KOS-MOS Returns to Battle!
First Appearance:
Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht (2002)
Latest Appearance:
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (2017)
Contains minor spoilers for
Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra.
Introduction to KOS-MOS
KOS-MOS hails from the
Xenosaga franchise, Monolith Soft’s first project after being created as a subsidiary of Namco. The series is part of the larger
Xeno metaseries, consisting of
Xenogears,
Xenosaga, and
Xenoblade Chronicles. The three series are tied together via themes and imagery, however, are completely separate stories and universes. As a result of the growing popularity of the
Xenoblade Chronicles series, Monolith Soft has become an increasingly important development partner for Nintendo. As such, it is natural for Nintendo to honor this connection to Monolith Soft by adding another character in Smash. KOS-MOS effectively serves as the mascot of the company, even more so than already represented characters Shulk and Pyra/Mythra. Additionally, the former parent company of Monolith Soft, Bandai-Namco, develops Smash Bros. yet only has
one character two characters. KOS-MOS is an extremely important character to Bandai-Namco’s history, appearing in many of the company’s crossovers to the point of being known as their “crossover queen.” All in all, KOS-MOS’s legacy in both of these important Nintendo partners warrants her inclusion in Smash Bros.
In
Xenosaga, KOS-MOS is built as a battle android to combat an extra-dimensional alien threat. As one of the main protagonists, she along with her party search for the cause of the initial appearance of this alien threat (the Gnosis). Through encounters with many other groups, such as the religious Ormus and the ambitious Salvator Faction, the party reaches a point in which the intent of the main antagonist is clear. KOS-MOS’s development and relationship to her creator Shion Uzuki are revealed to be key parts to the underlying conspiracy of the Gnosis phenomenon. As a result, KOS-MOS is not only the mascot of the
Xenosaga franchise but also one of, if not the most important character in the series.
Stats
KOS-MOS stands at 167cm (5 feet 6 inches) in
Xenosaga, thus putting her at around the same height as Zelda, Zero Suit Samus, and Palutena. Her weight as KOS-MOS version 4 is 79kg, making her a heavyweight with a weight value of 108 (Terry). However, given her speed in her home series, she will be faster than most heavyweights, with a speed value of 1.15 (Samus). Her air speed is even faster at 1.208 (Mario). Her speed and weight will make her a little hard to launch. She will have the standard 2 jumps along with a wall jump. She will not be able to crawl.
Gimmick: Event Slot & Boost
Xenosaga’s battle system features several distinct elements that the player must focus on in order to optimize their strategy. The first, making an appearance in
Xenosaga Episode I and
Xenosaga Episode II, is the event slot. During battle, each turn will be marked with an event in the lower right hand corner which can affect what moves the player makes. For example, on a turn marked with a critical event, the player might move to go on the offensive. This also applies to enemies: if the player notices that an enemy will make their move on a turn with the critical event, they might defend instead to prevent major damage. These event slots rotate out in a set sequence, giving the player a chance to optimize their strategy. Introduced in
Xenosaga Episode II is the random event slot, which selects a random event to play during that turn.
This event slot system is complemented with the boost system, a mechanic featured in all three
Xenosaga games. As the player attacks the enemy, their boost gauge will fill up, with a maximum of three charges at any given time (though the player can increase this number with equipment.) These boost charges allow the player to take extra turns. So long as the character the player wants to boost does not have an upcoming action, the player is able to boost them, allowing them to take an action directly after. This can repeat indefinitely until the player runs out of boosts. This mechanic also holds true for enemies, thus, both boost gauges must be watched closely to properly manipulate the battle in the player’s favor.
In Smash, these event slots will follow the same formula. Each event will cycle out after around 5 seconds, giving KOS-MOS ample time to use them to her advantage (or her opponent to use them to her detriment.) Like Shulk’s Monado Arts, each of these slots provide a boost to KOS-MOS’s stats, tying a connection to
Xenosaga and
Xenoblade Chronicles. Unlike Monado Arts, however, KOS-MOS does not need to do anything to activate these buffs. They will follow a set order - Attack Up, Special Up, Defense Up, Arms Up, and a random slot that can be any of High Critical, Accelerated Boost, No Effect, and Reverse Boost. Each of these will augment KOS-MOS’s stats in some way, though they will not lower her other stats. To balance this, these buffs do not augment KOS-MOS’s attacks as much as Shulk’s would.
