Kunio-kun
Arcade flyer forNekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, the first game in the series
Developers	Technōs Japan WayForward Technologies Almanic Corp. A+ Games Arc System Works
Publishers	Technōs Japan SNK Million Corp. Atlus Arc System Works
Creator	Yoshihisa Kishimoto
Platforms	Arcade,Famicom,Game Boy,Mega Drive,X68000,PC-Engine,Super Famicom,Game Boy Advance,Nintendo DS,Virtual Console,iOS,Android,PlayStation 2,WiiWare,Nintendo 3DS,PlayStation 3,PlayStation 4,PlayStation 5,Xbox One,Xbox Series X/S,Switch,Windows,Linux,MacOS
First release	Nekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun JP: May 1986
Latest release	River City Girls 2 WW: December 15, 2022

TheKunio-kun (くにおくん) series (typically localized asRiver City) is a video game series started byTechnōs Japan. The series is now handled byArc System Works who purchased all of theintellectual property rights from Technōs' successor, Million Corp. The first game in the series is fully titledNekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun (熱血硬派くにおくん), which roughly translates to "Hot Blood Tough Guy Kunio", with Nekketsu being the name of the series' title character Kunio's high school. Thekun suffix after his name is an informalJapanese honorific usually applied to young males. The series originated inarcades, before appearing on theFamicom console. Kunio later became Technōs Japan's main mascot, appearing on the company's logo in several games and television commercials.

A few of the earlyKunio games for theNES werelocalized for the North American market. These includeRenegade,River City Ransom,Super Dodge Ball,Crash 'n' the Boys: Street Challenge andNintendo World Cup, which are heavily "Americanized" versions of theKunio-kun games. Technōs Japan has released over twentyKunio-kun titles for theFamicom,Game Boy, andSuper Famicom in Japan. In addition, licensed ports of the games were made for other platforms such as thePC-Engine (through Naxat Soft),Mega Drive (through Pal Soft) and theX68000 (through Sharp).

The original gameNekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun was created byYoshihisa Kishimoto. He pitched asemi-autobiographical game based on his teenagehigh school years, with the protagonist Kunio-kun loosely based on himself. Kishimoto recalled his experiences as a high school student regularly getting into fights on a daily basis, which was partly triggered by abreak-up with a girl who dumped him. Kishimito was also a fan ofBruce Lee'sHong Kong martial arts films, particularlyEnter the Dragon (1973). He combined elements from Lee'sEnter the Dragon with that of his own life to create the concept forNekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun. He went on to designDouble Dragon (1987), which was originally envisioned as a direct sequel to the originalKunio-Kun game, before becoming a new game with a different cast and setting.^[1]

The game's title and itsprotagonist, Kunio (variously renamed "Alex" and "Crash Cooney" in the United States), were named after Technōs Japan's former president, Kunio Taki. Many of the later games in theKunio-kun series, particularly those under theDowntown Nekketsu moniker, were the handiwork of two men: Mitsuhiro "Yoshimitsu" Yoshida and Hiroyuki "Mokeke" Sekimoto.

Renegade, the Western localization ofNekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun, spawned its own separate spin-off series developed by British companyImagine Software forhome computers. There were twoRenegade sequels:Target: Renegade (1988) andRenegade III: The Final Chapter (1989).

The following is a list of characters appearing in most of the games, ordered by the games where they first appear.

