MACHIKO
Machiko Noguchi, known among the Yautja as Da'dtou-di ("Small Knife"), is a legendary comic book protagonist in the Aliens vs. Predator franchise created by Dark Horse Comics. Transitioning from a cold Chigusa Corporation administrator on the frontier world Ryushi to a blooded warrior, she is the first human ever accepted and integrated into a Predator hunting clan.
Cronologia
Biografia
Machiko Noguchi initially served as the Chigusa Corporation replacement administrator at Prosperity Wells, a human ranching colony on the planet Ryushi. Cold and reclusive following a traumatic childhood, she managed colony logistics until Ryushi was selected by a Yautja hunting pack as a seeding ground for Xenomorph eggs. Caught in a brutal interspecies war, Machiko abandoned her corporate demeanor and transformed into a fierce combatant.
During the infestation, Machiko joined forces with Dachande ("Broken Tusk"), an honorable veteran Yautja pack leader. Together, they battled through swarms of Xenomorphs and destroyed the Lector hive Queen. Before succumbing to mortal wounds, Dachande burned his clan mark onto Machiko's forehead with Xenomorph acid, bestowing her the name Da'dtou-di ("Small Knife") and officially inducting her into Yautja warrior culture.
After surviving on Ryushi, Machiko joined Top-Knot's hunting clan, enduring intense prejudice as the sole human hunter. However, during a mission on the world Bunda, Machiko refused to participate in the slaughter of human survivors. Choosing her core humanity, she turned against her clan, killed her abusive rival Shorty, and helped the survivors escape. Years later, she was recruited by the US Colonial Marines to act as a cultural mediator, successfully forging an alliance between traditional honor-bound Yautja and human forces against a rogue faction of "Killer" Predators.
Storia
Machiko was born in Japan to Keiko Noguchi and Akira Noguchi, an esteemed corporate businessman. Her upbringing was disrupted when her father was publicly disgraced after being caught embezzling corporate funds.
Unable to bear the shame, Akira committed ritual suicide, with young Machiko discovering her father's bloodied body shortly afterward. The public disgrace and horrific sight embittered Machiko, instilling in her a cold and emotionally guarded personality.
Her mother remarried to sever ties with the disgraced Noguchi name, leading to a distant relationship where the two rarely spoke. Seeking to rebuild her life on strict discipline and order, Machiko joined the Chigusa Corporation, rising through the corporate ranks until she was assigned as the colony administrator on Ryushi, six months prior to the Yautja seeding incident.
I PEZZI DI MACHIKO
Apparizioni
### Dark Horse Presents #34–36 & Aliens vs. Predator #0–4 (1989–1990) Debut comic series created by Randy Stradley and Phill Norwood, establishing Machiko's origin on Ryushi, her alliance with Dachande, and her acquisition of the Blooded mark. ### Aliens vs. Predator: Prey (1994) Expanded universe novelization by Steve Perry and Stephani Perry, detailing Machiko's backstories regarding Akira, Keiko, and her corporate career at Chigusa Corporation. ### Alien vs. Predator Arcade Game (1994) Capcom arcade game featuring Lt. Linn Kurosawa, a cyborg character directly based on Machiko Noguchi from early film script adaptations. ### Aliens vs. Predator: Hunter's Planet (1994) Original expanded universe novel by David Bischoff featuring Machiko working as a safari guide on Bellatrix 2 while confronting corporate Xenomorphs. ### Aliens vs. Predator: War #0–4 (1995–1996) Comic miniseries following Machiko's tenure with Top-Knot's clan, her conflict with Shorty on Bunda, and her ultimate return to human society. ### Aliens vs.
Predator: War Novelization (1999) Prose adaptation by S.D. Perry covering Machiko's struggles within Top-Knot's Yautja clan and her break from the hunters. ### Alien vs. Predator Film (2004) Directed by Paul W.S. Anderson; features protagonist Alexa Woods (Sanaa Lathan), who was loosely adapted from Machiko's character concept. ### Aliens vs. Predator: Three World War #1–6 (2009–2010) Comic miniseries by Randy Stradley and Rick Leonardi where Machiko teams up with US Colonial Marines to mediate an alliance with Yautja against "Killer" Bad Blood Predators. ### The Complete Aliens vs. Predator Omnibus (2016) Titan Books omnibus collection republishing the novel trilogy detailing Machiko's full canonical journey. ### AvP: The Hunt Begins (2019) Tabletop miniature board game by Prodos Games featuring official resin figures for Machiko in both Administrator and Blooded Yautja forms. ### Aliens vs. Predator: Annihilation (Unreleased) Shelved three-part anime adaptation directed by Shinji Aramaki created as a direct screen adaptation of Machiko's comic arc.
