Kars

"Don't you wish to conquer the sun? Don't you wish to rule over all? Don't you wish to purge your fears?!"

- Kars to his fellow Pillar Men

Kars (カーズ) is the main antagonist of Battle Tendency.

Kars is the leader of the Pillar Men, and the designer of the Stone Mask. His goal is to evolve further to become immune to the sun's rays, and thus he seeks the Red Stone of Aja to empower his Masks, battling the Ripple users for its possession.

As the creator of the Stone Masks and Vampires, Kars is one of the more influential characters in the series, his invention having far reaching repercussions for a number of major characters such as Dio Brando, the Joestar Family and the Zeppeli Family.

Appearance
Kars takes the appearance of a tall, very well-built man. He has elegant, relatively feminine facial features, and a much lighter complexion than the other Pillar Men. He has long, dark, wavy hair; which he keeps under a dark, tight head-wrap (taking it off as a sign of either honor or aggression).

He is otherwise minimally dressed, wearing high boots, forearm guards, a thong, and a flowing loincloth. When attacking, he produces long, shimmering blades from his forearms.

While travelling to Italy, Kars dons a fedora and a longcoat in order to appear less conspicuous.

Personality
"I don't have any romantic spirit, nor do I want to become a warrior like Wamuu... because the method isn't important. All that matters... is to get the final victory!"

- Kars

Kars is intelligent, ruthless, and single-minded in his dedication to obtain the Red Stone of Aja. He was stated to have been a genius among the Pillar Men, having been the original creator of the stone masks.

Initially, he appears to be the most aloof and no-nonsense of the Pillar Men, rarely smiling and often being the one who has to remind the other two of their ultimate objective. Obsessed with the Red Stone of Aja, he is willing to trample anyone in his way, no matter how dishonorable the method. With the advantage of his resilience and immortality, Kars is a methodical and patient individual, advancing his pawns carefully, planning several moves ahead. Unaffected by setback, he will relentlessly struggle to win.

Despite his stern, no-nonsense exterior, Kars possesses a murderous and sadistic nature. He has stated that a life without an enemy is boring and has shown to enjoy fights occasionally, even though he only really appreciates seeing his enemies being in a weak position and panicking, and often licks his lips in anticipation of their demise. Kars also came across as mockingly polite, as he offered Lisa Lisa poison in order to die on her own terms. These tendencies only become more clear when he attains his ultimate form, and is seen to thoroughly enjoy his status as the most powerful lifeform on Earth.

Kars reveals himself to be a power-hungry Pillar Man, fixated on controlling the full potential of his body and the idea of resting "at the top". When he discovered that the Pillar Men's brains held untapped potential, much like humans, Kars wanted to control it. That obsession made him build the Stone Masks to unlock his hidden abilities; when that failed to meet his expectations, he sought out the Red Stone of Aja to complete his transformation into an ultimate being. He was enraged when the rest of his tribe refused to "conquer the sun" as he wished, believing that they should use their innate power to the fullest and rule over all life; however, he either ignored or failed to consider the fact that the increased hunger brought on by the Stone Mask's power would cause his race to exterminate all life on Earth.

Kars keeps an ambiguous relationship toward those around him. On one hand, he considered Santana as nothing but a simple guard dog, and slaughtered the rest of his race (including his parents) without hesitation or remorse. On the other hand, he expresses himself to care deeply for Esidisi and Wamuu, repeatedly vowing to achieve his goals and kill Joseph Joestar to honor and avenge their sacrifices in ensuring his success. Kars also seems to have a certain respect for nature and animals; he killed a drunk driver who threatened to hit a puppy, and he deliberately complicated an otherwise-simple landing to avoid falling on a flower. However, he does later attack a squirrel when testing his Ultimate Form's abilities, and is said to have threatened an entire ecosystem fueling his Stone Masks. Ultimately, Kars is capable of affection and forming bonds with others, but those affections always come second to his goals.

History
Kars was born 102,000 years before the events of Battle Tendency. His people - who would be dubbed "Pillar Men" in the future - lived underground and survived off the essence of other living things, failing to reproduce due to their long and worthy lifespans. Despite living in a peaceful, well-supplied society, Kars was dissatisfied; in his eyes, his race could easily rule over the Earth if not for their lethal weakness to sunlight. Consumed by ambition, he began seeking a way for his race to "tame the sun" and leave the underground.

