Asimov

Asimov
Personal Information
Age	24
Origin	America
Status	Deceased
Classification	Adept
Septima	Azure Striker
Affiliation	QUILL
Appearances
Debut	Azure Striker Gunvolt
Games	Azure Striker Gunvolt Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 (Mentioned) Mighty Gunvolt Burst (Cameo)
IRL
Voice Actor	Masashi Yukita (Japanese) Maxwell Powers (English OVA)
Created by	Inti Creates
Subpage

"That girl's freedom exists only after so many battles."
—Asimov , Azure Striker Gunvolt: The Anime

Asimov (アシモフ ashimofu) is the founder and commanding officer of QUILL, a group dedicated to the freedom of all Adepts and the downfall of the Sumeragi Group, the leader of Team Sheeps, and the endgame antagonist and final boss of Azure Striker Gunvolt.

Although he founded QUILL under the guise of Adept and human equality, his true goal was the extermination of all humanity. He rescued Gunvolt from Sumeragi's experiments and taught him to harness his Azure Striker Septima, earning Gunvolt's eternal gratitude.

He occasionally serves as an operator for Gunvolt after the latter's resignation from QUILL. Like Gunvolt, he has an affinity for the Azure Striker Septima, which allows him to manipulate electrons and control lightning.

English Website Description

Asimov is both a founding member of QUILL and the current leader of the group. He is a skilled marksman who is deadly with a sniper rifle.

Although he displays no emotion in the line of duty, his passion for the group’s cause is well known amongst the members of QUILL who look up to him.

Gunvolt owes his life to Asimov, who rescued him from a Sumeragi facility where he was subject to numerous horrifying experiments. To Gunvolt, Asimov is a savior, teacher, and a father figure.

Appearance

Asimov is a young adult with shoulder-length gray-blue hair and a pair of blue visor-like glasses that serve as limiters. His eyes are purple.

He wears a gray armoured long coat. with black highlights and arm armour. He wears white trousers with black highlights over his inner thighs and groin, and black boots with glowing blue highlights.

After removing his limiter, Asimov's hair stands on end and his eyes pulse a pure, bright light.

Personality

As the head of QUILL, Asimov generally keeps an aloof, professional demeanour about him, at least during missions. He takes his duties, and those of others, extremely seriously, and has very little patience when it comes to those who disobey him, showing no stress cutting Gunvolt from the organisation, and even warning him that if he crossed them as an enemy, he wouldn't hesitate to wipe him out. When Gunvolt and Joule refuse to join him once more, he just shoots them and goes about his way.

Very passionate about achieving QUILL's goals, this can lead him to take seemingly cold-hearted decisions, such as ordering the destruction of The Muse even after the revelation that it is not code, but a girl, an Adept girl, who had been held against her will.

Eventually, Asimov's true motives are revealed; to destroy humanity once and for all, as retribution for their crimes. A part of Sumeragi's Project Gunvolt, Asimov was horrifically experimented on, resulting in a deep, burning hatred for humanity. This hatred was so great that he didn't hesitate to kill his protege in cold blood so he wouldn't get in the way.

However, Asimov does have a lighter side to him. He can be surprisingly eccentric at times, showing great interest in Japanese culture and even singing karaoke. Despite his usual stoic behaviour, he was extremely close to his teammates, stressing the importance of a close team, and had no qualms going out with them for a good time.

Interestingly, despite his fanatical hate for humans, he was still very close to his human subordinate Moniqa, and acknowledged her as a human who genuinely cared about Adepts. This makes it uncertain if he would have included her in his planned genocide.

Plot Role

• Background
• Games

Asimov originally was a waif born from two illegal immigrants. After being captured by Sumeragi’s Hunters, he was deemed a match for the “Azure Striker” and became a test subject of Project Gunvolt, yet, being unable to control his ability, he was treated as a defective subject.  

Afterwards, he was subject to all types of experiments as a lab rat. As a result, his hatred for the Non-Adepts exacerbated.  

However, upon activating his power during an experiment, he released a massive blast of lightning that vaporized the entire research facility and its team of scientists - Dr. Kamizono being among the casualties of this incident.  

He mingled in the confusion and escaped the lab. He somehow managed to join a certain group once he escaped overseas and devoted his efforts to establishing QUILL.  

His identification name in Sumeragi at the time was “Takefutsu”. 

After this, he would go on to found the organisation QUILL, a group dedicated to the freedom and liberation of Adepts everywhere. He would also eventually rescued another victim of Project Gunvolt: a nameless child whom he gave the name "Gunvolt", and invited into his group.

Azure Striker Gunvolt

1st Sumeragi (Muse)

Asimov, along with Monique and Zeno, guide Gunvolt through Sumeragi's facility in his vital mission to finally destroy The Muse. After Gunvolt failed torture session that ends in him discovering The Muse is on a getaway train. Guided by his teammates, Gunvolt makes it to The Muse, and is shocked to find an actual girl named Joule. Gunvolt requests to save her, but Asimov denies, seeing her as a threat to Adepts everywhere, regardless if she is just a poor victim. However, Gunvolt instead goes against his orders and rescues her. As a result, Asimov removes him from QUILL, leaving Gunvolt to fend for himself.

