Living up to the "A Real American Hero" moniker, members of the G.I. Joe team hail from all 50 states and some territories[1]. Not all of the "Real American Heroes" were born in the United States. Some of the figures released by Hasbro in the United States were given birthplaces in other countries. Sometimes this was done in the 2000s as a reference to an '80s character manufactured in another country by another company. In some cases it is specified that they retain their birth-country's citizenship and serve in their country's armed forces or intelligence service--like the Oktober Guard. For most other characters, it is less clear if they have retained their citizenship or have immigrated to the United States and serve in its armed forces.
Note: For changes made to character birthplaces in the international market, see List of Action Force character birthplaces.
The United States[]
No characters were born in the District of Columbia, the U.S. territories of Guam and Puerto Rico, or the former Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. The listed population figures are from the 2010 census.
Four Cobra operatives (the Snow Serpent Commander, an Ice Viper, a Frag Viper and a Night Viper) from Operation: Flaming MOTH received individual names, but their birthplaces are simply "United States" (308,745,538).
Alabama[]
- Beachhead's hometown of Auburn (53,780) is in east-central Alabama, near the border with Georgia. It is also the birthplace of the Dreadheads: Billy-Bob, Cletus, Joe-Bob, Otis, Roscoe, and Vance.
Alaska[]
- Frostbite's town of Galena (470) really is in the middle of nowhere. Specifically, it is 270 miles west of Fairbanks on the Yukon River, just south of the Koyukuk National Wildlife Refuge.
- Occasional ally Kwinn was born in Kotzebue (3,201), 33 miles north of the Arctic Circle on Alaska's western coast
American Samoa[]
- As a territory of the United States, American Samoans have the freedom to serve in the US military. One who chose to do so is Red Dog, one of Slaughter's Renegades/Marauders, who was born in the territorial capital of Pago Pago (3,656).
Arizona[]
- Armadillo's hometown of Fort Huachuca (~18,900) is a military base in eastern Arizona, about 15 miles (24 km) north of the US-Mexico border.
- The original Airborne was born somewhere on the Navajo Indian Reservation, which crosses state lines into Utah and New Mexico. The US Census bureau gives the Arizona estimate as 101,835[2].
- The capital city of Phoenix (1,445,632), where the Gila and the Salt rivers converge, is where Mainframe was born.
Arkansas[]
- Arkansas' capital of Little Rock (193,524), on the Arkansas River in the center of the state, is the hometown of Chuckles.
- Built-to-Rule original character Hollow Point is from Quitman (762), a small town on the outskirts of the Little Rock metro area.
- Tracker's birthplace, Helena (6,323) is on the Mississippi River, almost due west of Little Rock.
California[]
- While all of Kamakura's filecards list his birthplace as classified, Devil's Due's The Data Desk Handbook lists his birthplace as Roseville (118,788) in the central valley.
- About 18 miles to the southwest lies the capital, Sacramento (466,488), which is the home of Budo[3].
- Flash's hometown is Lodi (62,134), 30 miles to the south.
- Stockton (291,707), an additional 14 miles south, is the home of Steel Brigade member, Red Zone.
- The Action Marine Rocky was born in Healdsburg (11,254).
- San Francisco (751,682), at the 34th parallel along the Pacific Coast, gave the Joe Team Dojo, Knockdown, and Psyche-Out.
- One of Storm Shadow's filecards places his birth in San Francisco. Others place it more than 150 miles southeast in Fresno (494,665), and others list St. Louis as his birthplace.
- Fifteen miles south is Burlingame (28,806), Starduster's place of birth.
- Another 40 miles to the south is Boulder Creek (4,923), home of Long Arm.
- Sky Patrol member Altitude is from Cambria (6,032), on the Pacific coast halfway between San Francisco and LA.
- Malibu (12,645), Rock 'n Roll's beachside hometown, is 25 miles to the west of LA.
- Los Angeles (3,792,621) itself is the hometown of Jinx, Quick Kick, Skidmark, the Steel Brigade Commander, Sure Fire, and Wreckage.
- East of downtown LA is Walnut (29,172), home to Ambush.
- Just north of the US-Mexico border is San Diego (1,307,402), Cloudburst's hometown.
- Shipwreck is from Chula Vista (243,916), in the southeast portion of the San Diego bay.
- Skull Buster, the Range Viper Commander, is said to have been born in Donner Pass. The nearest significant town is Truckee (16,180), 9 miles east.
- Scalpel, the lead Cobra medic, was born in Death Valley. The only non-ghost town in the valley is Furnace Creek (24).
Colorado[]
- Both Hawk and Mace are from Denver (600,158), the capital city on the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains.
- In 2009, the Argentinian Comandos Heroicos line character Red Mack was released as part of the Real American Hero line. His birthplace was given as Devil's Thumb, Colorado. There is no town named Devil's Thumb, but there is a geographic feature with that name just east of South Boulder Peak between Boulder (97,385) and Eldorado Springs (585).
