[REVISION HISTORY]

GTO revival faces viewership drop amid character shifts

Updated 8 times since CLSTR started tracking revisions of this situation.

What changed

2026-09-22 02:56 UTC → 2026-09-27 22:35 UTC · added ~~removed~~

The long-running school drama “Great Teacher Onizuka” (GTO) returned on Kansai TV and Fuji TV with a new installment premiering July 20, 2026. Veteran actor Takashi Sorimachi reprises his role as Eikichi Onizuka. While the series has seen a decline in live TV ratings—dropping from a 6.4% debut to 4.8% for the second episode in the Kanto region—on-demand streaming on TVer has reached record highs, surpassing 3.7 million views. Recent plotlines have focused on various student crises. Following episodes involving false accusations and financial hardships, the narrative addressed the struggles of soccer player Hiroto Hosokawa, who faced a complex fracture and a confrontation with a demanding parent. Actor Shinnosuke Nishimura, who plays Hosokawa, revealed that Takashi Sorimachi personally informed successful auditionees of their roles, telling him, “You only have three months, whether you laugh or cry.” By the tenth episode, aired September 21, the series explored a conflict involving a student, Kotone, who developed romantic feelings for a school employee named Ryunosuke. The plot revealed that Kotone is the daughter of Masaru, a former student of Onizuka. Navigating this crisis, the adult Onizuka advised Kotone to maintain her feelings until graduation rather than dropping out, a move that highlights his evolution from a reckless delinquent to a teacher focused on long-term consequences. The episode also triggered nostalgia by mentioning Miyabi Aizawa, a character from the 1998 original series. ~~Despite the character evolution, viewership ratings previously fell into~~ As the ~~1% range, potentially due~~ series approaches its final episode, written by Kazuhiko Yuukawa, it continues to ~~competition from programs like TBS’s “VIVANT” season two.~~ address contemporary social issues such as SNS conflicts and parental pressure. Actor Atom Susugawa, who portrays history teacher Haruki Murayama, noted the significance of revisiting the franchise 28 years after the original version.

Versions

Only revisions since CLSTR began indexing content versions appear here. Select a version to see what changed compared to the one before it.