| Battle 37 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Volume: | 7 |
| Chapter | 37 |
| Japanese title | 荒野の歌人 |
| Romanized title | Kōya no Utabito |
| English title | Bard of the Badlands |
| Subtitle | Radio KAOS |
| Total pages | 23 (29 in VIZ Media Edition) |
| Released | 1994 |
| Story Arc | Barjack Rebellion Arc |
| Chapter Navigation | |
| previous Battle 36 |
next Battle 38 |
Bard of the Badlands (バッドランズの吟遊詩人 Baddoranzu no gin'yūshijin?) is the thirty seventh chapter and the second chapter of the seventh volume of Yukito Kishiro's Battle Angel Alita. It is subtitled Radio KAOS and was originally subtitled Reunion.
Cover[]
Alita trying out the mobile unit.
Summary[]
Dr. Russell unveils a new invention, the interactive interface, which is attached to Lou Collins' terminal. Alita also receives the mobile unit, a one-wheeled motorcycle. While she tries it out, Lou tries to convince her of her own beliefs in the TUNED's mission, but Alita refuses to think more of Tiphares' welfare. After they get into an argument, Gabriel picks up something nearby on its sensors.
This turns out to be a small merchant caravan traveling to barter with Kaos that is being held up by a bandit gang led by Sentinel. Attempting to avoid having to kill someone and thus prevent the inevitable onset of constipation that he knows will occur, Sentinel seizes his chance when one of his men discovers a girl who stowed away in the back of the caravan. Noticing they have taken everything she won gambling, the girl manages to convince Sentinel into giving her the chance to win it back; she quickly does so, much to the anger and frustration of the bandits. As Sentinel is about to wager the piston launcher, his gang's symbol, one of his men threatens to kill the girl but is killed by Fury. Sentinel himself then attempts to kill her, but his cleaver is shattered by a shot from Alita's pistol, and the bandits flee. Alita then recognizes Fury bounding up to her in recognition and, when the girl questions how she knows about Fury, Alita correctly guesses that the girl is Koyomi.
That night the two catch up. Koyomi reveals that her father and Shumira used to talk about Alita a lot. Shumira married a man she met in the soup kitchen that took them in after Bar New Kansas was destroyed and now has eight children. Koyomi's father meanwhile, went into debt in an attempt to reopen Bar Kansas but was unsuccessful, becoming an alcoholic and abusive to his daughter. Koyomi herself left the Scrapyard due to this and also in part due to a failed relationship. She then notices that Radio K.A.O.S. is about to start.
Elsewhere, Kaos notices that conditions are good for his evening broadcast. Called away by Jasmine, he rebuffs an attempt by Dorotabo, who is representing the Barjack, to run some pro-Barjack propaganda. Kaos then sings a song during his broadcast, during which Den, the Scrapyard, a dozing Lou, and a sleeping Koyomi are shown. Alita, who is also listening, realizes that the purpose of her abilities must be to protect the people trying to survive in this chaotic world.
Debut appearances[]
Characters[]
Technology[]
- Interactive interface
- TUNED mobile unit
Other[]
Trivia[]
- Kaos originally sang the song "Inside Looking Out" by The Alan Parsons Project in the Japanese version, but in the English release the lyrics were changed, most likely due to copyright issues.
- It is revealed that approximately ten years have passed since Alita left the Scrapyard and joined TUNED.
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