- South of Denver lies Pueblo, the hometown of Cobra Air Commando Leader Sky Creeper.
Connecticut[]
- Airtight is from New Haven (129,779), 35 miles to the south of Hartford.
- Hartford (124,775) itself, the capital and hometown of Stretcher, is near the center of the state.
- Whiteout is from Bridgeport (144,229), 15 miles farther west from New Haven on the Atlantic coast.
Delaware[]
- The first toy-based Joe born in Delaware wasn't released until the 2018 JoeCon. Sgt. Smasher, an original character based on a South American lawyer-friendly version of Sgt. Slaughter. He comes from Wilmington (70,851), Delaware's largest city.
Florida[]
- Blowtorch hails from Tampa (335,709), on the north side of Tampa Bay on the Gulf coast.
- On the panhandle, Panama City (36,484) is the home of Blaster.
- Pathfinder was born on Key West (24,649), at the western extreme of the Florida Keys at the state's southern tip.
- Cape Canaveral (9,912) is the birthplace of Payload. It is also home to the Kennedy Space Center on the Atlantic coast.
- Fifteen miles east of the border with Alabama, is Pensacola (51,923), where Skydive was born.
- Most of Copperhead's file cards presume he is a native of the Everglades, although one says "An Island in the Mediterranean"[4] and his Python Patrol file card presumes he is a native of the Amazon basin.
- Just south of Orlando lies Kissimmee (59,682), the home of Dreadnok Crusher.
- Zartan's brother Zandar is believed to have been born somewhere in Florida.
Georgia[]
- The Action Pilot/Astronaut Ace was born in Canton (22,958), north of the state capital.
- Scarlett is from Atlanta (420,003), in the northwest part of the state.
Hawaii[]
- Torpedo hails from Aiea (9,338), on the east side of Pearl Harbor on the island of O'ahu.
Idaho[]
- Alpine's hometown, Minidoka (112), is near the Snake River's southern-most point and lies about 50 miles north of the City of Rocks National Preserve.
- Boise (205,671), where the Snake River turns north in the southwest of the state, is the capital and hometown of Tollbooth.
Illinois[]
- Eight of the Joes are from Chicago itself (2,695,598): Big Lob, Bullet-Proof, Ghost Rider, Hardtop, Heavy Duty, Scoop, Short-Fuze, Sightline, and Static Line. Chicago is also the birthplace of Zartan's daughter, Zanya.
- Cover Girl was born in Peoria (115,007), near the center of the state.
- Freefall's birthplace, Downers Grove (47,833), is about 20 miles west of downtown Chicago.
- Evergreen Park (19,852), the birthplace of CAPT Grid-Iron, is 10 miles south of Chicago.
- Cobra Commander's son, Billy Arboc, is given the birthplace of Springfield. Whether this is meant to indicate the location of the Springfield (contrary to a map shown in the comics) or it's just an homage is unclear.
Indiana[]
- Dodger's home of South Bend (101,168) is about six miles south of the IN-MI state line.
- Footloose is from Gary (80,294), which is on Lake Michigan about 25 miles southeast of downtown Chicago.
- Topside grew up in Fort Wayne (253,691), in the northeast part of the state.
Iowa[]
- In 2009, the Action Force character Blades was released as part of the Real American Hero line. His birthplace was given as Riverside, Iowa (993) - the same birthplace as the fictional Captain James T. Kirk.
- Crazylegs' home of Fort Dodge (25,206) is about 70 miles NNW of Des Moines.
- Hacker comes from the small town of Emmetsburg (3,904), on the Des Moines River about 25 miles south of the border with Minnesota.
- Hit & Run hails from Sioux City (82,684), on the Missouri River where the tail of South Dakota ends between Iowa and Nebraska.
- Ida Grove (2,142) in western Iowa is the birthplace of Battleforce 2000 pilot, Maverick.
- Windchill's first filecard lists his birthplace in Cedar Rapids (126,326), on the Cedar River in east-central Iowa.
Kansas[]
- Barricade's home of Pittsburg (20,233) is in the southern part of the state on the border with Missouri. The town was named after the Pennsylvanian city, but is spelled differently.
- Crankcase is from Lawrence (87,643), on the Kansas River 35 miles west of downtown Kansas City.
- Cutter's hometown, Kinsley (1,457), is famous for being 1,561 miles from both Los Angeles and New York. It's on the Arkansas River, about 30 miles ENE of the wild west town Dodge City.
- The state's largest city is Wichita (382,368) on the Arkansas River in the south-central part of the state, and is home to Flint and Lightfoot.
Kentucky[]
- Airwave and Thunder share the birthplace of Louisville (597,337), on the Ohio River in the north-central part of the state.
- Twenty five miles south of downtown Louisville is Fort Knox (10,124), Cold Front's place of birth and most famous for the US Treasury's bullion depository.
