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Rocket (ロケット)
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Breed
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Borzoi
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Affiliation
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First appearance
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GDW vol 7 ch 4, GDW ep 6
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Last appearance
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GDW ch n/a, GDW ep 26
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Status
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Alive
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Family or owners
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Voiced by
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Takeshi Maeda
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Age
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5-6 years old (GDW),
6 years old (GDW:O), 7 years old (G:TLW) |
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Place of Birth
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Wakayama Prefecture
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Rocket was the leader of the Rocket Brothers, a trio consisting of him and his two younger brothers, Missile and Jet.
He later joined the Ōu army and is the fastest runner of it. He also seems to have a sharp sense of hearing, often hearing distant sounds the others cannot.
Personality
Rocket is a sensible, calm and quite friendly dog.
Even while still working on the bad side, he still has sense of honor and he shows politeness towards elderly dogs and respect towards the old soldier Ben. He also doesn't want to kill if it isn't his ordered mission. He also hates it when puppies are killed. Rocket can run really fast.
He respects those who are ready to sacrifice themselves for others but believes such people don't exist anymore. However, his belief is proven wrong by Jerome and he has a change of attitude.
Unlike his brothers, Rocket understood Saburō's last wish and decided to live fighting for others and not only for his own survival.
Rocket is very loyal and caring towards his new comrades and always ready to help.
He dislikes his past self who always ran away but now he is ready to face death for his friends and stay with them until the end.
Though usually calm, Rocket once lost his temper because Rikiya's minions joined the enemy instead of defending their leader.
Ginga Densetsu Weed
Anime
Rocket was originally a spy from Hōgen's group. Rocket, along with his two brothers, Jet and Missile, went to spy on Weed's pack. At one point, he told some of the pack that Hōgen has ten times more soldiers, scaring them away. He blames Carl so he won't get in trouble. The three got in a fight with Jerome, but when he was going to kill the three, Weed interrupted and told the Borzoi brothers to leave. Rocket then realizes Weed's kindness and leaves his brothers to join him. Rocket had a hard time gaining trust from the group, especially Jerome. But, he was finally accepted by him when he saved GB and Weed from being blown off a mountain. After passing the mountains, Rocket then tells the group of a dog named Kyōshirō who might be of help to them. Rocket is from then on an important character in the series.
Manga
When Rocket was a puppy, he and his brothers Jet and Missile were abandoned by humans in the mountains in Wakayama. Fortunately for them, they were accepted in the pack lead by a Shikoku, Saburō. Later, the pack was taken over by the two Siberian Huskies Sakon and Ukon, who spent most of their time beating up the Borzoi brothers. One day, Rocket had been beaten so badly that Saburō had interfered. Before the old leader got killed, he told the Borzoi Brothers that they have to live a life with a purpose.
Rocket, Jet and Missile later had become runners of Hōgen as they thought of him as a stronger dog. When Hōgen sends them out on a mission to capture Weed, the three bump into Ben and Cross.
However, they did not hurt them and continued their hunt. As they snatched Weed from his pack, GB and the rest of the pack hunt them down. Jerome finds Weed in the clutches of the Borzoi Brothers and fights them. On his defeat, Rocket decides to leave his brothers to join Weed to fulfill his purpose. Rocket had a hard time gaining trust in his pack until he saved Weed and GB from falling to their deaths at the mountain. Later, when he hears from Hook and Sasuke that his brothers were killed by Hōgen, he decides to stay with Weed's pack for good to avenge his brothers' deaths.
After the battles against Hougen and the gelada baboon Shōgun, Rocket is sent out to find Weed who is on a trip with his love Koyuki. When he has finally found him, he brings the sad news of Hokkaidō's leader Hakurō was killed, Hokkaidō was conquered by the German Shepherd Victor and Jerome is in danger. Afterwards, he successfully brings Weed and his reinforcements to Hokkaidō with the help of the Kōga dog Toshimitsu who had escaped from the gorge.
After the Hokkaidō arc, Rocket helps the wounded saluki mother Mari to get her kidnapped puppies back from the man by acting as the bait while Weed and friends free the kidnapped dogs from the cage.
In the Hybrid Bear arc, Rocket was the first dog to figure out and bring news to Weed that there were more than one Hybrid Bears after witnessing a fight between a crocodile and Hybrid Polar bear in the river. Rocket also participated in fighting alongside with Weed and his friends against the Hybrid Bears.
Ginga Densetsu Weed: Orion
Rocket makes an appearance in Ginga Densetsu Weed: Orion as a more minor character. He escapes the mountain from the volcano but is caught along with Gin and the others and sealed in a shed in the mountains. Eventually he is released and meets up with the rest of the army, as well as Weed. Rocket leaps off the cliff to save Andy from falling when he attacks Kurohabaki Masamune, but although he grabs him he falls into the river below, but is saved. He returns to the top of the cliff with the others who fell to witness the death of Masamune.
Ginga: The Last Wars
A year has passed since the death of Kurohabaki Masamune. Upon hearing howls and roars, he is sent by Akame to investigate the cause of the noise, but is stopped when three bears appear from their hiding places. Rocket easily dodges the attacks and goes back up the hill to the others. After many dogs are either killed or injured Gin suggests that while the others get away, he acts as a decoy but is told by Jerome and Kurotora not to do it and they will do it instead. Gin doesn't listen and charges at Monsoon, but his Battōga does nothing and Gin is easily thrown off. In a state of panic and anger, the dogs charge at the bears themselves. Monsoon easily slashes at them all, killing Jaguar and badly injuring Rocket and the rest. Led by Monsoon, the bears carry out a full assault on the Ōu army. Rocket is heavily injured, as well as the remaining dogs. Monsoon roars in victory as the Ōu paradise falls.
After the fight, Rocket manages to escape along with Ken and Kyōshirō, the three of them sneak across the cliff face when they notice bears patrolling the grounds below. Rocket decides it is their best chance to counter attack while the bears don't notice them.
The trio travel further down stream until they make it to a small cave, close to where Gajō once stood. Inside the cave are the rotten corpses of Dodo, Buru and Shōji, having been left there after their death at the hands of Genba years ago.
Rocket climbs the walls of the cliff to assist Kyōshirō when the Kishu goes to scout the area. When the young dog is pinned down by the bears, Rocket runs in and attacks them, saving Kyōshirō and yanking him away from battle by his tail. As Bob and the bears give chase, Rocket makes a last attempt at escape by throwing himself and Kyōshirō off the cliff, where a river runs below. The bears give up their chase believing them to be dead as Bob cries over them.
Further down the stream, Ogasawara Gennai and Zion are passing by when they notice Rocket and Kyōshirō struggling in the water, and help to rescue them. The two dogs recognize Gennai and inform him of the situation.
Back to the other group, they just remembered that Ken was still in Kotobuki Valley. Akame asks if he'll be okay, because the stream could turn muddy and/or turn into a flood.
Sure enough, a flood causes a wounded Ken to be washed into the river and the Ou army go to the location to find and save him. They each keep a watchful eye on the raging river, as Kawasemi dives in to find him.
Trivia
- Rocket is the only main borzoi character in the Ginga series.
See more pictures in Rocket (Photo Gallery)