No. 3, one of the elite Puppet Soldiers
Puppet Soldiers (also called automated puppet fighters) were the product of an extensive, secret program designed to create perfect, emotionless fighters. The resulting army was under the direct supervision of the Commander,[1] though they reported to Yumeji Hisaomi (under another name) during the Commander's periods of inactivity.
Recruitment[]
The evaluation process
Among Michiru's main duties was the gathering of very young ability users to fill the program's ranks. This was easily done: most children associated with the Shadow Organization had no background or family ties, and therefore were not missed when abducted.Masamori Sumimura reveals that some of these missing children did in fact belong to the Night Troop.[2] Other than having supernatural powers, the only known requirement was that all the children had to be male. Kakeru was taken because Michiru mistook her for a boy, but was allowed to stay once she proved herself useful in other ways.[3] Following the initial recruitment phase, Michiru evaluted each child's potential with a spell.[4]
Reset[]
Children approved through the evaluation process would undergo a brainwashing process, essentially having all of their memories erased and "reset" to zero.[2] This was done to purge information considered useless for combat purposes. Children were assigned numbers rather than names.[1] As a result of this process, children tended to lack communication skills and basic humanity, and were intended to be loyal to their masters.[2]
Training[]
No. 3 prepared to take his own life on command
After the reset, the children began an extensive training process where a "battle circuit" was inserted.[5] Their powers were exerted to the maximum, and their weaknesses were fixed and reconstructed through training. The ultimate goal was to complete ability development before emotions could develop. Afterward, the subjects would ideally be able to use their power without being impeded by feelings.[2]
Selection[]
No. 1 and No. 0
At some point during the training there was a selection phase, where especially talented subjects were promoted to the final stage. These subjects were renamed with numbers a second time, though the new number seemed to indicate their elevated ranking in the program and individual strength, with No. 0 being the strongest, and No. 1 being the second strongest.[5]They also received greater trust and responsibilities, such as difficult solo missions, or protecting Michiru and Kakeru in the field. However, the new rank is not a fixed indicator of overall ability as was once implied: No. 3 vanished five years after his reset, and was supposedly raised to feel emotion, though in a limited capacity.[2] He later proves capable of not only holding his own against those of a higher rank, but seriously wounding them in some cases. Despite this, he still recognizes Zero and One as having authority over him, which seems to be true of all subjects.
Former Program Members[]
Leaders[]
- Nichinaga Oumi - Commander
- Yumeji Hisaomi (Gyoku, 玉) - Commander
- Michiru - Overseer
- Kakeru - Michiru's Assistant