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.hack//Roots

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.hack//Roots
.hack//Roots
GenreScience Fiction, Fantasy, Drama, Shounen
Anime
.hack//Roots
Directed byKoichi Mashimo
StudioJapanBee Train
Related Works

.hack//Roots is a 26-episode anime series, animated by studio Bee Train, that makes up one of the storylines of the .hack//G.U. franchise, a sequel to .hack. It is the first .hack tv series broadcasted in HDTV (720p)

Template:Spoilers .hack//Roots is the prequel to the .hack//G.U. videogames. It follows the story of Haseo, a black Multi-Weapon and member of the Twilight Brigade guild. In the year 2015, CC Corp. Building burnt down, and with it, most of its data for The World. By splicing data from what would have potentially been another game, CC Corp. created The World R:2 and released it in 2016. The main revisions of this release were that the game allowed for guild and PvP (player vs player) play.

Starting eight months before .hack//G.U. and finishing during the events of the first .hack//G.U. game; Rebirth, Haseo logs into The World R:2 for the first time and falls victim to the PKs that reside within The World R:2. He is saved by Ovan and Shino, which prompts him to join the Twilight Brigade.

The Twilight Brigade members are on a mission to find the Key of the Twilight, however, the TaN guild opposes this because they want Ovan's character data possibly because of his device in his arm and will stop at nothing to keep the Twilight Brigade from their goal. But possibly the reason is because Ovan is after it.

Their current mission is to find the 6 virus cores before TaN does. Haseo has the green virus core and the purple core, Shino has the red, Sakisaka the Yellow, Ovan the grey, and Gord has the blue one. There is a Lost Ground with 5 towers, where the Brigade use the supposedly-unusable virus cores. When the five are used it transports them to the tower above the 5 small towers to where they can find the last virus core.

This mission, unfortunately, was just a trap made by the members of TaN in order to investigate Ovan's strange character data. With Ovan gone, and no sign of the Key of the Twilight, the Twilight Brigade quickly breaks apart. B-set and Gord quit the game entirely, and Sakisaka and Tabby quit the guild, even though Tabby is still hopeful things will pick up. Shino goes into 'mourning' over Ovan, as it has been hinted that their relationship is that of more than friends, with Haseo by her side supporting her. However, even this is quickly shattered, as Shino is soon after killed within the game. What's even more alarming, is that Haseo can't contact her in real life...

Characters

File:Haseo.jpg
Haseo
  • Haseo (ハセヲ) (Ryou Misaki) - Adept Rogue: The protagonist of the series, and a newbie within The World R:2. Haseo had an encounter with PKs before joining the Twilight Brigade. He appears to be obsessed with Ovan's enigmatic nature, which he soon discovers isn't so unusual. He is an outsider in real life, and not very good at dealing with people. In the first episode of the series, Ovan tells Haseo that he has 'potential', which now appears to be a reference to Haseo's potential as an Epitaph-PC. This explains the bizarre abilities Haseo has exhibited a few key moments within the series. He seems to care for Shino in a more than platonic way. After Shino goes into a coma, Haseo starts to become extremely depressed and also very angry whenever Shino or Tri-Edge are mentioned. He completed a special event known as Painful Forest, which was said to be impossible to complete, and was upgraded straight to his 3rd Form. He is now trying to hunt down Tri-Edge, using his newly gained power status to PK players in an attempt to find information. After his transformation he becomes even more mentally unstable and anti-social. While trying to find information on Tri-Edge, Haseo reunites with Ovan who tells him that he will find Tri-Edge at the Hulle Granz Cathedral. Haseo fights Tri-Edge but is defeated and stripped of all his power and equipment. Outside of the game, Haseo is 17 years old and attends a private school. He lives with his father but as he runs a large business enterprise, his father spends very little time at home. Haseo visits Shino in the hospital on a daily basis.
File:Ovan.jpg
Ovan
  • Ovan (オーヴァン, Ōvan) - Steam Gunner: The Guildmaster of the Twilight Brigade, Ovan has some strange device sealed around his left arm. He is an enigma to those who know him. Many people think he is odd, due in large part to his search for the Key of the Twilight, an item that may not exist. He is often searching for information on the Key of the Twilight, and is almost never seen around town. Apparently, Ovan's PC data is as large as an entire field, which may be due to the fact that it contains the black matter, the material that make up AIDAs that possess PCs, or possibly the epitaph of Corbenik, the last of the Eight Phases. The data is apparently mostly in his left arm, in which Naobi had unlocked upon capturing him. After the incident, Ovan somehow escaped but has yet to contact his comrades. He has also contacted or ran-into Taihaku, the reasons for this are unknown, but it may be connected to his wish to make Haseo stronger. He encountered Tri-Edge and somehow survived, though the data or power he possesses there in his left arm most likely helped. As of now he seems to be keeping a low profile, whether for his hidden agenda or for some other reason. He appears once again to inform Haseo of exactly where he will find Tri-Edge.


