Juni Taisen: Zodiac War

Jūni Taisen
Light novel cover
十二大戦
Manga
Dōshitemo Kanaetai Tatta Hitotsu no Negai to Wari to Sō demo Nai 99 no Negai
Written by	Nisio Isin
Illustrated by	Hikaru Nakamura
Published by	Shueisha
Magazine	Shōnen Jump+
Demographic	Shōnen
Published	January 8, 2015
Light novel
Jūni Taisen
Written by	Nisio Isin
Illustrated by	Hikaru Nakamura
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	Viz Media
Imprint	JUMP j-BOOKS
Demographic	Male
Published	May 19, 2015
Anime television series
Directed by	Naoto Hosoda
Written by	Sadayuki Murai
Music by	Go Shiina
Studio	Graphinica
Licensed by	NA: Funimation
Original network	AT-X, MBS, Tokyo MX, BS11
Original run	October 3, 2017 – December 19, 2017
Episodes	12
Light novel
Jūni Taisen Tai Jūni Taisen
Written by	Nisio Isin
Illustrated by	Hikaru Nakamura
Published by	Shueisha
Imprint	JUMP j-BOOKS
Demographic	Male
Published	December 12, 2017

Juni Taisen (十二大戦, lit. "12 Wars") is a Japanese light novel written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Hikaru Nakamura. It was published by Shueisha on May 19, 2015.

It is a prequel to their one-shot manga titled Dōshitemo Kanaetai Tatta Hitotsu no Negai to Wari to Sō demo Nai 99 no Negai (どうしても叶えたいたったひとつの願いと割とそうでもない99の願い) published on January 8, 2015. The novel is licensed by Viz Media, who released an English translation in October 2017. An anime television series adaptation by Graphinica aired from October 3 to December 19, 2017.

Its light novel sequel, Jūni Taisen Tai Jūni Taisen (十二大戦対十二大戦, lit. "12 Wars vs. 12 Wars"), was released on December 12, 2017.

Plot

In a city of half a million people who have all been removed, 12 of the deadliest mercenary warriors with the names and attributes of the 12 Chinese zodiac animals are pitted against each other in the 12th Zodiac Tournament which takes place every 12 years. During this rendition, each warrior of the 12 warriors is asked to swallow one of 12 poisonous gems, which will begin to kill each of the 12 warriors after 12 hours. To be granted any one wish of their choosing, the winner must retrieve all the 12 gems from the other 11 competitors before the deadline (12PM, December 12). It becomes a merciless battle where survival is crucial at any means.

Characters

Characters are listed in the order of the Chinese Zodiac.

Tsugiyoshi Sumino (Nezumi)/Rat

Voiced by: Shun Horie (Japanese); Daman Mills (English)

He is a silver-haired, perceptive young man who is always appears sleepy. He has an ability called "The Hundred Paths of Nezumi-san" which allows him to choose or experience 100 possible realities. The path he chooses becomes the definite reality, however the process is mentally exhausting which explains his sleepy appearance. He formed an alliance with the pacifist Monkey. His way of killing is "killing all".

Eiji Kashii/Ox

Voiced by: Yūichirō Umehara (Japanese); Ian Sinclair (English)

He is a horned man with long black hair who carries a long thin sabre called Goboken. He was regarded as the "Genius of Slaughter", an unparalleled warrior and one of the favorites to win the tournament. His way of killing is "killing systematically".

Kanae Aira/Tiger

Voiced by: Hiromi Igarashi (Japanese); Colleen Clinkenbeard (English)

She is a young orange-haired woman with a long chain extending from a collar around her neck and a tendency to drink to excess. She was a martial arts master prior to becoming a soldier and discovered her bestial drunken fist techniques after a night of despair-driven binge drinking. She encountered Ox years earlier on a battlefield and was influenced by his philosophy. During the tournament she agrees to a truce with Ox for their mutual benefit. Her way of killing is "killing in a drunken rage".

Usagi/Rabbit

Voiced by: Nobuhiko Okamoto (Japanese); Jerry Jewell (English)

He is a gaunt, white-haired, psychotic young man who fights with two long knives. He used speed and agility to close in on his opponents. He is also a necromantist who can control the bodies of those he kills like puppets whom he calls his "friends". Even after his apparent death, he can control the re-animated bodies and body parts of his puppets who still retain their original abilities. His way of killing is "killing psychotically".

Nagayuki Tsumita/Dragon

Voiced by: Takuya Eguchi (Japanese); Clifford Chapin (English)

He is the older twin brother of Snake. He has the ability to stand on air and possibly fly, and uses liquid nitrogen in a tank on his back to create a stream of freezing air. His way of killing is "killing for money".

