| Cyborg 004 | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Full Name |
Albert Heinrich |
|
Designated No. |
004 |
|
Age |
30 (chronologically 70) |
|
Origin |
East Berlin, Germany |
|
Species |
Cyborg |
|
Role |
First-line attack and artillery |
|
Abilities |
Machine gun (right hand) |
|
Seiyuu |
Nobuo Tobita |
|
English voice actor |
Peter Doyle (credited as "Jim Taggert") |
Albert Heinrich, designated Cyborg 004, is one of the nine protagonists of the 2001 anime Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier.
Originally a young man from Eastern Germany, he tried to illegally smuggle his fiance, Hilda, out of the country so they could marry, but the mission ended disastrously when Hilda died in the process.
Albert literally defines the term "living weapon", as his entire body was installed with deadly weapons of all kinds - including a machine gun in his right hand, a cutting knife in his left, and missile launchers as his legs.
Appearance[]
Albert Heinrich appears to be at least in his thirties, making him the oldest of the cyborgs due to the forty years spent in cryogenic sleep. He has light gray, "page boy"-style hair and light gray eyes with no discernible pupils or irises (it may be a stylization choice rather than blindness, as Albert can see perfectly fine). He is most often seen frowning, though sometimes he is seen smiling as well, though usually with a smirk.
He usually wears a red, double breasted military uniform worn by the 00 Cyborgs, with padded shoulders and black arm bands just beneath them. On his waist is a black belt with a holster for his weapon, a gun with three shooting modes.
However, when he first started out as a Black Ghost cyborg in the early 1960's, his uniform was dark green and had a red scarf. Other than those details, the 1960's uniforms remained similar in the design to the later ones that were designed for the second generation of prototypes.
Albert's cybernetic body and machine gun hand
In the three-part OVA "Conclusion: GOD'S WAR", the Albert of that timeline wears a deep blue version of the uniform, and also bears a red scarf.
Albert's physical body has broad shoulders and a structure mimicking a somewhat muscular build. However, out of the nine 00 Cyborgs, his body most resembles that of a robot rather than the human body it once was. This is due to gaining extensive injuries from the botched escape from East Germany, where his truck exploded after crashing into a ditch.
Personality[]
Albert is a grim and rather thoughtful man. The death of his beloved fiance Hilda and the pain he suffered at the hands of Black Ghost has left him somewhat cynical and jaded. His experiences also left him philosophical as well, musing over the state of the world and the human condition. Unlike his more bitter and battle-thirsty personality as depicted in the original manga, Albert is shown to be more calm and calculated in his actions, taking care to put some strategy in everything he does. However, despite his often stoic demeanor, once enraged he is a terrifying sight to behold, with his extensive cyborg modifications and deadly weapons arsenal making Albert extremely dangerous.
Albert has a very warm connection to the other 00 Cyborgs, who have essentially become his second family. He tends to serve as a big brother figure for the 00 Cyborgs, giving much needed advice especially to the younger cyborgs such as Joe and Francoise. He shares a very strong love-hate relationship with Jet, whose youthful rebelliousness tends to grate with the older 00 Cyborgs. While they tend to argue frequently, they are otherwise very close and won't hesitate to defend each other when the time arises.
Like the other 00 Cyborgs, Albert harbors hatred for the Black Ghost organization, who was responsible for his cybernetic transformation. He is deeply suspicious of anyone related to Black Ghost, since every place is full of secret agents out to get them; at one point, he accused Vena of being connected to Black Ghost, due to her and her sisters' alliance with Van Vogt, a member of the organization. After Vena betrayed Van Vogt, Albert grew to trust her, which made her death at Van Vogt's hands all the more devastating for him.
History[]
Albert was born in Germany in the 1930s, and had to live through both WWII and the division of the country. At some point in his life, he was betrothed to a woman named Hilda. However, due to the oppressive environment of their home country, they conspired to leave so they can raise a family without having to live with the harsh restrictions and laws.
The plan was to travel over the Berlin Wall through truck, with Albert posing as a truck driver by using a forged identity card. Hilda would secretly ride in the back of the truck to avoid detection. However, the plan failed when a Berlin Wall guard noticed that Albert's ID card was fake. In a panic, he sped through the gates, prompting the patrolling guards to open fire on the truck. The couple later crashed into a ditch, with both sporting severe injuries. As she died from her wounds, Hilda asked her bethrothed if they reached their destination. Albert was unable to answer her and spent the next several minutes screaming Hilda's name, tearfully cradling her body in his arms.
Shortly after the crash, he was kidnapped by Black Ghost, who proceeded to turn him into a cyborg. Due to Albert flat-lining on the operating table and several of his organs being damaged from the crash, the Black Ghost agents were forced to convert and replace parts of him with weapons. One of those agents was Dr. Gilmore, a scientist specializing in cybernetics. The extensive operations turned Albert into a cyborg with barely any organic parts left, though his brain and nervous system were in the best condition to be salvaged.
During the initial test runs, Albert suffered extreme pain from his modifications, which combined with grief over Hilda's death caused him to develop suicidal tendencies. In one particular test run, he met Jet Link and Francoise Arnoul, who were also turned into cyborgs before him. Under the telepathic guidance of the first 00 Cyborg, Ivan Whisky, they conspired to escape from their prison. However, the team met with technical difficulties, with Albert unable to continue after using the missile launchers installed in his legs for the first time.
The initial flaws in the 00 Cyborgs' systems resulted in them being put in cryogenic sleep for forty years until new technology and medical procedures were developed. It wasn't until a second generation arrived that Albert and the others were operated on again, and he felt even further apart from his humanity (as depicted in a flashback in "Man or Machine?"). By the time Joe Shimamura was converted, the 00 Cyborg series was nearly complete. But before Black Ghost could use them for warfare, the 00 Cyborgs rebelled and escaped with the help of Ivan and Dr. Gilmore, who had been working against Black Ghost from the beginning.
