ARMS

The ARMS are a series of nanotechnological implants that feature in Project ARMS.

History
The ARMS origins were traced to an extraterrestrial entity that crashed landed on Earth known as Azazel. In this time, a group of scientists began a period of study into the entity. To aid in this study, they began engineering highly intelligent children known as the Chapel Children with Alice being the first of their number. She managed to communicate with Azazel and teach it emotions whilst the project was being overseen by Keith White. Ultimately, Alice rebelled against the proto-Egrigori being made by Keith White as she sought to leave with the other child experiments. These children were gunned down under Keith's orders with Alice herself being mortally wounded in the crossfire. Azazel managed to break free where it found the dying Alice and bonded with her with this process creating the four original ARMS. (Episode: Alice) The Egrigori had spent many years in research and development into the ARMS. (Episode: Evolution) During their creation, a faction of rebel scientists that opposed the Egrigori smuggled the prototype ARMS away in order to form a group known as the Bluemen who sought to defeat the evil actions of their former employers. (Episode: Bluemen) A number of attempts had been done to implant the ARMS in host bodies but these failed due to a delicate balance needed for them to function without harming the subjects. These failed test subjects were kept contained in the Abumisawa Village and were reminders to the scientists involved of their past sins. However, the enemy of the Egrigori known as the Bluemen had discovered a special gene capable of co-existing with the ARMS after a study of the human genome. Thus, they were responsible for engineering the birth of four children with this gene with this part of the project being headed by Shuichiro Shingu. (Episode: Evolution) The ARMS that were implanted within the four children were all given names from Lewis Carroll's "Alice" books such as Knight, White Rabbit, Gryphon and Jabberwock. (Episode: Jabberwock) It was claimed that the Egrigori abandoned further research in the prototype ARMS with their scientists instead creating a new series that were devoid of their own intelligence which were implanted in hosts such as Keith Red. (Episode: White Knight)

Rumors were present within the Egrigori on the origin of the ARMS with some believing them to had been developed as a defense weapon. However, there were classified files in the organization that contained more information on the true nature of these machines. (Episode: Counterattack) In total, there were around four ARMS that were installed within four children with the Egrigori seeking to recover the devices even if meant the death of their hosts. Hayato Shingu was one such subject who had it installed in his left arm and learnt under his grandfather to control it. He decided to seek out the agents of the Egrigori and eliminate where he was guided by the sympathetic vibrations of his ARMS. This led to him mistakenly believing Ryo Takatsuki served the Egrigori due to the vibrations he felt from his ARMS. By this point, the Egrigori dispatched their operative Claw to retrieve the weapons but he was defeated. This chain of events led to Takatsuki and Shingu working together to find the remaining two ARMS children in order to fight back against the Egrigori. (Episode: Trance) Afterwards, the pair met a fellow ARMS user in Takeshi Tomoe whereupon they came under attack from the Chapel Twins who used combat cyborgs against them. (Episode: Counterattack) At Abumisawa Village, the true nature of the ARMS was revealed to the three teenagers and the Jabberwock manifested within Ryo after he witnessed the perceived death of Katsumi Akagi. (Episode: Evolution)

Afterwards, the three children encountered the fourth female ARMS host, Kei Kuruma who was working for the Bluemen. (Episode: Bluemen) At Aisora City, the Egrigori dispatched their newly created arms called the Redcaps against the ARMS where Keith Red engaged the second ARMS subject where White Knight activated. (Episode: White Knight) During his activation, he engaged the Gryphon and destroyed Keith Red as a result. To prevent a bomb from destroying the city, the third ARMS known as White Rabbit also activated fully who succeeded in disposing of the device deep within the ocean. (Episode: White Rabbit) At some point, the Egrigori had created a special nanomachine poison called Venom that was capable of being placed within bullets and was able to kill an ARMS if hit by the substance. Colonel Gauss Gall of the Redcaps was provided the toxin and he used it on Ryo Tukatsuki which led to Jabberwock slowly dying as a result. (Episode: Venom) However, Tukatsuki managed to form an understanding with the Jabberwock after encountering Alice deep within his mind thus curing him of the infection whereupon the two decimated the Redcap forces. This act disturbed White Knight who revealed to Hayato that he was designed to serve a a weapon to be used against the Jabberwock when he turned against his comrades. (Episode: Judgment) According to Johann Horst of the Drakken Battalion, it was rumored that Katsumi herself had been implanted with an ARMS whilst she was with the Egrigori. (Episode: Drakken)

