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Kars evolving into the "Ultimate Being"
Kars (カーズ, Kāzu) is the main antagonist of Battle Tendency.
Kars is the leader of the Pillar Men, and the designer of the Stone Mask. His goal is to evolve further to become immune to the sun's rays, and thus he seeks the Red Stone of Aja to empower his Masks, battling the Ripple users for its possession.
As the creator of the Stone Masks and Vampires, Kars is one of the more influential characters in the series, his invention having far reaching repercussions for a number of major characters such as Dio Brando, the Joestar Family and the Zeppeli Family.
Kars takes the appearance of a tall, very well-built man. He has elegant, relatively feminine facial features, and a much lighter complexion than the other Pillar Men. He has long, dark, wavy hair; which he keeps under a dark, tight head-wrap (taking it off as a sign of either honor or aggression).
He is otherwise minimally dressed, wearing high boots, forearm guards, a thong, and a flowing loincloth. When attacking, he produces long, shimmering blades from his forearms.
While travelling to Italy, Kars dons a fedora and a longcoat in order to appear less conspicuous.
Initially, he appears to be the most aloof and no-nonsense of the Pillar Men, rarely smiling and often being the one who has to remind the other two of their ultimate objective. Kars is obsessed with the Red Stone of Aja, and is willing to trample anyone in his way, no matter how dishonorable the method. With the advantage of his resilience and immortality, Kars is a methodical and patient individual, advancing his pawns carefully, planning several moves ahead. Unaffected by setback, he will relentlessly struggle to win.
Still, Kars possesses a murderous and sadistic nature. He has stated that a life without an enemy is boring and has shown to enjoy fights occasionally, even though he only really appreciates seeing his enemies being in a weak position and panicking, and often licks his lips in anticipation of their demise. Kars also came across as mockingly polite, as he offered Lisa Lisa poison in order to die on her own terms. These tendencies only become more clear when he attains his ultimate form, and is seen to thoroughly enjoy his status as the most powerful lifeform on Earth.
Kars reveals himself a power-hungry Pillar Man, fixated on controlling the full potential of his body and the idea of resting "at the top". When he discovered that the Pillar Men's brain held untapped potential, much like humans, Kars wanted to control it. That obsession made him build the Stone Masks and look of the Red Stone of Aja. The fact that the rest of his tribe didn't want to "conquer the sun" as he wished, albeit they were fearing that Kars would kill every lifeform on Earth in his attempt, enraged him.
Kars keeps an ambiguous relationship toward those around him. He expresses himself to care deeply for Esidisi and Wamuu despite slaughtering his own parents and people while considering Santana as nothing but a simple guard dog. That attachment to Esidisi was also a catalyst for Kars expressing a murderous rage towards his comrade's killer Joseph Joestar, only acting on it once he achieved his Ultimate form. Kars also seems to certain respect for nature and animals, as he killed a drunk driver who threatened to hit a puppy, and when he fell off a cliff, and he deliberately complicated an otherwise-simple landing to avoid falling on a flower. However, he does later attack a squirrel when testing his Ultimate Form's abilities and is said to have threatened an entire ecosystem fueling his Stone Masks. Thus Kars holds a certain amount of affections, but those affections always come second to his goals.
Kars was born when his people became to decline as a result of their dwindling population, wanting his kind to strive for perfection and "tame the sun". This motivated Kars to create the Stone Masks to evolve his kind, using it on human subjects. While the masks unlock humanity potential at the cost of becoming vampires, Kars learns the masks cannot penetrate a Pillar Man's skull to unlock its full potential. Instead, it only results in increased body manipulation at the cost of greatly increased hunger.
The other Pillar Men felt Kars's obsession would threaten their way of life and the world, seeking to execute him for everyone's sake. Kars was shown protesting their actions before being forced to slaughter the race of Pillar Men himself, including his own parents. Along with Esidisi, one of the only members of his race who agreed with his ideals, Kars leaves while taking two of the last remaining children who would become Santana and Wamuu. Eventually, Kars learns of the Red Stone of Aja which he believed would perfect the Stone Mask. He developed a modified version of the mask that could combine with a flawless Super Aja, leaving Santana behind while he and the others travel across the sea to Europe. There, during the time of the Roman Empire, Kars finds a Super Aja in the possession of a Roman Emperor. But he was blocked from his goal by a tribe of Hamon users whom he decimated before he and his comrades were forced to hibernate under the Roman Colosseum.
Kars is introduced as the leader of the Pillar Men, getting attacked by Wamuu after stepping on his shadow and apologizing for having forgotten that trait. After Joseph's initial defeat, Kars and the other Pillar Men set off to find the location of the Red Stone of Aja, but eventually settle in an abandoned mansion in San Moritz, Switzerland. Having found a lead to the stone, Esidisi had planned to contact Kars after retrieving it, but was promptly defeated by Joseph instead. With no phone call, Kars assumes something amiss and sets off to Italy to handle things himself.
