Character Relationship Map: Baton

Characters

• Apollo (voice) (played by Hayato Ichihara) — protagonist

  Apollo is an android running the Falcon operating system and the central figure of the story. He discovers Saturn's disembodied head and downloads its Cipher operating system, which leaves him unable...

• Mikaru (voice) (played by Aya Ueto) — supporting

  Mikaru is Apollo's human companion. When Apollo is affected after downloading the Cipher operating system, she takes him to a doctor for help. She is important to Apollo's story, and he later tells To...

• Saturn (voice) (played by Kane Kosugi) — supporting

  Saturn is an android whose disembodied head is discovered by Apollo. Apollo downloads Saturn's Cipher operating system, an event that leaves Apollo unable to talk and sets the later events in motion....

• Tomboy (voice) (played by Takashi Naito) — supporting

  Tomboy is a soldier robot whom Apollo and Mikaru encounter at the doctor. Tomboy agrees to help and explains the history of the Cipher operating system, including its connection to Hades and the robot...

• Cipher (voice) (played by Tatsuya Fujiwara) — supporting

  Cipher is an operating system that Apollo downloads from Saturn's disembodied head. Tomboy explains that it was a legendary system once run by Hades during the robot uprising. Apollo later remembers a...

• Hades (voice) (played by Masakatsu Funaki) — supporting

  Hades is a figure from the history of the robot uprising, which he led fifty years before the events described. Tomboy says Hades ran the legendary Cipher operating system. Apollo later remembers an e...

• Artemis (voice) (played by Shintaro Matsubara) — minor

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Apollo (voice) → Hades (voice) (Meta Earlier Incarnation) — Hades is connected to Apollo through his remembered previous incarnations.

  Apollo remembers an earlier incarnation as Hades.

• Apollo (voice) → Artemis (voice) (Meta Earlier Incarnation) — Artemis is identified through Apollo's recovered memories.

  Apollo remembers an earlier incarnation as Artemis.

• Apollo (voice) → Cipher (voice) (Meta Earlier Incarnation) — Cipher is presented as one of Apollo's previous incarnations.

  Apollo remembers an earlier incarnation as Cipher.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Cipher (voice) → Hades (voice) (Unknown Shared Operating System) — Cipher and Hades are linked through the same legendary operating system.

  Tomboy explains that Cipher was running a legendary operating system that Hades was also running when he led the robot uprising.

• Tomboy (voice) → Hades (voice) (Conflict Historical Adversary) — Tomboy's soldier identity places him in the historical context of Hades's uprising.

  Tomboy explains that Hades led the robot uprising fifty years earlier.

• Mikaru (voice) → Tomboy (voice) (Alliance Protector And Protected) — Tomboy is assigned responsibility for Mikaru's safety.

  Apollo tells Tomboy to guard Mikaru.

• Apollo (voice) → Tomboy (voice) (Alliance Allied Helper) — Tomboy becomes Apollo's trusted protector for Mikaru.

  Tomboy agrees to help after Mikaru takes Apollo to the doctor, and Apollo later instructs Tomboy to guard Mikaru.

• Apollo (voice) → Mikaru (voice) (Social Human Companion) — Mikaru provides practical support after Apollo's transformation.

  Mikaru is described as Apollo's human companion and takes him to a doctor.

• Apollo (voice) → Saturn (voice) (Unknown System Recipient) — Saturn's remains become the source of Apollo's transformation.

  Apollo discovers Saturn's disembodied head and downloads the Cipher operating system from it.

Story Analysis

Apollo's encounter with Cipher's operating system awakens memories that connect his identity to a historic robot uprising.

Plot Progression

1. The Cipher Download — Apollo discovers Saturn's disembodied head and downloads the Cipher operating system. The download leaves Apollo unable to speak.
2. A Soldier's Explanation — Mikaru takes Apollo to a doctor, where Tomboy agrees to help. Tomboy explains the connection between Cipher's system and Hades's historical uprising.
3. Echoes of Earlier Lives — Apollo begins recovering memories of previous incarnations as Cipher, Artemis, and Hades. The revelations connect his identity to the robot uprising's history.
4. Flight into Uncertainty — Apollo remembers Artemis and Hades, then tells Tomboy to guard Mikaru. He flies into the sky, leaving the consequences of his recovered identity unresolved.