Post by Melissa Foxworthy on Dec 2, 2007 23:50:06 GMT -5
Set several years after "The Great Uprising", a future geological phenomenon near Tokyo, people have developed a power granting them the ability to deconstruct, reshape, and crystalize matter at a molecular level using only thought and willpower. These people have come to be known as "Alter" users, and with only 1% of the newborn generations receiving such special power (though later in the series it is stated that the number has increased to 5% and steadily continuing to rise), some feel a superiority over normal humans.
There are two opposing forces of alters: the Native Alters, a group of Alter users who live outside the central city and avoid any relationships with the government; and HOLY, an organization of Alter users that are a subgroup of an organization called HOLD. HOLD functions as the Mainland government's super police force of the Lost Ground, while HOLY, composed exclusively of Alter users, serves as the 'special operations' group, aiding HOLD in performing dangerous missions that might require the help of an Alter user.
Kazuma (dubbed "The Treasoner" in the manga and "The Shell Bullet" in the anime) and Ryuhou are the two Scryed characters bearing a rivalry used to drive and focus the plot. They spend much of the series trying to defeat each other, even when they are forced to work together. Neither can forget their bitter rivalry.
There is also a narrator, Kanami. Kanami is a friend of Kazuma's whom Kazuma protects. She narrates the series with her dreams, unknowingly using her alter power to 'scry' the emotions of the people she feels closely about. Her ability to peer into the emotions of the main characters is used frequently through-out the series to bring insight to the characters, and to tease viewers during previews for the next episode.
The series progresses through the initial introduction of the Alter power to a wider reaching understanding of the politics and reason for "The Great Uprising". Each episode showcases a new Alter user, and their Alter, or a growth of the Alter of a previously introduced character. "The Great Uprising" is later revealed to be caused by a similar event in a parallel universe where all creatures are independent thinking Alters. During one of Ryuhou and Kazuma's battles, they open a gateway to the parallel universe, causing another uprising and attracting the attention of the Mainland government. The Mainland sends its agent, Kyouji Mujo, to the Lost Ground in an attempt to exploit the power of the parallel universe for economic gain. Mujo develops delusions of grandeur after becoming the defacto head of the Lost Ground government and absorbing the crystal entity from "the other side" to add to his already formidable Alter power. Both he and the crystal entity are defeated by the separate efforts of Kazuma and Ryuhou, respectively. The Mainland once again attempts to exert control over the Lost Ground by sending in a fleet of refined Alter users under their control, but they are defeated by Kazuma and Ryuhou.
After defeating the Mainland forces, Kazuma and Ryuhou engage in one final battle to settle their rivalry. After exhausting themselves to the point that they are too weak to maintain their Alters (and indeed, barely able to stand up), the fight on with their bare hands. In the final scene, a silhouetted fist is raised by the victor.
The concept of an "Alter" bears a striking resemblance to the "stands" present in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure; both are manifestations of some personal energy that give the user extraordinary abilities and manifest as a variety of objects, and each individual has a different power that they draw upon their abilities to bestow upon them. While the stands in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure often take the form of a human or humanoid entity (this is not always the case, as with Hol Horse of part 3 whose stand is a gun), Alters rarely resemble human beings; the most notable exceptions being Sou Kigetsuki's three female Alter creations (which are just pieces of his real Alter), Ryuhou's Zetsuei, and The Crystal, which bears quite a striking resemblance in appearance to the hero of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's third series Stardust Crusaders, Jotaro Kujo's, "Star Platinum".
Kazuma (カズマ, Kazuma?)
Voiced by: Sōichirō Hoshi (Japanese), Steven Jay Blum (English)
Age 16, Kazuma is the main character that the story follows. At first, Kazuma is portrayed as a reckless Alter User who will do anything for money. Those around him don't know he is an Alter User, and believe that he's simply avoiding his work when he runs off for Kimishima's "jobs". Kazuma has a temper, but it's shown he also deeply cares about his friends, putting his life on the line whenever they are in danger. Originally, Kazuma was classified as a "Class C" Alter User, but this was soon changed to "Class A" after defeating Tachibana. while fighting Ryuhou after Kimishima's death both Kazuma and Ryuhou were classified as "S Class", seeing as how much destruction their battle caused.
