Kojiro Nanjo

* Uniform
* Skater

## Skateboard Design

**Kojiro Nanjo** (南 (なん) 城 (じょう)  虎次 (こじ) 郎 (ろう) , *Nanjō Kojirō*?), known in "S" as **Joe** (ジョー, *Jō*?), is a character in the *SK8 the Infinity* anime series. He is a skilled skater and one of the founding member of "S" who uses his unique build and stature to skate in an aggressive, movement-orientated fashion.

## Appearance

Kojiro is a tall and muscular man with slightly tanned skin and wavy hair of a dark forest-green color, short aside from a small section at the back of his head that reaches down past the base of his neck with bangs hanging down on the left side of his face, red eyes that slope gently outwards where he almost always bears an easygoing expression and he has a black sun-shaped abstract tattoo on his left shoulder.

Outside of "S", his usual attire consists of blue plain jeans and an orange & white striped shirt, although he's been seen wearing a different array of dark colored T-shirts and other colored shirts.

When working at Sia la luce, he wears a white double-breasted chef's top, black pants and a long, dark red apron tied at his waist.

As Joe, he ties the longer section of his hair in a low ponytail and he wears only a pair of plain baggy white pants and a white & blue jacket that is left unzipped to reveal his torso with an orange lining on the collar. He also sports black fingerless gloves and a number of dark bands around his neck and waist. Whenever he is skateboarding, he usually has his jacket slung off his shoulders (as seen in Episode 2, Episode 4, Episode 7, near the end of Episode 8, Episode 9 and Episode 12; although he only did this when watching Langa Hasegawa's final beef with Adam).

During his high school years, Kojiro had shorter hair with bangs hanging above his eyebrows on the left side and he was much less muscular than he is now as an adult.

In his clothing choices, he shows a lot of skin and the reason why he’s always undressed is because he has so much muscle that it's uncomfortable for him to wear tight clothing. His clothing, no matter how beat up are brand named, shows how he always tries to dress for his best.

### Gallery

Kojiro (left) and Kaoru Sakurayashiki as teenagersKojiro in his usual casual outfit
## Personality

In "S", Joe seems to be a playboy who likes to charm and have fun with many women. This is shown at the beginning of Episode 1 when he kisses 2 girls simultaneously and he is seen flirting with countless girls episodes later. Joe is able to charm women easily and at least two women are often seen with him, much to the annoyance of Shadow and Reki Kyan.

Despite his aura of hostility towards Cherry Blossom, they are good friends who have the utmost trust in each other and their abilities. He is shown to deeply care for Kaoru, being the person Kaoru sneaks out of the hospital for after he's injured and the one who carried Kaoru when he passed out after Adam's attack. Kojiro & Kaoru have been shown to be close, using each other's first names alongside the childhood friends aspect. Kojiro is extremely loyal to Kaoru and likewise for Kaoru.

    Kojiro has a "papa bear" mentality and appears as a father figure to the younger boys, offering advice and noticing when things are off about them. He is very open-minded and kind towards the younger boys trying to help them whenever he can.

He helps Reki overcome his doubt and often comes to find him when he's worried that he's doing something reckless. He speaks to Reki when he's down, trying to help him with his self-worth. He notices the small things in the younger boy's behavior and his playboy persona sheds as he shows his support. He also not only helps Reki, but helps Langa Hasegawa with the rekindling of his friendship with Reki.

He often has a teasing aspect of his entity, but beneath the playboy persona, he is a very loyal, watchful & relaxed guy who enjoys helping others.

## Abilities

Joe is one of the strongest and more muscular skaters in "S". Having been into the sport since his teenage years , it can be inferred that he's spent much time honing his skills, even into his adult life. He is well-known in "S" as the 'Six-Pack Skater' due to the unusual, strength-orientated style he uses when skating.

