.hack//G.U. (video game series)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For info on the first branch of the .hack franchise, see .hack
- For info on the G.U. branch of the .hack franchise, see .hack//G.U.
.hack//G.U. is the title of a series of three video games for PlayStation 2. The first title in the series, Vol.1 Rebirth, was released in Japan on May 18, 2006 and on October 24, 2006 in North America. Vol.2 Reminisce was released in September 28, 2006 in Japan and is currently looking at a Summer release in North America. Vol.3 At a Walking Pace was released in January 18, 2007 in Japan.
The games take place after the .hack//Roots anime series. .hack//Roots serves as a prologue to the G.U. videogame series in the same way the .hack//Sign anime series served as a prologue to the four original .hack//Games.
Contents |
[edit] Volumes
- Vol.1 Rebirth (再誕 Saitan?)
- Vol.1 Special Edition comes with 2 discs.
- Disc 1 is the game itself.
- Disc 2 is the Terminal disk called End of The World detailing the events that led up to .hack//GU. It will only be included in the Limited Edition for the North American release.
- Vol.1 Special Edition comes with 2 discs.
- Vol.2 Reminisce (君想フ声 Kimi Omou Koe?)
- Vol.3 At a Walking Pace (歩くような速さで Aruku you na Hayasa de?)
Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.
[edit] Summary
[edit] R.A. Plan
As revealed in End of the World, the "Restore Aura" Plan was the strategy the programmer Jyotaro Amagi devised to restore Aura through reconstructing Morganna under the control of CC Corporation. Through Project G.U., the remnants of the 8 Phases data (also known as the "elements of Morganna") were recovered and incorporated into special characters known as Epitaph-PCs, which were based on Sora's condition during the events in .hack//Zero. Jyotaro speculated that each phase required a certain type of person in order to use it effectively, in the way Sora had been attached to Skeith, so these PCs were then to be used by scouted candidates with Amagi's R.A. Program. The first choice as a candidate was Sora himself, but he wasn't playing the game anymore at the time.
With candidates located, and the Epitaph-PCs prepared, Jyotaro began the test, but something went horribly wrong. Most of The World's data was lost instantly, and all 7 Epitaph-PC players fell into comas. Amagi, who was using a "Dummy Program" to replace Tarvos (which had been stolen by Jun Bansyoya), fell into a state of delirium and set fire to the CC Corp Japan Building. Afterwards the Epitaph-PCs escaped onto The World, where they waited for the right person to "connect" to.
[edit] The Terror of Death
The story follows Haseo, at first depicted as a PKK (Player Killer Killer) known as the "Terror of Death", a former member of the disbanded Twilight Brigade guild.
He is seen seeking out a PK (Player Killer) known as Tri-Edge, whose victims supposedly are unable to return to The World after he PKs them. Haseo's friend, Shino, was attacked six months prior to the events of the game by Tri-Edge, and the player herself, Shino Nanao, was left in a coma.
Haseo encounters Azure Kite (believing him to be Tri-Edge and blaming him for what happened to Shino) but is defeated effortlessly. Azure Kite is shown Data Draining him, reducing his level from 133 to 1 and leaving him without any items, weapons, or member addresses, but instead with a mystery on his hands as to the nature of the Data Drain and why Azure Kite is in possession of such a skill.
Eventually Haseo gains the "Avatar" of Skeith by 'awakening' (what that means is that his avatar found him). Acquiring the ability to call Skeith and wield his abilities, such as Data Drain. With Skeith as his strength, Haseo begins the quest for a way to save Shino.
[edit] Characters
The first eight characters listed, known as the Infinity 8, retain the same titles as those of the Eight Phases from the original .hack series. Note: The "Infinity 8" can also be known as the "Eight of Epitaph".
- Haseo, the Terror of Death (ハセヲ Haseo?) (Ryou Misaki) - Adept Rogue: The protagonist of the G.U. franchise and a PKK (Player Killer Killer). He is first shown seeking Azure Kite, who is believed to be the infamous Player Killer Tri-Edge, who sent his friend Shino into a coma. He is depicted as skilled and quick-witted, but prone to lose his temper. He is trained by Kuhn and Pi of the guild Raven to control his Avatar, Skeith.
