Live action TV
Description
Kinuba is a character who appears in both the original manga series Battle Angel Alita and its 2019 film adaptation, Alita: Battle Angel, though his role differs significantly between the two versions. In the source material, Kinuba is the reigning undefeated champion of a gladiatorial arena known as the Coliseum, located in the Scrapyard. He is a cyborg of immense size and strength, with a shock of dark, afro-like hair and distinctive tattoos running from his cheekbones up toward his eyes and forehead. His fighting prowess is unparalleled within that setting, having secured an undefeated streak of 281 consecutive victories in the ring.
Kinuba is depicted as a private and analytical individual. He prefers solitude after his fights and is known for never underestimating his opponents, a trait that contributed to his long winning record. Despite his reserved nature, he does value displays of ingenuity and has been known to occasionally permit fans to interact with him between matches.
The central event of Kinuba's story is his fatal encounter with the serial killer Makaku. Following his 281st victory, Kinuba is relaxing in a waiting room when he is approached by a stranger who claims to be a new fan, impressed by how he bypassed security. Kinuba offers the man a drink and discusses his primary weapon, the Grind-Cutters, which are housed in his right hand. The Grind-Cutters are a set of five razor-sharp, high-velocity cables that function as the fingers on his right arm. These whips can extend and retract at will, moving at speeds up to three or four times the speed of sound, and are capable of slicing through reinforced ceramic plating with ease. His cyborg body, known as a Power Body, is also equipped with a tactical computer called the Boarhead, an artificial intelligence that analyzes enemy capabilities and devises optimal combat strategies for its user.
When the stranger reveals himself to be Makaku in a disguised body, he declares his intention to take Kinuba's powerful form for himself. Realizing the threat, Kinuba attempts to fire his Grind-Cutters at Makaku but misses. As Makaku, using his parasitic Maggot Body, begins to invade and take control of Kinuba's nervous system, the champion chooses death over surrendering his body. He aims his Grind-Cutters at himself to commit suicide, but Makaku is able to seize control of the motor functions just enough to force Kinuba to sever his own head instead, discarding it as Makaku successfully usurps the Power Body for his own use. This event highlights Kinuba's tragic role in the narrative as a supremely capable fighter whose body becomes a stolen asset for a greater antagonist.
In the 2019 film Alita: Battle Angel, Kinuba is portrayed by actor Leonard Wu and his role is adapted to fit the new setting of the gladiatorial sport called Motorball. He appears as a professional Motorball player rather than a Coliseum fighter. In this version, he commits a foul during a match by using his signature Grind-Cutter weapon, which draws the attention of the crime boss Vector. Vector subsequently hires the protagonist Hugo and his friends to steal the Grind-Cutter from Kinuba. After the theft, which involves stripping Kinuba of several limb parts, a helpless and enraged Kinuba is killed by Vector to tie up loose ends. This version of Kinuba serves to establish the dangerous and corrupt nature of the Motorball world and to advance the plot for the film's main characters.
Kinuba is depicted as a private and analytical individual. He prefers solitude after his fights and is known for never underestimating his opponents, a trait that contributed to his long winning record. Despite his reserved nature, he does value displays of ingenuity and has been known to occasionally permit fans to interact with him between matches.
The central event of Kinuba's story is his fatal encounter with the serial killer Makaku. Following his 281st victory, Kinuba is relaxing in a waiting room when he is approached by a stranger who claims to be a new fan, impressed by how he bypassed security. Kinuba offers the man a drink and discusses his primary weapon, the Grind-Cutters, which are housed in his right hand. The Grind-Cutters are a set of five razor-sharp, high-velocity cables that function as the fingers on his right arm. These whips can extend and retract at will, moving at speeds up to three or four times the speed of sound, and are capable of slicing through reinforced ceramic plating with ease. His cyborg body, known as a Power Body, is also equipped with a tactical computer called the Boarhead, an artificial intelligence that analyzes enemy capabilities and devises optimal combat strategies for its user.
When the stranger reveals himself to be Makaku in a disguised body, he declares his intention to take Kinuba's powerful form for himself. Realizing the threat, Kinuba attempts to fire his Grind-Cutters at Makaku but misses. As Makaku, using his parasitic Maggot Body, begins to invade and take control of Kinuba's nervous system, the champion chooses death over surrendering his body. He aims his Grind-Cutters at himself to commit suicide, but Makaku is able to seize control of the motor functions just enough to force Kinuba to sever his own head instead, discarding it as Makaku successfully usurps the Power Body for his own use. This event highlights Kinuba's tragic role in the narrative as a supremely capable fighter whose body becomes a stolen asset for a greater antagonist.
In the 2019 film Alita: Battle Angel, Kinuba is portrayed by actor Leonard Wu and his role is adapted to fit the new setting of the gladiatorial sport called Motorball. He appears as a professional Motorball player rather than a Coliseum fighter. In this version, he commits a foul during a match by using his signature Grind-Cutter weapon, which draws the attention of the crime boss Vector. Vector subsequently hires the protagonist Hugo and his friends to steal the Grind-Cutter from Kinuba. After the theft, which involves stripping Kinuba of several limb parts, a helpless and enraged Kinuba is killed by Vector to tie up loose ends. This version of Kinuba serves to establish the dangerous and corrupt nature of the Motorball world and to advance the plot for the film's main characters.