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More on Yoko

Yoko would never intentionally hurt either of her parents, but she has been raised without knowing that her mother is a Third-type robot (a sensible precaution) and when she discovers it through the viewing of a gory wound it is a traumatic experience. Frightened, she pulls away from Armitage, unsure of her. This is quite understandable, as the sight of such a wound along with attacks by robots who look just like Armitage would be confusing. Is the wounded robot one of the attackers impersonating her mother, or is her mother a robot? Either is a good excuse for caution, and Armitage understands this, but is still hurt by Yoko’s rebuffing of her.

The same experience is repeated again during the fight up the Tower, and again Yoko unintentionally hurts her mother. Finally, however, when Yoko has had a little time to deal with the idea of mommy as a robot and has seen Armitage in action, she runs to her mother, sorry she ever doubted her, and that goes a long way toward healing and wounds she may have caused. Like many children, Yoko adjusts quickly to the new idea, and her family becomes whole again.

The idea that Yoko might have inherited something more than standard human characteristics from Armitage is an interesting one, but seems unlikely because Yoko was created and born in exactly the same way as normal human children. Any advanced mental characteristics can be attributed to her parents, both of whom are quite intelligent themselves, and not to Armitage’s robotic nature.