At the border between Switzerland and Italy, he is confronted by Rudol von Stroheim and almost effortlessly defeats him after some struggle. At the same time, Kars is able to retrieve the stone, but has it taken from him by Joseph after a short mingle off a cliff. Kars travels back to San Moritz, where he is eventually confronted by Joseph and Lisa Lisa. He agrees to have a fair fight with Lisa Lisa at the nearby ruins, but ultimately tricks her during their fight with a doppelgänger and steals the stone from her, leaving her unconscious.
This immediately enrages Joseph, who battles Kars but is continually trapped in a dilemma where Kars pierces Lisa Lisa's feet and strings a rope through the wounds, forcing Joseph to grab the rope to stop her from falling. An overconfident Kars approaches as Joseph lights his scarf on fire and attacks, but falls from the beam clutching the rope as Kars severs it to finish off Lisa Lisa. However, this is revealed to have been Joseph's intentional setup, as he drew Kars' attention to his upper body while he arranged the loop of rope with his legs below, tricking him into stepping into the loop and forcing him to keep his opponents above the spikes below. Kars faces Joseph in a final standoff with his arm blade, but is soundly beaten as Joseph's Ripple breaks the blade and wounds his arm, knocking him off the railing and into the spikes below. Stroheim and his Nazi troops arrive along with Speedwagon, Smokey and the Speedwagon Foundation Special Forces. Stroheim gloats over Kars before ordering his troops to finish the Pillar Man off.
But Kars manages to don his modified Stone Mask with the Super Aja in place as the Nazis unleash the full barrage of their ultraviolet light on Kars. The ultraviolet light activates the mask and enables him to enter his ultimate form, displaying his new-found power by briefly detaching his hand as a flesh-eating squirrel and then standing in the sunlight while his remaining vampire minions are instantly destroyed. Kars then proceeds to act on his murderous intent on Joseph's life as the human lures him away from the others in a German airplane, using it to force Kars into a volcano in hopes that the magma can kill him.
But Kars evolved a continuous and inorganic porous material to protect himself while digging his way out and slicing Joseph's arm off. He then developed his own Hamon, the energy potent enough to melt human flesh, deciding to use it to kill Joseph out of poetic justice. But Joseph unconsciously defends himself by using the Super Aja to redirect Kars's Hamon into the ground. This causes an eruption that blasts the land the two fighters are on into the air, Kars about to fly off before Joseph distracts him with her severed forearm long enough to be knocked out of Earth's orbit by volcanic debris.
Kars prepares to return to Earth by ejecting the built-up air within his body for proposion. Only for the air to freeze on its way out while causing Kars to drift further away from the planet as his entire body begins to freeze from the near-absolute zero temperature. Due to his immortality as he drifted off into deep space, Kars could only wish for death's release before he ceased thinking.
Light Mode (光の
Bodily Manipulation: As with the other Pillar Men, Kars also has the same body manipulation capabilities shared by his companions. When he gains the power of the Red Stone, Kars' bodily manipulation abilities are enhanced to the genetic level, to the point where he is capable of reactive evolution. Kars was also shown to be able to mutate parts of his body into various living creatures and control them accordingly whilst in his ultimate form.
Ultimate Form Abilities: As the Ultimate Life Form (
Wamuu: Along with Santana, Kars raised him along with Esidisi. While Kars respected Wamuu's ability as a fighting genius he showed no respect for his honor and thought he was too pure to be a warrior.
Santana: Along with Wamuu, Kars raised him along with Esidisi. Unlike Wamuu however, Kars had no respect for Santana and abandoned him when he couldn't keep up with them.
Joseph Joestar: Kars was just one of the Pillar Men to defeat in Joseph's eyes. The former was annoyed by the latter's tendency to use unpredictable tactics, until the former cheated in his duel with Lisa Lisa and dishonoring the pride of his comrades in the process. He then came to intensely hate the Pillar Man for his underhanded methods and once he became the Ultimate Life Form, Joseph made great efforts in order to defeat him. Kars responded by cutting off Joseph's arm and it ended in Joseph unintentionally sending Kars out into space, but not before mocking him one last time.
Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli: As the man who created the stone masks, Kars is essentially responsible for the deaths of Caesar's father, grandfather and great-grand father.
Kars makes his first appearance as a playable character in the PS3 title; he was confirmed alongside Rohan Kishibe. In the English release of the game, Kars' Lightblades are called "Shining Sabres" (keeping the alliteration of the Japanese name). Since Kars never exactly fought extensively in Part 2, most of his normal attacks consist of regular punches and kicks. Along with Wamuu and Esidisi, Kars uses the Mode style as part of his moveset, which allows him to temporarily boost his strength and performance among other things, at the cost of the Heart Heat Gauge.