Kazuma has a powerful Alter called Shell Bullet, a harmonizing type Alter. At its first level, Shell Bullet covers Kazuma's right arm with protective metal armor, and also creates three curved fins of metal jutting out from his right shoulder blade, each progressively larger as they near his shoulder. When attacking, Kazuma can cause one of the three fins to disintegrate, propelling him forward at a great speed to increase his power with attacks named "Shocking First Bullet" (衝撃のファースト・ブリット, Shougeki no First Bullet?, lit. "Shockwave's First Bullet"), "Annihilating Second Bullet" (撃滅のセカンド・ブリット, Gekimetsu no Second Bullet?, lit. "Destruction's Second Bullet") and "Exterminating Last Bullet" (抹殺のラスト・ブリット, Massatsu no Last Bullet?, lit. "Obliteration's Last Bullet"). Later, it is shown that that Straight Cougar was the one who developed these "Bullet" attacks.
After Episode 13, Kazuma stops using this form of his alter until the final episode. Kazuma becomes one of the only alter users to 'self-evolve' his ability after a confrontation with the Crystallized Form. In his second form (known outside as Shell Bullet Ultimate), the fins are replaced with one giant, curved propeller which grants him the ability to fly at great speeds, his arm's armor is thicker and completely replaces his arm, not just covering it, and three fins of metal jut out of his face near his right eye (which is shown to be injured after Kazuma's next fight with Ryuhou). The attack, "Shell Bullet Burst" is powerful and, unlike the first form, has infinite use; however, it puts a strain on Kazuma. Also, it can regenerate when it's cut off and reattaches to Kazuma.
Near the end of the series, Kazuma becomes one of only two Alter Users to reach the third stage of an Alter. In this form, his entire body is encased in his Alter's alloy, causing him to appear like a humanoid cross between a samurai and a lion, and boosting the power of his punches to incredible levels. His propeller becomes a whip that he uses to shoot into the air and he is able to use super-sized shell bullets using both arms. This final form is achieved through his intense rage toward Kyouji Mujo along with the power he gained from the other side.
When Kazuma returns into his normal human form after using his alter power, he bears scars or bodily alterations that resemble a part of his previous alter level's form. After returning from his second-level alter, Kazuma's right arm has black lines across it in the same places that his arm used to split when he activated his first-level alter. Kazuma's right eye is almost always closed after he uses this form of his alter too much, opening only when his alter is activated. This is speculated to be because his eye has become part of his alter itself - in addition, his right eye appears to have changed color towards the end of the series, from its original reddish to an orange the same color as the fins on his face, further supporting this theory. After returning from his final form, the hair above the right side of his forehead is colored the same orange color as the armor from his second alter.
Kazuma's attack in his final form is "Proud Fist". In contrast, Kazuma only has two forms of his alter in the manga. The final form in the manga is called "Death Bullet." Also, in the manga he is known as Kazuma the Treasoner. This is because of how he rebels against the weak thoughts in his brain, a technique called "mental treason." In the anime, he's known as Kazuma the Shell Bullet. His lack of a surname in both versions is symbolic of how he has no ties to society.
In the last two episodes of the season finale, both he and his rival Ryuhou vow to defend the inners from the main land with their alter powers. He first appears in Episode 1.
"Torisuna", which is a Japanese pronunciation of "treasoner," is sometimes incorrectly given as his surname.
Kanami Yuta (由詑 かなみ, Yuta Kanami?)
Voiced by: Yukari Tamura (Japanese), Carrie Daniels (English)
Age 8, Kanami is a young girl who lives with Kazuma. Kanami knows nothing about Kazuma's alter ability or his missions. All she knows is that Kazuma is getting paid for whatever he is doing, though sometimes the pay isn't enough to support the two of them. To supplement their income, she often works at a local farm. She often calls Kazuma "Kazu-kun", which he hates very much. Her personality is kind and determined but at the same time, when Kazuma messes up, she gives him one of those "I am very disappointed" speeches, without raising her voice, to make Kazuma feel like an idiot.
