iD_ᴇNTITY
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| iD_ᴇNTITY | |
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| 유레카 (Yureka) |
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| Genre | Action, Fantasy |
| Manhwa: iD_ᴇNTITY | |
| Author | Hee-Joon Son |
| Artist | Youn-Kyung Kim |
| Publisher |  Daiwon C.I. Inc. |
| English publisher |  Tokyopop |
| Serialized in | Tokyopop |
| Original run | 2000 – ongoing |
| Volumes | 25 |
iD_ᴇNTITY or Yureka (유레카) is a manhwa series created by Hee-Joon Son in collaboration with Youn-Kyung Kim and distributed by Tokyopop in North America. The series centers around the main character Jang-Gun and his friends along with their virtual reality avatars in the computer game world called "Lost Saga". There are 34 volumes right now (and still coming out), and ten of them have been released in the United States.
Contents |
[edit] Story
The series centers around the main character Jang-Gun and his friends along with their virtual reality avatars in the computer game world called "Lost Saga". When Jang-Gun logs on as a different character, he "Creates" an AI with a personality from the hacked disk he found when renewing his appearance for his once a year renewal process. Yureka is a flutter-brained, but advanced, AI with powerful stats and a real-life doppleganger. It is his turn to see just how deep his immersion in the virtual world goes.
The following is a plot summary by volume:
[edit] Volume One
Many of the central characters (and their relationships to each other) are introduced in this volume, including Team Triple Threat, Roto's family, Myriah, Aradon, the Lovely Angels, Row-the-Mighty, Miss Piri, and Capri. Oddly enough, Yureka does not make her debut until the second volume.
[edit] Volume Two
Jang-gun's birthday passes unheeded by his family, but he does find that he needs to renew his Lost Saga ID. When he goes to the Net Room to do so, he accidentally bumps into a girl who drops a card with the name 'Yureka' on it on her way out of the Room. Later that day, he accidentally logs on with the card, creating the impossibly strong but airheaded AI, Yureka, who is at once aware of her AI status and strength, but blissfully unaware of guile and trickery. Under this disguise, he clears a high-level dungeon called Terror Tower with the other two members of Team Triple Threat. The next day he logs on under his own name, but is bewildered to encounter Yureka herself, who joins the Team after showcasing her strength the previous night.
[edit] Volume Three
Volume Three heralds the beginning of the first story arc, the Double Trouble Tournament. With riches and treasure as a promised prize, everyone in Lost Saga is dying to join. Roto enters with Yureka at his side, and meets Rapha and John on his way to entry. A preliminary is held, in which the pairs must fight two tough monsters, the cyclops from Terror Tower and a generic Ghouliant undead sort of mage which, according to Boromir's exclamation in this volume, is called a Lich. After this grueling pretest, there are eight remaining teams: Roto and Yureka, Ah-Dol and Boromid, Rapha and John, The Lovely Angels, Aradon and Alpha, a strange Necromancer(Baltisse)/Axman(Lazarus) team, a generic filler team, and Row-the-Mighty, with a mysterious master-level witch by his side. These teams are set up in a tournament bracket, and the first fight takes place between Roto and Row.
Roto and the witch, named Orugazi (other translations term her Horgacia, etc.) have a magical face-off of epic proportions, which ends in a double KO. Yureka is then forced to fight Row- she easily overpowers him, but her compassion stays her hand. Row, realizing this, concedes the match.
Immediately after this, Roto runs out to brag to Miss Piri, the NPC storekeeps he crushes on. Yureka follows him to fetch him back (Ah-dol and Boromir's match is going on) and inadvertently displays a new power: Yureka pulls Miss Piri free of the strict set of preprogrammed boundaries surrounding her store, that Miss Piri is bound to as an NPC, so that she can watch the tournament.
The volume concludes with Boromir and Ah-dol's complete and easy victory over the nameless team, and Miss Piri's thanks for her freedom.
[edit] Characters
Left to right, top row: Olios, Alpha, Rapha holding a plush John doll.
