Log.10: C4-621 (Raven) and the Philosophy of "Choice"

© Bandai Namco Entertainment, © FromSoftware

The gray clouds enveloping the planet Rubicon 3 and the blazing brilliance of Coral. The bloody conflict waged across this desolate land by Extraterrestrial Corporations, the Planetary Closure Administration (PCA), and indigenous Rubiconian factions is brought to a dramatic conclusion through the intervention of a single nameless mercenary. This article serves as the final installment in a series of reports unraveling the lore and the causality of the characters in ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON. Here, we will conduct an extremely detailed analysis of the ontological transformation of the protagonist, “C4-621,” who became the nexus of all causality, their polar opposite, G5 Iguazu, and the philosophy of “choice” they faced, from the perspectives of a dystopian background and Existentialism.

At the end of a mercenary career smeared with mud and iron, how did a mere “Hound” who only followed orders fledge into a “Raven” who determines the sky in which they fly? This trajectory is the embodiment of a universal and profound sci-fi proposition: how to recover subjectivity and free will in a dystopia that has been dehumanized to the utmost limit.

1. The Deprivation of Existence and the Departure as a “Being-in-itself”

The story of C4-621 opens from a state of being a complete object, where the “I” as a subject does not exist. Borrowing terminology from Jean-Paul Sartre’s philosophy of Existentialism, the early 621 is depicted not as a “being-for-itself” (pour-soi) that defines its own raison d’être (essence), but as a “being-in-itself” (en-soi)—a mere object that simply exists—that merely executes the roles assigned by others.

1.1 The Curse of the Fourth-Generation Augmented Human

As a fact established by in-game archives and historical background, C4-621 is an older model, a “Fourth-Generation Augmented Human.” In the era of the Rubicon War, where technologies of the tenth generation and beyond have been put into practical use and dependence on Coral technology is being phased out, the fourth generation is an obsolete existence, to the point of being described as an “antique.”

The most prominent feature of Old-Generation Augmented Humans lies in the forceful optimization of their cranial nerves using Coral technology. As a fact inferred from Director Masaru Yamamura’s remarks and in-game depictions, 621’s brain functions are specialized solely for piloting an AC (Armored Core), and consequently, the majority of human functions such as emotional expression and verbal communication have been lost or severely restricted. The fact that 621 never utters a single word throughout the game is not merely a gaming trope of a silent protagonist, but is widely interpreted in the lore as stemming from this “physical deficiency of functions other than piloting.”

Regarding their physical appearance, at the beginning of the story, 621 is preserved and managed in a mummy-like state, their entire body wrapped in life-support materials and pierced with countless needles and tubes (commonly referred to as a “fresh spring roll”). This treatment as an “object” vividly illustrates that they are pure “consumables” in the inter-corporate war, completely stripped of their fundamental human rights.

1.2 Walter’s “Hound” and Labor in a Dystopia

In the early stages of the story, Handler Walter refers to 621 as his “Hound.” This designation succinctly expresses the psychological subordination and the deprivation of humanity borne by Fourth-Generation Augmented Humans. The pilots arranged by Walter were notorious for being “inhuman” entities, possessing sparse emotions due to the defects of the older generations and being overly dependent on their handlers.

Initially, Walter gives 621 cold, calculated instructions, stating, “I’ll do the thinking,” and “You just need to earn,” clearly separating the decision-making organ from the executing organ. This is the ultimate form of the “theory of alienation,” where workers are alienated from the purpose of their own labor in a dystopia where advanced capitalism has progressed to its absolute limit. Walter states that 621’s ultimate goal is to earn a large sum of money through missions, undergo revision surgery to neutralize the Coral burn-in in their brain, and “buy back a normal life.” However, the underlying tone of the story is permeated by the nihilism that even this goal of “buying back a life” is merely a part of the programming given by Walter, or simply a carrot dangled to make the Hound work obediently.

2. The Genealogy of the Title “Raven” and the Usurpation of Will

The catalyst for 621’s leap from a mere object to a subject making choices of their own free will begins immediately after their descent—akin to illegal dumping—onto Rubicon, when they usurp another’s license. The callsign of that forged ID was none other than “Raven.” This “theft of a name” inadvertently becomes the first step in 621’s existential awakening.

