Joe Shimamura—009 in the English version—is a Japanese cyborg, though he's actually half-Japanese. Best known as the leader of the 009 Cyborgs, Joe's backstory varies depending on the version. In the 2001 anime, he's portrayed as an orphan raised by a Catholic priest in Kanazawa alongside street kids Mary Onodera, Shin'ichi Ibaraki, and Masaru Oyamada. When he turned 18, Black Ghost killed his mentor and used the priest's orphans as test subjects for the cyborg project, framing Joe in the process before capturing and converting him. Earlier film versions took a different approach: Joe was a celebrated race car driver nicknamed "Hurricane Joe" until a crash left him vulnerable to Black Ghost's recruitment.
His signature ability is near-instantaneous speed—triggered by a switch in his teeth—that lets him perceive the world as frozen. The catch is brutal: he can't touch anything living at full velocity without causing fatal injuries through air friction. This advanced version of 002's acceleration module makes him formidable in combat, though the limitation keeps the power from being entirely without cost.
Visually, Joe's defined by his distinctive spiked hair with one large lock perpetually covering an eye. He carries a low-key charisma that's drawn romantic interest from several characters, most notably 003 (Françoise Arnoul), his girlfriend within the group. Their relationship is more explicitly physical in the manga—where they were shown having sex, rare for 1970s media—and toned down to implication in later adaptations. Other characters like Lady Tamara, Helen the Pu'Awak princess, and Princess Ishuki have also shown interest over the years.
He's appeared as a playable character in Street Fighter Online: Mouse Generation.
Content compiled by AnimeList.moe from publicly available sources.
