Kimi ga Nozomu Eien/ Rumbling Hearts

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien (君が望む永遠, Kimi ga Nozomu Eien^? lit. The Eternity You Desire), abbreviated as Kimibou or Kiminozo, is a Japanese visual novel adventure game created by âge, first released in 2001 for the PC, which was later ported to the Dreamcast (by Alchemist) and PlayStation 2 (by Princess Soft) under the title Rumbling Hearts^[1] as all-age versions. A Windows Vista-optimized version of the game, known as Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~Latest Edition~, was released on March 28, 2008.^[2]

The game was adapted into a fourteen-episode anime television series, first airing between October 5, 2003 and January 4, 2004. The three DVD volumes of the series were released in the United States in December 2006, February 2007, and March 2007 respectively. The series was also licensed for release by Revelation Films in the United Kingdom and Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand, under the title "Rumbling Hearts - Kiminozo". It was one of the first anime shows to be officially made available for the iPod through the iTunes Store and is also available through Microsoft's Xbox Live Marketplace.

An anime OVA series called Kimi ga Nozomu Eien ~Next Season~^[3] began its release on December 21, 2007. The booklet that accompanied the first DVD release revealed that the OVA series will be four episodes long. Promotional videos for the new OVA were posted on December 4, 2007.^[4] The OVA series follows an alternate ending that centers around Haruka.

Kimi ga Nozomu Eien's title 君が望む永遠, due to its length, is usually reduced to "君望". This is officially read as "Kimibō", but many read it as "Kiminozo" instead. Both abbreviations are now considered to be acceptable, with "Kiminozo" being officially written as "君のぞ" instead (this is used in Kiminozo Radio). Early English-speaking fans of the series often shorten the title to "KGNE".

Characters

Takayuki Narumi (鳴海 孝之, Narumi Takayuki)^?, (Seiyū: Kishō Taniyama, VA: Kevin M. Connolly)

The protagonist. Takayuki Narumi meets Haruka a year before Mitsuki sets them up during their third year of high school. When he witnesses the still fresh pool of blood next to Haruka's bloodied hair ribbons lying among the shattered glass of the phone booth as the officer in charge of the scene identifies Haruka from her student ID, he develops posttraumatic stress disorder.^[5] Later in the story, he works at a restaurant chain owned by the Sky Temple financial group called "The Family Restaurant", after having regressed in his studies due to the disorder resulting from the accident. In Haruka's absence, he gradually begins to develop a relationship with Mitsuki. In the game the player assumes this role and can choose to pursue and end up with most of the female characters.

Haruka Suzumiya (涼宮 遙, Suzumiya Haruka)^?, (Seiyū: Minami Kuribayashi, VA: Carrie Savage)

A shy, timid girl; Haruka is set up with Takayuki by her friend, Mitsuki, while she is in high school. The two quickly become close, and develop an intimate relationship. She is involved in a serious car accident and ends up in a coma. The main thrust of the story begins when she awakens three years later. She is afflicted with retrograde amnesia, and because of her delicate psyche, her family and Takayuki conceal the truth that three years have passed, which forms much of the tension in the series.

Mitsuki Hayase (速瀬 水月, Hayase Mitsuki)^?, (Seiyū: Chiaki Takahashi, credited as Tomoko Ishibashi; VA: Colleen Clinkenbeard)

Mitsuki is friends with both Takayuki and Haruka, but secretly she has feelings for Takayuki. In high school she was a competitive swimmer, but shortly after Haruka's accident, she finds herself leaving swimming to tend to Takayuki. She throws herself at Takayuki when he fails to climb out of his depression, and reveals her feelings for him.

Akane Suzumiya (涼宮 茜, Suzumiya Akane)^?, (Seiyū: Kaori Mizuhashi, credited as Tomomi Uehara, VA: Leah Clark)

Haruka's younger sister, she initially treats both Takayuki and Mitsuki as older siblings until she finds out they have been seeing each other behind the comatose Haruka's back. While Haruka is in the hospital, she visits her every day. She, like Mitsuki, is a competitive swimmer, but feels as if she can never match Mitsuki, who she initially looks up to. Later, there are hints given that Akane feels something more for Takayuki, but these are not explored fully in the series.

Shinji Taira (平 慎二, Taira Shinji)^?, (Seiyū: Masaki Andou, VA: David Wilson-Brown)

Friends with Takayuki, Haruka and Mitsuki in high school, he drifts off from the group after graduation, though he becomes an important character towards the end of the series. He sometimes presents a counter-balance to the drama of the rest of the characters, as his relationship with his girlfriend (who remains off-screen) seems to be going well.

