Age (Heroic Age)

Age is a male anime and manga character who features in Heroic Age.

Biography

Age (Japanese: エイジ, Hepburn: Eiji) was a male human who was born at an unknown time when the crew of his ship crashed on the planet Oron that was once verdant and peaceful but later suffered from a cosmic cataclysm. All the occupants were killed except for him where he was taken into care by the members of the Golden Tribe. He was given the power of one of the Nodos by them and became host to the Heroic Tribe warrior known as Bellcross. Whilst on the wastelands of Oron, he was also cared for the A.I. mainframe of the crashed abandoned ship and came to see it as his mother. The Golden Tribe later came to leave the universe but not before imparting a set of instructions to Age on his role in the future. In the years afterwards, Age lived on the deserted world by himself where he had to hunt the native wild life for food. Despite this feral existence, he was not cruel and shown to had developed a repertoire with the animals on his world. This often manifested in fights where he would claim a limb of a creature that could regenerate its legs where he would then eat the leg to sustain himself. Meanwhile, the A.I. that served as his 'mother' continued to oversee his activities on Oron.

One day, Age was hunting for food when his world came to be visited by the Iron Tribe. Observing them in secret, he watched as the humans examined the damaged crashed ship. He then revealed himself to them where at first they were scared and fled the vessel. Emerging outside, he approached the Iron Tribe where the twins Tail Ol Mehelim attempted to use their psychic abilities to telekinetically keep Age in place. However, this had no affect on Age who simply walked through their telekinetic bubble. It was then that a psychic projection Princess Dhianeila Y Leisha Altoria Ol Yunos appeared where she explained humanity's mission and that they were in search for their Nodos champion. She came to ask him if he knew of the person they sought but they quickly came to realise that it was Age. Age himself knew that this was the moment his father spoke of and that the prophecised time of his leaving of the planet came to pass. At this point, Oron came under attack from the Bronze who were in pursuit of the Argonaut in orbit to destroy the humans. Several of the insectoid creatures arrived on the surface of the planet in order to kill the Iron Tribe where their attacks ravaged the world's surface. Age then transformed into Bellcross where he easily eliminated the Bronze Tribe forces by destroying their ship. The damage caused in the battle destroyed his home and the 'mother' A.I. that had looked after Age where he wept for her and said he was sorry he could not protect her. In the aftermath, Age agreed to join the Iron Tribe to complete the labors given to him.

The Argonaut tries to resupply on the planet Titarros, with the Silver Tribe in pursuit. In order to avoid alarming the populace with the presence of a Nodos, Iolaous and Age travel to the planet's surface. There, Age meets Karkinos, another Nodos vessel, who wants him to join the other Nodos. The Bronze Tribe nests attack the Argonaut and Titarros in order to destroy them both. Age summons Bellcross and saves them by destroying the Bronze Tribe nests, while still fighting Karkinos, who summons Lernaea. After the incident at Planet Titarros, other inhabited planets no longer want the Argonaut to enter into their territory, in hopes of preventing themselves from becoming enemies of the Silver Tribe. Without their help, the Argonaut has no other choice but to follow Princess Dhianeila's directions, and to have faith in Age's power to defeat the other Nodos. The battle between Age and Karkinos continues, while Mehitak reveals Artemia, his Heroic Tribe form. The Argonaut, along with Iolaous and the others, escapes the battlefield and leaves Age to fend for himself against the two enemy Nodos. After escaping, the Argonaut is attacked again, but a little unexpected help from Captain Mobeedo's past shows up too. The Argonaut continues to flee from the Silver Tribe while the Azz-Azoth fleet facilitates their escape. Unfortunately, Mehitak makes another appearance and proves to have more tricks than he showed before. When the Argonaut is finally trapped by the Silver Tribe, Dhianeila is forced to take drastic action, endangering her own safety for the sake of the crew. The battle between Age and Karkinos soon comes to end when Age gains the upper hand. Realizing that Karkinos was in trouble, Yuty ordered Artemia to go assist him. Meanwhile, the Argonaut received a coded message containing the location of a secret starway.