She often has "dreams" about a strange man and the different battles he fights in. This man turns out to be Kazuma. It is revealed later in the series that Kanami has an unnamed alter power that gives her empathic and telepathic abilities, which allows her to read other's thoughts and emotions (known as scrying). At the end of the series, she is living with some other inners including Mimori Kiryu, both hoping that one day Kazuma and Ryuhou will return back to them. She first appears in Episode 1.
Ryuhou (劉鳳, Ryūhō?)
Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese), Jason Spisak (English)
Age 17, Ryuhou Tairen (romanized as Ryuhou in the English manga and Ryuho in the English anime) is widely regarded as the strongest HOLY member. Ryuhou develops a strong rivalry with Kazuma, the only native alter on Lost Ground to escape HOLY, continuously foil HOLY's plans afterwards, and fight Ryuhou one-on-one without being defeated instantly. Ryuhou is extremely strict, refuses to talk about his mother, and does his job without any distractions. Known by Mimori Kiryu, Ryuhou's personality has changed in a full circle to a new person.
Driven by his motivation to find the alter that killed his mother during the Great Uprising, Ryuhou uses his alter ability 'Zetsuei,' a humanoid alter that possesses flexible ribbons which can reach out and attack Ryuhou's enemies from afar and to defend against their attacks. He can also upgrade Zetsuei to a more powerful form (True Zetsuei), with the body of a snake from the waist down, that can move at even greater speeds. This form also has two rockets for arms (his Vigorous Left fist Garyuu and Vigorous Right fist Fukuryuu), which can be fired off to explode, cut through other objects, or both. Other components of Zetsuei exist but are not often used: for example, on occasion, Ryuhou uses the armored ribbons extending from either side of Zetsuei's helmet, capable of two separate attacks, the first of which is called Resshin(extending the ribbons in the same fashion as Zetsuei's first form-ep. 13) and Retsujin(coiling the ribbons together to create a powerful drill- ep. 26), and can use the fins/claws on Zetsuei's tail as a buzz saw. Zetsuei aids Ryuhou in hunting down native alters.
Like Kazuma, Ryuhou also self evolves and reaches the highest alter state by using Zetsuei's most powerful form as armor (Called Zetsuei Touryudan in the manga), allowing Ryuhou to fly, use great speed, and even slice through obstacles using the many sleek edges on his armor. He can even take the armor off to form two giant blades or one giant sword/shield. When he used his Final Alter for the first time, he ended up having two scars on his face when he's in his normal form.
Ryuho, like Kazuma, also appears to manifest some part of his alter in his normal human form, as in the final episode of 's-CRY-ed', he is seen with lines, though subtle, are apparent remenants of the facial helmet-part to his alter, it is believed he received this from using his alter more than once, like Kazuma's hair and eye changing along with his alter.
In the last two episodes of the season finale, both he and his rival Kazuma vow to defend the inners from the main land with their alter powers. He first appears in episode 1.
Kunihiko Kimishima (君島 邦彦, Kimishima Kunihiko?)
Voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki (Japanese), Lex Lang (English)
Age 17, Kimishima is Kazuma's friend and supporter. Kimishima is a business man, often using his connections to get valuable information. He met Kazuma by those connections. Although he has no alter powers, he is often willing to put himself in dangerous situations, such as defending the Lost Ground from a HOLY crackdown. A running joke of the series is that every vehicle he gets his hands on is either unintentionally destroyed by Kazuma's actions or destroyed by another Alter User. He has a crush on Ayase Terada. In the anime, he is severely injured and later dies from wounds inflicted during a conflict with HOLY, namely Darth, something which drives Kazuma virtually insane with anger and grief. In the manga, he's alive and well, now married to Ayase Terada. He first appears in Episode 1.
Mimori Kiryu (桐生 水守, Kiryū Mimori?)
Voiced by: Yūko Nagashima (Japanese), Dorothy Elias-Fahn (English)
Age 18, Mimori Kiryu is the daughter of Tadanori Kiryu, the Mainland's top adviser for the Lost Ground. Her family funds HOLD and HOLY, and as such she is treated like a princess. She was born in the Lost Ground and moved away, but comes back seven years later at the start of the anime to be with Ryuhou. She met him during a childhood party and discovered his odd powers; saying she thought of them as a blessing. She works at HOLY as a scientist. An old flame of Ryuhou's, she hopes to reunite with him. She's also extremely idealistic and gentle, helping virtually all of the other cast members at some point or other. She first appears in Episode 1.
