Copen "The Adept Slayer"

"But I, not the supreme God, shall be the one to banish all Adepts. As a Human, I must..."
—Copen , Azure Striker Gunvolt

Copen (known as Acura in Japan)^[2], is a major character in the Azure Striker Gunvolt series and Gunvolt's arch-rival. He is on a mission to pursue and hunt Adepts. Formally a member of the prestigious Kamizono family, Copen revoked his family name after an incident with Eden, and now works solo, aided only by his trusted companion Lola.

Despite sharing some common interests with Gunvolt, Copen stubbornly holds true to his ideals and swears to kill Gunvolt along with all other Adepts. He becomes one of the main protagonists and playable characters in Azure Striker Gunvolt 2.

Description (ASG1)

Copen is a lone wolf who is a part of neither QUILL nor Sumeragi. He is, however, known for bearing a deep loathing for the Sumeragi Group and all Adepts in general. He believes that Adepts are a threat to world peace that will eventually subjugate anyone who is not an Adept, and thus, Copen has made it his mission to destroy Adepts at all costs.

Although Copen himself has no Septimal powers, he is a brilliant scientist and incredibly skilled fighter on par with the best Sumeragi has to offer. Utilizing septimosome that he has stolen from defeated Adepts, he crafted battle gear that replicates septimal powers, making him a formidable foe for even the most powerful Adepts. ^[3]

Description (ASG2)

Copen is the son a of famous scientist whose research detailed the dangerous threat that Adepts pose to society. To honor the dying wish of his late father, Copen fights to eradicate all Adepts from the world.

While he may be a normal human without any septimal powers, his technological prowess and combat abilities exceed that of many Adepts.

Since the events of the last game, Copen has completely revamped his gear. His new gear is designed for maximum mobility, which allows him to dash through the air and perform mid-air attacks like never before. He is also now accompanied by Lola, a combat bot that aids his offense, defense, and mobility.

Appearance

In Azure Striker Gunvolt, Copen is a young teenage boy with red eyes and short white hair. He wears white armour with red and blue highlights, a red cross on his chest, and a white hood, which is usually pulled up. He also wears black, somewhat baggy pants and red boots. He is often seen carrying a white shield with a red cross and a red and white gun.

In Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, Copen's armour is overall similar to his previous set in terms of basic appearance. However, it is more sleek and tight fitting, presumably to allow as much mobility as possible. He carries a white gun with black highlights. He is usually seen accompanied by Lola.

Personality

Copen is a cold, serious person. He is focused on only his goals, and nothing else, willing to kill anyone if they get in his way. He is also incredibly stubborn, firmly rooted in his ideals despite Gunvolt's attempts to reach out to him.

Copen harbours a deep hatred for all Adepts, believing they endanger the planet, and has taken the job of destroying every single one, spurred on by his respect and admiration of his father. His hatred has reached the point where he absolutely refuses to join forces with an Adept, even if they share the same goals. He also mentions God frequently and commonly refers to the Adepts as "demons", however, he doesn't actually follow any particular religion.

Copen also seems to be rather paranoid, with only Nori and Lola aware of his life as an Adept hunter, and refusing to give his family the slightest idea as to what he is doing, to the point where he doesn't even live with them, though this could be out of concern for their safety. This paranoia is also why he is so against revealing his tech to the public, as well as why he doesn't use his most powerful weapons, out of a fear someone will copy them or find ways to counter them.

Despite his nigh-fanatical hate of Adepts, Copen still has a soft side to him. He cares deeply for his sister Mytyl, who gives him a reason to fight besides his hate for Adepts. He also maintains a cordial relationship with Lola, who sees herself as a sort of guardian angel for Copen.

He is very protective of his sister Mytyl as well, going to see her whenever she has any fever or feels weaker than the usual.

He also has distanced himself from his aunt, the family head, and acts on his own yet with the support of the family servant Nori, who trains him and provides him with equipment and information alongside funds for his researches: not even he has been capable of figuring out why she's doing that or where that fortune comes from.

In some aspects he has been called dense by his sister (when he didn't understand how fun the application she was playing with was) or rude by Nori (when he tried to ask her how old she was)

Plot Role

Background

Prior to the events of the story, Copen and his father are scientists that are at some point in time employed by the Sumeragi Group to research Adepts. To advance the endeavors of Project Muse, his father creates a machine that, in tandem with the Muse, can serve as a satellite that can locate Adepts throughout the world. Sumeragi captures and subjugates Adepts through the use of this machine.

In Azure Striker Gunvolt: Fleeting Memories, it is revealed that Copen's father researchers Adepts at S-FIT. At some point during his research, Copen's father begins to fear that the Adepts will rise to power beyond human control and cautions people of the potential threat that Adepts hold over the human race. Copen's father dies before any remedial action is taken and details surrounding his death are covered up by Sumeragi.

Copen then commits himself to pursuing and hunting the entire Adept population.

Azure Striker Gunvolt

Shadowing the Third Adept's Fall

Copen's hunt ushers him to a series of trails that lead to the protagonist Gunvolt. He finds himself at the aftermath of a battle between Gunvolt and a Sumeragi Adept, moments after Gunvolt has left the arena. There, he finds a shard of a Sumeragi "Glaive" in the rubble of the arena.

Sumeragi Glaives serve to regulate Septimal abilities at Sumeragi's command, allotting Sumeragi effective control over an Adept's Septimal powers. On two occasions prior to this event, Copen had scavenged similarly broken glaive shards.

In reference to the Sumeragi Adepts and their glaives, Copen asserts, "A rakshasa on a leash is a rakshasa all the same—an enemy to humanity. But I, not the supreme God, shall be the one to banish those demons. Their twisted blood must be purged by human hands."

Sinner's Row (Kaleidoscape)

Copen sets out to hunt one of Sumeragi's most powerful Adepts, Zonda. He pursues his target into the ghetto district, Sinner's Row, at which place he battles and successfully defeats the Sumeragi Adept.