Ayu Daikuuji (大空寺 あゆ, Daikūji Ayu)^?, (Seiyū: Kiyomi Asai, VA: Luci Christian) and Mayu Tamano (玉野 まゆ, Tamano Mayu)^?, (Seiyū: Kozue Yoshizumi, credited as Kyouko Yoshida, VA: Monica Rial)

Two waitresses who work at the same restaurant as Takayuki. Ayu is the surly daughter of the chief executive officer of the "Sky Temple" financial group, who owns and operates the restaurant chain, and is permitted to work at the restaurant as part of a market study by the financial group on the condition she does not reveal her identity^[6] (the only reason she keeps her job). She works in order to experience society. Mayu is a soft-spoken but well-meaning klutz who has lost her parents and older brother. While in the game they served as one of the many love interests, in the anime they provide the only comic relief for this otherwise serious series. After the credits of several episodes in the series, a 30-second short known as the "Ayu-Mayu Theater" shows them in a comical situation totally irrelevant to the main story with all characters super deformed. They are also known as AyuAyu and MayuMayu.

Hotaru Amakawa (天川 蛍, Amakawa Hotaru^?, (Seiyū: Satoko Kubota, VA: Alison Viktorin), Fumio Hoshino (星乃 文緒, Hoshino Fumio^?, (Fumie in the Funimation English version) (Seiyū: Hitomi, credited as Minami Hokuto , VA: Jamie Marchi) and Manami Homura (穂村 愛美, Homura Manami^?, (Seiyū: Amako Mari, VA: Amy Rosenthal)

Three nurses at the hospital. Hotaru and Fumio attended nursing school together and are very close friends. Hotaru Amakawa suffers from a terminal illness that stopped her physical development and looks like a very young girl. The two are inseparable and Amakawa is often referred to as "Fumio's child" for a nickname, as Hotaru has a very child like stature where as Fumio has a very curvy and maternal stature. Manami, the green haired nurse, is a student nurse who attended the same high school, although two years behind, Takayuki. Manami has a very strong mothering instinct with a desire to take care of people, hence her chosen profession. In the game Manami is introduced in the first chapter and also is in love with Takayuki, but is also too shy to express her feelings for him. In the game, all three are potential love interests. The original Manami ending with the CD was so disturbing that fans wrote to the company calling the ending nightmarish, so in the DVD and PS2 versions of the game, a new ending was added for Manami. In the series, Manami's role is reduced to one line and several silent cameos including a spoof of Ringu in one "Ayu-Mayu Theater" segment where Manami comes out of the TV. Amakawa is given several short scenes in the hospital, where she drops many sexual innuendos into her conversations with Takayuki. Fumio is given a very important scene towards the end involving a conversation with Takayuki, over tea, regarding not realizing how much you love someone who is always by your side until they are gone.

Anime

A 14-episode TV anime based on the game and animated and produced by Studio Fantasia first aired across Japan from October 5, 2003 to January 4, 2004 with the erotic elements from the game greatly toned down and cut to two sex scenes with Takayuki and Haruka (the second mostly showing just a large scar on Haruka's chest running between her breasts post coma that isn't present in the game), three scenes with Mitsuki and Takayuki, a scene with Akane and Mitsuki (Not in the game) where Mitsuki is depicted nude on Takayuki's futon, and a scene with Mitsuki and Shinji (the latter two not being in the game).

The anime provides a realistic depiction of PTSD and presents a believable, although painful, depiction of the effects the disorder have on personal relationships of those who suffer through this disorder. The series consists of 3 timelines: The first one takes place before the accident, which is mostly contained in the first two episodes and covers the development of the relationship between Haruka, Mitsuki, Shinji, and Takayuki in their third year of high school (In Japan high school runs grades 10-12 with students entering high school at age 15 or 16). Akane is also introduced. Later episodes however do flashback prior to the beginning of this timeline and also flashback to this timeline itself and depict photographs of events that happen in this timeline but are not shown, for example the photograph of Mitsuki, Akane, Haruka, and Takayuki at the pool.This timeline ends with all the friends at the hospital with a shot of Takayuki collapsed on the floor and Mitsuki wearing the ring that Takayuki bought on her left ring finger, much like an engagement ring (Unlike the US, the left ring finger is not reserved for engagement, wedding, chastity rings, or less common promise rings in Japan.).

The second timeline takes place one year after the accident. As a prelude to this, Takayuki arrives as the ambulance takes Haruka away from the scene and he witnesses the still fresh pool of blood next to Haruka's bloodied hair ribbons lying among the shattered glass of a phone booth as the officer in charge of the scene identifies Haruka from her student ID. This traumatic experience causes Takayuki's PTSD, which is portrayed in episode 5 of the series; this has affected him more than Mitsuki and Akane. Takayuki and Mitsuki both experience flashbacks, emotional detachment or numbing of feelings (emotional self-mortification or dissociation), insomnia, avoidance of reminders and extreme distress when exposed to the reminders ("triggers"), loss of appetite (Takayuki), feelings of misplaced guilt, memory loss (may appear as difficulty paying attention- Mitsuki), excessive startle responses (Animated as visual changes in the pupils of the eyes), clinical depression, and anxiety three years after Haruka's accident. Akane suffers from hypervigilance, misplaced guilt, and irritability. Haruka herself is left in a coma. At the end of this timeline Haruka's parents ban Takayuki from seeing Haruka after he tries to remove her while comatose from the hospital and Mitsuki offers herself sexually to Takayuki while he is at his emotional low point following the incident. Akane discovers Mitsuki in an unclothed state on Takayuki's futon the next day.

