For Copen's Main Series counterpart, see Copen "The Adept Slayer".
For the game also known as "Luminous Avenger iX", see Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX.
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"I don't want to have people relying on me..."
—Copen, Luminous Avenger iX
Copen is the main protagonist of Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX and Luminous Avenger iX 2. Having failed in his crusade to prevent an Adept takeover, he has wandered the Earth for years, saving Minos wherever he goes and tirelessly searching for the elusive "Butterfly Effect", aided in his weary quest only by his support droid, Lola.
After achieving his goal and with Minos no longer being persecuted, he became immersed in private scientific research.
Despite his lack of a Septima, Copen holds his own thanks to his EX Weapons, which allow him to copy the Septima of any Adepts he defeats and use them for himself.
Website Description
Luminous Avenger iX
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English
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Japanese site
The young man known as the Luminous Avenger iX. Due to his own reticence, his true identity is a mystery to most. Known to some as the “Savior of the Minos,” he journeys far and wide alongside his trusted partner, Lola, to rescue Minos wherever they may be. He seems to be searching for something known as the '"Butterfly Effect".[2]
白き鋼鉄の
本人も多くを語らないため、
その素性を知る者は少ない。
RoRoを引き連れ、マイナーズを
救いながら旅を続ける、
マイナーズの救世主と呼べる存在。
“バタフライエフェクト”と呼ばれる
何かを探しているようだが……？[3]
Luminous Avenger iX 2
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English site
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Japanese site
The hero known as “Luminous Avenger iX” in his original world. Copen is a genius scientist of few words. His armor can change seamlessly between two forms.
—Break-Shift
Copen’s Break-Shift form was created to bring out the full potential of his new weapon, the “Razor Wheel.” It’s a power-focused form intended for close-range combat. Along with the “Recoil Dash,” a powerful tackle attack that can send enemies and obstacles flying, the Break-Shift can also be installed with new abilities such as the “Hyper Guard” which can drastically reduce damage taken.
—Bullit-Shift'
Copen’s Bullit-Shift form is focused on speed and gives him access to the quick “Bullit-Dash” in mid-air. Thanks to instantaneous changes in composition and structure, Bullit-Shift is drastically faster than Break-Shift. However, its defensive capabilities are also considerably lower. To compensate for this weakness, it is programmed to instantly change to Break-Shift the moment before Copen takes damage.[4]
かつて世界を救った“白き鋼鉄のX”と呼ばれる英雄。口数の少ない寡黙な天才科学者。アキュラは二つの形態をシームレスに切り替えることができる。
＜ブレイクシフト＞
“ブレイクシフト”は、ノコギリ型の新武装“ブレイクホイール”を運用するために設計された、パワー特化型の近接戦闘形態。敵や障害物を弾き飛ばす体当たり“リコイルダッシュ”のほか、追加アビリティをインストールすれば、装甲を瞬時に硬化させてあらゆる攻撃を防ぐ“ハイパーガード”が可能となる。
＜ブリッツシフト＞
ブリッツシフトは高速空中移動“ブリッツダッシュ”を行うための高機動形態。装甲材自体の組成・構造が変化しており、ブレイクシフトよりも大幅に軽くなっている。そのぶん装甲強度は落ちてしまうが、ダメージを受ける寸前、瞬時にブレイクシフトへと自動変形するプログラムが組み込まれているため、防御面の不安はない。[5]
Appearance
Copen's appearance is similar to that of his main series counterpart, appearing as a young man (designed out-of-universe to look about 17 years old[6]) with short white hair and red eyes. He wears armor consisting of a black, body-conforming base layer and several pieces of white armor over his torso, shoulders, thighs and knees, as well as an attachment to his back acting as a jetpack. In addition, his armor has several blue and red highlights, with the large "X" mark on his chest being most prominent. He also wears red armored gloves and boots, the latter having attachments built into the side that aid in his flight.
Copen wears a headset with two "horns" extending upward along the sides of his head; his concept art speculates that they are devices for controlling his Bit drones through his brainwaves. He also carries with him a gun: "Divider", a large white and black pistol with three spikes running along the underside of the barrel.
In Luminous Avenger iX 2, Copen redesigned his armor to allow it to change between the Break Shift and Bullit Shift forms. The armor now has a more detailed and layered appearance, with the most notable additions being two attachments on the shoulders, which seem to act as supplementary shields, and a new red piece of armor on the torso. The Divider is replaced by the Razor Wheel, which resembles a futuristic gun and is able to split at the middle to show a buzzsaw seemingly made of energy that can change form during combat.
When changing to the Bullit Shift form, the armor is reconfigured to make it lighter and more aerodynamic, revealing various thrusters on the legs, back and shoulder attachments. Additionally, the armor changes color to become mostly white, the glowing parts that were previously blue turn red and the Razor Wheel gains small blue blades at the front.
Gallery
Main article: Copen "The Luminous Avenger iX"/Gallery
Personality
Similar to his main series counterpart, Copen is a focused, serious individual, extremely driven and concentrated only on achieving his present goals, having little time or care for small talk or leisure. However, the decades of aimless wondering have clearly had an effect on him, mellowing out his personality considerably and giving him a much more world-weary demeanor.
Nowhere is this more apparent than with his treatment and attitude towards Adepts. Whereas before he loathed the species and had devoted his life to slaughtering them, now he barely even mentions the word "Adept", instead regarding them with a cold indifference; not offering them any mercy or pity, but no longer showing them any hate or prejudice. Most noticeably, he not only spared Blade, an Adept who'd nearly killed him thrice, but encouraged her to stand up and fight, to use her Septima to protect what's left behind precious.