• Kunio (くにお) (full nameKunio Fu'unji (風雲児 くにお,Fu'unji Kunio) in live-action series) – the protagonist of the series, Kunio serves as the guardian of Nekketsu High School against rival schools and is the captain of his school's Dodgeball team, although he excels at other sports (such as soccer andice hockey). Kunio first appears in the originalNekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun, where he is described as a second year student at Nekketsu High School (in theDowntown Nekketsu sub-series, he is described as a third year student, establishing a loose continuity between later games). His surname is never revealed, but the live-action television series lists his surname as Fu'unji.^[21] In some games (such asNekketsu Hockey Club andBaseball Monogatari), he is the only student at Nekketsu to wear an all-white uniform, while at other games everyone at Nekketsu wears white. In the localized versions, he is known as a nameless vigilante inRenegade (Mr. K in the NES version),Sam inSuper Dodge Ball,Alex Kun inRiver City Ransom and some of its ports, and"Crash" Cooney inCrash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge. While the protagonist of the series, Kunio also later became Technōs Japan's main mascot, appearing on the company's logo in several games and television commercials. Kunio is voiced byRyō Horikawa in most of the games,Hiroyuki Satō inDodgeball Bu: CD Soccer Hen, and Satoru Murakami inStay Cool, Kobayashi-san!.Takurō Ōno plays Kunio in the live-action series.
• Riki Samejima (鮫島 力,Samejima Riki) – often described as Kunio's eternal rival, Riki is the guardian of Hanazono High School and the second most recurring character in the series. In the originalNekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun, Riki appears as the first stage boss and serves as captain of the Hanazono dodgeball team.Downtown Nekketsu Story was the first game where Riki teams-up with Kunio (although chronologically speaking,Shodai comes first). Since then, Riki's relationship with Kunio evolved from enmity to close friendship, and he appears in the later beat-em-ups as a secondary playable character. Riki's birthdate is on May 5 and is repeating his third year in theDowntown Nekketsu sub-series. In the localized versions, he is known asJack inRenegade andSuper Dodge Ball,Ryan Samejima inRiver City Ransom, andCrusher inCrash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge. Riki is voiced byNobutoshi Canna in PC Engine version ofDowntown Nekketsu Monogatari andMasaaki Okura in Nekketsu Dodgeball Densetsu. In the live-action series, he is played byYukihiro Takiguchi.
• Misako (みさこ) – a Nekketsu High student and manager of its Soccer Club, introduced inNekketsu High School Dodge Ball Club: Soccer Story (Nintendo World Cup) when she turns to Kunio for help after some of her teammates got hospitalized from food poisoning. InKunio-tachi no Banka, she is Kunio's fighting partner and one-time love interest. She is one of the two protagonists ofRiver City Girls. Misako is voiced byYumi Tōma inDodgeball Bu: CD Soccer Hen,Kayli Mills inRiver City Girls, and played by Kaho Takashima in the live-action series.
• Kyōko (きょうこ) - a Hanazono High student and Misako's best friend, introduced inRiver City Girls Zero as Riki's fighting partner and one-time love interest. She is one of the two protagonists ofRiver City Girls, where she is voiced byKira Buckland.

The Sanwakai (三和会) are a ruthless Yakuza gang that serve as the series antagonists:

• Sabu: The Sanwakai head, he is introduced as a gun-wielding final boss in the originalNekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun. He returns as the main antagonist inKunio-tachi no Banka, where he recruits his adiopted son Ken to frame Kunio for a hit and run accident. InNekketsu Kōha Kunio-Kun SP: Rantō Kyōsōkyoku (River City: Tokyo Rumble), Sabu orchestrates a plan to conquer Tokyo and get revenge on Kunio for defeating him in the past by establishing the "Tokyo Lion Alliance". He is also a playable character in the Neo Geo version ofSuper Dodge Ball. Sabu is the only character not to change his name, nor his appearance, inRenegade. Sabu is voiced byYukimasa Kishino inNekketsu Dodgeball Densetsu. In theRiver City Girls games, he is revealed to have a daughter named Sabuko and becomes the antagonist ofRiver City Girls 2.
• Ken: Sabu's adopted son who is introduced inKunio-tachi no Banka, helping his father with his resemblance to Kunio to frame the latter for a hit-and-run accident that landed the real Kunio and Riki in jail before they escape and clear their names. In theRiver City Girls games, where he is voiced byTodd Haberkorn, Ken is hostile towards his sister Sabuko while helping their father take over the town and make the protagonists' lives miserable.
• Sabuko: The daughter of Sabu who is introduced inRiver City Girls, a martial artist armed with a katana and magic. Sabuko initially leads the Sanwakai during her father's imprisonment until he escapes from the prison upon learning that she lost to Misako and Kyōko. She is voiced byXanthe Huynh.

• Hiroshi (ひろし) – Hiroshi is Kunio's best friend in the originalNekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun game. He enrolls into Nekketsu High School during his second year and gets picked on a lot by bullies. He becomes fast friends with Kunio after Kunio defends him from his tormentors. In the arcade version ofNekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun, he is beaten by a different gang at the beginning of each time, whereas in the Famicom he is kidnapped by Sabu (with no explanation given). In addition to theNekketsu Renegade sub-series, he appears as a member of the Dodgeball Club inDodgeball Club, as well as inSoccer Story andHockey Club, where he shares the same sprite as the Sonokawa character from theDowntown Nekketsu sub-series (until he receives a new sprite inKunio-kun Special). ActorKōsuke Hatakeyama plays Hiroshi in the live-action series. He is the only character not to appear in the American versions of theRenegade games.
• Shinji – the leader of a bōsōzoku gang known as "Yokohama Funky" inNekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun (where he is the second stage boss) and the "Blue Emperor" inKunio-tachi no Banka (where he is a recurring boss). He also appears as a playable character in the Neo Geo version ofSuper Dodge Ball as well as inRiver City: Tokyo Rumble. His counterpart inRenegade is named Joel. Shinji is voiced byHisao Egawa in Nekketsu Dodgeball Densetsu.
• Misuzu (みすず) – a giantsukeban from the all-girl Taiyō Academy, first appearing as a stage 3 boss inNekketsu Renegade Kunio-kun. She reappears as Sabu's bodyguard inKunio-tachi no Banka, a stage 1 boss inRiver City Girls, and is a playable character in the Neo Geo version ofSuper Dodge Ball and inRiver City: Tokyo Rumble. Her counterpart inRenegade is named Kim. Misuzu is voiced byKeiko Yamamoto in Nekketsu Dodgeball Densetsu. Shu Hamada plays Misuzu in the live-action series.
• Tadokoro (田所) – an original character from the live-action series. A student of Nekketsu High for many decades, he leads a small group of delinquents who constantly harass Hiroshi until they are all defeated by Kunio. He is played by comedianDonpei Tsuchihara.

• Shinichi
• Kōji – inKunio-kun Special, Koji is the captain of Nekketsu High's Soccer Team, but would later surrender his position to Kunio. He reappears inRiver City Renegade as among the students visiting Osaka.
• Mitsuhiro
• James - captain of the England team.
• Heilman – captain of the Iceland team.
• Njomo – captain of the Kenya team.
• Moldoff – captain of the USSR team who debuted in the Famicom version ofDodgeball Club.
• William - Captain of the USA team