Relazioni
### Akira Noguchi Father whose public disgrace and suicide embittered young Machiko and shaped her drive for personal honor. ### Keiko Noguchi Mother who remarried to drop the Noguchi name and became emotionally distant from Machiko. ### Hiroki Shimura Predecessor at Prosperity Wells who mentored Machiko to soften her cold corporate demeanor before being killed by Tichinde. ### Dachande ("Broken Tusk") Honorable Yautja pack leader who fought alongside Machiko on Ryushi, named her Da'dtou-di, and blooded her before his death. ### Top-Knot Leader of the Yautja hunting clan who recognized Dachande's mark and inducted Machiko into his pack. ### Shorty Aggressive, bullying Yautja clan member who repeatedly attacked Machiko until she defeated and killed him on Bunda.
### Tichinde Rogue Yautja pack leader who led the raid on Prosperity Wells and was rammed by Machiko's hoverbike. ### Gkyaun Un-blooded Yautja whose encounter inadvertently saved Machiko from a Xenomorph attack on Ryushi. ### Miriam Revna Prosperity Wells colonist who assisted Machiko in rescuing Dachande using an atmospheric copter. ### Dr. Kesar Revna Colony physician who studied the captured Dachande and Xenomorph specimens. ### Tom Strandberg & Scott Conover Lector copter pilots who helped Machiko; Scott provided the codes to crash the orbital barge before Machiko granted him a mercy kill. ### Creep Dalmatian dog left by colonist Roth O'Neil that Machiko kept as a companion while living on Ryushi. ### Xenomorph Queen Primary creature adversary fought on Ryushi and Bunda; Machiko mounted its severed head in her quarters aboard the Yautja ship.
Evoluzione
Machiko Noguchi undergoes one of the most remarkable character evolutions in sci-fi comics, transitioning across three distinct cultural identities. Originally introduced as a rigid, detached executive for the Chigusa Corporation, Machiko buried her emotions in corporate quotas and schedules to escape the shame of her father's suicide. Her arrival on Ryushi marked the beginning of her emotional thaw, as she slowly learned to connect with the local ranchers under Hiroki Shimura's advice. Her transformation accelerated during the Xenomorph outbreak, where surviving alongside Dachande led her to adopt the Yautja honor code.
Earning the name Da'dtou-di ("Small Knife"), she discarded human society to spend years living, training, and hunting aboard a Yautja starship under clan leader Top-Knot. In this phase, she mastered Yautja combat styles and armor, asserting her worth despite systemic discrimination from malevolent clan members like Shorty. Machiko's arc culminated in her realization that true honor requires moral empathy. When Top-Knot's clan targeted innocent human colonists on Bunda, she abandoned the Yautja lifestyle, slew Shorty, and returned to human civilization. By the events of Three World War, she evolved into an invaluable diplomat and warrior-turned-mediator, uniting human Marines and traditional Yautja clans against rogue "Killer" Predators.
Da Collezione
For action figure and comic collectors, Machiko Noguchi is considered the premier human expanded universe holy grail figure in the Aliens vs. Predator mythos. A flagship release for action figure collectors is NECA's official 6.5-inch Machiko Noguchi figure released in Predator Series 18 (2017–2018). The figure features detailed custom Yautja armor, a removable bio-mask, a plasma rifle, and the iconic acid-burned Blooded mark on her forehead, engineered specifically to display alongside NECA's Broken Tusk Predator.
In the tabletop gaming community, Prodos Games released official 28mm scale resin miniatures for AvP: The Hunt Begins (2019), producing two sculpt variants capturing her in both her Chigusa Corporate Administrator attire and her Blooded Yautja Armor state. For statue collectors, Prime 1 Studio announced a premium 1/4 Scale statue capturing Machiko alongside Broken Tusk Predator during their defense of Ryushi. On the secondary market, key issue comic books—specifically Dark Horse Comics' Aliens vs. Predator #1 (1990)—continue to command strong collector interest.
Curiosità
* Machiko's Yautja name, Da'dtou-di, translates directly to "Small Knife" in the Yautja language. * Capcom's popular arcade protagonist Lt. Linn Kurosawa from 1994's Alien vs. Predator was directly adapted from Machiko Noguchi's character in early movie script drafts.
* Aboard Top-Knot's Yautja starship, Machiko was granted her own private quarters while lower-ranked Predators were forced to sleep in "the pit." * Before leaving Ryushi with Top-Knot's clan, Machiko lived alone on a ranch with a Rhynth named Milo and a Dalmatian named Creep. * Sanaa Lathan's character Alexa Woods in the 2004 Alien vs. Predator film was directly influenced by Machiko's storyline of teaming up with a Predator and receiving the Blooded mark.
