Asimov (Azure Striker Gunvolt)

Kill all the world's non-Adepts to make an empire for Adepts alone (both failed)

### Crimes

Attempted genocide
Murder
Terrorism

### Type of MB

Genocidal Mastermind

**Asimov** is the hidden main antagonist of *Azure Striker Gunvolt*. Leading the SHEEPS division of the freedom-fighting Adept terrorist group, QUILL, he acts as a mentor and father figure while getting Gunvolt to dismantle Sumeragi to pave the way for his own goal - to take over Sumeragi and use its influence to create a paradise for Adepts, where they can rule over humans as superior.

He was voiced by Masashi Yukita in the Japanese versions of all the games, and by Maxwell Powers in the English dub of the OVA, as well as in his appearance in the English version of *Azure Striker Gunvolt 3*.

## What Makes Him Magnificent?

* His vocal performance by Masashi Yukita and Maxwell Powers (in *3*) is very well done, serving to make him feel more imposing.
* He has a calm, collected and somewhat quirky personality, shown in subtle ways that don't detract from his magnificence, like his fascination with ninjas and his humorous mid-stage dialogue.
* Has enough charisma to inspire loyalty and respect in the rest of the SHEEPS team, with Gunvolt seeing him as a father figure while Moniqa has a crush on him. He is also genuinely affable, even after his true colours are revealed.
* Taught Gunvolt how to use his Septima, lessons that were evidently very effective considering how powerful he is shown to be.
* He is motivated by a genuine tragedy. He was a part of the torturous Project Gunvolt, just like GV and Nova, and like the former, he was deemed compatible with the Azure Striker Septima, but unlike GV, Asimov's was too strong for him to fully control it. He was thrown aside and treated like a defective experiment, subjected to all sorts of horrible experiments as a lab rat, until one day he snapped and killed all the scientists working on the project, which, given the above, they more than deserved.
* Successfully manipulates Gunvolt into taking down Sumeragi's leaders, paving the way for Asimov to begin his plans for Adept supremacy.
* Before confronting GV, he meets and fights Copen, powering through Copen's Septima-restraining bullets to defeat him. He then takes his gun, knowing that its Greed Snatcher rounds can neutralise GV in the event that he rejects his offer.
* Makes a genuine attempt to recruit Gunvolt to his cause, only betraying him when he refuses, and his intentions are clearly genuine as he wants GV to be the one to lead his Adept empire, as opposed to seizing power for himself. It is also stated that he likes Moniqa, since he views her as the only human who genuinely cares about Adept rights.
* His boss fights, particularly the one in *Azure Striker Gunvolt 3*, show skilful use of his gun, the Greed Snatcher rounds, and his Azure Striker Septima, showing versatile uses that Gunvolt himself cannot do.
* Spends his last words praising Gunvolt for his strength, giving him a warning that humans and Adepts will always continue to fight, and one way or another, GV *will* be caught in the crossfire, a warning that comes to pass in the games to come.

## What Makes Him a Baddie?

* His goal is the genocide of humankind, wanting to create an empire for Adepts alone.
* Manipulated Gunvolt into dismantling Sumeragi's leadership, bringing chaos to Japan, which he would use to rise up and take over Sumeragi and begin his conquest.
* Even before his villain reveal, he insisted that Gunvolt kills Joule even after he found out that Joule was a human child, not a program like they initially believed.
* In both endings, when Gunvolt refuses to go along with his plan, he kills Joule and attempts to kill Gunvolt (who is fourteen), succeeding in the Bad Ending and only failing in the Good Ending thanks to Joule's Pendant protecting GV. He then attempts to kill him again after GV confronts him.

## Trivia

* Asimov is, currently, the only villain from *Azure Striker Gunvolt* to be a Magnificent Baddie.
* His *Luminous Avenger iX* incarnation is not considered a Magnificent Baddie, due to a number of factors, such as his hatred of humans losing all sympathetic qualities, his deeds being far too heinous, and overall being far too mentally unstable.

## External Links

* Asimov at the Villains Wiki.
* Asimov at the Inconsistently Heinous Wiki.
* Asimov at the Azure Striker Gunvolt Wiki.
* Demerzel at the Azure Striker Gunvolt Wiki.
* His *Luminous Avenger iX* incarnation at the Pure Evil Wiki.