Overview
They were considered products of metatechnology and were technological artifacts of incredible power that were not only strong but provided their hosts the ability to transform the respective limb containing the ARMS. (Episode: Counterattack) These implants were described as being a metal that acted in a manner similar to living cells with robots that operated on a micron time precision. (Episode: Evolution) They were sophisticated devices composed of a sentient metal that contained inorganic matter that held a special feature namely a living metal with a mind of its own. The rare metal made up over 70% of the ARMS and had an intelligence of its own which provided these machines with the power to regenerate damage and even recharge its power. It was capable of analysing the DNA of its host body and camouflaging itself within its user. (Episode: Counterattack) Once the nanomachines were fashioned as bio-implants, they deciphered the genetic coding of their host and were thus able to use that data to camouflage as well as sustain themselves. However, the ARMS had to maintain a delicate balance with the host body with this being a frail one that could easily go out of control. Those unable to handle this complex balance suffered a horrible fate as the ARMS overran their bodies leaving them completely deformed as well as unable to function. However, it was determined that a special gene was needed within a host body that allowed them to successfully co-exist with the ARMS. Thus, those either holding the gene or engineered to possess the special gene were able to use an ARMS in a balanced manner. (Episode: Evolution) An ARMS only manifested once the core chip was activated whereupon it abandoned its camouflage mode whereby in the span of seconds the nanomachines of the device multiplied in the body thus transforming the respective limb into a combat ready state. A more potent ability of these artifacts was the fact that they learnt from past experienced and continued to evolve as a result. (Episode: Counterattack)

These devices were seemingly present within any limb that had been amputated and replaced which were capable of transforming at a moments notice. (Episode: Trance) However, one was present within the eyes of a subject which allowed her to see the smallest movements and activities of her enemies thus predicting their movements. (Episode: Bluemen) Once activated, an ARMS appeared as a monstrous limb initially during its first stage where it possessed numerous traits such as enhanced strength, endurance and natural claws. The actual machines were smaller than a cell in the human body and were made up of nanomachines. An untrained host was unable to fully control an ARMS which reacted depending on the users emotional situation and thus capable of transforming as well as acting on its own at any point. However, through proper training, a user was capable of not only harnessing an ARMS but controlling it in a more restrained manner. Some within the Egrigori referred to the users of such machines as possessing the "arm of a god". (Episode: Trance) The heart of an ARMS was the core chip that resembled a silvery sphere and controlled all nanomachine functions and its destruction led to the ARMS falling apart with the host dying as a result. (Episode: White Rabbit) Though seen as implants, ultimately, an ARMS was an artificial intelligence that used binary numbers of 1s and 0s as part of its programming. Thus, it was vulnerable to computer viruses that attacked the functions of the AI core chip. (Episode: Venom) ARMS sought to repair all damage experienced by their host but were unable to fix psychological and emotional damage. (Episode: Evolution) Certain ARMS such as the White Knight and Jabberwock had the ability to disrupt the repair functions of the nanites and leave permanent damage to the hosts. (Episode: White Rabbit) Special nanomachine were also capable of being synthesized to make a poison called Venom that was designed to destroy an ARMS. (Episode: Venom)

These nanomachines were noted to reach out to one another and created sympathetic vibrations among their hosts thus indicating the presence of another such ARMS. Those unaware that they had an ARMS implant experienced uncontrolled jerks in their respective limbs as if the user experienced a static shock. This allowed experienced users to determine the presence of another ARMS user which could either be a friend or a foe. (Episode: Trance) Each ARMS was also able to exert the activation sequence in its counterparts with skilled users being able to accomplish such a feat. The Queen of Hearts ARMS was claimed to be capable of creating a synergy among the ARMS and even controlling them though she failed to be manipulate the uncontrollable Jabberwock. (Episode: Bluemen)

Contact needed to be achieved with the ARMS in order to better control it and prevent it from going out of control. This required one to work in conjunction with it instead of fearing it. (Episode: Nightmare) They were described as being highly versatile machines that responded to the desires of their host by adapting to circumstances. An example of this was with Takatsuki when he battled the cyborg Plus and wanted power to defeat his foe which manifested in his ARMS development an a cannon by the hand that ate ammunition to fire powerful blasts that destroyed their targets. However, the ARMS ultimately had an intelligence of their own and Ryo struggled to restrain it when he wanted to stop it from firing a Maya who was in Minus's hold. (Episode: Flash) A similar incident occurred at Abumisawa village when the Jabberwock ARMS offered power to its host and became an uncontrollable monster that attacked all its enemies. (Episode: Evolution)

When the hosts were badly wounded, the ARMS sometimes encased the entire body within a sphere whereby shaft-like structures attached into nearby walls. These were composed of fibers and designed to leech off the environment. The ultimate purpose of the cocoon was to break down the host body and rebuild it completely once again to repair the damage done to it. (Episode: Drakken) Despite their advanced nature, these devices were ultimately composed of nanomachines and were vulnerable to concentrated electrical shocks able to either kill or knock out the host bodies. (Episode: Counterattack) Alice also created a failsafe that was instilled into the Queen of Hearts allowing the host to initiate the Final Program. By uttering the word 'Destroy', she could judge the ARMS as failures and destroy them all including their hosts.

