Jinx (G.I. Joe)

G.I. Joe character
Jinx as seen in G.I. Joe: The Movie.
Jinx
Affiliation	G.I. Joe
Specialty	Ninja/Intelligence (1987) Covert Infiltration Specialist (2004)
File name	TOP SECRET (1987) Classified (2004) Kimi Arashikage (Special Missions: Tokyo)
Birthplace	Los Angeles, CA
SN	037-42-4683 (1987) 037-42-UK83 (2003) Classified (2004)
Rank	E-5
Primary MOS	Intelligence
Secondary MOS	Finance Clerk
Subgroups	Ninja Force (1992-1994) Tiger Force (2004)
Voiced by	Shūko Akune (The Movie) Venus Terzo (Valor Vs. Venom, Ninja Battles) Lisa Ortiz (Sigma 6) Kim Mai Guest (Renegades)
Year introduced	1987

Jinx is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline, comic books and cartoon series. She debuted in 1987, and her code name has also been the identity of several other incarnations of the same female ninja character: one of Snake-Eyes' apprentices in Sigma 6, Chuckles' undercover contact in Cobra, a cameo character in The Rise of Cobra (returning as a major character in Retaliation), and Storm Shadow's cousin in Renegades.

Profile

Jinx is one of only a handful of G.I. Joe Team members whose real name is top secret. She has been studying and competing in several forms of martial arts since she was seven. She grew up in Los Angeles, California, and is a Bryn Mawr graduate. On a vacation trip to Japan, she discovered her familial ties to a ninja clan known as the Arashikage, and was officially initiated into the clan. She was then recruited by Snake-Eyes, a fellow ninja and member of the G.I. Joe Team. She has since underwent training with the Blind Master, a ranking ninja sensei, and studied the seven silent forms, including the "Eye That Pierces", the "Iron Hand" and the "Heart That Waits".

Toys

Jinx's first appearance was in the 1987 edition of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero toyline. She has since been redesigned and renamed Agent Jinx. Jinx, like many of the female G.I. Joe characters has had a very small number of action figures produced. As of 2011, she has had one 3 3/4-inch figure named Jinx and two 3 3/4-inch figures named Agent Jinx. One of these ("Covert Infiltration Specialist", released in 2004) actually reveals her face, but her real name is still classified.

In 2011, a brand new Jinx figure was announced for the exclusive pre-release by the official G.I. Joe Collectors' Club. Two different new 3 3/4-inch figures, named Kim Arashikage, were announced to be released in the GI JOE Retaliation: 2012 Movie Line exclusively at the San Diego Comic-Con 2012: an updated classic in a red ninja suit and an unmasked variant of her wearing a white costume and wielding a kusarigama.

Comics

Marvel Comics

In the Marvel Comics' 1982-1994 G.I. Joe comics, Jinx first appeared in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #59 (May 1987). The details of her origin indicated in the file card is not fully explored, however, the Blind Master is present in the comics storyline. Issue #65 began using the design based on her unmasked appearance in G.I. Joe: The Movie. Her next major role in a storyline was rescuing the captured Joe Team members from Borovia’s gulags in issue #66. In subsequent appearances, she helps the Joes clear their name in the scandal that follows the Cobra Civil War. This involves working with ex Joe members like Grunt and other Joes who are officially fugitives, such as Roadblock. The entire Joe team raids an enemy-filled hospital to save the lives of General Hawk and Hollingsworth. Destro himself provides the final 'nail in the coffin' that clears the Joes. Jinx works with a small team of Joes to stop a hostage situation in Frankfurt, Germany. She eventually became a member of the G.I. Joe special team, Ninja Force, and continued serving until G.I. Joe was disbanded.

Jinx appears as one of the main characters in the 1987-1989 series G.I. Joe In 3-D by Blackthorne Publishing.

Devil's Due Publishing

Promotional cover to G.I. Joe: Special Missions: Tokyo. Copyright Devil's Due (2006)

In the first four issues of the G.I. Joe comics published by Devil's Due Publishing in 2001, it is revealed that she spent the years that followed using her skills in intelligence-gathering to become a bounty hunter in Tokyo. A samurai and fellow Joe teammate Budo followed her and they became lovers. Jinx then rejoins G.I. Joe when the team was reinstated to battle a revived Cobra. At one point, she spies on a group of Dreadnoks purchasing a nuclear weapon. She works with several other Joes, such as Heavy Duty and Lady Jaye to try and bring down an out-of-control Battle Android Trooper. Later she is part of an infiltration team sent in to sabotage Cobra Island during the second Cobra civil war. Two members of her team, Flash and Mainframe die while accomplishing the mission. When G.I. Joe commander Hawk was shot in the back by Zartan, the team is disbanded once more.

After some time, the G.I. Joe team reformed, but it was a much smaller group of specialists, called America’s Elite. Although Jinx is not a member of the new team, she serves as a member of the reserves. She stars in Special Missions - Tokyo, a 2006 one-shot comic set in Tokyo as part of the Special Missions series, focusing on some of the fan favorite team members that have not been seen since the end of the original series including reservists Wild Bill, Gung Ho, Clutch, Rock N' Roll and Budo. Her profile in the comic reveals her name to be Kimi Arashikage, cousin of Tommy Arashikage (Storm Shadow). However, it states that "Kimi" might be just a nickname. Jinx is called again into active duty to fight off Cobra Commander's world-wide assault. She and Budo joined Kamakura, Bullhorn, Red Spot, and Nunchuk in battling Cobra Forces in China. After Cobra was defeated, Jinx, Budo, and Kamakura joined in celebrations taking place in Beijing. She also appears in the comic specials G.I. Joe: Arashikage Showdown (2003) and Snake Eyes: Declassified (2005) and the ninja miniseries G.I. Joe: Master and Apprentice (2004), and in the 2004 crossover series G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers‎ II.

IDW Publishing

In the 2009 G.I. Joe: Cobra reboot miniseries by IDW Publishing, Jinx is Chuckles' only contact with G.I. Joe as he infiltrates the Cobra organization, and is also his romantic interest. When he gets deeper inside Cobra, she is forced to cut off her meetings with him. However, Cobra catches her at one of their facilities. Chuckles is called in when they discover Jinx had been following him and he is forced to shoot her in order to preserve his cover.

Cartoons

G.I. Joe: The Movie

In the continuity established by Sunbow, her first and only appearance was in the 1987 animated film G.I. Joe: The Movie voiced by Shûko Akune. She is established as a member of the Rawhides, a group of G.I. Joe rookie recruits trained by Beach Head. She is often blamed for any unlucky occurrences, and her code name reflects this. She was also Lt. Falcon’s love interest in the film. During a sparring session with Beach Head, she made a reference to her blind ninja master. The climax of the film brought her in the duel with Cobra-La’s most lethal member Pythona. She fights at her best blindfolded, as she was trained in this method by the Blind Master.

Direct-to-video

Jinx returns in the 2004 direct-to-video animated film G.I. Joe: Valor vs. Venom voiced by Venus Terzo. Her original background with the Blind Master is not mentioned, instead she is training along with Kamakura under Snake Eyes and likes to rib Kamakura for his lesser experience. Because of the nature of the movie, it is hard to determine if she is an apprentice for the first time, or is learning a new level of ninja skills as she does seem to be a very seasoned ninja.

In the 2004 animated feature G.I. Joe: Ninja Battles, Venus Terzo reprises her role as Jinx. Set in the same continuity as Valor Vs. Venom, Jinx and Kamakura assists Snake Eyes, Duke, and new apprentice Tiger Claw in a battle against Storm Shadow and Cobra ninjas Slice, Slash, and Shadow Strike at the forge of Arashikage Clan swordsmith Iron Master.

Sigma 6

In the 2005 anime series G.I. Joe: Sigma 6, Jinx is voiced by Lisa Ortiz. A reserve member of the Sigma 6 team, she maintains a similar appearance to her Valor vs. Venom incarnation with a black and yellow Sigma suit. It is more apparent in the series that she is an elder student over Kamakura whom she is often partnered with.