* **General Prowess:** A skilled skater and a founding member of "S", Joe is a proficient skater capable of dominating almost every race he's challenged to , even wrangling himself up an "S" fan club where his supporters are mostly women. He can skate along "S"'s dangerous tracks and perform dangerous tricks with ease thanks to his absolute control over his body, which, when added to the raw amount of skill he's been seen to have, makes him a very formidable opponent in beefs.

* **Unique Style:** Joe skates in a style that takes full advantage of his large and muscular build that would be considered reckless if it came from any other skater. He uses his unique strength to overcome difficult terrain, shown using only his legs to propel himself off a wall and a girder while going full speed. He includes biking moves into his style such as the superman in which the person will plank to gain speed by being more aerodynamic; without the bike handles or seat to hold onto, he uses his brute strength alone to suspend himself above his board.
* **Named Moves:** Like Langa Hasegawa, Joe only has one named move so far.
	+ **Power Break:** A move that requires him to go at an insane speed to make a turn considered to be "impossible", eventually going so fast that it seems like he's going to hit a wall. He then uses his strength to lift him off to get ahead of his opponent. Cherry Blossom states that it's so impossible to do and only Joe could pull it off because of his sheer power.

## Background

Kojiro has been skateboarding since he was a teenager alongside Kaoru Sakurayashiki; his childhood friend. He and Kaoru met Adam when Kaoru challenged Adam to a beef and the three soon became inseparable friends with Adam even telling the two that they were special and different to everyone else he knew. At some point, they formed "S" together and it was during his time with the pair that Adam began to spiral out of control, which concerned Kojiro as he and Kaoru kept stumbling across him injuring other skaters during beefs. Adam then suddenly left for America, abandoning the two, which affected them a lot.

This is the reason for Kojiro and Kaoru's bad blood with Adam and the explanation for why they want to beef against him so badly; they feel betrayed by their former friend.

Kojiro grows up to become a professional chef and opens his own Italian restaurant called Sia la luce after studying culinary in Italy and returning back to Japan. Even as a busy adult and chef, he still dedicates a lot of his time to skating alongside Kaoru at "S". He is among the top skaters of "S".

He appears as laidback and flirty, but underneath that, he is very attentive and worrisome for his friends. He is shown constantly trying to indirectly protect Reki Kyan and the others; from other people and from themselves. He is seen as figure of respect and advice to the youngsters.

