Plot Summary of Eureka Seven (anime)

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This article is a summary of the main events of the anime series Eureka Seven.

Contents 1 Prologue 2 Renton meets Eureka 3 Life On Board the Gekko 3.1 Tiptree 3.2 Anemone 3.3 Breakdown 4 Charles and Ray 5 Rebuilding the Nirvash 6 Norbu 7 The Great Wall 8 The Promised Land 9 The Second Summer of Love 10 Epilogue 11 Footnotes 12 References

[edit] Prologue

The prologue covers a small portion of episode 01, "Blue Monday".

Our story opens with a typical day in the life of 14-year-old Renton Thurston. He lives with his grandfather Axel, works in his grandfather's garage, and attends school, leading a very boring and unfulfilling life in a small, boring town. As the son of the great military hero Adrock Thurston, Renton generally chafes under the expectations placed on him due to his parentage. His father died when Renton was just an infant, leaving Renton to be raised by his older sister Diane, until she disappeared in a quest to continue their father’s work. Before her departure, Diane left Renton a Compac Drive. This device would from time to time display a single message, "Eureka."

Renton’s only escape from his day-to-day drudgery is his ref board, a device that allows him to ride trapar (Transparence Light Particle) waves, a sport descended from surfing. Renton modeled his board after the one used by his idol, Holland, the leader of the independent rogue militia known as the Gekkostate. Naturally, Renton dreams of one day escaping his humdrum existence and joining the Gekkostate to live a life full of adventure.

[edit] Renton meets Eureka

This section concludes episode 01, and continues through the first half of episode 03, "Motion Blue".

That night, a strange girl named Eureka crash-lands her LFO—the legendary Nirvash typeZERO—on Renton's grandfather's house. The Nirvash, which Eureka regards much like a child, is in need of repairs.

Renton falls in love with Eureka practically at first sight. He is greatly impressed with her piloting skills and fascinated with her intuitive understanding of LFO technology, particularly the Nirvash. Oddly enough, even though there is a socket for a Compac Drive, the typeZERO does not appear to use such a device to interface with its pilot as do all other LFOs. When Renton points this out, Eureka reluctantly allows him to install his own Compac Drive, though she correctly predicts that nothing productive will happen. Renton’s grandfather is less than thrilled by Eureka’s appearance at his garage as he knows she is an associate of the renegade Holland. He angrily offers her something he has until now hidden away from everyone: a device called the "Amita Drive," an expansion part for the Compac Drive^[1].

Before the Amita Drive can be installed, however, the military launches a missile attack against Axel’s garage and flattens it. Eureka manages to get Renton and his grandfather out of the garage to relative safety and she immediately flees in the Nirvash to draw the fire of the KLFs away from them. Axel instructs Renton to deliver the Amita Drive to Eureka to unleash the typeZERO’s full potential, and to eliminate all of the hostile combatants. After riding his motorcycle to the scene where Eureka and other members of the Gekkostate are battling the state military's KLFs, Renton makes a "leap of faith" and rides the motorcycle off a cliff, ref board in hand. His faith is rewarded as he finds that he can, indeed, ref as never before. Making his way skyward, he even manages to perform his first "cut-back drop-turn," an extremely difficult maneuver, impressing Holland in the process.

Renton is knocked off of his board, however, when he gets caught in the turbulence of the Nirvash passing close by. Eureka and the Nirvash manage to catch him in mid-air. Renton, still excited over his achievements in the air, blurts out to Eureka that he is in love with her. Renton attaches the Amita Drive atop the Compac Drive he left in the Nirvash's socket. A bright flash of light initially appears to render Eureka unconscious and the Nirvash inoperable (with incoming enemy missiles on the way). However, Eureka quickly recovers, and the unique combination of Renton, Eureka and the typeZERO unleashes the mysterious and spectacular phenomenon called "The Seven Swell Effect". The energy this releases grants incredible speed and strength to the Nirvash, rapidly increases the local trapar particle levels, and sears the surrounding landscape.

Eureka later explains to Holland that the Nirvash says that the addition of the Amita Drive was not solely responsible for its new-found abilities, but the presence of Renton was necessary, too. Eureka and Holland ask Renton to join the Gekkostate and Axel unwittingly lets Renton go.

[edit] Life On Board the Gekko

This section concludes episode 03, and continues through episode 21, "Runaway".

Within days of boarding the Gekkostate's ship and HQ, the Gekko, Renton discovers that life on board isn't as exciting or glamorous as he had thought it would be. It seemed to Renton that he was always given the menial jobs, and he suffered initiation pranks from more senior crew members. His ability to co-pilot the Nirvash was initially limited by motion sickness he experienced due to the differences in timing between how he lifts and how Eureka lifts.

Despite Renton's awkwardness, both Holland and Mischa note a remarkable increase in the performance of the typeZERO, and Holland assigns Renton as the co-pilot for the time being. Mischa would later determine that the activation of the Amita Drive hinged on the mental balance of Renton and Eureka^[2].

This fact, unfortunately, did not seem to improve his relationship with Eureka, as her adopted children Maurice, Maeter and Linck constantly competed with him for her attention. They viewed him as a threat that could someday take her from them and did everything in their power to make his life miserable. However, following an accident where the children disabled the central computer and Compac interference system, Renton brought them on a reckless mission to blind a nearby radar station—and show them how real graffiti is done in the process. Although Renton was confined to the brig as a result, the children joined him there in apology and thanks^[3].