• Mami Shimada (島田 真美,Shimada Mami) (Cyndi inRiver City Ransom) – Mami is a 2nd Year High School Student of Hanazono High and its team's cheerleader. InRiver City Ransom, she is Riki's girlfriend who is kidnapped by Yamada when he and his gang took over River City. She also serves as a nemesis of Kyoko inRiver City Girls, voiced bySarah Anne Williams.
• Kazumi Hasebe (長谷部 和美,Hasebe Kazumi) (Roxy Hasebe inRiver City Ransom) – Hasebe is a 3rd Year Student Vice President of Reihou Academy and Yamada's girlfriend, warning Kunio and Riki of the Hattori Twins. InDowntown Nekketsu Baseball Monogatari, she plays as the sports commentator for the game. It is said that she, Kunio, and Yamada used to attend the same school together before Kunio transferred to Nekketsu High. She also serves as Misako's nemesis inRiver City Girls, voiced byCristina Valenzuela.
• Kaoru Sonokawa (園川 薫,Sonokawa Kaoru) (Harry inRiver City Ransom, Conan inRiver City Ransom EX) – 2nd Year student of Senridai High School. In an effort to make a name for himself and his school, he attacks Hanazono High, but is constantly defeated by Riki. In other Kunio-kun games, he plays as Kunio's sidekick.
• Tsuneo Kamijō (上條 恒男,Kamijō Tsuneo) andNoriyuki Yamamoto (山本 憲之,Yamamoto Noriyuki) (Benny and Clyde inRiver City Ransom) – co-leaders of Kagemura Academy.
• Yasuo Sawaguchi (沢口 靖夫,Sawaguchi Yasuo) (Moose inRiver City Ransom) – self-proclaimed No. 2 man of Hakutaka Industry High School. He is the game's first boss.
• Naritaka Nishimura (西村 成孝,Nishimura Naritaka) (Rocky "Rocko" Baldwin IV inRiver City Ransom, Baldy inCrash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge) – the No. 1 man of Hakutaka Industries High School. Despite his plump size and wearing large glasses, Nishimura is a formidable fighter.
• Masao Kobayashi (小林 政男,Kobayashi Masao) (Thor inRiver City Ransom, Monty inCrash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge) – leader of the "Four Devas" (Zombies in the English version), a group of some of the most feared fighters from Reihou Academy under Onizuka. He is the main character in spin-offStay Cool, Kobayashi-san!, voiced byRyūichi Kijima.
• Shun Mochizuki (望月 駿,Mochizuki Shun) (Turk inRiver City Ransom, Wheels inCrash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge) – one of the "Four Devas" of Reihou Academy, he is known for his quickness in combat.
• Kiyofumi Taira (平 清文,Taira Kiyofumi) (Mojo inRiver City Ransom) – one of the "Four Devas" of Reihou Academy.
• Tadashi Kinoshita (木下 忠,Kinoshita Tadashi) (Blade inRiver City Ransom) – one of the "Four Devas" of Reihou Academy, he also controls Hakutaka Industries High School.
• Tsuyoshi Gōda (豪田 剛,Gōda Tsuyoshi) (Ivan Popov inRiver City Ransom, Sprecks inCrash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge) – student of Horyou High School, he guards the entry gates of Reihou Academy. Although a tough fighter, he has a kind heart and has a sense of justice.
• Takashi Onizuka (鬼塚 崇,Onizuka Takashi) (Otis inRiver City Ransom) – guards the Gymnasium of Reihou Academy. He is the former Student President of Reihou Academy and leads the "Four Devas".
• Susumu Godai (五代 奨,Godai Susumu) (Tex Swanson inRiver City Ransom, Clint Swanson inCrash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge) – boss of Tanihana High School, he guards the school hallways leading to the floor where Mami is held. He admires Goda's persona. In otherKunio-kun games, he is a friend to both Kunio and Riki.
• Ryūichi Hattori (服部 竜一,Hattori Ryūichi) andRyūji Hattori (服部 竜二,Hattori Ryūji) (Randy and Andy Hattori inRiver City Ransom) – the Hattori Brothers, they are also known as the "Double Dragon Twins" due to not just their resemblance to Billy and Jimmy Lee, the protagonists of theDouble Dragon games (being twin brothers, having the same special moves, and having theDouble Dragon theme song played whenever they appeared), but also because of their names (Ryuichi and Ryuji can be translated as "First Dragon" and "Second Dragon"). They are the strongest fighters of Reihou Academy and are the fiercest opponents of Kunio and Riki. Aside fromRiver City Ransom, the twins appeared in otherKunio games either as bosses or representing Reihou Academy as co-team captains.
• Taiki Yamada (山田 大樹,Yamada Taiki) (Slick/Simon inRiver City Ransom, Skip inCrash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge) – the main antagonist ofRiver City Ransom and former Student President of Reihou Academy, revealed to be Kunio's timid childhood friend before transferring schools. Yamada desires revenge on Kunio for overshadowing him and having the attention of Hasebe, whom he has a crush on. Having dabbled in the dark arts, he kidnaps Mami in a scheme of getting rid of Kunio and replacing him as the number one delinquent and the franchise's new main character. In other games, Yamada plays more of a comical sidekick to Todou and the stage 2 boss ofRiver City Girls. Yamada is voiced byWataru Takagi in the first twoDowntown Nekketsu games for the PC Engine Super CD-ROM².

• Takashi (たかし) – goalkeeper for Nekketsu High's Soccer Team, he and Misako sought Kunio's help in leading the team to the championship.
• Masa (まさ) – a 9th member of Nekketsu High's Soccer Team.
• Gen'ei (げんえい) – the last member of Nekketsu High's Soccer Team, who joins Kunio and his team after they won in semi-final match. He reappears inShodai Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-kun as among the students visiting Osaka.
• Takayuki Yoritsune (よりつね たかゆき) – captain of Hattori Academy's Soccer Team from the semi-final match. He, and other team captains from the game, would later join Kunio to represent Japan inNekketsu Soccer League. His handsome looks and superb skill has made him popular among female students. The same guy later returns inSuper Sports Challenge as an unlocking team and again, reprises his role as the member of Nekketsu FC team inSoccer Hooligans. He also appears inKunio-kun Special.

