You be one of the good guys too. Promise.—Donkey, Chapter 157
Saburo Kido (木戸 三郎 Saburo Kido), better known as Donkey, is a side character in the 20th Century Boys manga series. A good friend of Kenji Endō ever since they were children, Donkey was one of the people that rebelled against Friend.
Appearance[]
As a child, Donkey had black, curly short hair. He always had snot hanging from his nose, so he always carried a towel to clean it. He usually wore tank tops and shorts, and when he ran, he always took off his shoes.
As an adult, Donkey hadn't changed substantially. He had the same hairstyle and the same facial features. Of course, he stopped having a runny nose and carrying a 'snot towel', and he's seen wearing either a suit or a common shirt.
Personality[]
Donkey was a very brave child. He didn't believe in ghosts, and nothing ever scared him, as seen in multiple occasions. Donkey didn't seem to care about being bullied by Yanbo and Mabo, and he was a pretty nonchalant kid overall. The only time he was ever scared was during the Donkey Science Lab Incident.
As an adult, Donkey is deduced to be the same calm person he had always been. He had a really strong sense of justice, both as a kid and as an adult.
Biography[]
Letter[]
Donkey's letter to Kenji.
Even though Donkey was a side character, he did have a major impact on the story by sending a letter to Kenji in 1997. It read, "Do you remember this symbol?" This was before he passed away after being pushed off a roof by two of Friend's followers. Kenji decides to go and search for his friends and ask them about the letters, and they uncover many more secrets that they themselves had planted when they were once children. This also leads Kenji on his path to save the world from extinction in the year 2000.
The letter contained the symbol of Friend's cult. Nothing more, nothing less. However, even though this is only a letter, it still acts like a tool for Kenji in several chapters where he shows his friends what the symbol looks like. This helps them jog their memory and discover new locations until they finally get more and more confident of their memory or what they did when they were kids.
Donkey using his 'snot towel' to help Kenji and Maruo at the gravel pit when he was a kid.
Childhood[]
Donkey first became Kenji's true friend when, one day, he found Kenji's group on the street and asked him to be his friend. The group ran from him on their bikes, but Donkey followed closely on foot. After a dangerous incident on the gravel pit in which Donkey saved Maruo and Kenji's lives by using his snot towel as an extension for a rope, they became good friends.
Science Lab Incident[]
Donkey passed on to be one of the most important secondary characters, being the centerpiece in the Donkey Science Lab Incident. In this incident, Mon-chan, along with Keroyon and Konchi, asked Donkey to go turn on the pump at the school's fishtank, which Mon-chan had forgotten to do. Donkey accepted right away, and he ventured inside the school on his own while the others waited outside. Donkey transversed the school until he finally found the science lab. There, he turned on the pump, but just as he was ready to leave, he noticed something.
Donkey's shock.
What Donkey noticed is kept a secret for most of the story, but eventually it's revealed he witnessed the Miracle. Donkey was utterly shocked, and he confronted those present: Yamane, Fukubei and Sadakiyo. After a brief chat, Donkey left in a hurry and jumped off the window, falling right on his feet in front of Mon-chan and the others. Inmediatly after, they ran in fear.
Virtual Attraction[]
He, or rather, his Virtual Attraction self, had a heartfelt conversation with Kanna Endō in which he admitted that the night on the science lab he had seen ''the bad guy'', and that there are no ''good guys'' to fight him back. He also said he'd like to be a science teacher when he grows up, which his real self did achieve.