Louisiana[]
- Gung-Ho's birthplace of Fer-de-Lance cannot be located on any map or census.[5] It may be that Fer-de-Lance is simply the name Gung-Ho's 137-member family gives to its residence, which lies outside any local jurisdiction. One issue of The Command Post, the "Official Newsletter of G.I. Joe," featured a map of the US indicating the birthplaces of various Joes, including Gung-Ho. According to this map, Fer-de-Lance lies in North/Central Louisiana. Since some Joes' birthplaces (notably Blowtorch and Torpedo, but also Recondo and Tripwire) are geographically inaccurate, this should be taken with a grain of salt. However, assuming this is reasonably accurate and allowing for Gung-Ho's francophone heritage, it is most probable that Fer-de-Lance is in one of three parishes: Natchitoches (39,566), Rapides (131,613) or Avoyelles (42,073).
- It's possible "fer-de-lance" was mistakenly used in place of "fleur-de-lis", which is also not a city in Louisiana, but is the state's symbol.
- Muskrat hails from Thibodaux (14,567), which is about 45 miles southwest of New Orleans.
- New Orleans (343,829) is the birthplace of Cobra agent(s?) Vypra.
Maine[]
- Avalanche is from Madawaska (4,035),[6] a small town just across the St. John River from the Canadian town of Edmunston.
- Sneak Peek's hometown is Bangor (33,039), which is about 30 miles north of Penobscot Bay.
Maryland[]
- Deep Six is from Baltimore (620,961), on the Chesapeake Bay.
- Sky Patrol new-comer Air Raid (not Airborne), as well as Iron Grenadier anti-armor specialist Metal-Head, were born in the capital, Annapolis (38,394).
Massachusetts[]
- Boston itself (617,594), on the Atlantic coast, has three Joes who call it home: Barbecue, Blocker, and COL Courage.
- Cross Hair is from Brockton (93,810), about 20 miles south of downtown.
- Both Doc and his niece who later used that same codename come from Concord (17,668), near Walden Pond about 15 miles northwest of downtown.
- Martha's Vineyard (15,601) is the large island just south of mainland Massachusetts. It is the birthplace of Lady Jaye.
- Near the northwest corner of the state is a small town called Clarksburg (1,702), where Dr. Link Talbot was born.
- Side Track's home of Hingham (22,157) is 12 miles to the southeast of Boston.
- Space Shot hails from Everett (41,667), about five miles north of downtown.
- Tiger Claw is from Douglas (8,471), a small town just north of the Connecticut/Rhode Island border.
- Wide Scope claims Newton (85,146), eight miles directly west of Boston, as his hometown. As well as Cobra ECO Warrior CEO Cesspool.
- Wildcard hails from Northampton (28,549) in west-central Massachusetts.
- Cobra tank commander Rip It is from Fall River (88,857), near the border with Rhode Island.
Michigan[]
- Dearborn (98,153) is the hometown of Shockwave.
- Stalker's hometown of Detroit (681,090) is on the border with Canada. The Cobra Shock Viper commander Lt. Clay Moore is also from Detroit.
- While Dreadnok Road Pig's hometown, Goblu, can be found on some maps, it is usually found in the heart of every true blue Michigan fan. Perhaps he was born in the dorms?
- Sgt. Slaughter (the wrestler) was born in Detroit, as stated below.
Minnesota[]
- Bazooka and Tripwire are both from Hibbing (16,361), about 60 miles northwest of Duluth.
- Eighty miles northwest brings one to Charbroil's town, Blackduck (785).
- White Earth (580), Dart's home, lies on the White Earth Indian Reservation, making him one of the White Earth Band of Ojibwe.
- Hi-Tech grew up in urban surroundings in St. Paul (285,068), which, with Minneapolis, lies on the upper reaches Mississippi River.
- Duluth (86,128) is home to Steam-Roller and lies on the shore of Lake Superior.
Mississippi[]
- Roadblock's hometown of Biloxi (44,054) is on Mississippi's short stretch of the Gulf coast.
Missouri[]
- Blast-Off is from the St. Louis suburb of Kirkwood(27,540), about 12 miles southwest of downtown.
- St. Louis (319,294) itself is on the Missouri/Illinois state line, where I-70 crosses the Mississippi River. It is the home of Duke and Spearhead.
- Some of Storm Shadow's file cards list his birthplace as St. Louis, while others list it in California.
Montana[]
Nebraska[]
- Nebraska's only Joe to date is Leatherneck, from Stromsburg (1,171) in the east-central part of the state.
Nevada[]
- Nevada's largest city, Las Vegas (583,736), is in the southern tip of the state and is home to Dusty and Thunderwing.
New Hampshire[]
- The correct spelling of Blizzard's hometown is Wolfeboro (6,269), in east-central NH about 12 miles west of the border with Maine.
New Jersey[]
- Shooter was born in Montclair (37,669), on the north end of the state.
