TV-Series
Description
Drakken Joe, also known as the Dark Alchemist, is a major antagonist from the Sakura Cosmos, recognized as one of the six members of the powerful criminal organization known as the Oración Seis Galáctica. His reputation as the most notorious crime lord in the underworld precedes him, built upon centuries of ruthless activity.
Background and Personality
Drakken Joe originates from a planet where the native inhabitants are biologically engineered to live for only fifteen years. Unable to accept this short lifespan, he constructed a machine to sustain himself indefinitely, initially with the innocent wish to have enough time to make friends. Over the centuries, however, this pursuit transformed into an obsessive greed for immortality, corrupting his humanity and leaving him a fearful man desperately clinging to life.
In the primary narrative, Drakken Joe is portrayed as a violent and greedy individual who believes money is the most valuable thing in the cosmos. He operates as a loan shark, taking immense pleasure in extorting, torturing, and maiming those who fail to repay their debts, though he often keeps them alive to continue working off what they owe. He has a notable sadistic streak, demonstrated when he laughed after destroying medicine meant for an injured enemy and mocked another's pain after severing their arm. Despite a personal philosophy of not killing, he is entirely willing to execute those who tarnish his reputation or refuse to submit to him.
A significant alternate version of Drakken Joe exists in a different universe. In this reality, he is considerably more subdued and benevolent. While still a crime lord, he sustains himself by absorbing the life force of animals rather than humans, a practice he knows is cruel but considers preferable to his counterpart's actions. He appears disturbed upon learning from the protagonist, Shiki, that his alternate self would prey on people. This version of Drakken runs his business out of a sense of necessity, claiming that his operations have saved as many lives as they have ruined and help maintain a balance in the world.
Motivations and Role in the Story
Drakken Joe acts as the primary obstacle during the Sakura Cosmos saga. His motivations are twofold: to amass immense wealth and, more importantly, to secure his immortality. He built his criminal empire on the foundation of a machine that allows him to absorb the life force of others, extending his own existence by centuries. His pursuit of the Edens Zero crew is driven by his desire to obtain the ship's powerful Ether Drive and to capture Rebecca Bluegarden, whose unique time-leaping Ether Gear, Cat Leaper, he intends to extract for himself.
His influence is vast. He transformed the tourist planet Guilst into a lawless hive of criminal activity and commands a huge syndicate, including his elite special forces known as the Element 4. He maintains control over countless debtors, turning them into a labor force or slaves on his massive ship, the Belial Gore.
Key Relationships and Development
Drakken Joe has several key relationships that define his role in the story. He has a long-standing grudge against Madame Kurenai, a tyrant of the planet Sun Jewel, and sabotages her weapon systems as a form of interest on her loans, not out of any moral sense. His relationship with the protagonist, Shiki Granbell, is one of antagonist to eventual grudging acceptance in the alternate universe where Shiki persistently, and to Drakken's confusion, offers friendship. He has a brutal history with Weisz Steiner, having cut off Weisz's arm in the past for stealing money that belonged to him, a traumatic event that haunts both characters.
The character undergoes a dramatic physical development upon his defeat. When his life-support machine is reversed by the hacker Hermit, the accumulated life energy he had stolen backfires, causing him to lose control of his powers and mutate into an enormous, monstrous creature. After being defeated by Shiki in this state, his immortality fails, and he rapidly ages into a withered, feeble old man, revealing his true appearance for the first time. He is subsequently taken into custody.
In the alternate universe, his development is more positive. He evolves from a pure villain into a more complex figure, a Necessarily Evil crime lord who, while still dangerous, has a stronger code of honor and ultimately agrees to help save the population of Guilst from a planet-eating entity called the Chronophage.
Notable Abilities
Drakken Joe is an exceptionally powerful Ether Gear user known as an Alchemist. His primary power allows him to transmute the matter of anything he touches, converting solid metal into brittle paper, shields into gas, or reshaping his own limbs into dense, weaponized materials for offense and defense. He can also imbue objects with his alchemic power for others to use.
His centuries of practice have made him a master of his craft, and he is able to enter a state called Overdrive, pushing his Ether past its critical point to drastically alter his physiology. In this form, his body becomes larger and takes on a monstrous, crystalline appearance with a reptilian tail. When his life-support machine malfunctioned, this power went further out of control, transforming him into a colossal, bat-like monster with multiple limbs. His most significant ability, however, is his method of longevity. Using his machine and his Ether Gear in tandem, he can drain the life force from living beings to replenish his own lifespan, a practice that has allowed him to live for over two hundred years and earned him the nickname Undead Joe.