File:Dothackshino.jpg
Shino
  • Shino (志乃) (Shino Nanao) - Harvest Cleric: One of the few people close to Ovan and was acting as leader of the Twilight Brigade whenever Ovan is incapable of doing so. Gentle-mannered but strong-minded, she holds the Twilight Brigade together during Ovan's frequent absences. She and Ovan seem to have had a more involved relationship than mere guildmates, as they have both known and seen each other somewhat frequently in reality as it was alluded to when Shino asked about Ovan's doctor visits. During episode 13 Shino appeared to be attacked by Tri-Edge, resulting in her PC seemingly erased and her real self sent into a coma. She had been living alone and her landlord discovered her unconscious. The doctors cannot treat her because they do not know the cause behind her coma. Those who have suffered fates like hers are referred to as Unreturned, since it is rumored that once PKed by Tri-Edge a player can never return to the game. In real life, Shino is 20 and studying medicine.


File:Sakisaka speaking.jpg
Sakisaka
  • Sakisaka (匂坂) (Shinnosuke Sakamuki) - Steam Gunner: Sakisaka left another guild to join the Twilight Brigade and was a member during its previous incarnation, he often helps beginners like Haseo and a lot more with Tabby to level up. He is skeptical that the Key of the Twilight even exists and often complains that the Twilight Brigade's search is meaningless. He quit the Twilight Brigade after Ovan's disappearance, assuming Ovan had stolen the Key of the Twilight for himself, and formed a Guild with Tabby, but as of episode 13, Sakisaka has quit the game and gone to another called Riot Gun. In real life he lives in a small apartment and is 19.


Tabby
  • Tabby (タビー, Tabii) (Moe Kubo) - Tribal Grappler: She slightly resembles a cat, with cat ears, claws, and her hair acts like a cat's tail. Her weapon of choice is a pair of large cat paws that she uses to slash at enemies. Tabby has been playing about as long as Haseo and usually fights alongside Sakisaka in the field. She often refers to Sakisaka as her "master" or "teacher." She is loyal, friendly and positive (though she points out that she's not cheerful because she wants to be). She has quit the Brigade alongside Sakisaka. Unlike Sakisaka, she has yet to quit the game, opting to try and help Haseo instead. She momentarily caught Yata and Pi's attention, though Saburo doubted she was ever particularly special. Kuhn offered her a place in Canard which she denied. Yata and Pi still seem to feel that Tabby has some untold role to play, despite being a seemingly ordinary player. Tabby created a Guild, under Tohta's guidance, known as the Paw Brigade, which is set up to heal both Haseo and PCs defeated by Haseo. Phyllo also claims she is the only one who can help Haseo. Tabby is 16 and it appears as though Tabby doesn't get along with any of her family members, particularly her older sister, who is more academic than her. At the end of the series Tabby desires to help Shino outside of the game, so she leaves to become a nurse.


  • Naobi (直毘)/Yata (八咫) - Danse Macabre: The mysterious former Guildmaster of TaN. Naobi appears to be obsessed with Ovan's search for the Key of the Twilight or rather Ovan himself, though his motives is unknown. He and Ovan seem to go way back, although precisely how far is unknown. Naobi was the one who first told Ovan about the Key of the Twilight. Naobi appears as a large dark blue cat creature. After capturing Ovan to analyse his PC, his illegal activities were reported by Shino over what had happened with Ovan, and he was forced to abandon Naobi, which turns out to be nothing more than a PC to hide his true identity, and now controls Yata; meaning Naobi was a System-Administrator. He and Pi are keeping tabs on Haseo as well as waiting for any strange activity to take place in The World.