- Atoli, the Mirage of Deceit (アトリ Atori?) (Chigusa Kusaka) - Harvest Cleric: Seemingly the female lead of the series. Apparently The World is the first net game she has played and she is very friendly and upbeat. She is part of the Moon Tree Guild and idolises Sakaki. She also appears to be fond of Haseo despite the fact that he only spends time with her because her PC (Player Character) resembles Shino of .hack//Roots. A 16-year-old high school student named Kusaka Chigusa in real life. One of Epitaph User and she controls Avatar, Innis in .hack//G.U. vol 2.
- Kuhn, the Propagation (クーン Kūn?) - Steam Gunner: A strong and flirtatious man who wishes for peace in The World. He is a member of "Raven" and part of the project to destroy AIDA. He was once a member of the newbie help guild Carnard, and even now, he is admired by Silabus and Gaspard. Kuhn currently lives by himself and is single despite his popularity with girls in The World. One of the Epitaph Users in the first game of G.U., he controls the Avatar, Magus.
- Yata, the Prophet (八咫?) - Macabre Dancer: Formerly Naobi, Guildmaster of TaN, he is now the Guildmaster of Raven. Yata is a System-Administrator and in charge of Project GU, a project meant to use Epitaph-Wielders to destroy AIDA within the game. Actually Wiseman. Sakaki takes over as GU for a short period of time in vol. 3 which makes him withdraw and ultimately results in Fidchell going berserk.
- Sakubo, the Machinator (朔望?) - Shadow Warlock: A PC played by two people; Saku, who speaks in Kansai-ben, and Bo; a shy and quiet player. Saku is supposedly Bo's older sister and is obsessed with Endrance.
- Endrance, the Temptress (エンデュランス Enduransu?) (Kaoru Ichinose) - Blade Brandier: A player with so much skill and power that he's considered superior even by the greatest players in The World. He is the Emperor of the Demon Palace in Lumina Cloth and has numerous fans. However, he's extremely cold and only ever shows emotion towards the cat he has on his shoulder. A 20-year-old hikikomori in real life. In the game he is also an Epitaph User that controls Macha.
- Pi, the Avenger (パイ Pai?) (Reiko Saeki) - Tribal Grappler: Previously a member of TaN known as Ender, she encounters Haseo shortly after he's Data-Drained and comments on his strange powers. She is a member of Raven and involved in the project to take down AIDA. She trains Haseo in the game to use his Avatar, and is attacked by AIDA when they reach the end of the dungeon. Haseo then Data Drains her infected Avatar, Tarvos. A 24-year-old system engineer named Saeki Reiko in real life.
- Ovan, the Rebirth (オーヴァン Ōvan?) - Steam Gunner: The former Guildmaster of the Twilight Brigade (a Guild devoted to finding the Key of the Twilight) and an old friend of Haseo's. He is one of the greatest mysteries of The World and seems to know more than he lets on. His PC's data is apparently as large as that used for an entire game field. This is because of his left arm, kept sealed away, which has an AIDA (in the form of a third arm, named AIDA <Tri-Edge>) attached to it. Revealed to be the person who PKed Shino and leaves the A-like signs around on fields. Has the uncontrollable avatar, Corbenik.
- Azure Kite (蒼炎のカイト?) - Twin Blade: A Player Killer who is famous for sending players into comas after he kills them. Resembles a more haggard version of Kite from the original games and wields a pair of triple-bladed swords (known as "Twin Fangs of the Void"). He is later seen paired with Azure Balmung and Azure Orca. They are AI created by Aura to protect The World from anomalies.
- Silabus (シラバス Shirabasu?) (Yuuichi Morino) - Blade Brandier: The Guildmaster of Carnard at the start of the game, he eventually gives power to Haseo. He and Gaspard are the only members of Carnard at the start of GU. He is in awe of former Carnard member Kuhn. A 19-year-old university student named Morino Yuuichi in real life. Started using the internet at age 9. Interested in UMAs.
- Gaspard (ガスパー Gasupaa?) (Kouta Maki) - Shadow Warlock: A member of Carnard who follows Silabus and assists in helping Newbies. He and Silabus are the only members of Carnard at the start of GU. He is in awe of former Carnard member Kuhn. A 13-year-old middle school student named Maki Kouta in real life. Gaspard's favorite part of The World is the card game feature called CrimsonVS, which is not available for the first volume. Gaspard is rather sensitive and clumsy but plays The World for the sole purpose of being fun.