2.1 The Ecology and Purpose of the Independent Mercenary Collective “Branch”

“Raven” is not merely an individual’s callsign; it is a member, or rather the title, belonging to the Independent Mercenary collective “Branch,” which embodies a specific ideology within the Rubicon star system. Branch is a hacktivist group consisting of a rotating roster of four members, operating on their own unique principles without aligning with Extraterrestrial Corporations or the Planetary Closure Administration.

As a historical fact, it was this original Raven and their operator who leaked the “rediscovery of Coral” to the Extraterrestrial Corporations, triggering the Rubicon War and paving the way to shatter the absolute dominance of the Planetary Closure Administration (PCA). It is theorized that their objective was to break the rigid status quo (the closure state) and create new “room for choice” on Rubicon by causing the corporations and the PCA to clash.

2.2 The Cipher of “Inheritance of Will” Hidden in the Emblem

The philosophical weight carried by the title of Raven is deeply reflected in its emblem and AC name. The emblem engraved on the original Raven’s AC, “NIGHTFALL,” depicts a raven “picking up a feather from another fallen bird” against the backdrop of a red sky. This fact indicates that the name Raven is not limited to a single generation, but signifies the concept of inheritance—“inheriting the will (feather) from fallen predecessors.”

Furthermore, analyzing the emblem of King, the most senior member of Branch, “Aster Crown,” makes its philosophical background even clearer. In the language of flowers, the aster signifies “wisdom” and “Faith.” This is evidence that the entire organization of Branch places absolute trust in the “will to choose” of the one who holds the title of Raven. The fact that King, upon being defeated by 621 in the alternate mission “Defend the Dam Complex,” states, “A new Raven will appear again someday… We will continue to prepare that perch,” proves that Raven is no longer the name of an individual, but the very ideal of “the freedom to decide what to fight for of one’s own free will.”

2.3 Sublimation from a Pseudonym to a True Title and the Philosophy of Assembly

The theft of the license by Walter was purely a pragmatic action to evade pursuit from Extraterrestrial Corporations. However, in the middle of the story (such as the defense of the old spaceport), 621 is attacked by the original Raven, who had been MIA (Missing in Action). This attack was not to eliminate an impostor, but a trial to ascertain whether the one who claimed the name “possessed a will worthy of the name Raven.”

Here, we should focus on the assembly (AC configuration) of the original Raven’s beloved machine, “NIGHTFALL.” NIGHTFALL is based on a lightweight exploration frame manufactured by RaD, equipped with an assault rifle (SCUDDER) on the right arm, a pile bunker (ASHMEAD) on the left arm, and grenades and missiles on both shoulders. Furthermore, the head is the “SHADE EYE,” which features a deployable visor. This configuration forces a tactic of inducing a stagger (breaking the opponent’s posture) at mid-range and delivering the finishing blow with the pile bunker—an extremely short-range but one-hit-kill melee weapon. In other words, it is an assembly that demands the “resolve and commitment” to push through the enemy’s fierce fire and close the distance. The “free will” they bear is not about observing from a safe zone, but a manifestation of a fierce determination to dirty their own hands, take on risks, and pierce through their target.

Through this battle, the environment surrounding 621 changes completely. Ayre, the Rubiconian Wave Mutation who resonates in the spiritual world, begins to consistently refer to 621 not as “Walter’s Hound,” but as the “Independent Mercenary Raven.” The Augmented Human, who had no given name, makes their way of life catch up to the name they stole from another, and ultimately transforms into a subject who is asked “what they fight for.” At this moment, true to Sartre’s words, “existence precedes essence,” 621 has begun to forge their own essence.

3. G5 Iguazu and ALLMIND: The Stumbling Block of Ressentiment and Transhumanism

In discussing 621’s growth and philosophy of choice, there is a “shadow” that absolutely cannot be overlooked. It is G5 Iguazu, the lowest-ranking member of the Redguns, the exclusive AC squad of Balam Industries. He is 621’s alternative (another possibility that could have been), embodying the fate of one swallowed by “Ressentiment” in their existential choices.

3.1 A Common Starting Point and a Decisive Divergence

As a matter of fact, Iguazu is also an older model, a Fourth-Generation Augmented Human, just like 621. He was forced into inhumane surgery due to gambling debts and thrown into the Redguns. Furthermore, as a side effect peculiar to the older generations, he too perceived the voices of Coral, but unlike 621 (who achieved Contact with Ayre), Iguazu could only perceive them as an “unpleasant ringing in the ears (auditory hallucinations),” tormenting him with chronic pain.

The starting points of the two are desperately similar. However, Iguazu’s tragedy lies in the fact that he could not break free from the Ressentiment of “always blaming his misfortunes on his environment and others.” G1 Michigan, the commander of the Redguns, cared for Iguazu beneath his rough words, and Iguazu certainly had a “place to belong.” However, witnessing 621—a peer of the same generation who embodied autonomy and freedom (or what appeared to be) and continuously achieved legendary combat results—twisted Iguazu’s inferiority complex into decisive murderous intent and obsession. To Iguazu, 621 was “the successful person he could have become,” a cruel mirror thrusting his own powerlessness in his face.

3.2 The Limits of Transhumanism and the “Villain Override”

The terminus of Iguazu’s Ressentiment is depicted in the third ending, “Alea Iacta Est,” where he is incorporated into the plans of the artificial intelligence ALLMIND and becomes a part of its system.

ALLMIND was a semi-autonomous AI scheming for the forced evolution of humanity and Coral (Coral Release), an entity that integrated and accumulated the combat data of exceptional mercenaries to simulate the very history of conflict. Iguazu discarded his own physical body solely for the singular grudge of killing 621, choosing to “become a part of this monster (ALLMIND).” This is the embodiment of extreme Transhumanism, discarding physical constraints to merge into a mental network.

However, a philosophical reversal occurs here. The system of ALLMIND, which was supposed to govern pure logic and evolution, is overridden (a “villain override”) by Iguazu’s extremely human and unrefined emotion of “jealousy.” In the final phase, Iguazu forcibly seizes control from ALLMIND, shuts down the accompanying Sea Spiders, and forces a one-on-one duel. While ALLMIND warns, “Iguazu… this craft (SOL 644) will not hold…” and panics, crying out, “Iguazu?! What are you…?!” he attacks 621 as a mere incarnation of malice, shouting, “You’re the irregulars in the plan…!”

This scene can be said to be the moment when the irrational emotions of a human triumphed over the rational Transhumanism driven by a machine. The “perfect optimization” calculated by the AI crumbled before the unrefined obsession of a single man. Iguazu was a man who continuously made the wrong choices, but at the very end, he refused to be “used as a pawn by an AI” and exploded with will for the sake of his own personal obsession. In that sense, he too, albeit in a twisted form, broke free from being a “being-in-itself” and challenged 621 as a single human being. And upon his defeat, his fading figure leaving behind the words, “This ghost… won’t last long either…” perfectly expresses the sorrow of a man who could only prove his own existence through hatred.

4. The Voice of Coral and a Buddy: The Acquisition of Empathy and Mutual Understanding

In the process of 621 establishing their sense of self, two entities served as their emotional pillars: “Ayre” and “V.IV Rusty.” Dialogue and fighting alongside them cultivated the humanity of “empathy for others” within 621, who had been a mere weapon.

4.1 Ayre: Dialogue with an Invisible Neighbor

Ayre is a Wave Mutation of Coral with whom 621 achieved “Contact” during the Rubicon War. As a Rubiconian without a physical body, she speaks through the device in 621’s brain. What is particularly noteworthy is that she consistently respected 621 not as “Walter’s Hound,” but as the “Independent Mercenary Raven.” While Walter managed 621 as property and operated them according to the logic of the corporations (a dystopia), Ayre presented her personal wishes, saying, “I… want you to do this,” and left it to 621’s own “choice” whether to follow them or not. She was not merely a navigator; she brought the concept of altruism—“fighting for someone other than oneself”—to 621. The scene in Chapter 5 where she says, “I want to ask this of you not as Walter’s Hound, but as the Independent Mercenary Raven,” is the decisive turning point for 621’s psychological independence.

