Kazu Iida/History

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* **History**
* Relationships
* Gallery

## Background

Kazu was born to Toshiro Iida and Zariku Iida. He grew up in the Shinjuku district in Tokyo, Japan. He learned to play guitar on rooftops as a kid using the songs of the Japanese band Gekirin. In 2053, he kissed a girl named Ashley Amano while on his oceanography field trip. 3 years later they climbed to the top of the Big Wall, tagged it and shared a kiss. In 2059, Ashley became upset that Kazu forgot her birthday, causing her to break his heart by some manner.

At some point Kazu joined the Japanese Self-Defense Forces. Kazu later served as a mobile gunner in the Vanguard's armor division, and held the rank of sergeant. However, after multiple acts of insubordination that cost him his unit's respect, he was demoted to cook.

Sometime after the fall of New York City, Kazu passed the "Weller Test" and was identified as one of the few people in the world with gen:LOCK compatibility. He was eventually transferred to the Anvil to join with Rufus Weller and the Experimental Science Unit to further the project, much to the delight of his unit, who wanted him gone.

## *gen:LOCK*

### Arrival at the Anvil

After apparently sleeping most of the way there, Kazu arrives at the Anvil with Cameron MacCloud, Valentina Romanyszyn and Rob Sinclair. The group is greeted by Doctor Weller, his robotic assistant Caliban and the first two gen:LOCK recruits: Julian and Yasamin Madrani. Kazu complains about Caliban's rough handling of his guitar and bemoans the long journey he has taken when it is revealed there is no guarantee he will stay. Afterward, he is taken into the Anvil.

Later, the team suits up in their new combat suits, during which Kazu complains about the tightness of his, they are taken to a waiting room where. After a short period of time, personnel suddenly burst into the room with intent to arrest Rob, who has been replaced by a Union spy. The spy quickly dispatches the personnel with Nanotech and makes to escape. Kazu attempts to stop him by leaping after him with the combat suit's enhanced strength, but it unfortunately causes him to overshoot and he ends up slamming into a wall, briefly incapacitating him. After recovering, Kazu and the others follow the spy to Doctor Weller's work space, just in time to see the spy unsuccessfully attempt to upload into a Holon, dying in the process.

### Second Birthday

After the spy's body is removed, Kazu, Cammie, and Valentina show hesitance towards uploading. While Weller leaves to deal with Raquel Marin, Kazu mocks Yasamin's Union background, only to back off once Chase warns him of her battle prowess. Chase then unsuccessfully attempts to convince the others before Weller returns, offering to let the three return to their homes if they only try gen:LOCK once. They remain hesitant, however, so Yasamin demonstrates for them, proving that the process does in fact work. Weller offers Kazu the chance, but he still turns it down in favor of Cammie, after being annoyed by her deliberate mispronunciation of his name. Strapping in, Cammie too soon uploads into her own Holon, and this finally convinces Kazu and Valentina to try uploading.

Once he uploads into his Holon, Kazu and the others begin trying out their new bodies. Kazu and Chase play a quick game of baseball before the Strider pilots Leon August, Miranda Worth, and Jodie Brennan interrupt them to conduct their training. They start with a game of capture the flag. The three recruits are completely demolished, in part due to their lack of synergy, but are given a taste of what they could achieve after watching Chase effortlessly complete the challenge. The team then watches as refugees arrive, and Weller arrives to give them a speech about gen:LOCK and the difference they can make using the technology. This gives the new recruits the push they need to join the program. They then leave to commemorate the founding of their new team, with Kazu proposing they have some beer.

### First Mission

The gen:LOCK team begin their training, eventually coming to shine as individuals, though their teamwork remains lacking. During a break in their shared barracks, Kazu plays his guitar and expresses his desire for beer, preferable away from the base, only to have his wish shot down by Chase. Cammie then suggests they use the Ether, with Kazu and the others initially reluctant, eventually coming around.

Kazu is the first to accept Cammie's invite to form a party, and styles his avatar with a rough, punk aesthetic. The two are soon joined by Yasamin and Valentina, who Kazu is surprised to see in a male form. Valentina explains their gender fluidity to a confused Kazu, who asks their original gender, only to be teased that he'll never know. The group is then joined by Chase, and Cammie tries to get everyone to play a game with her, but instead, they scatter, with Kazu going to find a concert. However, he is soon forcibly pulled out, when the network suddenly crashes. Upon awakening, the team are immediately sent out to their first mission.

