[1989: pp. 24–25]
[2003: pp. 28–29]
STARRING CAST 4
YOUR BIG FRIEND
You won't solve a single problem if you brood over it by yourself. When he's opened up to his friends, an adventurer is no longer isolated.
TEDDY
Age: Unspecified
Height: 188 cm [about 6' 2"]
Weight: 78 kg [about 172 lbs]
Blood Type: Unknown
Hair Color: Black
Specialty: Right Hook
I'll Decide How I Live My Life
Teddy's Scrapbook
Just about every old clunker car that goes through Valentine Town has a TEDDY sticker on the bumper. TEDDY is the name of the only auto repair shop in town.
And the boy who was born to the husband and wife who run the shop was given the same name: Teddy. The baby who would one day be the leader of the Black Blood Gang.
Before long, three years had passed, and both TEDDY and Teddy had grown big. Watching Teddy grow up especially amused the young repair men. He'd sit on the hood of a T-Bird that was in the middle of repairs, and snap his fingers in time to the rock 'n' roll coming from the car radio. There was just no seeing him as a three-year-old boy when he did this. And when it came to the look on his face when he'd pull a chocolate cigarette from the back pocket of his (I kid you not) well-worn children's jeans, he could have made Presley look like an infant in comparison.
Teddy being the way he was, he was five when he discovered the pleasure of fighting. He was ten when he grew past 170 centimeters [about 5' 7"]. He was eleven when he got his first ride home in a police car. He was twelve when he lied and said he was nearly twice his age to take up a late-night, part-time job at the Live House. He was thirteen when, with his wages, he got his parents a Siamese cat.
And, when he turned fourteen, Teddy became the leader of Valentine's group of hoodlums, the Black Blood Gang. His favorite saying is... "Bring it on, sucker!"
The Hatred will Never Go Away
A Day in the Life of Teddy
Teddy awakens from a nightmare. Dusk isn't far off. He sits up in bed and lights a cigarette, not bothering to open the curtains: he doesn't want to see Holy Loly Mountain.
Several days ago, Teddy's parents wanted to test out a pickup truck they had finished repairs on, so like they always did, they headed for the Holy Loly area. Teddy knew the drive was doubling as a date. He'd felt rather happy for the two of them and their youthfulness.
And then he'd seen, on the TV news the next day, a pickup truck that had been torn right in two. ...
The announcer had relayed the police's opinion that it had possibly been a speeding accident, but this talk went in one of Teddy's ears and out the other. His eyes at the time suggested he was looking at some kind of nebulous monster.
The grief of losing his parents, coupled with the incomparable feeling of helplessness, has carried him this very day to Valentine's Live House.
Teddy smashes the beer bottle he's drunk dry.
Teddy tries to drown his sorrows in senseless fighting.
Not even the Live House owner, who's known him since he was twelve, is able to find the words to console him with.
Meanwhile on the streets, the Bla Bla Gang, deprived of their leadership, have been reduced to the level of mad, unchained dogs.
TEDDY'S FAVORITE THINGS
Guitar
Teddy likes to hear jaunty rockabilly numbers like "Blue Suede Shoes" at Valentine's Live House, but I hear when he's alone in his room, there are times he'll play the guitar and croon a quiet ballad.
Cigarettes
It was on Teddy's tenth birthday that he converted from chocolate cigarettes to real ones. As for his sizeable supply of chocolate cartons, "gave 'em all to the boys at the high school." There's no small number of young cliques who mimic his manner of smoking.
Sunglasses
There was once a time when the town eyewear store started selling sunglasses with the brand name Teddyglass™. Ever since that exact time, the store owner has been missing his front teeth.
Leather Jacket
The Bla Bla Gang has a matching set of leather jackets. However, Teddy never bothers to wear his. Maybe he doesn't care much for going along with the gang. But the leather jacket pictured here is a different matter. It's now a memento of his dad. ...
Pet Iguana
It was right after Teddy became leader of the Bla Bla Gang that they had a rumble with the Jet Lizard Gang. Of course, the Bla Bla Gang took the victory. And the defeated Jet Lizard leader pledged his loyalty to Teddy, and as proof presented him with a live iguana. Teddy, by nature not crazy about reptiles, but neither one to let someone's kindness go to waste, got stuck with it.
E. Yazawa Book
The legendary autobiography of one of Japan's rock 'n' roll greats. Koyano, the member of the Bla Bla Gang with Japanese-born parents, gave it to Teddy as a present. He may not be able to read Japanese, but Teddy absorbs plenty of the message from this rock 'n' roller from a far east country.
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