- Sakaki (榊?) (Tooru Uike) - Edge Punisher: Leader of the Second Division of Moon Tree, Sakaki is famous throughout The World and commonly associated with Moon Tree. He appears to be part of a sinister plot and because of this, tension has grown between him and Zelkova. Actually trying to create an ideal world by dominating the minds of people through the eight phases and internet. Sakaki is a role model of Atoli as she cannot seem to stop to talk about him. A ten year-old elementary school student named Uike Tooru in real life. He replaces Yata as leader of GU in vol. 3 for a short period before being killed by Kite and going into a coma. Awakens with no memories of what happened after the rebirth of the internet.
- Bordeaux (ボルドー Borudō?) (Nina Kircheis) - Blade Brandier: Bordeaux is an established PK and usually parties with Negimaru and Grein. She is also a member of Kestrel and well respected in the PK community. She is obsessed with gaining fame by being the PK that PKed the Terror of Death. In Vol. 2, Bordeaux is infected by an AIDA which gives her greater fighting capabilities. She is a German-Japanese fourteen-year-old middle-school student named Nina Kircheis in real life. Gives Haseo her member address after Cubia is defeated.
- Negimaru (ネギ丸?) (Kazushige Ooyama) - Twin Blade: Negimaru is an established PK and usually parties with Bordeaux and Grein. He is also a member of Kestrel and is treated as some sort of crime-lord. He was PKKed by Haseo on their first encounter.
- Grein (グリン Gurin?) (Souji Komiyama) - Edge Punisher: Grein is an established PK and usually parties with Bordeaux and Negimaru. He is also a member of Kestrel and generally acts as Bordeaux's bodyguard. He was PKKed by Haseo on their first encounter.
- Zelkova (欅?) - Flick Reaper: Zelkova is the Guildmaster of Moon Tree and the leader of the First Division. He has a great rivalry with Sakaki, being the creator of Moon Tree and yet not being as famous as Sakaki. Actually a hacker, resident of Net Slum Tartarga, and possibly Helba. He is the one who grants Haseo's PC to Xth form.
- Gabi (がび Gabi?) - Edge Punisher: Gabi is the Guildmaster of Kestrel and adopts a laissez-faire attitude to running his Guild. Although his Guild is overrun with PKs, he is not a PK himself. An old friend of Ovan's. Despite seemingly being an important character, he does absolutely nothing except meet up with Ovan in vol. 2 once.
- Piros the 3rd (ぴろし３ Piroshi3?) (Hiroshi Matsuyama) - Lord Partizan: Piros the 3rd is the same Piros from the original .hack games. He is the Guildmaster of the coincidentally named Project GU (Graphics Umai meaning "Good at Graphics") Guild and works as a Graphics Designer for The World. Piros is also in chase of Tri-Edge along with Haseo but for his own reasons.
- Kaede (楓?) (Kyouko Kaga) - Blade Brandier: A member of Moon Tree and the leader of the Third Platoon. Kaede is one of the many supporters of Zelkova in his conflict with Sakaki and is known for her kind and sincere attitude.
- Matsu (松?) (Shingo Kudou) - Adept Rogue: A member of Moon Tree and the Leader of the Seventh Platoon. Matsu was once a famous PK but has since grown ashamed of his past and chosen not to fight. He is a supporter of Sakaki.
- Antares (大火?) (Mikihisa Ogata) - Blade Brandier: The creator and former Guildmaster of Icolo; a Guild for champions. Antares lost his position as Emperor of the Sage Palace when he was defeated by Taihaku and feels Icolo has grown arrogant. He believes Haseo can pull Icolo out of this state.
- Alkaid (揺光?) (Chika Kuramoto) - Twin Blade: A former member of Icolo and Emperor of the Demon Palace before she was defeated by Endrance. Though she is incapable of seeing Endrance's Avatar, she is adamant that Endrance cheated and has vowed revenge. Alkaid was put into a coma after being attacked and PKed by Bordeaux.
- Sirius (天狼?) (Min Myeon-Do) - Tribal Grappler: One of the current members of Icolo, Sirius is known for his arrogance and is generally a dislikeable character. Being a member of Icolo means he is the Emperor of the Holy Palace; above Endrance and below Taihaku. At some point he is infected with AIDA, and goes on to fight Haseo in the arena. It is then revealed that the Orca and Balmung associated with him were mirages created by Atoli's infected Avatar.
- Taihaku (太白?) - Steam Gunner: Taihaku is the current Guildmaster of Icolo and, therefore, one of the most powerful characters in The World. Being the Guildmaster of Icolo makes him the Emperor of the Sage Palace; above both Endrance and Sirius.
- IYOTEN!!! - Blade Brandier: The leader of a pair of PKs that targeted Haseo when he first logged into The World. Ovan first met Haseo after PKing the two.
- Asta (アスタ Asuta?) - Edge Punisher: Iyoten's partner in a pair of PKs that targeted Haseo when he first logged into The World. Ovan first met Haseo after PKing the two.
- Azure Orca (オルカ Oruka?) - ???: One of the "Three Azure Knights" and presumably one of the antagonists in .hack//GU Vol. 2. This Orca is similar to Azure Kite in that it resembles a haggard version of Orca that appears as if it were stitched together of various body parts. He is known by players as "The Naked Man". Aura gives Haseo his member address after Cubia is defeated and she returns to sleep.
- Azure Balmung (バルムンク Barumunku?) - ???: One of the "Three Azure Knights" and presumably one of the antagonists in .hack//G.U. Vol. 2. This Balmung is similar to Azure Kite in that it resembles an almost feral version of the original Balmung. He is known as by players as "The Winged Man." Aura gives Haseo his member address after Cubia is defeated and she returns to sleep.
- Nala - Lord Partizan: Nala is the leader of the Fourth Division of the Moon Tree Guild and appears in Volume 2 of .hack//G.U. He holds a neutral position within the Guild and is actually another PC used by Yata.
- Hiiragi (柊?) (Yuki Fumihiko) - Macabre Dancer: Hiiragi is the leader of the Fifth Division of the Moon Tree Guild and appears in Volume 2 of .hack//G.U. One of Sakaki's followers. A 22-year-old closet homosexual named Yuki Fumihiko in real life.
- Sophora - Twin Blade: Sophora is the leader of the Sixth Division of the Moon Tree Guild and appears in Volume 2 of .hack//G.U. He appears to support Sakaki and seems to be the player behind Nanase from .Hack//Alcor
- Shino (志乃?) (Shino Nanao) - Harvest Cleric: Shino was a former member of the Twilight Brigade and, upon falling into a coma, instigated Haseo's search for the revival of the Lost Ones. She finally awakens after Cubia is defeated, and gives Haseo her member address again (he lost it when he was data drained by Kite in vol. 1). After being PKed by Ovan, her consciousness was sealed in his arm and she was with him watching over Haseo all along.
- Tabby (Moe Kubo) - Tribal Grappler: Tabby joined the Twilight Brigade around the same time as Haseo and wanted to help him in his quest to revive Shino. She stopped playing in order to become a nurse, but returns in vol. 3 anyway after Cubia is defeated.
- Natsume - Twin Blade: Natsume from the original games returns in vol. 3, and is now a Chaotic PK. Haseo gets her member address after clearing the Chaotic PK sidequest.
- Ina: Ovan's sister, whose consciousness was sealed in his AIDA arm after it went berserk and PKed her. In real life she is ill and her being in a coma has made it worse.
- Cubia: From the first four games. The anti-epitaph. The shadow cast by the light of the internet's rebirth. Created by Ovan's rebirth ability, It infects the entire network resulting in nuclear reactors all over the world starting to malfunction, but Haseo's group defeats it in time.
[edit] Important Bosses
- Kite/Azure Flame God: Final boss of vol. 1. An AI, and one of Aura's "swords", or guardians. He takes on an avatar-like form named Azure Flame God by data draining the surrounding area after Haseo's party defeats him once.
- Ovan/Corbenik: Final boss of vol. 2. Ovan reveals himself as the real Tri-Edge and asks Haseo to defeat him. He transforms into Corbenik after being defeated once, and is defeated again. However, as Skeith had not yet "eaten" Fichdhell at this point, Corbenik's Rebirth does not activate and he has to try again later.
- Ovan/Corbenik 2nd: Boss in vol. 3. Corbenik's AIDA arm now takes on the form of a gigantic cannon bigger than the rest of Corbenik put together. Once Skeith defeats Corbenik 2nd, it has eaten all seven other epitaphs and Corbenik's Rebirth activates.
- Kite, Orca, and Balmung: When Aura is being awakened, they show up to protect her and fight Haseo's party, but are called off by her when she arrives.
- Cubia: The final boss of vol. 3. Cubia Alpha and Beta are fought by Skeith 3rd, and Haseo and his party take on the Cubia Core themselves.
[edit] Features
- Save data from the first four games and .hack//frägment will unlock three emails; one from BlackRose that was sent to Kite after the battle with Corbenik (Meaning Haseo doesn't canonically get it) and another from Hokuto that was meant for Rena but mistakenly sent to Haseo. The last one being another from Hokuto apologizing for sending Haseo an E-mail meant for a friend. In the English version, all three are gained from save data from any of the first four games, as .hack//frägment was never released outside of Japan.
- Vol.1 will come packaged with a Terminal Disc entitled End of The World. The Terminal Disc will contain summaries of the previous four games and provide an explanation for what happened between the end of .hack//Quarantine and the start of Vol.1. There are more features in the Terminal Disc that can be unlocked via save data from all three G.U. video games.
- During the confrontation with Azure Kite, if you transfered data from the original .hack games, he will keep the same name given to your character, Kite. An example would be if you named him Bob in the first four games. In this case, Azure Kite would be named Bob as well during the fight. The name also appears in the credits by the name of the character's voice actor.
[edit] Voice cast
| Character | English Voice Actor | Seiyū |
|---|---|---|
| Haseo | Yuri Lowenthal | Takahiro Sakurai |
| Atoli | Bridget Hoffman | Ayako Kawasumi |
| Ovan | Jamieson Price | Hiroki Touchi |
| Kuhn | Johnny Yong Bosch | Shinichiro Miki |
| Pi / Pai | Jessica Straus | Sanae Kobayashi |
| Sakubo | Erin Fitzgerald | Megumi Toyoguchi |
| Yata | Steven Jay Blum | Takumi Yamazaki |
| Endrance | Liam O'Brien | Mitsuki Saiga |
| Azure Kite | Mona Marshall | Sayaka Aida |
| Silabus | Sam Riegel | Daisuke Sakaguchi |
| Gaspard | Dave Wittenberg | Akiko Yajima |
| Sakaki | Crispin Freeman | Katsuyuki Konishi |
| Bordeaux | Mary Elizabeth McGlynn | Akiko Hiramatsu |
| Negimaru | Kirk Thornton | |
| Grein | Daran Norris | Katsuhisa Houki |
| Zeikova / Keyaki | Wendee Lee | |
| Gabi | D.C. Douglas | |
| Piros the 3rd | Daran Norris | Masaya Onosaka |
| Kaede | Kari Wahlgren | |
| Matsu | Dave Wittenberg | Hiroshi Yanaka |
| Antares / Taika | Kirk Thornton | Shinpachi Tsuji |
| Alkaid / Yowkow | Erin Fitzgerald | Masumi Asano |
| Sirius / Tenrow | Michael McConnohie | Isshin Chiba |
| Taihaku | D.C. Douglas | Kazuhiro Nakata |
[edit] External links
| Video games: | Infection | Mutation | Outbreak | Quarantine | frägment | G.U. |
|---|---|
| Anime: | Liminality | Sign | Legend of the Twilight | Gift | Roots |
| Books: | AI buster | AI buster 2 | Zero | Another Birth | Legend of the Twilight | .hack//XXXX | 4 Koma | G.U.: The World |
| Characters: | Albireo | Alkaid | Aura | Azure Kite | Balmung | Bear | BlackRose | BT | Crim | Cubia | Elk | Emma Wielant | Harald Hoerwick | Haseo | Helba | Kite | Kuhn | Lycoris | Mia | Mimiru | Morganna | Orca | Ovan | Rena | Shugo | Skeith | Sora | Subaru | Tri-Edge | Tsukasa | Zefie .hack//Sign characters |
| Other: | Altimit Corporation | Altimit OS | CC Corporation | Cubia | Data Drain | Eight Phases | GU Phases (.hack) | .hack//Enemy | Epitaph of Twilight | Twilight Incident | Net Slum | Pluto's Kiss | The World | .hack character classes |
