He lived with his mom and dad in the back of an old van until he was a little over three. He got to look up at the stars each night and rummaged around the junkyard on the daily, looking for spare parts to keep the van running. He can't remember what it is his parents called him, only that it was something different every time, and he can't remember what their names were either. They likely didn't know how to read and didn't teach him to. It doesn't really matter. What he does remember are that his parents carried around gigantic backpacks filled with water and clothes and sometimes food, but never toys, just old tools they'd give him to chew on. He broke a tooth on one once and they had to pull it out with pliers. They didn't have much, but it wasn't too bad.

Then his parents were killed in a bombing. It was commonplace in Meteor City for people to attack one another in revenge. This time it was just bad luck. His parents were collateral. The neighbour who lived in the pickup truck at the bottom of the trash heap had found a map and was showing it to some other folks when an unknown person approached them and detonated himself. That neighbour had been showing a lot of people his map, including people that didn't belong in Meteor City. What he'd shown them, no one would ever know.Febi and Moly were there one second, and then they weren't. When their son came looking for them and couldn't find them, he went back to the van to wait for them. They never came.

It's a few days after the bombing that someone discovers him. Spruce Bisket was rummaging for extra parts and found the boy in the hood of an old car. Spruce asked the boy what his name was, which he didn't know. He asked the boy where his parents were, which he didn't know. He asked the boy if he could see a crankshaft sprocket in there, which the boy handed to him. He asked the boy who'd left him there, and to his surprise, the boy was there on purpose to search for a valve spring. "The engine is making spitting noises." Kids say the funniest things. He tells the boy to come with him, but the boy hesitates, and follows Spruce only after he says he'll take a look at the van.

"Well I'll be." The kid was right. The valve spring was bent out of shape and causing the engine to stutter. Spruce couldn't tell if he was imagining things. A boy who knew about car parts but didn't know his own name or where his parents were? He'd hit a jackpot. He promises the boy a job and a place to stay. The boy asks him who he is. Spruce lies and says he was the boy's grandpa on his dad's side. The boy didn't question it, and came back with Spruce.

Spruce Bisket was a mechanic who ran an auto body repair shop called Metalworks. He had a team of four, including him. The other three—Gagnon, Tommison (nicknamed Tommy for short), and Drill—were surly men who had gotten lost in life and came to Metalworks looking for some direction, and had been working there since they were young. They all called Spruce "gramps," as did everyone else in the area, and Metalworks was known more commonly as "grandpa's garage." Spruce could never shake the name off.

The first thing Spruce did was give the boy a name—Cedar. The next thing he did was teach Cedar to read and do math. It amazed everyone how much he already talked. His parents must've talked to him a lot, so Spruce encouraged his workers to converse with the boy even if he didn't always understand. For a little while, he had Cedar helping with little odd jobs, such as fetching parts from the junk piles and making deliveries, but it was clear to everyone that Cedar knew a whole lot about cars. The joke went that his parents must've been cars, or that Cedar was a car in a past life. He embraced it, making jokes about his oil needing changing when he needed to take a leak or suspecting someone cut his brake lines when he'd trip and fall. When he got too big to be crawling into tight spaces, Spruce gave him his first toolkit and made him an official part of the team.

At some point in his early adolescence, Cedar was on the front porch of Metalworks enjoying some lemonade after hours when he heard a noise in the back office. Armed with a rusty monkey wrench, he went to go check it out, and caught a young man with an afro emptying out the fridge. Cedar bashed the guy on the head with his wrench but it didn't seem to affect him, and a fight ensued. The result was a total destruction of the back end of the shop and yard and blood running down both their faces. Just when it looked like afro guy was ready to give it another go, another young man with a topknot showed up to scold afro guy for running off without telling anyone. When he noticed Cedar, he smiled and greeted him like they were long time friends. Confused and unsure how to proceed, Cedar asked them if they wanted any lemonade, which topknot guy heartily agreed to without giving afro guy any say, and so they sat on the front porch drinking lemonade until the fireflies stopped floating about. Topknot guy introduced himself as Nobunaga and afro guy as Uvogin. Before they left, Uvogin told Cedar he'd come back to settle the score later. Cedar couldn't sleep all night.

He was in huge trouble when Spruce showed up. The workers had never heard the old man yell so much. He wouldn't listen to reason and he wouldn't accept any explanation. He had no interest in some mysterious afro man who was coming back to cause trouble. It was Cedar's responsibility to put the shop back together exactly as it had been or else he'd be fired. If only Spruce had listened. Just as Cedar said, Uvogin returned later that day, with Nobunaga at his side. When the old man and his workers realized Uvogin was there for Cedar, they assumed the worst and, refusing to give the kid up, fought to protect Cedar, except Cedar wasn't there. He'd gone into town to get some more oil for his tools, and when he returned and saw them all on the ground, instead of jumping to defend them, he laughed at them. "I told you so! That's what you get!"

