Quick Kick is a fictional character from the toyline, comic books and animated series. He is the G.I. Joe Team's martial arts expert, and debuted in 1985.
Profile
His real name is MacArthur S. Ito, and his rank is that of corporal E-4. Quick Kick was born in Los Angeles, California. Quick Kick's Japanese father and Korean mother owned a grocery store in Watts. He found difficulty being accepted by either the Japanese or Korean community because of his mixed heritage. Quick Kick also has a passion for basketball, but was always turned down because of his height. Therefore, he turned to martial arts, and has earned black belts in Tae Kwon Do, Goju Ryu, Judo, Southern Praying MantisKung-Fu, Tai-Chi Sword, Zen Sword and Wing-Chun fighting arts. He later worked in Hollywood as a stuntman, where the U.S. Army noticed his skills and recruited him for the elite Rangers. After the Army he went on to join the G.I. Joe Team. Quick Kick is also a qualified expert with all NATO and Warsaw Pactsmall arms.
In the Marvel Comics G.I. Joe series, Quick Kick first appeared in #45. His first mission involved aiding Flint, Alpine, and Spiriton a mission to Cobra Island to retrieve Ripcord, who had parachuted to the island, against orders, in search of his girlfriend, Candy Appel. Quick Kick, Stalker, Outback and Snow Job are in a mission to Borovia when they are cornered by corrupt aspects of its military. Outback, protesting, is ordered to escape and does so. The other three spend many months in a Borovian gulag, rescued only by an unsanctioned G.I. Joe team. The ex-prisoners reassure Outback they hold no hard feelings. Later, Quick Kick and Outback are stuck in a bus full of Mexican tourists that is under siege by terrorists. Though the enemy is defeated, two of the tourists are killed. Quick Kick's final appearance was issue #109. Several Joes, including Quick Kick, are captured by Cobra during a mission in Trucial-Abysmia. A misinterpreted order from Cobra Commander leads the Crimson Twins into thinking they are now obligated to have the Joes killed. Noting their reluctance, a S.A.W.-Viper steps up to volunteer for the task. He first kills the medic 'Doc', then opens fire on the subdued, captured Joes, killing Thunder and Heavy Metal. A well-aimed knife, previously hidden, allows the survivors to escape. They steal a Cobra Rage tank. Cobra forces pursue and destroy the tank, killing Quick-Kick, Breaker and Crazylegs. Duke, Lt. Falcon, and Cross-Country are the only survivors.
Devils Due
Quick is seen in a photo in Snake Eyes' home in the first issue of the Devils Due series. He receives a profile in the Battlefiles Sourcebook. Even though this is not shown, it is implied Quick-Kick's name is part of the memorial to deceased Joes located at Arlington National Cemetery.
Quick Kick appears in many issues of the alternate continuity 'Marvel UK' series "Action Force". He rescues his friends from imprisonment on the Argent Oil Platform, a move that fits into Destro's plans to publicly discredit 'Action Force'. He is the focus of a three-part issue where he defies the team to rescue an old friend from a cult. It turns out the man is a leader of a Cobra splinter group and Quick Kick is forced to take the organization down from the inside. The third part has a secondary story where Quick Kick remembers meeting the Marvel Comics martial artists Iron Fist, Elektra, Batroc the Leaper and Shang Chi. This contradicts regular G.I. Joe continuity as those characters do not exist there.
Animated series
Sunbow
Quick Kick appeared in the Sunbow animated series in the Pyramid of Darkness mini-series. He is depicted as a karate movie actor who had been abandoned in the arctic by his director. He helps two of the G.I. Joe members when they are being attacked by leopard seals. He also fights and defeats Storm Shadow. He joins G.I. Joe afterwards. All of his appearances in Season 2 are silent. He appears in the following episodes:
Arise, Serpentor, Arise
Bazooka Saw A Sea Serpent
Captives of Cobra - introduction of his parents
Cobra Quake
Cobra's Candidate
Excalibur - suffers a broken leg; it is healed instantly by Spirit.
Flint's Vacation
Lasers In The Night - introduction of girlfriend, Amber
Quick Kick also appeared briefly in the 1987 animated film .
Video games
Quick Kick is one of the featured characters in the Action Force II computer game.
Other media
Quick Kick is mentioned as a 'unique character' in an essay in the non-fiction book 'Integrating English: developing English language and literacy in the multilingual classroom'.
