Jet Link/Albert Heinrich (Cyborg 009)
Title: We'll Never Say Good-bye
Author: Mariko Azrael
Fandom: Cyborg 009
Pairing: Jet Link (002)/Albert Heinrich (004)
Disclaimer: Not mine
Warning: Spoilers for the manga, Chou Ginga Denenstu, and the 2001 anime. Focuses mostly on Chou and the 2001 anime.
Thank you to digistardbz and cyborg_lilith for the movie screencaps, and paulafromtwoson for the manga scan.
Cyborg 009: Forty years in four paragraphs
Cyborg 009 has existed in various incarnations for over forty years, but it began as a manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori in 1963. Written at the height of the Cold War by a creator that was adamantly anti-war, Cyborg 009 told the story of nine people from different parts of the world who were kidnapped by the war profiteering organization Black Ghost and remodeled into cyborg prototypes: Russian infant Ivan Wisky (001) was given unparalleled ESP powers, American gang leader Jet Link (002) has jet engines grafted into his legs, French ballerina Francoise Arnoul (003)’s hearing and eyesight are enhanced, East German truck driver and almost defector Albert Heinrich (004) becomes a one-man arsenal, Native American strongman G-Junior (005) is given cybernetic muscles and extra strong skin, Chinese chef Chang Changku (006) can breathe fire, unemployed English actor Great Britain (007) is given shape-shifting abilities, West African rebel fighter Pyunma (008) is given artificial lungs that allow him to breathe water like humans breathe air, and half-Japanese orphan Joe Shimamura (009) can accelerate to super speeds.
The nine cyborgs eventually escape along with Black Ghost scientist Doctor Isaac Gilmore, who been tricked into believing that his work would benefit mankind, not the highest bidder. They begin to work together to stop Black Ghost permanently. Ishinomori originally intended to end the manga with 009 and 002 burning up in the atmosphere after a climatic battle in space, while a girl sees them, mistakes them for a shooting star, and wishes for an end to all wars. However, after an outpour of fan letters begging him for a happier ending, Ishinomori brought them back to life, and the manga continued until his death in 1998.
A movie was made based off of the manga in 1966 (Cyborg 009). A sequel (Kaiju Sensou) premiered a year later. The first (black and white) Cyborg 009 anime aired 1968. A second anime aired 1979. The third theatrical feature (Chou Ginga Denenstu) premiered 1980. After Ishinomori’s death, a third anime was made to honor his memory in 2001. It was based primarily off of the manga, but some changes were made in order to stay true to the original source. For example, Cyborgs 001 to 004 were frozen cryogenically for nearly half a century so their origin stories could remain unchanged.
At first glance, it’s easy (and understandable) to be offended by Ishinomori’s not exactly politically correct by today’s standards character designs, especially 006 and 008. However, these same characters are also capable, strong-willed, very human individuals who defy stereotypes. Ishinomori took the stereotypes and misconceptions of the time and turned them on their heel.
Jet Link
Code named Cyborg 002, Jet Link was remodeled with, appropriately enough, jet engines in each leg enabling him to fly. His top speed is Mach 5. In the 2001 anime, he was originally going to be the first cyborg prototype, but after Gamo Wisky offered his son Ivan as a guinea pig for the project in order to keep his ESP research going, he was designated 002.
The son of Italian immigrants, Jet grew up on the mean streets of the Bronx. His mother left him when he was very young, leaving Jet to raise himself. He managed to survive (by thieving and leading a small gang) but is still haunted by the faces of the children he was powerless to help back in 1950s New York. It’s because of this that Jet has a soft spot for kids, and helps the alien children in the episodes 'Little Visitor' and 'The Awakening'.
In the manga, the Black Ghost caught Jet after killing a rival gang member in a scene right out of West Side Story. They offered him a quick getaway, which he was in no position to refuse. This was toned down somewhat in the anime: there’s no gang fight, but Black Ghost finds Jet while he’s fleeing the police after getting involved in a street fight.
