#cyborg 009 day

[igamer12]

HAPPY CYBORG 009 DAY!!!

[tokupedia]

Cyborg 008

A late entry on the week of Cyborg 009 Day.

2018 has been a milestone year for the heroes of African heritage, an awesome regal catman has dominated the cinema box office, making a first in cinema history. A veteran hero, father and educator is sizzling the airwaves with his electrifying personality, and this holiday season we will see the successor to a famous wallcrawler from a strange universe where Yugos are actually quality vehicles still made to this day and Coca-Cola is non-existent.

But before all those guys were even a glimmer in thier creators eyes, in 1964, there was one African hero who was super created by Mr. Ishinomori.

Now of course before we get into the glory of 008, we do have to discuss an elephant in the room about his history. The manga and anime industry was built upon certain parameters established by people like Osamu Tezuka and well...

yeeeaaah. 

Okay, first off, Tezuka was a fan of Walt Disney and the golden age of American animation, thus some of his work which was derived from that also included the cringe inducing by modern audience stuff like Mickey’s Man Friday. Any animation historian will note that trace elements of anime are partially derived from that style, so a case of “animator see, animator do” is part of this, simply imitating a pre-established format and then playing around with it until it evolved into a branching path that deviated from the evolution of its source.

Add to the fact that Japan is a homogeneous culture with a small margin of ethnic diversity, thus the context of why it is offensive is lost on those creating the work due to their culture as well as language barriers. It isn’t 100% racism, but also a lack of understanding due to the isolated nature of the country at the time. Shotaro Ishinomori, as stated before by myself, was a world traveler and knew about people better than most cartoonists in his home country. 

In fact, it could be argued that the caricature of 008 could be subversive at times of those stereotypes, as he was a competent fighter and ally and treated as an equal by his teammates. This would evolve as time went on, as 008 reflected the times we live in. In the ‘70s anime, he was a freedom fighter, which reflected the political and war conflicts going on in Africa at the time. When the dawn of the ‘80s came, he received a redesign thanks to the suggestion of Jeff Segal to Toei, modeled after famed actor Sidney Poitier, which has remained consistent to the character since, albeit with some minor variations.

In the Cyborg Soldier anime in 2001, the topic of valuable materials being fought over in Africa in bloody conflicts and by corrupt officials was brought up, leaving an allegory for things like conflict diamonds in the form of the fictitious Metal X. This was done supposedly because the manga’s Vietnam Arc references to the Vietnam War were a bit of a dated reference that would fly over the heads of a modern Japanese audience, as unlike America, Japan didn’t have much of a stake in that conflict. Plus it gave the writers an opportunity to expand 008′s character a little by loosely adapting the source material. By the 2010s, 008 was studying archeology while diving for rare artifacts and saving the world from demons of the apocalyptic variety.

Pyunma was a guerilla freedom fighter who was shot during a fire fight trying to protect his comrades. Black Ghost agents were observing the conflict to get fresh meat for their 00 Cyborg series experiments and then took him to be converted into the eighth prototype. He escaped with the other 00 Cyborgs and occasionally serves as a field tactician and naval scout (as he is the only one among them who has actual combat experience prior to conversion) and one of the pilots of their ship The Dolphin.

Designed to be an anti-naval unit, Pyunma has special implanted propellers in his feet that can propel him at superhuman speeds that can outmaneuver and outpace any watercraft or vessel, especially after Dr. Gilmore upgraded him further after a near fatal battle underwater. Artificial lungs that can convert water into oxygen when diving, thus 008 can stay underwater indefinitely so long as they are not damaged. His skin and body has been augmented to withstand crushing depths up to 10,000 meters but could go even farther once upgraded. His powers also include a very unique form of hydrokinesis in God’s War, he can manipulate the surrounding pressure of the water he is in to be lighter so he can move even faster and deeper or much heavier to crush enemy targets as if they were in a trash compactor made of H2O. He is also skilled in firearms usage, hand to hand combat and guerrilla tactics due to military training.

