Animanga/Manga| Information
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Animanga/Anime| Information
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Animanga/Anime| Information
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'' is a
Manga and
Anime series created by
Hiroya Oku (奥 浩哉). ''Gantz'' tells the story about a young boy named Kei Kurono who dies in a train accident and becomes part of a semi-
Posthumous "game" in which he and several other people who have recently died have to hunt down and kill aliens. The ''Gantz'' anime ran for 13 episodes and had a direct sequel called ''Gantz Second Stage'', which continued the series for another 13 episodes. Both seasons make up the 26 episode series. It was licensed in North America by
ADV Films . The anime series is distributed in
Australia by
Madman Entertainment .
''Gantz'' (ガンツ ''gantsu'') is ongoing being serialized in
Shueisha 's
Young Jump . ''Gantz'' currently has over 231 chapters. The manga is better-received than the anime, and has more content and stories than its counterpart. The manga's art was created by using a technique that combines CG backgrounds with pen-drawn characters, as does the anime. It has not been licensed in America.
The ''Gantz'' anime is divided into two seasons: (1) the first season and (2) ''Gantz Second Stage'', which is essentially a continuation of the first season. The ''Gantz'' anime is often criticised for its ending and pacing problems. The anime was made while the manga was still in early production, and so the anime version had to improvise its own stories and pacing. Many fans felt that the anime's ending was rushed.
The story begins with a pair of high school students who are both run over by a subway train after saving the life of a homeless drunk who had fallen onto the tracks. Following their untimely deaths, they find themselves transported—alive and well—to the interior of an unfurnished Tokyo condominium with a number of people who have also just died. At one end of the room is a featureless black sphere we later learn is called "GANTZ". By way of poorly spelled green text that appears on the surface of the sphere, GANTZ informs those present that their lives have ended. The words "What you do with your new lives is entirely up to me. That’s the theory, anyway." appear on the black sphere’s surface.
GANTZ forces them to participate in what at first appears to be a "reality" game show, in which they hunt aliens who are secretly living among us. GANTZ provides them with
Skinsuits ,
Gun s, and
Radar . Each participant has a miniature explosive implanted in their brains that prevents them from wandering outside the designated area, much like the explosive collars in the series
Battle Royale . The designated area is roughly one square kilometer; if the participants cross this boundary or tell anyone of the secrets of GANTZ and the apartment, the explosive will detonate. Curiously, it appears that this trigger only works when the player talks to someone about it, as Nishi developed a website with written reports of his missions and apparently no harm was done to him because of it.
Those who are killed by the aliens die for good. If they manage to survive the mission, however, they return to the room in perfect health (even if they were nearly dead, missing limbs, etc). GANTZ then tallies individual scores based on kills and sets them free, only to have them return to play another time.
Those who manage to accumulate 100 points are given one of three choices:
#Be set free with their memories of Gantz and the games wiped.
#Receive an "ultimate weapon" (Izumi selected this option, but the weapon is not yet revealed).
#Be able to
Bring Back To Life someone from GANTZ's memory bank.
The series introduces new characters constantly and most of them are killed off just as quickly, though a stable cast is beginning to form. As the series progresses, the viewers are left to ponder what GANTZ is and how it is able to provide the characters with such fantastic weaponry and technology. This and other questions (such as who the aliens are or even if they are pure evil) are still unanswered.
Later in the manga, most of GANTZ's participants obtained over 100 points, and many used their points to revive various fallen persons, such as Tae Kojima and Masaru Kato. Kei Kurono, however, was convinced by his comrades and Kato to use his points to set himself free and had his memory wiped. Kurono is now back to his usual self, before he met Gantz. Ironically, however, Kurono stumbles upon various clues of his past life such as photographs of him and Tae, and the rumors of him going out with Reika. These forgotten memories begin to haunt him immediately after his return.