While he is in the process of absorbing Zonda's septimosome into his shield, Gunvolt, who is on a QUILL mission to defeat Zonda, enters the scene: he's previously jammed radio communications in advance foreseeing an encounter with him.

Confused, Gunvolt thanks Copen for the assistance—a gratitude at which Copen scoffs.Copen immediately recognizes Gunvolt as the "Azure Striker" and responds, "I'm not your friend any more than I am Sumeragi's. You're an Adept—just one more blight to wipe from the earth." He then engages Gunvolt in battle.

Upon defeat, Copen reveals that he has collected sufficient "data" on Gunvolt from the fight. Gunvolt asks Copen for his name—a request to which Copen replies, "That's a human privilege. But when God next sends me to judge you, you'll hear him whisper, 'Copen...' "

Stratosphere (Babel)

Upon discovering Sumeragi's intentions to re-instate and mobilize Project Muse on a global scale, Copen infiltrates Sumeragi's orbital space station, Firmament, which houses the contraption built by his father, through a spacecraft that Nori procures, the "Sabertooth". He later reveals that he intends to destroy the machine and bring down Nova as well as crushing any prospect of Project Muse's success.

As he is making his way to the endmost room containing the machine, he finds Gunvolt in combat with Sumeragi's necromancer, Elise, who has been resurrecting fallen Sumeragi Adepts to defend Firmament. Likely to end the indefinite resurrections of the Adepts, Copen fires a Septima-suppressing bullet at Elise while she is pre-occupied in her battle against Gunvolt, effectively killing her.

"She deserved her punishment for playing God—just as you merit yours, Azure Striker. Come and meet your end," comments Copen.

Gunvolt implores that the he and Copen cooperate in their missions to suppress Project Muse under the condition that Joule be kept unharmed, but his efforts are to no avail. "We're not negotiating here. I won't stop until every last Adept is dead. If you want to plead, you can plead with God now," declares Copen, as he challenges Gunvolt to one last battle.

The results of Copen's defeat leaves him immobilized and helpless to stop Gunvolt from proceeding to Firmament's endmost room. After Gunvolt has left the arena, Copen performs a monologue:

"Father...you knew this would happen. You tried to warn those fools. I've let them all grow too strong... I can't pray for God to bring you back. But I can still pray those monsters destroy each other. And if any are left standing at the end of this...one day...one day, I will find them..."

Copen does not make any canonical appearances after this.

Encounter with Asimov and the final conclusion

Offscreen, at some time after Gunvolt has left the arena, QUILL's commanding officer, Asimov, encounters Copen just as he was inspecting Copen's spacecraft and realizing it wasn't a Sumeragi vehicle: he is about to destroy it when Copen jumps into the area.

A scuffle ensues in which Asimov recognizes him through GV's report on him: he is taken aback by the "Power Grab" and is momentarily about to be defeated but uses his "Voltaic Chains" to try to kill Copen.

Copen only escapes by the timely intervention of Nori who manages to distract Asimov: she rescues Copen just as his shield is destroyed and he drops the gun which Asimov later picks.

Some hours later, Copen makes it to Babel's ground terminal and retrieves his gun.

"At the base of Babel, a figure enters the elevator after Moniqa and Zeno left. Copen, the boy clad in white armor, pushes his wounded body and finds the object he was looking for lying on the floor of the elevator that had just returned to Earth.

It's a revolver, a memento from the father that was taken from him. He curses his own weakness, and apologizes to his father in heaven. The gun is stained with a dark red liquid: the blood of the accursed man who attacked Copen and stole his gun. Blood that carries the genes of the ultimate Septima, the Azure Striker."

Azure Striker Gunvolt 2

Pre-game

We do not actually get the full details on what Copen did before the events of the game start. What we do know is that he revamped his equipment to emphasize mobility during this time.

He also managed to create Lola (sometime before he met Gunvolt since he comments to Lola that when he came to Firmament Lola was hanging around with Mytyl), his combat support robot, and successfully copied the Azure Striker Septima.

Pursuing kidnappers

When Copen first appears, he is tracking down his sister Mytyl, who has been kidnapped and stowed aboard the Sumeragi airship Seraph. Nori provides Copen a route across the rooftops to board the ship, but he is interrupted by Eden robots.

After fighting through a mob of robotic enemies (and activating Lola), he encounters a female Adept who reveals that not only was "she" part of Mytyl's kidnapping, but "she" is actually Zonda, still alive and still just as creepy. Zonda makes a few foreshadowing comments on "spreading love to the rest of the world" before "he" disappears in a mirror. Copen then has to deal with the Sumeragi Fazent that has been unleashed on the city.

Dramatic reveals

The Seraph begins to crash towards the city, putting Mytyl at risk. A large blue light shines in the sky as Nori's scanners pick up a massive surge of septimal power. Lola identifies it as a large amount of electricity being used as a magnetic field, which can only mean one thing. Gunvolt, the Azure Striker, is somehow slowing down the Seraph's descent.

Seeing a chance to stop the Seraph, Copen redlines Lola's A.S. Drive and the bits to fire a huge laser that destroys the ship. As Gunvolt descends carrying Mytyl, Copen draws his gun on GV. He prepares to fight, but is stopped by Tenjian.

Zonda then shows up and proceeds to reveal herself as leader of Eden, the Adept supremacist group set on destroying all non-Adepts. Once Tenjian breaks Joule into mirror shards, Lola manages to nab a shard just after Tenjian and GV fight. Questioned by GV, Copen merely replies that Eden is a group of Adepts, and he is thus duty-bound to kill them.

Thus, anything that Eden needs is something Copen must keep away from them. Copen grabs Mytyl and the two run back to their base.