The third timeline takes place three years after the accident. Takayuki is now working part-time at a restaurant called "Sky temple", along with the comic relief characters Ayu & Mayu. Mitsuki and Takayuki have agreed to live together but have difficulty finding a new apartment. Eventually, Haruka reawakens from her coma, oblivious to the goings-on of the previous three years. In addition, she is diagnosed with anterograde amnesia. After having been awake for a month Haruka's memory is not improving. She can't remember anything that happens for more than a few moments and is stuck thinking it is three years ago as if time has stood still for her. Akane contacts Takayuki to inform him that Haruka has awakened. The doctor warns Takayuki and Mitsuki that her condition is very fragile and informs them of the condition of her memory before they enter the room. She tells them not to let her know that three years have passed because she feels the shock would damage her fragile psyche, possibly destroying her will to recover, and trigger a relapse.

Haruka improves after seeing Takayuki, the only thing she can remember since the accident is Takayuki's visit. He sees her a second time and her parents tell him that although they have no right to ask him to continue to see their daughter, in fact they were surprised he even came to see her again, he is what she needs and asks that he visit as frequently as he can. Takayuki is conflicted with his feelings of guilt and responsibility and must choose between Mitsuki and Haruka. The bulk of the rest of the story focuses on the suffering of the characters because of this predicament.

The plot consists of a blend of multiple game storylines, mostly the Mitsuki storyline with a bit of Haruka's storyline mixed with elements from the Akane storyline. The general fate of Amakawa is also disclosed through one scene between Fumio and Takayuki and a line by Fumio at the end of the final episode indicating she died. Manami is limited to one line at the very end and several dialogless cameos. Materials not included in the game due to its perspective being in first person, such as depictions of Mitsuki having sex with Shinji (in certain routes) and Haruka telling Mitsuki that she has a crush on Takayuki while walking home, are also included.

Episodes

#	Title	Original air date
01	"Episode One - Friends to lovers" "Dai Ichi Wa" (第一話)	October 5, 2003
02	"Episode Two - Waiting" "Dai Ni Wa" (第二話)	October 12, 2003
03	"Episode Three - Moving On" "Dai San Wa" (第三話)	October 19, 2003
04	"Episode Four - Betrayed by Love" "Dai Yon Wa" (第四話)	October 26, 2003
05	"Episode Five - Lead Astray" "Dai Go Wa" (第五話)	November 2, 2003
06	"Episode Six - Wishing" "Dai Roku Wa" (第六話)	November 9, 2003
07	"Episode Seven - Always Second Thoughts" "Dai Nana Wa" (第七話)	November 17, 2003
08	"Episode Eight - Old Scars are New" "Dai Hachi Wa" (第八話)	November 23, 2003
09	"Episode Nine - Unraveling" "Dai Kyū Wa" (第九話)	November 30, 2003
10	"Episode Ten - Impulses" "Dai Jū Wa" (第十話)	December 7, 2003
11	"Episode Eleven - Where the Blame Lies" "Dai Jū-ichi Wa" (第十一話)	December 14, 2003
12	"Episode Twelve - Friends to Enemies" "Dai Jū-ni Wa" (第十二話)	December 21, 2003
13	"Episode Thirteen - The Past Will Catch Up" "Dai Jū-san Wa" (第十三話)	December 28, 2003
14	"Final Episode - Mayauru's Gift" "Saishū Wa" (最終話)	January 4, 2004

Magikano

Magikano(マジカノ, Majikano^?) is a manga series by Takeaki Momose, which was later adapted into an anime series, directed by Seiji Kishi and written by Hideki Mitsui.

The anime series was also broadcast by Animax, who adapted and dubbed the series into English for broadcast across its English language networks in Southeast Asia and South Asia from February 2007, where the series received its English language premiere.

ADV Films has licensed the rights for the North American release of Magikano on DVD, and released the first volume on December 4, 2007.^[1] ADV Films' Anime Network began airing the anime on January 3, 2008 on their Subscription On Demand platform.^[2] On March 6, 2008 the anime began airing on their Free On Demand platform.

Plot summary

Haruo is an ordinary junior high school student who leads a peaceful life with his three sisters. One morning, he sees a cute girl across the street who vanishes in a gust of wind. From this point on, his peaceful life becomes anything but peaceful, as ordinary, boring days suddenly take a turn into chaos.

