Gunnm's Gally vs SF's Cammy

gally.gif (7734 bytes)

Is Cammy really a copy of Gally?!

It took a few years for this to really hit me, but there's no doubt about it.  How frustrating - both of them have been in front of my face and in my thoughts for years, but it took so long for me to really put 2 and 2 together...  The influence for Capcom's Cammy definitely came from Yukito Kishiro's Gally!!

They are surely similar on a basic level, but I never really gave it that much thought - I must have been too busy enjoying them.

After reading through all this, you'll be able to see where my love and logic came from.  And you're definitely gonna be surprised by the evidence... it's just too much to be a coincidence!

cammy.gif (6303 bytes)

Exhibit #1 - Timelines of Gunnm and SSF2

When Super Street Fighter 2 with Cammy was released in fall 1993, Gunnm the comic and the anime (known as Battle Angel Alita in English) were right at the height of their popularity in Japan.  There is no doubt that the creators of Cammy knew about Yukito Kishiro's Gunnm comic when they created her. 

Delta Red Cammy is more like young Gally (known as Alita in English) from books 1-5.   Those were published right about the same time as SSF2 and SSF2X.  Shadowloo Cammy, however, is a lot more like the Tuned Gally from Gunnm books 6-9.  Shadowloo Cammy was created in the summer of 1996, and at that time, the Gunnm books with Tuned Gally had just ending.  It all adds up perfectly.

This is circumstantial evidence, but it's good enough for 1 point.

Exhibit #2 - The Cannon Spike

gally-spike.gif (8721 bytes) There's not much to explain here... just look at the pictures!
And if you have the first Gunnm comic, check out the picture where Gally first fights Makaku and takes off his arm... that's a Cannon Spike too.

Well, this is one easy point for stefan99's theory!  Total = 2 points.

cammy-spike.gif (8781 bytes)

Exhibit #3 - I can't remember...

I know exactly what I'm talking about... it's Gally and Cammy that don't remember.  Both are amnesiacs. 

Both girls have only one real clue to their past - fighting.  When everything was gone from their minds, they still had extraordinary fighting instincts.  To find the truth, they fight and follow their only link to the past.  And as Exhibit #'s 2, 5, and 6 show, it might be the same technique.

Also, both do eventually regain some memories in the middle of big fights.  While fighting in MotorBall, Gally remembers bits and pieces of training in a red mountain.  And while fighting in the Street Fighter 2 tournament, Cammy regains some memories about her past life with Shadowloo.

stefan99's theory is up to 3 points.

Exhibit #4 - Enhanced bodies

Not only do Gally and Cammy know how to fight very well, but they've got enhanced bodies that were made for fighting.  Both were made to be super soldiers... perfect killing machines.

Gally is a cyborg.  That means that she's part human, and part robot.  In Gally's case, she's just a human brain attached to a completely robotic body.  Throughout the comic (Gunnm/Battle Angel Alita), Gally receives many different enhanced bodies.

Cammy is all human, but she's had all sorts of biotechnological enhancements.  She has strength, speed, agility, and endurance that no normal person has.  Cammy only has one body, but like Gally, it was built to fight.

I'm up to 4 now... (and still going)

Exhibit #5 - getting off the ground

gally-getup.gif (8082 bytes)

cam3-rhcls2.gif (1156 bytes) Check it out... Yukito Kishiro's design
sketches for Gally (Alita) and both
versions of Cammy.

The first frame shown is almost a
straight copy.

The 2nd frame is very similar.  And the
arrows on the Gally frame show that
she's spinning too.

The last Gally frame shows  Gally
spinning again... and the animated
Cammy next to it shows what it all looks like when it's put together.

Again, there's not a whole lot to
explain here... it's pretty obvious,
isn't it?!

Score one more point for stefan99's
theory of Cammy and Gally!!

 

cam3-getup3.gif (1251 bytes)

get-up.gif (12325 bytes)

Exhibit #6 - The Killer Bee Assault

More pictures to look at!  This one's a little tougher, but for real Cammy fans who know this move, there will be no problems understanding.  Trust me when I say that I'm 6 for 6 on points.  I'm well on my way to proving my theory...
gally-bee.gif (6297 bytes) Here's Gally's move from Yukito Kishiro's sketches of her fighting techniques.

