Jii and Ai

Jii (ジイ)and Ai (アイ) were two men who accompanied Joe while he was investigating rumors of Kenshiro's death. After finding a gravestone engraved with the symbol of the Hokuto Shichi Sei, the three men were ambushed by Zorba and Zaruji, who were spreading rumors of Kenshiro's death to lure rebels into the gravestone and kill them. Jii was killed by Zorba and Ai was killed by Zaruji. Joe survives after falling off a cliff, but he was later killed by the Imperial Executioner.

While Joe appeared in the manga as an unnamed character, Jii and Ai were created for the anime. The names of the three men are a phonetic reference to Hasbro's popular G.I. Joe toyline. Toei Animation, the company responsible for the Hokuto no Ken anime, also animated the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero animated series for Sunbow. Jii was voiced by Michitaka Kobayashi and Ai was voiced by Kōzō Shioya.

Gallery

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  Joe (center) with Jii (right) and Ai (left)

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  Jii

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  Ai

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  An episode of G.I. Joe in which Toei animators snuck in the words Gento, Tao Pai Pai, and Son Goku.