In the end of the story, it is revealed that since the elders can't contain the demon lord's (Haruo) overwhelming power, they have set up Hongō-sensei as the witch to cast the magic spell to reverse the flow of time, and makes the world repeat itself everytime the power is released. She will die each time the process is done because the power of the demon lord is so strong, and this will activate a replacement of her (It's unsure of what the replacement is as it was never been told)

Characters

Haruo Yoshikawa

Haruo Yoshikawa (吉川春生, Yoshikawa Haruo^?)

• Voiced by: Mitsuhiro Ichiki (Japanese), Clint Bickham (English)

Haruo is the leading male of the series, an average junior high school boy who has a perfect attendance record at school and doesn't have any longterm prospects, aside from living a long life. He lives with his three sisters, and has no idea any of them are mahou tsukai (magic users). Haruo, himself, supposedly has latent magic powers, but he is not aware of this, believing he and his family are perfectly ordinary. Maika and his other sisters make sure Haruo is kept in the dark about the fact that they can use magic through liberal application of magic memory erasing hammers (no less than three hammers simultaneously at times). He seems somewhat naive, and always in the dark about the feelings of people (mainly woman who like him) around him. However, he cares about the well being of others. Haruo is in his first year of junior high school (grade 7), in classroom B. In the last episode, Haruo is revealed to be an avatar, or incarnation of the Demon Lord/Maoh. "Haru" means "spring" in Japanese, as he is the oldest in his family.

Ayumi Mamiya

Ayumi Mamiya (魔宮あゆみ, Mamiya Ayumi^?)

• Voiced by: Sakura Nogawa (Japanese), Jessica Boone (English)

Ayumi Mamiya is a young witch who was cursed during her childhood. The only one who could lift this curse is Haruo Yoshikawa, which forces her to study at the same school and move into the Yoshikawa residence as the maid. Because of this, she and Maika constantly get into arguments usually involving Haruo. The only thing Ayumi focuses on is trying to make Haruo a man through flirting and sometimes spells. She uses her curse as an excuse for flirting with him many times, although it is revealed that she truly loves him in the last episode. But as time is reversed it is unknown if she can still remember that she loves him in the last episode.

Maika Yoshikawa

Maika Yoshikawa (吉川舞夏, Yoshikawa Maika^?)

• Voiced by: Mai Nakahara (Japanese), Kira Vincent Davis (English)

Maika is the oldest sister of the Yoshikawa family. She can use magic, and loves cooking for her brother and sisters. She has long lilac-coloured hair, often tied back with green ribbons. She is very protective of her brother Haruo, and was immediately suspicious of Ayumi's intentions. The others often accuse her of having a brother complex, which is not entirely unjustified. As a toddler she subliminally brainwashes Haruo in his sleep by chanting "Big Bro and Maika together forever" repeatedly, and her usually caring and ladylike-personality is replaced by a possessive jealousy whenever any female tries to seduce her brother. "Ka" means "summer" in Japanese, as she is the second oldest in the Yoshikawa family.

Chiaki Yoshikawa

Chiaki Yoshikawa (吉川千秋, Yoshikawa Chiaki^?)

• Voiced by: Kanako Sakai (Japanese), Luci Christian (English)

Chiaki is the middle sister of the Yoshikawa family. She can also use magic, and loves working out and eating food. She has long, voilet hair, often tied back with a red ribbon. Clueless, honest, sincere, and completely without guile and malice, Chiaki is easily the most sweet and likable girl in the cast. "Aki" means "Autumn" in Japanese, as she is the third born in her family.

Fuyuno Yoshikawa

Fuyuno Yoshikawa (吉川冬乃, Yoshikawa Fuyuno^?)

• Voiced by: Tomoko Kaneda (Japanese), Hilary Haag (English)

Fuyuno is the youngest sister of the Yoshikawa family. She can also use magic, and she loves just about anything that involves making money, a subject that makes her adopt the demeanor (and voice) of a Scrooge-like miser many times her years. Many times she comes up with excuses for the strange events which occur to non-magic people, and is fantastic at problem solving. She has short periwinkle hair with a yellow and black ribbon. "Fuyu" means "winter" in Japanese, as she is the youngest in her family.

Sora

Sora Fujiwara (藤原宇宙, Fujiwara Sora^?)

• Voiced by: Sachie Abe

A friend of Haruo's from his class at school, Sora is a boy with glasses who has no dialogue and speaks by taking pictures. He is always seen with his camera. In the original manga, Sora did not wear glasses and talked. Sora is one of the two members of the "Supernatural Science Club".

Hajime Hario

Hajime Hario (針生ハジメ, Hario Hajime^?)

• Voiced by: Katsuhiro Harasawa (Japanese), Greg Ayres (English)

Another friend of Haruo's from his class. Hajime Hario is generally loud and outspoken, and is always on the lookout for girls. The sound of a rooster call typically follows him due to his red hair and mohawk giving him a rooster-like appearance. Harasawa is one half of the "Supernatural Science Club", and thus is constantly showing up when incidents mainly caused by the witches occur. Because of this, he and Sora are some of the ones most hit by the memory loss hammers.