Following the escape through the starway, Age spent the subsequent cycle navigating a complex transition from a wild protector to a recognized soldier within the Iron Tribe’s hierarchy. After returning to the Argonaut, he initially struggled to adapt to the structured environment of the military, often preferring the company of his drawings over formal protocol, yet he remained fiercely dedicated to Princess Dhianeila’s vision. When the fleet arrived at the Altoria system and faced a massive blockade by the Bronze Tribe, Age immediately deployed as Bellcross to engage in a series of relentless skirmishes that pushed his endurance to its limits. He acted as the fleet's primary shield, intercepting thousands of enemy bio-ships and intentionally drawing the brunt of the swarm's fire to ensure the safety of the human refugees. Throughout these battles, Age demonstrated an uncanny ability to read the flow of space-time, often positioning himself at critical junctions to halt enemy advances before they could breach the Argonaut's defensive perimeter. Despite the exhaustion of constant combat and the growing pressure from the Silver Tribe's observers, he continued to follow his 'Contract', viewing every strike not as an act of malice, but as a necessary step toward the promised land that the Heroic Tribe had foretold.

During the subsequent phase of the journey, Age faced an escalating series of trials as the Argonaut moved deeper into the solar system, eventually reaching the massive gas giant Jupiter. As the fleet encountered the Bronze Tribe’s primary nest, Age transitioned from a defensive guardian into an unstoppable offensive force, manifesting Bellcross to dive directly into the heart of the enemy’s biological swarm. He engaged in a brutal, high-speed atmospheric battle where he had to contend not only with millions of Bronze Tribe ships but also the intense gravitational pressure and volatile storms of the planet itself. While the human military commanders struggled with the ethical and tactical implications of the "Nodos" power, Age remained singularly focused on his contract with Dhianeila, using his sheer physical might to shatter the enemy’s main hive-clusters. His actions during this period were characterized by a savage efficiency; he prioritized the destruction of the Silver Tribe’s warp gates to prevent further reinforcements from flooding the system. Despite the toll the constant transformation took on his human form, he never faltered, eventually clearing a path through the Jovian theater that allowed the Iron Tribe to secure a foothold for their eventual return to Earth.

Overview

Personality and attributes

In appearance, Age, in his standard human form, was a young man who appeared to be in his late teens or early twenties, though he was chronologically much older, around 120 years old. He possessed short, dark or black hair and striking blue eyes. Initially, having lived a wild, isolated life on the desolate planet Oron, his appearance was unkempt, a reflection of his untamed nature. His physical prowess was evident even in this state, as he displayed immense strength and agility, capable of tearing through reinforced metal with his bare hands. When he transformed into his Heroic Tribe form, known as Bellcross, he became a massive, humanoid entity, approximately 50 feet (15 meters) tall. This form was predominantly dark blue, described by some as appearing somewhat mechanical due to its powerful structure. A notable feature was the presence of very large blue spheres at his joints, which glowed. The form was considered the strongest of the remaining Nodos, a god-like being of immense power. In instances where Age entered a 'frenzy' or berserk state, Bellcross's appearance shifted dramatically: its body turned a deeper black, its eyes and the spheres on its body glowed a menacing red, and its armor expanded. Furthermore, crystal-like protrusions extended from the spheres on his shoulders and hips, and a long, prehensile tail with a bladed tip sprouted from its back, a form that was capable of releasing energy on the scale of a supernova.

Initially, he had no concept of simple words, phrases or even numbers. The twins Tail Ol Mehelim came to be responsible for teaching him numbers where they said he was learning at a good rate.

At first, he showed a profound wildness and lack of socialization, stemming from his isolated existence on the ruined planet Oron. He was, in essence, a noble savage who had never experienced conventional human society or interaction. His understanding of the world was extremely limited; he did not even know basic concepts like 'numbers' or common phrases, having been raised only by the Golden Tribe and an old ship's AI that he considered his 'mother'. This isolation meant he acted purely on instinct and a simple, good-natured core, which often appeared strange or 'wild' to the structured people of the Argonaut. He was incredibly good-natured and protective of the few things he cared about, like the local wildlife and his "mother" ship's mainframe. When his ship was destroyed, his reaction was one of pure, unrestrained rage and sorrow, demonstrating the depth of his simple attachments. This untamed, almost animalistic, behavior earned him the nickname of 'monkey' among the crew and initially disturbed them, as they were unfamiliar with a being so powerful yet so unrefined.

He showed a profound innocence and almost absolute lack of cynicism. Having known only the benevolent Golden Tribe and his protective ship AI, he was entirely trusting and guileless. He accepted the people of the Iron Tribe at face value when they arrived on Oron, showing no suspicion or fear despite their alien nature and the initial conflict. This pure, unquestioning trust was evident in his interactions with Princess Dhianeila and her crew; he followed them because he perceived them as good, having promised the Golden Tribe that he would protect humanity. His innocence extended to a complete lack of understanding of social hierarchies, politics, or the grim realities of the galactic war. He did not grasp the concepts of deception or malice, which often led to comical misunderstandings or moments where his simple, honest responses disarmed the more jaded or scheming characters. He perceived the world through a lens of simple promises and immediate, powerful emotions like loyalty and a desire to help, embodying a pure 'all-loving hero' archetype that stood in stark contrast to the hardened soldiers and political operators he encountered.