During a match, KOS-MOS will also have access to the Boost system to supplement the event slots. Every time she deals damage (not take damage), her boost gauge will fill up, holding a maximum of three boosts. The number of boosts, the gauge, and the active event slot are all displayed in KOS-MOS’s damage indicator. By pressing the shield button in tandem with the special button, a boost is used up and goes into effect. This boost will skip to the next event slot, so if the player needs to skip ahead to the next slot for any reason, this will provide them the opportunity to have some control over the mechanic. In addition to skipping to the next event slot, boosting will also enhance the next effect slightly though also making KOS-MOS slightly more susceptible to knockback. Thus, these two mechanics are meant to emulate KOS-MOS’s calculating nature as well as the gameplay of
Xenosaga.
The following table lists the event slots in the order they appear, as well as their effect.
| Event Slot & Name | Effect |
|---|
| Increases the strength and knockback of KOS-MOS’s regular attacks, such as jabs, tilts, smash attacks, aerials, and getup attacks. |
| Increases the strength and knockback of KOS-MOS’s special attacks, as well as slightly improving her up-special’s recovery distance. |
| Increases the strength of KOS-MOS’s shield, decreases damage taken, and decreases knockback taken. If boosted, the knockback decrease is cancelled out and KOS-MOS becomes easier to launch. |
| Increases the strength of KOS-MOS’s grabs, throws, and pummels. Also increases the strength of items used - increases damage dealt by items, increases healing done, etc. |
| KOS-MOS gains the ability to have a 1 in 8 chance to land a critical hit on her smash attacks. Chance increases to 1 in 5 when boosted.
One of the events that can appear on the random slot. Has a 15% chance to be in the random slot. |
|
KOS-MOS’s boost gauge fills at a faster rate.
One of the events that can appear on the random slot. Has a 20% chance to be in the random slot.
|
| No effect.
One of the events that can appear on the random slot. Has a 50% chance to be in the random slot. |
| The opponent gains increased attack, defense, and knockback strength for the duration of the event.
One of the events that can appear on the random slot. Has a 15% chance to be in the random slot. |
Playstyle: Working with the Circumstances
Many of the guest characters in Smash Bros. are extremely faithful to their origins, having gimmicks or gameplay designed to mimic the experience of actually playing their home games. KOS-MOS will mimic both her character and the battle style of
Xenosaga. As an android designed to combat the Gnosis phenomenon, KOS-MOS is calculating and will take all opportunities required to achieve her goals, regardless of what her creator tells her what to do. In order to mimic this part of KOS-MOS’s personality as well as the strategy of the
Xenosaga battle system, her moveset will focus around adept control over the options she has as well as making use of the event slot. Depending on where KOS-MOS is in the state of the battle, the player must make an informed choice on which moves to use, whether to boost, and which event slot would provide the most benefits. These calculated risks and maneuvers make KOS-MOS a character that allows the player to strategize much more than they would with any other character. As such, her gameplay would allow for both casual and competitive players alike to be satisfied when their plan works out.
Moveset Inspiration
KOS-MOS’s moveset will draw inspiration from each of her appearances in the
Xenosaga series. Many of her more powerful attacks will draw from tech and special attacks. She will also borrow a few moves from her party members - something that has been done in many of her crossover appearances. This has precedence in the base game of
Xenosaga Episode I, where players can transfer attacks between characters for a small cost. Her attacks will use a variety of weapons, including but not limited to: guns (of various types), blades, scythes, bombs, and hammers, as well as her own strength.