During a fight, Kars can use several different attacks that were featured in Battle Tendency.
By spending his Heart Heat Gauge, Kars can activate Light Mode in order to not only increase the overall damage of his moves, but exclusive to him, make his Lightblade attacks unblockable. This mode lasts until the HHG empties, but can be extended through dealing or taking damage, as well as ended at any time in conservation.
Expending a stock of the HHG grants Kars access to Shining Sabres Mode, strengthening his abilities even further, increasing the range of Lightblade-based skills, and improving his ability to follow up on attacks. This mode is on a set timer, and will end when the stock is used up.
Kars' HHA, simply titled "Shining Sabres", has him lick his Lightblade before unleashing a large array of slashes done in a single movement of his arm. If they successfully hit, Kars moves past the opponent in a samurai-esque fashion and brings his arm down. After a short delay, the opponent suffers a final, gashing blow. Kars may perform his HHA while Shining Sabres Mode is active, regardless of how much of the Heart Heat Gauge he has left. Doing so however, will drop his HHG to zero.
Kars' GHA, "I am the ultimate life form!", has him use the Stone Mask (in combination with the Red Stone of Aja) to attempt to turn into the Ultimate Life Form. Kars, wearing the mask, will slowly rise to his feet. If the animation fully plays out uninterrupted by the opponent, the mask shatters, and Kars gains a completely new array of moves (it is also one of the longest and most difficult GHA to fully activate, taking about 5 seconds to complete).
Once his GHA is successful, Kars is dubbed as "Kars (Ultimate Life Form)" for the rest of the battle and gains a whole new moveset capable of dealing more overall damage than his previous state.
Ultimate Life Form Kars is not entirely infallible. If he falls victim to Kosaku-Kira's Bites the Dust GHA, Kars will revert back to his original form. He is also permanently unable to use his HHA, or enter Light Mode and Shining Sabres Mode.
Kars also appears on the stage "The Battlefield" as a background character along with Lisa Lisa. If Wamuu is one of the combatants ingame, Kars will brag about Wamuu's strength. This is assuming that Kars himself is not part of the fight.
Kars also possesses two alternate costumes, the first one being the attire he usually wears and is seen in for the first half of his presence in Battle Tendency (the veil that covers his long hair), and the second one being the overcoat and large hat he wore in Switzerland, in his fight against Stroheim.
Kars appears as one of the several Part 2 characters who possesses a Metal Striker. His Finish Move consists of him using his Light Blades and cutting the opponent's defeated Metal Striker.
Kars returns as a playable character in Eyes of Heaven, confirmed alongside Wamuu and Esidisi.
As a Pillar Man, Kars has the special ability Switch Mode, exclusive to the Mode style. His specific Mode is Light Mode. He is also able to stand and walk on the spike pit in the Air Supplena Island stage without taking damage (though he will still take extra damage if knocked down onto the spikes). Of special note is that he has the fastest movement speed of any character.
While in Ground Mode:
While in Flight Mode:
Unlike the previous game, his main color scheme is now based on his anime appearance.
He is paired with Pet Shop in the Eyes of Heaven Tournament. They defeat Pannacotta Fugo and Noriaki Kakyoin in the first round, and Dio Brando and Joseph in the second. In the semifinals, they defeated Jotaro Kujo and Kakyoin in the first round, and Jotaro and DIO in the second. Ultimately, the team wins the Tournament, defeating Jolyne Cujoh and Gyro Zeppeli in the final round.
Kars evolving into the "Ultimate Being"
Kars challenges Joseph to an ancient chariot battle with Wamuu
Kars in the BLOODY STREAM opening
Kars obscured with Esidisi in the ending credits (Episode 14)
Kars fully revealed in the ending credits (Episode 15 - 18)
Kars in the ending credits moved leftward after Esidisi dies (Episode 19 - 22)
Kars as the last Pillar Man alive, centered in the ending credits (Episode 23 onwards)
Kars' render, All-Star Battle
Kars executing his HHA, ASB
Kars Costume A in All-Star Battle
Kars Costume B in All-Star Battle
All-Star Battle concept art
Ultimate Lifeform All-Star Battle concept art
Kars, along with other main antagonists, in All-Star Battle
Kars' render, Eyes of Heaven
Ultimate Life Form render, '!Eyes of Heaven
Supernatural Beings | |
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Vampires | |
Zombies and other Undead | |
Pillar Men | |
Ghosts | |
Rock Organisms (Rock Humans) | |
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Ripple Users | |
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Battle Tendency Characters | |
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JoJo's Bizarre Adventure | |
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Thus Spoke Kishibe Rohan | |
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