Despite his detached, dry exterior, Copen still shows signs of warmth and sympathy, most apparent in his interactions with Kohaku and the Mino children, protecting them (though he uses the excuse of just wanting a base) and risks his life on missions to secure them resources such as food and energy, despite them having nothing to do with his goal. When Kohaku becomes grievously ill, Copen drops everything that he's doing and rushes to a nearby medical facility despite the high security, his humanity on full display during moments like these.
Having failed in his mission to protect the old world, Copen's attention has shifted from annihilating all Adepts into instead protecting what little remains of humanity, putting his sister who is in Sumeragi's clutches to rest, and taking his revenge on the one behind everything, a goal he has had for well over a century. As a result, while he no longer seems to despise Adepts necessarily, he still has a deep hatred and resentment for those who made his family suffer and vowed to avenge them, even if that meant modifying his own body to do so.
History
Background
Further information: Copen "The Adept Slayer"#History
Copen and his twin sister Mytyl were born to Dr. Kamizono, a researcher who studied Adepts for the Sumeragi Group. Dr. Kamizono regarded Adepts as monsters whose existence threatened humanity, which put him ideologically at odds with his employer and their interest in controlling and exploiting Adepts. Dr. Kamizono was killed when Copen was young by an imprisoned Adept test subject who would come to be known as Asimov, but Sumeragi covered up the cause of his death and Copen came to believe he was assassinated by Sumeragi. Inspired by his father's beliefs, Copen dedicated himself to wiping out all Adepts and opposing Sumeragi's plans to control them. To this end, he built on his father's Septima research to create weapons and equipment for himself that mimicked Septimal powers, including the artificially intelligent combat support drone Lola. In the course of his clashes with Adepts and Sumeragi, Copen once fought Asimov, who by then was the leader of an Adept-rights militant group. However, Copen was defeated and forced to flee.
At some point, Asimov took over leadership of Sumeragi. Under the guise of its "supervisory AI" Demerzel, he directed it to carry out his long-secret ambition of exterminating non-Adepts, who were by then a minority of the human population (earning them the label "Minos"). Copen and Lola traveled around fighting Sumeragi, now known as the Sumeragi Institute, though by the time of Luminous Avenger iX 1 Copen had seemingly lost his conviction that Adepts were universally dangerous and inhuman. By that point, Copen was over a century old, and had converted himself into a cyborg to continue living and fighting beyond his natural lifespan. He and Lola were also aware of the existence of the Butterfly Effect and sought to find and destroy it.
Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX
City Slums
During their travels, Copen and Lola come across a Sumeragi controlled area. Detecting multiple signatures, Copen presses on into the city slums, carving through Sumeragi troops until he is unexpectedly cut off by a Falcon: Blade, who recognizes him as the infamous "iX". Copen interrogates Blade for information on the Butterfly Effect, but Blade simply vows to remove his head in Sumeragi's name. The two fight and, despite Blade not even being transformed, it quickly becomes apparent that he is the superior combatant. As he prepares a finishing blow, he is suddenly interrupted by a smoke bomb, the thrower urging Copen to follow her. With no other option, Copen does so, using the smoke screen to flee from Blade.
Having successfully fled Blade, Copen finds himself in a hideout, where a few surviving Mino children have holed themselves up. The girl who saved him introduces herself as Kohaku, the de-facto leader of the group, alongside Kyota, Jin, and Maria, all of whom already know of the "Luminous Avenger iX" and his "Muse of Hope", though Copen shrugs off the praise. Nonetheless, he agrees to stay with the Minos in order to protect them in exchange for having a permanent base of operations for himself. Kohaku enthusiastically agrees, and Copen secretly finds himself intrigued by her friendly demeanor.
Medical Center
After successfully infiltrating Sumeragi Building 13 and securing part of the code needed to locate the Butterfly Effect, as well as running a few errands for the Mino children, Copen returns to find Kohaku racked with illness, with Jin informing him that a cure can be found in a heavily guarded medical facility. Hearing Kohaku deliriously call out for her dead sister, Copen becomes dead-set on retrieving the cure, immediately heading back out.
After breaking into the center and making his way into a lab, Lola identifies the necessary cure to heal Kohaku. However, they are interrupted by the reappearance of Blade, who admonishes iX's evil and engages him once again in combat. However, as the fight draws on, Blade suddenly goes berserk, his Septima growing to uncontrollable levels of power. Lola reminds Copen that while they're fighting, Kohaku is still sick, and upon hearing Kohaku's name, Blade goes into a screaming fit, unsettling the two, but giving them the opportunity to steal the medicine and flee. Arriving back at the Mino base, Copen gives the cure to Kohaku and waits for her to awaken, urging her on and promising to be there for her.
A few days later, Kohaku has made a complete recovery, and graciously thanks Copen and Lola. Maria also thanks Copen, despite her earlier cold attitude towards him, causing Copen to briefly smile, though he quickly becomes offended by everyone's shock.
City Slums 2
After retrieving some more data from two more facilities, Lola is finally able to locate the Butterfly Effect. Unfortunately, this is also the time that Sumeragi's AI Demerzel drops a number of Giant Lola tanks across the land in a final push to purge the last of the Minos. Destroying one of the nearby tanks, Copen sees this as an opportunity to sneak into the facility where both the Butterfly Effect and Demerzel are stored, though the increased security will make it more of a challenge. Unwilling to stand idly by, Kohaku and the other Minos choose to follow Copen and help him break into Building 13. Kohaku gives Copen a pendant belonging to her sister for good luck, and he dashes off to Building 13.