In time, Kars created the Stone Masks and began kidnapping humans in order to test their effects. However, while the masks were capable of turning humans into vampires, their spines were unable to penetrate his own skin deeply enough to unlock his full potential - instead, he gained increased body manipulation powers at the cost of greatly increased hunger.

Eventually, his race began to fear Kars for his obsession, as the increased hunger caused by the mask would threaten their way of life if its use became widespread. Soon, Kars found himself under attack from the rest of his people, who sought his execution despite his protests. Unable to sway them to his side with promises of godhood, he slaughtered his people himself, including his own parents. Along with Esidisi, one of the only members of his race who agreed with his ideals, he took two children, who were presumably the Pillar Men to be known as Santana and Wamuu.

Eventually, Kars learned of the Red Stone of Aja, coming to believe that its power would perfect the Stone Mask. He developed a modified version of the mask that could combine with a flawless "Super Aja", leaving Santana behind while he and the others traveled across the sea to Europe. There, during the time of the Roman Empire, Kars found a Super Aja in the possession of a Roman Emperor, only to be blocked from his goal by a tribe of Ripple users. While successful in the tribe's decimation, he and his comrades were forced to hibernate under the Roman Colosseum.

Battle Tendency (1938-39)
In the present, Kars is introduced as the leader of the Pillar Men, getting attacked by Wamuu after stepping on his shadow and apologizing for having forgotten that trait. After Joseph's initial defeat, Kars and the other Pillar Men set off to find the location of the Red Stone of Aja, eventually settling in an abandoned mansion in San Moritz, Switzerland. Having found a lead to the stone, Esidisi had planned to contact Kars after retrieving it, but was promptly defeated by Joseph instead. Growing suspicious at the lack of contact, Kars sets off to Italy to handle things himself.

At the border between Switzerland and Italy, he is confronted by Rudol von Stroheim and Joseph Joestar; he quickly deduces that the latter was responsible for Esidisi's death, and vows to kill Joseph in return once he secures the Red Stone of Aja. Although briefly caught off-guard by Stroheim's new cyborg body - designed to surpass the Pillar Men, based off of Santana's data - he soon regains the advantage and cuts the German down, revealing that Santana was easily the weakest of the four. He manages to retrieve the Red Stone, only to have it taken from him by Joseph after a short struggle and a fall off a cliff. Kars travels back to San Moritz, where he is eventually confronted by Joseph and Lisa Lisa. After watching Joseph's victory over Wamuu, he agrees to have a fair fight with Lisa Lisa at the nearby ruins, but ultimately tricks her during their fight with a doppelgänger and steals the stone from her, leaving her unconscious.

This immediately enrages Joseph, who battles Kars but is continually trapped in a dilemma where Kars pierces Lisa Lisa's feet and strings a rope through the wounds, forcing Joseph to grab the rope to stop her from falling. An overconfident Kars approaches as Joseph lights his scarf on fire and attacks, but falls from the beam clutching the rope as Kars severs it to finish off Lisa Lisa. However, this is revealed to have been Joseph's intentional setup, as he drew Kars' attention to his upper body while he arranged the loop of rope with his legs below, tricking him into stepping into the loop and forcing him to keep his opponents above the spikes below. Kars faces Joseph in a final standoff with his arm blade, but is soundly beaten as Joseph's Ripple breaks the blade and wounds his arm, knocking him off the railing and into the spikes below. Stroheim and his Nazi troops arrive along with Speedwagon, Smokey and the Speedwagon Foundation Special Forces. Stroheim gloats over Kars before ordering his troops to finish the Pillar Man off.

As the Nazis unleash ultraviolet light upon him, Kars unexpectedly dons a modified Stone Mask with the Super Aja in place; the light activates the mask and enables him to enter his ultimate form. The humans can only stand in horror as Kars displays his new-found power by briefly transforming his hand into a flesh-eating squirrel and then standing in the sunlight while his remaining vampire minions are instantly destroyed. Kars then proceeds to enact his murderous intent on Joseph's life as the latter lures him away from the others in a German airplane, using it to force Kars into a volcano in hopes the magma can kill him.

