– Adam to Evelyn Parker, Cyberpunk 2077
Adam Smasher is a full borg solo and rival of Morgan Blackhand. He is employed by Arasaka and by 2077, has risen to the position of head of security and the personal bodyguard of Yorinobu Arasaka.
Smasher is a towering cyborg, with little humanity left to be seen - not that he ever had much. After being reduced to mush by an RPG blast, Arasaka offered him a choice - either pull the plug or become a full body conversion cyborg. With little to no options and a lack of care for his human side, he agreed and became more machine than man.
Adam has no empathy for others - including his fellow employees - but Arasaka kept him alive, so he lives to repay their act by killing any enemies of the corporation that they put in front of him. Adam can only be described in one way, pure uncontrolled evil.
Biography[]
2000s[]
Adam Smasher was a fairly typical punk, a worthless New York City mook who joined the Army when his gang was wiped out. After several years in uniform, he was discharged for bad conduct and took up being a contract gun-boy in his home city.
It was a good life for Adam, as his lack of squeamishness and sadistic thoroughness brought in enough jobs to keep him in guns, gear, drugs, and brutal one-night stands. But he finally went on that one job where everything fell apart. A couple of rockets turned him into meatloaf. His buddies backpacked what was left of him out of the zone and back to the Big Apple. A mysterious corporate benefactor took note and made him the classic offer he couldn't refuse: corporate service in a metal body, or death. As if thoughts of lost humanity would bother Adam.[1]
2010s[]
Seven years later, the new cybernetic Adam Smasher had made quite a name for himself along the eastern seaboard. He hired out for almost any mission presented to him, as long as it wasn't an obvious suicide or double-cross. He did have one stipulation: Collateral damage and civilian casualties are a must. During this time, he had developed a quiet rivalry with Morgan Blackhand, seeing the classic Solo as a threat to his metal-is-better-than-meat worldview. Adam had repeatedly tried to challenge him to a face-off, but Morgan only ignored him at every possible confrontation. Naturally, this snubbing had simply stoked the cyborg's psychopathic rage higher.
Meanwhile, his secret benefactors (who turned out to be a branch of Arasaka security) allowed him time for freelancing.[1]
2020 - 2023[]
In 2022, Adam Smasher was recruited by Arasaka to fight in the Fourth Corporate War. Adam was more than happy to fight for them because he knew Morgan Blackhand had been hired by Militech.[2] Arasaka supplied him with everything he could ever want, including the DaiOni power armor conversion gear that turned Adam into a nearly unstoppable machine. During this time, on August 23rd, Smasher was present at what would become the Night City Holocaust at the top of the Arasaka Towers. That night, as remarked by a former SpecOps operative who was present at the mission, Smasher and the rest of the Arasaka troops ambushed Johnny Silverhand and Morgan Blackhand's team. However, Silverhand distracted him, shouting and firing at him with his gun, getting injured by Smasher in the process, yet giving Shaitan an opportunity to hold Smasher back.[3] Despite that, Adam had injured Johnny badly, leaving him to be retrieved from Arasaka medical team.
Smasher later appeared at the top of the tower, preparing to fight Blackhand as the rest of the extraction team left on their aerodyne. Blackhand remarked about testing Smasher's philosophy for itself shortly before the nuclear bomb detonated.[3]
2023 - 2075[]
After the bomb, Smasher survived and was retrieved by Arasaka, who healed him by replacing what little was left of the man with yet more machinery. Smasher was supposedly tasked by Saburo Arasaka to take care of Silverhand's body and his possessions, being one of the few people who knew where Johnny was buried.[4] Shortly after, Adam disappeared for many years.