[edit] Tiptree

One day, Eureka invites Renton out to a shopping trip with her children, in which Maeter becomes separated from the group while Renton and Linck quarrel over the younger boy's teasing. After a frantic search, they discover that Maeter is in the care of an elderly lady who invited them to stay for tea. A (dud) grenade is thrown into the apartment, and Holland and Matthieu barge in with guns drawn. Gekkostate had been offered a job (ironically, by the military) to capture the woman, who was a disciple and leader of Vodarek named Tiptree, and regarded as a terrorist by the military. What Gekkostate did not take into account, however, was Tiptree's infuriating and surprising physical and tactical prowess. It would take nearly all of Gekkostate's LFOs and a large crate to capture the elusive woman. Even more inconcievable to Renton than the actual capture, though, was that Tiptree invited the crew to dinner at her apartment while they waited for the military to arrive. Holland's objective, in fact, was to learn where a certain man named Norbu was. In a classic bait and switch, Holland accepted the bounty immediately before Renton, Eureka, and the Nirvash snatched Tiptree before the military could touch her. The military's KLFs tried to give chase, but a well-aimed laser shot by the Gekko disabled their carrier ship^[4].

Holland then offers to take Tiptree anywhere she wanted, and she requests a ruined city called Ciudades del Cielo. She referred to it as a place of purification, the capital of the sky, and a gateway of decision^[5]. When they dropped her off, Tiptree gave Holland a bottle of bright yellow liquid, "just in case you need it". Holland wanted to leave immediately, but Renton and Moondoggie were enticed by the rich trapar waves in the area. Furious, Holland proceeded to beat Renton into the ground. Upset by the treatment received at the hands of his idol, Renton fled into the city. Amid a couple of crashes, Renton realized that the ruins were still inhabited. The disciples of Vodarek were still living near there, in hiding, years after the military destroyed the city. When Eureka and the Nirvash arrived in search of Renton, the people began to stone her, because they still remembered when she was still in the military, and had coldly slaughtered many Vodarek lives. Just then, a military bomber came for a routine air raid, forcing the disciples back under cover.

As Renton tended to her wounds, Eureka told him about how she, Holland, and their SOF unit destroyed the city and killed its inhabitants. However, she had discovered three small children whom she had then orphaned, and her world changed forever. When Eureka told Renton that she asked him to join Gekkostate to fight in a war she is still fighting, Renton retorted that she left the military because she didn't want to hurt anyone anymore. As he called out to her to come with him to save Tiptree and the others, the Amita Drive activated^[6], and Eureka heard the Nirvash telling her to do what Renton said. Together, they destroyed the bomber's main reflector, severely impairing its flight ability. Renton tried to face the music for being a bother to Holland, but instead Holland gave him a ref board wheel, making him a fully official member of Gekkostate. Talho then gave him his own quarters aboard the ship, and a job: the onboard shop clerk.

[edit] Anemone

But the Seven Swell phenomenon was not ignored by the government, and in order to attend to this matter, they recommissioned Dewey Novak, a military commander who was in prison, to his former position. After gaining his job back, he began to assemble allies like Dominic Sorel, a young officer who was his eyes and ears during his incarceration, and Anemone, a girl about the age of Eureka, and pilot of the LFO Nirvash typeTheEND.

Anemone later fought against Eureka and Renton in the skies above Salisaolne, and was almost successful in bringing them down during an investigation of a spherical gaseous anomaly known only as a "Coralian". Both the type ZERO and typeTheEND entered into the area inside the anomaly called the "Zone"^[7], and through a dreamlike connection between the three pilots, both girls were rendered unconscious^[8]. The Gekko was forced to fight off and escape the Izumo which carried TheEND, and both LFOs were stranded as the trapar levels rapidly depleted. When Dominic arrived to help Anemone, Renton forced the young intelligence officer to help him as well, with the mechanical know-how he learned from his grandfather^[9]. Gekkostate's LFOs and military KLFs arrived at the crash site simultaneously, and Renton activated the Amita drive through his desire to protect Eureka.

[edit] Breakdown

As the military's hunt for Gekkostate escalated, things started to worsen for Renton. During an incident in Contlorado involving a brief health craze aboard the Gekko and Renton's father's patriotic friend Yucatan, Renton found that his skill with piloting the Nirvash had grown since Nirvash accepted him into the pilot's seat earlier. Unfortunately, as a result he and Eureka began to grow distant from one another, as Eureka did not share Renton's enthusiasm over this discovery^[10]. Because the trapar levels remained low in the general area, the Gekko was forced to land and hide in an abandoned mine for repairs.

After an incident in which the Nirvash was hijacked by an old excavator (and in which Holland took his frustrations out on Renton), Renton blew off Eureka's offer to let him be the pilot of the Nirvash^[11]. A hurt and lonely Eureka then attempted to return to the planet, only to be pulled out by Renton in a barely-recognizable state^[12]. In order to treat Eureka, Holland risked his life in a suicide mission to retrieve a disciple of Vodarek from prison. When he is cornered by KLFs, Renton and the Nirvash savagely destroyed them; in the process, Renton realized the cost of the battle he participated in^[13]. When he attempted to reconcile with Eureka, she became frightened by him, and this was a final rejection for Renton—he bailed out of the Gekko^[14].

[edit] Charles and Ray

This section covers episode 22, "Crackpot", through episode 28, "Memento Mori".

Wandering around the country, Renton met Charles and Ray Beams, a couple of LFO freelancer pilots. The trio hit it off very quickly, but the days spent as a close family were short-lived because of his relationship to Adrock and Eureka. Renton realizes that he cannot remain with them on their ship, the Swan, and they part amicably, though sadly.

Back on board the Gekko, Eureka's overwhelming need for Renton takes its toll on her piloting ability and on the crew, who held Holland responsible for Renton's departure. Even Holland's girlfriend, Talho, urged him to bring Renton back. After mulling over an argument with Talho and seeing Eureka desperately trying to move the Nirvash, Holland decided to search for Renton. Not long after Holland left with the 606^[15] in search of Renton, he discovered that the military was setting a blockade around the Gekko, and immediately returned to plan their escape route^[16].