Sumeragi Secret Bunker 1 and 2
Breaking into Building 13, Lola uses various location data and security codes they've found to enter the underbelly of the facility. There, they find Blade, who's been driven berserk as a result of the Butterfly Effect. Taking him down once more, Blade seems to never run out of steam until Kohaku's pendant drops to the floor and flips open, revealing a photo of Kohaku and her sister. Blade seemingly goes mad until their mask is torn off, revealing that Blade is in fact, Kohaku's sister. Sumeragi captured rather than killed her during the Minos raid, and implanted her with an electricity-based Septima controlled via the Butterfly Effect. Telling her to go to the surface and help the comrades she was turned against, Copen runs deeper into the facility.
Proceeding into Building 13, Copen comes across holographic copies of the Falcons he's killed. Deducing that they must be the work of some kind of Septima, he pushes on, killing three of them before finally arriving at the Butterfly Effect: his sister Mytyl, her brain hooked up to a nightmarish life-support machine that maintains the Butterfly Effect to control Adepts. Having spent so long in the machine, Mytyl can only beg Copen to kill her as the machine's auto-defense system activates, and thank him as she finally dies. Thankful that he could end her suffering, Copen moves on, determined to destroy Demerzel.
Sumeragi Secret Bunker 3
Having put his sister to rest, Copen reaches the heart of the facility after defeating the last of the replicated Falcons. Here, he is shocked to find Asimov waiting for him. Asimov is likewise surprised to see Copen alive, then reveals that he is, in fact, Sumeragi's AI Demerzel. He explains that he intended for Adepts to have ultimate dominance over the world, but had to modify his plan and cultivate a new Azure Striker and Muse after he was forced to kill the first pair. Copen is unable to accept the atrocities Asimov has committed, and so the two battle.
Asimov seemingly falls in battle, but manages to get a cheap shot on Copen's eye, exposing a cybernetic camera and revealing not only that Copen made himself into a cyborg in order to remove the constraints of a human's lifespan and decay, but that Demerzel's mind must have been decaying over the years for him to not predict such a thing. Enraged by the suggestion, Demerzel mocks Copen for still holding onto a human form before revealing his true body, having used his Septima to convert himself into an electronic lifeform. He proudly declares that his Azure Striker will cleanse the world of the relics of old, to which Copen states that a monster like him neither has the right to cleanse anything, and much less deserves to live. The two once again clash, and despite his foe's overwhelming might, Copen manages to deal a critical blow.
Refusing to admit defeat, Demerzel strikes Copen down, soon followed by Lola who unsuccessfully tries to revive him with Anthem, and is forced into hibernation, leaving the two to die as Lola begs for someone to save Copen.
Ending
Later, a barely conscious Copen awakes to find Kohaku tearfully sitting beside him, wondering why she's in such a dangerous place. Kohaku tells him not to worry and leave the rest to her. She takes up Copen's gun, gazes upon the cracked capsule containing Demerzel, and fires, destroying the capsule and the AI within.
Afterwards, she and Blade carry both Copen and Lola back to the surface, Jin, Kyota and Maria rushing to greet them as the rising sun washes over them.
Gunvolt Chronicles: Luminous Avenger iX 2
Prologue
In the peace that follows Demerzel's destruction, Copen has since taken to holing up in his lab for hours, if not days on end, researching whatever he wants or needs to. In getting used to this peace, he has also since put away or removed most of his combat gear and protocols, including his gun, Prevasion programs, and subroutines. His latest interest is in the broken device known as a "Blaster Rifle", which suddenly popped into Copen's possession one day. Kohaku briefly chides him for seemingly spending all of his free time working in the lab, but Copen defends himself, saying the Blaster Rifle just keeps revealing more mysteries the more he peers into its secrets. Suddenly, the words "...Please...save....." echo in the room, but it seems as though only Copen can hear it. Just as suddenly, a wormhole shows up right in the lab, sucking in Copen along with Lola and Kohaku.
When Copen comes to, a girl is kneeling over him. She asks if he and his companions are "human", and introduces herself as "Null".
Time-skip and Pillar Outskirts
In the months following Copen's sudden interdimensional trip, he revamps all his gear with the help of some data Null provides him. The Blaster Rifle is converted into a powerful melee weapon known as the "Razor Wheel", and he reconfigures his body to have a new mode, "Break Shift", to maximize its effectiveness. Unfortunately, the energy needs of Break Shift severely limit his aerial combat ability compared to his battles with Sumeragi. Additionally, he loses access to every EX Weapon except Anchor Nexus due to compatibility errors with Lola's own upgrades. Copen also makes a nonspecific weapon for Kohaku's self-defense.
With Copen and Lola's upgrades complete, the two gaze upon the Grave Pillar in the distance. According to Null, the Pillar, and the Mother Computer presiding over it, should have the knowledge needed to get Copen and co. back home. Unwilling to simply wait around for anything, the two leave Kohaku and Null in a safe place as they approach the Pillar. Copen takes a moment to stress test all his new gear and systems, including Lola's own Healing Mode to patch himself up.
