From flashbacks in the original series, and further elaborated on in Last Order and Mars Chronicle, Alita remembered that she is from Mars and that her original name is Yoko. As a young adult, Yoko was part of a group of Knstlers whose final mission was to target Earth's orbital ring during the Terraforming Wars. At the penultimate moment, her comrades were ambushed by an unknown opponent. Yoko escaped, but was left to crash onto Earth. This event was later retconned by Last Order and Mars Chronicle, which elaborate more on Yoko's recruitment and activities as a Knstler.