The Power of the Muse

Back at the base, Copen is implanting the mirror shard into Lola for research and analysis purposes, but can't get any results beyond "the shard has septimal power in it". Then he gets a message saying Mytyl has woken up and is doing fine. As they talk, Lola suddenly feels a surge of heat, and in a flash, she takes on a humanoid fairy-like form.

Copen and Lola have no idea what's going on, until Mytyl says that this occasion is just like one of Lumen's concerts. With that epiphany, Copen uncovers that the shards each contain a sliver of the Muse's power, and that gathering more may lead to additional insights.

Oversurge, Iced Blue!

During the mission to take down Tenjian, Copen runs into Gunvolt, who is trying to gather the mirror shards to restore Joule. He asks that Copen not interfere and allow him to go. Copen won't have any of that, given his nigh-fanatical hate for Adepts.

The two duel, ending with GV running off in defeat. Copen lets him go, which Lola comments as something the old Copen wouldn't have allowed.

Thank you Copen, but your sister is in another country

After defeating four of The Seven, Nori sends an urgent message to Copen, saying that Eden Adepts broke into their base and kidnapped Mytyl again. Copen rapidly responds and tracks down Mytyl. Upon arriving at her last known location, he instead meets two more of The Seven, Gibril and Teseo.

Teseo makes some trollish remarks along the lines of Copen's sister complex, and says that he used his septima to transport Mytyl to the "Garden". Gibril tells Teseo to shut up, and he teleports away as Gibril prepares to fight Copen. After soundly defeating her, Copen asks Nori to look up this "Garden". The result is that Garden is the name for Eden's headquarters, placed in Tashkent, ~~Uzbekistan~~ a city in an unspecified Central-Asian country.

She also reports a large amount of Eden forces converging on the area, most likely a trap set by Teseo. Copen acknowledges this, but charges off anyway.

*WARNING! The following text contains spoilers. Read at your own risk!

Razing the Garden

Copen charges on through the Garden of Eden, executing Milas and Teseo on the way. Nothing can stop Copen, not even when Teseo drops an upgraded Plasma Legion on him. The Eden troops know full well they don't stand a chance, but fight anyways, believing in the utopia Zonda will create.

Meet people again, (Re)kill them

As Copen goes further into Garden, his comms fail, likely due to interference by Zonda. Stepping into a conspicuous mirror, Copen once again encounters Tenjian. Or rather, a copy of Tenjian, with all his powers and memories, forged by his sister Zonda's power.

The two duel again, and Copen once more comes out on top. Pressing onward, he has rematches with Ghauri, Desna, and Asroc. Copen then runs into Zonda, who has been waiting for him to come.

My sister can't be an Adept!

Zonda begins to speak, claiming that Mytyl is actually an Adept. She states that Mytyl was the original holder of the Muse, and the operation that took her voice was in reality an operation to remove the septimasome and implant it into another host, like Joule. Copen dismisses her claims as more lies, and readies his gun.

She teleports away, leaving behind copies of her false selves to test Copen, and begins a battle. The two Zondas insist that Mytyl is an Adept, much to Copen's chagrin. Shattering the two copies, Copen finally makes it to the innermost chamber.

The Creator of Paradise

Copen successfully breaches the heart of the Garden. There, Zonda awaits as Mytyl is suspended in the air. After Zonda refuses to hand Mytyl over, she somehow uses Mytyl's body to rip the shards out from Lola. As the shards orbit Mytyl, they turn black and converge upon Zonda. Apparently, Zonda kept data records on the shards as they were used by The Seven, and came up with a plan.

By somehow using Mytyl's body, she could absorb the Muse's power and boost her Septima. Her new septima, Reverie Mirror, would allow her to rewrite reality itself. She demonstrates this by not only changing the Garden into a crystalline blue void, but also by taking on a fairy-like form, as if she were a Muse herself. Copen, with the help of a backed-up Lola, manages to defeat Zonda, even with her infinite power.

*WARNING! The following contains MASSIVE spoilers for the ending. Read at your own risk!

My sister can't be dead!- Bad End

As Copen returns to normal space, he finds Mytyl lying still on the ground, unmoving. He holds her, trying to wake her up, but to no avail. Part of the process Zonda used ended up in Mytyl's death. As he clutches Mytyl's corpse, he shouts to the heavens, asking why God created septima, created Adepts.

In this pallor, Gunvolt suddenly rushes in, noticing the situation. Copen, in his rage and grief, blames GV for unleashing the Muse's power upon the world, blames him for Mytyl's death. As Copen draws his gun and prepares to fight Gunvolt...the credits roll

Climactic Clash- True End path

To access the True End, you must clear both Gunvolt and Copen's stories at least once. After that, you can access the True End.

Initially, things go as the Bad End did, but with a difference. This time, Copen actually does get into a fight with Gunvolt. The whole fight, Copen goes on about how the world would be better off without Adepts and the Muse, and that GV will finally die here, in the Garden of Eden.

Copen manages to take down GV, but then a voice echos, "I can't let it end this way!"

Indigo Destinies- Final Battle

As a mysterious force takes control of Lola, Mytyl's body rises into the air. She sprouts one red phoenix wing and one blue butterfly wing as Joule and Lola both materialize beside her, and the Anthem resonates through the Garden, reviving Gunvolt.

Copen and Gunvolt argue over the battle, as Copen insists the girl singing the Anthem is Mytyl while GV insists that he can feel Joule's presence as well. Copen becomes frustrated and decides to see if killing GV will return Mytyl to her senses. The task is easier said than done, since the Anthem has done much to boost GV's strength. Finally, Copen triumphs once more.

Mytyl...or Joule?

Standing triumphant, Copen prepares to shoot Gunvolt. But as he fires, GV is protected by a shield. Mytyl then suddenly awakes and stands in Copen's way, asking that Copen not kill her precious person. Copen calls her by Mytyl while GV calls her by Joule. Mytyl doesn't understand either name, asking who the two are and who she herself is. Distressed, Copen decides to spare GV while rushing to a hospital with Mytyl in tow.

Nameless Avenger- True End

The hospital tests show nothing physically wrong with Mytyl. She is in fact healthier than before, able to walk and talk now. However, her memory is in tatters. She remembers nothing about her past or her family. Copen theorizes that Zonda's defeat caused the shards of the Muse to gather around Mytyl, but he dismisses it as "only a theory".

The whole time, Copen is preparing to leave the Kamizono home without a word. Nori asks if he is really going to leave without a goodbye for his sister. He replies that Mytyl has no brother now, he cannot let her get dragged into his battles ever again. Copen renounces his name as "Kamizono", becoming merely "Copen".

He tells Nori to tell his aunt that he disappeared or died. The man known as Copen shall continue his crusade against the Adepts that inherently endanger the world. But he briefly ponders if that means Mytyl will one day threaten the world as well. With that last passing thought, Copen and Lola depart from the manor, as the sun begins to break through the clouds.

Epilogue- Dreams of Happiness

A girl quietly wonders. She has been dreaming about a person for some time now. She doesn't know that person's name, only that he fought for her. She wonders why she has stopped dreaming about that man.

Then she realizes, it is because she feels happy. She hopes that she can meet that person again, even just once. To tell him, "Thank you, I'm happy now." And to hope the same happiness finds him. That girl, is Mytyl.

Other appearances

Mighty Gunvolt

Copen appears in the 8-bit spin-off game as the false boss of the final stage. Just as the fight is about to begin, Copen is immediately attacked and knocked out by Zonda, who takes his place as the final boss. Copen remains unconscious the entirety of the fight.

Powers and Abilities

Copen, as a human, possesses no extraordinary physical abilities, nor does he have any powers to speak. However, he more than makes up for this disadvantage by utilizing his numerous talents to give him an edge.

Arguably Copen's greatest skill is his genius-level intellect. A engineer and scientist of the highest order, Copen can create devices that can rival and even surpass Septima, though he used his father's research as grounding. His inventions range from advanced weaponry to even A.I, often using Nori's mysterious funds to fund his projects. His tech is said to overcome that of Sumeragi in several aspects, however, he has no intention of ever sharing his discoveries with anyone else out of mistrust and paranoia (and fear that they will be abused of).

Copen's signature ability is copying the powers of the Adepts he defeats and using them for himself. By gaining some trance of the septima (e.g. DNA, Glaives), Copen can then replicate powers similar to that of the Adepts he hunts, though not to their level of skill. He currently accesses these powers through his EX Weapons.

In Azure Striker Gunvolt, Copen's armour and weapons generally seemed to focus on a strong defence to tank hits, whilst going on the offensive. Copen's armour "Megante Leon" can artificially boost his defence and mobility, though his movement is rather limited compared to Adepts. His shield ("Aix Gear") not only serves to block attacks, but can also turn into a longbow for offensive use. This shield was destroyed in his fight with Asimov. He also uses a gun (named "Border") once owned by his father, with silver bullets (named "Beowulf") capable of bypassing even Gunvolt's Prevasion.

After his defeat at the hands of Gunvolt and Asimov, Copen completely overhauled his gear, this time with a focus on offense and evasion (his gun is now the "Border Mk II"). His "White Tiger" jacket not only considerably increases his defence, but allows him to achieve flight. Analysis of the Azure Striker helped him make the power generator smaller, too, reducing the overall weight. By dashing into his enemies, Copen can use his gun to assign a light marker to them and launch a flurry of homing shots. His gun also has a feature where it fires bullets made using Carrera's Septima. However, this feature is rarely used, partly because of Copen's paranoia that someone will develop countermeasures, but also because the bullets themselves are expensive to produce. These new upgrades, combined with his copying ability and combat prowess, make him a force to be reckoned with, capable of facing and beating some of the most powerful Adepts on the planet, such as Zonda, whom he managed to bet twice in a row.

To best put his skills in perspective, Copen is among the few people in the entire series to utterly defeat Gunvolt in battle, even whilst the latter was aided by the power of The Muse.

Attacks

Copen is a unique boss in that he will utilize new attacks as Gunvolt defeats the featured Sumeragi Adept bosses in addition to his standard attacks.

During the fight with Copen at Sinner's Row (Kaleidoscape), Copen's defense is halved.^[4]

Standard Attacks

Shooting

銃、Gun

Copen's standard attack. Copen walks forward with his gun and shoots bullets continuously from one side of the screen to a bit past the middle of the screen.

Copen's bullets cannot be blocked by the Flashfield. Regular shots can cancel them but require multiple shots per bullet.
Copen performs a shield bash or backflip as a follow-up at the end of this attack; doing so will remove any tags on him.
Copen will immediately perform a shield bash towards Gunvolt if he jumps behind Copen during this attack sequence; doing so will remove any tags on Copen.
Damage Output: 24 per bullet

Shield Bash

タックル、Tackle

Copen's standard attack, exclusively used as a follow-up or cancel to his shooting attack. Copen charges forward with his shield in front, removing any tags on him.

Copen may perform this as a follow-up at the conclusion of his shooting attack; doing so places him at the end of the arena opposite from where he began his attack.
Copen will immediately perform this to cancel his shooting attack if Gunvolt jumps behind him during the attack sequence.
Damage Output: 48

Backflip

宙返り、Somersault

Copen's standard attack, exclusively used as a follow-up to his shooting attack. Copen performs a backflip to place himself at some distance behind him, removing any tags on him.

Copen may perform this as a follow-up at the conclusion of his shooting attack; doing so places him at the end of arena where he began his attack.
Damage Output: 32

Special Attacks

*Note: All of Copen's special attacks (except Power Grab and Doppler Desire) allow him to block shots from the front while firing.Template:Simple Image Left

Arrogant Radiance

アロガントファング、Arrogant Fang

Available after Jota has been defeated. Copen fires a surface-level laser beam. Shortly afterwards, he fires a swirling lance.　

