WARNING: Spoilers ahead for Terminator Zero.
Terminator Zero, the latest entry in theTerminatorfranchise, included a storyline that I’ve always wanted to see ever since I watchedThe Terminator. WhileJames Cameron’sTerminatormoviesincluded incredible action and groundbreaking visual effects, they were also fascinating sci-fi stories. Despite their confusing and often inconsistent time travel rules, bothThe TerminatorandTerminator 2: Judgment Dayset the bar high for sci-fi movies and continue to inspire filmmakers decades later. Netflix’sTerminatoranime is a great example of how those movies remain a source of inspiration for storytellers and artists all over the world.
WhileTerminator Zeroincluded a lot of recognizableTerminatorelements– including but not limited to portions oftheTerminatortheme– it also featured some interesting new ideas. The basis of the story was not that different from the movies – both Skynet and the resistance had sent agents to the past – but the inclusion of a new A.I. that was powerful as Skynet offered a new dynamic. Malcolm Lee’s Kokoro was arguably the most important of theTerminator Zerocharacters, and its origin story was only revealed midway through the show.
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Terminator Zero’s Misaki Is A Robot Who Thought They Were Human
Misaki’s Memory Was Erased Shortly After They Arrived In The Past
Kokoro was not Malcolm Lee’s first creation inTerminator Zero. Born in 2024, Malcolm was raised in a time of war and realized thatSkynet and humanitywere trapped in an endless loop of time-travel missions that always led to the same outcome. Eager to break that cycle,Malcom theorized that the only thing that could stop Skynet was another artificial intelligence.However, to avoid this new A.I. going rogue like Skynet did, Malcom decided not to give it any original programming. This artificial intelligence was going to be free to choose its name, purpose, and everything else.
One of the biggest problems with newerTerminatormovies is how they keep recycling characters and concepts from the original films.
That is how Misaki was born. She and Malcolm continued to work together and eventually went back in time, going against the resistance’s orders. However, for the next step of his plan, Malcom had to remove Misaki’s memories and use them as the basis for the Kokoro system. Now without any memories,Misaki became Malcom’s housekeeper, never knowing who really she was.I’ve always wanted to see aTerminator, or at least a robot, who didn’t know they weren’t human.Terminator Zero’s Misaki story delivers just that, with Misaki only realizing she is synthetic after encountering the Terminator.
The Terminator Anime Proves The Movies Can Still Have New Ideas
Terminator Zero Is Nostalgic But Full Of New Ideas
One of the biggest problems with newerTerminatormovies is how they keep recycling characters and concepts from the original films. While referencing or acknowledging what came before isn’t an issue, theTerminatormovie franchise has arguably become a parody of itself. Between the T-800’s consecutive returns and now knowing what to do with John Connor, it’s clear thatTerminatorneeds fresh ideas.Terminator Zeroproves it can be done, even though the anime is also very nostalgic.
Malcolm Lee is the son of Eiko, although the version of Eiko traveled back in time in 2022, two years before she gave birth to a child in a previous timeline.
Terminator Zerodoes not include any characters from the movies and makes us care about the new heroes and villains. This is something the most recentTerminatorfilms struggled to do, namely because they could never fully move on from the likes of the T-800 or the Connor family. As one of the most famous movie franchises of all time,Terminatorhas an interesting enough sandbox in which new stories can be told without the necessity to recycle old ideas.