Upset that Holland broke his promise to bring Renton back, Eureka headed out alone on a ref board to search for him—Renton arriving at the Gekko's position only moments later—finding instead a trap set by Charles and Ray. Just when she was warning the Gekko about the imminent attack, the Swan opened fire on her, and Charles scrambled his LFO. When Charles was about to capture Eureka, Renton arrived with the Nirvash to save her. Reunited, the pair used the power of the Amita Drive to defeat all of the enemies without killing a single soldier. At this point, the Nirvash's archetype evolved through the use of the Amita Drive, and some of its now-incompatible armor plates fell off^[17].

But Charles and Ray didn't give up. Even though the military had given up the chase, they decided to change tactics and infiltrate the Gekko. Holland thought ahead of them and prepared some defenses, including an anti-personnel laser near the bridge. He also put Eureka and Renton in a confinement cell with the pretense of punishing them for disobedience, because he knew they were the Beams' main target. Amid the chaos of the firefight, the Nirvash began to move without a pilot again, as if in reaction to Renton and Eureka's moment of danger, or possibly attempting to crush Charles. In the end, Charles was killed by Holland, and Ray managed to escape by using an implanted bomb in Charles' corpse as a diversion^[18].

Ray returned alone to the Swan and prepared a full-scale suicide attack against the Gekko. Her intention was to take revenge on Holland and Eureka, who was especially despicable in Ray's mind, as she thought it was the Seven Swell effect that made Ray unable to bear children, and because Eureka "stole" Renton, whom she loved as a son, from her. Even without the help of Eureka, Renton, or the Nirvash, the rest of the crew managed to defeat Ray, destroying her with her ship in the process. Holland was still severely injured from his fight with Charles, and began to bleed from the stress of piloting an LFO. Without enough supplies to replenish his blood, an emergency tranfusion became necessary. The only compatible donor was Renton. Talho despised the idea at first; she didn't want Holland to receive blood from someone related to Diane, but eventually she asked Renton to save him^[19].

[edit] Rebuilding the Nirvash

This section covers episode 29, "Keep On Movin'", through episode 32, "Start It Up".

While Holland was unconscious, Talho decided that the crew should set course for the military research facility in Tresor, where the Nirvash was created, in order to repair it. On the way there, she also told Renton the truth about Gekkostate and Eureka.

Talho reveals that Gekkostate's true mission is to fullfill the wishes of Adrock Thurston by creating a world where humans and the "Coralians" (hidden beings that live in the planet) can coexist. In order to attain that, their one hope is Eureka, who is actually a humanoid Coralian, discovered years ago by human scientists. Renton reassured Eureka, who was keenly aware of how humans can fear differences, that his feelings would not change, no matter who or what she was^[20].

Holland knew many of the technicians at Tresor because of his military background, but was at odds in the past with Dr. Morita, the director. Naturally, the crew thought that because of Holland (and because Tresor was a government facility), the Tresor technicians would resist helping the rebel Gekkostate. Fortunately, the researchers and engineers in Tresor agreed to help, as many of them were good friends of Mischa and Eureka, and they have, as Renton put it, "Grandpa's smell" (meaning, because they were technologists, one look at the Nirvash would compel them to help). It was at this time that the engineers at Tresor got into contact with Axel Thurston, in order to commission him to make a new ref board for the Nirvash. Dr. Morita somehow got the old mechanic to agree, albeit not without some difficulty^[21].

During the restoration procedure, the Nirvash began moving out of control as if it was rejecting the repair work. Eureka told the technicians that the Nirvash did not want to return to its former state. According to Dr. Bear, the Nirvash's archetype now demanded a new hardware design that would allow it to transform into a high-performance jet^[22].

Just before the upgrades were concluded, the Ageha Squad launched the first attack on the Coralians, under the codename "Orange Project". Three newly-developed missiles were launched from orbit, piercing the ground and provoking a reaction from underground Coralian antibodies that emerged and attacked a nearby city, brutally killing most of its inhabitants. Shortly thereafter, the Coralians withdrew, leaving dead humans and Coralians alike. Despite their distance from the counterattack, both Eureka and Anemone were seriously affected, to the point of collapse. The Ageha Squad children gleefully collected the distance from the Orange attack and the duration of the Coralian counterattack.

The U.F. government falsely declared that the recent wave of earthquakes that plagued the world were a message from the Coralians to humans demanding their departure of the planet. The spaceship that brought mankind there, however, would not capable of such a massive evacuation, and the U.F. declared war on the Coralians.

As the Tresor scientists finished their work on the Nirvash, the Gekko received a transmission from Axel Thurston, informing them that the Nirvash's new ref board was complete. Because his workshop had been discovered by government agents, he would lift it and let it flow in a trapar "jet-stream" called the Ray Line to a rendezvous point where they could retrieve it. When Axel was about to leave, the abandoned hangar that served as his workshop was surrounded by U.F. soldiers who discovered its location, and with the help of an excavator friend, he broke through the military's blockade and managed to launch the Nirvash's new board almost according to plan.

Meanwhile, the Ageha Squad launched a second strike on the Coralians, and under Dewey's authority, ordered Anemone to observe them closely with TheEND, despite Dominic's protests about her condition. Just before she departed, however, she heard that the Gekko was in the vicinity. Ignoring her orders, set out to do battle with the typeZERO. Eureka and Renton launched the typeZERO without its board, and managed to retrieve it in midair. The board completed the Nirvash typeZERO Spec2, and its superior performance, as well as Renton's and Eureka's mastery of the Amita Drive, forced Anemone to flee with a heavily damaged TheEND^[23].

