FlixMentallo21 Presents: "Batgirl/Noir", an animated crossover

Previous 'east-meets-west' crossovers:

"Iron Man/Bubblegum Crisis"
https://www.comicbookmovie.com/fan_fic/flixmentallo21-presents-iron-man/bubblegum-crisis-a161630

"Harley and Ivy Meet the Dirty Pair"
https://www.comicbookmovie.com/fan_fic/flixmentallo21-presents-harley-and-ivy-meet-the-dirty-pair-a163422

"Gambit Meets Lupin III"
https://www.comicbookmovie.com/fan_fic/flixmentallo21-presents-gambit-meets-lupin-the-third-a168588

In 2001, animation studio Bee Train unleashed the first of a 'trilogy' that explored the 'girls-with-guns' genre that was followed by Madlax (2004) and El Cazador de la Bruja (2007). The series in question could be considered the anime equivalent of Luc Besson's La Femme Nikita and Leon: The Professional. That inaugural series was known by one simple name: Noir. [For further reference: https://noir.fandom.com/wiki/Noir_Wiki]

 

From Wikipedia: "The [26-episode] series follows the story of two young female assassins, the Corsican Mireille Bouquet and the Japanese amnesiac Yuumura Kirika, who embark together on a personal journey to seek answers about mysteries concerning their past. At first, they seem to be only vaguely related to each other, but there are clues and hints given throughout the series that there is more going on behind the scenes than at first glance. In their journey to learn more about Kirika's lost memories and her connection to Mireille, the two form an alliance and begin performing assassinations under the code name "Noir." During the course of the series, they are lured into more and more traps by a secret organization named Les Soldats ("The Soldiers" in French). Les Soldats are a secret organization that has been a part, yet separate group of humanity. It is this hidden group that created and once completely controlled the deadly duo "Noir". Each time that Les Soldats soldiers are sent to kill Mireille and Kirika, it is considered a test as to whether or not the young women are suitable to carry the title "Noir"."

When I watched the series for the first time a few years back, I really got into it. You can tell, intentionally or not, that the show wears the influence of Besson on its sleeve:

At one point, I started noticing something familiar about the character of Kirika...How she reminded me of another character with a similar backstory...That's when the perfect idea for what franchise to cross Noir over with hit me. She's a character who's gotten a little more prominent thanks to the recent Birds of Prey film, but has been a fan-favorite member of the Bat-family since her 2000 introduction. I refer to, of course, the third Batgirl, Cassandra Cain. So, what entails a meeting of an assassin's daughter-turned-crimefighter and two assassins targeted by an ancient conspiracy? The tale unfolds in a little hypothetical I call:
 

+Plot
A few years after the events of the original Noir series, prominent businessmen across the globe begin dropping unexpectedly, all targeted by the same assassin: Azrael, enforcer of the Order of St. Dumas. When one of the targets turns out to be a high-profile figure based in Gotham City, it draws the attention of the crimefighters in the area at the time: Batgirl and Oracle, filling in while Batman and Robin are overseas. The incident also draws the attention of Mireille Bouquet and Kirika Yuumura, a pair of retired assassins who've been living under assumed identities in San Francisco for the past few years. After an unexpected confrontation with the teenage Caped Crusader, further violence is prevented when Oracle's cooler head prevails, leading to the two pairs to compare notes. An intriguing clue leads them to an unexpected face in Talia Al Ghul, who reveals to both parties the reasoning for these assassinations: the resurgence of an ancient rivalry the League of Assassins once bore witness to during the Crusades, between the Order of St. Dumas and Les Soldats, the latter revealed to be a splinter faction of the Order. Theo Galavan, a previously-unknown heir to the Order, located a Lazarus Pit and used it to revive the deadly fighter currently wearing Azrael's guise, and has contracted another unexpected face to act as the warrior's handler: Batgirl's own father, master assassin David Cain. To stop further bloodshed, Batgirl, Oracle and the former Noir must take the fight directly to Galavan before he jump-starts a return of the Order and carves a bloody swath across the world.

+Voice Cast:

-Batgirl/Cassandra Cain - Ramona Young (DC's Legends of Tomorrow)
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5021372/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_4

Daughter of assassins David Cain and Sandra 'Lady Shiva' Wu-San, she was conditioned from an early age to follow in their footsteps, while being deprived of both speech and human contact in the process, rendering her both mute and illiterate in the process for much of her life. After her first kill, her realization over what she'd done caused her to run away from her father's influence, later finding redemption after working with Batman and his allies. She eventually becomes the latest to take up the mantle of Batgirl, with the previous holder, Barbara Gordon (now acting as Oracle) mentoring her. When the two cross paths with Mireille and Kirika, Cassandra finds something of a kindred spirit in the latter, given their similar upbringings.
*Think of the recent casting trends when it comes to most DC Animated films of late. You had Cameron Monhagan and Cress Williams in Reign of the Supermen, Matt Ryan reprising John Constantine in the Justice League Dark movies, Diane Guerrero in Justice League vs. the Fatal Five...You get the idea. Young I felt would be remarkable bringing Cassandra to life, seeing as the character's had yet to actually speak in animation (she'd previously appeared in silent cameos in Justice League and Young Justice). For Cassandra's character model in this hypothetical movie, I'd imagine her being quite similar to Kirika, befitting the 'Prince and the Pauper' thing I have going in this story.*