It is later confirmed in the manga that gantz-teams of other nationalities exist in the world. It is stated in Issue 229 in a dialogue between Izumi and Nishi when the latter asks if they should leave it to the other countries and Izumi answers that he wants to show the world the greatness of Japan. There also may be a central sphere located in Germany, but nearly all information regarding it is speculation.
Please note that this list is based on the manga's storyline, which does not follow the anime version's plot strictly.
''Names are in Japanese order, with the given name after the family name.''
Please note that this list is based on the manga's storyline, which does not follow the anime's plot strictly. The anime-only "Kurono Alien" mission is also listed.
Below is a list of targets Gantz has assigned to the Hunters. Please note that most descriptions of the targets (characteristics, things they like, favorite saying, and favorite things) are quoted from the descriptions Gantz used while briefing the Hunters and may appear strange to some readers as a result of the direct translation from Japanese to English.
The first pair of aliens the Gantz team faced was the "Negi Seijin" (Negi meaning 'Spring Onion' and Seijin meaning 'Alien'). True to their titles, they are green in color and love spring onions. The first Negi Seijin the Hunters face was small and childlike. The Hunters quickly disposed of the defenseless creature, only to invoke the wrath of the Negi Seijin's father, a much more violent and dangerous creature. The 'Daddy Negi Seijin' massacred most of the Hunters. Kurono eventually beat the 'Daddy Negi Seijin' down and Nishi 'sent' the creature off into the sky.
These aliens are extremely resistant to modern weapons (being shot multiple times with a handgun had no effect on the father) and the left hand conceals five very long razor-sharp claws capable of slicing cleanly through bone.
Characteristics:
- Strong
- Smelly
Things They Like:
- Spring Onions
- Friendship
Favorite Sayings:
- "I'll give you spring onions."
- "Spring onions are all I need."
The second mission charged the Hunters with the task of eliminating a doll-like robot called "Suzuki Seijin" (Suzuki meaning 'Bird's Perch' and Seijin meaning 'Alien'). Again, the alien's title was directly related to its purpose. The dolls were merely robotic shells that allowed the bird-like aliens to live in the human world. At first they appeared friendly, until the Hunters hurt one of their mini-bird companions. Their main attack was a high-pitched sound, emitting from their mouths, which could cause hemorrhaging in the eyes and ears. Another advantage they had was their high speed: they were able to dodge the X-Gun with ease. When their outer shell was damaged they emerged in their bird forms. They could only survive for a short period of time outside their protective shell since they cannot breathe oxygen (strangely enough, the tiny birds are able to breathe with out any devices). Their leader was a massive bird with pipes protruding from its jaw that allowed it to breathe. Despite its large size it was agile and could evade the delay shot of the X-Gun. Kurono Kei defeated this 'boss' by breaking its gas pipes and shooting it down in midair.
The aliens outer shell was designed based on Seiji Tanaka, a Japanese folk singer from the 70s. The aliens name is a play on his name and the aliens constantly quote his song lyrics.
Characteristics:
- Strong
- Cool
- Bird
Favorite Things:
- Birds
- Sweets
Favorite Saying:
As the name suggests, they were Buddhist Statues. There was a wide variety of them, but overall they were some of the most dangerous aliens yet seen. The first to appear were approximately fifty feet tall and immensely powerful. Nicknamed "Rowdy Alien" and "Grumpy Alien", these aliens guarded the temple at the beginning of the mission. Because they had skeletons and organs beneath their stone-like exteriors, they were vulnerable to X-guns. Kurono killed one by breaking its legs and then firing at its head; the unnamed sniper took the other one out while it was crushing Kurono in its hand. The Hunters then encountered another giant Buddha statue. This one was much sturdier than the others. Kurono killed this one single-handedly when he leapt into a hole in the alien's forehead and destroyed it from within.