[edit] Norbu

This section covers episode 33, "Pacific State", through episode 35, "Astral Apache".

Gekkostate's resounding victory was tempered by the tragedy that befell the nearby city of Gremicore, which fell victim to the Coralian antibody response to the attack by the Ageha Squad. A search-and-rescue operation was launched by the Gekko, but no survivors were found, unlike the previous attack. The great loss of life was devastating to Eureka, who withdrew to her quarters.

The recent attacks also raised a question among the crew; namely, would they be able to achieve their goal of bringing about a world where Coralians and humans can peacefully coexist when they must defend themselves against Coralian antibodies? Talho, sensing both Holland's need to sort out his thoughts and Renton and Eureka's need to reconnect, grounded the Gekko by "informing" Woz about a glitch in the flight controls. The crew took this opportunity to ref in the trapar-rich area, notably Renton and Eureka, who borrowed Holland and Talho's old longboard. Holland attempted to ref himself, but his battered body was not capable of handling the physical exertion. Through the experience, however, he rediscovered his love of the sport, of the planet on which it is possible, and of Talho.

In a meeting of all crew members, he apologized to Renton and Eureka for abusing them, and announced the disbanding of Gekkostate. Norbu, the Vodarek priest who revealed the truths about Scab Coral and Eureka to Holland, had been arrested in the capital city. Because the last hope for the coexistence of humans and Coralians would die should Norbu die, Holland decided to retrieve the priest. Since this would lead to an unprecedented risk for the crew, Holland also decided as his last order that anyone who wanted to bail out would be free to do so before the mission. However, because they determined that this mission and Gekkostate's goals were one and the same, every member of Gekkostate remained on board^[24].

En route to the capital, Holland told Renton about his past with Eureka and the day he met Norbu in Ciudades del Cielo, the very same city where Eureka met Maurice, Maeter, and Linck. During that mission, Norbu demonstrated his incredibly powerful ability to manipulate trapar waves and the compac drive, and told Holland to find Eureka's partner—the one who can make her smile from her heart^[25]. In this way, said Holland, Norbu put the fate of the universe in his hands.

In a final briefing before the mission, they discussed a dilemma: Talho is the only person aboard whom the contact in Intelligence (who would provide Norbu's exact location) would recognize, but the Gekko would need a pilot during combat. Moondoggie offered to pilot the ship, revealing that not only did he have a license, but he had been searching for a real purpose on board ever since he joined. Later that evening, Talho revealed to Holland that she is pregnant with their child.

When Norbu arrived in the audience hall of the Philosophers, he was surprised to see Dewey Novak there. Dewey then took the priest to his office, where they debated the actions of the Ageha Squad and of Dewey's objectives. They removed themselves to Tiller Garden, where Norbu revealed the secret of his power: a Compac Drive embedded in his chest. Dewey, though surprised, was not impressed^[26].

That day, Gekkostate launched a full frontal assault on the capital's defenses. Although they would fight at first, Renton and Eureka were disturbed by their comrades' uncompromising fighting style. When she realized that the lives of children would be at risk, Eureka pulled herself and Nirvash out of the fight. According to plan, Hilda and Talho faked a friendly-fire incident as a cover to retrieve Norbu's location at the rendezvous point; however, the Intelligence officer had been arrested and interrogated by the Ageha Squad, and fortunately left behind Norbu's whereabouts. Holland immediately destroyed the defending KLFs near Tiller Garden and landed there, confronting Dewey Novak—his older brother.

Renton, meanwhile, managed to convince Eureka to press onward for what they believe in, because they needed to end the war between the Coralians and humans. At Tiller Garden, Dewey berated Holland for his "futile efforts", believing that Eureka's partner was yet to be found (if he exists at all), and loudly proclaimed the value of manipulating the populace to meet his own ends. When Holland replied that Dewey is quite wrong, the Nirvash, with Renton and Eureka, arrived and swept Norbu away to the Gekko.

Meanwhile, the capital's main power plant was sabotaged by Talho and Hilda, the reason being (according to Talho), "I didn't want to see that guy's face ever again." Talho would retire her post as ship's pilot for the captain's chair, allowing Moondoggie to take up the pilot's position permanently^[27].

[edit] The Great Wall

This section covers episode 36, "Fantasia", through episode 42, "Star Dancer".

Dewey, angered by Holland's progress, resolved to push forward with his plans of locating the nerve center of the Coralians before the Great Wall could be crossed. Defying an order to appear before the Philosophers, he launched his new flagship, the Ginga ("Galaxy"), and authorized another Orange Project attack. This time, he sent Anemone with a VC10 KLF support squadron to defend the affected city for propaganda purposes^[28].

Norbu proved an indulgent, lazy, and difficult fellow on board, enjoying cigarettes and junk food, and eschewing personal hygiene. He directed Holland to head for the Vodarek temple, and to hurry, as Renton and Eureka's relationship shows signs of deepening^[29]. In order to disseminate the truth about Scab Coral to the reffers via the counterculture magazine ray=out, Stoner arranged an interview with Greg "Dr. Bear" Egan and Norbu. Greg briefly explained his living Scab Coral hypothesis, and that the military's Orange Project is only designed to draw out Coralian antibodies to determine their source. Furthermore, he explained that if Scab Coral is overloaded with intelligent life, the "Limit of Matter" phenomenon will occur, which will then consume the physical universe. Norbu, at this point, replied that this world is but a bubble of the thoughts of Vodarek, and if it is filled with worry, pain, and doubt, Vodarek's thoughts would vanish—along with this universe. The term "Vodarek" describes a state of being that itself has a will. When Greg said that his calculations indicate that there is more than enough intelligent life to trigger the Limit of Matter, Norbu answered that the planet is in a dream state. Meaning, the only reason that the planet has not triggered the Limit of Matter is because most of the planet is effectively asleep.

