle, broadcasted live on-site, had a profound impact worldwide. With Sevenger now in its operational configuration, the test unit was disbanded, and Inaba decided to take on the role of Mechanics Team leader in STORAGE, continuing to execute the crucial responsibility of maintaining and repairing the SC Units.
===Ultraman Z===
At present, Inaba continues to hold the position of Mechanics Team leader in STORAGE, collaborating with his team members to collectively maintain, develop, and inspect the status of SC Units. During his initial appearance, he reported to Yoko, who had just won a wrist wrestling match against other members, about the damage sustained by Sevenger. He mentioned a 0.25% discrepancy in the stability configuration. With the emergence of Neronga, he ordered the Mechanics Team to prepare for deployment and encouraged Haruki, who climbed aboard Sevenger.
Due to budget constraints, the ongoing development of SC 2 Windom within STORAGE had encountered a halt, prompting the indication that Kuriyama would propose an application during the budget meeting, as conveyed to Haruki.
Upon the recognition of STORAGE's strategic capabilities by GAF's North American headquarters and the subsequent approval of additional funds, the development of Windom resumed. However, hindered by initial design complications, different components were outsourced to various companies, resulting in poor connections that led to power losses in Windom. As a consequence, the charging and activation process took as long as four days. He assured Hebikura that he would do his utmost to resolve the issue. Late at night, he imparted to the discouraged Yuka the importance of not giving up on her dreams, noting that certain elements might unexpectedly prove useful. Subsequently, he along with the entire maintenance team assisted Yuka, successfully accelerating Windam's charging speed.
Amid the restoration work on the recovered King Joe within STORAGE, due to his past experiences, he expressed some concerns about the plans for King Joe's reutilization. He remarked, "Humans tend to be insatiable. Perhaps these technologies are premature for us humans." Shortly thereafter, in response to an alert of an Alien Barossa invasion attempting to reclaim King Joe, he sustained injuries while evacuating other members of the Mechanics Team from the base under Alien Barossa's attack. Yet, in a critical moment, he ingeniously used his lunch to activate King Joe's final switch, deceiving Alien Barossa by splashing soup onto it, successfully aiding Haruki's assault on Alien Barossa.
Although his injuries hadn't fully healed, he returned to the scene shortly after the situation was resolved, stating, "The effectiveness of defense robots depends on the skills of the pilot." He encouraged Haruki and Yoko to jointly operate King Joe STORAGE Custom.
During a paid leave, STORAGE organized a party to celebrate the multiple achievements of King Joe SC. Upon learning of the news, Inaba made a special trip from a fishing port to the base with a tuna in hand. This action left the entire STORAGE team astonished. After crafting the tuna into a lavish assortment of sashimi, he treated everyone to a hearty feast. Following that, he showcased impressive magic tricks during the subsequent entertainment segment. However, when the base lost gravity due to Bullton's abilities, he remained remarkably composed.
As her daughter Ruri, who had been conducting research work in Canada for an extended period, returned to Japan after three years, Inaba took a day off specifically to meet her. However, upon seeing her daughter, he felt quite nervous. At Ruri's request, the father and daughter duo visited the STORAGE base. During a group photo session with all the STORAGE members, who were enthusiastic about meeting Ruri, Inaba revealed his serious side that he usually displayed while working. He promptly requested everyone to return to their positions and resume their duties.
After escorting Ruri to the research facility, an incident occurred involving M1, a creature Ruri had nurtured. It was captured by members of a terrorist organization impersonating researchers. During the conflict, M1 was exposed to a generator box, leading to rapid growth and a massive rampage. Upon receiving orders to eliminate M1, STORAGE proposed a project to develop a cellular regressor agent with the condition of "destroying it immediately once it crosses a certain point," aiming to restore M1. Due to differences in their approach towards dealing with monsters, he experienced a temporary rift with Ruri.
As the plan to prevent M1 from reaching the city ultimately neared failure, driven by his commitment to his daughter, Inaba bravely took responsibility by stating to Hebikura, "I'll take full responsibility for everything." Following this, he boarded the King Joe SC platform and aimed the cellular regressor towards M1, successfully restoring it to its original size. Later, he explained to Haruki and Yoko that his initial purpose in being involved with the SC Units was to ensure their capability for life-saving purposes, ultimately leading to his reconciliation with his daughter.