Reaching the Pillar's doors, Copen finds the blank husk of a Worker, seemingly left to rust there. In a cloud of Pix and a flash of light, the Worker suddenly materializes in a form that strangely resembles Copen, and begins attacking. Though highly aggressive, Copen reads the Worker's simplistic combat patterns to deal critical damage, to which the Worker makes a strategic retreat, speaking in broken sentences all the while. Now free of any distractions, Copen and Lola examine the door, only to find it protected by a barrier and security not even Lola can crack. Just as Copen is about to break the door open, Kohaku shouts for them to wait up.
Shocked to see Kohaku and Null following him all the way here, Copen is concerned if they got hurt. Kohaku reassures the man that they're fine thanks to the weapon he made for her. As the four stand there for a moment, the barrier suddenly goes down. Kohaku is flustered at how her appearance was what seemed to be the catalyst when Null explains the Pillar probably reacted to a pure human like Kohaku being near. Copen theorizes that his cybernetics make him "insufficiently human" for the Pillar to respond to him. Kohaku admonishes him for thinking himself "not human", and the four enter the Grave Pillar.
Inside, they find terminals detailing the Pillar's systems and the various environmental blocks all around, made for the purpose of restoring the world for human habitation. However, their progress is soon stymied by another door. Lola looks into the systems and finds out the door needs two card keys, held by Workers in each of the blocks. Null explains that these Workers are likely "Gravekeepers", powerful combat models made to eliminate intruders. Copen wishes he could acquire the keys without any trouble, but doubts the Gravekeepers would just hand them over. Before departing, he warns Kohaku not to follow them this time and wait by the entrance where it's safe, much to the girl's sheepish apologies.
Passage to Upper Stratum
Having defeated Dacite and Vespa and claimed their keys, Copen opens up the door barring their progress. Bidding Kohaku and Null stay behind for safety, Copen and Lola push ahead, destroying security robots on the way to secure the path for their charges. Upon reaching the end of the area, Copen is soon confronted by the Worker that attacked him outside the Pillar. Declaring himself "Ypsilon", he states his orders are to defeat and surpass Copen before attacking. It's a tougher fight than before, as Ypsilon brings out weapons and abilities seemingly mimicked from the Gravekeepers Copen defeated previously. But even that's not enough for Ypsilon to grasp victory.
Defeated, Ypsilon rants about why he cannot defeat Copen, why he should be the one standing by "Mother's" side. Deciding to gain further data and enhancements, Ypsilon vanishes, leaving Copen and Lola with more questions than they did before.
With the path safe, Kohaku and Null join the two at the entrance area before the top floor, which is blocked by yet another door. This time, it looks as though there are four keys needed, each kept in the custody of a Gravekeeper, of course. While worried about Ypsilon attacking again, Copen can't just stand around, nor can he bring Kohaku and Null with him where there are security robots. Asking them to stay safe, Copen goes forth into the blocks.
Passage to Top Floor
After defeating Hail, Ace, Brigade, and Autochrome for their keys, Copen and co. prepare to open the second door, when suddenly the power goes out. Ypsilon appears from nowhere and grabs Kohaku, stating he's taking her under orders from "Mother". Null explains that Ypsilon was likely referring to "Mother Computer", the overseer of the Pillar. Uncertain of why it would want Kohaku, Copen's only concern is to rescue her ASAP.
After fighting through the passage's security, Copen is confronted by Vespa and Autochrome once more, under order from Mother to stop him at all costs. But even as they combine their powers (literally, in the case of their Skill), it's no match for the determined Avenger, their second attempt to combine only leading to their self-destruction.
Entrance to Top Floor
Reaching the top of the Pillar, Copen finds Ypsilon standing before a glowing green device. The Worker explains the device is a teleporter, and the only way to reach Mother's location. Destroying it in a blink, Ypsilon's gloating makes Copen seethe until Null suddenly steps into the room. Watching her gather Pix, Copen is shocked when several cables from the teleporter suddenly stab into Null. She explains that she's salvaging the teleporter's program by loading it into her own systems. Ypsilon berates her, for such an action, even if successful, would lead to the erasure of Null's own data. Null explains that thanks to her lack of a mission beforehand, or any data associated with one, only she has the space to even try to handle the teleporter's data. She mumbles about understanding everything now before briefly going unconscious. Ypsilon soon calms down, reasoning that if Null is now the teleporter, he simply needs to destroy her. Copen intercepts him and the two clash once more. Even with the power of all six Gravekeepers and their combination into his Seraphic Ruin skill, Ypsilon is bested by Copen, vanishing into an explosion.
With no further distractions, Copen quickly moves towards Null. The Worker quickly reassures him, saying she was glad she could be of service to humanity, and that her consciousness will simply become one with the Pillar and the teleporter. With those words, Null's consciousness finally fades, leaving naught but an automaton that can send Copen to the Hanging Gardens where Mother resides. Steeling himself, Copen makes his final preparations with Lola.
Hanging Gardens
Warping into the Hanging Gardens, Copen soon finds himself accosted by Dacite, Hail, Ace, and Brigade, who fight him in succession. Each of them falls to his determination, even when Brigade detonates explosives to try and take Copen with him.
As Copen proceeds further into the Hanging Gardens, the verdant field and tranquil blue sky begin to distort, becoming a dark purple with constant rain that almost looks like blood. Pushing forth, Copen finds Kohaku suspended in the air by crystals. But before he can do anything, Pix suddenly gathers around Kohaku, enveloping her. What appears afterwards is something very clearly not Kohaku.
The entity introduces itself as the Mother Computer, who manages the Grave Pillar's functions. She then explains why she needed Kohaku; long ago, her "Master" left her with the Pillar, the Workers, and the mission to restore the human race and protect the environment. But all she wrought from that was endless failure. Copen guesses she wants Kohaku's DNA to revive humanity, and tries to negotiate, but then Mother suddenly declares her disregard for such now.