- In the general New York City area, one finds Elizabeth (124,969) just northwest of Staten Island. It is Clean Sweep's place of birth.
- Clutch was born in Asbury Park (16,116), about halfway down the New Jersey coast.
- Countdown is from Plainfield (49,808), about 12 miles west of Elizabeth.
- Mutt is from Iselin (18,695), about six miles to the southeast.
- Dr. Sidney Biggles-Jones, PhD was born in Ridgewood (24,958) in the northeast corner of the state.
New Mexico[]
- The city of Taos (5,716) takes its name from the Taos Pueblo. Most of Spirit's filecards list this as his birthplace. Additionally, his 1992 Air Commandos filecard (which gives his birthplace as Taos) states he wears "authentic Navajo warrior boots." However, his 1989 filecard gives his birthplace as the Grand Canyon in northwest Arizona, and the 1993 International Action Force filecard doesn't list a specific place of birth, but does mention Spirit comes from his tribal home in Arizona. His 2010 filecard doesn't say either way. As the Navajo reservation borders the Grand Canyon, it is not unreasonable to presume Spirit is a mix of both the Navajo and Pueblan peoples.
- Marissa Faireborn, daughter of Flint and Lady Jaye and ally of the Autobots, was given an action figure in 2015. Her birthplace was listed as Albuquerque (545,852).
- Low-Light's 1989 filecard gave New Mexico as his home state, although it should be North Dakota. This error was repeated on his 1993 filecard.
New York[]
- It should come as no surprise that many Joes come from the New York City area (8,175,133). While the city actually encompasses a large collection of towns, the city is listed with no further specification for Backblast, Big Brawler, Rampart, and Zap. In 2009, the Action Force character Jammer was released as part of the Real American Hero line. His birthplace was also listed as New York, New York.
- Crossfire was born somewhere on Long Island (7,568,304), although that does not necessarily mean he is from New York City. According to the Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook, Matt "Spectrum" Trakker is also from Long Island. Considering the racial change, it is unknown what else about the IDW/Hasbro-verse version of the character is different from other versions.
- The west part of Long Island includes the New York borough of Queens (2,230,722) neighborhood of Hollis - home of Bushido - and Brooklyn (2,504,700) - home of Heavy Metal, Nunchuk, and Tunnel Rat. Brooklyn is also the birthplace of Dr. Venom.
- Also from Long Island, the Screaming Eagle D-Day was born in a small town on the southern coast called Bay Shore (26,337).[7]
- The borough of the Bronx (1,385,108) is home to Joe member Freestyle.
- Banzai's home of Hartsdale (5,293) lies about 25 miles to the northeast of the city.
- Hardball was born in Cooperstown (1,936), the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in upstate New York.
- About 17 miles north of downtown NYC lies Yonkers (195,976), home of Hard Drive.
- Spring Valley (31,347), in the northern part of the New York area, is home to Lifeline, not to be confused with the more seasoned Lifeline from Seattle.
- Albany (97,856), the upstate capital, is the home of WWII veteran Sgt. Savage.
- Somers (20,434), about 30 miles north of Yonkers, is home to another ninja on the Joe team, T'Gin-Zu.
- Dreadnok Burn Out hails from Catskill. Whether this means the town (11,775) or the village (4,081) within that town is unclear. And confusing.
North Carolina[]
- The city of Greensboro (269,666), where Cross-Country grew up, is near the center of North Carolina.
- One hundred miles southeast is Fayetteville (200,564), the hometown of Lt. Falcon, near Fort Bragg.
- Rumbler's hometown of Raeford (4,626) is only 20 miles to the west.
North Dakota[]
- Low-Light's hometown is Crosby (1,070), 35 miles east of Montana and six miles south of the border with Canada. His 1989 and 1993 filecards list his hometown as Crosby, New Mexico, however there is no such town and these are generally assumed to be errors.
- Updraft is from North Dakota's capital of Bismarck (61,272),[8] near the center of the state on the Missouri River.
Ohio[]
- Cincinnati(296,943) lies in the southwest corner of the state, on the Ohio River, and is home to Barrel Roll, his Cobra-agent brother Blackout, and Red Spot.
- Springboro (17,409), north of Cincinnati, is the birthplace of Checkpoint.
- Nearby Dayton (141,527) is the place of origin for two of the less popular Joes, Double Blast and Super Trooper.
- Downtown is from Cleveland (396,815), on Lake Erie in the northeast.
- Ten miles to the south of Cleveland is Parma (81,601), birthplace of Agent Faces.
- The capital city of Columbus (787,033) is the place Grunt and Ripcord call home.
- Elyria (54,533), back near Lake Erie, is the hometown of Ice Storm.
Oklahoma[]
- Lawton (96,867), where Lift-Ticket calls home, is in the southwest part of the state.
- Drop Zone is from Poteau (8,520), near the border with Arkansas.