His upgraded form Dr. Gilmore gave him is, flatteringly, a resemblance to another superhero...

Which, in an odd coincidence...came full circle...

Just saying, its odd how the storytelling of the world just syncs up at times.

Pyunma is the world’s best kept secret, 2 years before the Wakandan King was even in existence, one of the first Black superheroes was created across the Pacific! 50+ years later, he continues to entertain us and hopefully we will see him dive into another new adventure with the 00 Cyborgs in the future!

[tokupedia]

009 Hero Showcase: Cyborg 003

Happy Cyborg 009 Day everybody!

Real Name: Francoise Arnoul

CYBORG 003

Powers: Enhanced Hearing, Super Senses (X-ray vision, infared vision etc.), Enhanced Strength, artificial cybernetic telepathic communication with her teammates either through 001 or via a built in radio receiver/transmitter implanted in her head. Language interpretation and translation circuits make her able to speak languages from all over the world.

Powers in later continuities: Precognition (God’s War OVA, implied), technopathic abilities (RE: Cyborg and Call of Justice. Able to interface with and manipulate computers with her mind and jam electronic weaponry and systems), able to record and manipulate sound waves in ways such as artificial ventriloquism to confuse enemies (US Graphic Novel). Pinpoint expert marksmanship using cybernetically enhanced eyesight, including sniper shots (009 vs. Devilman). Some skill in several forms of martial arts such as Judo (’79 anime and beyond). Experienced motorcyclist (Call of Justice).

They say that behind every great man is a great woman, one who supports them or does feats equal to them in measure. For Joe, that woman is the love of his life, Francoise aka Cyborg 003. She in many regards is the older sister, the voice of reason or in battle, the eyes and ears that shield the 00 Cyborg team from incoming danger.

For Frannie, life’s been a bit rough. She was taken away against her will and left her family behind who had no idea if she was alive or dead. Her body was violated by being converted into a weapon and her abilities, to the unobservant enemies, are of seemingly no great threat and she sometimes feels insecure about it. But, in the 50+ years of her existence, 003 has undergone the most positive changes.

Originally in the 1960s (especially in anime), she was at times the Smurfette Principle, a female member who either got captured or stood by while the big strong men did all the work and she took care of 001. Sure, she had moments to shine like the rest of the team and used her powers well to aid them, but not always. As the decades rolled on, Ishinomori had several alterations done to her. Changing her hair colors like he did with Joe and her character evolved. 

Soon she was not only a ballerina, but she studied electrical engineering, which proved invaluable for defusing bombs. Then she became a bit more of a fighter, though keeping her kind and pacifistic nature, by learning martial arts to defend herself. This kept on going even after Ishinomori passed. 

Soon, Frannie was more like the Martian Manhunter of her little Justice League, acting as a battlefield coordinator and advance warning her team of incoming attacks or locating hidden enemies. In God’s War, her super sight evolved to the point she could see through anything, even cloaking shields. 

In later installments, her eye would glow green when she used her powers such as communication with her team or super hearing and she apparently loved riding Tron-like motorcycles to the rescue. She learned how to hack/counterhack computers to face off against an ever changing world of technology and those who seek to harm it.

Whatever era it may be, our Angel of Danger will be by Joe’s side and her team with a warm loving smile, tears for those who suffer and a kind, compassionate heart reaching out towards others who need it most.

Fun Facts:

Ms. Arnoul is named after a French actress of the same name that Mr. Ishinomori admired during his time trying to be a filmmaker.

Dorothy Elias-Fahn, sister-in-law of Melissa Fahn (aka Rika from Digimon), was the voice of 003 in the Toonami dub version of the Cyborg Soldier. Her other role was her portrayal of Kaoru in Rurouni Kenshin. During a flashback to her life before being a cyborg in the Christmas episode, Francoise speaks with her brother. Said brother is voiced by Kenshin Himura himself, Richard Cansino! 

Previous 009 Day post:

Cyborg 009