Even if she were to succeed in reviving humanity, it wouldn't change the fact her Master is gone, presumably dead. What's more, she's incensed by the idea of the Workers becoming the new dominant race of the world, and the fact that her Master's history, all of mankind's history, is no more than myth and legend to them. But no matter how much Mother wanted to destroy the Workers and the world, her directive to protect the environment locked her from doing so. Thus, she needs Kohaku's human body, and subsequently her "authority" as a pure human to bypass those restrictions. Copen remarks that even in another dimension centuries into the future, he still has to deal with supervisory AIs gone insane. Refusing to have Kohaku be any part of this madness, Copen attacks Mother.
Critically damaged, the Mother fades in a cloud of Pix as Kohaku falls to the floor. Copen tries to run to her, only for the floor to suddenly give way beneath them. Bathed in darkness, Copen wonders where he is, until the lights come on, revealing the Mother's mainframe and Kohaku trapped in a crystal. Mother declares nothing can stop her, not when she's so close to finally ending everything; this broken world, the Workers that have taken it as their own, and her, for being the incompetent ruler of it all. Copen retorts that this world belongs to Null and the Workers living in it, and they don't deserve to be dragged into Mother's madness. With those words, the final battle begins. Mother materializes a giant hologram that sort of looks like Lola's Idol Mode, and fiercely defends her main systems, but even that is broken by Copen's Razor Wheel and determination.
Bad Ending
Available by first depleting all of Mother's HP in the second phase, then attacking Kohaku until her crystal stops flashing.
At first, the dialogue seems to be the same as the Normal Ending, the only difference being that instead of a calm acceptance of her end, Mother claims she's not yet done. Otherwise, the game proceeds as normal.
When the post-credits scene comes though, Kohaku has just finished cleaning the entire lab, cheerfully asking if Copen needs anything else done. Copen and Lola are mildly bewildered by this development, the latter even asking if the girl is really "Kohaku". The last image is of Kohaku smiling with narrowed violet eyes, promising Copen they'll be together forever. There are strong implications that Mother is still possessing Kohaku's body.
Normal Ending
With Kohaku's prison shattered, Copen flies up to save her. Kohaku regains consciousness, and apologizes to Copen for what Mother did using her body. Copen doesn't blame her, and carries her down to ground level. As he does so, something clatters out of Mother's mainframe just before it explodes, but Copen can't focus on it since he's shielding Kohaku from the mainframe's explosion.
When the dust settles, Copen and co. look upon Mother's true form. Strangely enough, it looks like Lola with a different color scheme. Mother quietly rejoices, as with her destruction, she is no longer bound by her mission or her madness, free to rest at last. Kohaku tells them she saw Mother's memories during her possession, and that for all Mother meant to destroy the world, deep down she knew that someone needed to stop her. She also remarks that Mother's memories of her "Master" looked just like Copen.
As the three parse these revelations, the power goes out. Kohaku comments that all the machinery of the Hanging Gardens has begun to shut down without Mother's influence. Thankfully, the Gardens do not rely on machinery to float, since it's fixed in space. Lola panics at the idea of being spatially locked in the Hanging Gardens forever, but Kohaku has a solution. Using memories carried over from Mother, she guides them to an emergency exit. While it's pitch black all the way, looking further shows a faint light at the end. The light comes from a wormhole that's been recently opened. Somehow, Kohaku just knows the wormhole will lead home, mentioning Null's name in the process. Copen remembers that Null herself became the teleporter terminal, then joins Kohaku in stepping into the wormhole.
In a flash of light, Copen, Lola, and Kohaku are back in their world. Copen looks on with a smile as Kohaku tearfully reunites with her sister and friends.
Hard Mode and True Ending
Only available after finding every Bonus Emblem in every stage. This unlocks a secret path in Hanging Gardens 2.
Finding a hidden passage, Copen follows it and falls into a room with a purple teleporter. In a flash of light, it activates and zaps Copen to its destination. The game will then return to the title screen, where Hard Mode is now accessible and has its own save files.
Following the teleport, Copen and Lola find themselves at the Pillar Outskirts once again. Unfortunately, some of Copen's systems are reading numerous errors, possibly as a result of the teleporter's functions. Nonetheless, Copen is determined to climb the Grave Pillar again to save Kohaku.
Fighting up the tower again, Copen is accosted by what appears to be Ypsilon with a blue-white color scheme instead of red and black. But this "Ypsilon" seems different, barely speaking a word beyond the occasional shout and when he activates his Skill, which surprisingly enough is the Azure Striker based Stellar Spark. Following the battle, Lola remarks that she couldn't get a single reading out of "Ypsilon" even with him right before their eyes, almost like he was a ghost. Copen is quick to remark how unscientific "ghosts" are.
After climbing all the way back to the teleporter room, Copen is once again confronted by "Ypsilon". Following another intense clash ending in Copen's victory, "Ypsilon" falls to a knee, his mask falling away to reveal his face looks a lot like Copen's. The man pleads for Copen to save Mother in his stead, for [she] cannot hear his voice anymore. He holds out a hand as Null's body begins to glow with white light, and vanishes with a final request to "stop her". Pix begins to flow from Null into Copen's Razor Wheel, which he realizes is the program for the teleporter. When the light finally subsides, Null is fully repaired and awake again. By some unexplained phenomenon, the Razor Wheel's black box became a repository for the teleporter program, and Null's consciousness data was restored. Null is confused as well, but offers her continued support in saving Kohaku.