Oregon[]
- Dial-Tone's hometown of Eugene (156,185) is in the west-central part of the state.
- It is possible that his sister, Jill (who also uses the Dialtone codename), is from Eugene, but her file card does not specify a place of birth.
- In central-central Oregon lies Bend, the home of Night Fox.
Pennsylvania[]
- Depth Charge and Steeler were born in Pittsburgh (305,704), in the western part of the state.
- Ozone's filecard lists his birthplace as Three Mile Island, which isn't a town. It's a nuclear power plant.[9] The township where the plant lies, Londonderry, had a population of 5,235 in 2010.
- Philadelphia (1,526,006), in the southeast corner of the state, is home to Rocky and Sideswipe[10].
- About 15 miles west of the border with New Jersey is Allentown (118,032), Windmill's home city.
Rhode Island[]
- The capital city of Providence (178,042), just north of Narragansett Bay, is the home of Ace, Bullhorn, Dee-Jay, Dogfight, Ice Cream Soldier, Skystriker, and Major Storm.
- Major Altitude is from Rumford, a village that forms part of East Providence (47,037).
- Bombstrike is from Cranston (80,387), a suburb of Providence, a little more than three miles to the south.
- Dusty's 2002 gives his filename as Jeffrey Paquette and birthplace in North Kingstown (26,486), near the coast in the southeast part of the state.
- Gears gives his hometown as Westerly (22,787) down on Rhode Island's tip where it borders Connecticut.
- The "original G.I. Joe," Joseph Colton, is from Central Falls (19,376), just to the north of Providence.
- Between Providence and Central Falls, is Pawtucket (71,148), the home of Hot Seat.
- Pawtucket is also the home of Hasbro.
- The first character to use the codename Long Range is from Warwick (82,672), at the southern end of the Providence metro area.
- Repeater's and G.I. Jane's hometown of Cumberland (33,512) is in the northeast corner of the state.
- East Greenwich (13,146) to the southwest of Cumberland, is the home of two Joes, Rollbar and T'Jbang.
- The north-central part of the state is the hometown of Sub-Zero, who was born in Smithfield (21,430).
South Carolina[]
- The Fridge hails from Aiken (29,494), almost in the middle of the southwest border with Georgia.
- Parris Island is listed as the birthplace of Sgt. Slaughter. It wasn't counted by itself in the 2010 census, but was counted as part of Port Royal (10,678). However, Robert Remus - the real Slaughter - was born in Detroit.
- Wet-Suit is from Myrtle Beach (27,109) on the Atlantic coast near North Carolina.
South Dakota[]
- Sioux Falls (153,888), near the border with Iowa and Minnesota, is the hometown of Cannonball.
Tennessee[]
- Breaker comes from Gatlinburg (3,944) in the Smoky Mountains, near the border with North Carolina.
- Fast Draw's hometown is Collierville (43,965), in the southwest corner of the state.
- In the center of the state, near the border with Kentucky, is Nashville (626,681), home of Med Alert.
Texas[]
- Fort Worth (741,206), home to Effects, is near Dallas in the northeast part of the state.
- Iceberg is from Brownsville (175,023) on the border with Mexico, about 20 miles up the Rio Grande from the Gulf Coast.
- Houston (2,195,914) is home to Law, and lies near the eastern end of Texas' gulf coast.
- Near the middle of Texas' gulf coast is Victoria (86,793), the hometown of Major Barrage.
- Wild Bill was born in Brady (5,528), the self-proclaimed "Heart of Texas," as it lies near the geographic center of the state.
Utah[]
- Slip-Stream's home is Provo (112,488), the third largest metro area along the Wasatch Front.
Vermont[]
- Manchester (4,391), where Claymore is from, is in the southern part of the state.
- Snow Job's home of Rutland could either be the decent-sized city (16,495) or the smaller town (5,954) that completely surrounds it. It's a confusing situation.
- Cobra ECO Warrior Repulsor hails from Wallingford (2,079), about halfway between Manchester and Rutland.
- Also, since the birthplace of Serpentor depends on the medium, he is listed both here in Springfield (9,373) in the southern part of the state and in the “International” entry for Cobra Island.
Virgin Islands[]
- The second character to use the code name Rampage was born on St. Thomas (51,634) in the small U.S. territory to the east of Puerto Rico.
Virginia[]
- While the District of Columbia itself does not appear as a birthplace on any of the Joes' filecards, Alexandria (139,966), at the southern tip of the District's original diamond, is home to the younger General Flagg.
- Charlottesville (43,475), the hometown of Keel-Haul, lies near the center of the north east part of the state.
- Virginia's capital, Richmond (204,214) is in the east-central part of the state. Mercer's 1991 filecard - which also changes his filename - places his birth here.