The swirling lance can be deflected with the Flashfield or destroyed with a Special Skill.　
Damage Output (Laser): 32　
Damage Output (Lance): 40

Blazing Bombers

ブレイジングバリスタ、Blazing Ballista

Available after Viper has been defeated. Copen shoots a flaming arrow that detonates three lingering explosions in its path of fire.

Damage Output (Arrow): 40
Damage Output (Explosions): 32

Flesh Eater

ミリオンイーター、Million Eater

Available after Stratos has been defeated. Copen unleashes a slow-moving swarm of insects.

Components of the swarm can be exterminated with the Flashfield, nullifying any potential contact damage.
Copen's defense increases during this attack.^[4]
Damage Output: 32

Gorgon Gaze

ジェラシックゴルゴン、Jealousic Gorgon

Available after Elise has been defeated. Copen shines a beam of light in front of him

This attack inflicts the stone status if Gunvolt faces the light source
Damage Output: 0

Lazy Laser

レイジーレーザー、Lazy Laser

Available after Merak has been defeated. Copen fires a giant laser into a wormhole that will reappear at different areas and at different angles on-screen.

The laser tracks Gunvolt's location but reappears at different angles one at a time.
Copen's defense increases during this attack.^[4]
Damage Output: 56

Power Grab

グリードスナッチャー、Greed Snatcher

Available after Carrera has been defeated. Copen fires two waves of three magnetic bullets.

The magnetic bullets inflict the chaff status if they hit Gunvolt.
Damage Output: 32

Doppler Desire

ラストドップラー、Lust Doppler

"Hands defiled by sin / A body damned for deeds far done / Seek its salvation! Doppler Desire!"

Copen's special attack. Copen summons four doppelganger apparitions that briefly circle around him. At the conclusion of this attack, Copen and any remaining copies perform a shield bash off-screen. The doppelgangers will disappear at the end of this attack.

Copen will not use this attack during his fight at Sinner's Row (Kaleidoscape).
The copies can be tagged and attacked; they will disappear after absorbing sufficient damage.
Copen will always follow-up Doppler Desire with his shooting attack
Damage Output (Shield Bash): 96
Damage Output (Apparitions): 40

Attacks (ASG2)

Shooting

銃、Gun

Copen's standard attack. He fires three laser shots straight forwards. Alternatively, he can jump and shoot to fire one in the air and on the ground. They cannot be blocked by the Flashfield.

Damage Output: 20

Dash

Copen will dash around the battlefield. Contact with him results in you getting tagged, leading to a barrage of undodgeable shots.

Damage Output (Dash): 10
Damage Output (Homing Shots): 30

Prevasion

Copen's gear allows him to use Prevasion, so he can dodge up to 2 hits from projectiles until he has to recharge. Once this goes down, a bar will slowly fill up over his head, showing how much time you have left before his Prevasion restarts.

Copen's Prevasion automatically goes down when hit by a Skill.
Copen's Prevasion is disabled as long as he is in contact with GV's Flashfield
Copen will cancel any tags you have on him when he Prevades

Reload

Activated when Copen changes phases. Copen reloads his Bullits, instantly restoring Prevasion

Copen is invincible while reloading

Guilt Sequence

ギルトコンビネーション Guilt Combination

"Fallen villain's souls / Unite as one yet again / To fell greater sin! Guilt Sequence!"

Copen's Special Skill. He summons Lola to perform attacks based on the bosses of ASG1. The pattern goes;

Copen fires Gorgon Gaze. It will petrify you if you face it. Damage Output: 0
Copen opens up a wormhole to make one barrage of Power Grab into three. The bullets inflict Overheat if they hit. Damage Output: 30
Copen fires a Blazing Bombers along the ground while Lola fires Arrogant Radiance (only the laser, not the drill) in the air. Damage Output: 40
Copen fires a steady stream of insects using Flesh Eater. They can be blocked with Flashfield. Damage Output: 20
- Copen tries to get a cheap shot in with a laser burst while Flesh Eater is still going.

Note: Copen will only use this attack in Garden 4

Attacks (Anthem'd)

Prevasion

Copen has infinite Prevasion under the effects of Anthem. It only goes down if you hit Copen with a Skill or keep him in contact with the Flashfield.

If you hit Copen with a skill, he automatically loses Prevasion and must wait to cool down. If you touch him with Flashfield, Prevasion only goes away while Copen is still in the field.
When using Prevasion, Copen will cancel any active tags on him.

Power Grab

グリードスナッチャー、Greed Snatcher

Copen's standard attack under Anthem. He fires magnetic bullets in 3-round bursts. Alternatively, he can fire one in the air and one on the ground. The bullets can ignore Prevasion.

The bullets inflict Overheat if they hit Gunvolt
Damage Output: 40

Impact Reload

Copen flies up off the screen. A few seconds later, he comes crashing down on your position while reloading. This attack instantly resets Copen's Prevasion.

Damage Output: 40

Dash

Copen dashes around the arena, trying to get a better position and to tag you. If you get hit, you will be subject to a barrage of homing shots.

Damage Output (Dash): 20
Damage Output (Homing Shots): 50

Doppler Destroyer

ファイナルラストドップラー、 Final Lust Doppler

Though it taint my heart/ I give all to banish sin/ To oblivion! Doppler Destroyer!

Copen's Special Skill under Anthem. He deploys bits to create four clones using Doppler Desire as the real Copen flies up off-screen. The clones each perform one dash, trying to tag GV. If one of them hits, they all barrage GV with homing shots before Copen comes crashing down with Impact Reload, dealing massive damage. This attack ignores Prevasion.

Even when you dodge all the clones, Copen will still try to get an Impact on you.
Damage Output: 25 per clone
Note: You will receive an additional 50 Damage if one of the clones hits you, regardless of how many you dodge.

Skills

Similar to Gunvolt, in Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, Copen can use multiple skills to aid him in battle. As Copen is not an Adept, he does not gain new skills through leveling up. However, he does have two unique skills from the start. Copen can also copy the abilities of defeated members of The Seven.

Shred Storm

ストライクソウ Strike Saw

May claws shatter chains / Of those who traipse in my wake / Begone you impure! Shred Storm!

A Special Skill carried out by the “Bits” and covers the whole screen. It’s a storm of slashes that draw the “Claw”(爪) Kanji on the screen. It instantly kills all enemies on the screen, and deals significant damage to bosses.

Killing a boss with this skill grants a 1000 Kudos bonus

Healing

ヒーリング Healing

If you open the Pause Menu, the “Shred Storm” icon will become the “Healing” icon. If you touch it, you can recover all of your HP.

*Note: Shred Storm and Healing have separate cooldowns.

Special Weapons

Stellar Spark

スパークステラー Spark Stellar

Available from the start. The bits unleash a spread of lightning bolts straight forward. When a target is tagged, Lola will home in on it to provide a direct shock. Can pass through walls

This septimal power was gained from Asimov, whose blood soaked the battered remains of Border when Copen recovered it as revealed in the epilogue of the first ASG Sound Track.
This weapon deals more damage to Milas and Stratos.
Using this on Gunvolt when fighting him instantly recharges his Prevasion. Oops.

Hailstorm Blade

アバランチソード Avalanche Sword

Acquired after defeating Tenjian. Creates ice swords that launch short-range slash waves that shrink as they fly. Deals more damage when used in closer proximity to target. The slashes can be angled upwards or downwards. The swords and waves are automatically aimed towards tagged targets. The blades and waves can bypass walls.

This weapon deals more damage to Asroc, False Zonda, and Carrera.

Twintail Bunker

テイルバンカー Tail Bunker

Acquired after defeating Desna. Creates two hair drills that can be thrust forwards or upwards to attack, or downwards to boost jumps. Tagging foes causes this weapon to create hair missiles to launch at them.

This weapon deals more damage to Ghauri and Elise.

Hydro Zapper

ハイドロザッパー Hydro Zapper

Acquired after defeating Milas. Creates two water orbs that release lasers of water similar to Milas' Hydro Zapper. The lasers will aim at a tagged foe even mid-flight. Can bypass walls

Using this on Gunvolt will instantly Overheat him.
This weapon deals more damage to Gibril, Galette Krone, the Gran Torta, and Viper.

Broad Circuit

ワイドサーキット Wide Circuit

Acquired after defeating Teseo. The bits launch a wide-scale flurry of data similar to Teseo's Data Rain attack. The attack becomes more clustered and hits harder when attacking a tagged foe. Can bypass walls

This attack deals more damage to robots, Teseo himself, Gunvolt, and Stratos.

Ferrous Fang

アイアンファング Iron Fang

Acquired after defeating Gibril. Launches a shot of blood-like substance forwards. This weapon creates projectiles from the approximate heights of Copen's head, torso, and kneecaps. These blobs are automatically aimed towards tagged targets, and upon impact, fly back to Copen as pink sparkles, restoring his health. This weapon cannot bypass walls

This weapon does more damage to True Zonda and Carrera. It also deals more damage to organic foes such as Eden Soldiers, Zombie Shamblers, and Sumeragi Soldiers (Special Mission 1 only).

Prism Break

プリズムブレイク Prism Break

Acquired after defeating Ghauri. The bits create and launch a prism similar to Ghauri's Prism Strike. Can be charged up to 2 stages for increased size and damage. Charging eats up weapon energy, so a level 3 prism will take the whole gauge unless you use subroutines. The prism automatically flies toward tagged foes, but cannot pass through terrain.

This weapon is the only way to break purple blocks in stages.
This weapon deals more damage to Tenjian and Jota.

Vantage Raid

バンテージライン Vantage Line

Acquired after defeating Asroc. Launches ring-shaped shots that appear to be made of string, like Asroc's Puppetmaster septima. Upon impact, they bind around the target, stopping their movements and attacks. This effect does not work on bosses. This weapon fires a burst of shots when locked on to a foe.

This weapon deals more damage to Desna, Gibril, Merak, and Jota.

English Game Dialogue

Cutscene After Gunvolt Defeats Three Adepts

NARRATOR: "A figure watched from the shadows as Gunvolt left the scene. The figure reached down and retrieved a shard from where the last Adept fell."
COPEN: "Another glaive sample. This makes the third."
NARRATOR: "The glaives were a kind of vessel. Adepts who agreed to transplant their septimosome into a glaive were guaranteed a high-ranking place in society. In return, Sumeragi gained control over the Adepts' volatile powers."
COPEN: "A sword that can only be drawn at Sumeragi's behest... What good does a toy like this do, anyway? A rakshasa on a leash is a rakshasa all the same—an enemy to humanity. But I, not the supreme God, shall be the one to banish those demons. Their twisted blood must be purged by human hands." ^[5]

Sinner's Row (Kaleidoscape), Prior to the Boss Battle

GUNVOLT: "...Did I break the illusion?"
MONIQA: "Gunv......perat......are......ling......da......ed......nto......rea......"
GUNVOLT: "(It was all coming in static.) Someone's jamming the frequency!"
ZONDA: "Eeyaaagh!"
GUNVOLT: "(That was no cry of ecstasy.)"
COPEN: "Return to your true creator, you abomination."
ZONDA: "So hot...inside me...aaah! This pain...exquisite...nngh!!! Kill me...just like that...aaahhh...
COPEN: "Reprobate. Don't worry—your septimosome will go to a cleaner cause."
GUNVOLT: "What's this guy's story?"
COPEN: "...The azure striker."
GUNVOLT: "Thanks for the, uh, help."
COPEN: "Heh... You've got the wrong idea. I'm not your friend any more than I am Sumeragi's. You're an Adept—just one more blight to wipe from the earth."
GUNVOLT: "Huh?"
COPEN: "I swear I will end you. ...Right now!" ^[5]

