Takeshi Kovacs (Prime)

For the original versions, see Takeshi Kovacs.

For the book versions, see Takeshi Kovacs (Books).

## Takeshi Kovacs

* 2130
* 2414
* Child

**Takeshi Lev Kovacs** (nicknamed Tak) is a native of Harlan's World and a former member of the Colonial Tactical Assault Corps. Growing up with his sister, Reileen, they suffered an abusive childhood. Their father killed their mother and disposed of the body in a coolant pool (where it essentially disintegrated), leaving no evidence and ensuring the police assumed that she had just run away. One day, Takeshi's father also threatened Rei as he had their mother, causing Kovacs to shoot him in the stack and kill him in order to defend Rei. Although he does not share his younger sister's last name, their father is shown in flashbacks to be a white male so it appears safe to assume that Takeshi kept his father's name, Reileen would take her mother's, as their mother was of Asian descent as also shown in flashbacks and in the family photo she shows to Takeshi.

Taken into custody by the Colonial Tactical Assault Corps, Kovacs was given the option to enlist. He agreed as long as they promised to look after Reileen. Kovacs' original sleeve was kept in storage on Harlan's World while he was needle cast off-world to begin his training.

After the original Takeshi Kovacs started working with Quellcrist Falconer again in 2414 Ivan Carrera had a backup of Takeshi restored in a sleeve that matched his birth sleeve with upgrades.

## Biography

### Background

Takeshi was born on Harlan's World to Jakub Kovacs and an unnamed mother. He had a younger sister, Reileen Kawahara, with whom he was very close. He had a miserable childhood, stemming from his father's verbal and physical abuse, which turned for the worse when his father murdered their mother. In a fit of rage, he killed his father at the age of 12, before being arrested by Colonial Tactical Assault Corps. He was given a choice to either be imprisoned or join CTAC by Jaeger. After being promised (falsely) that his sister would be taken care of and put in a good home, Takeshi accepted and joined CTAC. His stack was placed into an adult body, leaving his original child body behind on Harlan.

For the next 10 years, Takeshi served CTAC with distinction. His stack was backed up and placed in storage, as was the standard practice (but this was unknown). After this backup, the original Takeshi went on the mission to Harlan's World and discovered his sister working with the Yakuza.

When he is spun up in 2414 and discovers that there is another version of him, his personal loyalty to Jaeger leads him to believe the lies Jaeger tells him about the other Kovacs. It is only after spending time with Quell and seeing the holographic recordings of his sister does he begin to question the 'official' story told to him.

At the end of the series, he remains with C.T.A.C. as a mole for Quell.

## Personality

Takeshi appears to be a person of strict loyalty to both his family, people, and organizations- in that, he is loyal to a person/organization who has earned his loyalty, but he has no qualms in breaking that loyalty if the person/organization in question breaks that loyalty. A prime example is the CTAC. Takeshi was loyal to this organization for many years in the understanding that they had looked after his sister by placing her with a loving family. When he realized they had sold her to the Yakuza, his loyalty was shattered, and his family loyalty towards his sister took precedence.

## Trivia

* He is fluent in Japanese, as seen in In a Lonely Place at Bancroft's party.
* He can read people's lips.
* Kovacs is of Japanese and Hungarian descent.
	+ Though "Kovač" (as spelled in Serbo-Croatian, which translates to 'a smith') is a widespread family name in Hungary as well as Slavic countries, brought there mostly from Slovaks, and also Serbs, Croats, and other Slavs during the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the spelling "Kovacs" is Hungarian.
	+ As Hungarian-Japanese genetic-combination, as Takeshi correctly states: "In the case of my parents: The match made in hell".

## Media

* Images
* Videos

## Appearances

* Season Two

* Shadow of a Doubt
* I Wake Up Screaming
* Bury Me Dead
* Experiment Perilous
* Broken Angels