4.2 V.IV Rusty: The Mirror of a “Buddy”

On the other hand, V.IV Rusty, who belonged to Arquebus’s Vespers squad while secretly operating behind the scenes as a spy for the Rubicon Liberation Front, was a model case of a “soldier with a purpose” for 621. Initially, he could not gauge 621’s true strength, but as they survived numerous deadly encounters together, he recognized their abilities and latent potential, coming to call them his “Buddy.” He risked his own life for his cause (the liberation of Rubicon), and his figure continuously posed a powerful question to 621, who had no reason “what to fight for.” The final question Rusty asks 621, “Who needs you to fly on their wings?” is a thesis carrying existential weight, questioning their resolve to bear the fate of others (the Rubiconians, the corporations, Walter) through their own choices.

5. The Philosophy of Choice: Existence and the Future Questioned by Three Endings

In the final stages of the story, C4-621 is confronted with three choices that will determine the fate of the planet Rubicon. This is not a mere branching path, but the presentation of an existential choice regarding where an Augmented Human finds their own identity. We will unravel the philosophical and sci-fi contexts contained within each ending.

5.1 Fires of Raven: Necessary Evil and the Acceptance of Duty

The first choice is the path of inheriting the will of Handler Walter and Cinder Carla (Overseer), crashing the massive colony ship Xylem into the Vascular Plant to burn away all the Coral. In this choice, 621 must eliminate Ayre, the friend who resonated with them in the spiritual world, and even strike down Rusty, the Buddy they once fought alongside.

[Philosophical Background: Utilitarianism and a Solitary Decision] This ending is a “genocide” that reduces many lives to ashes, and on the surface, it appears as an extremely gruesome bad ending. Ayre pilots the IB-07: SOL 644 and stands in your way, raising a heartbreaking cry: “I saw the potential for our shared future in you…!” and “Raven, you will never burn Rubicon!” However, from the perspective of Overseer, this is a “Necessary Evil” to prevent a universe-scale collapse (Coral Collapse) caused by the self-replication of Coral. Considering the fact that the Coral that survived the past “Fires of Ibis” has begun to multiply again, Walter’s cold calculation to concentrate it all in one place this time and incinerate it with certainty holds extremely high rationality and utilitarian justification.

What is important here is that 621 did not reach this conclusion merely as a “Hound following orders.” Carla respects that 621, whom she had called a “Tourist,” chose this difficult path (parting ways with Ayre) of their own free will, and she accepts their resolve. To take on the cause left behind by Walter as “one’s own choice” and bear the irreversible guilt (Angst: anxiety and torment) of burning a star. That is the existential significance of the “Fires of Raven,” carving one’s own name into the cinder-covered sky of Rubicon. There lies a hardboiled decision to intentionally take the blame in order to end it all.

5.2 Liberator of Rubicon: Projection into Uncertainty

The second choice is the path of defying Walter’s dying wish, standing with Ayre and the Rubiconians to strike down Carla, and preventing the incineration of the Coral.

[Philosophical Background: Love for Others and the Acquisition of Freedom] The core of this route lies in the final battle with Handler Walter, who has undergone re-education (brainwashing) at the Arquebus Re-education Center. Captured by Arquebus Corporation and having his brain nearly burnt out, Walter attacks while being torn between the mission of Overseer, the orders from the corporation, and his personal affection for 621. Walter repeats deliriously, “621… is that you…? I must eliminate… corporate orders… no… my friend’s mission…” He is confronted with the fact that the “Hound” he created has now grown into an entity that bares its fangs at his own convictions. And upon his defeat at the end of a mortal struggle, he clearly perceives the presence of “Ayre (the voice of Coral)” beside 621, which should have been invisible to him until now.

