Great Teacher Onizuka, or GTO, is the grandfather of the comedy genre in anime. This franchise is a masterpiece that has set the standards of comedy high up in the sky. The amount of comedy displayed in the series alongside the amazing main character makes it the king of the comedy genre, period.
However, comedy isn’t everything there is in GTO; the drama has also a strong presence too. The series includes many different characters with different background stories. What makes Onizuka a very special teacher is his ability to touch his students’ hearts. An ability that allows him to teach them what is more important than their syllabus; teaching them about life. However, like all teachers out there, Onizuka has some good students and others who aren't as strong.
8 Good: Tomoko Nomura
Tomoko is a shy girl that is bullied because of her body. At the beginning of the narrative, Tomoko always hid and kept her distance from everyone else. She was also mocked for her clumsiness and perceived lack of intelligence, but she never showed any kind of resistance toward people’s insults.
Tomoko has a great kind heart that can forgive and love. Overcoming her shyness, Tomoko becomes a model. Everyone starts respecting Tomoko when she finally makes peace with herself and what she previously saw as flaws.
7 Bad: Kunio Murai
Murai is the type of boy who loses his temper easily over the most trivial things. Within his small gang, Murai is the boss, or the leading alpha. He usually has a strong presence due to his violent character.
Kunio Murai is the son of a single mother. The fact that he has never had a father makes him very protective and sensitive when it comes to his mom. Onizuka uses this to his advantage and playfully teases him whenever he has the chance to. This makes Murai violent and disrespectful towards his teacher.
6 Good: Kikuchi Yoshito
Kikuchi Yoshito is a brilliant and super intelligent student. His IQ level surpasses university-level students by miles. Kikuchi and Kanzaki are believed to be the smartest kids of their high school, if not the whole city. However, this high-level intelligence is a blessing as well as a burden.
Kikuchi used to believe that teachers were beneath him and that they must be punished for looking down on students. For that he used his genius skills with computers to frame teachers; one of them even fall into a severe depression. But, once he met Onizuka, Kikuchi Yoshita starts developing a conscience and feels responsible for his actions. He then becomes a helping hand to those in trouble by using his skills for good causes.
5 Bad: Urumi Kanzaki
When it comes to bad students, Urumi Kanzaki is the worst of the worst. Kanzaki is a brilliant but wild girl who abhors teachers. She actually manages to make Onizuka a slave of hers, humiliating him in the worst possible ways thanks to her intelligence.
Kanzaki had a harsh childhood that lacked parental presence. Her difficult childhood played a huge role in shaping this mean girl. Kanzaki’s hatred towards teachers begun when her beloved teacher, Ms. Fujimori, broke down mentally. All these circumstances have built Kanzaki’s devilish personality.
4 Good: Nanako Mizuki
Nanaku Mizuki is one of Onizuka’s first students. On their first encounter, she tries to lure him into a trap so that he would be disqualified and lose his job. However, things turn out otherwise, and Onizuka ends up saving her.
The story shows that Mizuki is actually a nice girl with heavy burdens. Her family, for instance, has been having communication issue since they became rich; the thing that makes the distance between them grow bigger eats away at her. However, on the inside, Nanaku Mizuki is a good girl.
3 Bad: Miyabi Aizawa
Miyabi Aizawa is the actual mastermind behind class 2-4's rebellion. She has a horrible past due to childhood trauma: The death of her dear friend because of a teacher. This has not only made her lose trust in all teachers but also gave her the aim of destroying their careers.
Her anger and hatred towards teachers drives her to cross all limits and boundaries to destroy them. However, when she faced Onisuka, she knew that she was competing against a different opponent. He annihilates all her evil plans, and Onizuka also manages to gain the trust and love of Miyabi’s gang which left her behind— which makes her hate Onizuka even more.
2 Good: Noboru Yoshikawa
Noburo Yoshikawa is the kindest student in his class. He is weak, sluggish, and quite the introvert type. The series shows that Noburo is an easy target for bullies, especially Anko Uehara and her gang. These bullies abuse Noburo in all shapes and forms making his life a living hell. Noboru reached a point where he tried to commit suicide several times.
However, his meeting with Onizuka flipped his life upside down. Not only that, he also pushes him to become more confident, and Onizuka also encourages him to stand up and be a man by being an example for him. Noburo proves himself to be a loyal friend that anyone can depend on; when Onizuka was in a harsh situation, Noburo sold all his beloved video games and gave it to Onizuka along with his savings— but Onizuka refused to take it.
1 Bad: Anko Uehara
Anko Uehara is one of the worst students that Onizuka ever had. Not only that she is disrespectful, but she is a bully too. This “spoiled brat,” as Onizuka puts it, loves seeing other people suffer from her tyranny. Anko a perfect representation of white class dominance and attitude toward other races back in the day.
Anko does not waste any chance to bully Noboru Yoshikawa. Her abuse is not limited to insults, but it exceeds it to physical abuse. The narrative shows that her actions drive Noboru to try to commit suicide on several occasions which is something only pure devils do.