John (Ginga Nagareboshi Gin)

John is a supporting character in the manga/anime series Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin and Ginga Densetsu Weed. He is uncle of Andy Valkom.
He was voiced by from Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin and from Ginga Densetsu Weed in the Japanese version of the anime.
==Appearance==
He is a German Shepherd.
==Personality==
At first reluctant to trust anyone, he eventually becomes close to Gin. John is notoriously snobbish and rude, but his fight with Riki seems to give him a much-needed dose of reality.
==History==
===Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin===
He was Hidetoshi's hunting dog, but joined the wild dogs after losing a fight for leadership with Riki. 
John first met Gin while he was still a puppy and Gohē Takeda and Daisuke were training in the mountains. John "stole" a dead bird that Gin was supposed to retrieve to Gohē. However, it was later discovered that Hidetoshi had had time to shoot the bird before Gohē.
Later, while hunting with Hidetoshi and his hunting companions, John ran to them and happened to be where Daisuke and Gin had killed a female bear with Hidetoshi's bow. John noticed the bear and attacked them without any delay. Gin tried to defend the innocent bear puppies, but John pushed him aside and killed the puppies without feeling any conscience. John had been taught that all bears were enemies be adult or cubs. Soon after, Gin and Daisuke had to put their feet down when they heard Hidetoshi's group approach.
Later, John and the slightly older Gin ran into the wild dogs. John planned to oust the leader of the herd and sued Ben, the team leader. The battle was interrupted before it even began, with the Madara bear on the scene. Ben allowed John and Gin to join their team after they had first demonstrated their courage by fighting the Madara and jumping over a wide ravine. However, John decided to leave the pack almost immediately, believing that wild dogs could not do anything against bears, but would require human weapons. He also thought he would still be shot by humans if he started to lead wild dogs. However, Gin decided to join the Ohu Army and asked John to take care of Daisuke.
Daisuke went hunting alone in the mountains but was surprised by a bear. Then John ran to the rescue and saved Daisuke's life. John lost to the bear and was about to escape and leave Daisuke, but suddenly the bear was frightened of something and fled, Riki had arrived. In no time, John challenged Riki, the leader of the wild dogs, to a duel, but lost to him almost immediately. John had lost for the first time in his life, so he decided to join Riki. John was given the task of conveying to Gin and the other wild dogs the message that the final battle against Akakabuto was imminent.
He met and rescued Hyena, who was the Koga ninja's prisoner. John was almost alone in attacking the Ninja Dogs to make them servants, but then other Ōhu Armies came and Kōga's dogs fell.
In Shikoku, Gin split his packs and ordered John, Wilson, Bill, Musashi and 200 Ohu Army to cross the sea to Kyūshūu in search of more dogs to fight against Akakabuto. John defeated Henry III, the leader of the Hizen area in Kyūshū, and made him and his packs join the Army of Ōhu. In the great battle, Ōhu's commander-in-chief, Riki, had divided the dogs into four squadrons to destroy the bear forts. John led the fourth group, along with Benizakura and Wilson. John was also involved in the final battle himself and at one point he deceived Akakabuto with Akame so that Riki and Gin could attack the bear on Battōga.
After Akakabuto died, John stayed in Ōhu and the dogs enjoyed months of peace until the wolf named Retsuga kidnapped Cross and her puppies.
John stayed in the mountains as a small unit left to retrieve Cross, and later received a message from Chutora seeking additional troops. John assembled part of the army at the border of the Reima region, and Hyōma arrived and challenged him. Then Fūga appeared and sued Hyōma instead of John. Later, John's troops invaded Reima's palace, where they were told the wolf Gaia was their real enemy.
John went with Hokkaido to meet Gaia. He fell with Musashi into the ravine that led to the underground kingdom. The two watched the male warriors duel from the side until Juga arrived. John and Hyōma tried to challenge him, but Juga easily avoided their attack. After Yuga's death, Reima and Gin's packs met Gaia's own army. John fought Gaia's subordinates and then attacked Gaia and Gin as they dueled. John tried to attack Gaia but was easily hit by a wolf.
John survived the battle and returned with others.
===Ginga Densetsu Weed===
John, Gin, and Akame ran into Sasuke in search of Gin's missing spouse, Sakura. Sasuke said Sakura had died, but also mentioned Gin's son, Weed. John was suspicious and started threatening Sasuke, but Gin and Akame told him to stop.
The trio then met their domestic dog Reika , who took them to their shelter and provided them with food. Later, a great dane named Hōgen surrounded them with his subordinates, when Gin told Akame to run to Ōhu. John, Gin and Hiro, who joined the battle, eventually ended up as prisoners. They were severely wounded close to rest and could do nothing but rest. However, Lefty, Tommy and Rossi promised to help them escape. Gin couldn't walk, so John fled with Lefty, Tommy, Ross, Reika and Hiro. Outraged, Hōgen sent Matsu and his packs after them.
However, the fleeing John was badly wounded his bowel hung out of his side. He decided to stay to slow down the pursuers, along with Lefty, Tommy and Ross so that Hiro and Reika could escape. He promised Hiro he would survive.
Hōgen arrived and John was annoyed by his speech, when Hōgen slowly tortured him to death. John tried to attack Hōgen again, but the Danish Dagger avoided the attack. Hōgen's subjects continued to talk to John, but his mind was not discouraged. He sensed Hook and Sasuke nearby and told them to stay far away. Hōgen became more irritated and began to scream out of John's mouth. Then he crossed it and told Hōgen that the soul of justice in him would continue to live with his companions.
Hōgen struck John into the ground, when John began to look back on his past and saw in his mind the Aftercross River that Riki and Smith were facing. Hōgen still wanted to torture John, but thought he was dead and left with his subjects. Although he didn't show it to his subordinates, he felt fear because he couldn't break John's mind.
However, John was still alive, just now. Sasuke, Hook and Weed came to see him. John told them he couldn't die without talking to Akame. Hook pretended to be Akame and lied to John that their army had arrived and Gin was released so John could die well. They asked John to do well, but Johm stated that patience was not his strength and finally slept. His last ideas were that he would chase after Akakabuto.
Ben's owner found John's body and took it to his former owner, Iguchi who buried it. Later, when Moss dies, John is confronted with other Ohu Army on the Afterlife.
==Trivia==
*His second voice actor, Tōru Ōkawa also voices Roy Mustang and Spirit Albarn.
*John's character and personality came after Yoshihiro Takahashi's neighbor's dog.
*It was also revealed in Ginga Densetsu Weed: Orion manga that John was born in Finland, though his birthplace was originally stated to be Tokyo in Meteor Gin and Ginga Densetsu Weed Meishōbu Retsuden (it is likely that Yoshihiro forgot his original birthplace, as he is known to forget some older facts and characters).
==External Links==
*
*John on the Ginga Wiki
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