Liv Angelika (リヴ・アンゲリカ Rivu Angerika?) is a major character in the manga series Mobile Suit Gundam F90: Fastest Formula.
History[]
U.C. 0112[]
Liv Angelika was the 13-year-old son of Patsy Angelika in U.C. 0112, and had an unknown father. He adored his mother above all else and was well-liked by the members of Gundam F90 Test Team B. He showed signs of being a Newtype (NT), such as consistently beating Help Hayden at rock-paper-scissors, feeling unwell when sensing enemy attacks, and having his "voice" heard by Patsy and Sierra during combat. While Patsy was undergoing a physical examination, Liv, frustrated at being treated like a child, launched an unauthorized sortie in the F90 Gundam F90 Unit 2. In truth, he had secretly learned to pilot a Mobile Suit using a simulator, and Job John, who obtained this data, identified him as a suitable candidate for the F90’s N-type Equipment, designed specifically for Newtypes.
Just before Team B’s final test, Liv confided to Patsy that he dreamed of entering the Federation Forces military academy and becoming an ace pilot like his mother. However, as the test was about to begin, the team was ambushed by the mercenary group Gleam Black Guns (GBG). While attempting to launch their RGM-109 Heavyguns from the deck, the damage sustained opened a breach that threatened to pull Liv into space. At that moment, Liv spotted the H.U.L.L. Fighter nearby, boarded it, and managed to destroy one of the GBG’s GM IIIs. He then rushed to support the heavily damaged F90 Unit 2, combining with it to activate its transformation into the F90N Gundam F90 Next Type (N-Type).
With Liv piloting the Gundam F90 N-Type, the mobile suit easily overpowered Oier Randegger’s RDG-3 Tigris. Growing overconfident, Liv attempted to finish the fight with his Hilt Funnels even after victory was assured, but Patsy’s words managed to bring him back to his senses. Just then, Griselda Jiah’s heavily damaged Tigris launched a desperate counterattack. Liv engaged her, but the clash resulted in Patsy being caught in the ensuing explosion. Overcome with rage, Liv turned his Hilt Funnels on Griselda’s machine, only for the crossfire to slice through his own machine, cutting it in half and destroying the F90 Unit 2.
U.C. 0115[]
Dir Rider (ディル・ライダー?) is a pilot with the Fastest Formula team, holding the rank of warrant officer. At 16 years old (U.C. 0115), he is in fact the grown-up Liv Angelika, who was officially declared dead after being caught in the Gundam F90 N-Type’s explosion, but was secretly rescued by the GBG. At the military’s request, he now lives under a pseudonym. He bears a scar on his left cheek, which he conceals with his long bangs and often touches unconsciously. Dir later becomes the designated pilot of the repaired Gundam F90 N-Type Unit 2 (Code F001).
He was promoted to lieutenant in U.C. 0116. During a temporary space drift with Gideon Blondin, caused by a malfunction in the experimental Minovsky drive, he revealed the truth about the four years he had been missing. At first, he despised the Gleam Black Guns, but in order to survive, he joined them as a mercenary, piloting a GM Sniper Custom. Over time, fighting and living alongside them, he came to see them as “family.” The name “Dir Rider” was given to him by Matrika Vikara, inspired by a hero from a movie she loved, since Liv refused to reveal his real name. However, in U.C. 0114, when he came face-to-face with the “Biter” machines—the enemy of his mother—he lost his composure, and in the aftermath, also lost the GBG.
In reality, he is an artificially engineered “Newtype,” the result of the Yuri Minovsky Project. His biological mother is Patsy, but his father’s identity remains unknown, only described as a “genius.” After Gideon’s death, however, he begins calling him “Dad,” honoring Gideon’s final wish.