Last updated: 10 November 2026
Great Teacher Onizuka, usually shortened to GTO, is Studio Pierrot's 43 episode comedy drama that aired from 1999 to 2000, directed by Noriyuki Abe. Ex biker gang leader Eikichi Onizuka talks his way into a teaching job at Holy Forest Academy and is handed the school's most notorious class. The anime adapts roughly the first half of Tohru Fujisawa's 25 volume manga and finishes with its own ending, and the Tokyopop era English dub is still the one used on streaming today.
About Great Teacher Onizuka
Great Teacher Onizuka, or GTO, is a 1999 comedy drama from Studio Pierrot about Eikichi Onizuka, a 22 year old former biker gang leader who becomes a teacher. Assigned to Class 3-4 at Holy Forest Academy, a class infamous for destroying its teachers, he wins his students over with street smarts, shameless stunts and total loyalty. The 43 episode anime adapts the first part of Tohru Fujisawa's hit manga and remains one of the best loved school anime ever made.
Great Teacher Onizuka is a TV anime from 1999, first released in Summer 1999. It belongs to the Comedy and Drama and Slice of Life genres and is listed as a completed series. The summary above is written by the AnimeYug team in our own words.
Story & Plot
Eikichi Onizuka was half of the Onibaku, the most feared biker duo in Shonan, and by 22 he has very little to show for it. Teaching, he decides, is his ticket to respect, and maybe to meeting girls, so he scrubs up and applies to schools that would never normally hire him. At Holy Forest Academy the chairwoman sees something in his chaotic interview lesson that no certificate could teach, and gives him the job nobody wants: homeroom teacher of Class 3-4, the class famous for driving teachers to quit, break down or run away.
Class 3-4's war on teachers is organised and cruel, built from years of being failed by adults. Onizuka answers pranks with bigger pranks, blackmail with shamelessness, and every trap leads him to the real problem underneath: a student being bullied into silence, a girl being exploited, a kid whose home life is a disaster. Where proper teachers see troublemakers, Onizuka sees people who stopped trusting adults, and he is willing to risk his job, his safety and once or twice his life to win that trust back.
His methods horrify the staffroom, especially vice principal Uchiyamada, whose beloved car seems to suffer in every other episode, and earnest fellow teacher Azusa Fuyutsuki, who cannot decide if Onizuka is a disgrace or the only honest adult in the building. The arrival of Urumi Kanzaki, a genius student with an IQ that makes her boredom dangerous, raises the stakes, while class leader Miyabi Aizawa keeps the war against teachers burning for reasons rooted in an old tragedy.
Because the anime caught up with the manga, its final episodes build to an original ending rather than Fujisawa's. The class trip, the last stand against the school's attempt to expel him, and Class 3-4 finally standing up for their teacher bring the anime's version of the story to a satisfying close. Readers who want the rest, including the manga's famous Okinawa arc, can pick up the 25 volume manga where the anime leaves off.
Story Arcs & Episode Guide
The Great Teacher Onizuka anime is split into story sagas. Here is every saga in order, with its episodes and years.
| Arc | Episodes | Years | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Getting Hired | Episodes 1-4 | 1999 | Onizuka charms the chairwoman, survives his interview lesson and meets Class 3-4, the class that breaks teachers. |
| Winning Over Class 3-4 | Episodes 5-17 | 1999 | Case by case, Onizuka takes on bullying, blackmail photos, a runaway student and the class's ringleaders. |
| Urumi and the School Politics | Episodes 18-30 | 1999-2000 | Genius prankster Urumi Kanzaki joins the war, while the vice principal and angry parents circle Onizuka. |
| Final Lessons | Episodes 31-43 | 2000 | Miyabi's last schemes, the class trip and an anime original ending, written because the manga was still running. |
Why Watch Great Teacher Onizuka
- A comedy that lands real emotional punches about school and family
- Onizuka's outrageous solutions always come from genuine care
- Hand drawn late nineties style with L'Arc-en-Ciel's Driver's High as the first opening
- Storylines about bullying and neglect that still feel relevant
- The anime that turned a delinquent comedy manga into a Japanese classic
Who Is It For?
For older teens and adults only. Expect crude humour, smoking, pervy jokes, dated gender gags and bullying storylines throughout. It is a 1999 show and some jokes have aged badly, even though its heart is firmly in the right place.
Main Characters
View all characters →Voice Actors
The Japanese voices behind the main characters of Great Teacher Onizuka.