Users

 * Jabberwock : the most violent and uncontrollable of the ARMS that was bonded to male bred subject Ryo Takatsuki. (Episode: Evolution) Takasuki was completely unaware of its existence and instead believed he had an accident 10 years ago as a child that saw him right arm being amputated. After meeting Hayato Shingu, he worked to fight against the Egrigori that sought to acquire the ARMS. (Episode: Vibrations)
 * White Knight : this ARMS was located in the left arm of male subject Hayato Shingu. (Episode: Bluemen) He was believed to had been the son of Shuirichio Shingu and lived at Abumisawa village that was destroyed by the Egrigori ten years ago. (Episode: Illusion) However, the boy survived in the care of his grandfather who taught him to control the ARMS whereupon Hayato embarked on his plan of vengeance against the Egrigori. (Episode: Trance)
 * White Rabbit : the ARMS were located in the legs of male test subject Takeshi Tomoe. (Episode: Bluemen) He believed he was the Tomoe family's son when in truth he was adopted by them. Around 10 years ago, he was playing with his younger sister and pushed her out of the way of a moving van only to be hit by it. His injuries saw his legs being replaced with ARMS which he was unable to control and activated in times of emotional stress such as when he was bullied. This led to numerous accidents where he unintentionally hurt people or damaged property leading to constant expulsion from school until he met the other ARMS children. (Episode: Nightmare)
 * Queen of Hearts : the ARMS were located within the eyes of female subject Kei Kuruma which allowed her to see small movements and predict the actions of her enemies as well as exert limited control over other ARMS. Unlike the other ARMS children, she was inducted within the ranks of the Bluemen and served as their prime agent. She met the other ARMS children after they survived the attacl at Abumisawa village and attempted to recruit them into the Bluemen. (Episode: Bluemen) The Queen of Hearts was programmed with a failsafe that allowed the host to destroy all the ARMS with a simple command if she judged them as a failure thus killing all their hosts.
 * Gryphon : located in the arms of Keith Red and was capable of manifesting as a winged monstrous creature with blades for its limbs. Unlike the ARMS children, however, it lacked its own intelligence and instead completely subservient to its male host. (Episode: Snark Hunt) The Gryphon had a monstrous form when fully transformed and had sonic attacks available to it but was ultimately killed by the White Knight. (Episode: White Rabbit)
 * Mad Hatter : this ARMS was implanted in Keith Silver who could transform into a giant skeletal humanoid that could generate energy shields and high temperature attacks known as the Brionic Spear. He was badly wounded in the battle with Jabberwock an later killed in a subsequent battle.
 * Cheshire Cat : equipped on Keith Green that allowed him to manipulate time and space allowing him to teleport as well as form cuts in the fabric of reality to wound or kill enemies whilst in human form. When he transformed, he turned into a monstrous four legged cat-like creature with a razor sharp tail with greatly enhanced abilities. He was killed by Keith Black when Green tried to save Katsumi by teleporting Ryo Takatsuki into the chamber holding Azazel in the Egrigori headquarters.
 * March Hare : equipped on Keith Violet who was able to transform into a silvery crystalline humanoid figure with long hair and had the ability to manipulate light. Through dispersing nanomachines in the air, she could forge realistic illusions or fire beams of light at enemies in an attack known as the Evil Eye of Baelor that could be directed through either her body or from the nanomachines in the environment.
 * Dormouse : equipped on Keith Blue though his implantation was a failure that meant he could only transform once and the act would kill him. When transformed, he resembled an armored humanoid figure that had spikes called Tathlums which could be fired offensively and detonate by vibration. He transformed in the final battle with the reborn Keith White but was killed in the struggle but not before dragging his genetic progenitor down with him.
 * Humpty Dumpty : equipped on Keith Black and later manifested in Keith White when he was reborn in his clones body. This ARMS when transformed resembled a shadowy humanoid that could absorb any attack made against it and replicate those abilities turning them back against the attacker. Keith Black would initially used Humpty Dumpty's abilities whilst human against Ryo Takatsuki but was speared through the chest. His physical death allowed Keith White to be reborn where he began absorbing abilities in an effort to merge with Alice to become the god of the world. He would use Humpty Dumpty to defeat Keith Violet and Keith Blue though Blue as the Dormouse would drag White to death with him.

Appearances

 * Project ARMS:

External Link

 * Wikipedia Entry