JIM MORITA
Real Name: Jim Morita
Identity/Class: Human (Japanese-American, World War II era)
Occupation: Ranger
Group Membership: Leader of his own Nisei Squadron
Affiliations: Captain Tim Corbett, Howling Commandos, Maulers, Nisei Squadron, Dr. Warren Parker, US Army
Enemies: Blitzkrieg Squad, Bodenschatz, Colonel Klaue, Captain Schnitzler, Wild-Man Wilson
Known Relatives: None
Aliases: San Francisco Kid
Base of Operations: Able
Company base, England;
usually USA
First Appearance: Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos I#38 (January, 1967)
Powers/Abilities: Jim Morita was a trained ranger, and carried a machine gun and grenades into battle. He was also adept at judo and karate in hand-to-hand combat.
Height: 5'6"
Weight: 135 lbs.
Eyes: Dark brown
Hair: Black
History:
(Sgt. Fury & His Howling
Commandos I#38) - Jim Morita was an American-born man of Japanese
ancestry (Nisei) who joined the armed forces during World War II and
became a ranger. He was sent to Able Company to serve in a squad of
Nisei rangers under the command of Captain Samuel
Sawyer, but arrived on the base days before the rest of his squad.
Wild-Man Wilson and another soldier picked on him for being Japanese,
and when they got rough he used judo to fight back. Sgt. Nick Fury
sprang to Jim's aid and helped drive them away.
When Fury and the Howling Commandos went on a secret
mission to rescue Dr. Warren Parker from a German concentration camp so
that he could operate on their comrade Dino Manelli, Captain Sawyer
asked Jim to stow aboard their plane and assist them, since Eric Koenig
needed to fly the plane and could not participate in combat. When Fury
began bellowing at Jim the same way he did the other Howlers, Jim knew
that he had found acceptance.
The Howlers and Morita parachuted from their plane to the site of the camp and attempted to sneak in, but one of the prisoners sent up an alarm, afraid of a fight breaking out. The Howlers and Morita managed to break Dr. Parker out and fought their way back to the pick-up site where they rendezvoused with Eric and returned to England. Upon his return, Jim found that his squad had finally arrived, and was introduced to them. Also, Wild-Man Wilson apologized to Jim for his behavior earlier because he had heard how Jim had helped the Howlers.
(Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos I#48) - When Able Company base was invaded by Colonel Klaue, the Blitzkrieg Squad and supplementary Nazi forces, Morita and his Nisei Squadron helped defend the base, and Klaue was finally defeated by the Howling Commandos. Morita congratulated them on their victory, and said he hoped he would serve with them again soon.
(Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos I#57 (fb) - BTS) - On a mission with his squad, Morita and the others were captured by Nazis and sent Prison Camp 13, deep within Germany, under the command of Captain Schnitzler.
(Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos I#57) - When the Howling Commandos allowed themselves to be captured and placed in the camp so that they could help Morita and the others escape, they learned that numerous escape attempts had been made, but the guards always caught and killed the men escaping. One prisoner, Bodenschatz, accused Morita of being an informer because of his racial heritage. Others suspected Captain Tim Corbett, the ranking officer in the prison. To avoid capture, the Howlers and Morita's men made secret plans but spread a false plan for the informer to leak so that the Nazis would be unprepared for the real breakout. The breakout was a success, and Morita destroyed the Nazi motor pool so that they couldn't follow them.
As the escapees began their trek home, they stopped for water, and Gabe Jones offered his canteen to Bodenschatz after having a drink himself. Bodenschatz refused, and exposed himself as a Nazi spy, just as Fury suspected. Captain Corbett killed Bodenschatz, and Morita led the Howlers and other prisoners to a nearby Nazi radio shack so that they could radio for a pick-up and return to England.
Comments: Created by Roy Thomas, Dick Ayers and John Tartaglione.
Able Company was shown to have four attack squads in Sgt. Fury#11. Perhaps Morita's squad was the Fifth Attack Squad?
Jim Morita received a profile in the Captain America: America's Avenger handbook (August, 2011).
Despite having only three comic book appearances, the character of Jim Morita appeared in the 2011 movie, Captain America: The First Avenger, as one of the Howling Commandos.
Handbook info added by Grendel Prime.Cleaned up main image by Ron Fredricks.
Profile by Prime
Eternal.
CLARIFICATIONS:
Jim Morita should be distinguished from:
The members of the Nisei Squadron Jim belonged to were not known by name. They arrived at Able Company base after Jim. Later, they fought Colonel Klaue and the Blitzkrieg Squad, and escaped prison camp 13 with the Howling Commandos.
Appearances:
Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos I#38 (January,
1967) - Roy Thomas (writer), Dick Ayers (penciler), John Tartaglione
(inker), Stan Lee (editor)
Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos I#48 (November, 1967) - Gary
Friedrich (writer), Dick Ayers (artist), John Severin (inker), Stan Lee
(editor)
Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos I#57 (August, 1968) - Gary
Friedrich
(writer), Tom Sutton (penciler), John Severin (inker), Stan Lee (editor)
First posted: 06/26/2006
Last updated: 06/30/2023
Any Additions/Corrections? please let me know.
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