Takeshi Kovacs

Takeshi Lev Kovacs (Hungarian pronunciation: [ˈkovaːt͡ʃ], Hungarian and Bulgarian for "Smith"; also similar in many Slavic languages) is the protagonist of the books Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, and Woken Furies by Richard K. Morgan, which take place in or around the 26th century.

A native of the planet Harlan's World, Kovacs is of Japanese and Eastern-European descent, and was a teenage gang member before enlisting in the military. After leaving the Envoy Corps, an elite military force, Kovacs returned to criminal life and became a mercenary, and was eventually imprisoned, his cortical "stack" stored without a body for decades at a time as punishment before being paroled or hired out to work high-risk situations.

Takeshi Kovacs has to be the worst friend you can have. Everyone who's affiliated with him eventually ends up slaughtered. His enemies die in smaller numbers than his buddies and allies. If you had a choice, you'd be wise to get on his bad side.

Kovacs is a former Envoy, a type of futuristic soldier, part intelligence operative and part shock trooper, trained to adapt quickly to new bodies and new environments.