Normal Attacks
| Attack | Name | Description |
|---|
| Neutral Attack | Punch, Sword, R-BLADE | KOS-MOS punches the opponent and follows with a swing of her arm, transformed into a blade. It is finished with KOS-MOS slashing downwards with an even larger blade. |
| Rapid Jab | Needle | If Punch is followed with mashing of the attack button, then KOS-MOS will instead jump into the opponent and drill her feet into the opponent, which deals damage as long as she mashes. If the button is pressed again, she gets down and finishes with R-BLADE. |
| Forward Tilt | W-FANG | KOS-MOS uses her arm (again transformed into a blade) to swipe downwards, then upwards. Does decent damage against shields, as a reference to its usage as an attack used to break opponents. |
| Down Tilt | K-AXE | A quick roundhouse kick. Good for poking shields. |
| Up Tilt | D-S-SAULT | Does two kicks upwards in a series of backflips. Borrowed from Namco × Capcom. |
| Dash Attack | R-DRILL | KOS-MOS transforms her arm into a drill and dashes forward. Does not do knockback, but drags opponents across the stage with her. |
| Forward Smash | F-G-SHOT | KOS-MOS summons two large gatling guns from the U.M.N. and fires. Similar to Mii Gunner’s smash attack, with a taller spread of bullets. |
| Up Smash | R-DRAGON | KOS-MOS transforms her arm into a mechanical dragon’s head. The arm first bites anyone above KOS-MOS. She then fires the head off like a projectile, where it will explode in the air. |
| Down Smash | Micro Missiles | KOS-MOS summons an array of small crystalline objects that orbit around her, continuously dealing damage. The crystals trap opponents who get hit by them. As the crystals finish their revolution, they fly outwards, dealing minor damage to those who get hit by them. Deals heavy knockback when the crystals stop their main revolution around KOS-MOS. |
| Neutral Aerial | Storm Waltz | KOS-MOS grabs a pistol with both hands and fires forwards and backwards. As she fires, the bullets will ricochet against several coins and create larger hitboxes though with shorter range than you would expect pistols to fire at. If the button is held, the attack lasts for longer, though it diminishes in power. Borrowed from Jr.'s tech and special attacks throughout the Xenosaga series. |
| Forward Aerial | F-SCYTHE | KOS-MOS summons her scythe, which she swings downwards in front of her. If the attack does not connect, it instead fires a projectile similar to Cloud’s Blade Beam. |
| Back Aerial | F-M-SHOT | KOS-MOS launches a series of missiles from her back. Very short range. |
| Up Aerial | R-HAMMER | KOS-MOS transforms her arm into a hammer and swings it above her. Quite powerful, though slow. |
| Down Aerial | Executioner | KOS-MOS summons a giant axe blade that drops down. Similar to Steve’s Anvil, though it cannot be stood on. Its size is reduced from its original appearance as Ziggy’s tech attack in Xenosaga Episode I. Can meteor smash. |
Grabs, Throws, and Get-Up Attacks
| Attack | Name | Description |
|---|
| Grab | - | KOS-MOS grabs her opponent with her hand. She just does it! Based on her grabbing people in cutscenes. |
| Pummel | - | KOS-MOS knees the opponent. |
| Forward Throw | R-CANNON | KOS-MOS throws the opponent in front of her, and then fires a large blast of energy from her arm (transformed into a cannon). |
| Back Throw | Complete R-DRILL | KOS-MOS uses R-DRILL again, though a more complete version. She jabs the opponent three times in a triangle formation, and then thrusts the drill into her opponent, this time dealing more knockback. |
| Up Throw | A-BURST | KOS-MOS throws the opponent a short distance above her and fires an explosive blast from her arm (transformed into a cannon). |
| Down Throw | Fallen Eagle | KOS-MOS grabs the opponent and flips them onto the ground. She then stabs them with R-BLADE, which bounces the opponent up slightly. Borrowed from Shion’s tech attack in Xenosaga Episode III. |
| Ledge Attack | Pistol | KOS-MOS climbs up and fires her pistol in a downward angle. |
| Floor Attack | Sword | KOS-MOS swings her arm blade in a circular motion while getting up. |
Special Attacks
| Attack | Name | Description |
|---|
| Neutral Special | R-CANNON | KOS-MOS charges her arm cannon and fires an energy blast. Tapping the special button lets KOS-MOS fire a smaller, weaker projectile that moves a little faster. Otherwise, the blast moves at a speed slightly slower than Samus’s Charge Shot, regardless of its size. |