-Oracle/Barbara Gordon - Ashley Johnson (Blindspot)
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0424534/?ref_=nv_sr_srsg_0

Daughter of Gotham City police commissioner James Gordon, and formerly the second Batgirl. After being shot and crippled by the Joker, Barbara re-established herself as a computer expert and information broker to the superhero community under the alias of Oracle, as well as founding the all-female team known as the Birds of Prey. She later became the mentor and big sister-figure to Cassandra as she helped train her to take up the Batgirl mantle. She manages to prevent a clash between Cassandra and the former Noir from getting further out of hand after pointing out evidence that absolves them of any involvement in the killings of the businessmen. She and Mireille earn one another's respect over the course of the caper, with her going so far as to recommend the two of them for membership in Batman, Inc.
*Having a good association with DC based on her portrayal of Terra in Teen Titans, how is it that no one thought Johnson would be perfect for Barbara, whether as Batgirl or Oracle?*

-Mireille Bouquet - Shelley Calene-Black (reprisal)
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Shelley-Calene-Black/

"Mireille is a Corsican woman born into a powerful crime family. Mireille and her uncle are the sole survivors of a brutal attack on her family, whereafter he trained her to become an assassin. She is a most trustworthy assassin for hire, considered to be near the top of her field. Though she projects a confident demeanor, she is secretly driven by a tragedy in her past. Her preferred weapon is a Walther P99. An icily efficient and professional assassin, she often displays ruthless and cold-blooded behavior. She has a very cynical and jaded personality, often coming off as abrasive and cruel. However, this is partially a façade she projects to protect herself from the harsh realities of her profession and to cope with her inner pain and sorrow from the tragedies she has suffered. When she allows her mask to slip, she often shows herself to be a generous and kind woman as well as a fiercely loyal and dependable ally."
A few years after the events of the Noir series proper, Mireille and Kirika are living under assumed identities in San Francisco to stay as far away from the life of a hired killer as much as possible. Mireille, as 'Mirriem Burke', works as a museum curator, astonishing her coworkers with her extensive knowledge of the contents of the antique weapons exhibits. Hers and Kirika's livelihood is disrupted when Mireille receives a message from their former (uneasy) ally Remy Breffort, who helped them take down the radical faction of Les Soldats years before, alerting them to what is going on. Reluctantly, she convinces Kirika to head to Gotham City with her, after the two are nearly killed when agents of the Order of St. Dumas attempt to take them out. She and Barbara Gordon gain a great amount of mutual respect for one another, seeing as both have been working to give two young girls better lives than being raised as living weapons.
*Towards the climax of the story, when Mireille and Oracle go after Cassandra and Kirika to keep them from being killed, Oracle gives Mireille some extra protection and equipment in the form of the outfit previously worn by Pat Trayce, the third person to don the guise of the Vigilante.*

-Kirika Yuumura - Monica Rial (reprisal)
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Monica-Rial/

"Kirika is a teenage high school girl with amnesia who lives in Japan, however during her journey she goes to stay with Mireille in her apartment which resides in Paris; the only things she remembers are the word Noir and her instinctual killing abilities. Much about her past is mysterious, even to her; she experienced severe retrograde amnesia almost immediately prior to meeting Mireille, and since then has recovered only fragmentary memories. Despite her young age, memory loss, and a certain naiveté, Kirika possessed the skills of a superbly-trained killer. Her preferred weapon was a Beretta M1934 pistol, although she was also an expert at killing people with whatever was at hand. Kirika has an enigmatic, glacial, troubled, solitary, grim, ruthless, stoic, brooding, and extremely creative personality."
A few years after the events of the Noir series proper, Mireille and Kirika are living under assumed identities in San Francisco to stay as far away from the life of a hired killer as much as possible, with Kirika becoming Mireille's ward. Kirika, as 'Kira Yumo', is a freshman at a prominent art school, doing her best in more creative pursuits and making more friends. Hers and Mireille's livelihood is disrupted after the former is contacted by Remy Breffort, alerting them to the assassinations of the ruling council of Les Soldats by Azrael. The two are then attacked by agents of the Order of St. Dumas, which the two manage to beat back. This in turn leads them to temporarily put their new lives on hold as they head to Gotham City, the last place the Order operated out of. After coming upon Breffort's body, himself the latest victim of Azrael, Kirika and Mireille are mistaken by Batgirl for being the killers, leading to a clash between the two teenage former assassins. Oracle's cooler head prevails, preventing their fight from getting out of control, leading to the two sides to join forces and figure out the mystery. A conversation with Cassandra leads the two of them to see each other as almost kindred spirits. Kirika, inspired by Cassandra's example, forgoes the use of firearms from then on. During the climax of the story, Cassandra poses as Kirika to spring a trap set up by Theo Galavan and the Order, leading to Kirika to go after her. Kirika also 'borrows' a prototype of what would have been Cassandra's Batgirl outfit. Once the dust has settled, Barbara invites Kirika and Mireille to become operatives for Batman, Inc., which they accept.
*The 'prototype' costume Kirika borrows would be based on Cassandra's 'Black Bat' outfit from before The New 52.*