• Mamoru Tōdō (藤堂 護,Tōdō Mamoru) (Theodore "Todd" Thornley inCrash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge, Titus inRiver City Ransom EX) – the current Student President of Reihou Academy. A man of extreme wealth, he has a huge dislike for Kunio and makes attempts to humiliate him in Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku, and Crash n' The Boys Street Challenge. He is Yamada's superior after the latter surrendered his title of Student President to him in the aftermath ofRiver City Ransom. Tōdō is voiced byHikaru Midorikawa in Downtown Nekketsu Kōshinkyoku (PC Engine Super CD-ROM² version).
• Sanjūrō Sugata (姿 三十朗,Sugata Sanjūrō) (Cheese inCrash n' The Boys: Street Challenge, Gary inRiver City Ransom EX) – 2nd Year Student of Nekketsu High. Like Hiroshi, he is a friend of Kunio and looks up to him for inspiration. He becomes the protagonist inDowntown Nekketsu Baseball Monogatari as the leader of the Nekketsu High Baseball team.
• Haruka Nanase (七瀬 遥,Nanase Haruka) – 2nd Year Student of Nekketsu High, he is Sugata's classmate. InBaseball Monogatari, he becomes the vice-captain of the Nekketsu High Baseball team when Sugata replaces Tachibana as team captain.
• Noboru Takamine (鷹峰 昇,Takamine Noboru) – Freshman from Nekketsu High and member of the school's Judo club.
• Kenichi Morimoto (森本 健一,Morimoto Kenichi) – another Freshman from Nekketsu High and a member of the school's Drama club.
• Hayato Ichijou (一条 勇人,Ichijou Hayato)
• Satomi Momozono (桃園 里美,Momozono Satomi) – 2nd Year Student of Nekketsu High, she is the school's cheerleader and is also a childhood friend of Sugata. Like many of the franchise's female characters, she too has an interest in Kunio. She is a playable character inNekketsu! Beach Volley da yo: Kunio-kun.
• Hikaru Saotome (五月女 光,Saotome Hikaru) (Nate inCrash n' The Boys: Street Challenge) – 2nd Year Student of Hanazono High, he is known for his handsome looks and is Sugata's rival.
• Tōru Maeda (前田 亨,Maeda Tōru) (Rick inRiver City Ransom EX) – 3rd Year student of Hanazono High and former rival of Riki.
• Mitsuaki Yoshino (吉野 光明,Yoshino Mitsuaki) (Dove inCrash n' The Boys: Street Challenge)
• Shoji Washio (鷲尾 修二,Washio Shoji)
• Kouichi Shimizu (清水 浩一,Shimizu Kouichi)
• Ryōma Hayasaka (早坂 良麻,Hayasaka Ryōma) (Knors inCrash n' the Boys: Street Challenge, Jesse inRiver City Ransom EX) – a student of Reihou Academy and a close friend of Shun Mochizuki.
• Kyosuke Otonashi (音無 京助,Otonashi Kyosuke)
• Shizuka Aihara (藍原 静,Aihara Shizuka) – 2nd Year student of Reihou Academy and is the team's Cheerleader. She has an older sister named Megumi, who is an art teacher at Nekketsu High.
• Jūzō Kumada (熊田 重蔵,Kumada Jūzō) (Barns inCrash n' The Boys Street Challenge, Ted inRiver City Ransom EX) – a member of the Judo club from Torashima Industries IV High School, he is in his 3rd Year.
• Takeshi Hayami (速水 武士,Hayami Takeshi) (Milo inCrash n' The Boys: Street Challenge) – 2nd Year student of Hayabusa High.
• Yūko Kirishima (霧島 裕子,Kirishima Yūko) – 2nd Year student of Horyo High and is the cheerleader of the School Alliance team. She has a close relationship with the Gouda siblings.

• Yoshihiro (よしひろ) – the main antagonist ofShodai, an exchange student from Osaka studying at Nekketsu High, he invites Kunio and the gang to Osaka as part of a school trip during their second year. After Hiroshi was beaten by the students of Union at early in the game, Yoshihiro joins the Osaka Alliance to avenge him, but it is later revealed that Yoshihiro is a new leader of Osaka Student Union and the mastermind behind who obey the gang to dominate and taking over Japan. After he betrayed both Nekketsu High and Osaka Alliance, he is also revealed to be responsible for locked Union's old leader and orders Urabe (from Ebisu High) to capture Miho during the sewer basement.
• Miho Yanagisawa – 2nd year student of Sakurakyou High School. A friend of Hiroshi's, she warns Kunio of the Osaka Student Union, a gang of juvenile delinquents, and their plan to take over Japan. She is voiced byJaiden Dittfach inRiver City Girls 2.
• Masaki Yanagisawa – one of the four Osaka Student Union's heavenly kings, and Miho's older brother.