There are two opposing forces of alters: the Native Alters, a group of Alter users who live outside the central city and avoid any relationships with the government; and HOLY, an organization of Alter users that are a subgroup of an organization called HOLD. HOLD functions as the Mainland government's super police force of the Lost Ground, while HOLY, composed exclusively of Alter users, serves as the 'special operations' group, aiding HOLD in performing dangerous missions that might require the help of an Alter user.
Kazuma (dubbed "The Treasoner" in the manga and "The Shell Bullet" in the anime) and Ryuhou are the two Scryed characters bearing a rivalry used to drive and focus the plot. They spend much of the series trying to defeat each other, even when they are forced to work together. Neither can forget their bitter rivalry.
There is also a narrator, Kanami. Kanami is a friend of Kazuma's whom Kazuma protects. She narrates the series with her dreams, unknowingly using her alter power to 'scry' the emotions of the people she feels closely about. Her ability to peer into the emotions of the main characters is used frequently through-out the series to bring insight to the characters, and to tease viewers during previews for the next episode.
The series progresses through the initial introduction of the Alter power to a wider reaching understanding of the politics and reason for "The Great Uprising". Each episode showcases a new Alter user, and their Alter, or a growth of the Alter of a previously introduced character. "The Great Uprising" is later revealed to be caused by a similar event in a parallel universe where all creatures are independent thinking Alters. During one of Ryuhou and Kazuma's battles, they open a gateway to the parallel universe, causing another uprising and attracting the attention of the Mainland government. The Mainland sends its agent, Kyouji Mujo, to the Lost Ground in an attempt to exploit the power of the parallel universe for economic gain. Mujo develops delusions of grandeur after becoming the defacto head of the Lost Ground government and absorbing the crystal entity from "the other side" to add to his already formidable Alter power. Both he and the crystal entity are defeated by the separate efforts of Kazuma and Ryuhou, respectively. The Mainland once again attempts to exert control over the Lost Ground by sending in a fleet of refined Alter users under their control, but they are defeated by Kazuma and Ryuhou.
After defeating the Mainland forces, Kazuma and Ryuhou engage in one final battle to settle their rivalry. After exhausting themselves to the point that they are too weak to maintain their Alters (and indeed, barely able to stand up), the fight on with their bare hands. In the final scene, a silhouetted fist is raised by the victor.
The concept of an "Alter" bears a striking resemblance to the "stands" present in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure; both are manifestations of some personal energy that give the user extraordinary abilities and manifest as a variety of objects, and each individual has a different power that they draw upon their abilities to bestow upon them. While the stands in JoJo's Bizarre Adventure often take the form of a human or humanoid entity (this is not always the case, as with Hol Horse of part 3 whose stand is a gun), Alters rarely resemble human beings; the most notable exceptions being Sou Kigetsuki's three female Alter creations (which are just pieces of his real Alter), Ryuhou's Zetsuei, and The Crystal, which bears quite a striking resemblance in appearance to the hero of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure's third series Stardust Crusaders, Jotaro Kujo's, "Star Platinum".
Kazuma (カズマ, Kazuma?)
Voiced by: Sōichirō Hoshi (Japanese), Steven Jay Blum (English)
Age 16, Kazuma is the main character that the story follows. At first, Kazuma is portrayed as a reckless Alter User who will do anything for money. Those around him don't know he is an Alter User, and believe that he's simply avoiding his work when he runs off for Kimishima's "jobs". Kazuma has a temper, but it's shown he also deeply cares about his friends, putting his life on the line whenever they are in danger. Originally, Kazuma was classified as a "Class C" Alter User, but this was soon changed to "Class A" after defeating Tachibana. while fighting Ryuhou after Kimishima's death both Kazuma and Ryuhou were classified as "S Class", seeing as how much destruction their battle caused.
