TV-Series
Description
Marida Cruz, born Ple Twelve, is a Cyber Newtype and ace mobile suit pilot in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn RE:0096. She was created as one of the Ple clones, artificial duplicates of the Newtype Elpeo Ple, and was awakened by Glemy Toto to fight in the First Neo Zeon War alongside her sister clones in the Qubeley mass production units. When that conflict ended, she was the only clone to survive the battle against Chara Soon, drifting in space until she was recovered. Her rescue did not bring safety, however, as she fell into the hands of traffickers and was sold into prostitution. During that period she endured constant abuse, repeated pregnancies, and forced abortions, and medical examination later revealed that she could no longer bear children. She was eventually taken in by Captain Zinnerman of the Neo Zeon remnant group known as the Sleeves, who protected her and gave her a new identity as Marida Cruz.
As a person, Marida is initially cold, quiet, and deeply scarred by her past. She speaks little and carries herself with a soldier's discipline, referring to Zinnerman as Master and carrying out his orders without question. She internalizes the belief that a Newtype exists to serve as a weapon, a conviction shaped by her creation as a clone and her years of exploitation. This mindset also fuels a powerful hatred of the Gundam, which she sees as a symbol of the forces that have brought suffering to her kind, and she becomes single-mindedly determined to destroy it whenever it appears. Her sense of self is fragile; when manipulated by the Vist Foundation later in the story, she regresses into her Ple Twelve persona, becoming emotionless, unstable, and ruthless in a way that mirrors the worst of her clone conditioning.
Her role in the story is that of a formidable antagonist who gradually becomes something more. Serving as the Kshatriya pilot aboard the Garancieres, she engages the protagonist Banagher Links in combat on several occasions, and her skill makes her one of the most dangerous opponents he faces. Despite their confrontations, her encounters with Banagher begin to change her. His sincere attempts to understand her, combined with her recovery from the cockpit of the Banshee mobile suit, awaken a gentleness in her that had been buried for years. She starts to question the idea that her only value lies in being a weapon, and her loyalty shifts from blind obedience toward genuine personal connection.
The most important relationship in her life is with Zinnerman, who acts as both her commander and her protector, and her devotion to him is rooted in gratitude for rescuing her from a life of suffering. Her bond with Banagher is the other key thread of her arc, as he is the first person to treat her as a human being rather than a tool. She also carries the memory of her genetic donor, Elpeo Ple, and her lost clone sisters, and their influence haunts her sense of identity throughout the story.
Over the course of the narrative, Marida transforms from a hollow soldier into a person capable of choosing her own path. Even after being retaken and mentally reprogrammed by the Vist Foundation, she ultimately breaks free of that control through the strength of her connection to Banagher and Zinnerman. Her development culminates in a selfless act in which she gives her life to protect those she has come to care about, finally defining herself not as a clone or a weapon, but as someone who chose to fight for others.
As a pilot, Marida is exceptionally capable. She operates the NZ-666 Kshatriya, a large mobile suit equipped with numerous funnels, which she deploys in waves of about eighteen at a time to overwhelm enemies with attacks from all directions. When funnel attacks are not enough, she closes in for close combat with beam sabers, and she holds the suit's mega particle cannons in reserve for decisive moments. She is also proficient in military martial arts and fights with the precision and composure of a veteran, a skill set made all the more frightening by her willingness to treat herself as expendable. Her abilities mark her as one of the most skilled Newtype pilots of her era, and her tragic history makes her one of the most poignant figures in the conflict.
As a person, Marida is initially cold, quiet, and deeply scarred by her past. She speaks little and carries herself with a soldier's discipline, referring to Zinnerman as Master and carrying out his orders without question. She internalizes the belief that a Newtype exists to serve as a weapon, a conviction shaped by her creation as a clone and her years of exploitation. This mindset also fuels a powerful hatred of the Gundam, which she sees as a symbol of the forces that have brought suffering to her kind, and she becomes single-mindedly determined to destroy it whenever it appears. Her sense of self is fragile; when manipulated by the Vist Foundation later in the story, she regresses into her Ple Twelve persona, becoming emotionless, unstable, and ruthless in a way that mirrors the worst of her clone conditioning.
Her role in the story is that of a formidable antagonist who gradually becomes something more. Serving as the Kshatriya pilot aboard the Garancieres, she engages the protagonist Banagher Links in combat on several occasions, and her skill makes her one of the most dangerous opponents he faces. Despite their confrontations, her encounters with Banagher begin to change her. His sincere attempts to understand her, combined with her recovery from the cockpit of the Banshee mobile suit, awaken a gentleness in her that had been buried for years. She starts to question the idea that her only value lies in being a weapon, and her loyalty shifts from blind obedience toward genuine personal connection.
The most important relationship in her life is with Zinnerman, who acts as both her commander and her protector, and her devotion to him is rooted in gratitude for rescuing her from a life of suffering. Her bond with Banagher is the other key thread of her arc, as he is the first person to treat her as a human being rather than a tool. She also carries the memory of her genetic donor, Elpeo Ple, and her lost clone sisters, and their influence haunts her sense of identity throughout the story.
Over the course of the narrative, Marida transforms from a hollow soldier into a person capable of choosing her own path. Even after being retaken and mentally reprogrammed by the Vist Foundation, she ultimately breaks free of that control through the strength of her connection to Banagher and Zinnerman. Her development culminates in a selfless act in which she gives her life to protect those she has come to care about, finally defining herself not as a clone or a weapon, but as someone who chose to fight for others.
As a pilot, Marida is exceptionally capable. She operates the NZ-666 Kshatriya, a large mobile suit equipped with numerous funnels, which she deploys in waves of about eighteen at a time to overwhelm enemies with attacks from all directions. When funnel attacks are not enough, she closes in for close combat with beam sabers, and she holds the suit's mega particle cannons in reserve for decisive moments. She is also proficient in military martial arts and fights with the precision and composure of a veteran, a skill set made all the more frightening by her willingness to treat herself as expendable. Her abilities mark her as one of the most skilled Newtype pilots of her era, and her tragic history makes her one of the most poignant figures in the conflict.