Some time later, following the directives of Mai Yuki, the operational chief of GAFJ, to install the D4 device on the energy particle cannon of King Joe SC, he strongly opposed this decision. However, in the end, due to the emergence of Kelbim, he had no choice but to install the D4 device as instructed, making preparations for battle.
Subsequently, as STORAGE was ordered to disband, he was temporarily reassigned to the publicity department. Wearing a clown mask, he distributed balloons to the visitors at the museum where Sevenger was on display. When Haruki found himself struggling in a battle against Alien Barossa, he managed to repel Alien Barossa using his martial arts skills. During the final stages of the work transition, after handing over matters related to the SC Units to the reassignment team of SAAG, he left the base alone.
While visiting Haruki who was hospitalized due to his fight with Five King, Inaba sensing that something was amiss, drove and took Haruki away from the hospital. He learned that Yoko had been manipulated by Celebro and that Ultroid Zero was absorbing the life energy of monsters. During the journey, Haruki pleaded with Inaba to allow him to confront Celebro alone. Through a series of exchanged glances, Inaba came to realize that Haruki was actually the human host of Ultraman Z. He agreed to let Haruki transform into Z and engage in battle against Destrudos. After reuniting with the original STORAGE members, the entire team decided to prepare together to reclaim the STORAGE headquarters.
During the final battle, he and his teammates collectively fought against Destrudos. As Hebikura and Haruki piloted other SC Units separately, he took the controls of Sevenger. He provided timely support when they were at a disadvantage. Ultimately, when Haruki transformed into Z to face off against Destrudos, he, along with the rest of STORAGE members, witnessed the battle's progress, offering their encouragement. Together, they bore witness to the moment when Z emerged victorious over Destrudos.
Afterward, he bid farewell to Haruki as he departed Earth, alongside all the members of STORAGE.
==Profile==
:;Stats
*Height: 178 cm
*Weight: 65 kg
*Age: 59
*Blood Type: O
==Merchandise==
*Ultraman Z Deformed Pattern Acrylic Charm (2021)
**Release Date(s): November 2021 (Premium Bandai)
**Price: 550 yen for each piece
**Materials: Acrylic, metal (chain)
:Released as part of the Z themed Deformed Pattern Acrylic Charm series, Kojiro (which is drawn in an Anime-fied style) is one the items to be produced as hanging acrylic keychain.
:Kojiro (and the rest of the characters) is available as a made-for-order item (where the customers can choose one during purchase) for Premium Bandai in November 2021.
==Gallery==
===Ultraman Z===
Kojiro Inaba OP.png
Kojiro Inaba 3 1.png
Yuka&MrBako.jpg
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Kojiro Inaba 10 2.png
Kojiro Inaba 10 3.png
Kojiro Inaba 14 1.png
Kojiro Inaba 14 2.png
Kojiro Inaba 14 3.png
Ruri Inaba 09.png
Haruki,Yuka&Inabas.jpg|Kojiro seeing his daughter, Ruri visiting STORAGE
Kojiro Inaba 20 1.png
Kojiro Inaba 20 2.png
Kojiro Inaba 20 3.png
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Kojiro Inaba 21 1.png
Kojiro Inaba 21 2.png
Kojiro Inaba 22 1.png
Kojiro Inaba 22 2.png
Kojiro Inaba 22 3.png
Kojiro Inaba 24 1.png
STORAGE 5.jpg
Kojiro Inaba 5.png
Kojiro Inaba 25 1.png
===Miscellaneous===
Kojiro Inaba 1.png
Kojiro Inaba 2.png
Kojiro Inaba 3.png
Kojiro Inaba 4.png
Bandai&Storage.jpg
==Trivia==
*The character's image is based on Captain John H. Miller portrayed by Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan.『宇宙船』vol.170（AUTUMN 2020.秋）、ISBN 978-4-7986-2324-5
==References==
Category:Allies
Category:Male Characters
Category:Human Characters
Category:STORAGE
Category:STORAGE Members
Category:Ultraman Z
Category:Ultraman Z Characters