Background and Personality
Drakken Joe originates from a planet where the native inhabitants are biologically engineered to live for only fifteen years. Unable to accept this short lifespan, he constructed a machine to sustain himself indefinitely, initially with the innocent wish to have enough time to make friends. Over the centuries, however, this pursuit transformed into an obsessive greed for immortality, corrupting his humanity and leaving him a fearful man desperately clinging to life.
In the primary narrative, Drakken Joe is portrayed as a violent and greedy individual who believes money is the most valuable thing in the cosmos. He operates as a loan shark, taking immense pleasure in extorting, torturing, and maiming those who fail to repay their debts, though he often keeps them alive to continue working off what they owe. He has a notable sadistic streak, demonstrated when he laughed after destroying medicine meant for an injured enemy and mocked another's pain after severing their arm. Despite a personal philosophy of not killing, he is entirely willing to execute those who tarnish his reputation or refuse to submit to him.
A significant alternate version of Drakken Joe exists in a different universe. In this reality, he is considerably more subdued and benevolent. While still a crime lord, he sustains himself by absorbing the life force of animals rather than humans, a practice he knows is cruel but considers preferable to his counterpart's actions. He appears disturbed upon learning from the protagonist, Shiki, that his alternate self would prey on people. This version of Drakken runs his business out of a sense of necessity, claiming that his operations have saved as many lives as they have ruined and help maintain a balance in the world.
Motivations and Role in the Story
Drakken Joe acts as the primary obstacle during the Sakura Cosmos saga. His motivations are twofold: to amass immense wealth and, more importantly, to secure his immortality. He built his criminal empire on the foundation of a machine that allows him to absorb the life force of others, extending his own existence by centuries. His pursuit of the Edens Zero crew is driven by his desire to obtain the ship's powerful Ether Drive and to capture Rebecca Bluegarden, whose unique time-leaping Ether Gear, Cat Leaper, he intends to extract for himself.
His influence is vast. He transformed the tourist planet Guilst into a lawless hive of criminal activity and commands a huge syndicate, including his elite special forces known as the Element 4. He maintains control over countless debtors, turning them into a labor force or slaves on his massive ship, the Belial Gore.
Key Relationships and Development
Drakken Joe has several key relationships that define his role in the story. He has a long-standing grudge against Madame Kurenai, a tyrant of the planet Sun Jewel, and sabotages her weapon systems as a form of interest on her loans, not out of any moral sense. His relationship with the protagonist, Shiki Granbell, is one of antagonist to eventual grudging acceptance in the alternate universe where Shiki persistently, and to Drakken's confusion, offers friendship. He has a brutal history with Weisz Steiner, having cut off Weisz's arm in the past for stealing money that belonged to him, a traumatic event that haunts both characters.
The character undergoes a dramatic physical development upon his defeat. When his life-support machine is reversed by the hacker Hermit, the accumulated life energy he had stolen backfires, causing him to lose control of his powers and mutate into an enormous, monstrous creature. After being defeated by Shiki in this state, his immortality fails, and he rapidly ages into a withered, feeble old man, revealing his true appearance for the first time. He is subsequently taken into custody.
In the alternate universe, his development is more positive. He evolves from a pure villain into a more complex figure, a Necessarily Evil crime lord who, while still dangerous, has a stronger code of honor and ultimately agrees to help save the population of Guilst from a planet-eating entity called the Chronophage.
Notable Abilities
Drakken Joe is an exceptionally powerful Ether Gear user known as an Alchemist. His primary power allows him to transmute the matter of anything he touches, converting solid metal into brittle paper, shields into gas, or reshaping his own limbs into dense, weaponized materials for offense and defense. He can also imbue objects with his alchemic power for others to use.
His centuries of practice have made him a master of his craft, and he is able to enter a state called Overdrive, pushing his Ether past its critical point to drastically alter his physiology. In this form, his body becomes larger and takes on a monstrous, crystalline appearance with a reptilian tail. When his life-support machine malfunctioned, this power went further out of control, transforming him into a colossal, bat-like monster with multiple limbs. His most significant ability, however, is his method of longevity. Using his machine and his Ether Gear in tandem, he can drain the life force from living beings to replenish his own lifespan, a practice that has allowed him to live for over two hundred years and earned him the nickname Undead Joe.