During the next decades, Smasher would come and go from Night City. He also teamed up with Rogue Amendiares for a time.[5]
At some point after 2045, Smasher seemingly found more of Silverhand's possessions in Samantha Stevens' garage, and around the country. Although he had sold much of Silverhand's items, he decided to keep some of them - including Silverhand's Porsche and his signature gun, the Malorian Arms 3516.[4]
Some time after 2050, Adam was assigned as Yorinobu Arasaka's bodyguard and was placed in charge of carrying out Arasaka's dirtiest work, gaining a reputation for expert management of loose ends.[6] During this time, Adam made the Ebunike Docks in Watson his base of operations. Jeremiah Grayson, one of his most loyal men, became his right-hand, and for a job well done, Smasher gifted him Silverhand's unique pistol.[4]
2076[]
– Adam during his fight with David Martinez, Cyberpunk 2077
In 2076, Smasher was brought in by Arasaka counterintelligence agents Kate and Douglas to deal with the rampaging mercenary David Martinez, who was in possession of an experimental Arasaka "cyberskeleton."[7]
When David arrived at Arasaka Tower, Smasher emerged to save Douglas's life and engaged David. The two solos would have a brief exchange of insults before David would get distracted by Faraday - whom he had incapacitated moments ago - being taken away by Trauma Team. Smasher would take this opportunity to shoot David in the gut, resulting in him briefly going cyberpsycho and activating his Sandevistan. Smasher responded by doing the same, and fired a missile that directly hit the back of David's exo-skeleton with enough force to eject the latter, Lucy, and Faraday (still strapped to Trauma Team's stretcher) out of Arasaka Tower, the latter of whom fell to his death.
David briefly managed to escape with Lucy, only for Smasher to follow, crushing Rebecca to death in the process. Falco attempted to slow Smasher down but was simply swatted away. David, on the verge of total cyberpsychosis, activated his Sandevistan again, but was shocked to see Smasher utilizing one as well, with the latter scoffing that it was a "rudimentary implant." Lucy tried to quickhack Smasher, but this had little effect other than annoying him briefly before her Cyberdeck fries.
Smasher became briefly distracted trying to kill an escaping Lucy and Falco, Which David used as an opportunity to immobilize the cyborg. A furious Smasher responding by ripping off the anti-grav devices from the exo-skeleton, causing it to crumble under its own weight, and proceeded to beat a now crippled David. After ripping the exo-skeleton apart completely, Smasher stood over a limbless David, commenting that he "had some fun, after all"; and mentions David could have become "an interesting construct." As David accepted his fate, Smasher executed him with a shot to the skull at point-blank range.[7]
2077[]
By 2077, Adam was still Yorinobu's bodyguard. He usually accompanied him to the Konpeki Plaza penthouse, even scaring guests, such as Evelyn Parker who was visiting Yorinobu.[8]
A number of weeks after, while the mercs V and Jackie Welles conducted a heist for the Relic in the penthouse, Smasher accompanied Yorinobu as his father Saburo arrived to talk with him. Smasher and Saburo's bodyguard, Goro Takemura, left shortly before Yorinobu snapped and strangled his father. Smasher attempted to stop the witnesses, V and Jackie, but they manage to escape before he could catch them.[9]
Upon Saburo's death, Yorinobu became CEO of Arasaka, promoting Smasher to Head of Security. During the memorial parade for Saburo, Sandayu Oda warned Smasher that the parade was to be sabotaged in an effort to harm Yorinobu's sister, Hanako Arasaka. Smasher brushed off Oda's warnings, accusing Oda of disobeying Yorinobu as Oda persisted in questioning Smasher's actions. Oda was ultimately correct - with V's help, Takemura gained access to Hanako's float in order to kidnap her. Smasher afterwards led an Arasaka strike team, personally rescuing Hanako and ordered for her kidnappers to be killed.[10][11]
If V asked Panam for help in Nocturne Op55N1:
- Once Adam found that intruders had broken into Arasaka Tower through the underground, he made his way to the Mikoshi access point to kill the intruders. He found members of the Aldecaldos; Panam Palmer, Saul Bright, and V. After destroying the gate, Saul shot at Adam's chest which had wounded him right before Adam stomped on his head, killing him. A fight between the three broke out as Adam asked where Rogue was and as yelled he'd find her after dealing with the Aldecaldos. However, Adam was defeated in the battle.[6]
If V let Johnny and Rogue go in Nocturne Op55N1:
- Adam as well as the rest of security were on high alert after an unidentified flying vehicle had assaulted Arasaka Tower. He suspected it must have the work of the Queen of Fixers and his enemy - Rogue Amendiares. Adam made his way to the Mikoshi access point discovering Rogue, Crispin Weyland, and V were behind the assault. He confronted Rogue, however before he could kill her she detonated a grenade on his chest wounding him in the process. He then began to fight V and Crispin. Adam was defeated during the battle.[6]
If V asked Hanako for help in Nocturne Op55N1:
- During Yorinobu's military coup on Arasaka, Hanako's faction slowly had taken over Arasaka Tower with Goro Takemura and V leading the troops to the CEO's office. However Adam intercepted them right before they could enter the CEO's office in a last ditch effort to protect Yorinobu. V and Takemura began to fight Adam as he asked where Rogue was and as yelled he'd find her after dealing with them. Adam, however, was defeated during the battle.[6]
If V and Johnny went alone to preform a suicide run in (Don't Fear) The Reaper:
- Adam Smasher intercepted V before they made it through to Mikoshi access point alone. A fight between the two broke out as he asked where Rogue was and yelled he'd find her after dealing with V. Adam was either defeated during the battle or managed to kill V and indirectly killing his nemesis, Johnny.[6]
Database Entry (2077)[]
What with a full-body conversion, not much is left of Adam Smasher the man. Well... his humanity was always questionable. Smasher's in charge of taking out Arasaka's dirty laundry, but he likes to do things his own way. Way back in 2023, he killed Johnny Silverhand during the attack on Arasaka Tower, after which Silverhand's personality was digitized by the Soulkiller program. If Smasher finds out that Johnny's back, he'll probably want to finish what he started. Smasher doesn't leave loose ends.[6]
Stats & Equipment (2020)[]
| INT | 4 | REF | 15 | TECH | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| COOL | 7 | ATTR | N/A | LUCK | 4 |
| MA | 20 | BODY | 18 | EMP | Yeah, right... |
| Type | Products |
|---|---|
| Skills | Combat Sense +7, Athletics +4, Awareness/Notice +6, Brawling +6, Dodge & Escape +4, Driving +2, Handgun +5, Heavy Weapons +7, Intimidate +6, Melee +5, Panzerfaust +2, Rifle +6, Stealth +4, Submachinegun +4, Weapons Tech +2.[2] |
| Cyberware | Full cyborg body heavily modified Samson frame, two sets of interface plugs, chip slot, pain editors, link set (smartgun, vehicle, data), optics suite (low-lite, thermograph, Times Square Plus, targeting scope, anti-dazzle), cyberaudio (radio, tight-beam radio, and cellular links with scrambler, scanner, enhanced range, amplified hearing, sound editor, level damper), wolvers in both arms, quickchange mounts, radiation shielding, biopod.[2] |
| Armor | SP 25 from Samson Frame, SP 20 armored coveralls when he's on the job(giving him a total SP of 42).[2] |
| Gear | Tsunami Arms Helix |
Stats & Equipment (2077)[]
Cyberware[]
Notes[]
- Scanning Smasher in Cyberpunk 2077 shows he is 96% cybernetic.
- Prior to the Fourth Corporate War, Adam Smasher affected a southern "good ol boy" accent that made him sound exactly like Elvis Presley.[13]
- Adam Smasher used various cyberbodies throughout his life, having a closetful of them by 2023. The first body he used all the way into the Fourth Corporate War was a heavily modified Samson.[2] He was later given a "DaiOni" by Arasaka during the Night City Holocaust to face Morgan Blackhand.[3][14] Also around this time, he had access to a Gemini that looked and sounded like a young, overmuscled, blond Elvis Presley.[15][16] After the war, however, he stopped using more humanoid bodies, and by 2077 he was using a heavily modified Dragoon.[13]
- Mike Pondsmith identified Adam Smasher as a "high functioning cyberpsycho".[17]
- During a Cyberpunk 2020 live session in Poland, Mike Pondsmith made a scenario for a group of players which involved Michiko Arasaka's 18 birthday, ending with her having a "wild fling" with Adam Smasher.[18] Pondsmith later elaborated that during this time, Smasher would use a Gemini body that resembled a young, blonde Elvis Presley and treated Michiko respectfully partly because of her status in Arasaka.[15] When the two first met, Michiko was a sheltered 17 year old girl, and her bodyguard, Kenichi Zaburo, threatened Smasher to mind his manners.[19] Since this event has not been added to the story, it's not considered canon for the time being.[20]
- Despite having a reputation for being devoid of empathy for virtually everyone, his gifting of Johnny's Malorian to Grayson indicates that he does appear to have a level of appreciation for reliable subordinates.
