| Skull | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Full Name |
Skull |
|
Species |
Cyborg |
|
Role |
Leader of Black Ghost |
|
Abilities |
Various |
|
Seiyuu |
Norio Wakamoto |
|
English VA |
Richard Epcar |
Skull (スカール Sukāru), referred to as Scarl in the English dub, is the tyrannical head of Black Ghost and the main antagonist of Cyborg 009: The Cyborg Soldier.
Appearance
His true identity is shrouded in mystery, with a skull-themed helmet always masking his face. His black bodysuit continues the skeletal theme, with a ribcage-like pattern in the center of the suit.
Personality
Skull is an imposing and malevolent figure whose only ambitions are world domination and to profit from the wars Black Ghost causes through weapons sales and sinister trickery. Skull is a literal embodiment of humanity's worst traits; he lacks empathy for his fellow man (cyborg?) and is frequently driven by greed and power. His modus operandi appears to be taking in people through false promises and using them as tools (or, in the case of the 00 cyborgs, weapons of war).
History
Skull has had an extensive history with the 00 cyborgs and their allies. It is implied in The Final Battle that his organization was around during WWII, which they presumably instigated along with other horrific events such as the Holocaust.
Skull later came into possession of the 00 cyborgs by kidnapping nine random people. With the exception of Ivan Whisky, who was willingly offered to him by his own father Dr. Gamo Whisky, and Francoise Arnoul, who was kidnapped through an elaborate scam, most of the people subjected to the 00 cyborg program had been caught during an extremely low and/or desperate period in their lives. After turning them into cyborgs, Skull planned to use them as human weapons to promote the production of cyborg warfare, but what he didn't account for was the betrayal of one of his best scientists, Dr. Isaac Gilmore. With Gilmore's help, the 00 cyborgs rebelled against their "creators" and escaped.
Skull then spent most of the episodes trying to capture and/or eliminate the 00 cyborgs. Shortly after their escape, he sent the cyborg twins 0010 Plus and Minus after them, but they were killed in a fight with Joe Shimamura (with help from Ivan) and the experience brought the 00 cyborgs together as a team and a family. After 0010 Plus and Minus failed, Cyborg 0011 was sent, with the promise of having his human body restored and being returned to his wife and daughter if he succeeds. However, 0011 was defeated by Albert Heinrich. Later, Skull had Cyborg 0013 kidnap Dr. Kozumi with Cyborg 0012 distracting Joe, Albert, and Great Britain, but 0012 was also defeated while 0013 betrayed Black Ghost and committed suicide to escape their control over him.
Skull later tries to have Britain assassinated in London Fogs through the use of robotic Bee Drones, but the attempt severely injures one of Britain's fellow actors instead and tips the other 00 cyborgs off. He is responsible for the ongoing strife in Pyunma's homeland in Africa, the Muamba Republic, through his subordinate Fuerge, who supplied weapons for both the warlord in control of that area and the rebellion fighting said warlord. One rebel soldier, Masmado, was transformed into a Cyborg Man and used to assassinate his old friend Pyunma by Black Ghost, but he is killed by Pyunma himself in self-defense.
After the failure in Africa, Skull gives Fuerge one last chance to retrieve the 00 cyborgs, with plans to experiment on the 00 cyborgs and learn how they gained their special abilities. Fuerge succeeds in capturing them by using a prototype weapon called "Hydro-G", but Ivan protects the 00 cyborgs from its EMP rays with his psychic abilities. This allows them to pretend they're unconscious, fooling Fuerge and also allowing the 00 cyborgs to destroy Black Ghost's main facilities from within and confront Skull himself.
Skull incapacitates the 00 cyborgs by using another prototype Black Ghost weapon, Tesla, allowing him to capture them all at once, save for Joe, who he soundly pummels in a one-on-one fight. Dr. Gilmore attempts to protect the 00 cyborgs by offering himself, but Skull rejects him and states his plans to melt the 00 cyborgs down in a furnace. When he is distracted by an exploding time bomb planted by the 00 cyborgs, Dr. Gilmore uses Tesla against him and weakens Skull, allowing Joe to lunge at him and cause both of them to fall into an exploding power reactor. Fortunately, Ivan teleports Joe to safety just in time, while Skull is presumably destroyed in the explosion.
Though believed to be dead, Skull resurfaced during the Yomi Kingdom arc in Season 2, ultimately being the man behind the aforementioned Yomi Kingdom's manipulation. After the destruction of the kingdom, 009 and Skull had their final battle inside a demonic statue stated to be the "true body" of the Black Ghost Organization. During this battle, Skull meets his end once more when he is destroyed and killed by the true leaders of Black Ghost: three disembodied brains based on the "father", "mother", and "child". Although the brains are also destroyed by Joe, they warn him that they are just one "cell" of Black ghost; as long as evil exists in the hearts of mankind, Black Ghost (Skull included) will always rise again and again.
Abilities
Even before the true extent of his cybernetic nature was revealed in Season 2, Skull is a powerful villain in more ways than one. A few times he is able to manifest holographic images of himself from a distance, and is able to speak and harm other people through these images. He can shoot fire and lasers out of his hands, and he possesses an Accelerator that is superior to even Joe's. He is also a very competent fighter and was able to quickly defeat Joe in hand-to-hand combat.
One of Skull's greatest assets is to manipulate things from behind the scenes. By making his organization appear as a friendly weapons benefactor, he is able to set everyone against his fellow man, starting terrible wars and allowing Skull to profit from the ensuing death and destruction.
At the end of the Yomi Kingdom arc, Skull is revealed to possess extremely advanced cybernetics in his body - so much that the only organic part of him left is his brain.
Gallery
Notes
- While officially "Skull", the name is also depicted written in English as "Skarle" in the episode "Gilmore's Notes". This is probably where the dub name came from.
- Skull's trademark helmet makes a cameo in the graphic novel Cyborg 009, where the main villain Sekar is being cybernetically modified by Black Ghost's scientists.