Characteristics:
- Strong
- Big
Favorite Things:
- Small places
- Grumpy (Alien Companion)
Favorite Saying:
Characteristics:
- Strong
- Big
Favorite Things:
- Small places
- Rowdy (Alien Companion)
Favorite Saying:
Next the Hunters were attacked by several much smaller Buddhist statues, the most dangerous of which was a statue of the Goddess of Mercy that was within the temple. This creature had in its possession a liquid acid that could eat through a human body in mere seconds as well as a laser that could pierce even the toughest armor. Although it had many other weapons at its disposal, notably a variety of swords, it mostly used the aforementioned. However, what made it so dangerous was its ability to heal itself in seconds through a regeneration disk in one of its hands. It was also capable of getting smarter after ingesting human brains. The statue was revealed to be only an outer shell. Its true form was a lizard-like creature with six arms. This was the first alien to speak coherently. All Gantz members except Kurono were killed in this mission.
In the anime series, almost all the events prior to the Shorty Aliens hunt follow the original story, but in the following mission, a group of new players is selected and their target is Kurono himself. Why Gantz wanted him dead is a question unanswered, but somehow Kurono convinced some of his opponents to trust him and stop viewing him as the enemy.
Characteristics:
- Strong
- Vicious
Favorite Things:
To complicate matters, two serial killers among the newcomers decide to wipe out not just Kurono, but the rest of the party. One of the killers was blown up and the other was captured by Kurono with the Y-Gun. The other players died and whether Kurono himself survived or not is a mystery since this is the last mission shown on the anime. Following the mission, Gantz dissapears from the apartment. It would be logical however, to assume that this mission takes place right before the Shorty aliens mission, despite the disappearance of Gantz in the end of the episode. In the begining of both the anime and manga Gantz appears in the room, even though Nishi had already been a hunter for about a year, leading to the assumption that Gantz frequently appears and disappears from the room. As for Kurono surviving, it makes sense that Gantz made him fight the Shorty aliens alone due to the fact that he was the sole survivor of two entire Gantz teams.
As the name suggests, they were short in height. In this mission, Kurono faced the enemies alone, since all other Hunters were killed during the previous mission. As soon as he realized that Gantz had not recruited any new members, Kurono grabbed as many guns as he could carry. These aliens were strong, fast, and possessed strong telepathic abilities. In fact, they constantly broadcasted their thoughts to Kurono as a method of intimidation during combat. Most of these aliens were killed fairly easily by Kurono, but the last held back and analyzed his strategy, after which it nearly killed him. As the time limit was reached, he failed the mission, resulting in GANTZ taking away all his points.
Aside from their physical and psychic abilities, the aliens had fleshy, wing shaped membranes on their back that could wrap around them and morph into the shape of humans as a disguise. This was not revealed until after the mission.
Characteristics:
- Strong
- Strong will
Favorite Things:
- Virtually Nothing
Favorite Saying:
- "I can see into your heart"
Days later, the only surviving Shorty Alien barged into Kurono's school and massacred everyone in the class but Tae and Izumi. Luckily, Kurono had brought some of his Gantz equipments with him to the school and managed to eventually defeat the alien, though the situation was much complicated by the arrival of the police.
This arc introduces a lot of new Hunters due to the killing spree Izumi goes on in Shinjuku. The Kappe alien itself was not the actual danger of the mission, though he proved to be a worthy enemy. The danger of the mission lay in the "pets" of the Kappe alien, which were a wide variety of aliens posing as dinosaur statues in a museum. Notable among them: three triceratops had the ability to stand upright and increase in muscle mass, several tyrannosaurus rex could shoot fireballs from their mouths, and numerous raptor-shaped aliens. Near the end, a massive alien resembling a brachiosaurus appeared. It had a massive blade coming out of its face and could survive without its head (as its brains were actually located near its stomach). The Kappe alien itself had three stages of mutation, in which he increased in size and strength and his appearance became increasingly frightening.
Characteristics:
- Thickheaded
- Sweats a lot
Likes:
- "This is my place"
- "Don’t look down on me"
- "If you want to leave, then leave!"