Yuri Kurosu

Yuri Kurosu (黒須ゆり, Kurosu Yuri^?)

• Voiced by: Noriko Namiki (Japanese), Carli Mosier (English)

Yuri is the school's #1 idol as the student council president, but she gets some unwelcome competition when Ayumi transfers in. She met Haruo when she was a little girl, and instantly fell in love. Her hair changes colour (brown to silver) when she uses her battle magic, and instead of a broom/wand she has a large sword she rides like a surfboard. Yuri is still in love with Haruo, hence her constant daydreaming about him, and gets irrationally angry when Ayumi is with him. As an excuse to see him she often says that Ayumi's behaviour is "Against School Policy" and as the Student President she must see that all rules are followed. She sometimes also has wet dreams about Haruo.

Marin Nijihara

Marin Nijihara (虹原真鈴, Nijihara Masuzu^?)

• Voiced by: Haruko Momoi (Japanese), Hannah Alcorn (English)

A Catholic witch hunter who thinks that Haruo was sent from heaven and needs protection from witches (especially Ayumi). She works with Ayumi, Yuri, and/or Maika when she feels that they have a common cause. Marin is an incompetent and clumsy fool who injures herself more in her attacks than any of the "evil-witches" that she so adamantly hunts, not to mention the picture of a Christian zealot who endlessly justifies all her hypocrisies with the mantra "It's in the name of the Lord." It's unclear whether Marin has deeper feelings for Haruo, or if she just admires him for what she calls "keeping away evil witches".

Rika Anju

Rika Anju (杏樹リカ, Anju Rika^?)

• Voiced by: Nana Inoue (Japanese), Tiffany Grant (English)

An enigmatic maid sent by Ayumi's father into the service of the Yoshikawa household, apparently to collect data. An effective maid, she is taciturn and quite able to cause trouble and thwart Ayumi's attempts to seduce Haruo. Her seeming obliviousness to the present conceals a calculating cunning that rivals even Fuyuno's. It is later revealed that she is an artificially-created human.

Mamiya Michiru

Michiru Mamiya (魔宮みちる, Mamiya Michiru^?)

• Voiced by: Natsuko Kuwatani (Japanese), Monica Rial (English)

Ayumi's younger sister, who is determined to stop Ayumi from breaking her curse and one day becoming head of the Mamiya family. She knows that Haruo's powers extend far beyond the ability to break Ayumi's curse and she intends to use that power to take over the world.

Hongō-sensei

Hongō-sensei (本郷哲子, Hongō-sensei^?)

• Voiced by: Noriko Rikimaru (Japanese), Christine Auten (English)

Haruo's class teacher, who seems to always be nearby whenever something strange happens. It is later revealed that she is an artificially-created human immune to certain kinds of magic.

Trivia

• The roles that Sakura Nogawa and Mai Nakahara play in this anime are an exact reversal of the ones they played in their last collaboration, My-HiME, wherein Nogawa played the disturbingly obsessive "little-sister" to the main-male-character and Nakahara played to main romantic female lead.

• In episode 11 of the anime series, Haruo worked part-time in a cake shop to earn some money so that he could buy Christmas presents for the girls. One of his co-workers in the shop is a girl named "Ran" who has a boyfriend named "Shin'ichi". A possible reference from Case Closed.

• The stories told in anime are different from the ones told in the manga due to the manga's ecchi content & the anime changes certain storylines to be suitable.

Episodes

No.	English Title	Japanese Title	Original Air Date
01	Is She Really a Magical Girl?	彼女が魔女って、マジですか? (Kanojo ga majotte, MAJI desuka?)	January 3, 2006
02	Is The Student Council Head Also a Magical Girl?	生徒会長も魔女ってマジですか？ (Seitokaichou mo majotte, MAJI desuka?)	January 10, 2006
03	Are They Really a Pair of Dangerous Siblings?	危険な兄妹ってマジですか？ (Kiken na kyodaitte MAJI desuka?)	January 17, 2006
04	Was it Really Stolen?	盗まれたってマジですか？ (Musumaretatte MAJI desuka?)	January 24, 2006
05	Is She Really a Witch Hunter?	ウィッチハンターってマジですか？ (UICCHI HANTAA tte MAJI desuka?)	January 31, 2006
06	Did a Ghost Really Show Up?	幽霊が出たってマジですか？ (Yuurei ga detatte maji desuka?)	February 7, 2006
07	Did a Maid Really Come?	メイドが来たってマジですか？ (Maid ga kitatte maji desuka?)	February 15, 2006
08	Was it Really a Winner's Kiss?	勝利のキスってマジですか？ (Shouri no kisutte maji desuka?)	February 21, 2006
09	Is He Really a Sleeping Prince?	眠れる王子ってマジですか？ (Nemureru oujitte maji desuka?)	February 28, 2006
10	Are They Really Cursed Cat Panties?	呪いの猫パンツってマジですか？ (Noroi no neko pantsutte maji desuka?)	March 7, 2006
11	Was it Really a Holy Night?	聖なる夜ってマジですか？ (Seinaru yorutte maji desuka?)	March 14, 2006
12	Is it Really the Time of Awakening?	目覚めの刻ってマジですか？ (Mezame no tokitte maji desuka?)	March 21, 2006
13	Is it Really the Last Episode?	最終回ってマジですか？ (Saishuukaitte maji desuka?)	March 28, 2006