| Side Special | D-TOOTH | KOS-MOS readies her Dragon Blade, which then fires a small projectile in front of her. She then slashes upwards, then downwards, and upwards again after having caught the opponent with the projectile. The final slash causes a small burst of energy to travel along the ground for a short distance (around a third of Terry’s Power Wave). |
| Up Special | VALKYRIE | On the ground, KOS-MOS slashes twice, then jumps and slashes upwards, carrying the opponent up with her. She then fires an explosive shot from her arm, knocking the opponent down if it connects with the sweet spot. In the air, the initial two slashes are not performed. The move puts KOS-MOS in special fall. |
| Down Special | Hilbert Effect | KOS-MOS charges an energy field that stuns any opponents caught in it. The range is approximately the size of Ness’s PSI Magnet. The stun lasts for around a second. The move costs a boost charge to use (the effects of boost won’t be applied). |
| Shield Special | Boost | At the cost of a boost charge, KOS-MOS skips ahead in the event slots. A successful boost is indicated by KOS-MOS briefly glowing and the boost gauge decreasing by one. The event slot that is chosen has its effects multiplied, at the cost of also lowering KOS-MOS’s knockback resistance and defense. |
Final Smash
To fit with KOS-MOS’s theme of strategizing, she will have two final smashes. These will work similarly to Ryu’s where there is a different final smash for close range and long range. There will also be different voice lines, which are a cosmetic difference. When activated, KOS-MOS has a chance of either having red eyes or blue eyes. Depending on her eye color at the moment, her voice line will change.
| Attack | Name | Description |
|---|
Final Smash
(Far) | X-BUSTER | KOS-MOS will keel over and get into formation to use X-BUSTER. Her stomach will open up and fire a large beam that functions similarly to other final smashes of the same variety. It can be angled.
If her eyes are red: “Dispersal Mode activated.”
If her eyes are blue: “I will not miss.” |
Final Smash
(Near) | D-TENERITAS | KOS-MOS will do a quick slash with her blade and the opponent will be transported into a cutscene. KOS-MOS’s outfit will then rearrange itself into a phase transfer cannon (shirt ripping omitted for censorship purposes). She then fires a large blue ball of energy that traps the opponent, then throws a dagger into the ball, causing it to explode violently and launch the opponent.
If her eyes are red: “Phase transfer cannon, standby.”
If her eyes are blue: “Unleash your pain unto me.” |
Miscellaneous Details
| Animation | Description | Voice Line |
|---|
| On-Screen Appearance | KOS-MOS awakens from her pod, which turns into the Dinah Mobile Interface and drives away. | “Target locked on. Commencing combat mode.” |
| Up Taunt | KOS-MOS poses with her pistol, mimicking the box art of Xenosaga Episode I. | n/a |
| Side Taunt | KOS-MOS equips her Tertiary Weapons System, and then puts them away. | “All systems functioning normally.” |
| Down Taunt | KOS-MOS uncharacteristically does a part of the tango. A reference to the Grande Ronde double tech. | “Ready for battle.” |
| Idle Stance | KOS-MOS assumes her battle stance as it appears in the Xenosaga series. | n/a |
| Idle Pose 1 | KOS-MOS transforms her arm into a blade and inspects it. | n/a |
| Idle Pose 2 | KOS-MOS looks around her, mimicking the pose she makes in the Monolith Soft hiring poster. | n/a |
| Crowd Cheer | “K-O-S! M-O-S! KOS-MOS!” | n/a |
| Victory Pose 1 | KOS-MOS’s victory animation from Xenosaga Episode I. She steps forward and looks behind her both ways. | If her eyes are red: “All systems, clear.”
If her eyes are blue: “Will feeling pain… make me complete?” |
| Victory Pose 2 | KOS-MOS floats down from the sky and assumes a victory pose with her G-SHOT guns. | If her eyes are red: “My external appearance is down 5%. Shion, I need to be cleaned.”
If her eyes are blue: “There’s no need to be concerned.” |
| Victory Pose 3 | KOS-MOS drives in on the Dinah Mobile Interface and makes a pose. Based on a cutscene in Xenosaga Episode III. | If her eyes are red: “The enemies have been exterminated.”
If her eyes are blue: “Is everyone OK?” |
| Boxing Ring Title | "The Princess of First Division" | n/a |
nichegamer.com
