Terminator ZERO: Eiko’s True Origins and Relation to Malcom Lee, Explained

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Terminator ZERO: Eiko's True Origins and Relation to Malcom Lee, Explained

Key Takeaways

  • Terminator ZERO offers a fresh take on Judgment Day in Japan with Malcolm Lee as the focus.
  • Eiko, a soldier from 2022, time travels to 1997 to protect Malcolm and prevent Skynet’s attack.
  • Malcolm turns out to be Eiko’s son from another timeline, leading to a complex timeline paradox.

As a gamer with a penchant for time-traveling narratives and a deep appreciation for the Terminator franchise, I must say that Terminator ZERO has truly exceeded my expectations. The series offers an engaging blend of action, mystery, and emotional depth, all while providing a fresh take on Judgment Day within the context of Japan.

The “Terminator” universe grows with the introduction of “Terminator ZERO,” an engaging 8-episode anime series on Netflix. Unlike previous stories, this one takes place in Japan and revolves around Malcolm Lee, a brilliant scientist who develops a new AI system to counter Skynet. As described in the official summary, Judgment Day is reimagined through his perspective.

2022: For decades, a relentless conflict persists between the remaining humans and an unending horde of mechanized forces.


1997: The AI known as Skynet gained self-awareness and began its war against humanity.


A soldier, suspended between the present and the past, gets sent back in time. Her destination: 1997, where she’s tasked with safeguarding a scientist named Malcolm Lee. He’s working on a revolutionary AI system meant to counter Skynet’s looming assault on mankind. As Malcolm grapples with the ethical dilemmas of his invention, he’s pursued by an indefatigable enemy from the future, altering the lives and destinies of his three children forever.

In the course of the series, Eiko’s objectives change as she strives to protect Malcolm’s offspring while simultaneously working to avert Kokoro’s activation. Yet, Eiko’s personality conceals layers that only become evident over time. The secrets behind her past and her deep-rooted link to Malcolm Lee are revealed towards the end of the series.

Eiko: The Resistance’s Ace from the Future

A Soldier’s Mission Through Time

In the battle-scarred year 2022, Eiko rises to prominence among the resistance’s top soldiers. Her remarkable fighting abilities are evident as she engages the Terminator units, solidifying her reputation as a powerful fighter in mankind’s battle against mechanical forces.

In 1997, when intelligence shows that a Terminator is on its way with the ability to harm Malcolm Lee, who’s the resistance leader and also called The Prophet, a significant choice must be made. Aware of the danger at hand, The Prophet assigns Eiko for an essential task: time travel to shield Malcolm Lee from harm and halt the deployment of his AI project, Kokoro.

Eiko was trying to prevent Kokoro from being launched because, in her future, Kokoro didn’t become what Malcolm had hoped it would. There was a risk that Kokoro might align with Skynet and attempt to eliminate humanity, which appears to have happened in Eiko’s timeline.

1997 sees Eiko stepping into a thrilling game of cat-and-mouse with the Terminator. With the Malcolm children as her main priority, she struggles to connect with Malcolm himself but repeatedly tries. Running out of alternatives, Eiko decides that joining forces with Misaki is her best bet for reaching Malcolm and possibly altering the future course of events.

Malcolm Lee: Eiko’s Son from Another Timeline

When Malcolm encounters Eiko in the last episode, he realizes it’s her and expresses his shock at thinking he wouldn’t meet her again. It’s later revealed that Malcolm is actually Eiko’s son from another reality. In this alternate timeline, Eiko gave birth to Malcolm in 2025, three years following the event known as Judgment Day that our version of Eiko returned to in 1997. Over time, Malcolm developed into a gifted scientist, fueled by the idea that AI and humans could live together peacefully.

Due to his ambition for creating AI named Kokoro and realizing that the future controlled by Skynet would hinder this development, Malcolm chose to travel back in time. In the year 2040, along with Misaki, he embarked on a trip to 1983 – a whole 14 years before Skynet was activated – to commence work on Kokoro.

Upon this disclosure, Malcolm tasks Eiko with a fresh assignment: safeguarding her grandchildren – Kenta, Hiro, and Reika.

Kenta’s Paradox: The Timeline Conundrum in Terminator ZERO

The show doesn’t explore the complexities of Eiko and Malcolm’s bond extensively since Malcolm dies soon after meeting Eiko; however, it introduces a perplexing conundrum. In the new timeline created by Eiko’s journey to 1997, she won’t bear the child we know as Malcolm. As a result, in the original timeline (2022), Malcolm himself may never have been born.

Yet, it turned out that the Terminator sent to halt Kokoro’s launch actually served under Kenta, who was Malcolm’s son from the future. But here’s a puzzling question: if Eiko never gave birth to Malcolm, how is it possible for Kenta to exist in her timeframe?

In the show, it seems there’s only one explanation: the audience was deceived into thinking that the Terminator from Eiko’s timeline was identical to the one that appeared in 1997. It could be that the Terminator from Eiko’s timeline traveled to another dimension, and coincidentally, Eiko arrived in a world where Kenta had sent a Terminator to confront Malcolm. However, this is just speculation; the truth can only be revealed if Netflix agrees to produce a second season of the series.

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2024-09-02 22:05