.hack//Roots

.hack//Roots (ドットハック ルーツ, Dotto Hakku Rūtsu^?) 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 broadcast in HDTV (720p).

Plot

.hack//Roots is the prequel to the .hack//G.U. videogames. It follows the story of Haseo, a black 'Adept Rogue' (a class that can use multiple weapons) 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 PKers that reside within. He is saved by Ovan, 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 used 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

Main

Haseo (ハセヲ, Haseo^?)

• Real name: Ryou Misaki
• Class: Adept Rogue
• Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese), Andrew Francis (English)

"The Terror of Death" - The protagonist of the series, and a newbie within The World R:2. Haseo had an encounter with PKers (Player Killers) 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 The Forest of Pain, 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, ironically returning him mostly to his senses as well. Outside of the game, Haseo is 17 years old and attends a private school. He lives alone. Haseo visits Shino in the hospital on a daily basis.

Ovan (オーヴァン, Ōvan^?)

Ovan

• Class: Steam Gunner
• Voiced by: Hiroki Touchi (Japanese), Michael Kopsa (English)

"The Rebirth" - 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 escapes, not returning until much later in the series. 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 Azure Kite, and defeated him leaving one witness. As the series reaches it's conclusion, Ovan reveals to Phyllo that he caused the "Lost One's" comas. In his final monologue, he reveals that he wished for Haseo to become powerful so as to defeat him (Ovan). As Azure Kite was always found after people became "Lost One's", whereas Ovan is never caught, the illusion that Azure Kite had been doing this was created. However, the truth of the matter is that Azure Kite was hunting cheaters and those related to Ovan.

Shino (志乃, Shino^?)

• Real name: Shino Nanao
• Class: Harvest Cleric
• Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka (Japanese), Kelly Sheridan (English)

One of the few people close to Ovan who acts 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 a more involved relationship than mere guildmates, as they have both known and seen each other somewhat frequently outside the game as it was alluded to when Shino asked about Ovan's doctor visits. During episode 13 Shino is attacked by Tri-Edge and Azure Kite is framed, 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 a Lost One, since it is rumored that once PKed by Tri-Edge a player can never return to the game. In real life, Shino is 18 and studying medicine.

Sakisaka (匂坂, Sakisaka^?)

• Real name: Shinnosuke Sakamuki
• Class: Steam Gunner
• Voiced by: Ryotaro Okiayu (Japanese), Alistair Abell (English)

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. In Vol. 1 of .hack//G.U., a post on a forum is made by a "The World" player saying that they had previously been playing Riot Gun. This may be a reference to (or indeed be) Sakisaka.

Tabby (タビー, Tabī^?)

Tabby

• Real name: Moe Kubo
• Class: Tribal Grappler
• Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese), Maryke Hendrikse (English)

As her name implies, Tabby somewhat resembles a cat, with feline ears, claws, and hair that acts like a cat's tail. Her character design is similar to that of a Mithra from Final Fantasy XI. 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 was set up to heal both Haseo and PCs defeated by Haseo. After the "100-PKers" incident, the guild disbanded, but the Healer Brigade was started up by former members of Tabby's soon after, perhaps in her honor. The Healer Brigade's by-laws ask for Guild Members to use a beast character while actively healing other players, and continues with her "Power Ranger-like code names" motif. Phyllo also claims she is the only one who can help Haseo (being the only friend he had left at the time). 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 confesses that she is in love with Haseo and desires to help Shino outside of the game, so she leaves to become a nurse.

Naobi (直毘, Naobi^?) /Yata (八咫, Yata^?)

• Class: Macabre Dancer
• Voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki (Japanese), Paul Dobson (English)

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 analyze 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.

Tawalaya (俵屋, Tawaraya^?) /Tohta (籐太, Tōta^?)

• Real name: Junya Murakami
• Class: Shadow Warlock
• Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese), Mark Acheson (English)

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, Endā^?) /Pi (パイ, Pai^?)

• Real name: Reiko Saeki
• Class: Blade Brandier/Tribal Grappler
• Voiced by: Sanae Kobayashi (Japanese), Lisa Ann Beley (English)

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 (フィロ, Firo^?)