On the way there, it is explained that the Union is attacking one of the Ethers' central data nodes in Dallas. Weller explains that they need to bring their bodies to the front line due to their uptime limits to an absent-minded Kazu, and the team swiftly uploads and drops from the ship, with Kazu missing his landing and crashing into a giant globe, sending it rolling off.

Kazu soon comes across Union forces, but has his gunshot out of his hands. He prepares to throw an abandoned car at them, only for Valentine to destroy them before him. He later however does use the car, using it to take out a Union drone and finishing off the rest with wild, brute force, much to the annoyance of Leon. Once the data center is secured, Kazu and the rest of the gen:LOCK team begin patrolling the area, shortly before Cammie is attacked by Nemesis, who proceeds to disarm her and rip her head off. Kazu and the others rush to her aid and engage Nemesis in combat, who manages to hold his own against Kazu, Chase, and Yasamin before Valentina manages to snipe him. As a result, Nemesis' Nanotech cloud was disabled, however, the dazed Nemesis manages to flee before the fight can continue.

### New Upgrades and Battle in Atlanta

After the encounter, Kazu and the rest of the gen:LOCK team continue their training. One day, as Kazu is sparing, he notices Cammie acting unusually aggressive, and gestures for her to join him. Though he dominates the fight early on, Cammie quickly turns the tide in her favor, and soon has Kazu on the ropes, before violently attacking his head. This prompts the rest of the team to forcefully subdue her, though Kazu finds the whole incident exhilarating. When it later becomes apparent that Cammie has been altering her mind to deal with her trauma, Kazu and the others criticize her choice. Nonetheless, however, they offer their support, with Yaz and Chase sharing their experiences at lunch.

Later the team is informed that they will take part in an offensive against a Union base in Atlanta. They're soon after woken up by the mission call to be greeted by Doctor Weller in the hanger, who reveals that he has upgraded their Holons to reflect their unique combat styles. After arriving in Atlanta, Kazu begins the operation by breaking through the wall of the base and wreaking havoc while Cammie and Miranda escape with captured Polity scientists. Soon, the base is reduced to rubble, and the team evacuates. Initially, Kazu accompanies Chase before the latter uses his new wings to assist Miranda and Cammie, who are being pursued by Union forces. Kazu eventually catches up, only to find the team mid-battle with Nemesis. He joins in, and he and Chase manage to rip off two of his arms before Nemesis once again flees.

### Battle of the Anvil

After the incident in Dallas, the group return to the Anvil with the rescued scientists. Leon approaches Kazu, Cammie, and Valentina, informing them they are to report to a mission review. Kazu says they should celebrate instead, proud of the victory they achieved, but Leon admonishes his attitude, ordering them to report for his briefing in an hour.

Shortly after, the Union launches a sudden attack on the Anvil. Kazu and the others (bar Chase) run to Weller's workspace. After seeing a live feed of Chase battling Nemesis, Yaz orders them into their pods to aid in the battle. Despite a strong initial assault, Kazu soon finds himself swarmed by Spider Tanks and on the verge of defeat due to his hotheaded, reckless approach. Valentina at that moment joins him in the Mindscape, and by connecting their minds, the two are able to decimate the enemy forces together.

However, Weller soon after informs them that the Union has infiltrated the base, forcing the gen:LOCK team to retreat and disconnect. This excludes Chase, who remains to fight Nemesis, pointing out that his body can't run. They return to their bodies and Weller informs them of the situation, saying they need to evacuate the base with Caliban and Chase's bodies. At the last minute, Kazu takes his guitar with him, at Cammie's exasperation. The group initially takes an elevator, but a sudden explosion cuts out the power, forcing them to open the doors and find another way to the central lift through the corridors. Meanwhile, Union forces begin to converge on their position. To avoid them, they duck into a meeting room and use Mixed Reality to hide the door. This succeeds in masking their presence, but they then notice a banner and refreshments, realizing that they are looking at their own callsign ceremony. Kazu notes his guilt at his treatment of Leon.

They then run back into the corridor and quickly dispatch the Union troops, eventually arriving in the hanger, where they get Miguel to drive them to a nearby transport. There, they load Chase's body onto the transport and immediately take off as the Anvil is swarmed with Nanotech. Chase soon joins them to defend the ship from the pursuing Union, and they manage to escape, leaving the base and everyone in it to seemingly perish. After watching the base fall, Kazu storms off into the ship, frustrated.

