Genki Sanban (三番元気) is the mother of Kuki (Numbuh 3) and Mushi Sanban, she is the wife of Kani Sanban.
Personality[]
The polar opposite of her oldest daughter, Genki's generally quiet and has a rather stern/no-nonsense demeanor -- at rare times does she show happiness or smile, and it seems to take a lot to impress her.
In Operation: C.L.U.E.S. (the debut episode of both her and her husband), Genki claims that she wasn't allowed to have things like dolls and other toys as a kid, which implies that she had a strict upbringing. This could not only be the reason for her usual demeanor, but also why her daughters act the way do and have so many things like toys and stuffed animals (i.e., despite her usual demeanor, Genki wants to make sure her daughters have a happier childhood than she did).
Genki is also sharp, as she pointed out that Numbuh 2 needed to investigate the missing turkey and that Hoagie knew about the stuffing of the turkey, even though his mother, Betty (who's also her employee), never mentioned it in Operation: C.L.U.E.S..
Appearances[]
She was first mentioned in Operation: O.F.F.I.C.E.; however, her first proper appearance was in Operation: C.L.U.E.S., where she and her family have dinner with the Gilligan's. Betty Gilligan, who is her coworker, hopes to impress her and get a raise, though Genki shows indifference to all her attempts. During dinner, Numbuh 3's Rainbow Monkey doll is stabbed with a fork, and Numbuh 2 tries to determine who the culprit is. Genki is briefly suspected to have done the deed out of jealousy but is proven not to have (though she displays some anger at never having been asked to hold one of the toys). In the end, Mushi is proven to be the culprit, and Genki is impressed by Numbuh 2's sleuthing so much that she gives Ms. Gilligan the raise she wanted. However, that doesn't stop Genki from calling Numbuh 2 out for knowing what kind of stuffing was in the missing turkey when his mother never mentioned it.
Genki makes cameos in Operation: C.A.K.E.D.-F.O.U.R., where she and her husband can be seen in the stands cheering. In Operation: S.P.A.N.K.E.N.S.T.I.N.E., the Sanbans are having the Gilligans over for dinner, and Numbuh 2 gets chocolate syrup for their sundae dessert. While she doesn't make an appearance in the following episode, Operation: H.O.T.S.T.U.F.F., she is mentioned by Kani, who says that she's out of town on a business trip (so she's not around to see her home transformed into a volcano).
Career[]
Genki works in the same office building as Sidney (Numbuh 4's father) and Betty (Numbuh 2's mother) at Werk Co. While she is Betty's boss, it's unknown if she has any contact with the other operatives' parents. It seems she is in a high position as her home is large, though she is on a lower level than Mr. Boss as she brought her daughter Kuki to "Bring Your Daughter to Work Day". In Operation: O.F.F.I.C.E., it's revealed that she is "head of accounting," as mentioned in Operation: C.L.U.E.S.
Trivia[]
- Genki is voiced by Lauren Tom, who also voices Kuki Sanban. She can even sound like her daughter when her voice goes higher.
- Unlike the other operatives' parents, her face is revealed in her first appearance, and it is never obscured.
- Her name is Japanese for "energetic," (元気) which is ironic because of her personality.
- This trait is instead given to her daughter, Kuki.
- This meant that she is the only member of the Sanban family to have four kanji characters in their names instead of three (Kuki's name has three kanji characters in her name, hence also part of 3 as her number).
- She ultimately becomes Numbuh 4's mother-in-law, because the live-action segments of the series finale reveal that Numbuhs 3 and 4 get married as adults.