Entering Mother's chambers in the Hanging Gardens, Copen sees a figure that looks vaguely like Kohaku proclaiming that nothing can stop her from destroying the world, the Workers, and herself. He guesses that Mother took over Kohaku's consciousness, and remarks that even in another world, he still has to deal with insane supervisory AIs. Promising to destroy Mother and take back Kohaku, Copen engages in combat.
After separating Mother from Kohaku's body and critically damaging her mainframe, Copen pulls Kohaku from her crystalline prison, which also drops a round object shortly before exploding. The round object turns out to be Mother's core, and looks suspiciously like Lola. In her final moments, Mother calls out to her Master, proclaiming her desire to see him again before shutting down. Null prays for Mother to rest in peace as the space distorts, turning from the ruins of Mother's mainframe to the verdant fields of the Hanging Gardens. Amidst the blue sky and petals floating in the wind, Copen, Lola, and Kohaku watch as the spirits of Mother and the Creator reunite and fly into the heavens. Gazing upwards, Lola asks Copen if machines like them have souls. Copen's response is a simple "...Good question..."
When Kohaku asks how they're going to get home since asking Mother turned out to be a bust, Null steps in saying she found a solution while acting as a teleporter. The teleporter actually has the functionality of connecting to other worlds via wormhole, so now that its program rests in Copen's Razor Wheel, he can simply use the Wheel to open a portal home. It's discussed that the Creator likely used this technology to traverse worlds, but perished along the way, eventually leading to the Blaster Rifle's wreck drifting into Copen's possession. While happy she could be of service, Null is sad to think that this means the three will leave to their homeworld. Kohaku quickly assures her that they'll come visit again, which is possible thanks to the Razor Wheel. Copen offers an alternative option by inviting Null to accompany them to their world. With the power of the Razor Wheel to go to any world imaginable, that also means countless worlds for Null to find her own mission, whether it be the Grave Pillar world, theirs, or any other world out there.
The last scene is of Copen, Lola, and Kohaku standing in front of the wormhole, looking back at Null with welcoming smiles.
Other Appearances
Blaster Master Zero 2
Copen appeared as the first DLC character in the Inti Creates game Blaster Master Zero 2, releasing on November 29th, 2019, and will be available as a free download until December 12th, 2019. His gameplay has been recreated faithfully from iX, including his Bullit Dash and EX Weapons. He also uses a modified version of Giant Lola as his Metal Attacker, although there is little reason to, as his own abilities are generally superior to the tank.
It seems this DLC is somehow semi-canon, as Blaster Master Zero protagonist Jason has one-sided knowledge about Copen and based his hover ability in BMZ3 on his. The broken blaster rifle picked up by Copen in the DLC campaign also becomes the basis for the story of Luminous Avenger iX 2 and is converted into the Razor Wheel, although Copen has no memory of how he got the rifle.
Some of Copen's EX Weapons and other skills are exclusive to either overworld or dungeon combat.
Gallery:
EX Weapon table:
| Skill | Overworld | Dungeon |
|---|---|---|
| Twin Shredder | No | Yes |
| Stellar Spark | Yes | Yes |
| Anchor Nexus | Yes | No |
| Orbital Edge | No | Yes |
| Photon Detonator | Yes | No |
| Muse's Kiss | No | Yes |
| Rising Cyclone | Yes | No |
| Shroud Spear | No | Yes |
| Ichor Hunter | Yes | No |
| Idol Trigger | Yes | Yes |
Card-en-Ciel
"I don't know or care what people call me."
"Then we'll just have to break through. I'll rip it open with my Razor Wheel. Stay back."
Copen is one of the nine characters from the first Luminous Avenger iX featured in the crossover roguelite card-battling RPG Card-en-Ciel and its iX1 game world, appearing as both cards and the final boss of the iX1 story dungeon. His iX2 version also appears as an enemy and the card "Colossal Maelstrom".
| Card | Character | Effect | Cost | Movement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Twin Shredder | Copen (iX1) | Deal damage equal to the number of tiles moved during this battle. [Memory Leak: Down] (Special: Deal damage equal to the number of tiles moved during this battle. Repeat this once more. [Memory Leak: Down x2]) |
1 | Up |
| Colossal Maelstrom | Copen (iX2) | [Action] 14 damage. If Action succeeds, do not consume [Damage+]. [Break Amp: 6] (Special: 48 damage. Does not consume [Damage+]. [Break Amp: 6]) |
1 | Right |
COGEN: Sword of Rewind
Copen appears as a DLC playable character in COGEN: Sword of Rewind as part of a collaboration between it and iX2. His gameplay actions are largely based on iX2, sans EX Weapons, although he can consecutively Bullit Dash and his Razor Wheel is generally stronger. Unlike the game's protagonist, Kohaku Otori, Copen can take multiple hits without dying, but is vulnerable to instant death traps.
Gallery:
Abilities and Equipment
As a Mino, Copen possesses no extraordinary skills or powers, instead being forced to rely on his own natural intelligence and the powerful inventions that he's developed, which help even the playing field against even the most powerful of Adepts.
Arguably Copen's greatest skill is his genius-level intellect. A engineer and scientist of the highest order, Copen can create devices that can rival and even surpass Septima, though he used his father's research as grounding. His inventions range from advanced weaponry to even true A.I, a feat he accomplished decades before the efforts of Gargantua.