• Real name: Nakamura Kojirou
• Class: Harvest Cleric
• Voiced by: Junpei Takiguchi (Japanese), Russell Roberts (English)

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 Azure Kite in episode 14, but then later 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, however it is stated that it was Aina, Ovan's younger sister. When Phyllo met Ovan for the second time, Ovan reveals to him the truth behind Shino's incident: That he was the one who had sent Shino into a coma. Phyllo was 62 in real life and died of terminal cancer at the end of the series, taking the secret to his grave.

Supporting

B Set (Bセット, Bi Setto^?)

• Real name: Shizuka Miura
• Class: Steam Gunner
• Voiced by: Atsuko Enomoto (Japanese), Lalainia Lindbjerg (English)

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^?)

• Real name: Mayumi Hori
• Class: Tribal Grappler
• Voiced by: Hiroshi Yanaka (Japanese), Kirby Morrow (English)

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, Nasubi^?)

• Real name: Hisaki Satou
• Voiced by: Isshin Chiba (Japanese), Brian Drummond (English)

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.

Azure Kite (蒼炎のカイト, Souen no Kaito^?)

• Class: Twin Blade
• Voiced by: Sayaka Aida

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. He was framed as being the legendary PK known as 'Tri-Edge' who left Signs in different areas and left players in comas. It has now emerged that Ovan was the true perpetrator of these attacks, while Azure Kite only ever appeared on the scene while chasing Ovan. It is guessed that Azure Kite is an AI used to destroy or repair data otherwise known as AIDA that would otherwise be dangerous to ordinary players.

IYOTEN

• Class: Blade Brandier
• Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese), Chris Cound (English)

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^?)

• Class: Edge Punisher
• Voiced by: Youko Honna (Japanese), Tabitha St. Germain (English)

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, Saburō^?)

• Real name: Yasuo Nagai
• Class: Edge Punisher
• Voiced by: Shizuka Itou (Japanese), Rebecca Shoichet (English)

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 recognized 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^?)

• Real name: Tomonari Kasumi
• Class: Steam Gunner
• Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki (Japanese), Louis Chrillo (English)

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^?)

• Real name: Kouta Sudou
• Class: Blade Brandier
• Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese), Cathy Weseluck (English)

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^?)

• Real name: Yuuta Sudou
• Class: Blade Brandier
• Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (Japanese), Kelly Metzger (English)

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, Taihaku^?)

• Class: Steam Gunner
• Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakata

The Leader of Ikolo, 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, Seisaku^?)

• Real name: Ryouta Noguchi
• Class: Blade Brandier/Harvest Cleric
• Voiced by: Ryotaro Okiayu

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, from a Blade Brandier to a Harvest Cleric, in order to make it more compatible with Tabby, in which he happily obliges. In .hack//G.U., 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・ヒューイック, Harorudo Hyūikku^?)

• Voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki

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 Forest of Pain 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 3rd form (flick reaper), a process which caused him actual pain.

Pirokio (ピロキオ, Pirokio^?)

• Real name: Takeshi Nomura
• Voiced by: Yuki Matsuda

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, Īta^?)

• Real name: Ryuuji Oota
• Voiced by: Akio Suyama (Japanese), Richard Ian Cox (English)

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, Ochi^?)

• Class: Harvest Cleric
• Voiced by: Jun'ichi Kanemaru

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 (碧, Midori^?)

• Class: Edge Punisher
• Voiced by: Satsuki Yukino (Japanese), Saffron Henderson (English)

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 (英世, Hideyo^?)

• Real name: Seiichi Yokoi
• Class: Harvest Cleric
• Voiced by: Hisayoshi Suganuma

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//G.U., 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 (シラバス, Shirabasu^?)

• Real name: Yuuichi Morino
• Class: Blade Brandier
• Voiced by: Daisuke Sakaguchi

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 (ガスパー, Gasupā^?)

• Real name: Kouta Maki
• Class: Shadow Warlock
• Voiced by: Akiko Yajima

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 (ボルドー, Borudō^?)

• Real name: Nina Kercheis
• Class: Blade Brandier
• Voiced by: Akiko Hiramatsu

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 100-PKers 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.

Episode List

.hack//Roots has 26 episodes and aired on TV Tokyo. The final episode was broadcast on September 27, 2006. In North America, the series started airing on Saturday, November 11, 2006 at 5:00am EST on Cartoon Network, with no prior advertising or announcements given whatsoever. Due to the last few episodes containing spoilers for games not yet released in North America, Cartoon Network chose to restart the series at Episode #1 after only 21 episodes were broadcast, leaving the last five unaired. Starting July 6, 2007, Adult Swim took over Friday nights, leaving the show nowhere to be seen on the schedule. Whether or not the remaining episodes will ever be aired has not been announced.

