Figure first shows up in
Angel of Death as a
rail mercenary for the
Tiphares trains. One of the few all-human characters, he manages to survive in a heavily
cyborg world by his anti-cyber martial arts capable of bypassing armor. He shows an interest in
Alita, and is pretty firmly rebuffed. After being saved from
Knucklehead by her, he tries to defeat her in combat due to his intolerance of her
tako lips (Yeah, right.) He loses badly, but impresses her with his refusal to give up. After surviving the
Boiling Metal battalion and suffering the loss of
Yolg together, Alita and Figure become involved, though she leaves him behind with a promise to return to pursue her Tuned duties in
Angel of Chaos. He returns in
Angel's Ascension. He is a native of
Alhambra, a fishing village in the ruins of skyscrapers. I guess
California got covered by the sea in the
Big One.
Personality wise, he's the usual good-natured jerk, a portrayal that any occasionally insensitive person can understand quite well. His refusal to ever give up is typical heroic fiction fodder, but what truly interests me is his philosophy. Although he only shows up in roughly one book of the series, he gives a unique worldview to the book and provides a good foil to Yolg's cowardice and Desty Nova's educated nihilism. It's a mix of extreme freedom and fatalism. He expresses it best when hiking out of a desert carrying Alita.
Quotes:
"Leave me behind... I couldn't bear it if you died because of me..."
"No way!"
"But... couldn't you cover more ground if you leave me behind...?"
"Heh - I'm free to carry the woman I've fallen for... Free to go left or to go right. And if I die, it was my destiny."
Not the most profound of words, but with contemplation they can become an interesting moral viewpoint. They just ring a bell for me. Perhaps for you too.
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