Exclusive Alita: Battle Angel clip dissects robotic assassin, Nyssiana

Alita: Battle Angel, the strange manga adaptation from the mind of James Cameron, caught the movie-going world off guard. And that’s putting it lightly. After doing well enough internationally to warrant talk of a potential sequel, the strange film about a robot girl and the warring forces in her futuristic world is now coming to home entertainment.

Alita (Rosa Salazar) isn’t the only robotic fighter you’ll want to see more of, either. There are also those like Eiza González’s terrifying, mantis-like murder-bot Nyssiana. With her arm scythes and skeletal frame, Nyssiana is one of the scariest things in the film — and a technological feat of moviemaking. The whole film is stuffed with effects work, so isolating Nyssiana is helpful to understanding how the team pulled off the magic.

Now fans can find out about this assassin’s design as director Robert Rodriguez, González, and the effects team all talk about the creation of the character in SYFY WIRE’s exclusive behind-the-scenes clip:

Motorcycle and praying mantis parts. Sounds like a winning combination to us, and definitely one to watch out for on the racetrack. Part of the “Allies and Adversaries” special feature included in the film’s home release, the video is just one of the deep dives into the oddballs populating the Alita universe. Remember how Mahershala Ali is in that movie?!

Don’t worry if you missed it in theaters, because Alita: Battle Angel has its digital release on July 9 and a physical home edition (4K Ultra HD + Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray, and DVD) on July 23.