OVA
Description
Briareos Hekatonchires is one of the two central protagonists in the Appleseed franchise, serving as the combat partner and lover of Deunan Knute. His name is derived from Briareus, one of the Hecatonchires, the hundred-armed giants of Greek mythology, which directly references his extraordinary cybernetic capabilities.
The background of Briareos is marked by a troubled past before his life as an ES.W.A.T. officer. Originally from the Mediterranean region, he was manipulated and used as a child terrorist by the KGB. After escaping that life by killing his operations commander, he sought political asylum in the United States, though he remained on the international most wanted list as an assassin. His path crossed with Deunan when he began working with her father, an agent in a Special Security Forces unit. The two became partners, and eventually lovers, serving together in the same United States Army platoon during the chaos of World War III. A catastrophic explosion during the war left the thirty-one-year-old Briareos with fatal injuries. He survived only by undergoing a full cyborg body replacement, a transformation that left him with only a quarter of his original biological body intact.
Despite his heavily artificial form, Briareos retains a strong sense of humanity. He is characterized by a calm, collected, and professional demeanor, often acting as the cool-minded counterpoint to Deunan’s more brash and hot-headed nature. His personality remains intact, as he escaped brain damage from his wartime injuries, preserving all of his original human memories. He is capable of experiencing a full range of human sensations, from the pleasure of eating and drinking to physical affection for his partner. While his voice is produced by a polyphonic speech synthesizer, it generates an accent that is very close to his original human voice. As a trained ESWAT operative, he is deeply committed to his duties protecting the utopian city of Olympus, but his primary motivation is his unwavering loyalty to and protection of Deunan Knute, whom he considers his point man.
In the narrative, Briareos serves as the experienced, tactical backbone of the ESWAT team. His role is often to provide strategic thinking and overwhelming firepower, while relying on Deunan for her superior marksmanship and strategic insight. The most significant relationship in his life is with Deunan, which has been central to his existence since before the war. This bond is tested and deepened throughout the story as they navigate the political and social complexities of Olympus. A key element of his development involves his relationship with Tereus, a bioroid clone created from his own genetic material. As Briareos ages and his cyborg body begins to show signs of wear, he wrestles with the reluctant thought that Tereus, who possesses a similar personality and his original voice, might be a more suitable partner and protector for Deunan in the future.
The most defining aspect of Briareos is his advanced cybernetic body, known as the Hecatonchires Cyborg System. The centerpiece of this system is his cybernetic controller, named after the hundred-handed giants, which gives him the ability to control dozens of limbs or operate other cyborg bodies, such as a Landmate power suit, with no additional mental strain. This multitasking ability is so advanced that the system could theoretically allow a cyborg to single-handedly operate an entire aircraft carrier. His body retains some biological functions, including a cardiovascular and digestive system, allowing him to eat and drink, and his blood is mostly still human. His head features a unique arrangement of eight eyes, with four on his face, two rear-facing sensors at the base of his prominent rabbit ear-like antennae, and two more at the tips, allowing for a nearly 360-degree field of vision and the ability to look around corners safely. The large central sensor on his face is actually his nose. His original human brain is now located in his chest, augmented by an auxiliary biological computer in his skull that processes information conceptually. His synthetic skin is elastic and sensitive, capable of feeling and regulating its temperature like human skin. While he is highly resilient to damage, he is not invincible; he can still bleed, be gravely injured, and ultimately die, which is a reality he faces as his body is worn down by repeated conflicts.
The background of Briareos is marked by a troubled past before his life as an ES.W.A.T. officer. Originally from the Mediterranean region, he was manipulated and used as a child terrorist by the KGB. After escaping that life by killing his operations commander, he sought political asylum in the United States, though he remained on the international most wanted list as an assassin. His path crossed with Deunan when he began working with her father, an agent in a Special Security Forces unit. The two became partners, and eventually lovers, serving together in the same United States Army platoon during the chaos of World War III. A catastrophic explosion during the war left the thirty-one-year-old Briareos with fatal injuries. He survived only by undergoing a full cyborg body replacement, a transformation that left him with only a quarter of his original biological body intact.
Despite his heavily artificial form, Briareos retains a strong sense of humanity. He is characterized by a calm, collected, and professional demeanor, often acting as the cool-minded counterpoint to Deunan’s more brash and hot-headed nature. His personality remains intact, as he escaped brain damage from his wartime injuries, preserving all of his original human memories. He is capable of experiencing a full range of human sensations, from the pleasure of eating and drinking to physical affection for his partner. While his voice is produced by a polyphonic speech synthesizer, it generates an accent that is very close to his original human voice. As a trained ESWAT operative, he is deeply committed to his duties protecting the utopian city of Olympus, but his primary motivation is his unwavering loyalty to and protection of Deunan Knute, whom he considers his point man.
In the narrative, Briareos serves as the experienced, tactical backbone of the ESWAT team. His role is often to provide strategic thinking and overwhelming firepower, while relying on Deunan for her superior marksmanship and strategic insight. The most significant relationship in his life is with Deunan, which has been central to his existence since before the war. This bond is tested and deepened throughout the story as they navigate the political and social complexities of Olympus. A key element of his development involves his relationship with Tereus, a bioroid clone created from his own genetic material. As Briareos ages and his cyborg body begins to show signs of wear, he wrestles with the reluctant thought that Tereus, who possesses a similar personality and his original voice, might be a more suitable partner and protector for Deunan in the future.
The most defining aspect of Briareos is his advanced cybernetic body, known as the Hecatonchires Cyborg System. The centerpiece of this system is his cybernetic controller, named after the hundred-handed giants, which gives him the ability to control dozens of limbs or operate other cyborg bodies, such as a Landmate power suit, with no additional mental strain. This multitasking ability is so advanced that the system could theoretically allow a cyborg to single-handedly operate an entire aircraft carrier. His body retains some biological functions, including a cardiovascular and digestive system, allowing him to eat and drink, and his blood is mostly still human. His head features a unique arrangement of eight eyes, with four on his face, two rear-facing sensors at the base of his prominent rabbit ear-like antennae, and two more at the tips, allowing for a nearly 360-degree field of vision and the ability to look around corners safely. The large central sensor on his face is actually his nose. His original human brain is now located in his chest, augmented by an auxiliary biological computer in his skull that processes information conceptually. His synthetic skin is elastic and sensitive, capable of feeling and regulating its temperature like human skin. While he is highly resilient to damage, he is not invincible; he can still bleed, be gravely injured, and ultimately die, which is a reality he faces as his body is worn down by repeated conflicts.