Sinner's Row (Kaleidoscape), After Defeating the Boss

COPEN: "I have the data I need. What you didn't spill in your blood, you spilled in secrets..."
GUNVOLT: "...Your name. I deserve that."
COPEN: "No, you don't. That's a human privilege. But when God next sends me to judge you, you'll hear him whisper, 'Copen...'"
GUNVOLT: "...Whew." ^[5]

Stratosphere (Babel), After Fighting Elise

ELISE: "Yee-hee, yee-hee! Givvve it up! You'll never dessstroy me! Resurrec—"
COPEN: "Die, you abomination!"
GUNVOLT: "Copen."
COPEN: "And so envy succumbs to greed. I chose my weapon aptly. The power to take always trumps the desire to have. She deserved her punishment for playing God—just as you merit yours, Azure Striker. Come and meet your end." ^[5]

Stratosphere (Babel), Prior to Fighting Copen

COPEN: "Sumeragi has finally laid its machinations bare. The Muse Project? I spit on their 'venture'. I'll strike their little canary down myself."
GUNVOLT: "We could work together! I'll help you take Sumeragi down. But you have to leave Joule out of it! She's innocent!"
COPEN: "We're not negotiating here. I won't stop until every last Adept is dead. If you want to plead, you can plead with God now." ^[5]

Stratosphere (Babel), After Defeating Copen

COPEN: "Gwwwrf!"
GUNVOLT: "Look, I don't have time for this. Joule needs me. Whatever your deal is, you keep the both of us out of it."
COPEN: "Father...you knew this would happen. You tried to warn those fools. I've let them all grow too strong... I can't pray for God to bring you back. But I can still pray those monsters destroy each other. And if any are left standing at the end of this...one day...one day, I will find them..." ^[5]

English Game Mentions

Mission: Kaleidoscape

Tonight, the pleasure quarter belongs to Zonda. As Gunvolt chases the lustful

menace down, he crosses paths with an avenger... ^[5]

Cutscene After Clearing Sinner's Row (Kaleidoscape)

NARRATOR: "Meanwhile, on Sumeragi's orbital station, 'Firmament'..."
SOLDIER: "Master Nova! Zonda's Hunters have been decimated, sir."
NOVA: "What? It grieves me to hear that...deeply. Will QUILL never stop?"
SOLDIER: "This wasn't QUILL, sir. According to the survivors, Zonda was done in by a boy in white armor with red trim."
NOVA: "White armor... with a cross? That's Dr. Kamizono's—Hmm..."
SOLDIER: "You know him?"
NOVA: "He's a small thing that knows how to make big messes. But he's alone, and he has no septima. Leave him be. He'll burn up in the wake of his own vengeance soon enough."
SOLDIER: "But sir... he took down Zonda. -The- Zonda."
NOVA: "Nature's full of surprises. You don't need to be an Adept to have a gift. If we're lucky, he and QUILL will destroy each other and save us some work. Now, when are you going to deliver Lumen to me? We need her back. The venture cannot proceed without our shining star.
SOLDIER: "Understood, sir." ^[5]

Firmament (Idolatry), Prior to Fighting Nova

GUNVOLT: "Joule..."
NOVA: "Well, here we are."
GUNVOLT: "(It was him. How could I forget that voice?) Nova."
NOVA: "I see I left an impression."
GUNVOLT: "(But my eyes were locked on the monstrosity between us.)"
NOVA: "You like it? This machine gives me full septimal control over the Muse. You should ask Copen all about it. I assume you ran into him on the way up? His father laid the groundwork for all our Adept research. He built this machine. In fact, it's safe to say Sumeragi would have been nothing without him. A shame the dice rolled how they did..."
GUNVOLT: "That's nice. If you're done spewing your horsejitt, let Joule go."
NOVA: "Not very civil at all, are you? Maybe you need a little demonstration."
GUNVOLT: "(Behind him, Lumen appeared. But something was wrong...)"
LUMEN: "......"
GUNVOLT: "(Her eyes had none of their usual mischief. She was like a robot. She looked as cold and calculating as the computer program QUILL once mistook her for.) What did you do?"
NOVA: "Like I said, this machine puts me in control of her septima. She sings for me now. I mean, no offense, but you've basically already lost. Shall we?" ^[5]

Firmament (Idolatry), Prior to Fighting Nova's True Form

NOVA: "Wow... Sumeragi really outdid itself when it created you. I might actually have to put in some effort! Time to pull some swords from some stones."
GUNVOLT: "(Not one, but three glaives started to drift toward him... And so did Joule.) How strong -is- he?!"
GUNVOLT: "('Monsters', Copen had called us. And in this case, he'd be right. Nova had absorbed Joule completely—made her a part of him. Was that his septima? My mind swam...)"
NOVA: "I was given this godlike power because my cause is righteous! The world is a system—one that must be protected from aberrations like you!" ^[5]