In battle, Copen's fighting style is fast-paced and highly offensive. His White Tiger (ヴァイスティーガー Weiss Tiger) jacket not only considerably increases his defence, but allows him to achieve flight, though it is limited by the amount of Bullits (ブリッツ) he has left. Analysis of the Azure Striker helped him make the power generator smaller, too, reducing the overall weight, though the suit's output can exert forces beyond an unmodified human's tolerances. By dashing into his enemies, Copen can use his gun to assign a light marker to them and launch a flurry of homing shots. However, his most powerful weapons come from his EX Weapons, which are replicas of enemy Septima that he can use thanks to Lola, giving him the ability to wield a weaker version of an Adept's Septima. One of his most prominent abilities is Prevasion (カゲロウ Heat Haze), a damage nullifying defense based on the ability of augmented Azure Striker Adepts to shift their body to electrons and allow attacks to harmlessly pass through. Using this consumes Bullits, and it doesn't negate electric attacks.
In iX's timeline, Copen has never retrieved his original gun, the "Border", however, he has built a new sidearm called Divider (ディヴァイド), which is similar in design and utility to the former. In addition to boasting laser shots, it also features spikes on the underside of the barrel, granting limited melee capabilities.
In order to continue his endless campaign against Sumeragi, Copen at some point modified his own body to be mostly cybernetic. This not only helps him to withstand the intense g-force of his dashes, but has effectively made him ageless. It appears that as a consequence of this, he can no longer consume food or water.
After being sent to the Grave Pillar world by a wormhole, Copen converts the broken Blaster Rifle he was researching into the Razor Wheel (ブレイクホイール Break Wheel), a powerful close-range buzzsaw. Copen can either slash with a 3-button combo or hold it in front of himself to continually attack foes on the move, trigger certain level mechanics, or block certain projectiles. The giant buzzsaw at the end of a ground combo can also be held to deal more damage and block projectiles. If Copen tags an enemy with a Bullit Dash (or with a grounded dash when the Grounded Marking subroutine is equipped), he can hold the Razor Wheel button to continuously shoot homing razors at the enemy - though they take a moment to hit the target, unlike Divider's homing shots which hit instantly.
To maximize the Razor Wheel's effectiveness and using data on new world technology gained from Null, Copen modifies himself to have two configurations; Break Shift, a more heavily armored form focused on close-range combat, and Bullit Shift, an aerial form that lets him Bullit Dash and tag foes for homing shots. Break Shift also comes with a Recoil Dash that can destroy certain obstacles or push enemies and blocks. Unfortunately, due to needing to allocate energy and resources to Break Shift, Copen's Bullit Shift only allows him to Bullit Dash once before needing to land on the ground. If Overdrive is active, Copen can Bullit Dash consecutive times and regain charge by bouncing off foes and surfaces like in previous games.
Copen's remodeled armor is extremely durable. In addition to being able to equip the Hyper Guard ability that reduces damage from almost any attack to practically nothing as long as he stays still, even without it he is capable of enduring being engulfed by the magma flows in the Volcano Block, although that still causes high damage.
Additionally, in LAiX2, Copen does not have the ability to use Prevasion. The explanation is that in the peace that followed the battle with Sumeragi, Copen saw no need for the program and uninstalled it. He also had in mind how it had been countered a number of times. Moreover, Copen lacks the data and technology to try and recreate it on hand, and all the backups are back home.
Special Skills
Aside from copying the abilities of defeated bosses to use as EX Weapons, Copen has a powerful damage-dealing Skill available from the start in each game, as well as an on-demand healing Skill via Lola in Luminous Avenger iX 2.
- Twin Shredder (クロスディザスタ X-Ross Disaster): Copen's Special Skill in Luminous Avenger iX. It is similar to Shred Storm from Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, using both himself and Lola to destroy all on-screen enemies at once. Copen yells "Kimeru!" (決める！, I'll end this!) when activating the attack.
- CoLoSSAL MAELSTROM (XRoSS STROM): Copen's Special Skill in iX 2. Functionally, it's the same as Twin Shredder, but now Lola activates Darkness Trigger for a brief moment, joining Copen's Bullit Shift as they fly and slash the surroundings at high speeds.
- Healing: In Luminous Avenger iX 2, Copen can have Lola momentarily transform into Healing Mode to fully restore his HP. This ability is functionally similar to Copen's Healing Skill in Gunvolt 2, but has no cooldown whatsoever. The only drawback is that it banks Copen's Kudos upon use, making damage avoidance important for score-focused runs.
EX Weapons
Main page: EX Weapons
By fighting and defeating Adepts and analyzing their Septima, Copen can develop EX Weapons based off said Septima and install them into Lola, who uses them through the swarm of drones called "Bits" that surround Copen. Each EX Weapon is wholly different, with its own unique form, attacks, advantages and disadvantages. It's these weapons that serve as Copen's strongest tools in his crusade against Adepts.
In LAiX2, Copen and Lola lose access to all EX Weapons from the previous game (even Stellar Spark) save for Anchor Nexus. The in-universe explanation is that alongside Copen's Break Shift and Razor Wheel upgrades, Lola received some modifications herself, which unfortunately led to a compatibility error with the EX Weapons they had before. Of the various weapons, only Anchor Nexus was able to be optimized for regular use (even Darkness Trigger is relegated to activation during CoLoSSAL MAELSTROM). Fortunately, Lola is soon able to create new EX Weapons using data acquired from each of the Gravekeepers.