This highlighted his intense sense of duty and loyalty to the promises he had made to the Golden Tribe. He had been entrusted with a singular, immense task: to save humanity, or "mankind," from the threats they faced. This charge was not a casual suggestion but a sacred obligation that he internalized completely, becoming the fundamental driving force behind all his actions. When Dhianeila and the Argonaut crew arrived, he did not initially understand the nuances of their mission or the vast political landscape of the galaxy; he simply recognized them as the "mankind" he was meant to protect. His loyalty was unwavering and immediate. He risked his life repeatedly for them without question or hesitation, driven solely by this earnest, internalized promise. This deep-seated commitment was both a strength and a vulnerability, as he was single-mindedly focused on his given mission, demonstrating a pure, uncomplicated dedication that was both admirable and somewhat naive in its simplicity.

Wild by nature, he was nevertheless extremely good-natured. Such was his nature that Princess Dhianeila who normally did not allow men to approach her was fine with Age.

He tended to speak in the third person similar to that of a child.

Having grown up on a deserted planet, he could easily fend for himself and often hunted for food. Despite hunting, he maintained close ties with the native life on the world where he had a sort of friendship with an animal. The creature could regenerate its limbs where Age would wrestle the beast to claim part of its body to eat and in return he would give it food in the form of plants.

It was shown that he had little knowledge of his biological parents. Instead, he was taken in by the Golden Tribe who he considered his father. Meanwhile, the artificial intelligence that was based on the crashed ship that he called his home he considered to be his mother. Despite being a machine, Age deeply cared for the A.I. to the point that he cried for her when she was destroyed by the Bronze Tribe.

Due to his upbringing, Age had limited knowledge about human society.

After leaving with the Iron Tribe, he came to reside on the Argonaut where he came to like its crew and considered them his friends.

In fact, he was the only man who is able to be physically close to Dhianeila without her collapsing

Powers and abilities

Age was a human who was one of the Nodos where he was bonded to the spirit Bellcross (ベルクロス, Berukurosu) of the Heroic Tribe. The 'essence' of the Heroic Tribe life-form within him. He was stored in a stone that was wrapped around the optical nerve of Age's right eye. Despite his human form, he possessed even superhuman traits in this state. This included scanners being unable to fully register him and low level psychic attacks being unable to affect him. Age was also capable of surviving in the vacuum of space unaided without the need for any life support equipment.

When summoned, Age's body was enveloped with that of Bellcross. When needed, Age could transform into Bellcross who manifested as a 50 foot (15m) tall blue-skinned monstrous humanoid whose joints were made of very large blue spheres. It was noted that Bellcross had the power of 'existence', meaning that he simply could not be killed.

Like other Nodos, Age has shown enhanced agility and immense strength; he was able to tear the Argonaut's outer shell with his bare hands.

A simple punch through the air was capable of creating a powerful shockwave that could destroy almost anything in its path.

Another attack from Belcross was an energy beam he can fire from his mouth. He was only able to use this once but it was powerful enough to create a several mile crater on a moon sized asteroid.

Bellcross was considered to be the strongest of the remaining Heroic Tribe. Like the other remaining members of the Heroic Tribe, he apparently lived only for destruction and contest over its siblings of the Heroic Tribe. Bellcross can destroy quite a few ships on his own.

It was shown that he could fall into a state of frenzy whereby the Nodos goes berserk during extremely violent battles. Such states were known to occur in situations such as when two or more Nodos fight. This state can be caused by very strong negative emotions to the host of the heroic tribe as it was the case for Yuti. In this state, they become careless and destroy anything and everything on their path. They also become more powerful than their normal states since in this state they reach their full potential as a Heroic Tribe member. However, this transformation comes at a severe cost, once the Nodos has entered a frenzy his own power will begin to destroy him, this will likely continue until the Nodos is destroyed by it's own power. When Bellcross entered Frenzy his entire body came to be covered in a red aura with his eyes and the spheres on his body changing to glowing red, and his normally dark-blue body turning black. While Frenzied, he released powerful shock waves whenever he moved through space with this being powerful enough to destroy nearby ships.

Notes

• Age was created by Tow Ubukata where he featured in the setting of the Heroic Age universe.

Appearances

• Heroic Age:

External Links

• Heroic Age Wiki Entry

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