Inside the volcano, Kars evolves a continuous and inorganic porous material to protect himself from the magma while digging his way out and slicing Joseph's arm off. He then developed his own Ripple, the energy potent enough to melt human flesh, deciding to use it to kill Joseph out of poetic justice. Joseph unconsciously defends himself by using the Super Aja to redirect Kars' Ripple into the ground, causing an eruption that blasts the land the two fighters are on into the air. Kars attempts to escape, but is briefly distracted by Joseph, allowing volcanic debris and the latter's severed forearm enough time to knock Kars out of Earth's orbit.

Kars prepares to return to Earth after being thrown out of orbit by ejecting the built-up air within his body, but the air freezes on its way out. His vital body begins to freeze from the near-absolute zero temperature and he becomes trapped in the void of space for eternity. Unable to die even though he wishes for it, Kars eventually stops thinking.

Abilities

 * See also Pillar Men.

Light Mode (光の): Kars' power is that of light; he is able to produce bladed appendages from his arms and legs and use these to reflect blinding light toward his enemies. The light comes from the tiny, shark teeth-like claws running along the edge of the blade much like a chainsaw. It is from the reflections of these claws that gives Kars' Light Slip Blades (輝彩滑刀) their shining intensity. In this mode, Kars' blades are sharp enough to cut through most objects, including an automobile and several bullets at blinding speeds.

Bodily Manipulation: As with the other Pillar Men, Kars also has the same body manipulation capabilities shared by his companions. Once he becomes the Ultimate Being, Kars's bodily manipulation abilities are enhanced with access to the genetic code of all of Earth's known life forms along with reactive evolution. As a result, previous Pillar Man abilities like absorption become functionally obsolete.

Ultimate Form Abilities: As the Ultimate Life Form, Kars acquires multiple abilities and skills:
 * Enhanced Intelligence: Kars' IQ is at least 400, if not limitless
 * Superhuman Senses: Kars can sense the heat and air pressure around him. His vision is akin to an Astronomical Telescope, and he is able to hear anything
 * Superhuman Strength: Kars' strength is 900 kg/cm2.
 * Regeneration: Kars can heal any wound in a short period of time.
 * Immortality: Kars is invincible, immortal, and indestructible. He does not age, is self-sustained, and is described as more beautiful than a Greek sculpture.
 * Enhanced Body Manipulation: As the Ultimate Life Form, Kars's body contains the DNA of every organism to ever live on the Earth. He can manipulate his entire body on a cellular level to gain the traits of any life-form, such as bird-like wings that enable him to fly. He can even detach parts of himself and transform them into separate organisms that act independently of himself, such as turning his hand into a flesh-eating squirrel or turning his feathers into armadilo-scale projectiles that morph into piranhas and octopus tentacles to bring down Joseph's plane.
 * Reactive Evolution: Kars can also alter his body to withstand extreme conditions, as seen when he evolved a continuous layer of inorganic porous material to survive being submerged in magma.Kars hamon.png


 * Ripple (波紋): In his Ultimate Form, Kars is able to use the Ripple, but at a level that is hundreds of times stronger than Joseph's - According to Stroheim, Kars's Ripple is comparable to the intensity of the Sun itself, and it can literally melt and vaporize human flesh on contact.

Allies
Esidisi: Kars appeared to care for his comrade, being one of the only Pillar Men of his generation to agree with his ideals. He trusted him to investigate a lead on the Red Stone of Aja alone, and immediately went to Switzerland himself when he realized that something must have happened to Esidisi. Upon learning that Joseph had killed Esidisi in order to keep him from the stone, Kars vowed to kill him after completing his primary objective - and he meant it, as the first thing he did after testing his Ultimate Being abilities was to attack Joseph.

Wamuu: Along with Santana, Kars raised him along with Esidisi. While Kars respected Wamuu's ability as a fighting genius, he showed no respect for his honor and thought he was too pure to be a warrior. Nonetheless, he seemed to care for Wamuu to some extent, as he immediately cut down a group of his own minions for mocking Wamuu after the latter's demise and vowed to avenge his death along with Esidisi's by killing Joseph.

