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From No-name to Trowa:

That leads us to another topic: how No-name came to have the name Trowa Barton, but before that came a time after Midii's presence and yet before the real Trowa Barton's. As mentioned earlier, Trowa, at the time No-name, had no recollection of his past much less his name.

After Midii's betrayal time went on and according to Blind Target he joined one more Mercenary Corps. before heading to space. He was around nine or ten perhaps. He stayed there for a few years and he met a man known as Ralph Kurt, but they were mainly just acquaintances at best. Eventually that group was eliminated as well. During Blind Target there are hints about things though. Underlying meanings come up about his name and Heavy Arms.

When all of the Mercenaries were eliminated Trowa went to space and ended up in the L3 Colony. There he worked under the Barton Foundation as a mechanic in AC 195. There, as No-name, he met the real Trowa Barton who was three years his senior. Neither the OAV nor the Endless Waltz manga sheds light about their relationship but has been claimed on a few websites, such as Trowa.net: Alone ~The Complete Trowa Guide~, that:

"The actual Trowa Barton was a man three years No Name's senior. According to the producers, Trowa was headstrong, brash, aggressive, and immature. Not much was known of the relationship between Trowa Barton and No Name except for the fact that Trowa enjoyed bothering No Name as No Name was a passive individual and was considered stupid by Trowa. It was also noted by the producers that for reasons unknown and unmentioned, No Name hated Trowa, though the former did not express it in any way. It was through the real Trowa Barton that No Name learned that Mariemeia Barton survived, a piece of information that later proved to be important in the Endless Waltz OAV and movie. This was the scene that was emphasized numerous times - in the manga, the novel, the OAV, and the movie - where Trowa draped his arm across No Name's shoulder in an affectionate manner and said, 'Hey No Name! I have something good to show you! For you only...'."

While Heavy Arms was being built, it was found that Operation Meteor, which was what the Gundam Suits were for, was actually an operation planned by the Barton Foundation to drop a colony or two on Earth that would kill countless people. Doktor S and an associate who had been working on Heavy Arms' creation opposed this and Trowa Barton ended up being shot and killed.

No-name had witnessed this and was discovered by the two. In the end No-name offered to take up the dead man's name, become the new pilot of Heavy Arms and carry out the Operation Meteor we see in the television series.


Extra Trivia:

★ Trowa is derived from the French word for Three, Tois. In their efforts to Romanize the word, it ended up being pronounce Tō-ō-wä.

★ Many fan sites state an alias of his is "The Silencer". This information can be found on page nine in the Mobile Report Gundam W Photo Collection - NEWTYPE ILLUSTRATED COLLECTION art book. However, while it does read "The Silencer" in English, the Japanese text behind it reads 静かなる殺殺者, which translates to "Silent Assassin".

★ On the website New Mobile Report Gundam W there is an interview that notes that while Duo was given the theme of Shinigami and Quatre that of a Desert Prince... The name Trowa Barton was derived from "Tim Burton" because of his "Somehow sad, but expressionless atmosphere". According to Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Masashi Ikeda loves Burton as a movie director.

★ Duo's English voice actor, Scott McNeil gives an interview in Animerica Magazine Vol 8. 08-2000. On page 63 He is asked is he happened to know who played the role of Trowa. His reply began with, "Let's see. Trowa the killer carnie... Y'know, I'm not sure."

★ On page 87 of New Mobile Suit Report Gundam W Endless Waltz Vol. 1 (Magazine Novels Special) it is stated that Trowa infiltrated Mariemaia's Army under the name "Ralph Kurt".

Updated Notes:

Having translated various parts of the Endless Waltz novelization, I have concluded the information provided by the owner of the Trowa.net website likely tried translating the novel themselves. Rather than obtaining correct information, I think this person managed to produce bits and pieces that they tried to combine into a plausible scenario.

What was posted on their website does align with what is in the novel to a certain extent, only it is misinterpreted. The original Trowa Barton does come off as "headstrong, brash, aggressive, and immature". He did like to bother No-name, but it was in a friendly manner. He considered No-name an ally. No-name meanwhile didn't really pay him any mind.

The note about being stupid is what really makes me think there was a misunderstanding during translation, because at the time the English equivalent that probably came up was "dumb". Rather than meaning "stupid", however, it was referring to "mute". Therefore, the strangely close behavior Trowa Barton displayed to No-name and No-name's lack of reaction still makes a great deal of sense without any disturbing undertones. Trowa saw the boy as a comrade and as a confidant given he thought No-name was mute. No-name meanwhile hadn't realized this nor did he care.



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