Abilities[]
Out of the nine 00 Cyborgs, Albert's body has been modified the most, to the point that it no longer resembles the flesh and blood his body was once made of. Due to the wounds he received from the truck accident, most of his body parts have been replaced with deadly weapons. In the episode "Satan of the Deep Sea", he is not as affected by jellyfish venom and comments that it's due to him not having many organics left.
His left hand hides an automatic electromagnetic knife that can cut through any material, while his right hand is converted into a personal machine gun that he can operate at will. When not in use, Albert hides his right hand with a glove made of synthetic skin to avoid identification and curious onlookers, or conceals both hands with gloves.
His lower legs have been turned into metallic cylinders that shoot anti-air missiles whenever he bends his knees. Initially causing him great pain when he does so, the technology developed in the present day allowed Albert to operate his missile launchers without physical problems.
In the three-part OVA "Conclusion: GOD'S WAR", after his powers were enhanced by Ivan, the Albert of that timeline gains the ability to shoot energy bullets that home in on a chosen target, causing them to explode when hit.
Relationships[]
- Joe Shimamura (009) - Joe and Albert seem to carry a rather strong relationship. When Joe first joined the rebel cyborgs Albert had a very calm and friendly personality towards him, during the second episode Albert was shown to be kind as they fought off the enemies and even joking to make Joe feel at ease. Several times both have been shown to understand one another rather well. When 0013 made his first appearance Joe had been rather determined to reason with 0013 much to Jet's frustration, stating "Joe was going to put everyone in danger." Albert knew better than that, and brought it upon himself to comfort Joe. Although the 2 have fought before they have remained good friends. During episode 30 when Albert expressed his hate for the Sphinx and took it upon himself to leave, Joe followed after him to check on him. Albert told him how he felt about machines, and how he hated being a machine, as Albert went on Joe simply stood their and listened to Albert frustration. Many times Albert has been shown to worry for Joe safety as he does to anyone else, but he seems to do it more with Joe as he is newer to the group. Albert also seems to have a strong understanding to Joe being a little down in the second episode. Their relationship could be questioned basing off the manga version of Cyborg 009, during one scene Albert had stated "Remind me to kiss that man" referring to Joe. Although it could have been a simple joke form Albert, he never seemed to come back to that statement, leaving their relationship at a questioning point.
- Jet Link (002) - Jet and Albert have a rather strong, albeit vitriolic friendship. As members of the first-generation 00 cyborgs, their relationship ran much farther than the relationship they shared with the second-generation cyborgs. But due to their age difference and personalities, they butt heads a lot, with Jet's hotheaded abrasiveness clashing with Albert's cynical yet thoughtful maturity. During the fifth episode, Albert was willing to sympathize with the Black Ghost cyborg 0011 due to both being torn away from their loved ones, but Jet, whose hatred for Black Ghost ran deep, tried to shoot 0011 while the cyborg was distracted but Albert intervened. Despite their conflicts, they have been seen working as a team many times, with Albert sometimes acting as a surrogate older brother or father.
- Francoise Arnoul (003) - Although they are on the same team, Albert and Francoise seem to have a very weak relationship as they don't interact with each other much on screen. However, Albert is always willing to be a source of comfort for Francoise whenever she needed it. When Francoise was going through an emotional crisis over not being able to help her fellow 00 cyborgs as she'd like to, Albert asked her if she was willing to become a machine like him. In the episode When You Wish Upon a Shooting Star...., Albert comforted Francoise as they watched Jet and Joe burn to death during their reentry into Earth's atmosphere. Albert was also willing to obey Francoise's orders to stop upsetting Dr. Ackerman with his derisive mocking of the Sphinx computer in Computopia. Meanwhile, in episode The Assassin of Flash, Francoise expressed worry for Albert after he was gravely injured by 0010+, and went to his side to aid him. As first-generation 00 cyborgs, Albert and Francoise have known each other for a long time, yet aside from those small interactions the two don't have a strong relationship to Albert like Joe and Jet do.
- Dr. Gilmore - Albert regards Gilmore as something similar to a mentor and looks to him for support and guidance. At first he distrusted him due to Gilmore formerly working with Black Ghost, but once the old man revealed his true colors, Albert warmed up to Gilmore.
Gallery[]
Model Sheets[]
Merchandise[]
Notes[]
- During the production of "Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier", Jet's easy-going and laid-back personality in the original manga was given to Albert, resulting in Jet becoming more hostile and aggressive in the 2001 anime.
- On the same vein, Albert's bitter, ruthless, and sour personality in the original manga was toned down considerably in the 2001 anime to make the character more kid-friendly.
- Albert's mentioning of holding a nuclear bomb inside his body in the manga's Mythos arc is removed in the 2001 anime. The Hobby Link Japan and TV Tokyo character settings originally referenced him having the bomb, but by the time of "Gilmore's Notes", no such bomb was visible in his weapons description.
- While the 2000 visual development trailer had Albert's home country as "Former West Germany" (see Gallery), due to a deduction made by the Ishinomori historian Junichi Fukuda (see "Notes" on the manga version of the character), Shinsuke Onishi opted to throw out the assumption and revert Albert to being born of East Germany.
- Though he is not initially shown with visible injuries in "Tears of Steel", a flashback clip shown in "Gilmore's Notes" depicts Albert with five gunshot wounds to his back, perhaps to provide more of a visual for how severe his condition was after the accident.