Santana: Along with Wamuu, Kars raised him along with Esidisi. In comparison to Wamuu, however, Kars saw Santana as guard dog and left him behind when he couldn't keep up with them.

Enemies
Joseph Joestar: As the man who created the stone masks, Kars is essentially responsible for Dio Brando's transformation and the death of Jonathan Joestar. Initially, Kars was just one of the Pillar Men to defeat in Joseph's eyes, but after Joseph killed Esidisi, Kars voiced a deep-seeded hatred for the human above all Ripple users. Kars would win Joseph's ire as well by revealing how dishonorable he is compared to the others. It was only once Kars became the Ultimate Life Form that he indulged himself in attacking Joseph who made great efforts in order to defeat him. Kars responded by cutting off Joseph's arm and it ended in Joseph unintentionally sending Kars out into space, but not before mocking him one last time.

Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli: As the man who created the Stone Masks, Kars is essentially responsible for the deaths of Caesar's father, grandfather and great-grand father.

All-Star Battle (PS3)
Kars makes his first appearance as a playable character in the PS3 title; he was confirmed alongside Rohan Kishibe. In the English release of the game, Kars' Lightblades are called "Shining Sabres" (keeping the alliteration of the Japanese name). Since Kars never exactly fought extensively in Part 2, most of his normal attacks consist of regular punches and kicks. Along with Wamuu and Esidisi, Kars uses the Mode style as part of his moveset, which allows him to temporarily boost his strength and performance among other things, at the cost of the Heart Heat Gauge.

During a fight, Kars can use several different attacks that were featured in Battle Tendency. By spending his Heart Heat Gauge, Kars can activate Light Mode in order to not only increase the overall damage of his moves, but exclusive to him, make his Lightblade attacks unblockable. This mode lasts until the HHG empties, but can be extended through dealing or taking damage, as well as ended at any time in conservation.
 * Sabres from my feet?!: Kars kicks forward as a blade comes out of his foot. All of Kars' moves can be performed instantly following this skill. (Comboable)
 * Cruel and beautiful violence: Kars dives forward, arm blade extended, to slice through the opponent, and follows up by swinging upward to knock them into the air. (Comboable)
 * Behold, frozen brilliance!: Kars, in a single movement of his arm, unleashes multiple slashes at mid-range. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * Shatter against the wall!: Kars performs an airborne reverse kick that, if not blocked, sends the opponent flying into the stage wall. This move can be used in mid-air.
 * Victory is everything!: Kars utilizes light to disappear, with his subsequent reappearance depending on the type of button inputted.
 * If Light, he reappears above the opponent with foot blade extended to down them, knocking them to the ground hard enough for them to bounce. This move is a middle attack that cannot be blocked if the opponent is crouching. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * If Medium, he reappears behind the opponent and strikes them upward. This move is a low attack that cannot be blocked if the opponent is not crouching. (Comboable)
 * If Heavy, he simply reappears at a distance, or the move becomes a feint if he is already far enough.
 * Throw - I'll slice you in two!: Kars, using his arm blade, cuts the opponent down the middle before sending them away.

Expending a stock of the HHG grants Kars access to Shining Sabres Mode, strengthening his abilities even further, increasing the range of Lightblade-based skills, and improving his ability to follow up on attacks. This mode is on a set timer, and will end when the stock is used up.

Kars' HHA, simply titled "Shining Sabres", has him lick his Lightblade before unleashing a large array of slashes done in a single movement of his arm. If they successfully hit, Kars moves past the opponent in a samurai-esque fashion and brings his arm down. After a short delay, the opponent suffers a final, gashing blow. Kars may perform his HHA while Shining Sabres Mode is active, regardless of how much of the Heart Heat Gauge he has left. Doing so however, will drop his HHG to zero.

Kars' GHA, "I am the ultimate life form!", has him use the Stone Mask (in combination with the Red Stone of Aja) to attempt to turn into the Ultimate Life Form. Kars, wearing the mask, will slowly rise to his feet. If the animation fully plays out uninterrupted by the opponent, the mask shatters, and Kars gains a completely new array of moves (it is also one of the longest and most difficult GHA to fully activate, taking about 5 seconds to complete).