Jet is short-tempered, abrasive, and immature... but also perceptive and loyal. He was probably the first person in the group (besides Gilmore) who noticed the mutual crush Joe and Francoise had on each other. Traveling with his teammates-eventual friends smoothed his edges considerably, but have yet to take them away. The 2001 anime version of Jet seems to be the only one with a serious attitude problem; the others were more laid-back and friendly. In Chou Ginga Denenstu, he even trusts Albert enough to confide in him.
After the Black Ghost’s first defeat, Jet returns to New York. It isn’t an easy transition, and his only real friend is a boy named Jimmy that he entertains by telling him stories that bear a striking resemblance to his adventures with his old teammates (although he does embellish his role somewhat). Jimmy’s mother, Cathy, is displeased with an unemployed teenager telling her son lies when he should be concentrating on his studies, but after Jet heroically rescues her from a burning building (and she discovers the cyborg in his grandiose tales was him), they form a friendship.
In Ishinomori’s original ending, Jet died while trying to rescue Joe, and like Joe was ‘resurrected’ (it was revealed that Ivan managed to teleport them to safety just in time) after the fans implored him to bring the characters back. He’s existed in various incarnations to this day.
Albert Heinrich
With a micro missile launcher in each knee (and each elbow in some versions), a machine gun for a right hand, a laser knife in his left, and a self-detonation device, it’s no wonder that 004 (Albert Heinrich) was nicknamed 'God of Death' by his teammates. Albert is the most mechanical member of the team, a fact he’s not comfortable with at all.
Originally a truck driver and very much in love with his fiancee, Hilda, Albert hated his life in East Germany, and came up with a plan to smuggle himself and Hilda into West Germany (in the manga Hilda wears a lioness disguise while he pretends to be making a delivery to a zoo, in later versions she’s either hiding in the back or in the front seat with him). Tragically, they were discovered and the truck was fired on. Albert was grievously wounded but managed to crawl out of the truck far enough to have Hilda die in his arms. After finally giving into his wounds, Black Ghost smuggled him off to be remodeled (and frozen cryogenically in the 2001 anime until the time Black Ghost could repair his malfunctioning parts).
Albert has been through drastic changes, both physical and psychological, over the years. In the early manga, he was the team’s resident hard ass (a role Jet would assume in the 2001 anime) who had no qualms with torturing either animals or people if it meant taking down the Black Ghost. His human side would occasionally resurface, but he seemed to want to push those feelings away, feeling he was only a machine.
2001 Albert is a completely different character. He still has his dark moments-- especially if his humanity is questioned or his friends are threatened-- but overall is a good man trying to move on with his life. He was even allowed to have some resolution over being turned into a cyborg in the episode ‘Man or Machine?’ (Forced to duel with a robotic double of himself that could predict his movements, Albert finally gained the upper hand when he rescued an owl’s nest that had fallen during the fight-- a spontaneous, human action the robot 004 couldn’t predict). One of the more collected characters, Albert usually finds himself having to hold one of his teammates back-- usually Jet.
Love Stories
It’s important to remember that not only was Cyborg 009 a manga geared towards young boys, it was also focused chiefly on, well, Cyborg 009. Most romantic subplots in the story were about Joe and Francoise, or Joe and the tragic female love interest they had introduced that week. While there isn’t too much focus on the dynamic between Jet and Albert in the earlier incarnations of the franchise, there are a few scenes I think deserve mentioning, particularly Albert holding Jet protectively after he lost a leg in Vietnam (don’t worry, he got better).
Chou Ginga Denenstu was the first time their relationship was explored seriously. The movie portrays them as two loner types who have somehow managed to learn to confide in each other: Jet tells him about the pain he still feels about being turned into a cyborg and fighting battle after battle, Albert confesses that he hadn’t become a cyborg, he could have at least died with Hilda (and as far as I know, this is the first time we’ve Albert talk about his fiancee to a teammate on screen). They are allowed more light-hearted moments, though: when Jet wonders out loud if Joe has really fallen for Princess Tamara, and right before Albert leaves with Joe, Francoise, and Great Britain to rescue Ivan. Albert promises Jet he’ll see him later.
He doesn’t.
