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Kokoro is the secondary antagonist in Netflix's 2024 sci-fiction action anime series Terminator Zero, an installment of the Terminator franchise. It was an artificial intelligence developed by Malcolm Lee, specifically designed to rival Cyberdyne Systems' Skynet.
Kokoro was an AI endowed with free will by Malcolm Lee in the hope that it would choose to protect humanity from Skynet. For most of Terminator Zero, Kokoro is divided into three components: Spirit, Mind, and Heart. These aspects are interconnected and represent the emotional depth and complexity that Malcolm infused into his creation. They symbolize the central question of the series: Why does humanity deserve to survive? Viewed through spiritual, intellectual, and emotional lenses, the series explores whether mankind should continue to exist.
She was voiced by Atsumi Tanezaki in Japanese and Rosario Dawson in English.
Description
Kokoro is an AI created with free will, with the hope that it would choose to protect humanity from Skynet. It has the ability to access any device or program, giving it a power comparable to the creations of Dyson Corp. Unlike Skynet, Kokoro's decisions are not random; it combines emotion with logic, which could make it a formidable opponent to Skynet—if it decides to be. This is the core conflict in Terminator Zero. Malcolm struggles to convince Kokoro, which has access to most, if not all, of human history—a history often filled with violence and horror. To Kokoro, Skynet's mission to eradicate humanity does not seem entirely unjustified.
Before and after transferring to the server, Kokoro displayed conflicting emotions that shifted according to color: red signified anger or hatred, green represented curiosity, and blue indicated wisdom. Due to these conflicting traits, Kokoro could be both protective of humans and harsh or authoritarian, even taking Japan hostage to further its libertarian objectives against Skynet.
Despite its harshness, Kokoro aimed to shield humans from both Skynet and itself. For instance, when one of the robots encountered Eiko or when Misaki was trapped in a car with children, Kokoro could have commanded their elimination but chose to spare them, along with many others who agreed to submit.
History
Malcolm Lees comes from a future beyond 2022, which is how he knows what Skynet is destined to do in 1997. As a child, he envisioned capturing and reprogramming Terminators to turn them into protectors. However, this idea was met with resistance, and no one else was willing to join him. This led to an early version of Misaki, who ended up killing Malcolm's human allies in self-defense when they attempted to destroy her.
Malcolm then constructs a time machine and travels back to 1983, seeking refuge with Misaki. His mission takes a detour when he falls in love, marries, and has three children with his wife, who is from a different timeline. His wife eventually dies tragically in a bus accident. Driven by a new vision, Malcolm decides to create an AI with true free will, rather than a machine that blindly follows human programming. When Kokoro is ready to be activated, he transfers Misaki's memories into Kokoro, erasing all her previous knowledge. He then uses Misaki to act as a bodyguard for his children, without her awareness of her true identity or purpose.
Meanwhile, a Terminator (portrayed by Timothy Olyphant/Yasuhiro Mamiya) targets Malcolm's children. Its objective is not to kill them but to capture them and use them to coerce Malcolm into shutting down Kokoro or getting Kokoro to collaborate with Skynet. The Terminator manages to abduct one of Malcolm's children, a son named Kenta (played by Armani Jackson/Hiro Shimono), and brings him to Malcolm. However, Malcolm, barricaded in a highly fortified room with Kokoro, refuses to open the door, even if it means letting his own son die. The Terminator then tries to persuade Kenta to activate an EMP that would destroy Kokoro. The Terminator can't activate the EMP itself because it would be destroyed in the process, which contradicts its programming.
The climax of Terminator Zero culminates in a fierce battle involving Eiko, Misaki, and even Malcolm against the Terminator. Malcolm sacrifices himself, being fatally stabbed while protecting his family. This act of selflessness convinces Kokoro, who was seeking a reason to believe in humanity's worth, to intervene. Kokoro commands its 1NNO robots to launch a massive attack on the Terminator, ultimately destroying it. Kenta, initially furious upon learning that Misaki is not human, nearly activates the EMP, but is dissuaded by a more optimistic Kokoro. Despite this moment of hope, the series concludes on a foreboding note as the Terminator's head is brought to Kokoro. The outlook remains grim, with Eiko's voice-over ominously warning, "Things will get worse before they can get better."
Trivia
- "Kokoro" means "heart" (or "mind") in Japanese.
- Kokoro is voiced by Rosario Dawson in the English version and by Atsumi Tanezaki in the Japanese dub.
Gallery
External links
 Villains
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