- Eikichi OnizukaEikichi OnizukaJapanese voiceWataru Takagi
- Azusa FuyutsukiAzusa FuyutsukiJapanese voiceFumiko Orikasa
- Yoshito KikuchiYoshito KikuchiJapanese voiceHikaru Midorikawa
- Ryuji DanmaRyuji DanmaJapanese voiceIsshin Chiba
- Urumi KanzakiUrumi KanzakiJapanese voiceKotono Mitsuishi
- Kunio MuraiKunio MuraiJapanese voiceTomokazu Seki
Staff & Production
- Director
- Noriyuki Abe
- Series Composition
- Masashi Sogo
- Music
- Yusuke Honma
- Animation Studio
- Studio Pierrot
Manga & Source Material
Great Teacher Onizuka is based on Tohru Fujisawa's manga, which ran in Weekly Shonen Magazine from 1997 to 2002. Onizuka himself first appeared in Fujisawa's earlier biker manga Shonan Junai Gumi.
- The manga ran in Weekly Shonen Magazine from January 1997 to February 2002 and filled 25 volumes.
- Author Tohru Fujisawa first introduced Onizuka in the prequel manga Shonan Junai Gumi, which ran from 1990 to 1996.
- Fujisawa later returned to the character in sequels including GTO: 14 Days in Shonan and GTO: Paradise Lost.
- The anime caught up with the manga during production, which is why its final episodes tell an original ending.
- The manga's school, like Onizuka himself, draws on Fujisawa's own Shonan biker background.
Music
Yusuke Honma's score mixes rock and laid back guitar for Onizuka's world. The show used five theme songs in total across its run: two openings and three endings.
Opening Themes
- “Driver's High”by L'Arc-en-CielFirst opening, used for episodes 1-17 and the song most linked with the series.
- “Hitori no Yoru”by Porno GraffittiSecond opening, used for episodes 18-43.
Ending Themes
- “Last Piece”by KirariFirst ending theme, used for episodes 1-17.
Series Timeline
- 1997
Tohru Fujisawa's manga begins in Weekly Shonen Magazine.
- June 1999
The anime premieres on Fuji TV, animated by Studio Pierrot.
- September 2000
The anime ends after 43 episodes with an original conclusion.
- 2002
The manga wraps up at 25 volumes.
- 2024
Discotek Media releases the complete series on SD Blu-ray in North America.
Release Schedule
- First episode
- 30 June 1999
- Final episode
- 24 September 2000
- Episodes
- 43
- North American Blu-ray
- Discotek Media SD Blu-ray complete collection, 24 September 2024
- Streaming
- Crunchyroll, Netflix and RetroCrush (regions vary)
The series is complete. Details as of 10 November 2026.
Quick Answers
Is Great Teacher Onizuka finished?
Yes. Great Teacher Onizuka has finished airing, so you can watch the complete story from start to end without waiting for new episodes.
What genre is Great Teacher Onizuka?
Great Teacher Onizuka is a Comedy and Drama and Slice of Life anime. You can browse more titles like it on our Comedy anime page.
When did Great Teacher Onizuka release?
Great Teacher Onizuka first released in Summer 1999. It is a TV series.
Is Great Teacher Onizuka finished?
The anime tells a complete school story in 43 episodes but ends with its own conclusion, because the manga was still running. The manga's 25 volumes continue far beyond the anime's ending.
How does the GTO anime differ from the manga?
The anime covers roughly the first half of the manga and changes or drops some arcs. For the full story, including the Okinawa arc and the real ending, read Tohru Fujisawa's manga after watching.
Is GTO appropriate for younger viewers?
It is a product of 1999: crude jokes, smoking, pervy humour and some dated gags, alongside serious storylines about bullying and broken homes. Best for older teens and adults.
Does GTO have an English dub?
Yes. The Tokyopop era English dub, with Onizuka credited to David Lucas (an alias of Steve Blum), is the dub carried by current streaming releases.
Where can I watch Great Teacher Onizuka?
Crunchyroll, Netflix and RetroCrush all carry the series in the US, with the original Japanese audio and the English dub.
Watch Order
Here is the release order for Great Teacher Onizuka and the series connected to it. Start at step 1 and work your way down.
- 1Great Teacher Onizuka TV series (1999-2000)The full anime: all 43 episodes in broadcast order. Its ending is anime original, written while the manga was still running.
- 2Continue with the mangaFor the complete story, read Tohru Fujisawa's 25 volume manga, which continues well past the anime's ending. The prequel manga Shonan Junai Gumi covers Onizuka's biker days with Ryuji.
Where to Watch
Great Teacher Onizuka is officially available to stream on these platforms:
Streaming availability changes often and differs by country. Please check the platform in your region.