Despite this, Gunvolt and QUILL would still work somewhat closely together over the next six month period.

The Capture of The Muse

After Gunvolt successfully defeats The Sumeragi Seven, Joule is suddenly captured by the revived Sumeragi Swordsmen Merak, who takes her to the space station Firmament to the waiting arms of Project Muse director Nova. To get her back, Team Sheeps launches an assault on the orbital elevator Babel, with Asimov storming the front whilst Gunvolt sneaks aboard. The operation is successful, however Asimov completely disappears after this.

Firmament (Idolatry) - Revelations and Father Figures

After Gunvolt kills Nova and rescues Joule, Asimov reappears as they go to Babel, revealing his intention to use Gunvolt and Joule to destroy humanity, now that Sumeragi has been thrown into chaos. He tries to convince them to rule as king and queen, but the two reject his ideals. Asimov is mildly disappointed, but quickly gets over it and pulls out Copen's gun, "white tiger", revealing he beat the boy on his way up. He then calmly shoots them both and walks back to Babel, leaving the two for dead.

Firmament (Azure) - Patricide

After making to Babel, Asimov begins to take the space elevator back down to Earth, only to have Gunvolt catch up to him, his pendant having spared him from death and Joule, who's consciousness had transferred to Luman, having granted him tremendous power. Impressed, Asimov removes his inhibiting glasses and attacks his foster child.

After a tense, climactic battle, Asimov kneels over on death's door. Accepting defeat, he asks Gunvolt to accept his destiny, and guide all Adepts to a better future, before dying halfway through his last words.

Other Appearances

Mighty Gunvolt Burst

Asimov appears as a collectible pixel sticker that can be obtained by completing the "Super Sprinter" challenge by clearing the game in under one hour.

Powers and Abilities

As a human attuned to the Septimal stage of the Lifewave, Asimov is an exceptionally powerful Adept who wields the Azure Striker Septima, which grants him the power to manipulate lightning and is said to be one of the most powerful of Septima. As he is the one who taught Gunvolt to control his Septima, he can perform many of the same Skills Gunvolt can, but on a much stronger scale. His power is so great that he requires specialized sunglasses to contain the bulk of it.

In battle, he can perform Prevasion, turning his body into electrons to become intangible and allow attacks to pass through him. He can also use the Flashfield, but can do so in a more offensive manner by charging at foes. But if he collides with Gunvolt's Flashfield, it will cause both of them to overheat, leaving him vulnerable.

He can also punch the ground and channel lightning through it. His most powerful attack is the Voltic Chains skill, where he deploys numerous electrified chains to ensnare and electrocute opponents. With this attack, he was able to nearly kill Copen and destroy his shield.

Apart from his Septima, Asimov is a skilled marksman and firearms user, capable of picking off targets with his E.A.T.R. rifle from great distances. He also shows great mastery of Copen's Voder gun and can use his Septima's ability to create a electromagnetic field to guide the path of Copen's Power Grab bullets so they can home in on enemies. However, this puts a strain on the gun and may cause it to stop working.

Equipment

Sunglasses

They are a safety device used to control his abilities.  

This equipment is the same system as GV’s contact lenses, yet, unlike GV who uses his lenses to increase his Septima, Asimov uses them to seal his own Septima.  

Only a small handful of QUILL members know about these sunglasses’ effect and his Septima because of an ethos within QUILL that says “Don’t snoop others’ Septimas”. 

E.A.T.R (Electro-magnetic Anti Tank Rifle):

An anti-tank rail-rifle provided by QUILL. It’s a gun with command standards, and brother gun to the “Dart Leader” provided to GV.  

The bullet shot from the weapon has an effective range of 5.000 meters and a speed of 7 Km per second: it will always “predate” the target.  

When sniping from very long distances, the user is in need of high skills and precise calculations amongst others.  

Since it isn’t an anti-personnel weapon, he didn’t use it during his battle with GV. 

Power Grab

It’s a special bullet with the property to control others’ Septimas that was stolen from Copen. 

Asimov also makes use of the Azure Striker ability to create an EM field that allows him to pull a new stunt: freely controlling the path of the bullets. 

But that places a very strong burden on the gun itself and it’s a double-edged sword. It's an ace-in-the-hole that can only be used in a brief battle. 

The Dart Cartridges that GV uses can mechanically control this technique to some extent.

Skills

Cerberus

三連射、Three Shots in a Row

Asimov's standard attack. Asimov fires two waves of three magnetic bullets.

• The magnetic bullets inflict the chaff status if they hit Gunvolt.
• Damage Output: 40 per bullet.