Kazuma has a powerful Alter called Shell Bullet, a harmonizing type Alter. At its first level, Shell Bullet covers Kazuma's right arm with protective metal armor, and also creates three curved fins of metal jutting out from his right shoulder blade, each progressively larger as they near his shoulder. When attacking, Kazuma can cause one of the three fins to disintegrate, propelling him forward at a great speed to increase his power with attacks named "Shocking First Bullet" (衝撃のファースト・ブリット, Shougeki no First Bullet?, lit. "Shockwave's First Bullet"), "Annihilating Second Bullet" (撃滅のセカンド・ブリット, Gekimetsu no Second Bullet?, lit. "Destruction's Second Bullet") and "Exterminating Last Bullet" (抹殺のラスト・ブリット, Massatsu no Last Bullet?, lit. "Obliteration's Last Bullet"). Later, it is shown that that Straight Cougar was the one who developed these "Bullet" attacks.
After Episode 13, Kazuma stops using this form of his alter until the final episode. Kazuma becomes one of the only alter users to 'self-evolve' his ability after a confrontation with the Crystallized Form. In his second form (known outside as Shell Bullet Ultimate), the fins are replaced with one giant, curved propeller which grants him the ability to fly at great speeds, his arm's armor is thicker and completely replaces his arm, not just covering it, and three fins of metal jut out of his face near his right eye (which is shown to be injured after Kazuma's next fight with Ryuhou). The attack, "Shell Bullet Burst" is powerful and, unlike the first form, has infinite use; however, it puts a strain on Kazuma. Also, it can regenerate when it's cut off and reattaches to Kazuma.
Near the end of the series, Kazuma becomes one of only two Alter Users to reach the third stage of an Alter. In this form, his entire body is encased in his Alter's alloy, causing him to appear like a humanoid cross between a samurai and a lion, and boosting the power of his punches to incredible levels. His propeller becomes a whip that he uses to shoot into the air and he is able to use super-sized shell bullets using both arms. This final form is achieved through his intense rage toward Kyouji Mujo along with the power he gained from the other side.
When Kazuma returns into his normal human form after using his alter power, he bears scars or bodily alterations that resemble a part of his previous alter level's form. After returning from his second-level alter, Kazuma's right arm has black lines across it in the same places that his arm used to split when he activated his first-level alter. Kazuma's right eye is almost always closed after he uses this form of his alter too much, opening only when his alter is activated. This is speculated to be because his eye has become part of his alter itself - in addition, his right eye appears to have changed color towards the end of the series, from its original reddish to an orange the same color as the fins on his face, further supporting this theory. After returning from his final form, the hair above the right side of his forehead is colored the same orange color as the armor from his second alter.
Kazuma's attack in his final form is "Proud Fist". In contrast, Kazuma only has two forms of his alter in the manga. The final form in the manga is called "Death Bullet." Also, in the manga he is known as Kazuma the Treasoner. This is because of how he rebels against the weak thoughts in his brain, a technique called "mental treason." In the anime, he's known as Kazuma the Shell Bullet. His lack of a surname in both versions is symbolic of how he has no ties to society.
In the last two episodes of the season finale, both he and his rival Ryuhou vow to defend the inners from the main land with their alter powers. He first appears in Episode 1.
"Torisuna", which is a Japanese pronunciation of "treasoner," is sometimes incorrectly given as his surname.
Kanami Yuta (由詑 かなみ, Yuta Kanami?)
Voiced by: Yukari Tamura (Japanese), Carrie Daniels (English)
Age 8, Kanami is a young girl who lives with Kazuma. Kanami knows nothing about Kazuma's alter ability or his missions. All she knows is that Kazuma is getting paid for whatever he is doing, though sometimes the pay isn't enough to support the two of them. To supplement their income, she often works at a local farm. She often calls Kazuma "Kazu-kun", which he hates very much. Her personality is kind and determined but at the same time, when Kazuma messes up, she gives him one of those "I am very disappointed" speeches, without raising her voice, to make Kazuma feel like an idiot.
She often has "dreams" about a strange man and the different battles he fights in. This man turns out to be Kazuma. It is revealed later in the series that Kanami has an unnamed alter power that gives her empathic and telepathic abilities, which allows her to read other's thoughts and emotions (known as scrying). At the end of the series, she is living with some other inners including Mimori Kiryu, both hoping that one day Kazuma and Ryuhou will return back to them. She first appears in Episode 1.