Spruce didn't get a chance to yell at Cedar, because Cedar dropped everything and leapt into action with a punch to Uvogin's jaw. If things kept going the way they were, the whole shop would be smashed to pieces! Cedar's coworkers begged Cedar to avoid the shop, distracting him momentarily, but that moment was all his opponent needed, and Uvogin got a hit in that sent Cedar flying into a heap of scrap metal. Spruce couldn't take it anymore, this man was going to kill his kid! He got up to show the afro punk something or other, but Cedar called out from the trash to stop him. He's okay! He leapt out and ran up to shove his grandpa aside, getting in Uvogin's face to make sure he understood that the only reason he won was because he got distracted, and the next time they fought, he'd be the winner. "Also, y'don't have to steal from our fridge y'big jerk! Just come by and I'll make you a sandwich or somethin'."

Spruce was amazed and also incensed. All this time and Cedar still didn't understand the value of things like money and food. He oughta teach the kid a lesson or two! He couldn't be too mad though, because Cedar held his own against that beast when not even his old man could land a proper hit. Though the afro punk and his topknot friend were young, these were no ordinary men, and even then Cedar managed to give the big guy a busted lip! Atta boy! Eh, he probably should've trusted in Cedar more, not that he was ever going to say that out loud. "Y'little punk, don't go giving away our food to rotten thieves!" Despite that, he never made any attempt to stop Cedar from doing it.

Cedar had long since been allowed to take on projects and work on cars by himself, but he’d always had a problem following the most important safety rule—nobody works alone. Spruce had been gone all day making deliveries, and it was late, so the boys were out for a drink or two, leaving Cedar to finish up on his own. Usually that was fine. Tonight it would be the reason he lost something precious.

It was a beautiful thing, that pickup truck, though it was currently stripped to its bare bones while Cedar worked on the chassis. Either the driver was scraping the bottom of his car with a boulder, or he was driving on an obstacle course of potholes, because the bottom of the truck looked like it’d been put through the wringer. The truck had been hanging from those suspension cables all day as Cedar sealed any oil leaks, stuck in a new exhaust system, and installed an almost new engine cover with minimal damage and sensors that were sure as hell better than whatever this guy was working with. The only thing left were the suspensions, and thanks to his gentle touch, it was almost perfect. He just needed to tighten up the ball joints and he’d be done. Throughout his work, he heard moaning and groaning coming from the truck but thought it was normal, since the thing was so rusted already, and the driver hadn’t payed for a whole new hood or panelling so that stuff was sticking around. It wasn’t the truck, however. The suspension cables came loose, and the truck fell on Cedar, pinning him and knocking him out.

When he awoke two days later, it was to an excruciating pain. He wasn’t sure where he was. It definitely wasn’t the garage. He tried to move but couldn’t; he was strapped to a table made up to look like a bed. His Nen didn’t work either, and only made the pain worse. Why the hell was he covered in blankets, and why was he strapped down? He called out, demanding to be let free. Spruce came running in with the boys, while a gangly old man in a long white coat followed. The old man pulled a needle from his coat pocket, but it wasn’t to put Cedar to sleep, it was to dull the pain, and once the pain was managed, Cedar quieted down. Then he asked what happened.

The old man in the white coat, who Cedar learned was a doctor, explained that Cedar suffered a crush injury that led to something called compartment syndrome. He was down for hours before anyone found him. He could’ve died. Okay, so what does that have to do with wrapping him in blankets and strapping him down? The answer was that out of respect for Cedar, and knowing what he would do if he saw the results of his injury, which is to say, to prevent him from becoming hostile, this was necessary. Wait, what ‘results’ of his injury? The answer was revealed to him by Spruce. “You lost your arm, kid.”

Due to Cedar being born in Meteor City, his existence is not recorded in any database, which makes obtaining information about him nearly impossible. The best way to gauge his combat prowess is by comparing him to his consistent battle partner, Uvogin, who he was strong enough to hold his own against and whom he frequently impressed with his creative uses of Nen. Despite his aura nodes being thrown off balance after the loss of his right arm, Cedar learned to utilized his aura in cost efficient ways so that he would not suffer the effects of recoil, while still being able to maximize his power. Cedar is best suited for close and mid-range combat, and can even devastate armed opponents and crowds of enemies because his techniques allowed for long-ranged combat. Gon and Killua once commented that fighting alongside Cedar is quite fun, which Kurapika further reflects on, commenting that the driving factor for Cedar’s combat ability is his easygoing nature, that even in the face of death, he simply sees it as a chance to do something exciting. While Cedar partially accepts this claim, he then goes on to correct Kurapika, stating that he personally thinks his strength is in treating every opponent as a machine he can tinker with, and that’s why he learns so quickly against them.

Because of his shortcomings, Cedar was forced to learn to utilize other Nen types to the best of his ability. He has maximized his use of Transmutation and Conjuring, and is mostly proficient in Emission.

Cedar has the unique ability to sync his Nen with the earth’s magnetic field so that he can assess distances between two objects, so long as those objects have any amount of metal within them.

Carbon monoxide resistance: Cedar has advanced resistance to carbon monoxide. He can withstand lethal amounts of carbon monoxide for up to three times as long as a regular person, and if he does begin experiencing side effects, he can dispel these much quicker once he returns to an oxygenated environment.

Hand-to-hand combatant: His fighting style can best be described as “scrappy,” as he gets involved in a lot of street fights and has learned to play dirty. Junkyard fights led to him developing an almost boxing-like fighting stance where he keeps his fists raised, knees bent, and feet constantly moving, though he is also a rough wrestler.

Cedar is primarily an Enhancer, so he focuses his aura on strengthening his natural physical abilities. He uses his Enhancement skills to increase his power, stamina, and durability to enormous levels. His aura output has always been massive, though after he lost his arm, the output is unstable and fluctuates like that of a magnetic field. Because of this, his application of Ten in some spots is thinner than others, and he can sustain damage from attacks that are reinforced with large amounts of Nen, meaning that his Ren, En, and Ken also suffer from the same shortcomings. As a result, he’s been forced to adopt a very loose fighting style so that his reflexes remain sharp and his movements stay fluid.

Instead of accelerating his healing factor, which he finds he is unable to do to a great extent, he’s learned to increase adrenaline production and blunt his pain response so that he can keep going despite his injuries. He finds that after he does this, the phantom pain in his right arm is more excruciating than usual.

Cedar has talent in Transmutation. His aura can take on the properties of metal, both in solid and liquid form. He can use it to infiltrate someone else’s body, meaning that it possibly takes on Emitter properties as well, or he can harden it over his own body in the shapes of weapons, such as blades and knuckle dusters. He can even apply it as steel spikes on the ground.

He also utilizes Conjuring, as he can summon a service robot named Sonny with the ability to walk and talk and do fine work even when its conjurer is unconscious. Sonny is created with one law, that it disassembles itself upon hearing the exact phrase, “Your work is done.”

Cedar can use Gyō, En, Shū, Kō, and Ken to varying degrees, meaning that he also has the ability to utilize Ten, Ren, Zetsu, and Hatsu. However, he suffers a great deal of recoil to whichever part of his body he uses Kō on, so he limits his uses of this technique to last resorts.

Cedar’s Primary Nen Type: Enhancement
Type: Enhancement	Gear Shift (変速, hensoku)
	Cedar concentrates inwards to increase his durability, stamina, and strength. The higher the gear, the higher the energy cost, the higher the damage to his body, and the less time he can utilize it for. This technique has four levels — Gear 1: Super, Gear 2: Turbo, Gear 3: Ultra, and Gear 4: Hyper.
Type: Enhancement	Cruise Control (巡航制御, junkō seigyo)
	Cedar utilizes Gyō to see everything around him in slow motion for up to 20 seconds. Because it requires massive amounts of concentration, this technique is best utilized in short bursts so that Cedar can avoid fatal incoming hits while maximizing his reflexes.
Type: Enhancement	Pedal to the Metal
	Cedar sends a pulse of aura through his legs to give himself a boost in speed. It destroys the surface of contact. It may also be used to land a powerful kick. This technique can only be utilized for a short duration, as it creates such significant strain on Cedar's muscles it risks tearing them.
Type: Enhancement	Elbow Grease (力仕事, chikarashigoto)
	By setting the condition that he must rip out the screw for the hinge joint on his right elbow and hold it in his left hand, Cedar can deliver a punch that is much more destructive than anything he can achieve with Kō, but this move ultimately has a high cost, as it forces him to lose mobility in his right arm.
Type: Combined Type	Full Throttle (全速力, zensokuryoku)
	A technique that combines Enhancement with Transmutation that allows Cedar to pile on metal to bulk up any part of his body and lend power and destructive force through Shū. It does not have to utilize Kō, therefore it is a more feasible technique for him.
Type: Combined Type	Chop Shop (解体工場, kaitai kōjō,)
	Cedar combines Emission, Transmutation, and Conjuring with Shū to yield small projectiles that deal massive damage upon impact. The projectiles can take any shape, and may even burst with contact, mimicking bullets and shrapnel bombs.
Type: Combined Type	PIMP MY RIDE!
	Cedar can only use this technique if Sonny has already been conjured. Enhancement and Transmutation are combined to change Sonny into Compaction Mode, which is more powerful and destructive than its normal Service Mode. Its primary law remains the same, that it decommissions when it hears the exact phrase, "Your work is done."