Concerning the planet's region known as the Great Wall, Greg said that in the capital's intelligence database, he found that the Great Wall was the result of a large meteorite striking Scab Coral a millennium ago, drawing out massive numbers of Coralian antibodies, and thus exceeding the Limit of Matter. Scab Coral had then forced itself into a resting state; however, the region of space where the Limit of Matter is in effect remained, and is called the Great Wall. Should all of Scab Coral be awakened, that region would envelop the universe. Norbu said that in order to prevent the awakening of Scab Coral, humanity must become one with the Scab Coral.

At this time, Dewey aired footage of the Coralian antibody counterattack, conveniently omitting the facts that his Ageha Squad had initiated the attack, and that the "defenders" had precisely arrived moments before the antibodies would withdraw. His impassioned speech effectively undermined the authority of the Philosophers and distorted the ideals of Adrock Thurston. Taking advantage of the powerless capital, Dewey loudly and falsely proclaimed that he will "rescue" it from a Coralian attack.

The scientists and technicians, having completed the spec upgrade of the Nirvash, headed back to Tresor in order to study the Limit of Matter theory in greater detail. Norbu warned that the goal must be accomplished before Eureka became too humanlike, as the essential thing was to have a human and Coralian aboard the Nirvash^[28].

When Eureka mentioned that Adrock told her that the future is beyond the Great Wall, Renton was stunned that she even knew his father. Forgetting that Eureka wasn't born with the same desire to know family better, Renton angrily demanded why she didn't say anything about his father. She responded by saying she isn't human, and ran off upset. Depressed, they found themselves in a series of misunderstandings involving much of the crew, that inevitably led him and Eureka to make amends and talk about Adrock. In saying he didn't deserve to sit next to Eureka, Renton had inadvertently echoed the words spoken by his father in the Summer of Love incident involving the first recorded Seven Swell.

Once he invaded the capital city, Dewey Novak assassinated the Philosophers, with the exception of Coda. She subsequently surrendered the government to him, and he became the unquestioned despot of the entire world^[30]. In a press conference, he laid the blame of their deaths on the Coralians. Because of this, he said, the military would launch an attack on the Great Wall, and he sends the Ginga, along with TheEND and Anemone, to the Vodarek temple.

En route to the Vodarek temple, Holland ordered the entire crew to play soccer in Liverchester, per Norbu's direction. Given the urgency expressed earlier (and given the general lack of fitness and/or experience), the crew was less than thrilled with the prospect. The only ones who were enthusiastic were Renton—who had played before in school—and Eureka. Although he was very skilled, Renton quickly found that his rather self-centered style of play isn't very effective. Stoner, Hap, and Matthieu, in between forced practice, discussed whether Norbu's intention was to break Renton free from self-centered thoughts, or to determine how he and Eureka perform as a team. But their discussion was abruptly ended when a team of professional players arrive to challenge the crew to a game. Predictably, team Gekko was given a sound thrashing in the first half: 34-0. Frustrated, Holland emptied their net and set a fully offensive strategy. The gamble paid off—Renton finally gave up a pass, and together with Eureka (and to some extent, Holland), they scored the team's only goal. The game was interrupted by the arrival of military KLFs.

Finally, when asked why he suggested that the crew play soccer, Norbu replied, "Whether or not anyone found something through this, it is well. Besides that, wasn't it fun?"^[31]

Not long after the game, the Gekko arrived at an airstrip near the Vodarek temple. Although Eureka was scared to talk to Tiptree again, Tiptree would greet Eureka with open arms. The temple city itself is a refuge for all Vodarek followers and victims of Coralian counterattack, but those who have allied themselves with Norbu were under persecution. Since it happened to be the Love Parade, a festival celebrating the Holy One, Tiptree and Holland realized the timing was perfect to sneak Norbu, Eureka, and Renton into the Temple to see Sakuya—the humanoid Coralian who preceded Eureka. After Norbu was given a thorough washing (over his vehement protests) to eliminate the tell-tale odor, Gekkostate proceeded with the plan. When Renton asked what happens next, Norbu answered that should Sakuya see it fit, everything will change irreversibly. This troubled Maurice, Maeter, and Linck, and so they stowed away on the Nirvash. This, compounded with Linck's curiosity, caused the Nirvash to break free from its disguise early, and Holland proceeded to send in the 606 and 808, while the Nirvash took the children, Renton, Eureka, and Norbu into the temple itself.

They proceeded deep underground into the heart of the temple, while Holland, Stoner, Matthieu, and Hilda held off the guards. The airspace above the temple was acting as a force field which reflects EM energy, including lasers and radio. In the heart of the temple, they found an enormous lotus^[32]. Sakuya was inside the flower, and she invited Eureka inside. Norbu and Sakuya told Renton and Eureka (respectively) about how they met: Norbu was a young acolyte of Vodarek, charged with serving Sakuya—whom the monks believed was a holy one—without ever talking to her. But in the day he broke the oath of silence while giving her a flower, he caused her clouded heart to open up to him alone. When their relationship was discovered by the religious authority, they hurriedly sent Norbu and Sakuya to cross the Great Wall to become one with the planet. However, the attempt failed, and as Sakuya was disintegrating in the Zone, Norbu grabbed Sakuya's compac drive. Thus the compac drive became embedded in his chest, and Sakuya was transformed into a giant lotus. But they learned that Eureka would be born soon, the next and last hope for humanity and Scab Coral.

As Eureka emerged from the lotus, Sakuya redirected her power from maintaining the force field above the temple to opening the way to the Zone across the Great Wall once again—this time, for Eureka and Renton^[33]. Meanwhile, three air force vessels arrived to attack the city. Holland directed the Gekko to launch the 909 in midair, to rendezvous with Matthieu's 606. When Dewey heard that the wall surrounding the temple had been successfully attacked, he ordered an immediate Orange air strike on Scab Coral, and TheEND's launch. As before, the resulting Coralian antibody counterattack was devastating on both the military and the city. After confirming Nirvash's exit from the temple, the 606 and 808 returned to the Gekko. After a few moments together to reflect, Norbu and Sakuya together opened the way to the Zone. Holland and the Gekko fought through the Coralian antibodies and TheEND to clear the way for the Nirvash, which moved by itself to the Zone. The 909, however, was no match for Anemone and TheEND, despite the use of the Compac Feedback system. After a moment's indecision, Renton and Eureka flew through the Zone; although she tried to give chase, Anemone instead saw why she could not pass through.

After crossing the Great Wall, Renton, Eureka, and her children found themselves overlooking an unfamiliar world, that was home to humanity over ten millennia ago^[34].

[edit] The Promised Land

This section covers episode 43, "The Sunshine Underground", through episode 48, "Ballet Mechanique".

Although they were underground, the Promised Land appeared very much like the environment above, except for a large body of very salty water. Even though they knew they needed to be in the Promised Land, Renton and Eureka had no idea where to proceed. This indecision would later turn into conflict between the two. Maurice found a package left in the Nirvash by Norbu; it was an introductory geography textbook on the Earth, the home planet that humanity had abandoned ten thousand years ago. Seeing the distinctive shape of the Japanese archipelago, Renton realized that the true Promised Land is none other than the Earth itself. They found themselves stranded on a beach surrounded by a fragile cliff, and Eureka discovers that her body was changing again.

The destruction caused by the attack took its toll on Dominic emotionally, and he tried to deepen his relationship with Anemone. She, however, saw through the gesture that he was trying to feel better through her, and angrily rejected him. On New Year's Eve, Dewey invited Anemone to a formal ball commemorating the new world order under his rule, and gave Dominic his new orders: proceed to Warsaw, and find the next rider for TheEND. The ball was a gathering of former bureaucrats and current military leaders, both distasteful to Anemone. Dewey confided in Anemone that he is the steward of the king. He told her about the Novak family, how his mother died giving birth to Holland, and how their father allegedly took that as a sign of royalty, and thus showered favor on Holland. Frustrated that their father didn't set any responsibility of leadership on Holland, Dewey ceremonially murdered his father. However, that night a tectonic shift occurred, and the noblemen declared it as a sign that what Dewey had done was not a valid rite of succession, and the two brothers lost their estate and their right to govern. Still, Dewey had thought, he was the sole false sovereign. But with Adrock's research, he had realized that the beliefs of the nobles, as well as his own bloodline, were worthless. Thus, by becoming the true king, he felt that he would purify that which was worthless.

In low orbit, an upgraded Gekko and a hitherto unseen LFO, the Terminus typeB303 "Devilfish", attacked and destroyed the ships bearing the Orange Project missiles responsible for the direct attacks on the Scab Coral. Although the 303's performance is exceptional, it required the use of performance-enhancing drugs and as such, took a severe toll on its rider: Holland Novak. The alternative radio networks broadcast the latest news from ray=out, and urged the reffer community to help out in any way they can.

Meanwhile, Dominic boarded Captain Jurgens' ship (along with a stowaway Gulliver) to make the journey to Warsaw. When Jurgens stopped to pay respect to his dead family, Dominic inconsiderately demanded that he not hold them up just for that—like Jurgens, he too is the only survivor of his family. They arrived at a laboratory full of victims of the Despair Syndrome. The young women, transfixed on their compac drives, were retrieved from war zones. From these three candidates were selected to replace Anemone, but they died during the final test using the same mood-stabilizing drugs that Anemone used. Apparently Anemone was a special case among all the young women developed in this way, as she was very resilient to drug therapies, and she had a strong affinity for the Zone. Dominic thus saw his hope for getting Anemone out of the military die with the three young women. Jurgens then showed him the "Pacific State" issue of ray=out, and with the new orders to investigate Tresor for harboring Gekkostate, they decided to meet with Dr. Bear instead of arresting them.

Underground, Eureka sullenly pulled everyone into a blind search. Maurice railed at Renton for being too relaxed in handling their situation. When Eureka tried to withdraw because of her left arm, Renton tried to pull her back, but she ran away, even telling Maurice not to follow her. When she disappeared later that night, Renton and the children discovered Eureka, with her scars now turned into glowing green tissue. Terrified of how they might see her, Eureka ran away again, but tripped and fell. When Eureka said they can't be together like this, Renton blamed himself for not realizing how scared and hurt she was, and beat his arm open with a stone so they wouldn't look so different. Maurice retrieved the rifle that Holland had placed in the Nirvash, and threatened Renton just as he felt Renton threatened his foster mother. But Eureka stepped in front of Renton, saying that even if Maurice hates her current form, she still loves him and doesn't want him to see what she's seen. Maurice dropped the rifle, and although the bridges are mended, Renton soon fell victim to a severe infection.

Naturally, the thought of joining their former enemy was foreign to both Jurgens' crew and pilots, as well as the Gekkostate members. Ken-Goh convinced Holland that Jurgens' intentions were sincere, as they had fought in a straightforward way in their last battle. Dr. Bear appeared and gave them a recording of the interview with Norbu. After seeing the recording, Jurgens ordered his crew and all ships and KLFs in the vicinity to view the footage. The next morning, Jurgens declared a cessation of hostilities with Gekkostate and himself, while Dominic managed (excessively) to convince Gekkostate to let them fight side-by-side. First Officer Maria Schneider, along with all 88 crew members and KLF pilots of the Izumo, remained to join Jurgens and Dominic's cause.