As you can see here, she jumps off the ground springs from wall to ceiling, and then comes down with a kick.  In fact, this move she's doing here looks a whole lot like a Cannon Drill too!

cammy-bee.gif (15135 bytes)

This is Cammy's "Killer Bee Assault".  She bounds off the ground, up to the ceiling, and kicks her victim all around the screen.   Basically, she juggles her victim with kicks as she bounces off the walls, ceiling, and ground.

(BTW - sorry I don't have a clearer picture of Cammy's move, but it starts off exactly like Gally's move...)

PS - There's one more small link... Tuned Alita has some little robotic 'missile bees' that assault and kill.  (a small strech, huh?)

Exhibit #7 - Personalities

This point is pretty easy because there's a lot to back it up, but then again... there's a lot to back the point up.  Let's get started...

First of all, having amnesia has surely had a huge impact on both girls' personalities.  They started life out almost as adults (Gally about age 13, and Cammy age 16), and they even took adult jobs.  Even without their special circumstances, that's a hard time in life.  They both suffered from frustration, anger, sadness, confusion, loneliness, and a whole bunch of other bad stuff.  Obviously, the girls are physically strong, but emotionally vulnerable.

Although good people, Gally and Delta Red Cammy, have bad attitudes that get them into trouble.  They are both quite moody, and since they know how to fight, you gotta be careful around them!  They have even been known to be downright cruel.  Both girls are also extremely confident in their abilities.   When nothing else in their lives is certain, they both know they can kick ass!   This also leads them to be stubborn in tough situations - they stand extra fast against everything.  They also tend to be smart-asses because they are confident, and because they have fun fighting.  But with that said, they are very serious about their fighting jobs, and they have an very strong desire to be the best!

No doubt here either - Cammy and Gally share a unique personality.  7 points!

Exhibit #'s 8, 9, & 10 - Tongue and cheek... and suit too

Oh, so many issues!  It's starting to get tricky...
Anyhow, there are basically 3 points here.  First is that both Gally and Cammy have a very unlady-like habit of sticking their tongues out.  Second, is that both have marks on their cheeks.  And third, is that both characters have the same style bodysuits.

That takes me up to 10 points, right?   Are you getting convinced yet...?

gally-tongue.gif (7530 bytes)

Point #1 - Tongues

I take the tongue-thing as a point because I can't really think of any other characters that stick out their tongues in this way.  Can you?

Point #2 - Cheeks

Both characters' markings on thier cheeks are very important to who they are, because both are links to their forgotten pasts (more on this later).  Also, I can combine the warpaint on Cammy's legs with this, because Gally's marks are painted on before battle - like warpaint.

Point #3 - Bodysuits

This style of sleeveless and turtle-neck bodysuit is quite rare.  As you can see here, both Gally and Cammy's bodysuits look very similar.

cammy-tongue.gif (7599 bytes)

Exhibit #11 - Saviors and fathers

doc-ido.gif (2480 bytes) This is another one of those things that really helps to establish my theory as more than just a mere coincidence.  Gally and Delta Red Cammy not only suffered from amnesia, but everything about their 'awakening' and following life is the same.

Gally was found by Doc. Ido in the trash.  He rescued her, fixed her, named her, and raised her.  Then, they fought side by side as Hunter Warriors.

Cammy was found on the steps of the English Secret Service training center by Colonel Wolfman.  Like Doc. Ido, he took Cammy in, and named her.   And just like Gally and Ido, Cammy and the Colonel fought crime side by side in Delta Red.

Yes, definitely more than coincidence!  I'm already up to 11 points.

For a bonus here... Gally was named after Doc Ido's cat, and in the Sakura Ganbaru comic, Sakura names Cammy after her cat.

wolfman.gif (3189 bytes)

Exhibit #12 - Partners and friends

lou-collins.gif (4119 bytes) Tuned Gally and Delta Red Cammy both have partners back at base.   Gally has Lou Collins, and Cammy has Lieutenant Hanna.  Both partners have short hair, and they are like best friends to Gally and Cammy.  Moreover, although Lou and Hanna are technically smart, they are seriously lacking in common sense.  In other words, they are airheads.

Lou's job is to monitor Gally.  It's Gally's job to kick ass, while Lou take cares of all the little things, and assists Gally with information.