- Salvo's home of Arlington (207,627) also used to lie in the District.[11]
- Wet Down's home of Norfolk (242,803) is near the southeast corner of Virginia.[12]
Washington[]
- Mirage's filecards list his hometown as Molsen, but the correct spelling is Molson. It's a ghost town; a small knot of streets two miles south of the US-Canada border on the Okanogan River.
- Seattle (608,660), on the coast of Puget Sound in the northwest, is home to Lifeline (Edwin Steen, not Greg Scott) and Rapid Fire.
- Ace's 1992 filecard changes his first name and lists Seattle as his birthplace, although every other source places him in Providence.
- Recoil's Fashion Island does not appear on the maps, but may be one of the hundreds of islands in Puget Sound. It's possible it should be Vashon Island (10,624), which lies just southwest of Seattle.
West Virginia[]
- The only Joe who is indisputably from West Virginia is Sidetrack, whose home is in the tiny town of New Manchester in the northern tip of the state.
- Mercer's original filecard lists his birthplace as Spencer (2,322), which is north west of the center of the state.[13]
Wisconsin[]
- Eight miles north of the border with Illinois, Lake Geneva (7,651) is home of the Sky Patrol member Airborne.
- Grand Slam is from Chippewa Falls (13,661) on the Chippewa River in the northwestern part of the state.
- Recondo is from Wheaton (2,994) a few miles to the southwest of Chippewa Falls.
- La Crosse (13,661), 20 miles north of the Iowa border on the Mississippi River, is the home of Rook.
Wyoming[]
- Casper (55,316), on the North Platte River, is home to Robo JOE.
- In the west-central part of the state, Outback's home of Big Piney (552) is about 50 miles east of the border with Idaho.
International[]
One character, Chameleon, is never given a defined birthplace - just Europe. Based on back story information from her or the Baroness, her birthplace could be half a dozen places - mostly behind the Iron Curtain.
Would you count extraterrestrials like Carcass, Iguanus, Lobotomaxx, Predacon, Slythor and Warwolf here? They're definitely not American, but "International" doesn't quite seem to describe it....
Argentina[]
- Dynamite is the Screaming Eagles' lone foreign-born soldier, hailing from one of Latin America's largest, most stable powers. His mustache is thicker than his accent, but his U.S. citizenship status is currently unknown.
- At the 2009 International Collector's Club Convention, some international characters were given Real American Hero releases. A few referenced Plastirama's Comandos Heroicos line. These included Shimik from San Luis, Topson from San Juan, as well as Manleh and TNT both coming from the capital, Buenos Aires.
- The 2006 convention release of Cobra Mortal listed his birthplace as Buenos Aires as well, however a 2013 convention filecard said "Unknown (Presumed Venezuela)".
Australia[]
- The Air Commando Skymate was born in either Queenstown, South Australia, or Queenstown, Tasmania. Either way, he was the only Aussie Joe released as part of the "A Real American Hero" toy line.
- The capital, Sydney, is the birthplace of Major Bludd.[14]
- Dreadnok Ripper's place of birth is listed as Grim Cape, Tasmania. However the real life Cape Grim is either the northwestern point of Tasmania (a geologic feature) or the air pollution station there. The nearest town is Woolnorth.
- The Dreadnok Torch was born in Botany Bay, just east of Sydney.
- The Cobra Night Stalkers Officer comes from Perth on the west coast.
- The Range Viper from Operation: Flaming MOTH was given a generic "Australia" birthplace.
Belgium[]
Brazil[]
- At the 2011 International Collector's Club Convention, a box set revisiting the 1986 Brazil mission set was released. The box set included Sparta, a reference to Estrela's Comandos em Ação line. She was fittingly given the birthplace of São Paulo - not the capital of Brazil, but it's largest city. Also, Black Vulture, a 2016 convention exclusive figure, was from the city as well.
- 2017 convention exclusive figure Corrosao, was born in Bento Rodrigues, a subdistrict of the city Mariana.
- 2015 convention figure Felino was born in Altamira in the north.
- Flying Scorpion, a 2016 convention figure, was born in Rio de Janiero on the southern coast.
- The 2013 convention file card for Cobra Letal says he is presumed to have been born in Brazil. This may be a nod to the fact he is an homage to a Brazilian Comandos em Ação figure.
Canada[]
- Back-Stop was born in Montréal, but it is unknown if he is Québécois. As far as we know, he is not part of any special exchange program and so must have become a U.S. citizen at some point before his 18th birthday.
- Dreadnok Demolishor was born in Pikangikum, a First Nation reserve in western Ontario.
Cobra Island[]
- While the historic Hannibal was born in Carthage (now Tunis), the reborn clone was probably born on Cobra Island.
- Also, since the birthplace of Serpentor depends on the medium, he is listed both here and in Springfield, Vermont.
Cobra-La[]
- Golobulus, Nemesis Enforcer, Pythona, the Royal Guard, and sometimes even the ARAH version of Cobra Commander were all (presumably) born in this region that lies somewhere in or around (or underneath) what we might call Tibet.
