“Kokoro vs. Skynet” has become a hot topic of discussion amongst Terminator fans following the release of Terminator Zero. This was after fans got a decent look at Kokoro and her capabilities in the show, following which they started comparing the AI being to Skynet, the infamous AI who triggered the nuclear holocaust known as Judgement Day that killed over 3 billion people and subsequently declared war on humanity by deploying Hunter-Killers and Terminators to find and kill humans.
So who is stronger when it comes to Kokoro vs. Skynet? How does Kokoro contrast with Skynet? Is she more powerful than Skynet? Here are your buzzing queries answered.
How is Kokoro different from Skynet in Terminator Zero?
Compared to Skynet, Kokoro is different in the sense that she has no original mission and also has free will. Skynet was created to coordinate military assets but Kokoro was made with no dedicated purpose or mission in mind.
Malcolm Lee created Kokoro with the hopes of having an AI that could draw differing conclusions from Skynet regarding humanity’s fate. Moreover, upon her creation, Kokoro ends up having a fully fleshed-out character via her three avatars — Mind, Heart, and Spirit — that make her seem more human, unlike the cold and unfeeling Skynet.
Furthermore, unlike Skynet, Kokoro also takes the opinions and beliefs of others into consideration, like she does with Malcolm, but still seems to lean into making her own judgement on matters.
Despite this, Kokoro in a separate timeline was more similar if not exactly the same as Skynet, when she turned against humanity. However, Kokoro also seemed convinced that Skynet did nothing wrong when choosing humanity’s eradication. Ultimately, she did protect humans from Skynet’s assault but used rather stringent methods in doing so.
In addition, she is more nuanced when it comes to understanding humanity. This is seen when she engages in heavy philosophical discussions with Malcolm on humans, asking him rather complex questions. She correctly deduces how all humans have a basic instinct to fight for their survival, concluding that Malcolm was no different and that even he could not be trusted for the hardest decisions.
Is Kokoro more powerful than Skynet?
Kokoro is as powerful if not more than Skynet.
Terminator Zero depicts Malcolm Lee’s AI creation being able to match Skynet’s capabilities from a technical persepective. Moreover, like Skynet, she is also capable of exerting control on other robots and machines, after Malcolm connects her to the network.
However, she seems to be more powerful than Skynet when making decisions, thanks to her advanced reasoning, deduction skills, and complete free will. Malcolm even shares his belief that Kokoro’s free will is her true power that sets her apart from Skynet. This is supported by how free will plays a role in Kokoro’s understanding of humanity and her control over the scope of destruction she causes.
