009 Re:Cyborg (2012) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Joe's memories are blocked and reset every three years by Professor Gilmore as a way to protect him from the traumatic experiences of his past as a cyborg. This memory manipulation keeps Joe believing he is a normal high school student with a normal life, including a girlfriend named Tomoe whom he feels inexplicably drawn to. The reset was meant to shield him from the weight of his responsibilities and the horrors he has witnessed as Cyborg 009.

Foreshadowing: Earlier scenes show Joe hearing His Voice through his cybernetic brain, hinting that some part of his true self persists beneath the memory blocks.

• joe shimamura
• memory reset
• professor gilmore
• cyborg 009
• mind control

His Voice is a mysterious shadowy force orchestrating the global bombings and chaos throughout the film. It operates through manipulated individuals, controlling them like puppets to carry out attacks. The entity appears to have some kind of cosmic or metaphysical nature, as evidenced by its ability to create entire constructed realities like the Venice safe house. Its ultimate goals remain ambiguous but seem tied to some larger cosmic purpose hinted at through the angel skeleton imagery.

Foreshadowing: From the beginning, Joe hears His Voice through his cybernetic brain, establishing that this entity has a direct connection to the cyborgs themselves.

• his voice
• antagonist
• shadow organization
• villain
• control

Cyborg 002 (Jet Link) attacks Cyborg 009 because he has aligned with the NSA after a falling out with the team. At that moment in Dubai, 002 was operating under his NSA handlers' orders to stop 009 from interfering with the mission, even if it meant knocking 009 off the bomber. This reflects the fractured state of the team after they disbanded 27 years earlier, with different members now working for rival intelligence agencies.

Foreshadowing: The earlier scene in New York shows 002 and 007 meeting to exchange intel, establishing that 002 has switched sides and now serves the NSA.

• cyborg 002
• jet link
• dubai attack
• NSA
• betrayal
• team conflict

The angel skeletons are fossil-like remains that Pyunma discovers, which resemble an angel's skeleton. These remains appear throughout the film as a mysterious motif, appearing in Fran's safe house as a decoration and ultimately shown on the Moon's surface in the final shot. They seem to represent either evidence of some ancient cosmic event or a symbol connected to His Voice's true nature and origins. The skeletons serve as a bridge between the sci-fi narrative and something more mythic or metaphysical.

Foreshadowing: Pyunma's discovery of the angel fossil in New York establishes this mystery early, and the repeated imagery builds toward the final revelation on the Moon.

• angel skeletons
• fossils
• pyunma
• moon
• symbolism
• mystery

The Venice safe house is not real, it is a world conjured by His Voice, a constructed reality created by the mysterious entity. When Joe wakes up there after the space detonation, Dr. Gilmore explains that the city and its inhabitants exist inside His Voice's realm. This revelation raises disturbing questions about what is real throughout the film, including whether the entire narrative or just certain sequences exist within His Voice's domain.

Foreshadowing: Joe's earlier vision of Tomoe on a burned-out city shore hints at His Voice's ability to manipulate perception and create illusory spaces.

• venice
• safe house
• his voice
• reality
• illusion
• created world

Joe believes Tomoe is his girlfriend because his memories have been manipulated and reset every three years by Professor Gilmore. The memory blocks make him think he has a normal life with a normal girlfriend, when in reality his true memories and connections have been suppressed. Tomoe feels oddly familiar to him precisely because she may be connected to his actual past, though the film leaves this relationship ambiguous.

Foreshadowing: Joe's persistent feeling that he has unseen family and friends despite his memories being reset suggests his real connections run deeper than the manipulation allows.

• tomoe
• joe girlfriend
• memory manipulation
• amnesia
• false memories

After attempting to rescue 009 in space, Cyborg 002's rockets burn out and his stabilizers fail, causing him to plummet back toward Earth. While the film shows 009 surviving the space detonation and waking up in the Venice safe house, 002's ultimate fate remains unclear. The film ends before confirming whether he survived the crash, though Francoise prays for both falling stars, suggesting she fears the worst for 002.

Foreshadowing: 002's earlier decision to help 009 despite their conflict hints at his potential redemption arc, making his uncertain fate more poignant.

• cyborg 002
• jet link
• sacrifice
• space
• crash
• fate

When Joe pleads to God for a chance to save the world and the nuclear bomb detonates in space with him on top of it, the resulting light forms a visible cross above the planet. This moment is presented as a kind of divine intervention or cosmic acknowledgment of Joe's sacrifice. Francoise watches two falling stars, which could represent both 002 and 009, and prays for both, suggesting this cross symbolizes either salvation, martyrdom, or some form of divine response to Joe's prayer.

Foreshadowing: Joe's prayer to God acknowledging humanity's capacity for both folly and brilliance directly precedes this supernatural display.

• nuclear bomb
• cross
• space
• joe sacrifice
• prayer
• supernatural

Dr. Isaac Gilmore is the creator of the nine cyborgs and has been secretly manipulating Joe's memories by resetting them every three years. He suspects that the United States government, specifically the NSA, may be orchestrating the crisis to reclaim global dominance. Despite his manipulation of the cyborgs, Gilmore appears to ultimately be working against the conspiracy rather than with it, as he helps the team understand the truth about His Voice's constructed reality at the end.

Foreshadowing: Gilmore's decision to reset Joe's memories and his suspicion of the NSA establish him as a morally ambiguous figure with hidden agendas.

• dr gilmore
• nsa
• conspiracy
• cyborg creator
• manipulation

The final shot reveals an angel skeleton lying on the Moon's surface, implying the mysterious symbol persists beyond Earth. This image suggests that whatever entity or force created these angel remains operates on a cosmic scale, possibly extending across the solar system or beyond. The ending leaves open whether His Voice is connected to these remains, whether they represent ancient beings that influenced humanity's history, or if they serve as a warning about the larger cosmic forces at play.

Foreshadowing: The repeated angel skeleton imagery throughout the film, especially in Fran's safe house, builds toward this final revelation of the skeleton's cosmic reach.

• angel skeleton
• moon ending
• final shot
• symbolism
• cosmic mystery