| Kubikuro | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Full Name |
Kubikuro |
|
Origin: |
Unknown (presumably Japan) |
|
Species |
Akita dog (cybernetically enhanced) |
|
Abilities |
Pyrokinesis |
Kubikuro is a minor character of the 2001 anime Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier. He appears in the episode A Phantom Dog, which adapts the storyline of Ah, Kubikuro from the 1968 anime Cyborg 009.
Adopted by Joe Shimamura as his pet after the murder of his parents and owner, Kubikuro lives a relatively carefree life by day, but at night he hunts for revenge.
History[]
Before coming under the care of Joe of the 00 cyborgs, Kubikuro was originally owned by an old man who made a living by showcasing the intelligence of Kubikuro's parents with basic math. When he was a puppy, he met Joe for the first time after the cyborg noticed a large crowd gathered on the walkway.
But the next time they saw each other, it was in tragedy. Kubikuro's parents and the old man were killed in a deliberate hit-and-run accident, and in an act of cruelty the criminals ran over their victims again to make sure they were really dead. Joe pitied Kubikuro so much that he took him in as his new master. However, Joe noticed surgical scars on Kubikuro's head, which were also present on the dog's parents' heads. This implied that Kubikuro's original owner had performed experiments on them to enhance their intelligence.
Despite Joe's love and care, the deaths of his parents and owner motivated Kubikuro to go on a quest of revenge. By day, he played with Joe and acted like an ordinary dog. But at night he hunted down the criminals who ran over his family and used his pyrokinetic abilities to horrifically burn them alive. The first victim died in a public square, while the second was burned in a subway tunnel and ran over by a train. The spontaneity of these "freak accidents" arouse suspicion in the 00 cyborgs, especially Joe.
The suspicion is emphasized when, while Joe and Kubikuro go for a walk, they discover an abandoned car in a roadside ditch. The sight causes Kubikuro to become hostile and his eyes glow an eerie red. A conversation with Chang Changku and Great Britain implies revenge as the cause of the fires, and that the victims were criminals. Joe, alerted to Kubikuro's recent activities, follows the dog to an abandoned warehouse, where Kubikuro is about to attack the last two criminals left. Upon hearing Joe calling for him, Kubikuro stops his attack and leaves in shame of being discovered.
When Kubikuro is absent the next morning, Joe watches the news about a person involved in a hit-and-run accident being arrested and transported to police headquarters. Realizing his beloved pet was responsible for the fires all along, Joe chases Kubikuro down in an attempt to make him come to his senses. However, Kubikuro is unrelenting, and as he tries to burn the last criminal who killed his family, Joe draws his gun and shoots the dog down.
Kubikuro's body is buried in a forest the day after. Chang, Francoise Arnoul, Ivan Whisky, Dr. Gilmore, and Britain watch nearby as Joe grieves Kubikuro's death, discussing whether Kubikuro's previous owner was related to Black Ghost, and the ironic situation in where Kubikuro gained his supernatural powers. After saying a final goodbye, Joe leaves for home with the others.
Personality[]
Kubikuro is highly intelligent for a dog and because of this, he is able to bond with his new master Joe a lot quicker and easier than most dogs do with their owners. They share a close friendship with each other, most likely because like Kubikuro, Joe was orphaned as a young age which allowed him to sympathize with him more. Despite this, what made Kubikuro different from Joe that instead of learning to accept the loss of his parents, Kubikuro instead chose to pursue a path of vengeance and actively pursued his parents' killers. Originally, he tried to keep his activities a secret from Joe, but when the depravity of his actions could not be ignored, Joe was forced to shoot him down. However, Kubikuro bowed his head at the last moment in remorse, implying that Joe shooting him was what he intended so that he can reunite with his original family in death.
Abilities[]
As mentioned before, Kubikuro shows incredibly high intelligence that his parents had gained, not because he was experimented on like his parents, but because he inherited that intelligence from them. Likewise, the altered genes of his parents also gave Kubikuro supernatural abilities, which is pyrokinesis, the ability to mentally generate fire. Whenever he uses this power, Kubikuro glows blue and manifests as blue energy swirling towards a chosen target. His pyrokinetic power had activated prior because of the trauma of witnessing his parents' deaths and the strong anger he harbored towards their killers.