- The Japanese script of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners drops Smasher's habit of referring to others as meat and treating his targets like animals to be slaughtered, which is then returned in the English localization. For example, his threat to David, "Rest assured. It's a massacre. You won't get lonely then, right?" is substituted with "All the same meat to me. I'll slaughter each and every one of you," in the English dub. Similarly, "I said it was a massacre, didn't I? You won't escape!" is replaced with, "None leave the slaughterhouse; not alive!"
Trivia[]
- Adam Smasher's name is a play on the word "atom smasher", a nickname for particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider.
- Adam Smasher's English voice actor is Alec Newman, who also voices Anders Hellman and Arthur Jenkins.
Gallery[]
2020 & RED[]
2077[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 TAYLOR, S. Solo of Fortune 2. 1st ed., Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1994. (pp.66–67)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 ACKERMAN-GRAY, D. Firestorm Shockwave. 1st ed., Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1997. (p.22)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 PONDSMITH, M. Cyberpunk RED Corebook. 1st ed., Kenmore, WA, R. Talsorian Games, 2020. (pp.441, 121)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Chippin' In (quest)
- ↑ For Whom the Bell Tolls
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 CD Projekt RED. Cyberpunk 2077. Video Game, Multi-Platform. Poland, CD Projekt S.A., 2020.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 STUDIO TRIGGER. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Anime. Netflix/CD Projekt RED, 2022. - My Moon My Man
- ↑ The Information
- ↑ The Heist
- ↑ Play It Safe
- ↑ Search and Destroy
- ↑ STUDIO TRIGGER. Cyberpunk: Edgerunners. Anime. Netflix/CD Projekt RED, 2022.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Mike Pondsmith on Reddit 4 - "Adam Smasher is pretty much what remains in his biopod. The biopod is a heavily protected brain sphere and shielded cable that covers what remains of the subject's spine. The cyberbody plugs into that through a series of neural ports. As heavily shielded as it is, the biopod can sustain immense amounts of punishment before it cracks. It also allows the user to change bodies by plugging the biopod into new ones. Without giving too much away, Adam has (at least by 2045) jumped through several "bodies", including a very humanoid "Gemini" (see Image for an example of a Gemini). He pretty much stopped using more humanoid bodies post 4th Corp War (that's a story I'll have to tell someday) and moved up to the full metal hulk he currently lives in (which is a heavily modified Dragoon). One of the common truths about cyberbodies that are as nasty as the Dragoon is that most have kill switches built in, or the owner has been canalized against aggression towards his Corporate controllers. Stupid extra fact: did you know that pre-Corp War, Adam affected a southern "good ol boy" accent that made him sound just like Elvis Presley?"
- ↑ ACKERMAN-GRAY, D. Firestorm Shockwave. 1st ed., Berkeley, CA, R. Talsorian Games, 1997. (p.140)
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 Mike Pondsmith on Reddit 5 - "What most people forget is that Full Body Conversions like Adam have the option of using other cyberbodies. By 2023, Adam had a closetful. When he was dating Michiko, he usually used a Gemini (look it up) that looked and sounded disturbingly like a young, blond Elvis Presley. And no, you don't call your bosses daughter "a fuckable piece of meat." Not if you don't want to be run over by a main battle tank."
- ↑ Mike Pondsmith on Reddit 6 - "You're not that far off. Adam's Gemini was a overmuscled blond Elvis. Image"
- ↑ Mike Pondsmith on Reddit 3 - "Didn't say he wasn't. Theres a concept in psychology called "high functioning." Adam is a high functioning cyberpsycho who happens to have a job where they want him to kill people."
- ↑ Mike Pondsmith on Reddit 2
- ↑ Mike Pondsmith on Reddit 1
- ↑ JGray on Discord - "First, Mike's story, no matter how many times he's tells it, isn't canon until we put it in a book. It's something he ran as an adventure at a con. It's a fun story but that's all it is."
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