Once his GHA is successful, Kars is dubbed as "Kars (Ultimate Life Form)" for the rest of the battle and gains a whole new moveset capable of dealing more overall damage than his previous state.
 * Predator Wings: Kars takes flight, and can attack while in the air, slowing draining the HHG.
 * Aerial Dash/Back Dash: Quickly moves forward or backwards. The forward dash can collide with the opponent and act as an anti-air to knock them down.
 * Aerial Combo Beat: Kars can chain together his normal attacks while in flight.


 * Shining Sabres: Kars charges forward and attacks with his Lightblade in one fell swoop. This move cannot be blocked, and Kars' skills can be performed instantly following it.
 * The power of supreme genes!: Kars launches projectile attacks from his body that can be used while flying and differ based on button input.
 * If Light, he fires off his hardened feathers in a straight line.
 * If Medium, he launches a piranha that quickly arcs downward but deals the most damage. This version is a middle attack that can only be blocked while the opponent is standing.
 * If Heavy, he sics a squirrel on his opponent, and while it does the least damage and is a high attack until it hits the ground, it is capable of tracking and chasing them, becoming a low attack.
 * Feast your eyes on my Ripple!: Kars attacks with Ripple-charged fists, the result depending on attack button inputted. (Comboable through Puttsun Cancel)
 * If Light, he unleashes two punches.
 * If Medium, he slides forward to unleash a downward elbow. This version is a middle attack that can only be blocked while the opponent is standing.
 * If Heavy, he dashes forward to unleash a powerful swing. This version is a low attack that can only be blocked while the opponent is crouching.

Ultimate Life Form Kars is not entirely infallible. If he falls victim to Kosaku-Kira's Bites the Dust GHA, Kars will revert back to his original form. He is also permanently unable to use his HHA, or enter Light Mode and Shining Sabres Mode.
 * This cannot be!: Kars turns his arm into a large octopus tentacle and swings it in a wide girth while maniacally laughing, capable of hitting the opponent at most ranges and sending them flying. If used while the opponent is in mid-air, he will swing in upward as an anti-air.
 * Throw - You worthless fool!: Kars grins as he grabs the opponent and smashes them between his elbow and knee, before shoving them away.

Kars also appears on the stage "The Battlefield" as a background character along with Lisa Lisa. If Wamuu is one of the combatants ingame, Kars will brag about Wamuu's strength. This is assuming that Kars himself is not part of the fight.

Kars also possesses two alternate costumes, the first one being the attire he usually wears and is seen in for the first half of his presence in Battle Tendency (the veil that covers his long hair), and the second one being the overcoat and large hat he wore in Switzerland, in his fight against Stroheim.

Stardust Shooters (Android/iOS)
Kars appears as one of the several Part 2 characters who possesses a Metal Striker. His Finish Move consists of him using his Light Blades and cutting the opponent's defeated Metal Striker.

Eyes of Heaven (PS3/PS4)
Kars returns as a playable character in Eyes of Heaven, confirmed alongside Wamuu and Esidisi.

As a Pillar Man, Kars has the special ability Switch Mode, exclusive to the Mode style. His specific Mode is Light Mode. He is also able to stand and walk on the spike pit in the Air Supplena Island stage without taking damage (though he will still take extra damage if knocked down onto the spikes). Of special note is that he has the fastest movement speed of any character.

Kars (Normal Mode)

 * Style Action - Light Mode: Kars' body begins generating sparkles. All attacks involving his Lightblades become unblockable and receive a damage increase.
 * Victory is everything!: Kars utilizes light to disappear and reappear behind an opponent. The skill by itself will not deliver an attack, but a Powerful Attack can be inputted to do so. If not in range of an opponent or locked on, Kars will simply teleport forward, though he cannot teleport across gaps on through walls. In Light Mode, the skill executes quicker and the additional attack becomes unblockable.
 * Shining Sabres: Kars, in a single movement of his arm, unleashes multiple slashes, with the last strike sending opponents flying. In Light Mode, the skill deals more hits.
 * EX - Victory is everything!: The skill gains all of its benefits from Light Mode regardless of whether or not it's currently active.
 * EX - Shining Sabres: The skill executes quicker and Kars gains brief invincibility.
 * DHA - You don't stand a chance!: After landing a kick to the opponent's abdomen, Kars unleashes a rapid, alternating barrage of slashes from the Light Blades on both his arms, finishing with a single downward slice that successively rends them multiple times and sends them flying with the final hit as Kars turns around.
 * I am the ultimate life form!: Kars dons the Stone Mask (in combination with the Red Stone of Aja) to attempt to turn into the Ultimate Life Form. Kars, wearing the mask, will slowly rise to his feet. If the animation fully plays out uninterrupted by his opponents, the mask shatters, and Kars gains a completely new array of moves.