• Yōichi – the team captain of Nekketsu High's Hockey Team, he seeks Kunio's help in improving and strengthening the Hockey Team and win the championship. He also makes a cameo appearance in the opening intro ofNekketsu Kakutō Densetsu.
• Kaori – reporter for Nekketsu High's school newspaper, she provides reports of the Hockey Team's progress in the game and is secretly in love with Yoichi.
• Tooru – captain of Nekketsu High's Kendo Club.
• Youko – captain of the Yurikaoka Hockey Club as well as the Association of Magic. A hard working student, she is a good friend of Kunio and accepts the latter's challenge to a hockey match.
• Tobiyama (とびやま) – captain of the Daisetsuzan High School Hockey Club, he and his team fought against Team Nekketsu during the final match in Scenario Mode. His extraordinary skill allowed him to be drafted as a professional player for the Canadian Team. This character would later appear inSuper Sports Challenge, andKunio-Kun Special.

• Johnny (ジョニー,Jonī) – student and captain of the Oklahoma High School team, he reappears inNekketsu Dunk Heroes as one of the participants and as a friend to Kunio and Riki.
• Raphael (ラファエル,Rafaeru) – an African American student of the Oklahoma High School team and Johnny's co captain. He is replaced by Crusher inCrash 'N' The Boys: Street Challenge.
• Jimmy (ジミー,Jimī) – also a student of the Oklahoma High School team, he shares the same sprite and moveset as the Hattori Twins, though with a different color. InSuper Sports Challenge, his design was completely different rather than shares as Hattori Twins. He's the same character as Jimmy Lee from Double Dragon
• Kounosuke Tōdō – father of Mamoru Tōdō and President of the Toudou Group. Upon hearing of his son's defeat by Kunio, Kounosuke helped organize the tournament in Surprise! Nekketsu New Records! The Distant Gold Medal.

• Toraichi andToraji – they head the tournament in Nekketsu Kakutou Densetsu waiting to fight the strongest opponents in the game. They are also called the "Double Tiger Brothers" and "Saber Tigers" because of them being both twins and wear Tiger Masks in combat. They later show up inSuper Sports Challenge as the captains of Martial Arts team, andKunio-kun Special. Before arrived in Modern-era, they also make a small cameo appearance inKunio no Oden in the Vs. Mode screen.

• Tatsumi Tachibana (立花 辰巳,Tachibana Tatsumi) – an honor student and a superb athlete, he is the team captain of Nekketsu High's Baseball team. An injury on his shoulder bars him from leading Nekketsu High to Japan's National High School Baseball Tournament. This serves as a catalyst for Sugata to take his place as team captain.
• Rika Asano (浅野 里佳,Asano Rika) – Rika is referred to by her given name. She is the team manager of Nekketsu High's Baseball team and is Tatsumi's girlfriend. News of Tatsumi's injury leaves her heartbroken and unable to fulfill her duties as team manager. This motivates Sugata, who has a crush on her, to lead the Nekketsu team in the baseball tournament.
• Kuniko Ashino (芦野 久仁子,Ashino Kuniko) (Shel inRiver City Ransom EX) – Kuniko is referred to by her given name. She takes over Rika's place as team manager of Nekketsu High's Baseball team. She is also Kunio's biggest fan and chases him whenever the opportunity arises. She has a rivalry with Hasebe.
• Kōjirō Murasaki (紫 小次朗,Murasaki Kōjirō) – 3rd Year student of Horyo Academy, his flowing violet hair and skills with the sword earned him the nickname "The Beautiful Swordsman". Gouda's sister, Saori, is in love with him.
• Raiji Tsuge (柘植 雷二,Tsuge Raiji) – 3rd Year student of Fukubu Academy, he is Murasaki's childhood friend as well as his rival in terms of skills with the sword. His skill in the martial arts also rivals that of the Hattori Twins.
• Tsukasa Mochizuki (望月司,Mochizuki Tsukasa) – Freshman student of Fukubu Academy, he is the younger brother of Shun Mochizuki, one of the bosses in River City Ransom.

• Shō Himada (火間田 翔,Himada Shō) (Rex inRiver City Ransom EX) – a member of Torashima Industries IV High School's Cheerleading Club.
• Saori Gōda (豪田 砂織,Gōda Saori) (Abby inRiver City Ransom EX) – Saori is referred to by her given name. She is a younger sister of Tsuyoshi Gōda.
• Shōko (Jenny inRiver City Ransom EX)

• Michael Tobioka – the founder of the Tobioka Conglomerate, who sends a challenging letter to Kunio after reading about him on the Internet. He later appears inSoccer Hooligans alongside Sierra and Stanislav.
• Tomorin (ともりん) – an idol working for Arc TV.
• Sierra (シエラ) – an aide of Michael Tobioka.
• Stanislav – a scientist working for Tobioka Conglomerate.