  • Tawaraya (俵屋)/Tohta (籐太) (Junya Murakami) - Shadow Warlock: The figure-head and finance treasurer of TaN. Tawaraya is a college student who is planning to study abroad. He acts very business-like while playing and appears to deal in items and information through TaN. His account has been terminated or suspended due to TaN's illegal activities but he has since come back with a new PC known as Tohta in order to take care of unfinished business before leaving. Both his PC's names were connected to a historical figure known as Tawara no Tohta. He disliked the recent practice of 'Real-Money Trading' within The World and managed to get Yata to have the The World's administration to delete or suspend PCs that were doing so within the game. He has since accepted to inform Wool and Cashmere of Tabby's whereabouts, as well as offered to collect information on Tri-Edge for Haseo. He is 22 in real life and planning to study abroad.


  • Ender (エンダー, Endaa)/Pi (パイ, Pai) (Reiko Saeki) - Blade Brandier/Tribal Grappler: A PK and the former head of TaN's 'black ops'. She acts as the enemy, as well as stalker, of the Twilight Brigade on Naobi's orders and assists him in his illegal activities. Little is known about her motives but she seems to plan on taking the Key of the Twilight for herself, or so it seems. She seems to take pleasure in hunting down members of the Twilight Brigade and PK them after shaking them up for information. After assisting in Naobi's capture of Ovan's PC, she was made an outlaw like him and was forced to use her administrative PC: Pi. She has a contact named Saburo; a former member of TaN that worked under her. Pi keeps an eye on players such as Haseo and Tabby, and sends Saburo in her stead to keep herself unnoticed, as well as have observation surveillance done on Haseo. She tells her story of how she was supposedly awakened as an Epitaph-PC to Yata in .hack//Roots episode 20. In episode 22 she shows her Avatar to Kuhn. Pi is 24 in real life and the sister of Jun Banshoya, one of the people that worked on Project GU.


Phyllo.
  • Phyllo (フィロ, Firo) (Nakamura Kojirou) - Harvest Cleric: Phyllo does not belong to any Guild and is unusually old for someone playing The World R:2. He is an U-zoku character and is almost always seen floating in midair. He acts as a mine of information for Haseo, having connections with numerous influential PCs, including Ovan, Naobi and Taihaku. Phyllo likes to hang out in town and does not venture out into the fields often. Despite this, his character is strong and he can hold his ground against melee players. It was Phyllo who introduced Shino to Ovan. He was attacked by Tri-Edge in episode 14, but the latter backed off after realising that Phyllo was not Ovan, who he was looking for and had been at the same area as Phyllo only seconds earlier. Phyllo is also the only one to have survived an attack by Tri-Edge without suffering any side-effects to himself or his PC. Later on, this catches Pi and Yata's interest. It was stated during Yata's interrogation of Phyllo that he met a female PC who introduced him to Ovan, though her identity is unknown, but more than likely it was Shino. Phyllo was 62 in real life and died of terminal cancer at the end of the series.


  • B Set (Bセット, B Setto) (Shizuka Miura) - Steam Gunner: A former Twilight Brigade member from the Guild's previous incarnation and a friend to Phyllo. She joined because she was interested in Ovan, but eventually grew tired of their seemingly meaningless activities and left only to help them out in order to appease her curiosity. B Set apparently quit the game soon after Gord, stating that she could never compete against Shino for Ovan's confidence and attention, that and Ovan was no longer around. In real life, B set is 24.


  • Gord (ゴード, Gōdo) (Mayumi Hori) - Tribal Grappler: Another former member of the Twilight Brigade, Gord considers himself to be a bringer of justice, but is really just another PK, saying things like 'save the weak and defeat the strong'. He is constantly saying 'defeat Ovan' and appears to hold a self-deluded vendetta against his former Guildmaster, wishing to prove that he isn't as useless as he believes Ovan thinks, which eventually leads to him helping the Twilight Brigade. He apparently quit playing the game after Ovan's disappearance, stating that he had too many problems in the real world. In real life, Gord is a 15 year-old girl.


  • Nasubi (なすび) (Hisaki Satou) - ???: A relatively minor character that has only appeared a few times so far. Nasubi is one of Gord's contacts and provides him with information that he believes will be of interest in return for a fee. He also appears to have some connection with B Set. In real life, he is 19 years old.


File:TriEdge.jpg
Tri-Edge
  • Tri-Edge (三爪痕) - Twin Blade: A mysterious PC that appears sparingly and resembles the legendary hero Kite, the protagonist of the original .hack games. However his involvement in the .hack//Roots series is still largely unknown besides for the fact that he has in his possession the "Bracelet of Twilight." He can move from field to field without the need of a Chaos Gate, and is shown actually manipulating the grid of data itself. As seen in episode 13 and 17 he has the power to Data Drain players, which supposedly resulted in Shino falling into a coma. However, when he fought Ovan, who he now appears to have been pursuing, he was destroyed in a similar fashion to Shino. Since his encounter with Ovan, Tri-Edge has not appeared within The World until Episode 24, when he faces Haseo and defeats him after regenerating.


  • IYOTEN - Blade Brandier: One of a pair of PKs, alongside Asta, that showed Haseo how to play The World before attempting to PK him. He and Asta were PKed themselves by Ovan and this lead to their encounter, though it is speculated that Ovan himself hired them both. They later encountered Haseo and were PKed by him as a result.


  • Asta (アスタ, Asuta) - Edge Punisher: Asta acts as a partner to Iyoten and showed Haseo how to play The World before attempting to PK him and being PKed herself by Ovan. Though a female PC, Asta is actually a guy and speaks as if she is playing the role of a samurai within the game. She encountered Haseo again in a dungeon and was PKed along with Iyoten.


  • Saburo (三郎) (Yasuo Nagai) - Edge Punisher: A mysterious character of whom very little is known, she constantly talks in riddles and analogies, causing great confusion to those around her. Saburo's gender seems uncertain because even though her PC is female and she insists that she is a girl, she has a boy's name and speaks in a masculine manner. She appears to have been a former member of TaN before it was disbanded, and she also recognised Pi as Ender. Saburo severed her ties to Yata and Pi after deciding not to follow Haseo through the Painful Forest event. Pi managed to trick Saburo into fighting Haseo so Yata could test his potential as an Epitaph-PC and she was PKed rather easily and fairly quickly as a result. Why Saburo did this is unsure, she may have been doing this so as to not allow the satisfaction to Pi, and to see what Haseo is capable of herself. Saburo was present in the Hulle Granz Cathedral when Haseo fought Tri-Edge, though it doesn't appear as if anyone was aware of her presence. In real life, Saburo is a 24 year-old man.


  • Kuhn (クーン, Kūn) - Steam Gunner: An acquaitance of Phyllo's who he recommends to help Tabby, Wool, and Cashmere get used to the more advance rules within The World. Since then, Kuhn has discovered something he is actually good at, which is teaching newbies to play The World. He decided to take up this role by forming Canard, a newbie-help Guild, which also appears in .hack//G.U. He has since awakened as an Epitaph User due to an encounter with AIDA and, as a result, was approached by Pi and joined her as part of Project GU. Unlike Pi, he cannot control his Avatar.


  • Wool (ウール, Ūru) (Kouta Sudou) - Blade Brandier: Cashmere's older brother. Their mother was not so critical about his studies, and feels guilty now that Cashmere must study all the time to make up for his own failure. One of two new players that Tabby encounters and attempts to help. He is then helped out by Kuhn after it becomes apparent that Tabby knows very little about playing The World. They decide to support Pirokio and Iita's decision to lower their prices by selling them items and have hired Tohta to find out what Tabby is doing. In real life, Wool is 14.


  • Cashmere (カシミヤ, Kashimiya) (Yuuta Sudou) - Blade Brandier: Younger brother of Wool. Started to play The World R:2 to take a break from his studies. He and his brother have to hide the fact that they play from their parents, especially their mother. Tabby encounters Cashmere and Wool during their first day playing and attempts to help. Tabby is then helped out by Kuhn after it becomes apparent that she knows very little about playing The World. They decide to support Pirokio and Iita's decision to lower their prices by selling them items and have hired Tohta to find out what Tabby is doing. In real life, Cashmere is 12.


