Elf (エルフ Erufu?) and Zwölf (ツヴェルフ Tsuvu~erufu?) (German for "eleven" and "twelve", respectively) are two of the surviving TUNED AR Series 2 androids. Originally known as AR-11 and AR-12, respectively, they were the only ones to escape Sechs' killing spree on the surface against her fellow replicas following the collapse of the Ground Investigation Bureau (GIB).
Appearance
Like all members of the TUNED AR Series 2 Elf and Zwölf are identical in appearance to Alita with the exception of their respective numbers, 11 and 12, on their foreheads. In a similar manner as Sechs, each has a TR-55 artificial life form that houses their brain bio-chips and can usually be found perched on their shoulders. Elf's is Kimpi, while Zwölf's i Kimpo.
The pair tend to dress in a much more feminine manner than Alita. When they first appeared they wore dark matching dresses which emphasized their figures, what they likely wore when they worked as singers in Barjack City. For the Tenth Zenith of Things Tournament (ZOTT) they wore bunny suits with the exception of the Round 2 match against the Starship Cult, when they dressed identically to Alita to cover for her while she infiltrated Melchizedek. Following this they reverted to the bunny suits, with Elf adding sunglasses.
Personality
They are inseparable and generally act together like twins, although they call each other best friends. Unlike Sechs, they seem perfectly happy with who they are and what they have become, and go along happily and carefree. In contrast to the rest of the AR Series and in particular Sechs, their personalities have greatly mellowed, becoming much less aggressive. They actually prefer not to fight unless they believe that they are guaranteed to win, but have no qualms with using violence when they need to. During the Tenth Zenith of Things Tournament they effectively withdrew from the team after Round 2 by refusing to participate further. A disadvantage that the pair faces is that they lack the initiative and drive to come up with new strategies if their initial plans fail, thus they tend to lose heart during a difficult or prolonged fight. Unlike Alita, Elf and Zwölf are much more feminine and much less serious, providing an element of comic relief.
Relationships
Elf and Zwölf get along with Alita, although they barely interact with her, Ping Wu, or Yani and Derossi. They interact more with Sechs but have tended to get on his nerves with their antics. Nonetheless, he was concerned about them in Round 1, as he had developed more compassion and empathy. They were highly loyal to Nova II.
Abilities
- Main article: Wire Work
As members of the TUNED AR Series 2 Elf and Zwölf have an understanding of Panzer Kunst reflecting what Alita had recalled up through her time as a TUNED agent. However after becoming autonomous they have largely abandoned it as a fighting style. They instead use a paired method of fighting termed Wire Work that uses coordinated attacks based around mono-molecular wire.
History
During their brief career as TUNED agents, AR-11 and AR-12 were assigned to anti-Barjack operations by GIB chief Bigott Eizenburg. Following the collapse of the GIB, at some point they met and decided to cooperate, becoming singers at Barjack City. They survived their run in with Sechs and succeeded in dismembering her right arm with a mono-molecular wire trap. Sechs subsequently abandoned her goal of trying to kill them.
Plot
A year later, Nova II located them and recruited them to be his bodyguards, taking them along with Sechs and Deckman 100 to Tiphares. After being trapped in cube polymers by Aga Mbadi, they were rescued by Ping Wu but not released from the polymers until after arriving on Leviathan I. Here they were shown joining Martin Tsang in his jacuzzi and playfully splashing each other. The two partnered with Alita and Sechs in forming the Space Angels to compete in the Tenth Zenith of Things Tournament (ZOTT).
The pair performed well during the Preliminaries, after which they sang for Ping at the Metageitnion Restaurant. In Round 1 their attempt to attack Getz from behind was foiled by Koen and were on the verge of giving up, but Sechs refused to surrender. Using a combination attack, they were able to trap Koen, who Sechs used to bypass Getz's electromagnetic barrier with his Titan Blade to take both down. When Qu Tsang appeared Elf was able to knit a scarf out of mono-molecular wire using emei piercers. They tried to use the scarf to trap Tsang, but she was able to turn it against them by quickly disabling them simultaneously.
During Round 2, Elf and Zwölf disguised themselves as "Dark Alita" (Zwölf) and "White Alita" (Elf) to cover up for the original Alita's mission to infiltrate Melchizedek. They fell to Darbhanga's hypnotism but he was killed by a wire trap they had laid. After Springfoot Jack appeared he swiftly hypnotized them both and tricked Elf into blowing her head off with a .500 Magnum in a rigged game of Russian roulette. Zwölf attempted to flee, but was hypnotized and took the form of a human boomerang which was used against Sechs before being knocked into the arena floor.
Following the match Elf was repaired, but both stopped participating in the ZOTT, forcing Sechs to fight alone in the Quarterfinal, although he had no problems with the Wild Guns. Afterwards they wiped out the three High Order troops who attacked Ping inside the Space Angels' base.
The night before the Finals they were confronted by Rakan, who savagely tore them to pieces to relieve his anxiety and took their mono-molecular wire, but left both Kimpi and Kimpo intact. At the beginning of the Finals Zazie confronted Rakan about this, which he confirmed by describing how nervous he was, which led him to release his pre-match anxiety on the two. However Kimpi and Kimpo both survived the attack and the near destruction of the arena during the Finals.
Months later Elf and Zwölf were repaired by Yani and helped Deckman 100 seize power in Robo-Asyl by dismembering Landa Nam Nam.
References
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