After the rescue team returns with Ivan but without Albert, Jet demands to know what has happened to him. When Joe tells him that Albert died, he is visibly shaken, asking them why they didn’t go back after him. Great Britain explains that he sacrificed himself by triggering his self-detonation device so the rest of them would have a chance to escape, but that is of little comfort to Jet, and the normally strong young man breaks down into sobs, asking someone who can no longer answer, “Why did you die alone? Why did you die before me?”.
Of course, no one on the team stays dead in the Cyborg 009 universe long. Albert makes a timely reappearance at his funeral, right when Jet has finally given into despair. Overjoyed to see Albert again, Jet hugs him in front of everybody, and then grabs him by the collar. The explanation as to how exactly Albert was brought back was somewhat dodgy, but to be frank, I’m just glad my boys got a happy ending for once.
Their relationship is more background material in the 2001 anime, but still very much there. Like Chou, they establish a dynamic between them early on, with Albert teasing Jet in ‘The Escape’. The team is still more comrades in arms than friends though, and they have their share of arguments. Albert tries repeatedly to make Jet calm down and see things more objectively, and Jet tears into him when he couldn’t find it in himself to kill 0011. But as time passes it becomes obvious Albert worries about Jet’s general welfare: he asks Geronimo to keep an eye on him in ‘The Awakening’ and cradles his body after he was seriously wounded in ‘The New Assassins’.
We get to see how they first met each other (and Francoise and Ivan) in the retconned 009 verse in the episode ‘Black Ghost Lives!’. In the year 1961, on an unnamed battlefield, Albert rescues Jet and Francoise from Black Ghost tanks with a well-timed missile. He plans to leave right after that, but Jet stops him, saying that it’d be better if they worked together. Albert agrees, and they work surprisingly well together for two people who have just met. They take out the troops with ease, but unfortunately this was where Albert’s parts began seriously malfunctioning, and the four were placed into suspended animation until the Black Ghost scientists could find a way to fix them.
And there you have it! No matter what incarnation, they may not always like each other, but they're there for the other when needed.
Grumpy Old Men
It was roughly 2003 when I was first introduced to the 009 universe by way of the 2001 anime. The first episode I saw was ‘The Escape’. I remember watching the scene when Albert pokes fun at Jet for trying and failing to show off (and Jet’s subsequent reaction) and thinking to myself, ‘Well, this is going to be an interesting relationship’.
Despite having lived very different lives before Black Ghost kidnapped them, Jet and Albert are in a lot of ways, two of a kind. Both would like to believe in a better future, but both have seen and done too much in their lives to really be able to. But they still they keep working to keep the other one sane. They could save each other, if they wanted to.
Albert worries about Jet, a lot. Jet is a little harder to read what with him being a misanthrope’s misanthrope and all, but... he survived as long as did by not trusting anyone. However, he trusted Albert when they first met. And if Jet had really thought Albert was a lost cause during the events of ‘Tears of Steel’, he would have just written him off as such and try to stop 0011 by himself. Instead, he tried to knock the sense back into Albert in his own hardheaded way, and believe it or not, it worked.
Underneath all the verbal barbs (and don’t get me wrong, one of the things I love about these two are the verbal barbs), there is a mutual understanding between them that they don’t quite share with the other members of the team. It’s sweet, it’s heartbreaking, and it feels real, which is probably the main reason I like the idea of them together.
Links/Recommendations
cyborg009
cyborg_fiction
The official website for the 2001 anime.
Wikipedia's article on Cyborg 009.
Mixsarada My personal favorite 24 site (also has some wonderful 93 and Albert/Hilda images). It's in Japanese, but it's mostly fan art so don't let that stop you from clicking. Be sure to look at the Sailormoon dolls modified to look like Jet and Albert.
Fly High. Another Japanese fan art site. Mostly Jet/Albert, some Jet/Francoise/Albert.
Absolute 002. Jet-centric Japanese site, also deals in Jet/Albert.
Approval, by Aqua-chan. Rated K+
Wounds, by Aqua-chan. Rated K+
Untitled ficlet, by kuroikku. Spoilers for the end of the series.
Untitled ficlet, by kuroikku. Manga verse.
Cold Body, Warm Heart, by Maria a.k.a Athena Asamiya.