  • Taihaku (太白) - Steam Gunner: The Leader of Ikoro, a Guild for Arena Champions, and incredibly powerful. A lawful and thoughtful player, he apparently has some connection to Phyllo. He was the first to complete the Painful Forest event and earned a rare Steam Gunner weapon, though he has since doubted that he actually did win. Taihaku has said that if Haseo's sudden increase in power was the actual prize, then he's glad that he didn't win.


  • Seisaku (清作) (Ryouta Noguchi) - Harvest Cleric: A player that Kuhn approached for recruitment into his guild; Canard. He denies this offer because he feels it isn't newbies that are threatened by PKs, but those with at least some power. He has recently joined Tabby's Guild, the Paw Brigade, and has been told by Tohta to remake his character in order to make it more compatible with Tabby. In .hack//GU, an U-zoku character named Seisaku appears as a Harvest Cleric of the Guild known as Medic Union, which is very similar to the Paw Brigade in terms of structure and goal. In real life, Seisaku is 16.


  • Harald Hoerwick (ハロルド, Harorudo): Though Harald Hoerwick does not personally appear in .hack//Roots, both Taihaku and Haseo witness an unusual AI version of Harald Hoerwick at the centre of the Painful Forest event. With each of them, he asked them, "How is my daughter?" Taihaku gave him a desirable answer and was given a Steam Gunner weapon. Haseo gave him an incorrect and rather offensive answer, and thus lost his Twin Swords, but was instead upgraded straight to his Flicker Mode, a process which caused him actual pain.


  • Pirokio (ピロキオ) (Takeshi Nomura) - ???: One of the numerous traders that have sprung up as a result of the disbanding of TaN. He works alongside Iita and after meeting Tohta, decided to trade the 'Tawaraya way' and lower his prices despite the inflation. Pirokio was a member of TaN along with Iita. In real life, Pirokio is 21.


  • Iita (イータ) (Ryuuji Oota) - ???: One of the numerous traders that have sprung up as a result of the disbanding of TaN. Iita uses a female PC but doesn't bother altering his voice to hide his actual gender. He works alongside Pirokio and assists him during trades, he is quite wary of Pirokio's move to suddenly lower their prices. Iita was a member of TaN along with Pirokio. In real life, Iita is a 32 year-old man.


  • Ochi (オチ) - Harvest Cleric: One of the numerous traders that have sprung up as a result of the disbanding of TaN. Ochi is a 'Real-Money Trader' and falls afoul of Tohta after his influence begins lowering prices and taking business away from him and his guild. He was found out as a Real-Money Trader and was taken away for questioning, his account was, presumeably, suspended or deleted soon afterwards.


  • Midori - Edge Punisher: Midori is known as a Professional Victim, a person that allows you to attempt to PK them without fighting back for a certain length of time, and the protagonist for .hack//CELL. In .hack//Roots, we see the point at which Midori first encounters Haseo on his mission to find out more about Tri-Edge.


  • Hideyo (Seiichi Yokoi) - Harvest Cleric: Hideyo is a friend of Seisaku's in the real world. He was offered a position in Tabby's Guild by Seisaku, and is helping Tabby in her mission to help Haseo by healing him, as well as healing those PKed by him. In .hack//GU, an U-zoku character named Hideyo is one of the members of the Medic Union Guild, which is very similar to the Paw Brigade in terms of structure and goal. In real life, Hideyo is 12.


  • Silabus (Yuuichi Morino) - Blade Brandier: Silabus is one of the two players that Kuhn invited to become members of Canard. After Kuhn was enlisted as part of Project GU, Silabus took over as Guildmaster of Canard. In real life, Silabus is 19.


  • Gaspard (Kouta Maki) - Shadow Warlock: Gaspard is one of the two players that Kuhn invited to become members of Canard. He is the only member of Canard besides Silabus after Kuhn left to become a part of Project GU which left Gaspard very upset. In real life, Gaspard is 13.


  • Bordeaux - Blade Brandier: Bordeaux is a PK from Kestrel who commonly forms a Party with Negimaru and Grein. She appears to be one of Tohta's contacts, which may explain why she had a Virus Core in her possession earlier on in the series. She was the person behind the PK ambush on Haseo, hoping to make him achieve legendary status so she could become a legend in The World by PKing Haseo. In real life, Bordeaux is 14.

Japanese Cast

Episodes

.hack//Roots has 26 episodes and aired on TV Tokyo. The final episode was broadcast on September 27, 2006.

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