-Jean-Paul Valley - Matt Mercer
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Matthew-Mercer/

The former bearer of the Azrael mantle, as well as the Suit of Sorrows that comes with it. Valley operated as a crimefighter in an attempt to redeem the Azrael name, until being pushed to the breaking point, from which he left the 'life' altogether, finding honest work as a computer programmer, as well as a wife in Lilhy, a former operative for the Order of St. Dumas that he helped break free of. Oracle and Batgirl go to them for advice on the appearance of the new, deadlier Azrael. Jean-Paul and Lilhy inform them that they keep their ears to the ground, from time-to-time, for any rumblings regarding the surviving scraps of the Order so they can help bring them around and out of the life.

-Lilhy Valley - Laura Bailey
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Laura-Bailey/

A former operative for the Order of St. Dumas, she betrayed them with Jean-Paul's help and left with him, eventually marrying him. Aside from working as a counselor, she and Jean-Paul keep their ears to the ground on survivors of the Order, to help them escape the 'System' and gain a better life. She and Jean-Paul inform Oracle and Batgirl of the emergence of Theo Galavan, a descendant of one of the founders of the Order, who's been secretly gathering forces to begin an uprising on a global scale, and that he was responsible for the new Azrael's attacks. As to why, the two of them point the crimefighters in the direction of someone who would know more: Talia al Ghul.
*The character debuted in January 1995's Azrael Annual, part of DC's "Year One"-themed Annual issues of the time.*

-Remy Breffort - Kirk Thornton
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Kirk-Thornton/

"Remy Brefford was a high-ranking member of Les Soldats. Brefford belonged to a powerful faction of the Soldats opposing Altena's faction. He and his associates felt that Noir as well as Altena's goals involving them were anachronistic and obsolete. Further, his faction believed the original goals of the Soldats held little meaning for the group in the modern era. Though he had the resources of the Soldats with which to conceal his identity, his limp and audacious cane made him easy to find. An aristocratic and impeccably refined man, he was respectful and consummately professional, even to his enemies. Though not a fighting man, he possessed considerable mettle, remaining cool and collected even when held at gunpoint. When Altena initiated preparations to revive Noir, Brefford reached out to Mireille Bouquet, the third candidate for Noir. He offered her the location of the Manor [Altena's base of operations]--and therefore, her partner Kirika. The Soldats would cease the sanctions against Mireille if she were to kill one of the other two candidates, becoming the other half of Noir by default. Altena was to be considered a target of opportunity. Brefford appeared to have some respect for Mireille, perhaps due to the fact that she successfully tracked him down despite his efforts to remain unidentified."
A few years after the events of the series proper, Breffort reaches out to Mireille and alerts her to the assassinations of the other high-ranking members of his faction of Les Soldats. He also informs her that it's not just them, but anyone even remotely associated with Les Soldats who are being targeted, and that clues to the reasons why lie in Gotham City. He himself is present in the city when he becomes the latest victim of Azrael's blade, with Mireille and Kirika finding his body waiting for them.

-Talia al Ghul - Wendee Lee
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Wendee-Lee/

Daughter of longtime Batman foe Ra's Al Ghul, Talia had become disillusioned with her father's work and now acts as as the interim head of LexCorp while Lex Luthor himself is off to 'parts unknown'. Pointed in her direction by Jean-Paul and Lilhy, Batgirl and Oracle learn from her about the reasons behind the assassinations by Azrael. Due to her father's longevity, he bore witness to many an important event in history, including the Crusades, which he and the League of Assassins covertly participated in to drive back the Western Crusaders. At one point, he witnessed the formation of the Knights Templar, and from that the splintering off of the Order of Saint Dumas. Eventually, he learned through his spies of the Order further splintering after establishing themselves in the French countryside, the new faction chiding the old for enriching itself during the Crusades and vowing to protect the weak while gaining revenge on the world. That faction became known as Les Soldats. She also directs them, along with the Noir pair, to the man behind the resurgence of the Order: Theo Galavan. She also reveals that Galavan, at some point in the recent past, managed to locate one of her father's Lazarus Pits, which proved instrumental in the development of the Azrael currently running around.