Colombia[]
- One of the Joes' tank drivers, Switch Gears, was born in the capital, Bogotá.
Cuba[]
- High-tech snow trooper Snow Storm was born in the capital, Havana. Considering the state of US/Cuban relations, Snow Storm must have been a refugee and become a naturalized citizen of the United States.
Czechoslovakia[]
- When Daina/Volga/Vorona was born in Ostrava, it was still in Czechoslovakia. Now it is in the Czech Republic near the border with Slovakia. Although one file card included with an action figure lists her birthplace as the Czech capital, Prague, this is probably wrong.
Darklonia[]
- Destro's cousin Darklon was born in this small European country, possibly situated next to Trans-Carpathia.
France[]
- The mercenary Wraith comes from Lyon in the south east.
- Despite all the mystery surrounding his personal details, at least one file card lists Zartan's birthplace as Nice, on the border with Italy.
- While all versions of Tomax and Xamot's filecards agree they were born on an island in the Mediterranean, only one specifically says its Sollacaro[15] on the south side of Corsica. The issue is that this comes from a specifically identified alternate universe version of Xamot, who has a different file name than was previously established.
French Indochina[]
- Firefly has complicated ancestry. It is strongly implied his father was French and it's possible that Firefly himself was born in French Indochina (now Vietnam).
Georgia[]
- Despite Gung-Ho's assertion that he is a "dumb Russian bear," Oktober Guardsman Horrorshow was actually born in Tbilisi, the capital of the small country (at the time a part of the USSR) in the Caucasus Mountains.
Germany[]
East Germany[]
- When he was born, the yet-to-be-identified city where Schrage came into this world was located in the German Democratic Republic (as if putting "Democratic" and "Republic" in your name is fooling anyone...).
Ireland[]
- The 2013 convention original character Crimson Asp was born in the capital, Dublin.
Italy[]
- Sparks was born in Carcare, near the Mediterranean coast and not-quite-so-near the French border.
Jamaica[]
- Evil Headhunter Gristle comes from Montego Bay on the northwest shore.
Japan[]
- While no specific birthplace is listed, the 1993 International Action Force mail-in collection implies Budo is a Japanese citizen, despite other file cards listing his birthplace in California.
Mexico[]
- Hailing from the Distrito Federal, Z Force mechanic Gaucho was also released as part of the Real American Hero line at a convention.
- The second character to use the code name Long Range, was from Monterrey in north eastern Mexico.
- Even though he didn't come with a file card, one can assume that as a historical person, the action figure that is Montezuma's skeleton would have started life in what is now southern Mexico. Probably in Tenochtitlan, in the Aztec Empire.
Russia[]
- Two Oktober Guardsmen were born in the Russian capital of Moscow, Dragonsky and Stormavik.
- The Oktober Guard General Iron Bear was born in Leningrad, although today we know it as St. Petersburg.
- Two Oktober Guardsmen were born in Arkhangelsk on the shores of the Arctic Ocean, Big Bear and Lt. Gorky. And they even look alike.
- Another Guardsman, Sgt. Misha Zubenkov, was born in Smolensk.
- The comics-only character Malyenkiy is possibly Russian as well, considering his name means "small" or "little." Although that could have just been a nickname given him by his Russian-speaking comrades.
- Cobra agent Ghost Bear (and son of Kwinn the Eskimo) was "born in a remote Inuit village on the Russian side of the Bering Strait."[16]
- The Cobra Laser Viper Officer was born in Sarov, meaning he was born after 1995 when the town's name changed from Kremlyov to Sarov.
South Africa[]
- The Iron Grenadier Undertow Officer was born in Cape Town, the legislative capital of the country.
Switzerland[]
- Quarrel, an original AF character, was born in Interlaken as the daughter to a diplomat. So it's possible that she isn't actually Swiss and that she was just born there. She does have the Union Jack on her shoulder, meaning she may be British.
Thailand[]
- Stiletto, an action figure originating from an Amazon Kindle Worlds story, was born in Hua Hin, a resort town on the thin Malay peninsula.
Turkey[]
- One of Slaughter's Renegades/Marauders, the circus strongman and INTERPOL agent Taurus was born in Istanbul (not Constantinople).
Ukraine[]
- The naval commando Red Star was born in Odessa, the most important trade port for the Soviet Union. Colonel Brekhov was also born there. He and Red Star also look alike....
- General Mayhem, who later defected to the Iron Grenadiers, was born in Kirovograd.
Note: Ukraine was part of the USSR until 1991.
United Kingdom[]
- Lt. Stone is the only foreigner from the Sigma 6 series. Although we know he's British, we don't actually know where in the United Kingdom he comes from.
- The Operation: Flaming MOTH Desert Theater Flak Viper is listed as coming from the UK with no further details.
England[]
- The Night Force Action Man can safely be assumed to be British. According to the Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook, a later Action Man was born in Cambridge, England. This is also the birthplace of Dreadnok Buzzer.
