TV-Series
Description
Hideo Kuze is a full-body cyborg and former commando in the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force mechanized team. Originally known as "Hisaragi" in childhood, he later took the surname "Kuze" from his physician. Surviving a plane crash at age six that killed his parents left him partially paralyzed. Hospitalized, he formed a silent bond with a paralyzed girl in the next bed, folding origami cranes with his functional left arm for her recovery. Her unexplained disappearance convinced him she had died, deepening his depression. Two years later, a cyborg girl visited, urging him to undergo cyberization. He tested her ability to fold a crane; her failure with the prosthetic body led him to reject the procedure. Recognizing her as the girl from his past when she promised to return once she could fulfill his request—a promise unkept—he chose full cyberization to find her and apologize.
Conscripted due to his prosthetic status, Kuze deployed to Korea during the Peninsular War phase of World War IV in 2032. Patrolling near the Yalu River, his platoon found Asian refugees under attack by Chinese and Korean bandits. Defying orders, Kuze led an intervention, saving refugees but causing severe psychological trauma to his comrades. When Japanese media falsely accused the platoon of perpetrating the massacre, Kuze publicly denounced the government's exploitation of soldiers and refugees before deserting. He traded his assault rifle for a journalist's camera and vanished into a snowstorm.
After deserting, Kuze traveled across Asia, witnessing systemic refugee oppression as cheap labor. He gained reverence among refugee communities; elders shared stories, children requested origami toys. He announced plans to establish an independent refugee nation, rallying widespread support. Returning to Japan, he infiltrated the ultra-nationalist terrorist group "Individual Eleven" by faking an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Yoko Kayabuki. He uncovered the group as a tool of Kazundo Gouda, head of the Cabinet Intelligence Service, who implanted a social virus in cyborgs virginal before cyberization—a condition applying to Kuze. The virus compelled members toward martyrdom. During a rooftop declaration of war, Kuze resisted the virus, killed other members to prevent their suicide, and fled.
Kuze retreated to the artificial refugee island Dejima, preparing for conflict with Japan. He attempted to acquire plutonium from the Russian mafia as a deterrent, but the transaction was a setup orchestrated by Gouda, leaving Kuze with lead bars. During this period, Motoko Kusanagi of Public Security Section 9 encountered Kuze in a cyberbrain dive, triggering shared childhood memories. Kuze recognized Kusanagi as the hospital girl; she initially believed he died in military service. Escalating tensions led Kuze to plan uploading refugee consciousnesses into the net to evade physical destruction. He confided this to refugee leader Yousuke Aramaki, brother of Section 9's chief, implying he would stay behind to fight.
When Japanese forces attacked Dejima under Gouda's instigation, Kuze led refugee fighters in defense. A hijacked plane disrupted his network connection to fellow cyborgs, forcing manual disablement. An ambush by Japanese helicopters killed most allies, though Kuze survived due to his durable cybernetic body. Cornered by Kusanagi, he surrendered upon learning she helped evacuate non-combatants and that his capture would serve as a diversion. Their reunion confirmed their shared past, with Kusanagi acknowledging he was her first love.
Kuze possesses a combat-oriented Peacekeeping-Force Type cybernetic body. Its sculpted face limits facial mobility, resulting in minimal mouth movement during speech, reflecting his rejection of standard prosthetic aesthetics. His advanced cyberbrain enables simultaneous neural connections with millions of refugees, facilitating leadership and ideological dissemination. His experiences forged a complex worldview centered on challenging systemic oppression, culminating in his role as a revolutionary figure blurring lines between antagonist and anti-hero.
Conscripted due to his prosthetic status, Kuze deployed to Korea during the Peninsular War phase of World War IV in 2032. Patrolling near the Yalu River, his platoon found Asian refugees under attack by Chinese and Korean bandits. Defying orders, Kuze led an intervention, saving refugees but causing severe psychological trauma to his comrades. When Japanese media falsely accused the platoon of perpetrating the massacre, Kuze publicly denounced the government's exploitation of soldiers and refugees before deserting. He traded his assault rifle for a journalist's camera and vanished into a snowstorm.
After deserting, Kuze traveled across Asia, witnessing systemic refugee oppression as cheap labor. He gained reverence among refugee communities; elders shared stories, children requested origami toys. He announced plans to establish an independent refugee nation, rallying widespread support. Returning to Japan, he infiltrated the ultra-nationalist terrorist group "Individual Eleven" by faking an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Yoko Kayabuki. He uncovered the group as a tool of Kazundo Gouda, head of the Cabinet Intelligence Service, who implanted a social virus in cyborgs virginal before cyberization—a condition applying to Kuze. The virus compelled members toward martyrdom. During a rooftop declaration of war, Kuze resisted the virus, killed other members to prevent their suicide, and fled.
Kuze retreated to the artificial refugee island Dejima, preparing for conflict with Japan. He attempted to acquire plutonium from the Russian mafia as a deterrent, but the transaction was a setup orchestrated by Gouda, leaving Kuze with lead bars. During this period, Motoko Kusanagi of Public Security Section 9 encountered Kuze in a cyberbrain dive, triggering shared childhood memories. Kuze recognized Kusanagi as the hospital girl; she initially believed he died in military service. Escalating tensions led Kuze to plan uploading refugee consciousnesses into the net to evade physical destruction. He confided this to refugee leader Yousuke Aramaki, brother of Section 9's chief, implying he would stay behind to fight.
When Japanese forces attacked Dejima under Gouda's instigation, Kuze led refugee fighters in defense. A hijacked plane disrupted his network connection to fellow cyborgs, forcing manual disablement. An ambush by Japanese helicopters killed most allies, though Kuze survived due to his durable cybernetic body. Cornered by Kusanagi, he surrendered upon learning she helped evacuate non-combatants and that his capture would serve as a diversion. Their reunion confirmed their shared past, with Kusanagi acknowledging he was her first love.
Kuze possesses a combat-oriented Peacekeeping-Force Type cybernetic body. Its sculpted face limits facial mobility, resulting in minimal mouth movement during speech, reflecting his rejection of standard prosthetic aesthetics. His advanced cyberbrain enables simultaneous neural connections with millions of refugees, facilitating leadership and ideological dissemination. His experiences forged a complex worldview centered on challenging systemic oppression, culminating in his role as a revolutionary figure blurring lines between antagonist and anti-hero.