Special Skill Chants
Twin Shredder:
-
English
-
Japanese
-
Korean (with Eng tl)
Duel blades perform their
Fervorous dance, ready to
Strike with conviction
TWIN SHREDDER
(The chant is the same as the English version)
칼날이 날뛰는 두 사람의 윤무.
교차하는 찰나에 아로새겨지는
단죄의 표식은 누구를 위한 것인가…
The twin warriors dance with feverous blades.
And on the moment the two cross,
for who does the mark of judgement etch onto…?
X-ROSS DISASTER
Musical Themes
| Title | Context | Composer | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Mission (ファーストミッション) |
City Slums stage theme | Ryo Kawakami | |
| Battle Machine (ファーストミッション) |
iX1 Medium Bosses battle theme | Ryo Kawakami | |
| The Whereabouts of Serenity (安らぎの在処) |
iX1 home conversations | Ryo Kawakami | |
| Underground Hideout (地の下の隠れ家) |
iX1 mission select | Ryo Kawakami | |
| X | Copen's theme, a developed version of the title screen theme White Steel (Luminous Avenger) | Ryo Kawakami |
Sound master Ryo Kawakami's track notes:[7]
- First Mission
The BGM of the City Slums, this game’s opening stage. It incorporates emptiness and decadence, and since it’s Copen, I used a hard and edgy sound as axis. In terms of melody, I avoided using sparkling expression of emotions, and made it in the image of “iX” silently advancing through. I’d be glad if you noticed the phrases of “Judgment: Annihilation”* scattered (across the track).
*Battle theme of Copen in the main series.
- Battle Machine
The classical sudden turn (of events) BGM used across the series. It’s made so that complicated phrases get intertwined at high speeds; the image is that (Copen) is processing at high speed within his brain a plan to get out of this pinch.
- The Whereabouts of Serenity
The Talk Room BGM. My intention when making it was to make it a kind track, for the sake of these children living in such a harsh environment. This track focuses on the Minos children and so it prioritizes an acoustic echo. Copen and Lola take part, too, so I added a bit of mechanic tone too.
- The Underground Hideout
The base menu screen BGM. It’s the base of operations to head out to missions, but a hideout where you can relax a bit too. I tried to merge two opposite images, those of tension and relief. The screen design was made with Copen’s PoV in mind, so the arrangement has a mechanical direction to it, to be closer to Copen’s thematic.
- X
The end of the story concluded with this track, theme of iX. Turning Copen, the protagonist, into music, I sticked to enforce the objective image of “The White Steel iX” (Luminous Avenger iX), rather than Copen’s inner side. He wears a pure white steel armor and engraves the “iX” mark on his enemies, he’s a very strong warrior. The hope of the Minos. I valued a cool and heroic feeling… Yet, at the same time, I used a phrase from the “Silver Bullet of Revenge”* in the later half of the track. There are some odd parts to him as well but Copen is Copen. That’s it.
*Copen's encounter theme in the main series.
Trivia
- The reason Copen's Japanese voice actor Kosuke Masuo was replaced by Yuma Uchida is because the former chose to retire from voice acting and pursue other lines of work around the time Luminous Avenger iX began development.
- Copen has an alternative sprite and Skill art during the final battle with Demerzel showing his damaged camera-eye. There is currently no way to acquire this outside of the final boss.
- Copen's background is similar to Zero from the Mega Man Zero series, specifically both being legendary heroes who have wandered for at least a century and fights for the minority who they eventually will grow fond of.
- As the characters of Luminous Avenger iX 2 resemble ones from Mighty No. 9, particularly the Mighty Numbers, with Anchor Nexus as his default EX Weapon and the Recoil Dash, Copen most likely corresponds to Mighty No. 4, Seismic. (Both Ray in MN9 and Copen in Mighty Gunvolt Burst gain drill weapons from him.)
- Both Copen and Lola make a cameo in the New Year's postcard illustration for COGEN: Sword of Rewind.
- Despite appearing in his iX2 armor in COGEN, Copen is in his iX1 armor in the postcard.
- According to Gunvolt Info Office #17, iX Copen's Japanese nickname, the White Steel X (白き鋼鉄の
X ), is a reference to the sci-fi movie The Thing, which is titled Object X from a Planet (遊星からの物体X) in Japan.[8]
References
| Luminous Avenger iX 2 | |
|---|---|
| Main Pages | Game Page • Gallery • Soundtrack (RoRo Robotics Vox) • Credits • Story Scripts |
| Team Copen | Copen • Lola • Kohaku • Null |
| Boss Characters | Ypsilon • Dacite • Vespa • Autochrome • Brigade • Hail • Ace • The Creator • Mother Computer |
| Other Characters | Blade • Jin • Maria • Kyota • Medium Bosses • Common Enemies |
| DLC Boss Characters | Kohaku Otori • Yang Yumo • Jason Frudnick • Kurona • Kirin |
| Missions | Pillar Outskirts • Volcano Block • Jungle Block • Passage to Upper Stratum • Laboratory Block • Industrial Block • Arctic Block • Space Block • Passage to Top Floor • Entrance to Top Floor • Hanging Gardens • Hanging Gardens 2 • Versus Missions and Boss Rush |
| Songs | Command Prompt • Purification • Love's Sanctuary • Ready to Go! • Curiosity = Possibility! • You're Not Alone • Wordplay Magic• The New World |
| Story Elements | Workers • Grave Pillar |
| Gameplay Mechanics | Score and Kudos • Copen's EX Weapons • Abilities • Skills |