Second Row: Sisters K.C. and Julie in the yellow, Aradon to the twins' lower right, Boromiru with the spiky blond hair, Ah-Dol with blue hair and angry-looking, and pre-Monster Island Myriah looking off to the right.
Below Ah-Dol, approaching the foreground: Roto directly below, Yureka on his lower left, Miss Piri to Yureka's lower left.
The names of the characters are listed first, with their Lost Saga identities in (parentheses) unless their real names are unknown, in which case they will be listed by their handles only.
[edit] Team Triple Threat
[edit] Jang-Gun (Roto)
Hangul: 장군
Age: 16
Class: Sorcerer (Wizard)
Sub-class: Swordsman
Occupation: High School Junior
Roto (his identity in the game, and what he is most commonly called) is a master level sorcerer (later wizard). Along with Boromid and Ah-Dol, he is one of the members of Team Triple Threat. He is considered one of the most powerful players in the game, logging over 6000 hours, the most since last beta.
Jang-Gun is very short for his age, but is still considered attractive, and is popular with girls (although he hardly notices them, usually thinking about game strategy). He's a bit of a jerk, exploiting others to his own advantage and hitting Yureka when she irritates him.
Although he is crazy for the game, he still manages to maintain an A-plus average in school and put up with his chain-smoker mother and chatroom-obsessed sister, Rose (Chang-Mi). When his Lost Saga ID card expires and he goes to renew it, he accidentally picks up a hacked one with the name Yureka on it- when he accidentally logs on with it, Yureka is created.
Lotto mostly focuses on fire magic & fire-based summons (i.e. Efreeti), but he can use other elemental-based magic if need be. Along with the large repertoire of spells he has at his disposal he is a semi-skilled swordsmaster, supposedly shoring up many of the sorcerer class' weaknesses. It is also to be noted that he has a large knowledge of obscure magical facts, like how magic that's bounced off one force field will penetrate another, no matter how strong.
[edit] Yureka
Hangul: 유레카
Class: Freelancer
After Roto gets his normal ID back, Yureka is still around. Her presence hasn't been explained yet, but she is most likely a rogue AI, like Aura from the .hack series. She may have been hacked, as her stats are all maxed out- strangely enough, her skill for specific spells and weapons are all at zero. Regardless, she embodies a unique power to mimic moves enemies use on her and retaliate with versions of them more powerful than the original. Her real-life counterpart reappears in volume 6, mildly surprised to see 'herself' on television.
[edit] Kwan-Su (Boromid)
Hangul: 관수
Class: Priest (Temple Knight)
Sub-Class: Warrior
Occupation: High School Junior
The master level priest (later temple knight) of Team Triple Threat, Boromid is frequently the comic relief. Unlike Roto, he enjoys the attention of girls his age, and is constantly frustrated as they all flock around his apathetic friend- he fancies himself a ladies' man, but he's really just a big pervert. He upskirts various female NPCs as an in-game hobby, and his reputation in the game as a result is dismal. As Triple Threat's only healer, his role is very important- but then again, he's not the best healer around, since his first instinct in a fight is to run for the exit. He prefers to fight with maces, but has been seen dual-wielding ogre scimitars, or using the Priest-class master item, Mjollnir (a lightning-based hammer with awesome power). In Lost Saga, a Priest is similar to a White Mage.
Outside the US, Boromid is named "Boromir".
[edit] Woon-Suk (Ah-Dol)
Hangul: 운석
Class: Master Level Warrior
Sub-Class: Sorcerer
Ah-Dol is the warrior of Team Triple Threat. Unlike his two friends, Boromid and Roto, he is stoic, and doesn't excite as easily as the others- unless his brother's avatar, Alpha, happens to be around. He tends to be the only thing preventing Boromid and Roto from attempting to kill each other. Also unlike his allies, he shuns weapons such as swords and maces as he prefers instead to move in close and pummel his enemies with his knuckle dusters. His sub-class is sorcerer, as he would like to use elemental-based skills like Magma Punch.
[edit] Other Master-Level Players
[edit] Aradon the Black
Class: Sorcerer (Wizard)
Sub-Class: Swordmaster (Master level)
Aradon is famous for being a bounty hunter, hunting down player killers for a reward, as well as being one of the fastest player ever to reach master level. He is the first player to ever obtain two master levels reaching both master sorcerer and a master swordsman status. He teams up with the mysterious Alpha for the Luciferian Double Trouble Team Tournament. He wields both the magical Sword of Harmony which he uses to channel and control the elements and the master-level Warrior/Sorcerer weapon Gladiat, the Sword of Light. He is commented on during the series to be very handsome, and has captured the heart of NPC Miss Piri, whom Roto loves. In one of the recent chapters of "Yureka," Aradon is seen wearing a high school uniform, with Olyus catching up to him. His real identity, however, remains vague.
[edit] Il-Ban
Another master-level player, he does not featured largely in the series until Volume 6. Capri (the player who mentioned him earlier and a good friend of Il-Ban) also referred to how Il-Ban helped him out earlier on in the game, contradicting his title "Dark Priest of the Dragon Lands," and his physical appearance (he is menacing looking, with an inverted cross on his forehead). Il-Ban later explains what constitutes a Dark Priest, when he resurrects Rapha as a Night Shade (a spirit-type monster). Il-Ban is intimate with the workings and events of the game, and may have connections to the company. He also met with Alpha (during a flashback) and is the one who dubbed him a ranger. He hesitates to attack monsters during the quest to kill monsters and knows the inner workings of the game before they happen. He is very intelligent and can easily hold his own in a fight even though his character is not very strong.
[edit] Basara
One of the master level players, and hands down the best player in Lost Saga (the game): he single handedly annihilated a dungeon that Team Triple Threat only got to level 8 on (and there are 20 levels). He also threw away a sword worth 700,000 gold like it was trash because he said his sword was better. He extremely despises people who attack his "prey" and is even willing to break player-killing laws in order to dispense his own version of "justice". Extra note: according to the profiles in the manga, Basara "Enjoys long walks on the beach. Alone." He is brash and hotheaded as seen when he attempts to kill Roto and company for taking his route for the quest. Later, thanks to Roto's backstabbing, Basara got turned into stone by Cube. His fate is unknown.
[edit] "Mistress Orugazi"
The only master-level witch met in the series so far, she has a broomstick she can evade attack with while she casts her spells. She teams with Row in the Double Trouble Torunament, but is beaten by Roto in the first round. Later, she has a change of heart and joins Row in defending Nomal City from the monster horde. She possesses great magical power as seen when she can unleash Meteo, a powerful spell that summons meteors to crush foes.
[edit] Team Fallen Angels
A team of master-level thieves- make that treasure hunters- who are a pair of sibling pop stars ("The Lovely Angels") out of the game. They have the tricky task of juggling celebrity status with devotion to the game.
[edit] Jin-Mee (K.C.)
Hangul: 진미
A master-level Thief and one half of the Team. She and her sister Gina (or her game name, Julie) are also the famous pop group known as "The Lovely Angels". Her master-class item is a bandana that allows her to become invisible. She is also skilled in Lair's wire, which is barely visible wire used by high-level thieves to hold down foes or protect areas.
[edit] Gina (Julie)
Hangul: 진나
Another master level thief and Jin-Mee/ K.C.'s sister. She is the other half of both "The Fallen Angels" and "The Lovely Angels". She uses her master-class item, a remote-controlled boomerang to kill her foes. She is also skilled in using poisons on her weapons.
[edit] Other Characters
[edit] Da-Bin Yun (Rapha)
Hangul: 윤 다빈
Class: Cleric
Offline, Da-Bin is a 16 year old student attending "Beautiful Star Middle School". She has a girlish crush on her NPC guardian, John, which enables them to do things in-game previously thought impossible. As a Cleric, Rapha is around 80th level prior to her fight with Roto, and substantially below that in the Monster Island Arc. The reason for this is that among the many powerful heals and buffs in Rapha's arsenal, she has a revival prayer- Sacrifice- which she uses to bring back John at the cost of her own stats.
[edit] Mun-Suk Sim (Myriah)
Hangul: 심 문숙
Class: Beastmistress
Occupation: Student/Debugger/Admin
A 17-year-old student and part time employee for Dexon Corp, she has a serious grudge against Team Triple Threat (who has dubbed her "Medusa), after they ruined her life during a power play session. She is technically a debugger, but when in the game, she has powers like that of a Beastmaster.
Myriah remembers just why she hates Team Triple Threat during an out-of-game chat with her friend, the niece of Dexon's CEO. When she was a regular player, she was an accomplished Beastmistress with a populated menagerie of mythical beasts, like griffins and manticores. Tragically, Team Triple Threat happened to be levelbusting nearby, and burned the barn down for the loot and experience points.
[edit] Jun-Suk Hwang (Row-the-Mighty)
Hangul:
황 준석 Class: Swordsmaster
Row starts out as an arrogant weakling who only serves to annoy Team Triple Threat, but he gains strength and courage throughout the series and turns hero in Volume 8, where he tries to single-handedly protect Nomal City from a horde of monsters. He gives Yureka her first copycatted move, a shockwave-type attack he calls Sword Pulse Wave (like an Air Render). He was awarded Master-Class in volume 9 but was killed from behind by a lesser dragon while celebrating. Unbelievably, he then bravely logged back in to continue the defense of the city at the cost of his master level. His noble sacrifice inspires others including Woon-Ha(Alpha) to aid in his cause and defend Nomal City.
[edit] Woon-Ha Sung (Alpha)
Hangul: 성 운하
Age: 22
Occupation: Net Room Proprietor
Class: Ranger or Ninja (Depends on who you ask)
Ah-Dol's older brother in the real world, he is a self-proclaimed 'ninja' in the world of Lost Saga. In reality (inside Lost Saga), he is what is termed a ranger, a player who has obtained a variety of obscure and eccelastic skills from other classes to enrich his playing experience. Even though he isn't master level, the combined level of all his skills is over 200- this was enough for Aradon to choose him as a partner in the Double Trouble Tournament. He also saved John's life in the Double Trouble Tournament after the match with the Fallen Angels, with an arcane "Poison Identification" skill. He has many "unique" skills and chose to protect Nomal City using the identity of Sauel Abi Beta, using a new look and choosing martial arts over ninja skills after Il-Ban's disclaimer.
[edit] Olios
Class: Sniper
Per the U.S. releases, very little is known about Olios other than that he discovered the Thirsty Hill entrance to Monster Island and has deadly aim with any sort of projectile weapon, be it greatbow or rifle. He gets along with Aradon moderately well.
[edit] Cultural Notes
- While Roto's name has been translated as "Roto," this translation has a possibility of being "culturally" incorrect. "Roto" can be spelled either one of two main ways in English. The first one being "Roto" and the second being "Lotto." The Korean language has no "l" or "r" sound so "Roto" is a correct translation. However, the Korean slang term for "lottery" is "lotto" and so the main character's name could be seen as a play on the Korean word for "lotto," thereby making his name "Lotto" instead of "Roto."
- Something of note is that while Jang-Gun's sister's name, Chang-Mi, was translated into "Rose" (an accepted English name), Jang-Gun's name, which means "General", was left in the original Korean. But in Korean language, the family name comes first. It is not said specifically in the series but it is possible that her name is actually 'Mi' and her family name is 'Jang' which can be read in 'Chang' in English. The same goes for the Lovely Angels; Jin-Na was close enough to Gina for editors to localize it. (Korean parents often give siblings the same first syllable in their names)
- In Volume One in a flash back with the "Fallen Angels" a skit from "Pinky and the Brain" is used in a conversation between Roto and Boromid.
[edit] International
YUREKA has been published in Spanish in Spain by Dreamers Editorial