- Big Ben, a sergeant on loan from the SAS, was born in Burford, England. That could be a few different places, but probably the one in Oxfordshire.
- The only Special Weapons Force character to be released as a figure, Bombardier, was born in Coalville, England.
- MI6/Action Force agent Natalie Poole comes from London.
Scotland[]
- Destro and Sgt. Major Duncan were born in Callander, just as one enters the highlands.
- The action figure of Rowdy Roddy Piper lists his place of birth as Glasgow, even though the real Roderick Toombs was born in Saskatoon, Canada.
- Z-Force Captain Skip was released as a Collector's Club figure in 2017 and given the birthplace of Edinburgh.
- Windchill's second file card changes his birthplace from Iowa to Loch Lomond, Scotland, as well as changing his filename. Since there is no real town called Loch Lomond, he must have either been born on the lake, near the lake but not near any towns, or in a fictional town near the lake.
Wales[]
- The Q Force commander, Dolphin, hails from Cardiff, Wales - the capital of the only constituent country of the UK not represented in the Union Jack.
- Dreadnok Monkeywrench comes from Rhyl on Wales' north coast.
- The Cobra ninja Slice hails from Johnstown, in the north of Wales near the English border.[17]
British Overseas Territories[]
- The Dreadnok pirate Zanzibar hails from the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean.
Classified, Unknown, or unlisted[]
Some characters' birthplaces are classified (meaning it is known, but undisclosed), while others' file cards simply don't have that information listed. Most individual Cobra agents (not the various army builders)'s birthplaces fall into one of these three categories.
Classified[]
- Agent Helix
- Black Major - assumed to be somewhere in Europe
- Croc Master
- Dr. Mindbender
- Headman
- Interrogator
- Overlord
- Scrap Iron
- Snake Eyes - assumed to be the United States
- Wild Weasel
- Zarana - possibly Florida
Unknown[]
- Big Boa
- Black Dragon
- Cobra de Aco - possibly Brazil
- Dice
- Gatilho - possibly Brazil
- Gnawgahyde
- Iron Klaw - possibly Kalistan
- Munitia
- Night Creeper Leader
- Raptor
- Relampago - possibly Brazil
- Steel Raven - possibly Kalistan
- Tele Viper Officer
- Tombstone
- Voltar
Unlisted[]
- Ashiko
- Blackstar - possibly not even human
- Blind Master
- Coil Crusher
- Crystal Ball - possibly Maine
- Dark Ninja
- Dial Tone (Jill Morelli) - possibly Oregon
- Gallows
- Grim Skull
- Guillotine
- Hard Master - assumed to be Japan
- Kickstart
- Mouse
- Neo Viper Commander
- Neurotoxin
- Night Adder
- Overkill
- Razorclaw
- Shadow Strike
- Shadow Tracker
- Slash
- Sgt. Stone
- Tomahawk
- Vapor
Footnotes[]
- ↑ With the possible inclusion of those Joes whose POBs are classified or are otherwise unlisted.
- ↑ http://azcia.gov/Documents/Links/DemoProfiles/Navajo%20Nation.pdf Last retrieved: Feb. 3, 2015
- ↑ While Budo's filecard lists his place of birth as California, 1993's International Action Force mail order implies he is not a U.S. citizen.
- ↑ It can be assumed the designers were simply working on Tomax or Xamot's file card and just forgot to update it with Copperhead's information
- ↑ Since a fer-de-lance is a large, venomous snake native to South America and the Caribbean, this is probably just a fictional town - making it the only non-existent birthplace given for a member of the Joe Team.
- ↑ His filecard spells the town "Madawask."
- ↑ D-Day's filecard states his birthplace is Bayshore, New York. However, the actual name of the town is two words; Bay Shore.
- ↑ Updraft's filecard, however, spells Bismarck without a "c."
- ↑ There are no residential homes on the island, which is technically part of Londonderry Township.
- ↑ Rocky was later retracted from G.I. Joe continuity.
- ↑ There is actually a second Arlington in Virginia, a small unincorporated community, but it's across the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula.
- ↑ The Norfolk Naval Shipyard is actually to the west, in Portsmouth.
- ↑ Mercer's 1991 filecard - which also changes his filename - says he's from Virginia. And his 2011 filecard also changes his birthplace (for some reason) to Taos, New Mexico. Perhaps they were working on Spirit's filecard just prior to this and just forgot to change it.
- ↑ Early file cards would misspell it as Sidney.
- ↑ Incorrectly spelled Sullacaro on the file card
- ↑ His filecard says "Chuchki Penninsula, Eastern Siberia", but considering it's from a different alphabet, it could be spelled Chukchi, Chukotka or Chukotski.
- ↑ Slice's filecard spells it Jonestown, however that cannot be found on a map. Johnstown, Wrexham, Wales is the closest real-world place in terms of spelling/pronunciation.