Editing KOS-MOS (section)

==Conception and design==
[[File:Xenosaga-KOSMOS-designs.png|left|thumb|KOS-MOS's various iterations. Archetype in particular was meant to inspire a "grotesque" feel due to the implied nudity and unnatural look<ref>{{cite book |title=KOS-MOS FIX 20th Anniversary Artbook |first=Kouichi |last=Mugitani |page=10 |publisher=Imprint |url=https://archive.org/details/KOS-MOS-FIX/1%20KOS-MOS%20Fix%20-%20from%20original%20images/page/n9/mode/2up |accessdate=2024-02-14 |date=2022}}</ref>]]
Created for the ''Xenosaga'' series by [[Monolith Soft]], KOS-MOS was conceived by [[Tetsuya Takahashi]]. According to his wife and ''Xenosaga'' writer [[Soraya Saga]], due to how they often depicted human characters in their works as "strong will in a fragile flesh and blood", KOS-MOS was meant to be the opposite, "the delicate pieces of soul in an unbreakable vessel". While she acknowledge she was unable to show the character's story fully within the games, she stated "I think it must be left veiled for now." When writing the game, religious themes were added due to Saga's "deep interest in the power of belief people have".<ref name="siliconera"/> Meanwhile the name KOS-MOS in part came from Takahashi's thoughts on [[Nietzsche]]'s philosophy regarding the "will of power".<ref>{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20011031184707/http://www.zdnet.co.jp/gamespot/ps2/xeno/staff/01/index.html |url=http://www.zdnet.co.jp/gamespot/ps2/xeno/staff/01/index.html |archivedate=2001-10-31 |accessdate=2024-02-14 |date=2001-06-18 |language=Japanese |page=1 |title=「Xenosaga EPISODE I」スタッフインタビュー第一回「高橋哲哉監督」 |website=[[GameSpot|GameSpot Japan]]}}</ref>

Her design was created by artists Kouichi Mugitani and Kunihiko Tanaka.<ref name="design">{{cite web |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20011119170815/http://www.zdnet.co.jp/gamespot/ps2/xeno/staff/01/05.html |url=http://www.zdnet.co.jp/gamespot/ps2/xeno/staff/01/05.html |archivedate=2001-11-19 |accessdate=2024-02-14 |date=2001-06-18 |language=Japanese |page=5 |title=「Xenosaga EPISODE I」スタッフインタビュー第一回「高橋哲哉監督」 |website=[[GameSpot|GameSpot Japan]]}}</ref> Several of their designs went unused, however Mugitani would later recycle some of them for his own [[doujin]] work.<ref name="siliconera">{{cite web |website=[[Siliconera]] |title=Soraya Saga On Xenogears And Xenosaga |date=2010-06-11 |accessdate=2024-02-14 |url=https://www.siliconera.com/soraya-saga-on-xenogears-and-xenosaga/ |archive-date=2015-12-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222161735/http://www.siliconera.com/2010/06/11/soraya-saga-on-xenogears-and-xenosaga/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Prior to Mugitani's involvement, the development team had tried to create her design "in-house". However, Takahashi was unsatisfied with the submitted work. When Mugitani was hired to create the mecha designs for the game, Takahashi asked him to also create a "robo girl in a bondage-type outfit". In Takahashi's eyes, while normally he would stand by his convictions, he instead felt KOS-MOS "should swing whichever way the wind was blowing" and wanted to aim for an extreme, even providing Mugatani with pictures of one of his favorite pornographic film actresses.<ref name="tanaka"/><ref name="KOS-MOS Fix Interview"/> While Mugatani designed her body, her head and face were designed by Tanaka. Tanaka, who was an artist for the ''Xenosaga'' project as a whole, not only created her face and headgear, but finalized the design as a whole.<ref>{{cite book |title=KOS-MOS FIX 20th Anniversary Artbook |first=Kouichi |last=Mugitani |page=9 |publisher=Imprint |url=https://archive.org/details/KOS-MOS-FIX/1%20KOS-MOS%20Fix%20-%20from%20original%20images/page/n7/mode/2up |accessdate=2024-02-14 |date=2022}}</ref><ref name="design"/> Upon seeing the earliest draft, Takahashi felt they have achieved the design he was after, particularly with the abdominal muscles he had given her.<ref name="KOS-MOS Fix Interview"/>

Other influences for KOS-MOS' design, particularly her "Archetype" body, came from artist [[Hans Bellmer]]{{'}}s doll creations, an artistic direction Takahashi wanted to maintain through her various iterations. Each iteration of KOS-MOS took into account criticisms towards the previous designs. Takahashi noted that while the "Ver. 4.0" design of her character is considered the most popular with fans, he himself felt it was the farthest away from the concept he had envisioned, as human influences had started to manifest in her appearance. Though he acknowledged it was created by the design team's consensus, he felt she was too "human-like", stating "A vessel is a vessel and shouldn't mean anything more than that, you shouldn't be fooled into thinking it's anything more than that."<ref name="KOS-MOS Fix Interview">{{cite book |title=KOS-MOS FIX 20th Anniversary Artbook |first=Kouichi |last=Mugitani |pages=46–47 |publisher=Imprint |url=https://archive.org/details/KOS-MOS-FIX/1%20KOS-MOS%20Fix%20-%20from%20original%20images/page/n45/mode/2up?q=%22KOS-MOS%22 |accessdate=2024-02-14 |date=2022}}</ref> Mugatani on the other hand appreciated the artistic opportunities her mechanical design afforded, stating "For those of us who find the inner workings of the female body stimulating, KOS-MOS is a [[porn star]] [...] She shows us a beautiful structure of the human body in a different way from the grotesque, with a cool look on her face."<ref>{{cite book |title=KOS-MOS FIX 20th Anniversary Artbook |first=Kouichi |last=Mugitani |page=15 |publisher=Imprint |url=https://archive.org/details/KOS-MOS-FIX/1%20KOS-MOS%20Fix%20-%20from%20original%20images/page/n13/mode/2up |accessdate=2024-02-14 |date=2022}}</ref>

KOS-MOS's appearance in ''[[Xenoblade Chronicles 2]]'' was designed by Tanaka. He wanted to keep the design similar to the original "Ver.1" appearance of the character, and something that would represent "Xenosaga" in the game as a whole. One significant change they did from previous versions of KOS-MOS was to have her main laser attack come from her visor instead of her chest at Takahashi's suggestion, and he added temporary "cat ears" to the sides of it to act as [[heat sinks]]. Originally he had considered giving her a "dress" of shorts around her shoulders and hips for a "Gravity Drive" attack, taking inspiration from [[magical girl]] anime ''[[Pretty Cure]]'', but the development team felt it was excessive and he agreed. The finalized design was named "KOS-MOS Re:", as Tanaka intended it to be a refrain of Mugitani's work on the character.<ref name="tanaka">{{cite web |url=https://www.nintendo.co.jp/switch/adena/production-notes/index-10.html#20180302 |website=[[Nintendo]] |language=Japanese |date=2018-03-02 |accessdate=2024-02-14 |title=創り出すものは受け取ってきたもののリフレイン |archive-date=2023-07-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230725092825/https://www.nintendo.co.jp/switch/adena/production-notes/index-10.html#20180302 |url-status=live }}</ref>