Hanna is something like an at home member of Delta Red.  She takes care of all the technical info back at base, and she tries to do whatever she can to help the team accomplish their mission.

12 points?  Yes!  If this isn't proof enough, keep reading...

lt-hanna.gif (4172 bytes)

Exhibit #13 - The people you love to hate

jasugun.gif (6755 bytes) Both Gally and Cammy have an arch-rival with whom they have a very strange love/hate relationship...

Gally has MotorBall Champ Jasugun.  They like and respect each other, but at the same time, they want to kill each other!  It's a battle of two great warriors.

Cammy of course, has Balrog.  They definitely want to kill each other, but from Balrog's crazy point of view, he loves and hates Cammy at the same time.  Cammy hates Balrog, but in a way, I think she enjoys the rivalry too.

Two girls girls with handsome but obsessed male arch-rivals they love to to fight, and love to hate.  That's 13 points.

balrog.gif (5985 bytes)

Exhibit #14 - Terrorists and pawns

Gally and Cammy, although good now, were formerly terrorists...   Can't say too much here without giving away important info.   I might have said to much already!!

Cammy of course was the #1 assassin, spy, and personal bodyguard of Shadowloo's Vega.  She did all sorts of bad stuff on his behalf.  One day, a mission went all wrong, and Cammy lost her memory.  She was in a sense reborn, and that's when her story started.

If you know Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita), then you should understand perfectly.  If you don't, go out and read it!!  Then you'll understand too.  But for now, you'll just have to take my word for it.

Whether you know it or not, that was the 14th point for my theory.

Exhibit #15 - Arrggghhhh... clones!!

This might also be a little bit of a spoiler for people who haven't yet read through all Gally's comic.  Both girls, who were unwilling pawns for a greater power, had to face clones of themselves!

Gally was the original super-soldier for her 'organization'.  The organization cloned her and created the Tuned.  When they realize that they can't control the original anymore, they send 2 clones to eliminate her!  A mighty battle ensues, and the chain reaction of events that follows leads to the organization's downfall.

Cammy was Shadowloo's first super-soldier.  After the success, they made many clones and created the Dolls.  When Cammy accidentally breaks Shadowloo's mind control, 2 clones are sent out with orders to eliminate her.  Cammy fights them both, wins, and eventually brings down her former organization.

Right down the line with this one!!  Another point to make 15 total.  And that's it... you should be totally convinced now!

Conclusion and further reading...

Yes, both girls have had their comics translated into English!  And all of you should have very little trouble getting yourselves copies.

I think this has been really interesting and convincing.  All you Cammy fans should now love Gally too, and all you Gunnm fans should also be die-hard Cammy fans!  Like I said before, I've loved these two characters more than any others for many years now.  I always knew they were similar, but it just recently hit me that they were more or less on in the same.

Obviously there's nothing I recommend more highly than Gunnm (Battle Angel Alita) and Cammy.  I hope this will inspire you to look into these two girls some more... as well as all their games, comics, animes, and other stuff.  Please do read all the comics!  I know you'll love them.  And be sure to tell me about it when you do... I look forward to discussing more of the finer Gally and Cammy points with you.

If you need to get these books, I'm sure you can order them for www.Viz.com or www.Amazon.com.   I've ordered from both, and there's nothing to be afraid of... great service!   If you need any more information or help, don't hesitate to contact me - I'd love to help!

Anyhow that's then end of this.  But it's definitely not the end of Gunnm or Cammy stuff.  Expect tons more of each in the future...

WAIT!!!  There's been a new development... Exhibit #16

motorball-alita-tn.gif (5304 bytes)
MotorBall Alita

May 2000 - This is absolutely amazing... there must be something under Cammy's file over at Capcom that says she must be as much like Alita as possible!  This new development adds another huge point to my theory...

arsf-cammy.gif (11750 bytes)
ARSF Cammy

The new ARSF Cammy from Cannon Spike has motorized skates just like the ones Alita wore in the MotorBall chapters of the Battle Angel Alita (aka Gunnm) comic.  Check out the pictures to the left and to the right.
Is this REALLY just a coincidence?!  No way... Cammy is a copy of Alita!!
By the way, for a bigger and better version of that Alita picture - click here!
And that's it. For now...