### Regrouping and Returning to Action

After several hours on the run, the gen:LOCK team once again attempt to settle down, unsure as to how the Union keeps tracking them. Kazu is surprised to see Valentina playing his guitar, unaware they played, and is even more shocked when he realizes that their mind-sharing resulted in the two sharing memories. Despite Cammie's enthusiasm for the concept, Kazu is disturbed by its implications, uncomfortable with sharing so much about himself. Soon after, the Union once again finds them, and they are forced to take off.

During the pursuit, Chase reveals that he can still hear Nemesis through the gen:LOCK network. Cammie then realizes that Nemesis is using the network to track them, and has Chase leave his Holon, which successfully allows them to avoid detection. However, this raises the question as to what they should do next. During their debate, Chase mentions Weller's death, which triggers Caliban to suddenly start speaking in the late doctor's voice, much to the surprise of Kazu and everyone else. Caliban then plays a message from Weller he recorded in the event of his death, who reveals that Caliban contains a partial copy of the doctor's neural pattern. The pre-recorded message also reveals everything related to the gen:LOCK program, including future plans. Weller then expresses how proud he is of the recruits, and believes their special bonds shall see them through the dark times. Caliban then directs them to RTASA, and the team agrees to follow his direction.

The next day, the team touch down outside of RTASA's base. Initially met with armed resistance, they are recognized by Heng Li Wu, who vouches for them and introduces them to the lead scientist Fatima Jha, who is revealed to be Weller's ex-wife. She introduces them to Weller's associate: Marc Holcroft, the primary investor behind RTASA, so that they may plan out their next move. Kazu brings up their damaged Holons, which prevents them from hunting Nemesis. However, Cammie reveals that Weller had been tutoring her in the specifics of gen:LOCK. Hence, Holcroft offers to let them use RTASA's facilities to repair their Holons, instructing them to either capture or destroy Nemesis. After the Holons have been redesigned, the team is introduced to them, with Kazu surprised and overjoyed that Cammie based his on "RoboShogun" from a childhood anime he watched.

### Battle of Chicago

While the redesigned Holons are being loaded up into their ship, now renamed "the Renegade". Migas suddenly manages to make contact with Cammie, revealing that Weller had replicated a chip that spares the Union and their sympathizers from the Nanotech. He also confirms that the Docter did indeed perish, taking most of the Union troops with him. He then informs them that the Union has made another big push, this time for Chicago, and the team moves to join the Vanguard promptly.

The team soon arrives in Chicago to see the Vanguard locked in battle with Union forces. Though Kazu wishes to help their allies directly, Val reminds him that their focus is distracting Nemesis. Kazu suggests they fly right in and attack him, but Chase instead proposes they lure him to the edge of the city away from backup, and take him out in isolation. They soon touch down in a loading bay and begin taking out the local Union presence in what Kazu refers to as a "warmup" while Chase taunts Nemesis to bait him out. After making quick work of the Union, Nemesis arrives far sooner than expected, having been given the ability to fly along with a host of other upgrades.

Nemesis immediately attacks Chase, with Kazu rushing in to back him up, only to be thrown into a massive pit. He climbs back out, but is again pushed back. With Nemesis using the network to predict their moves, Kazu mindshares with Cammie (though Chase refuses to do so), and by working together in tandem with Val and Yaz; they start to turn the tide of the battle. However, Chase still refuses to mindshare, held back by the fears of losing himself. Kazu and the rest of the team manage to convince him to trust them and embrace change, but they realize they are quickly approaching their uptime limit. Chase then sacrifices his body and exceeds his uptime to by everyone else time to download and reset.

Kazu and the others anxiously wait back in the Renegade for their reset period to be up, only to be interrupted by Nemesis who attempts to further hurt his copy by destroying their actual bodies. He's thankfully interrupted by Leon, who uploaded into Sinclair's intended Holon. Along with Miranda and Jodi, he manages to buy enough time for Chase to return, who in turn buys enough time for everyone to safely upload again. With the reassurances of Kazu and the others, Chase finally moves past his fears, and all five merge. Moving in perfect synchronization, the gen:LOCK team overwhelm and eventually destroys Nemesis.

After the battle is won, Colonel Marin praises the team for their contribution and offers them a place back at the Anvil. However, after discussing it for a while; Kazu and the team decline the offer. Instead, they decided to act as an independent unit, with Migas joining them as they leave in the Renegade to take the fight directly to the Union.