TV-Series
Description
Claes, originally named Fleda Claes Johansson, is one of the first-generation cyborg girls working for the Social Welfare Agency in Italy. Before her transformation, she was the daughter of a professor who instilled in her a deep love for reading, a habit that would define much of her personality and daily life after becoming a cyborg. Unlike many of the other girls whose traumatic pasts led to their recruitment, Claes is understood to have been a relatively healthy child before her cybernetic surgery, though the exact circumstances of her arrival at the agency remain largely undefined.
In terms of personality, Claes is notably introverted, intellectual, and reserved. She is often seen reading books or tending to a vegetable garden, finding solace in quiet and solitary activities. This bookish and aloof demeanor can sometimes come across as cold or analytical, but beneath this stoic exterior lies a deep longing for a normal life and a genuine, if quietly expressed, care for those around her. Her life at the agency is marked by a profound melancholy, as she exists in a state of limbo, isolated from the active mission rotations of the other girls.
Claes's role within the agency is unique and tragic. She was originally paired with a handler named Claudio Raballo, a former Carabinieri officer who was initially distant but eventually developed a strong, teacher-like bond with her. Their relationship was less like family or romance and more like a mentorship, with Raballo teaching her to fish, introducing her to literature, and training her extensively. This bond was cut short when Raballo attempted to expose the agency's activities and was eliminated in a staged car accident. After his death, Claes was deemed unable to be reassigned to a new handler due to the strength of her conditioning, so her memories of him were deliberately erased to make her operable again. However, this process was not entirely successful, traces of her past with Raballo remain lodged in her subconscious, surfacing in dreams and influencing her present behavior. Without a handler, she is no longer sent on standard field missions. Instead, she is confined largely to the agency's countryside villa, where she serves as a test subject for new cybernetic implants and equipment, making her a guinea pig for the agency's technological developments.
A pivotal element of Claes's character is her relationship with her deceased handler and the keepsake he left behind. Raballo gave her a pair of glasses and made her promise to be a good and gentle child while wearing them. This promise runs deeper than her standard conditioning, creating a powerful psychological block against using violence when she has the glasses on. This internal conflict becomes a central part of her story, as she fears actively harming another person, a trait that stands in stark contrast to her lethal capabilities. Despite this pacifying influence, Claes possesses formidable abilities. She is exceptionally intelligent and disciplined, with her training making her a highly skilled marksman, particularly with a sniper rifle. In close-quarters combat, she demonstrates great speed, strength, and cunning, having once easily overpowered another cyborg, Petrushka, in a physical confrontation. The key to unlocking her full, lethal potential appears to be the removal of her glasses, which frees her from the constraints of her promise and allows her conditioning to take over.
Throughout the story, Claes undergoes subtle but significant development. Initially resigned to her life as a test subject, she gradually finds a new purpose in protecting the peaceful daily life she has built for herself at the villa. This includes her garden, her books, and the quiet routines that offer a semblance of normalcy. In a moment of crisis, she chooses to take up arms not out of duty or conditioning, but of her own volition to defend her home and the technicians who care for her, showing a form of agency and resolve that transcends her role as a weapon. Her final fate is one of quiet tragedy. As a first-generation cyborg, her lifespan is extremely short. In the concluding parts of the manga, she is the last surviving member of her generation, and it is implied that she chooses to stay behind to protect her garden one last time, accepting that she will die there as the effects of her memory erasure gradually fade.
In terms of personality, Claes is notably introverted, intellectual, and reserved. She is often seen reading books or tending to a vegetable garden, finding solace in quiet and solitary activities. This bookish and aloof demeanor can sometimes come across as cold or analytical, but beneath this stoic exterior lies a deep longing for a normal life and a genuine, if quietly expressed, care for those around her. Her life at the agency is marked by a profound melancholy, as she exists in a state of limbo, isolated from the active mission rotations of the other girls.
Claes's role within the agency is unique and tragic. She was originally paired with a handler named Claudio Raballo, a former Carabinieri officer who was initially distant but eventually developed a strong, teacher-like bond with her. Their relationship was less like family or romance and more like a mentorship, with Raballo teaching her to fish, introducing her to literature, and training her extensively. This bond was cut short when Raballo attempted to expose the agency's activities and was eliminated in a staged car accident. After his death, Claes was deemed unable to be reassigned to a new handler due to the strength of her conditioning, so her memories of him were deliberately erased to make her operable again. However, this process was not entirely successful, traces of her past with Raballo remain lodged in her subconscious, surfacing in dreams and influencing her present behavior. Without a handler, she is no longer sent on standard field missions. Instead, she is confined largely to the agency's countryside villa, where she serves as a test subject for new cybernetic implants and equipment, making her a guinea pig for the agency's technological developments.
A pivotal element of Claes's character is her relationship with her deceased handler and the keepsake he left behind. Raballo gave her a pair of glasses and made her promise to be a good and gentle child while wearing them. This promise runs deeper than her standard conditioning, creating a powerful psychological block against using violence when she has the glasses on. This internal conflict becomes a central part of her story, as she fears actively harming another person, a trait that stands in stark contrast to her lethal capabilities. Despite this pacifying influence, Claes possesses formidable abilities. She is exceptionally intelligent and disciplined, with her training making her a highly skilled marksman, particularly with a sniper rifle. In close-quarters combat, she demonstrates great speed, strength, and cunning, having once easily overpowered another cyborg, Petrushka, in a physical confrontation. The key to unlocking her full, lethal potential appears to be the removal of her glasses, which frees her from the constraints of her promise and allows her conditioning to take over.
Throughout the story, Claes undergoes subtle but significant development. Initially resigned to her life as a test subject, she gradually finds a new purpose in protecting the peaceful daily life she has built for herself at the villa. This includes her garden, her books, and the quiet routines that offer a semblance of normalcy. In a moment of crisis, she chooses to take up arms not out of duty or conditioning, but of her own volition to defend her home and the technicians who care for her, showing a form of agency and resolve that transcends her role as a weapon. Her final fate is one of quiet tragedy. As a first-generation cyborg, her lifespan is extremely short. In the concluding parts of the manga, she is the last surviving member of her generation, and it is implied that she chooses to stay behind to protect her garden one last time, accepting that she will die there as the effects of her memory erasure gradually fade.