The Ageha Squad soon determined the general vicinity of the Scab Coral's Central Nerve Cluster—the center of the Tian Shan mountain range. Dewey launched Operation "Nenokatasu", the final assault on the Scab Coral. The lifting community caught on to the movements of 80% of the military's air force, and broadcast throughout the world that their destination is that mountain range, thus alerting Gekkostate. Once the fleet assumed its position, the Ageha Squad set about moving the orbital maser "Oratorio No. 8" into position.

While they tended to Renton's wound and fever, a tropical storm arrived on the beach that Eureka and the children are camped at. During that night, Eureka's body transformed once again, turning her entire left arm into the green Coralian tissue, and butterfly-like wings emerged from her back. Although her fears of rejection still hadn't subsided, her children assured her that she is in fact their mother. The next morning, Renton's fever and the storm broke, and he saw Eureka as a thing of beauty, sweeping away what remained of her fear of rejection^[35]. They discovered a huge mountain of amber, and footprints leading over its expanse. Beyond, they saw a path outlined in the ocean, and the Nirvash sprang into action. When they followed the path, they found a strange formation in the distance that caused the Compac Drive to react as a beacon. Upon arrival on the unfamiliar beach, Renton spied Diane Thurston, his sister.

As the overhaul and upgrade of the Izumo was progressing at Tresor, Jurgens commented that since they as soldiers are steeped in the blood of their enemies and comrades, the ship likewise ought to be so. In response, Dr. Bear muttered, "I just don't understand military types..." They would be facing suicidal odds: 13,000 military vessels to 2. Even so, both the Gekko and the newly refitted "Super Izumo" set course for the Tian Shan mountains.

Excited and agitated, Renton jumped down from the Nirvash, and ran full-tilt to his sister. After a tearful greeting, he looked around and realized that he wasn't on a beach anymore, but in a huge open-air library, with neither Eureka nor Nirvash anywhere in sight. Diane told him that he and Eureka had found Eureka's real home, the Scab Coral's Central Nerve Cluster. The appearance of the library is to help humans understand and communicate with the Scab Coral's thoughts. When Eureka came to, she was holding the book that represented her, and remembered that she needed to deliver it.

Ten thousand years ago, the Scab Coral first made contact with the Earth. No one, not even the Scab Coral knows whether its origins were artificial or natural, but it began its life in Earth's oceans, and assimilated every life form it came in contact with. However, it had not learned of any other way to communicate with life forms, and it had quickly grown to become the largest life form on Earth. Even though people feared the Scab Coral, that message was lost on it. The more aggressively humans tried to reclaim the Earth, the more aggressively the Scab Coral responded. And so, humanity left Earth behind them, leaving the Scab Coral to assimilate every life form on Earth. But when it surrounded the Earth completely, it realized that it was the only intelligent life on Earth. It rediscovered the joy of communication once more, when humanity returned to the Earth. But it knew it had to be careful this time, because it remembered how it had treated humanity previously. Thus, it sent Sakuya and Eureka to determine whether unity with humanity was possible, and if so, how to accomplish it.

In light of this revelation, Renton urged they talk with the Scab Coral immediately, but Diane said that an attack was imminent, and there may be no way to stop the Limit of Matter. There was only one way that the Limit of Matter could be prevented, she said, and that was if humanity became one with the Scab Coral before the Central Nerve Cluster is destroyed. Frustrated with his sister's hopeless outlook, Renton insisted that they do whatever they can. After all, he said, he and Eureka had chosen one another, and they will do anything to stay together. When Diane told him that there's just not enough time for humanity to become one with the Scab Coral, Renton replied that he will prevent the attack on the Central Nerve Cluster with Eureka and the Nirvash. Renton and Eureka reunited on a hill overlooking the vast library, and he made another astonishing discovery: a familiar mustached man who had been listening to Eureka and the children. He is none another than Renton's father, Adrock Thurston. Just then, Diane appeared and told Renton that the Central Nerve Cluster decided to wait for Renton to stop the attack, and the Nirvash appeared to escort them back to Earth.

While in re-entry, Dominic broadcast to the entire world the truth about the Scab Coral, and a worldwide panic ensued. After the preparations for firing were completed, Dewey countered with a broadcast of his own, revealing that the Scab Coral is actually Earth and portraying the Scab Coral as a dastardly conqueror that forced humanity to flee. He authorized Oratorio No. 8 to fire on the Scab Coral, and opened a massive chasm through the crust. Dewey sent TheEND through the chasm to the Earth underneath with a special device for the Central Nerve Cluster. Holland launched the 303 to intercept TheEND, but Dominic commandeered the high-speed shuttle one last time and convinced Holland to let him go instead, the latter turning his attention to the KLFs launched against the Gekko and Super Izumo. As the crust regenerated and finally closed behind Dominic, all contact with the shuttle was lost. The two rebel ships escaped to low Earth orbit.

Anemone, meanwhile, was in turmoil: Dewey was not the hero she thought he was, and Dominic was all but inaccessible. As she arrived at the Central Nerve Cluster, the Nirvash jumped into the air to intercept her. Despite a heated dogfight, TheEND was able to fire the device—a transponder—into the Central Nerve Cluster. In the midst of the battle, Eureka heard Nirvash telling her to listen to the thoughts of TheEND's rider. Reluctantly Renton agreed, and they heard a young woman who believed her life is all but over, planning for the unlikely event that she would be reborn or permitted to live. Eureka and Renton do their best to comfort her, but the hurt is too great. Before she unleashed her weapons on the Nirvash point-blank, she heard Dominic calling her name several hundred feet above her. The blast of the weapon pushed Dominic away, and as Anemone called out for Dominic, TheEND's coloring is transformed from black to white. She let TheEND eject her towards Dominic, and they reunited in midair. TheEND then caught them, and landed safely on a nearby island.