And at the risk of self-promotion, all my Jet/Albert work can be found here.
Author: Mariko Azrael
Fandom: Cyborg 009
Pairing: Jet Link (002)/Albert Heinrich (004)
Disclaimer: Not mine
Warning: Spoilers for the manga, Chou Ginga Denenstu, and the 2001 anime. Focuses mostly on Chou and the 2001 anime.
Thank you to digistardbz and cyborg_lilith for the movie screencaps, and paulafromtwoson for the manga scan.
Cyborg 009: Forty years in four paragraphs
Cyborg 009 has existed in various incarnations for over forty years, but it began as a manga created by Shotaro Ishinomori in 1963. Written at the height of the Cold War by a creator that was adamantly anti-war, Cyborg 009 told the story of nine people from different parts of the world who were kidnapped by the war profiteering organization Black Ghost and remodeled into cyborg prototypes: Russian infant Ivan Wisky (001) was given unparalleled ESP powers, American gang leader Jet Link (002) has jet engines grafted into his legs, French ballerina Francoise Arnoul (003)’s hearing and eyesight are enhanced, East German truck driver and almost defector Albert Heinrich (004) becomes a one-man arsenal, Native American strongman G-Junior (005) is given cybernetic muscles and extra strong skin, Chinese chef Chang Changku (006) can breathe fire, unemployed English actor Great Britain (007) is given shape-shifting abilities, West African rebel fighter Pyunma (008) is given artificial lungs that allow him to breathe water like humans breathe air, and half-Japanese orphan Joe Shimamura (009) can accelerate to super speeds.
The nine cyborgs eventually escape along with Black Ghost scientist Doctor Isaac Gilmore, who been tricked into believing that his work would benefit mankind, not the highest bidder. They begin to work together to stop Black Ghost permanently. Ishinomori originally intended to end the manga with 009 and 002 burning up in the atmosphere after a climatic battle in space, while a girl sees them, mistakes them for a shooting star, and wishes for an end to all wars. However, after an outpour of fan letters begging him for a happier ending, Ishinomori brought them back to life, and the manga continued until his death in 1998.
A movie was made based off of the manga in 1966 (Cyborg 009). A sequel (Kaiju Sensou) premiered a year later. The first (black and white) Cyborg 009 anime aired 1968. A second anime aired 1979. The third theatrical feature (Chou Ginga Denenstu) premiered 1980. After Ishinomori’s death, a third anime was made to honor his memory in 2001. It was based primarily off of the manga, but some changes were made in order to stay true to the original source. For example, Cyborgs 001 to 004 were frozen cryogenically for nearly half a century so their origin stories could remain unchanged.
At first glance, it’s easy (and understandable) to be offended by Ishinomori’s not exactly politically correct by today’s standards character designs, especially 006 and 008. However, these same characters are also capable, strong-willed, very human individuals who defy stereotypes. Ishinomori took the stereotypes and misconceptions of the time and turned them on their heel.
Jet Link
Code named Cyborg 002, Jet Link was remodeled with, appropriately enough, jet engines in each leg enabling him to fly. His top speed is Mach 5. In the 2001 anime, he was originally going to be the first cyborg prototype, but after Gamo Wisky offered his son Ivan as a guinea pig for the project in order to keep his ESP research going, he was designated 002.
The son of Italian immigrants, Jet grew up on the mean streets of the Bronx. His mother left him when he was very young, leaving Jet to raise himself. He managed to survive (by thieving and leading a small gang) but is still haunted by the faces of the children he was powerless to help back in 1950s New York. It’s because of this that Jet has a soft spot for kids, and helps the alien children in the episodes 'Little Visitor' and 'The Awakening'.
In the manga, the Black Ghost caught Jet after killing a rival gang member in a scene right out of West Side Story. They offered him a quick getaway, which he was in no position to refuse. This was toned down somewhat in the anime: there’s no gang fight, but Black Ghost finds Jet while he’s fleeing the police after getting involved in a street fight.
