Takeshi Kovacs is an anti-hero we did not know we deserved until we stumbled upon Joel Kinnaman in the highly rated and loved Altered Carbon.
The show picked up the pace a bit more slowly than others shows do, but once it did, it stayed. The proof is a gazillion threads on Reddit, videos on YouTube, and posts on Twitter related to the show. Fans might already know basic facts about Takeshi Kovacs that the show does not hesitate to reveal if viewers only check it out. Here we are sharing ten facts about him that you might not know about.
Original Kovacs’ Exact Age In Season 2
According to the books, Takeshi Kovacs was born in 2100 and the first season is set in the year 2384. Kovacs and Poe spend 30 years looking for Quell and exploring space. The second season starts at the year 2414. So, that makes Kovacs around 314 years old.
Total Number Of Kovacs' Sleeves
Kovacs has been resleeved multiple times throughout the two seasons. The total number of sleeves Takeshi Kovacs has been into is 3 in the first season and two in the second season. If we count the adult sleeve in which child Kovacs was put in, then that makes a total of 6.
Why Did Kovacs Sacrifice Himself?
Takeshi Kovacs sacrificed himself to save his love Quell and his home planet, and grilled himself in the Angel Fire. But, there were a couple other reasons too, for why he did so. He loved Quell very much and wanted to spend his life with her but Quell had other priorities. She didn't want to settle down.
Takeshi Kovacs had lost all his loved ones, including his sister. There was nothing left in his life to come home to. These all factors motivated him to take that extreme step.
Who Was Kovacs’ Real Love?
If you remember the scene where Jaegar arrested Kovacs in a hotel room after the Rawling virus massacre, there was a girl with Takeshi Kovacs in the same room. Her name was Sarah. According to the books, Sarah was Kovacs’ real love, not Quell or Vidaura.
Why Are There Two Kovacs In The Same Frame?
The second season has a penultimate fight between the Last Envoy and a CTAC, Kovacs Prime, who is revealed to be Takeshi Kovacs too. Actually Jaegar loved Takeshi as his own son. He was extremely obsessed with him so much so that he had illegally double sleeved him and put one on ice for the right time.
Jaeger, also known as Carrera, wanted Takeshi Kovacs to follow his path, but when Kovacs defected, he spun the illegal clone up.
Real Story Of His Father
In the TV series, Kovacs murdered his father and got himself arrested. Actually in the books the series is based upon, Kovacs did not kill his father. His father was indeed a drunkard and abusive, but he had not killed Kovacs’ mother. As soon as he received a sleeve mod, Kovacs' father abandoned his family.
Kovacs' Relationship With Reileen
Kovacs has a sister called Reileen in the Netflix series version of the story. In the books though, Reileen is a criminal for whom Kovacs used to work with a long time ago.
Reileen’s family or childhood has not been explored in the book series and she is not the central character either.
The Most Emotional Moment For Takeshi Kovacs
The most emotional moment for Takeshi Kovacs was when he had to shoot his long lost sister in the stack because both he and Reileen knew there wasn’t any option. Reileen knew she would never stop doing what she does for living. She was also obsessed with her brother to a point that there was no turning back from there.
General Trivia
Joel Kinnaman, the actor who had played Takeshi Kovacs in the first season for the most part, is a sci-fi nerd himself. He said he had been into science fiction for a long time and that's what helped him play the role effectively. The sets are also very real with minimal CG, which makes the show and Kovacs realistic. Anthony Mackie said that he would definitely love to wear the sleeve of Takeshi Kovacs again and that he loved the show and the crew.
Why Is Kovacs Prime Helping Quell?
One of the Stronghold tunnel scenes in the second season might hint that Kovacs Prime has had a change of heart and hence, he is helping Quell and Takeshi. But, Prime’s conversation with Jaegar slash Ivan Carrera suggests otherwise. When Carrera confessed to Kovacs Prime what Takeshi meant for him during their last conversation, Prime said himself that he will prove to Carrera that he is still loyal and sprung back from the VR. So, Kovacs Prime is playing his own game it seems.