However, Anemone had accomplished her mission for Dewey, and he fired the Oratorio No. 8 at maximum output, locked onto the transponder. The resulting blast obliterated the Central Nerve Cluster, destroyed TheEND, and severely damaged the Nirvash, both LFOs successfully protecting their riders.

[edit] The Second Summer of Love

This section covers episode 49, "Shout To the Top!", and most of episode 50, "When You Wish Upon a Star".

The shot that destroyed the Central Nerve Cluster also overloaded and destroyed Oratorio No. 8, and its fragments collided into 31 of the 157 towers that served as civilian and military centers, all guided by trapar waves. In the midst of the destruction, all the young women affected by the Despair Syndrome were miraculously restored to a normal state of mind, and their compac drives turned into books.

When they discovered the massive hole in the Tian Shan mountains, Holland ordered the Gekko and Super Izumo to set course for the mountains once more. Dewey ordered the Ginga into the airspace underneath the crust, and ordered the military to hold off the Coralian antibodies for 1,246 seconds. This meant that the Nirvash had survived, and Jurgens told the Gekko to go after the Ginga alone, while the Super Izumo holds off the military.

Underground, the Nirvash's Compac Drive glowed blue, and it moved on its own to exactly where the Central Nerve Cluster was. Eureka told Renton that the Nirvash decided to turn itself into what was lost. However, they are attacked by the Ginga. Not long after the bombardment started, the Gekko opened fire on the Ginga. The Super Izumo was almost untouched, mainly because the military is so occupied with survival from the Coralian antibodies. A high-speed shuttle from Tresor, carrying Dr. Bear, demanded the location of Dewey Novak and the Gekko.

After Renton told them of their intention to become a new Central Nerve Cluster with the Nirvash, Holland ordered the Gekko to cover him while he breaks into the Ginga with the 303. When Holland succeeded in disabling the Ginga, Dewey ordered his crew, including the Ageha children, to abandon ship.

Holland arrived at the Ginga's bridge to find it empty, except for his brother Dewey. Before Dewey could kill Holland, however, the Gekko rammed the Ginga's bridge. The Super Izumo, with Dr. Bear on board, tried to call off the attack, but it is too late. Dewey revealed that he, too, had a Compac Drive implanted in him, meaning that his fate would be one with the planet's. Maniacally, he fired his pistol into his temple.

Moments later, both Anemone and Eureka screamed in pain as their collars activated, triggered by Dewey's death. Eureka bid goodbye to Renton, and disappeared in a surge of energy. A huge tree-like formation formed above the Tian Shan mountains, surrounding a large spherical object.

Eureka and Anemone's collars were designed to inject a self-destruct program into the Scab Coral, should either one become the next Central Nerve Cluster. Eureka, however, was resisting becoming the next Central Nerve Cluster, and she was acting as a beacon, as the intermittent signals visible in the Compac Drive were synchronous with the pulses detected from the sphere above the Tian Shan mountains.

Holland forcibly pulled Renton out of his depression, and told him and the children to continue calling Eureka through the Compac Radar. The Gekko lifted off through the cavity, and set course for a suitable point to engage its boosters. However, their way was blocked by an enormous force of Coralian antibodies. Knowing that they were short of time, the Gekko attempts to fight their way through, but in the fighting loses her starboard booster. Renton told Maurice to take care of his brother and sister while he goes to talk with the Nirvash, and Maurice gave Renton one of Eureka's old hairpins. When Renton shared his need of Eureka with the Nirvash, the Amita Drive activated, transforming the Nirvash into a completely new form. He completely destroyed the attacking Coralian force, and departed at high speed for Eureka.

At the sphere above the Tian Shan mountains, Renton met resistance from the planet, but he broke through and found Eureka inside. He told her that if she decided to leave herself behind as a Coralian, he would put aside his own humanity. That was when they had their first kiss. They were ready to become one with the planet, but as the massive structure broke apart, Nirvash ejected them from its body, telling them that their memories were now a part of its soul, and it can finally achieve enlightenment. It told Renton and Eureka to go and be an example to everyone living on the Earth, that humans can indeed coexist with Coralians. As the sphere broke apart in a flurry of Trapar particles, fissures opened in Scab Coral's surface, breaking it apart and revealing the Earth beneath.

As the stunned crew on the Gekko watched, Gonzy informed them that this is the Second Summer of Love, and that humans and Coralians will avoid the Limit of Matter and coexist in peace by existing in different universes. He asserts that evolution does not have to simply involve humans (implying becoming one through Human Coralian hybrids as opposed to existing in the Command Cluster). After revealing that he is also a Coralian, Gonzy vanished from sight.

[edit] Epilogue

This section covers the final part of episode 50.

One year later, Maurice, Maeter, and Linck's adoption (and Eureka's, by her relationship with Renton and the children) into the Thurston family was official. When Maurice asked Axel at a diner if their adoption was too much trouble, Axel replied that at that moment they were celebrating the children's inclusion into the family with a Thurston tradition—a Big Burger dinner.

That evening they hurried to the new "Renton Thurston Height of Hope Park" to see the moon, now engraved with the undeniable love between Renton and Eureka.

And somewhere on the Earth, a blue light and red light pulsated in harmony.

The picture fades to the final frame^[36] of the series, a hand drawn picture of the new Thurston family (Renton, Eureka, Axel, and the kids) standing with each other in a field.

[edit] Footnotes

[edit] References

Kyoda, Tomoki (Director). (2005). Eureka Seven [Television series]. Japan: Bones.