Jet is short-tempered, abrasive, and immature... but also perceptive and loyal. He was probably the first person in the group (besides Gilmore) who noticed the mutual crush Joe and Francoise had on each other. Traveling with his teammates-eventual friends smoothed his edges considerably, but have yet to take them away. The 2001 anime version of Jet seems to be the only one with a serious attitude problem; the others were more laid-back and friendly. In Chou Ginga Denenstu, he even trusts Albert enough to confide in him.
After the Black Ghost’s first defeat, Jet returns to New York. It isn’t an easy transition, and his only real friend is a boy named Jimmy that he entertains by telling him stories that bear a striking resemblance to his adventures with his old teammates (although he does embellish his role somewhat). Jimmy’s mother, Cathy, is displeased with an unemployed teenager telling her son lies when he should be concentrating on his studies, but after Jet heroically rescues her from a burning building (and she discovers the cyborg in his grandiose tales was him), they form a friendship.
In Ishinomori’s original ending, Jet died while trying to rescue Joe, and like Joe was ‘resurrected’ (it was revealed that Ivan managed to teleport them to safety just in time) after the fans implored him to bring the characters back. He’s existed in various incarnations to this day.
Albert Heinrich
With a micro missile launcher in each knee (and each elbow in some versions), a machine gun for a right hand, a laser knife in his left, and a self-detonation device, it’s no wonder that 004 (Albert Heinrich) was nicknamed 'God of Death' by his teammates. Albert is the most mechanical member of the team, a fact he’s not comfortable with at all.
Originally a truck driver and very much in love with his fiancee, Hilda, Albert hated his life in East Germany, and came up with a plan to smuggle himself and Hilda into West Germany (in the manga Hilda wears a lioness disguise while he pretends to be making a delivery to a zoo, in later versions she’s either hiding in the back or in the front seat with him). Tragically, they were discovered and the truck was fired on. Albert was grievously wounded but managed to crawl out of the truck far enough to have Hilda die in his arms. After finally giving into his wounds, Black Ghost smuggled him off to be remodeled (and frozen cryogenically in the 2001 anime until the time Black Ghost could repair his malfunctioning parts).
Albert has been through drastic changes, both physical and psychological, over the years. In the early manga, he was the team’s resident hard ass (a role Jet would assume in the 2001 anime) who had no qualms with torturing either animals or people if it meant taking down the Black Ghost. His human side would occasionally resurface, but he seemed to want to push those feelings away, feeling he was only a machine.
2001 Albert is a completely different character. He still has his dark moments-- especially if his humanity is questioned or his friends are threatened-- but overall is a good man trying to move on with his life. He was even allowed to have some resolution over being turned into a cyborg in the episode ‘Man or Machine?’ (Forced to duel with a robotic double of himself that could predict his movements, Albert finally gained the upper hand when he rescued an owl’s nest that had fallen during the fight-- a spontaneous, human action the robot 004 couldn’t predict). One of the more collected characters, Albert usually finds himself having to hold one of his teammates back-- usually Jet.
Love Stories
It’s important to remember that not only was Cyborg 009 a manga geared towards young boys, it was also focused chiefly on, well, Cyborg 009. Most romantic subplots in the story were about Joe and Francoise, or Joe and the tragic female love interest they had introduced that week. While there isn’t too much focus on the dynamic between Jet and Albert in the earlier incarnations of the franchise, there are a few scenes I think deserve mentioning, particularly Albert holding Jet protectively after he lost a leg in Vietnam (don’t worry, he got better).
Chou Ginga Denenstu was the first time their relationship was explored seriously. The movie portrays them as two loner types who have somehow managed to learn to confide in each other: Jet tells him about the pain he still feels about being turned into a cyborg and fighting battle after battle, Albert confesses that he hadn’t become a cyborg, he could have at least died with Hilda (and as far as I know, this is the first time we’ve Albert talk about his fiancee to a teammate on screen). They are allowed more light-hearted moments, though: when Jet wonders out loud if Joe has really fallen for Princess Tamara, and right before Albert leaves with Joe, Francoise, and Great Britain to rescue Ivan. Albert promises Jet he’ll see him later.
He doesn’t.