Normal Ending

GUNVOLT: "Huh? What are you doing here?"
ASIMOV: "I'm proud of you, Gunvolt. You too, Joule. With Nova out of the way, you two are ready to rule in the age to come."
JOULE: "What do you mean, 'rule'?"
ASIMOV: "Sumeragi is in shambles. We won't get a better chance."
GUNVOLT: "...To do what?"
ASIMOV: "Since you left QUILL, I've watched you surpass my every expectation. But it's time for you to join us again. ...You and Joule. There's a place for her now. With her Anthem, and this satellite...I mean, can you imagine? We can wipe the human race from the planet."
GUNVOLT: "......?!"
ASIMOV: "I founded QUILL so that Adepts could live without fear. And now that day is here. We will rise from our oppression, free at last! Come with me."
JOULE: "No! Gunvolt, no... I've heard all this before."
GUNVOLT: "(She looked right at me, the terror in her eyes plain.) Don't worry. I know. ...Asimov, I can't even begin to repay you for all you've done. You saved me from Sumeragi's lab. You basically raised me... I would do almost anything for you. But not this. If this is your idea of making the world better, then you're no different from Nova or Copen."
GUNVOLT: "I don't want your freedom if it means Joule loses hers. Sorry."
ASIMOV: "Oh, that's okay. Never hurts to ask, right? We'll do it this way instead."
GUNVOLT: "(My blood froze. The weapon in his hand—) That's Copen's gun."
ASIMOV: "You like the little souvenir I picked up on the way in? That primate actually managed to graze me with it. Imagine my surprise! It turns out these bullets can neutralize septimal power. Call it...a dose of mortality. Good-bye, Gunvolt."
GUNVOLT: "(I felt a surge of heat... First in my chest...running down my skin... Then the air touched it, and everything started to go cold.)"
JOULE: "Aaah! No, no, no... Gunvolt!!!"
ASIMOV: "You're next, Joule."
GUNVOLT: "(Even as darkness worked to clamp my eyes shut, I saw her crumple to the floor. It was... all over... I had failed her... and now I would never.........)"
ASIMOV: "For a human, Copen makes some dangerous toys... All the more reason to snuff out his species as soon as possible. It would have been easy with Gunvolt and Joule... But plans can be rewritten."
GUNVOLT: "(...... ......)" ^[5]

Firmament (Azure), Beginning of Mission

MUSE: "G...Gunvolt? (How do I describe what happened next? Asimov had shot Gunvolt, then me... I should have been dead... But I felt more alive than ever. An ocean of electrons and sound washed over me. I was one with everything... It wasn't until later that I understood.)"
MUSE: "What happened to me? My body... (The Muse was an extension of my septimal energy. Asimov hadn't bothered to use Copen's suppressor on me. So when he shot me, my septima did the logical thing—it escaped.)"
MUSE: "Gunvolt? Where are you...? (My mind and Lumen's had become one. As I searched for Gunvolt, I realized just how powerful my Muse really was. The whole world was a sea of electrons and sound, unclouded by human touch.)"
MUSE: "...There! He's still alive! (But only barely. A slender thread held him to this world. How did he survive that gunshot? I swam closer...deeper... I ran invisible fingers over his body, and found the wound. A grotesque mess of metal had clawed into his skin.)"
MUSE: "Wait. This is... (Wrapped around the bullet like a tiny glove...was a broken pendant. It was from the necklace I had made for him... He had chosen my gift over his QUILL-issue gear—even though it gave him no tactical advantage. And it had saved his life. In that moment, I realized...this boy who had come to save me was just as fragile as I was. He didn't fight for me because I needed him. It was him who needed me.)"
MUSE: "I have to hurry... (He was still dying. The pendant had stopped the bullet from reaching his heart, but without treatment, he would bleed to death.)"
MUSE: "...There's a way. (My septima had been cut loose. Without a body, I would die too. There was only one place left for me to go. And I wanted to be there.)"
... ^[5]

Trivia

Copen's design and abilities bear many similarities to those of characters from the Mega Man franchise, which may be intentional references given Inti Creates' long history of developing Mega Man games.
- Like many of Mega Man's playable characters, most notably the original Mega Man and Mega Man X, Copen uses the weapons of previously defeated bosses.
- Like Proto Man, Copen in the first Azure Striker Gunvolt is partially red to contrast with the blue main character, uses a gun and shield as his main weapons, and attacks with a dashing shield bash and large numbers of small bullets.
- Like a user of Biometal Model A, Copen in Gunvolt 2 is secondarily red and primarily a more neutral color, copies defeated bosses' abilities, holds a gun in his hand that fires homing shots, and is assisted by an artificial sentient object. However, his air dashes and slowly descending hovering state more closely resemble users of Model H.
- Also, his personality is similar to Sage Harpuia from Megaman Zero as both characters fight for the sake of humans while bears an hatred to the opposing species Adepts and Reploid respectively.
Copen shares his last name -Kamizono- with Shinobu and Maya,the main heroines of Gal Gun VV,another shooting game created by Inti Creates (Along with his sister).
Copen's special moves "Doppler Desire" and "Doppler Destroyer" are likely derived from Zonda's septimosome. Their association with illusions and lust enforces this speculation.
Copen and Zonda have been paired twice as bait-and-switch bosses. In Azure Striker Gunvolt, Zonda is the bait and Copen is the switch at Sinner's Row (Kaleidoscape). Their roles are reversed at the Mirror stage in Mighty Gunvolt.
Following a curious standard with GunVolt 1's bosses, Copen's English and Japanese names are both based on cars. Acura is the name of a Japanese car manufacturer, while Copen is the name of a car model built by the Japanese company, Daihatsu.
It is unknown if Copen was ever aware that Asimov is the Adept who killed his father.
Copen stands at 165cm (5'5") tall, the same height as Teseo.

Japanese Version

"I'll be the one to condemn you, Azure Thunderclap (Armed Blue)...!" (ASG1)

—Acura, Japanese Official Site

"I'll wipe out... that arrogance!" (ASG2)

—Morpho, Japanese Official Site

References

↑ Azure Striker Gunvolt - Fleeting Memories: Part 3
↑ Japanese Website Dossier
↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named En Website Copen
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Skybane's Gunvault: Gunvolt Boss Damage Analysis by Saairan
↑ ^5.00 ^5.01 ^5.02 ^5.03 ^5.04 ^5.05 ^5.06 ^5.07 ^5.08 ^5.09 ^5.10 ^5.11 Game Script