Takeyasu Tsumita/Snake

Voiced by: Kōsuke Toriumi (Japanese); Matt Shipman (English)

He is the younger twin brother of Dragon and used a flamethrower with a tank of fuel on his back. He was killed by Rabbit before the competition began and then became his puppet. He possesses a radar like sense by feeling vibrations in the ground around him. His way of killing is "killing for money".

Yoshimi Sōma/Horse

Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese); Randy E. Aguebor (English)

He is a self-proclaimed moderate with enormous stature. He was a soldier who became a warrior after his body was modified with the help of medicine and science to gain incredible strength and developed an impenetrable defense technique called the "stirrup". He hoped to form an alliance with Ox during the tournament. His way of killing is "killing silently".

Sumihiko Tsujiie/Ram/Sheep

Voiced by: Chō (Japanese); Kenny Green (English)

He is a short, horned old man and a past winner of the Juni Taisen. His expertise is using explosives and grenades which he honed during his younger years as an arms dealer and smuggler. He volunteered to join the present Juni Taisen, to spare his family despite his low chance of success. His way of killing is "killing deceptively".

Misaki Yūki (Sharyu)/Monkey

Voiced by: Saori Hayami (Japanese); Caitlin Glass (English)

She is a short-haired, spectacled young woman. She is a renowned pacifist and mediator, responsible for facilitating countless ceasefires across many battles, however with mixed results for the surviving populations. At the start of the tournament, she proposed a peace agreement in which the winner of the tournament would wish all competitors back to life, so no warrior would have to die permanently. She formed an alliance with Rat during the tournament. She possesses the power to transmute any material she touches into another state, such as turning stone into sand. Her way of killing is "killing peacefully".

Ryōka Niwa/Rooster/Chicken

Voiced by: Ayane Sakura (Japanese); Monica Rial (English)

She is a young, green-haired woman in a brief costume made of feathers with a timid and hesitant personality. She possesses the ability "Eye of the Cormorant," which allows her to communicate with and control birds. During the tournament she approached Dog with an alliance to defeat Rabbit and his puppets. Her way of killing is "killing by pecking".

Michio Tsukui/Dog

Voiced by: Tomohiro Nishimura (Japanese); Chuck Huber (English)

He is a dark-haired man with dog-like characteristics. He has the ability to produce deadly poisons for both killing enemies and doping allies. He also believes he can synthesize an antidote to the poison gem within his body. He agreed to form an alliance with Chicken although he had little respect for her fighting abilities. His way of killing is "killing by biting".

Toshiko Inō/Boar

Voiced by: Yōko Hikasa (Japanese); Stephanie Young (English)

She is a young blond haired woman and daughter of the last tournament winner from 12 years earlier. Although initially reluctant to kill when she was younger, she earned her position by driving her younger sister to suicide when their father did not choose her for the tournament. She uses twin medium caliber machine guns, with a "non-reload" ability giving her unlimited ammunition. Her way of killing is "killing bountifully".

Duedeculpe

Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto (Japanese); Mark Stoddard (English)

The mysterious referee whose job it is to host and manage the Zodiac Tournament and grant the winner's wish. The tournament is not only a proxy battle for control of the countries possessed, but also to control the betting on the outcome. He monitors the tournament in the presence of faceless VIP avatars. When only 6 warriors remain, the VIPs can begin wagering on individual warriors, and when only 3 warriors remain they can bet on the outcome.

Media

Light novel

Nisio Isin and Hikaru Nakamura wrote and illustrated the novel respectively, which was published by Shueisha on May 19, 2015. Viz Media have licensed the light novel for an English release.

Manga

A manga adaptation by Akira Akatsuki has been announced and was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen Jump+ app and website on September 23, 2017. Viz Media started distributing the manga via Weekly Shonen Jump on September 23, 2017.

Anime

An anime adaptation is produced by Graphinica, with Naoto Hosoda directing, Sadayuki Murai writing scripts, Chikashi Kadekaru designing characters, and Go Shiina composing the music. It aired from October 3 to December 19, 2017. The opening theme is "Rapture" by Panorama Panama Town, while the ending theme is "Keshin no Kemono" (化身の獣) by Do as Infinity. It ran for 12 episodes. Crunchyroll streamed the series. Funimation is streaming the series with a simuldub.

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No.	Title	Original air date

External links

• Official website Template:Ja icon
• Juni Taisen: Zodiac War (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia