Gantz Targets
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This article refers to Gantz Targets -- or the targets for the 'games' selected the black ball known only as Gantz (from the manga/anime of the same name). In the anime Gantz, a black ball exists in a room in Tokyo. Gantz gathers the dead and transports them to combat various aliens and at times even other humanoid creatures such as vampires. An old Japanese aerobic song entitled "Brand New Day" signifies the beginning of the mission briefing. The Gantz players are given a misleading or purposefully vague description and an image of their intended target(s). Usually the boss of the mission is not displayed, but rather a weaker alien. After this, the black ball opens and inside are powerful futuristic weapons and suits that function as armor and strength enhancers. When the game starts, the players gathered have an hour (sometimes more) to get rid of the target.
There are various rules associated with the game such as players not being able to leave the 1 kilometer by 1 kilometer area unless they want their head to explode. If the target is not eliminated by the end of the time period, all players have their points reset to zero. Killing the target(s) gives the players points. When 100 points are obtained, the player can choose to have their freedom, a powerful weapon (yet to be seen, as the only player that selected this died before the next mission) or to revive someone from the Gantz's "memory" (assumed to be similar to computer memory). At first during missions the aliens and the players are not visible to the ordinary people, although this changes later on in the manga. If a player is still alive at the end of the mission, they are transported back to the starting room and all of their injuries are healed. If they are dead, the Gantz destroys their bodies. After the mission is over, the players are given their scores and then the doors open and they are allowed to leave until the Gantz next teleports them back to the room. If they mention Gantz by name the explosive device in their head is triggered. This device can apparently also be triggered by using the Gantz weapons in sight of people unfamiliar with Gantz.
In the anime, the Gantz is depicted as somewhat sadistic and calculating when it selects Kurono as a target, presumably because he tried to kill the man inside the ball with one of the guns after the Buddha mission. Gantz seems to enjoy stupid puns and has very bad spelling in the anime. Who created the Gantz and for what purpose, how it got the name 'Gantz', and the technology behind it remains a mystery. All that is known is that there are black Gantz balls in Israel, America and Germany. The Gantz ball seems to have its roots in a (fictional) German religious movement.
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[edit] Notes
Please note that most descriptions of the targets (characteristics, things they like, and favorite sayings) are quoted from the descriptions Gantz used while briefing the Hunters and may appear strange to some readers as a result of the direct translation from Japanese to English.
Please note that this list is based on the manga's storyline, which does not follow the anime's plot strictly. The anime-only "Kurono Alien" mission is also listed.
[edit] The Onion Aliens
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The first pair of aliens the Gantz team faced was the "Negi Seijin" (Negi meaning 'Green Onion' and Seijin meaning 'Alien'). True to their titles, they are green in color and love green onions. The first Negi Seijin the Hunters face was small and childlike. The Hunters quickly disposed of the defenseless creature, only to invoke the wrath of the Negi Seijin's father, a much more violent and dangerous creature. The 'Daddy Negi Seijin' massacred most of the Hunters. Kurono eventually beat the 'Daddy Negi Seijin' down and Nishi 'sent' the creature off into the sky.
These aliens are extremely resistant to modern weapons (being shot multiple times with a handgun had no effect on the father) and the left hand conceals five very long razor-sharp claws capable of slicing cleanly through bone.
[edit] The Tanaka Aliens
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The second mission charged the Hunters with the task of eliminating a doll-like robot called "Tanaka Seijin" (Tanaka being a common Japanese surname and Seijin meaning 'Alien'). The dolls were merely robotic shells that allowed the bird-like aliens to live in the human world. At first they appeared friendly, until the Hunters hurt one of their mini-bird companions. Their main attack was a high-pitched sound, emitting from their mouths, which could cause hemorrhaging in the eyes and ears. Another advantage they had was their high speed: they were able to dodge the X-Gun with ease. When their outer shell was damaged they emerged in their bird forms. They could only survive for a short period of time outside their protective shell since they cannot breathe oxygen (strangely enough, the tiny birds are able to breathe with out any devices). Their leader was a massive bird with pipes protruding from its jaw that allowed it to breathe. Despite its large size it was agile and could evade the delay shot of the X-Gun. Kurono Kei defeated this 'boss' by breaking its gas pipes and shooting it down in midair. The aliens outer shell was designed based on Seiji Tanaka, a Japanese folk singer from the 70s. The aliens name is a play on his name and the aliens constantly quote his song lyrics.
[edit] The Buddhist Temple Aliens
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As the name suggests, they were Buddhist Statues. There was a wide variety of them, but overall they were some of the most dangerous aliens yet seen. The first to appear were approximately fifty feet tall and immensely powerful. Nicknamed "Rowdy Alien" and "Grumpy Alien", these aliens guarded the temple at the beginning of the mission. Because they had skeletons and organs beneath their stone-like exteriors, they were vulnerable to X-guns. Kurono killed one by breaking its legs and then firing at its head; the unnamed sniper took the other one out while it was crushing Kurono in its hand. The Hunters then encountered another giant Buddha statue. This one was much sturdier than the others. Kurono killed this one single-handedly when he jumped into a hole in the alien's forehead and destroyed it from within.
Next the Hunters were attacked by several much smaller Buddhist statues, the most dangerous boss of them all was a statue of the Goddess of Mercy that was within the temple. This creature had in its possession a liquid acid that could eat through a human body in mere seconds as well as a laser that could pierce even the toughest armor. Aside from Kishimoto and Sei, a lot of this mission's team fell prey to this particular alien. Although it had many other weapons at its disposal, notably a variety of swords, it mostly used the aforementioned. However, what made it so dangerous was its ability to heal itself in seconds through a regeneration disk in one of its hands. It was also capable of getting smarter after ingesting human brains. The statue was revealed to be only an outer shell. Its true form was a lizard-like creature with six arms. This was the first alien to speak coherently. Eventually, Kato was able to defeat this creature at the cost of his life. Thus, everyone except Kurono was killed in this mission.
[edit] The Kurono Alien (Anime Only)
In the anime series, almost all the events prior to the Shorty Aliens hunt follow the original story, but in the following mission, a group of new players is selected and their target is Kurono himself. Why Gantz wanted him dead is a question unanswered, but somehow Kurono convinced some of his opponents to trust him and stop viewing him as the enemy. One explanation is that following the previous mission, grief stricken at the loss of his comrades, Kurono fired his weapon at the bald man inside the sphere, thus angering Gantz. This may be supported by the signs Gantz causes to appear on the buildings saying things such as "He betrays his friends", "He shoots people with guns", and "He shoots guns".
Kurono Alien
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- Strong
- Vicious
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- Big Breasts
- Fighting
The People In this Mission Include the following (Besides Kuruno)
- Furata, A bookstore Owner who believes in Diplomacy and was killed in a hit and run while chasing a thief
- Mika, A Fairly Impotent College student who died at the hands of her stalker
- Nozaki, a Biker who was swept down a river in a storm after saving a child
- Uehara, Kuruno's Homeroom teacher who was killed by the jealous wife of her affair
- Saito, a Paranoid Businessman who has been to the 10-story building that the mission takes place in, and commit suicide while fleeing loan sharks
- Ryuji, The Older of the two serial killers, who was killed by government agents
- Hajime, The Younger of the two serial killers who died in the same way as the other, and sings the same song as gantz does before each mission while killing his victims
To complicate matters, two serial killers among the newcomers decide to wipe out not just Kurono, but the rest of the party. One of the killers blew himself up in an attempt to take Kurono with him and the other was captured by Kurono with the Y-Gun. The other players died and whether Kurono himself survived or not is a mystery since this is the last mission shown on the anime. Contrary to the manga, in this mission, we see that the Gantz suits offer no protection from bullets at all. Following the mission, Gantz disappears from the apartment. It would be logical however, to assume that this mission takes place right before the Shorty aliens mission, despite the disappearance of Gantz in the end of the episode. In the beginning of both the anime and manga Gantz appears in the room, even though Nishi had already been a hunter for about a year, leading to the assumption that Gantz frequently appears and disappears from the room. As for Kurono surviving, it makes sense that Gantz made him fight the Shorty aliens alone due to the fact that he was the sole survivor of two entire Gantz teams.
[edit] The Shorty Aliens
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Also known as "The Chibi Aliens". As the name suggests, they were short in height. In this mission, Kurono faced the enemies alone, since all other Hunters were killed during the previous mission. As soon as he realized that Gantz had not recruited any new members, Kurono grabbed as many guns as he could carry. These aliens were strong, fast, and possessed strong telepathic abilities. In fact, they constantly broadcasted their thoughts to Kurono as a method of intimidation during combat. Most of these aliens were killed fairly easily by Kurono, but the last held back and analyzed his strategy, after which it nearly killed him. As the time limit was reached, he failed the mission, resulting in GANTZ taking away all his points.
Aside from their physical and psychic abilities, the aliens had fleshy, wing shaped membranes on their back that could wrap around them and morph into the shape of humans as a disguise. This was not revealed until after the mission.
Days later, the only surviving Shorty Alien barged into Kurono's school and massacred everyone in the class but Tae and Izumi. Luckily, Kurono had brought some of his Gantz equipment with him to the school and managed to eventually defeat the alien, though the situation was much complicated by the arrival of the police.
[edit] The Kappe Alien
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This arc introduces a lot of new Hunters due to the killing spree Izumi goes on in Shinjuku. The kappe alien itself was not the actual danger of the mission, though he proved to be a worthy enemy. The danger of the mission lay in the "pets" of the Kappe alien, which were a wide variety of aliens posing as dinosaur statues in a museum. Notable among them: three triceratops had the ability to stand upright and increase in muscle mass, several tyrannosaurus rex could shoot fireballs from their mouths, and numerous raptor-shaped aliens. Near the end, a massive alien resembling a Brachiosaurus appeared. It had a massive blade coming out of its face and could survive without its head (as its brains were actually located near its stomach). The Kappe alien itself had three stages of mutation, in which he increased in size and strength and his appearance became increasingly frightening.
Gantz added a special rule for Kurono during this mission (possibly for failing in the previous hunt). He would have to score at least 15 points in this round or be killed. Thus Kurono had to worry not only about his life, but also about defeating all enemies before the time limit, because if this condition was not met, he would end with zero points like in the previous mission, AND had no suit when the mission started. This mission also introduced the Vampires, as they appeared near the end and killed some of the Hunters before Gantz teleported them back to the room.
[edit] The Ring Aliens
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This mission proved how effective the Hunters had become after training as a team. The aliens themselves resembled massive warriors wearing black armor and riding giant black horses. They relied heavily on their size and giant bladed polearms. Their appearance and name suggests they are based off the Nazgûl from The Lord of the Rings.
The Ring alien mission was in fact the shortest mission in the whole series so far. The mission itself was just a setting for the "Tae" mission, since the aliens didn’t pose a real threat to the Hunters.
[edit] The Tae Alien
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Though definitely not an alien, Tae became a Gantz target after she accidentally took pictures of the Hunters during the "Ring Alien" mission. Most of the mission involved Kurono trying to save Tae from the other players, as well as the conflict between the players on Kurono’s side and those siding with Izumi. Finally, it was Tae’s love for Kurono which made her return to the playing field just in time to be slashed down by Izumi, for whom it was just another mission and a challenge to kurono.
The Gantzers split into two teams during this mission, which were directly opposed to each other. Those helping Kurono to defend Tae Kojima included Reika, Suzuki (old man), Kaze, Sakata, Sakurai and a Girl named Ayaka. Izumi however, counted with the help of Inaba, Ayaka's Four Rapists and Hoi-Hoi, who was just following him. According to a Fansite "Gantzball", Inaba apparently sided with Izumi to show his hatred for Kurono, as it is believed he has a crush on Reika. The rapists sided with Izumi because he told them that if they were to fail the mission and not kill Tae, their lives would end at the hands of Gantz.
When the first real battle of the mission started, Sakata and Sakurai face off with Izumi, saying they will use their "Super-reaction" to dodge his sword. Meanwhile, Iwamoto, Mikawa And Haga surrounded Suzuki, and prepare to shoot him. Tomioka and Ayaka have a standoff, and Tomioka threatens to shot her unless she hands over her pistol. Sakata and Sakurai indeed dodge Izumi's first strike, but their Guns and Powers seem to have no effect. Sakata is wounded. Iwamoto, Haga and Mikawa shot Suzuki, while he shoots Iwamoto. A Liquid Leaks out of the suits of Suzuki and Iwamoto, indicating that the suit can withstand a few blasts of the X-gun. Suzuki then tried to run, but gets blasted by all three of them, and his legs explode (though he survives the mission, after being mended by Kaze). They then run past him. Tomioka finally forces Ayaka into handing away her weapon, and Izumi's team as a whole moves on towards Kurono and Tae.
Iwamoto, Haga and Mikawa locate Tae, and Iwamoto almost kills her, but gets punched by Kurono, who was using a cloaking device. Due to the fact that his suit is broken, he dies from the strike, while Haga and Mikawa flee in terror and Kurono and Tae embrace. They then attempt to run, only to find the two men now backed up by Izumi. Izumi tries to convince Kurono to join him, but fails. He then uses a cloaking device of his own, and the two fight each other while Haga and Mikawa stand back and watch. Reika then jumps into the fight and whisks away Tae, prior to Inaba and Tomioka arriving. The four Team Izumi members surround Kurono, while Izumi runs off after Tae and Reika. The four discover that Kurono killed Iwamoto, and attack him in rage. While they chase him on the rooftops, Reika leaves Tae in a cab, while she goes back to her house and destroys the pictures that Tae took.
The mission still doesn't end, and Kurono is cornered. Led by Inaba, the blood thirsty group prepares to finish him off, and it as at that point that Kurono pulls down the trigger after locking on to Haga, which blows off his legs and sends Tomioka and Mikawa running. Inaba, however, punches Kurono, whoose suit is broken, and inflicts massive damage. Tae comes running back, just in time to be cut down by Izumi. She stumbles unto Kurono, prior to being beamed away by Gantz. In the midst of the tragedy, Tomioka proclaims that "that was hard, and that he wouldn't want to go through that again"(Apparently, he found the mission difficult due to the tenacity of Tae's defenders, and perceived the whole ordeal as a game).
Upon being teleported back to Gantz's Room, Kurono had a hallucenation of him and Tae in bed. She states that that it is cold, and the two wrap up in a blanket. She then thanks Kurono for protecting her, and it is here that he starts to realize it is a dream. He comes to his senses holding air in the room while everyone else leaves. He finds out that Tae can be revived, and vows to get a hundred points and revive not just Kojima, but Kato and Kishimoto as well. One speculation of why Kojima ended in the Gantz data base with out being a gantz player is because Kurono was holding her as they where all being transported to the room.
[edit] The Oni Aliens
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The hunt for the Oni Aliens is likely a major turning point in the story. From the beginning the aliens were visible to humans and later on even the Hunters became visible. Also, the timer simply turned off with no explanation in the middle of the mission. This mission also resulted in the revival of Tae, Katou and Nishi, as well as Kurono gaining freedom.
For the first time, aliens actually appeared to be completely intelligent. Though it is uncertain, the fact that they acted and dressed normally, manipulated cell phones, and even enjoyed human entertainment (as an alien declared that he was a big fan of Reika), seems to suggest that they had been living among humans for a long time. They were also quite aware about Hunters and seemed to hint that more was going on than first appears.
This time, the aliens worked together with the Vampires. Though the Vampires did not engage in combat, they advised the Oni and provided technology so they could detect the Hunters.
It was also the first time the aliens were waiting for the arrival of the Gantz players, and had gathered in enormous numbers in order to finish the Hunters once and for all. All of them at first looked like humans, but soon revealed their alien side with swordlike claws and an acid spit that easily penetrated the Gantz suits' defenses.
This mission had four "bosses":
- The Fire Oni: Armed with pyrokinetic ability, the first boss took down many of the Hunters in a single attack, making Inaba the sole survivor of the first strike against him. Later on it faced Sakata and Sakurai. Sakurai died in this fight, but not without taking down the Fire Oni’s eyes and legs, which allowed Sakata to destroy him.
- The Morphing Oni: As its name suggests, it had morphing abilities, but it also possessed great speed. It appeared to be able to negate the X-guns to a limited degree. It first appeared in front of Inaba as an almost naked Reika. After a bit of acting, it managed to have sex with him. The real Reika interrupted before it could kill him. Later, it tried to attack Reika in Kurono’s shape, but Reika actually knew it was him all the time and prepared an ambush with the other Gantzers. After being revealed, he began killing players by entering their bodies in a small form and then transforming into something larger. Kurono beheaded it after one such kill.
- The Earth Oni: An exceptional fighter with the ability to turn his body into a giant stone golem. He was perhaps Kaze's peer in fighting ability. The two fought under normal circumstances, enjoying their one-on-one fight. The moment Kaze began to win, the Earth Oni transformed and turned the tide until Kaze used the power in his suit and easily defeated the Earth Oni, tearing it into several pieces.
- The Ultimate Oni: According to the Vampires, this alien was not only the strongest of the Onis, but was the strongest alien ever. This appears true, as it was fast, strong, and could launch blasts of lightning. When they knew he would join the fight, they took the Hunters' extermination for granted and left the battlefield. Angered by the whole genocide of his species, he cursed the world and threatened to kill every single human. He was faced by the whole party (except Inaba, Takeshi and Hoi-Hoi) and no single member stood a chance against him. Kaze managed to break a leg and arm before being partially dismembered by its lighting. This, as expected, had an enormous effect on his speed and made it possible for Kurono to stab him and cut off the horns emerging from his back before getting punched into a building far away, presumed dead by Inaba. Sakata, like Sakurai before, used his powers to blind him, but he was pierced through by the alien. Reika, shocked by everyone's apparent death, did nothing to prevent the alien (though blinded) from catching and nearly crushing her with a single hand. Kurono and Izumi joined together, each wielding a Gantz Sword, to kill it. Surprisingly, every member of the team, save Sakurai, who was alive at the start of the last fight survived to the end of the mission, so all were restored to health.
[edit] The Nurarihyon
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The first hunt of phase 2 begins soon after Kurono's death. The two vampires who teleported with the gantzers to the room also received suits, indicating they are now under Gantz's rules. As usual, three other newcomers join the group.
Takeshi was the first to be teleported from the room. Kaze warned the boy to stay put and wait for him, but he had to run from a mysterious woman who was pursuing him soon after he was sent. After reaching the place, Kaze started looking for Takeshi while the rest of the team question themselves how to deal with the two vampires who were sent with them, as some people were still angry on both for killing Kurono. It did not took long for them to realize they were not in Tokyo anymore, but in Osaka instead.
The hunters are astonished with the fact that they were sent so far this time, and it didn't take them long to figure out that they are being seen by ordinary people as occurred in the previous mission. While the vampires were trying to leave, they saw the three other newcomers, who were sent with them, wander outside the hunting area, and saw their heads explode. With this fact they figured out about the bombs in their heads and decided to turn back.
Meanwhile, the mysterious alien woman who was also visible to the people, put her hands on Takeshi and was about to eat him, when the boy uses the power of his suit for the first time, and set himself free, killing her in only one blow. He was ashamed for hurting her despite he was very frightened and just when he was asking for forgiveness, lots of aliens rise from a river nearby, and Takeshi ends up having to fight them by himself, while Kaze continues to search desperately for him. These aliens mostly resemble various monsters and supernatural creatures from Japan's mythology, and apparently they reek like rotten fish.
The rest of the team tracked down the aliens and set to fight them, hoping to win enough points to revive Kurono, when they end up meeting a group of human locals, wearing the same black suits as them. Each faction was questioning if the other could be part of the alien enemies too until one of the Osaka gantzers recognized Reika. Curiously some of them were carrying some weapons never seen by the Tokyo party.
For some reason, the Osaka group had not started to engage the aliens yet, and despite the aliens started to kill the bystanders, they still watched the scene without doing anything, with some of them still taking drugs while waiting. Despite Katou's urge to help the innocents being killed by the aliens, he and his companions were warned to not do anything. Meanwhile, an exausted and frightened Takeshi was about to be eaten by a huge alien when Kaze arrived to save him.
When the Osaka Gantzers started to take action, they proved to be crueler and even more vicious than the aliens themselves, killing even the defenseless ones and even raping a female one just for fun. Their party was stopped by the arrival of a strong alien who started to kill them. Meanwhile Takeshi protected Kaze from a huge alien by using a special move he learned from him. He managed to knock down the alien for a while, but his suit started to lose power, and Kaze had to finish it by himself. After the combat, Kaze swore to live for the boy and to protect him from harm.
A group of three aliens are seen atop a shop. By their looks and posture they are probably the bosses.
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