-Theo Galavan - Keith Silverstein
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Keith-Silverstein/

A prominent Gotham City businessman, he is a direct descendant of one of the founders of the Order of St. Dumas, and has been secretly gathering and preparing his forces for some time to take out Les Soldats once and for all, and renew the crusade of the Order in modern times. To that end, he oversees the revival and training/conditioning of an assassin to take up the Azrael mantle, and sends them after the current leadership of Les Soldats. Galavan is no slouch when it comes to fighting himself, as demonstrated when he and Mireille go head-to-head towards the climax of the story. In the end, his ambitions are thwarted when Oracle hacks into his files and exposes his secrets to the world, leading to his arrest.
*I decided to adapt the Gotham character to help the narrative of my story here.*

-David Cain - Jamieson Price
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Jamieson-Price/

The father of Cassandra Cain and a master assassin himself, at one point he trained Bruce Wayne in fighting techniques that he later utilized as Batman. Cain originally concieved Cassandra with Lady Shiva out of a desire for a perfect partner. He trained Cassandra from birth in every imaginable fighting form, depriving her of the ability to read, write or speak in the process. He assigned her her first kill at age 8, but after realizing the enormity of what she'd done, she ran away from him; Cain mused that in hindsight, he may have pushed her too far too young.
Cain is hired by Galavan to oversee the training and conditioning of the new Azrael, as well as monitor her as she takes out the leadership of Les Soldats. Father confronts daughter towards the climax of the story, when David faces off with Cassandra, and is genuinely surprised when she defeats him. He flees during the climax.

-Azrael/Chloe - Ryan Bartley
https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Ryan-Bartley/

"Chloe was an assassin for Les Soldats who answers only to Altena. Unlike Mireille and Kirika, Chloe preferred to fight with knives rather than guns. Though her choice of arms would seem to limit her combat effectiveness, her incredible skill more than made up for the deficiency--throughout the series, she showed herself to be a near match for Kirika and superior to Mireille. Chloe watched Kirika perform her first two assassinations when both of them were children, and Chloe was infatuated with Kirika ever since. She idolized Kirika to the point of obsession; when, at one point, Kirika secreted a fork up her sleeve as an emergency weapon, Chloe requested (and received) the fork as a keepsake. Chloe had cooler feelings toward Mireille; though she claimed to want to be friends with Mireille (since Mireille was friends with Kirika), Chloe secretly harbored intense jealousy toward Mireille and her close relationship with the younger girl. This jealousy would ultimately spark the battle which would end her life. When Chloe attempted to kill Mireille during their final confrontation, Kirika stabbed her in the chest with the very fork she had treasured."
Unknown to all parties during that final battle at the Manor of Altena's faction, mere moments after Mireille and Kirika headed off to confront Altena herself, agents of the Order of St. Dumas secreted Chloe's body away, where it was kept in cryo-stasis for a short time (utilizing technology developed by Mr. Freeze). Months after Altena was defeated, Theo Galavan had Chloe thawed after locating one of Ra's Al Ghul's Lazarus Pits, and had her lowered into it. Chloe revived immediately and nearly killed the agents attending to her due to the side effect of temporary insanity after bathing in the Pit. From that point on, Chloe was then conditioned through 'the System', the same process used on those who wore the mantle of Azrael, and had her trained brutally by David Cain. Chloe, effectively brainwashed as she was during her time in Les Soldats, was then made the new Azrael and given a new Suit of Sorrows Galavan had had developed. She was then sent to take out the surviving leadership of Les Soldats, allowing the Order to take their place in the world. During the events of the story, both Batigrl and Oracle, and the Noir duo, face off with the disguised Chloe, and it is Kirika who manages to put the pieces together over who Azrael is under the mask. During the story's climax, the Bat-clad Kirika faces off with Azrael/Chloe, working in the process to undo the conditioning she'd been subject to. This causes Chloe to have a breakdown, making her lose her focus and allowing Kirika to soundly defeat her; unlike their prior duel, Kirika instead spares her life. Later on, to have Chloe recover from her ordeals--both from her past life and her current one--Oracle suggests bringing her to Nanda Parbat, a hidden city high up in the Hindu Kush mountains. A place of healing and enlightenment, it is hoped that Chloe will find some semblance of peace and happiness as she works to figure herself out, without any outside influence.
*Chloe's resurrection and conditioning was inspired by both Batman: Under the Red Hood (regarding Jason Todd's return) and Gotham (how Theo Galavan became Azrael).*