| “ | I gave you lives. So that you make good progress. But you couldn't understand. You must do it again. Why can't you see? Feel visible matter... Feel invisible matter... There is life everywhere. But I believe the day when you understand yourself and live together would come. | „ |
| ~ The Stone-Like |
The Stone-Like is a self-conscious stone octahedron object which serves as the main antagonist in Radiant Silvergun. It also plays an important role on its spiritual successor Ikaruga.
History[]
Radiant Silvergun[]
The Stone-Like is unearthed, along with a non-functioning robot. Chief Igarashi, secretary of defense, orders the artifact to be examined, while in the spaceship Tetra, three Silvergun prototype fighters are being tested. Igarashi informs that the object and the robot are identified by the serial number 00104, which just happens to be the same number of a robot inside the Tetra, CREATOR 00104. Suddenly, the Stone-Like activates, emitting a blinding flash that wipes out all life on Earth. only the people aboard Tetra are saved, since they were in orbit.
After some time, Tetra flies back to Earth, and 3 pilots, Buster, Reana and Guy, are sent on their Silverguns to investigate what exactly happened. The Stone-Like, aware of their presence, sends it's forces to destroy them. Tetra's commander sends Creator, the robot aboard Tetra, to head to Earth to investigate further, while the Silverguns hold off the Stone-Like forces. As the Creator heads to the base where the Stone-Like was being examined, the artifact discover their plan and attacks the base. Before the entire base crumbles, Tetra holds up the structure, allowing the Creator to board Reana's Silvergun. Guy then attempts a kamikaze attack to destroy the Stone-Like, but he fails and dies. The Tetra commander orders Buster and Reana to fly back to space while he attempts to stall the artifact. As they head for space, with all seemingly lost, they decide on fighting the Stone-Like and attempt to destroy it. Before this, the creator asks the two to leave something from them.
Buster and Reana finally engage the Stone-Like in combat. Upon being defeated, the Stone-Like explains to them that it is his mission to destroy mankind due to their destructive nature. Before shutting down, it uses it's last energy to send Buster and Reana to the past, to the year 100.000 BC. Just as they arrive there, the Stone-Like is unleashing it's power, killing the two at that time. 20 years later, the Creator have created clones of Buster and Reana to repopulate Earth. With the Stone-Like deactivated, the Creator explains that the artifact is the Guardian of Earth, and it will destroy Earth and recreate it again, until humanity realizes their nature and change. The Creator's mission, on the other hand, is to ensure that humanity will survive.
Ikaruga[]
NOTE: The Stone-Like from Ikaruga may be a totally different entity from the one of Radiant Silvergun, however this has not been confirmed.
The Stone-Like is unearthed by Tenro Hourai, leader of the Hourai nation. The object seemingly granted her special powers, but at the same time drove her insane. She believed this to be a sign of the gods, so she used the object's power to strengthen her nation's military and conquer all other nations "in the name of peace". A resistance force called Tenkaku challenges the Hourai, but the are almost annihilated. A single pilot of Tenkaku called Shinra survives and arrives at the village of Ikaruga, where the elders give him a ship also called Ikaruga to continue fighting.
Hourai mounted the Stone-Like on her personal ship, so when Shinra finally defeats her the Stone-Like emerges from the ship and activates. Shinra decides on fighting it, asking the elders to remove the restraints from the ship. He absorbs the energy emanating from the Stone-Like into his ship, unleashing it in a kamikaze attack, which successfully destroys the artifact.
Personality (Radiant Silvergun only)[]
While initially during the events of the game, The Stone Like seems like a ruthless and cruel entity hell-bent on exterminanting everything, the few dialogues and the ending of the story mode reveal that this is completely false and the stone like, as an embodiment of earth itself is simply doing what it must to protect the planet and in a certain way humanity, by reseting it to prevent them for doing more damage and giving it a new chance to learn from their mistakes.
By its dialogues it can be implied that The Stone Like is regretful of having to do what is doing and wishes that it didnt have to end this way, it also shows enormous sadness of humanity's inhabilty to learn from its past, despite that the entity does not harbor any animosity towards humanity and has make sure with The Creator that humanity will survive showing that it cares about them despite the destructive errors of the human race.
It also can be implied that entity is quite persistant and tenacious, willing to repeat the cycle of destruction and regeneration endless times until it sees the future it desires; one in which humanity can live peacefully with one and other, in fact in its last dialogue expresses that even after everything, it still believes that that day will come.
Trivia[]
- Its final form, Xiga is obviously a reference to Ultraman.