## Trivia

* Kojiro's name contains the kanji for "south" (南, *nan*?), "castle" (城, *jō*?), "tiger" (虎, *ko*?), "next" (次, *ji*?) and "son" (郎, *rō*?).
	+ The first kanji "虎" in his given name can also be written/read as *tora* while the second kanji "城" in his surname can also be written/read as *shiro*.
* Joe’s Zodiac sign is Cancer.
* Joe is a "regular" skater, meaning he prefers to skate with his left foot at the front of the board.
* Kojiro doesn't wear many clothes to bed since his muscles keep him warm.
* Joe has been friends with Kaoru Sakurayashiki since kindergarten.
* Kojiro would give a homemade white day gift and take a partner out on a proper date.
* Joe is popular with women.
* Joe would have participated in the Coming of Age day in Okinawa and would have dressed up in a flashy outfit.
* Kojiro has his future plans most firmly sorted out, though there is a part of him that's amiable to taking things as they come.
* Kojiro is able to see the fun side even when he makes a mistake and is the most responsible adult of the group.
* Kojiro would not like a surprise proposal. He would not like a grand reception. He would want "see ya" kisses everyday. He would want to go to Italy for his honeymoon. He'd be helpful, supportive, and patient with his spouse. He likes to live it up pretty hard and doesn't have a lot of money, so his spouse would have to handle the finances.
* Kojiro's favorite food is acqua pazza.
* Kojiro's hobby is going on eating tours.
* Joe is 1 on Joe's rankings of the muscles of S. Joe's comment: They all still have a long way to go. Food and muscles must both be cooked on a low flame. I’ll always be waiting for you, ciao.
* Joe is 50% on Adam’s Passionate Love Parameter, how much passion he has for each skater. Adam’s comment: He’s always done a lot of power tricks, but you guys never change.
* Joe's daily schedule when there's no S:
	+ 7:00-7:30 - Wakes up, goes jogging, strength training (Muscles are nurtured with healthiness)
	+ 7:30-8:00 - Showers, has breakfast
	+ 8:00-9:00 - Stocks restaurant
	+ 9:00-12:00 - Prepares for lunch service
	+ 12:00-15:00 - Opens for lunch
	+ 15:00-16:00 - Lunch service ends
	+ 16:00-18:00 - Prepares for dinner service (Around this time Reki and the others might show up and he'll end up feeding them)
	+ 18:00-23:00 - Opens for dinner
	+ 23:00-24:00 - Closes shop, prepares for next morning
	+ 24:00-25:00 - Work out, shower
	+ 25:00 - Drink protein, sleep
* Joe would go to a summer festival for a summer date. He's a party person and will have fun eating and walking, and he may just want to spend time with girls wearing yukatas. If there was unexpected rain, he would laugh it off with his date and take his shirt off to show off his muscles.
* Since enjoying himself is most important, Joe's fashion sense involves showing a lot of muscle when he goes out. It's more that he has so much muscle that clothes become uncomfortable rather than he's confident in his body. Joe probably doesn't carry around a bag, but instead just his wallet in his pocket and his skateboard. For a date, Joe is always wearing his best clothes since he's meeting people every day. Joe would like things not normally seen, like casual clothes worn around the house to relax. He likes fashionable clothes too, but the loose and defenseless look would be attractive to him. Joe probably has a favorite clothes shop where he's friendly with the staff. Since he hangs out with a lot of girls he probably doesn't buy cheap clothes, but instead wears brand names, even if they're beat up. For a date, he would do anything his partner would want to do even if he doesn't have money like Cherry does from all his playing around, but if it seems too expensive he would try to direct them to a more light location like a casual bar. He'd let his laundry pile up and do it all at once. If someone snapped a picture of him on the street, he'd smile and be carefree and make manly poses.
* Joe probably figured out Santa isn’t real early from his classmates telling him, and when he’d tell Cherry, who was all proud about the presents he got, they’d fight. Before loving skating, Joe would have wanted rider toys popular with boys, but his family was probably not well off, so he most likely got soccer balls and basketballs for Christmas.
* Joe’s omotenashi would include serving his guest a full course Italian meal with individually picked ingredients to suit the guest's taste. Joe has Cherry taste-test all his Italian food because he is critical about taste and would be honest with his thoughts. Joe is good at cooking and serving, but sometimes reckless with money coordination.
* Kojiro dislikes anko/red beans and sweets.
* Joe's tournament card is the Three of Diamonds.
* Joe's blood type is O.
* Kojiro is the most dark skinned character out of the rest of the cast.
* Kojiro is rarely referred to by his given name (**Kojiro**) and he is commonly referred to as **Joe** by many people in public and even when he is not skating at "S". However, the only person to call him by his given name is Cherry when he was very worried or stressed over his friend who was racing against Langa Hasegawa.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 *SK8 the Infinity* Official Guidebook
2. ↑ *SK8 the Infinity* Official Website
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Skater’s Backstage
4. ↑ SK8 DESIGN WORKS
5. ↑ Animedia Magazine September Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 9.
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 8.
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 3.
*SK8 the Infinity* Anime: Episode 7.
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Animedia Magazine March Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Animedia Magazine April Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
12. ↑ Animedia Magazine May Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Marriage Certificates
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 *SK8 the Infinity* Anime: BD&DVD Vol.4
14. ↑ *SK8 the Infinity* Anime: BD&DVD Vol.5
15. ↑ Animedia Magazine August Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
16. ↑ Animedia Magazine September Issue: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
17. ↑ Animage December 2021: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
18. ↑ Otomedia December 2021: *SK8 the Infinity* Q&A with Hiroko Utsumi
19. ↑ Adam's 2022 birthday merchandise