#	Episode Title	Original Air Date
01	"Welcome to The World"	April 5, 2006
Haseo starts playing and experiences PKers (Player Killers). After they kill him, Ovan revives him. Then almost all the players in the world start asking him about Ovan.
02	"Twilight Brigade"	April 12, 2006
Haseo shows obsessive behavior toward Ovan's mysterious guild. He asks around to find more about it. At the end of the episode, he meets Ovan by a portal. Ovan askes Haseo to join his clan. Haseo responds by saying, "I'll think about it."
03	"Join"	April 19, 2006
Haseo is given an invitation to join the Twilight Brigade as well as one to join TaN. After expending a little time with Shino, Haseo makes his decision.
04	"Forefeel"	April 26, 2006
Shino takes Haseo to another Lost Ground, and later do training. SakiSaka gets suspicious about why Haseo joined and why he talked to Gord about the guild. Later Tabby gets pked by Ender.
05	"Distrust"	May 03, 2006
Due to a series of events, Tabby starts believing Haseo is a messenger for TaN and soon later Haseo leaves the Twilight Brigade.
06	"Conflict"	May 10, 2006
07	"Intrigue"	May 17, 2006
08	"Starting"	May 24, 2006
09	"Melee"	May 31, 2006
10	"Missing"	June 07, 2006
11	"Discord"	June 14, 2006
12	"Breakup"	June 21, 2006
The guild called the Twilight Brigade is being disbanded by Shino. B Set leaves and so does Tabby following Sakisaka, and Phyllo. Haseo promises to stay with Shino even if there was no guild. Shino still wanted to wait for Ovan to return.
13	"Tragedy"	June 28, 2006
Tabby notifies Haseo that Shino has entered the Cathedral alone. When Haseo goes to meet her, he finds that Shino has been PK'd and her character data disappears.
14	"Lost One"	July 05, 2006
Haseo gets upset about Shino and blames himself. He got a call from Shino's mother telling her nothing about her daughter's coma. Phyllo is with Haseo most of the time and Tabby starts a guild with Sakisaka but he resigns his guild and leaves to a new game, which made Tabby all by herself in the game making her lost without anyone but Haseo.
15	"Pad"	July 12, 2006
Tabby meets two new members of the The World. She helps them play the game but says she can't do better like Shino and Sakisaka. Tabby meets Kuhn with Phyllo and Kuhn trains the two newbie brothers and Tabby about the game and how to level up in the game. Haseo is still angry about what happened and remembers the deletion of character data of Shino's and gets revenge on Tri-Edge.
16	"Resolution"	July 19, 2006
Ovan meets Taihaku and while that happens Taihaku goes to the Forest of Pain. Haseo hears about Phyllo encountering Tri-Edge and fights Phyllo and he tells Haseo don't blame himself for her death. Haseo then hears about the new quest and takes it to become stronger and defeat Tri-Edge.
17	"Painful Forest"	July 26, 2006
Ovan fights Tri-Edge. Taihaku and Haseo are in the Forest of Pain. Pi tells Subaro to watch Haseo in the forest to see what he does in there. Taihaku completes the quest and Tabby decides to go to wait for Haseo.
18	"Limit"	August 09, 2006
Taihaku gets his reward a new and rare Steam Gunner weapon. Tabby waits with her friend for Haseo to exit the quest. Haseo made it to the end where he sees a man and he request Haseo to answer his question, Haseo says something negative about his daughter and exited the quest about 30 seconds before the game ended. Haseo appears to Tabby but this time Haseo is different than usual; the shock somehow boosted Haseo to his 3rd adept rouge class, Flick Reaper.
19	"Violation"	August 16, 2006
20	"Pursuit"	August 23, 2006
21	"Defeat"	August 30, 2006
22	"Bonds"	September 06, 2006
23	"Trial"	September 13, 2006
24	"Confront"	September 20, 2006
25	"Truth"	September 27, 2006
26	"Determination"	September 27, 2006
Phyllo dies of cancer. Tohta and Tabby are leaving the The World game to do other things in the real world. Haseo remembers everything about the past 8 months and Tabby visits Haseo in the /_\Mac Anu Central Distract, where she tells Haseo she wants to become a nurse and tells him that she really likes him then leaves. After that, Haseo goes to Δ Hidden Forbidden Holy Ground where he is alone till Tohta came and told him about Phyllo's death. Once after that, the story recaps the events between Shino and Haseo; and Haseo pictures Shino talking to him about what she could expect from him when he does try to save her, then it shows Skeith and the Brandish armor showing that this part in taken before the .hack//G.U. Rebirth.
27	"Returner"	N/A
This episode takes place after the G.U. game trilogy. The characters of both Roots and the games receive an email from Ovan requesting them to visit the festival held on a secret location. There, they encounter many old friends, as well as an AIDA who appears to be non-hostile. At the end of the episode, Ovan is reunited with his sister Aina, who has been comatose since before the beginning of the series.