Gantz added a special rule for Kurono during this mission (possibly for failing in the previous hunt). He would have to score at least 15 points in this round or be killed. Thus Kurono had to worry not only about his score, but also about defeating all enemies before the time limit, because if this condition was not met, he would end with zero points like in the previous mission. This mission also introduced the Vampires, as they appeared near the end and killed some of the Hunters before Gantz teleported them back to the room.
The mission proved how effective the Hunters had become after training as a team. The aliens themselves resembled massive warriors wearing black armor and riding giant black horses. They relied heavily on their size and giant bladed
Polearm s. They are said to resemble the four deva-kings, but there were eight in all.
Characteristics:
- Those smaller than himself
The Ring alien mission was in fact the shortest mission in the whole series so far. The mission itself was just a setting for the "Tae" mission, since the aliens didn’t pose a real threat to the Hunters.
Though definitely not an alien, Tae became a Gantz target after she accidentally took pictures of the Hunters during the "Ring Alien" mission. Most of the mission involved Kurono trying to save Tae from the other players, as well as the conflict between the players on Kurono’s side and those siding with Izumi. Finally, it was Tae’s love for Kurono which made her return to the playing field just in time to be slashed down by Izumi, for whom it was just another mission.
Characteristics:
"Kei-Chan"
The hunt for the Oni Aliens is likely a major turning point in the story. From the beginning the aliens were visible to humans and later on even the Hunters became visible. Also, the timer simply turned off with no explanation in the middle of the mission. This mission also resulted in the revival of Tae, Katou and Nishi, as well as Kurono gaining freedom.
For the first time, aliens actually appeared to be completely intelligent. Though it is uncertain, the fact that they acted and dressed normally, manipulated cell phones, and even enjoyed human entertainment (as an alien declared that he was a big fan of Reika), seems to suggest that they had been living among humans for a long time. They were also quite aware about Hunters and seemed to hint that more was going on than first appears.
This time, the aliens worked together with the Vampires. Though the Vampires didn't engage in combat, they advised the Oni and provided technology so they could detect the Hunters.
It was also the first time the aliens were waiting for the arrival of the Gantz players, and had gathered in enormous numbers in order to finish the Hunters once and for all. All of them at first looked like humans, but soon revealed their alien side with swordlike claws and an acid spit that easily penetrated the Gantz suits' defenses.
This mission had four "bosses":
- Armed with pyrokinetic ability, the first boss took down many of the Hunters in a single attack, making Inaba the sole survivor of the first strike against him. Later on it faced Sakata and Sakurai. Sakurai died in this fight, but not without taking down the Fire Oni’s eyes and legs, which allowed Sakata to destroy him.
- As its name suggests, it had morphing abilities, but it also possessed great speed. It appeared to be able to negate the X-guns to a limited degree. It first appeared in front of Inaba as an almost naked Reika. After a bit of acting, it managed to have sex with him. The real Reika interrupted before it could kill him. Later, it tried to attack Reika in Kurono’s shape, but Reika actually knew it was him all the time and prepared an ambush with the other Gantzers. After being revealed, he began killing players by entering their bodies in a small form and then transforming into something larger. Kurono beheaded it after one such kill.
- An exceptional fighter with the ability to turn his body into a giant stone golem. He was perhaps Kaze`s peer in fighting ability. The two fought under normal circumstances, enjoying their one-on-one fight. The moment Kaze began to win, the Earth Oni transformed and turned the tide until Kaze used the power in his suit.