After the rescue team returns with Ivan but without Albert, Jet demands to know what has happened to him. When Joe tells him that Albert died, he is visibly shaken, asking them why they didn’t go back after him. Great Britain explains that he sacrificed himself by triggering his self-detonation device so the rest of them would have a chance to escape, but that is of little comfort to Jet, and the normally strong young man breaks down into sobs, asking someone who can no longer answer, “Why did you die alone? Why did you die before me?”.
Of course, no one on the team stays dead in the Cyborg 009 universe long. Albert makes a timely reappearance at his funeral, right when Jet has finally given into despair. Overjoyed to see Albert again, Jet hugs him in front of everybody, and then grabs him by the collar. The explanation as to how exactly Albert was brought back was somewhat dodgy, but to be frank, I’m just glad my boys got a happy ending for once.
Their relationship is more background material in the 2001 anime, but still very much there. Like Chou, they establish a dynamic between them early on, with Albert teasing Jet in ‘The Escape’. The team is still more comrades in arms than friends though, and they have their share of arguments. Albert tries repeatedly to make Jet calm down and see things more objectively, and Jet tears into him when he couldn’t find it in himself to kill 0011. But as time passes it becomes obvious Albert worries about Jet’s general welfare: he asks Geronimo to keep an eye on him in ‘The Awakening’ and cradles his body after he was seriously wounded in ‘The New Assassins’.
We get to see how they first met each other (and Francoise and Ivan) in the retconned 009 verse in the episode ‘Black Ghost Lives!’. In the year 1961, on an unnamed battlefield, Albert rescues Jet and Francoise from Black Ghost tanks with a well-timed missile. He plans to leave right after that, but Jet stops him, saying that it’d be better if they worked together. Albert agrees, and they work surprisingly well together for two people who have just met. They take out the troops with ease, but unfortunately this was where Albert’s parts began seriously malfunctioning, and the four were placed into suspended animation until the Black Ghost scientists could find a way to fix them.
And there you have it! No matter what incarnation, they may not always like each other, but they're there for the other when needed.
Grumpy Old Men
It was roughly 2003 when I was first introduced to the 009 universe by way of the 2001 anime. The first episode I saw was ‘The Escape’. I remember watching the scene when Albert pokes fun at Jet for trying and failing to show off (and Jet’s subsequent reaction) and thinking to myself, ‘Well, this is going to be an interesting relationship’.
Despite having lived very different lives before Black Ghost kidnapped them, Jet and Albert are in a lot of ways, two of a kind. Both would like to believe in a better future, but both have seen and done too much in their lives to really be able to. But they still they keep working to keep the other one sane. They could save each other, if they wanted to.
Albert worries about Jet, a lot. Jet is a little harder to read what with him being a misanthrope’s misanthrope and all, but... he survived as long as did by not trusting anyone. However, he trusted Albert when they first met. And if Jet had really thought Albert was a lost cause during the events of ‘Tears of Steel’, he would have just written him off as such and try to stop 0011 by himself. Instead, he tried to knock the sense back into Albert in his own hardheaded way, and believe it or not, it worked.
Underneath all the verbal barbs (and don’t get me wrong, one of the things I love about these two are the verbal barbs), there is a mutual understanding between them that they don’t quite share with the other members of the team. It’s sweet, it’s heartbreaking, and it feels real, which is probably the main reason I like the idea of them together.
Links/Recommendations
cyborg009
cyborg_fiction
The official website for the 2001 anime.
Wikipedia's article on Cyborg 009.
Mixsarada My personal favorite 24 site (also has some wonderful 93 and Albert/Hilda images). It's in Japanese, but it's mostly fan art so don't let that stop you from clicking. Be sure to look at the Sailormoon dolls modified to look like Jet and Albert.
Fly High. Another Japanese fan art site. Mostly Jet/Albert, some Jet/Francoise/Albert.
Absolute 002. Jet-centric Japanese site, also deals in Jet/Albert.
Approval, by Aqua-chan. Rated K+
Wounds, by Aqua-chan. Rated K+
Untitled ficlet, by kuroikku. Spoilers for the end of the series.
Untitled ficlet, by kuroikku. Manga verse.
Cold Body, Warm Heart, by Maria a.k.a Athena Asamiya.
And at the risk of self-promotion, all my Jet/Albert work can be found here.