Ryuhou (劉鳳, Ryūhō?)
Voiced by: Hikaru Midorikawa (Japanese), Jason Spisak (English)
Age 17, Ryuhou Tairen (romanized as Ryuhou in the English manga and Ryuho in the English anime) is widely regarded as the strongest HOLY member. Ryuhou develops a strong rivalry with Kazuma, the only native alter on Lost Ground to escape HOLY, continuously foil HOLY's plans afterwards, and fight Ryuhou one-on-one without being defeated instantly. Ryuhou is extremely strict, refuses to talk about his mother, and does his job without any distractions. Known by Mimori Kiryu, Ryuhou's personality has changed in a full circle to a new person.
Driven by his motivation to find the alter that killed his mother during the Great Uprising, Ryuhou uses his alter ability 'Zetsuei,' a humanoid alter that possesses flexible ribbons which can reach out and attack Ryuhou's enemies from afar and to defend against their attacks. He can also upgrade Zetsuei to a more powerful form (True Zetsuei), with the body of a snake from the waist down, that can move at even greater speeds. This form also has two rockets for arms (his Vigorous Left fist Garyuu and Vigorous Right fist Fukuryuu), which can be fired off to explode, cut through other objects, or both. Other components of Zetsuei exist but are not often used: for example, on occasion, Ryuhou uses the armored ribbons extending from either side of Zetsuei's helmet, capable of two separate attacks, the first of which is called Resshin(extending the ribbons in the same fashion as Zetsuei's first form-ep. 13) and Retsujin(coiling the ribbons together to create a powerful drill- ep. 26), and can use the fins/claws on Zetsuei's tail as a buzz saw. Zetsuei aids Ryuhou in hunting down native alters.
Like Kazuma, Ryuhou also self evolves and reaches the highest alter state by using Zetsuei's most powerful form as armor (Called Zetsuei Touryudan in the manga), allowing Ryuhou to fly, use great speed, and even slice through obstacles using the many sleek edges on his armor. He can even take the armor off to form two giant blades or one giant sword/shield. When he used his Final Alter for the first time, he ended up having two scars on his face when he's in his normal form.
Ryuho, like Kazuma, also appears to manifest some part of his alter in his normal human form, as in the final episode of 's-CRY-ed', he is seen with lines, though subtle, are apparent remenants of the facial helmet-part to his alter, it is believed he received this from using his alter more than once, like Kazuma's hair and eye changing along with his alter.
In the last two episodes of the season finale, both he and his rival Kazuma vow to defend the inners from the main land with their alter powers. He first appears in episode 1.
Kunihiko Kimishima (君島 邦彦, Kimishima Kunihiko?)
Voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki (Japanese), Lex Lang (English)
Age 17, Kimishima is Kazuma's friend and supporter. Kimishima is a business man, often using his connections to get valuable information. He met Kazuma by those connections. Although he has no alter powers, he is often willing to put himself in dangerous situations, such as defending the Lost Ground from a HOLY crackdown. A running joke of the series is that every vehicle he gets his hands on is either unintentionally destroyed by Kazuma's actions or destroyed by another Alter User. He has a crush on Ayase Terada. In the anime, he is severely injured and later dies from wounds inflicted during a conflict with HOLY, namely Darth, something which drives Kazuma virtually insane with anger and grief. In the manga, he's alive and well, now married to Ayase Terada. He first appears in Episode 1.
Mimori Kiryu (桐生 水守, Kiryū Mimori?)
Voiced by: Yūko Nagashima (Japanese), Dorothy Elias-Fahn (English)
Age 18, Mimori Kiryu is the daughter of Tadanori Kiryu, the Mainland's top adviser for the Lost Ground. Her family funds HOLD and HOLY, and as such she is treated like a princess. She was born in the Lost Ground and moved away, but comes back seven years later at the start of the anime to be with Ryuhou. She met him during a childhood party and discovered his odd powers; saying she thought of them as a blessing. She works at HOLY as a scientist. An old flame of Ryuhou's, she hopes to reunite with him. She's also extremely idealistic and gentle, helping virtually all of the other cast members at some point or other. She first appears in Episode 1.