• Yuya & Toshio – students of Class 2-E from Nekketsu High, they are first seen bullying Hiroshi at the back of the school in the beginning of the game. After suffering defeat by Kunio twice, they seek help from Hanazono High.
• Madoka – Kunio's teacher from Nekketsu High.
• Kouchyo – principal of Nekketsu High.
• Wataru – the No.2 man of Hanazono High, he is approached by Yuya and Toshio who seek help in defeating Kunio.

• Sakata – 3rd Year Student of Hanazono High, serves as a subordinate of Riki.
• Megumi & Gonda – teachers of Hanazono High.
• Mikoto – a subordinate of Shinji and member of the Blue Emperor gang.
• Okada – leader of the "Mushamonzen" (武赦紋漸) gang consisting of 50 people, he is believed to be responsible for Riki's frame-up in the game.

• Shirogane – member of the Tokyo Lion Alliance who holds the title "Silver Lion". He originally ran in Shinji's Blue Emperors until his close friend died in a motorcycle crash.
• Oda – member of the Tokyo Lion Alliance who holds the title "Demon Lion". A muscular man wearing a hockey mask, Oda does not talk much but lets his strength speak for itself.
• Benibayashi – member of the Tokyo Lion Alliance who holds the title "Rouge Lion". The only female leader, she uses her beauty and ballerina-trained movements to beguile enemies.
• Ukyo Azuma & Sakyo Azuma – members of the Tokyo Lion Alliance who hold the title "Twin Lions". They are identical twins (save for Ukyo's facial scar) who move and fight in perfect sync.
• Kaneda – member of the Tokyo Lion Alliance who holds the title "Gold Lion". A successful businessman with a love for fighting, he joined the Lion Alliance solely for personal amusement.
• Shigematsu – leader of the Tokyo Lion Alliance who holds the title "Ultra Lion", he plans to lead the Lion Alliance into ruling all of Tokyo.
• Lee – Sabu's older brother, who runs the Triads in Hong Kong, he and Sabu orchestrate a plan to get revenge on Kunio for his previous humiliation of the Sanwakai by establishing the Tokyo Lion Alliance.

• Hibari: A fashion designer who runs a clothing line in Uptown, she dons a Gothic-themed Kimono as her outfit and is the game's 3rd boss.
• Noize: A rock star who Kyoko befriended in the past and is the game's 5th boss. Her real name is Nozomi.
• Marian Kelly: A character from theDouble Dragon series, a student and love interest of the martial twins William "Billy" Lee and James "Jimmy" Lee before she worked out to cease being their damsel in distress. She joins Misako and Kyōko after they snapped her out of the yakuza's brainwashing.
• Provie: A character originally introduced inRiver City Ransom: Underground, she attacks Misako and Kyōko after mistaking them as Sabu's henchmen and believing they kidnapped her friend Chris. After Misako and Kyōko defeat her and clear up the misunderstanding, Provie joins them to help free River City from the Yakuza.
• Tsuiko: An influencer that Sabu's gang paid to hack into Misako and Kyōko's accounts.
• Blaire: An anti-social witch that Sabu's gang paid to brainwash people into doing their dirty work.
• Primo: A famous celebrity chef hired by Sabu's gang to cook special food to mind control the students of River City High.
• Chris: A character originally introduced inRiver City Ransom: Underground
• Paul: A character originally introduced inRiver City Ransom: Underground

A gagmanga based on the video games was produced titledOre wa Otoko Da! Kunio-kun (おれは男だ! くにおくん). The manga was illustrated by Kosaku Anakubo and was serialized in the monthly anthologyCoroCoro Comic from 1991 to 1996, lasting 11 collected editions.Ore wa Otoko Da! was awarded theShogakukan Manga Award forchildren's manga in 1995.^[22]

• Kunio-kun series portal atArc System Works(in Japanese)
• Kunio-kun series atJap-Sai
• Miracle Kidz – adōjin soft developing team founded by Mitsuhiro Yoshida and Hiroyuki Sekimoto, the original developers of theDowntown Nekketsu series(in Japanese)
• Yoshihisa Kishimoto's personal websiteArchived 2021-08-13 at theWayback Machine(in Japanese)

• Kunio-kun
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