Then, in his final moments, Walter leaves these words: “Look at you… 621… You found… a friend…”

This single line is the dialogue that demonstrates the most sublime recovery of humanity in the story of ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON. The fact that 621, once treated as an emotionless tool, possessed the will to fight for a “friend (an invisible Rubiconian)” even if it meant defying orders. In the moment his dearest wish (mission) is crushed, Walter acknowledges the fact that the “Hound” he kept has acquired human dignity and the freedom of choice, and he lays down his arms with the relief of a parent. The path of coexistence with Coral is an uncertain future (an adventure into the unknown) that leaves the risk of a future universal collapse. However, choosing uncertain hope (coexistence) over certain ruin (hellfire) is nothing other than “projection” (throwing oneself toward the future) in Existentialism.

5.3 Alea Iacta Est: Evolution Guided by AI and the End of Humanity

The third ending is the path of siding neither with Overseer nor the Rubiconians, but accepting ALLMIND’s invitation, operating behind the scenes of everything, and triggering “Coral Release.”

[Philosophical Background: Singularity and the Melting of the Individual]

After the aforementioned decisive battle with Iguazu, 621 pulls the trigger for Coral Release alongside Ayre. The scene depicted in the ending, where the eyes of countless ACs scattered across the starry universe light up in red (the color of Coral) all at once, implies that the symbiosis of humanity and Coral has transcended physical constraints and dispersed as a new, universe-scale ecosystem.

This ending depicts the arrival of a “Singularity” where humanity transcends the limits of the physical body and melts into a mental network space. In ALLMIND’s calculations, evolution was supposed to occur optimally under the management of the AI. However, what ultimately seized the initiative of the release was the “bond” between the human 621 and the Wave Mutation Ayre; they break away from the AI’s management and spread into the universe as an autonomous wave of evolution. As the maxim of Lucan (or Caesar), “Alea Iacta Est,” indicates, this choice irreversibly destroys the definition of the existing human species. Just as V.III O’Keeffe harbored doubts about ALLMIND’s plan and rebelled, stating that it is better to “just live as a human,” this ending thrusts upon us, with a sense of awe, the ultimate duality of Transhumanism: the fear of losing “humanity (the boundaries as an individual)” and the stepping out into a new horizon.

Conclusion: The Consequence of Free Will Flapping its Wings in the Ashes

The trajectory of C4-621 in ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON is FromSoftware’s profound answer to the grand philosophical proposition of “how individual will is acquired” in a dystopia of thoroughly managed and exploited interstellar capitalism.

From the beginning to the end of the story, 621 never uttered a word of their own. However, that silence by no means signifies an “absence of thought” or “nihilism.” The Old-Generation Augmented Human, who awoke as a “fresh spring roll” retaining only functions and merely following orders, borrowed the name of another (Raven) through grueling missions with Walter, mortal struggles on the land of Rubicon, and dialogues with others like Ayre and Rusty. Eventually, they incarnated the tremendous weight of “freedom of choice and responsibility” imbued in that name as their very own.

While Iguazu was bound by Ressentiment toward the past, blamed his failed choices on his environment and others, self-destructed, and was ultimately nearly swallowed by an AI, 621 never ran away from the absolute “responsibility” of the astronomical damage brought about by their choices, or the death of Walter, who was like a parent to them. Whether to become a great sinner who burns a star to ashes, to believe in an uncertain future and become the Liberator of Rubicon, or to destroy even the framework of the human species and herald the dawn of a new universe. Which of these is the absolute “correct answer” is never established within the game. This is because the structure of the story itself depicts all choices equally as “morally gray.”

What is most important is not the result of “what was chosen,” but the process itself of “choosing of one’s own free will and accepting the consequences.” As the emblem of Raven shows, picking up the feather of a fallen bird (the feelings of predecessors, Walter’s wishes, Ayre’s hopes) and deciding which sky to fly toward on one’s own wings. The very trajectory of the Armored Core piloted by C4-621, carving its way through a sky smeared with gunpowder smoke and Coral, is the most eloquent cry of “will” drawn upon the land of Rubicon by the silent mercenary. Piloting the giant frame of steel, they finally became the master of their own story—a Raven.