- According to the Vampires, this alien was not only the strongest of the Onis, but was the strongest alien ever. This appears true, as it was fast, strong, and could launch blasts of lightning. When they knew he would join the fight, they took the Hunters' extermination for granted and left the battlefield. Angered by the whole genocide of his species, he cursed the world and threatened to kill every single human. He was faced by the whole party (except Inaba, Takeshi and Hoi-Hoi) and no single member stood a chance against him. Kaze managed to break a leg and arm before being partially dismembered by its lighting. This, as expected, had an enormous effect on his speed and made it possible for Kurono to stab him and cut off the horns emerging from his back before getting punched into a building far away, presumed dead by Inaba. Sakata, like Sakurai before, used his powers to blind him, but he was pierced through by the alien. Reika, shocked by everyone's apparent death, did nothing to prevent the alien (though blinded) from catching and nearly crushing her with a single hand. Kurono and Izumi joined together, each weilding a Gantz Sword, to kill it. Surprisingly, every member of the team alive at the start of the last fight survived to the end of the mission, so all were restored to health.
Before each mission, Gantz's black ball opens, displaying a handful of equipment that the players can use in the hunts. They can take these items home after the battles and even use them in their personal matters.
- Unquestionably the most essential piece of equipment the Hunters can employ. Each suit is attuned to an individual body and can only be utilized by that specific Hunter. The suits are tight to a point that the wearer cannot put it on with any kind of underwear, but gives them incredible strength, speed, and endurance. On top of that, the suit provides the player with an almost impenetrable protection to his/her body, even to the head which is fully exposed. Large caliber bullet rounds to the face do not leave as much as a bruise. When in full use, the suits' artificial muscles expand, making the Hunter appear larger. In terms of strength, they can easily lift over fifty times their weight and jump well over thirty feet high. However, the amount of damage it can sustain is limited. Should the suit receive too many powerful impacts without time to recover, the "caps" along the suit will break, releasing the essential chemical that powers it, rendering it as useful as ordinary clothes. The Vampires are apparently aware of the suits, as they often attack the caps directly.
- A device used to track the targets, as it carries a small screen displaying the location of the targets. However, the marker on the radar isn't very precise and has created many situations in which the Hunters ran into trouble pinpointing the exact number and location of the targets. The players can also change cloaking frequencies with this device, rendering them invisible to the naked eye. Some aliens, however, can see through the cloaking field, and there are devices that can do the same, such as the glasses used by the Vampires.
- The most frequently used weapon of the Hunters. The X-gun is a small handgun-sized weapon, that gets its name from the four protrusions around the barrel that spread out like an " X " when fired. It also has an X-ray monitor in the back. Later in the manga, the X-ray device is revealed to be part of a lock-on system that can target multiple enemies at once. The X-gun functions by firing nano-sized explosives which stop and explode inside the target. The effectiveness of this gun is not specific to biological targets as it has been shown to affect the surroundings as well. The only drawback to this weapon is its slow speed. These weapons can also be used to "send" aliens.
- A weapon is similar to the X-Gun in almost every respect in terms of functionality. However, the X-Rifle (which is shaped like a rifle version of the X-Gun) is clearly meant for longer range. It has a much greater firing range, higher accuracy, and a sniper scope. In the Buddha alien mission, one of the Hunters equipped with this weapon stated that its range is at least one kilometer.
- The only non-lethal weapon in the Hunter's arsenal so far. It is a handgun-sized weapon that has the same lock-on capabilities of the X-Gun, but rather than fire out a lethal payload, it instead launches a homing net that securely ties up the target with a strong wire and then buries the points of the net into the ground. Once this is done, the target is "sent" by means of teleportation to an unknown point in space. This weapon gets its name from the Y -shaped barrel that the net launches from.
- The only short range weapon revealed so far. It is a katana-like weapon that is usually in a closed hilt-only state. When in use, an incredibly sharp blade extends from the hilt. It can extend without loss of durability and it is unknown if its length is limited; currently it has only been extended to roughly 30 feet.
- A type of Monowheel and the only vehicle provided by Gantz so far. It doesn't seem to possess any attack ability, but can travel at great velocity. It made its first appearance in the dinosaur mission, in which Kurono and the old man used it numerous times.
Opening