Renegades

Jinx also appears in the 2010 animated series G.I. Joe: Renegades voiced by Kim Mai Guest. The daughter of Arashikage clan leader Hard Master and cousin to Storm Shadow, Kimi Arashikage was rescued by Snake Eyes at the age of eight and was an instrumental part of Hard Master adopting a moral path for the clan when she protected Snake Eyes from her father's punishment. When Hard Master was killed, Snake Eyes and Kimi left the clan to a dojo in the mountains. She became Snake Eyes' apprentice and took the name of "Jinx". After Storm Shadow tells her how Snake Eyes murdered her father, as he believed how it occurred, Jinx returns to Japan to assume her role as the Arashikage's leader. Later, Jinx is hired by Destro to assassinate Cobra Commander, receiving a MARS high-tech suit with optical camouflage and force field. In the process, eventually not going through with the mission, Jinx learns the entire story behind her father's death and resolves to lead the Arashikage down the new path that the Hard Master wanted.

Live-action film

G.I. Joe character
File:Jinx Retaliation.jpg Jinx in G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Jinx
Affiliation	G.I. Joe
Series	G.I. Joe: Retaliation
Portrayed by	Élodie Yung

In June 2011, French actress Élodie Yung was cast as Jinx for the 2013 film G.I. Joe: Retaliation, the sequel to G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. Jinx was featured in the first promotional pictures and a trailer, shown sparring against Snake Eyes while clad in red and blindfolded, and together with him fighting against the Red Ninjas while wearing a yellow suit. Yung, who had already owned a black belt in karate, prepared for about a month for the role, focusing on her cardio "because of how demanding it all was" and training in the wushu for dual sword fighting. The cliff battle scene took two months of work on green screen to be done. She also said: "I was wearing a yellow costume that got pretty hot. It looks sexy, but I needed five people to get into that suit." According to MTV, "the totally silent mountainside battle between Snake-Eyes, Jinx and a squad of Cobra ninjas mirrors the similarly silent comic book issue [in the original Marvel series], which depicts Snake-Eyes rescuing Scarlett from a Cobra castle in the Balkans."

In Retaliation, Jinx is the apprentice of Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow's cousin. The Blind Master, leader of the Arashikage Clan, sends Snake Eyes and Jinx to capture Storm Shadow, so he can answer for the murder of his uncle the Hard Master. Snake Eyes and Jinx locate and capture Storm Shadow after a battle with ninjas and take him back to Japan, where Storm Shadow reveals that Zartan murdered the Hard Master, and he joined Cobra to avenge his uncle. Storm Shadow then accompanies Snake Eyes and Jinx as they join the Joes' efforts to stop Cobra. Jinx helps G.I. Joe fight Cobra's soldiers, but Cobra Commander escapes during the battle, and Storm Shadow disappears after avenging his uncle. Jinx is then recruited into the G.I. Joe Team.

Ray Park, who played Snake Eyes in the film, said that the relationship between Jinx and his character is strictly platonic. Yung said about her character: "Jinx wants to fight and she has an objective, and she’s fiery [laughs]. Whoever is in her way is not a problem to her, she’s so focused and she just wants to get straight to the point. And with Snake Eyes, he’s such a strong inspiration for Jinx. We trained in the same dojo and he’s become an icon, he’s a role model. He’s Snake Eyes, he’s the coolest, he’s the best, and Jinx wants to compete with him, you know? In the test that they have in the beginning she wants to win and she wants to prove that she wants to be better, or at least as good as him. There is a kind of a brother and sister relationship that we tried to instill during the film."

Other appearances

Jinx is a also supporting character in the 1988 novel Divide and Conquer as part of the Joe team she works to stop Cobra's newest weapon, a device that could endanger the entire world.

Reception

In 2009, Mania.com listed Jinx as the fourth of 10 Badass Female G.I. Joe Characters. In 2010, Topless Robot ranked her as third on their list of The 10 Coolest G.I. Joe Ninjas, behind only Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow. In 2011, UGO.com featured her in the article 25 Hot Ninja Girls for being "one of the Joe's deadliest team members". Lady Jaye's Retaliation actress Adrianne Palicki said that she "wanted to be Jinx so badly" while growing up.

External links

• Jinx on Joepedia, an external wiki
• Jinx at the Internet Movie Database
• Jinx at JMM's G.I. Joe Comics Home Page
• Jinx at IGN Entertainment
• Jinx at Comicvine.com