Flashfield

雷撃鱗突撃、Thunder Scales Assault

Asimov's standard attack. He hops mid-air and performs an air dash while activating his Flashfield.

• While this attack deals devastating damage, it also offers Gunvolt the opportunity to begin dealing damage to Asimov. If Gunvolt activates his Flashfield within the radius of Asimov's, then the collision will induce a voltage spike, Overheating both Azure Strikers. For a brief moment after the spike, Asimov will be vulnerable to tagging.
• Damage Output: 104.

Lightning Sweep

床ドン、Floor Bang

Asimov performs this attack at the beginning of battle phase two and three. He punches the floor, sending a shockwave across the floor.

• At the beginning of battle phase two, the shockwave will propagate off the screen and then return as a larger shockwave.
• At battle phase three, the shockwave is initially large and will not return once it is off-screen.
• Damage Output (Small Shockwave): 32
• Damage Output (Large Shockwave): 40

Target Chaser

追尾射撃・ターゲットチェイサー、Tracking Shot / Target Chaser

Asimov begins using this attack at battle phase two. Based on the functionality of the Mizuchi gun, He fires a non-damaging cursor that leaves behind five non-damaging cursor placeholders in its path of fire. Asimov then proceeds to fire five magnetic bullets that may turn directions to track Gunvolt when it comes into contact with any of the five placeholders; cursor placeholders used in this way will disappear.

• The magnetic bullets inflict the chaff status if they hit Gunvolt.
• Damage Output: 40 per bullet.

Orochi

ヴァニッシュ、Vanish

Asimov begins using this attack at battle phase two. Based on the functionality of the Orochi gun, He fires a single magnetic bullet as well as a bot that hovers to the middle of the screen. The bot then fires two waves of seven magnetic bullets in an upward and downward arc.

• The magnetic bullets inflict the chaff status if they hit Gunvolt.
• Damage Output: 40 per bullet.

Voltaic Chains

ヴォルティックチェーン, Voltic Chain

Fear the azure creed / Its thunderous voice the alpha and / Omega of all things! Voltic Chains!

Asimov's special attack. Asimov summons several chains that cover the screen, leaving only a small space of opening. He proceeds the attack by charging the chains with electricity, dealing massive damage.

• Damage Output: 350

Designer Comments

I made him tall and with a well-built body to give out a “reliable leader” (image), and by adding sunglasses I make him express a facet of “he never shows his will (to others)”. I also had in mind “that” American comic hero who’s the leader of a Super-Psychics squad. By the way, (Asimov’s) sunglasses are military stuff and bullet-proof. At the beginning (of the designing process) I drew a draft in which he was older, had short hair and a stubble but, taking into mind female reception (of the character) I turned him into a long-haired and effeminate man-style (character).

(Hatakeyama Yoshitaka)

Trivia

• Asimov's English voice actor for the OVA, Maxwell Powers, also provides the English voiceover for the Azure Striker Gunvolt game trailers. He is also the presenter of Neo Geo mini from SNK.
• Asimov is one of three known participants in Project Gunvolt, the others being Gunvolt and Nova.
• The notes in Asimov's concept art reveal that he is from America.
• Asimov is the oldest known adept, ironically only being 24 years old.
• Asimov happens to navigate the missions with bosses (Jota and Viper) who appear in the Azure Striker Gunvolt demo.
• When Asimov kills Gunvolt with Copen's Power Grab, he says, "Hasta la vista, GV." This is a reference to the scene in Terminator 2: Judgement Day when T-800 shoots a frozen T-1000 with a pistol and says, "Hasta la vista, baby".
• During the events of Firmament (Azure), some of Asimov's blood stains the gun he stole from Copen. It is this blood that allows Copen to copy the Azure Striker septima and gain access to its abilities, such as Prevasion and Flashfield.
• In the Drama CD track, Ninja Arts, it is revealed that Asimov is a huge fan of ninja culture. It is also seems that Moniqa is the only Non-Adept that he believes is sincere in helping Adepts and appears to care about her to an extent.
• At 350 points of damage, Asimov's Voltaic Chains is the most powerful normal attack in the series, only being surpassed by automatic one-hit-kills like Stratos's fully charged Nemesis Fang, Nova's Clamator Aethereus, and Tenjian's Seven Slashes.
• There is an unused remix of the Sumeragi boss theme in the game's files that was seemingly intended for Asimov at some point. Their normal themes are listed as GV_BGM_015 and GV_BGM_019 respectively, while the unused theme is listed twice as GV_BMG_015a and GV_BMG_019a. 

Japanese Version

"The "Cybernetic Singing Fairy (Cyber Diva) Annihilation" mission has now begun. Good luck!"

—Asimov, Japanese Official Site

Reference

• Japanese Website Dossier
• Japanese Wiki Regarding Asimov
• Official Japanese Tweet Regarding Asimov

See Also

Asimov/Gallery