"At this moment we as a nation are about to touch the stars! I tremble at the honour of announcing the culmination of mankind's history of intellectual and scientific achievement. Yesterday our power spanned the Earth, today it can illuminate the heavens! May it stand forever! Our Ziggurat!"
-Duke Red's Ziggurat speech
Duke Red is the owner of the Ziggurat tower and the main antagonist of Metropolis. He believed that as long as President Boone is in charge, everything would be all right. The people don't know he's constructing weapons in the tower. He arranged for mad scientist Dr. Laughton to build a robot named Tima after his daughter died very young. With Tima nearing completion, Rock, Duke Red's adoptive son and right hand storms into the lab and kills Laughton then starts to destroy the factory believing machines are evil. When Duke Red heard of the fire in his quarters, he ordered Rock to give him some time alone. He then tests his giant laser cannon to get omotanium fusion. This succeeds causing robots on the surface to go nuts. He heard of a revolution being prepared against him then ordered Boone and his assistant killed. At the sight of Tima alive and well, he berates Rock over his actions then fires him. In his second encounter with Detective Shunsaku Ban, he was told the killing of Laughton was instigated by him and Rock. He had plans for Tima, to place her on the Throne of Power and bring the world to it's knees. Rock appears before Duke Red and orders him to be seated on the Throne then shoots Tima but is also shot himself. Duke Red notices that Tima is going nuts leading the robots to rebellion in Metropolis then plans to end humanity in the entire world. Kenichi knowing he's a good friend of Tima tries to stop nuclear destruction. As Ziggurat employees are killed one after the other, robots raid a sector where Duke and 3 of his scientists have fled to. The robots were about to kill the duke when Rock appears and activates the superweapon. This results in Rock, Duke Red and others to be blown up in the resulting explosion.