Ultimate Life Form
While in Ground Mode: While in Flight Mode:
 * Style Action - Flight Mode/Ground Mode: Kars can switch between being on the ground and sprouting wings to take to the sky. While in Flight Mode, his stamina gauge slowly drains, and upon emptying, Kars is forced to land. Ascending will cause the stamina gauge to drain faster.
 * DHA - How fitting! I shall cast you into the dark abyss of death with your own precious Ripple!: Kars lunges at the opponent and deals two powerful slashes that leave them lying on the ground. Ecstatically reveling in the fact he can now use Ripple, Kars charges and unleashes an all-powerful Ripple blast straight into the downed opponent. This is a reference to the method he tried to finish Joseph off with during the final chapters of Part 2.
 * Victory is everything!: The maximum range and damage of the attack is increased, but the EX version is no longer available.
 * Shining Sabres: The skill gains a damage increase.
 * I have absorbed the abilities of every living thing. I contain all of existence.: Kars turns his hand into a squirrel that he then sics on opponents, automatically attacking any threat to him within range. Opponents caught crumple and are open to further attacks.
 * Arm yourself!: Kars creates a crustaceous shell layer over most of his body as he assumes a defensive posture to create a special guard. Opponents that attempts to attack him from the front with melee attacks are knocked off-balance, creating an attack opening. While active, Kars' stamina gauge slowly drains, and the skill will end if it empties or the activating button is released.
 * EX - Shining Sabres: The skill gains an extra damage increase.
 * You're like a butterfly in a spider's web!: Kars fires two hardened feathers downward. Once they hit the ground, the feathers transform into octopus legs that automatically attack any opponents in range. The attacks are unblockable and up to four octopus legs can be out at any given time.
 * Do you believe for a moment that you can escape from me, the mighty Kars?: Kars fires three hardened feathers downward. If they hit the ground, they will start shaking, and transform into piranhas to attack any opponent that gets too close. If they hit an opponent, they will transform instantly. The piranhas themselves latch onto opponents and deal damage in intervals whilst slowing them down.
 * EX - Do you believe for a moment that you can escape from me, the mighty Kars?: Kars fires five feathers.

JoJolities
Unlike the previous game, his main color scheme is now based on his anime appearance.
 * Victory is everything!!: Kars must connect the additional attack that follows "Victory is everything!" 3 times. (200 Points)
 * What would life be without enemies?: Kars must Retire an opponent. (200 Points)
 * Finally... finally... I've conquered the sun!: Kars must successfully perform "I am the ultimate life form!". (300 Points)
 * Heh heh heh... I'm going to make you die slowly!: Kars must survive the first 20 counts of the battle timer without taking damage. (500 Points)
 * Kars used the Red Stone to become the Ultimate Life Form?!: Kars must succeed with a Dual Combo Finish while in Flight Mode. (800 Points)

Tournament
He is paired with Pet Shop in the Eyes of Heaven Tournament. In the preliminaries, they defeat Pannacotta Fugo and Noriaki Kakyoin in the first round, and Dio Brando and Joseph in the second. In the semifinals, they defeated Jotaro Kujo and Kakyoin in the first round, and Jotaro and DIO in the second. Ultimately, the team wins the Tournament, defeating Jolyne Cujoh and Gyro Zeppeli in the final round.

Gallery
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Trivia

 * The explanation for Kars' Ultimate Lifeform ability to transform into animals is a reference to recapitulation theory.
 * In an interview with Araki, he dispelled theories of Kars returning in a future part, stating that unless Kars developed a compass ability or crash-landed on another civilization, he'll remain in space forever.
 * There is concept art of Kars in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Heritage for the Future, indicating that he were originally set to appear in the game during development.