is a Japanese

anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

directed by Masami Ōbari, produced by Plum, and broadcast on AT-X and

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as and known colloquially as , is a television station headquartered in the Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi Grand Tower in Roppongi, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, owned and operated by the subsidiary of listed certifie ...

from October 2 to December 19, 1997. It is based on the

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the su ...

adventure game An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or puzzle-solving. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based ...

Virus A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea. Since Dmitri Ivanovsk ...

'', which was made in collaboration with

Hudson Soft was a Japanese video game company that released numerous games for video game consoles, home computers and mobile phones, mainly from the 1980s to the 2000s. It was headquartered in the Midtown Tower in Tokyo Midtown, Akasaka, Minato, T ...

and

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and featured characters designed by Madhouse. A

light novel A light novel (, Hepburn: ''raito noberu'') is a style of young adult novel primarily targeting high school and middle school students. The term "light novel" is a '' wasei-eigo'', or a Japanese term formed from words in the English languag ...

and second video game (for the

PlayStation is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a di ...

) were also created. In the year 2097 in the city of Neo

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...

, man and machine have melded nicely and the city has been blooming with technological advances. However, an entity that takes over the machines called the Virus is becoming a problem. For this problem, there exists the organization STAND equipped with their Gears (machine suits) led by the mysterious Raven. The latest member of the team is Serge, a man who cannot remember his past and thought joining STAND and confronting Raven would help him better understand. The anime is the only media in the ''Virus'' franchise that has been adapted into English. It was licensed by

Madman Entertainment Madman Entertainment Pty. Ltd., also known as Madman Films, is an Australian distribution and rights management company headquartered in East Melbourne, Victoria, specialising in feature films, documentaries and television series across theatr ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

and

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

and by

Manga Entertainment Manga Entertainment was a producer, licensee, and distributor of anime in the United States and the United Kingdom. Originally founded in the UK in 1987, the UK branch became Funimation UK and Ireland in 2021, also currently known as Crunchyr ...

in North America and the

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. The anime briefly aired on the

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in 2007 and the

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cable channel IFC in 2008.

Characters

Serge Train, age 20: Serge is the latest member of the counter Virus organization STAND. His Gear is colored red. He is a man without a past, or at least doesn't remember it. An offer by Raven to join STAND could be his opportunity to remember his past. He has a rivalry with fellow member Jouichirou, and a blooming relationship with member Erika. Voiced by:

Shinichiro Miki is a Japanese voice actor from Tokyo.Doi, Hitoshi.Miki Shinichirou. ''Seiyuu Database''. July 13, 2010. He is a member of 81 Produce. Miki is known for his distinctively smooth voice and often calm delivery in the roles he has landed. He often ...

(Japanese) Joey Rapporte (English) Erika Tinen, age 18: Erika is a member of STAND's offensive sector. Her Gear is colored pink. She was living in the streets until she was picked up and raised by a caring man. Because she and Serge used to live in the same neighborhood but never met, she finds herself intrigued by this mysterious man and eventually attracted to him. In episode 11, she and Serge had their first kiss and, eventually, had sex. Erika was going to tell Serge that she is pregnant with his child in episode 12. Voiced by:

Mayumi Iizuka is a Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and disc jockey who was born in Tokyo. She is currently affiliated with Across Entertainment and her label is Lantis. She is an instructor at the Stay Luck training school Follow-Up. For her singing ac ...

(Japanese) Vide Jones (English) Jouichirou, age 20: Jouichirou is a member of STAND's offensive. His Gear color is blue. He's a bit cocky and arrogant and likes to tease fellow member Mirei about her concern for him. He does, however, worry about her and tries to comfort her when needed. Because Serge seems to be better than him at everything even though he is a recent applicator to STAND, he shares a rivalry with him and sometimes calls him "Rookie". Voiced by:

Nobuyuki Hiyama is a Japanese voice actor, narrator, and radio personality currently affiliated with Arts Vision. His vocal register is described as a metallic lyric tenor suitable to voice a mature variation of coming of age young men. Combined with an imp ...

(Japanese) Frankie Rome (English) Mirei, age 15: Mirei is not part of the team's offensive but she is their resident skilled hacker. She may be young in years but she's very intelligent. Erika acts as a big sister towards Mirei. She sometimes gets very concerned for Jouichirou, a fact that Jouichirou loves to tease her about. Voiced by:

Haruna Ikezawa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer. Her major roles in anime include: Gō Seiba in ''Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!!'', Haruna Hiroko in '' Hamtaro'', Yoshino Shimazu in '' Maria-sama ga Miteru'', Momoka Nishizawa in ''Sgt. Frog''. ...

(Japanese)

Angora Deb Debora Rabbai (born January 14) is an American voice actress based in New York City. Biography Rabbai is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She is best known as the voice of Aika Sumeragi from ''Agent Aika'', Rika Sena fr ...

(English) Macus Alexander Bogard, age 27: He's a part of the offensive for STAND. His Gear color is yellow. He may or may not be a descendant of Terry or Andy Bogard; both from

Fatal Fury ''Fatal Fury'', known as in Japan, is a fighting game series developed by SNK for the Neo Geo system. Games Canon * '' Fatal Fury'' – The first game of the ''Fatal Fury'' series allowed players to select one of three characters, Terr ...

; due to their similar last names as well as physical appearance. He is field leader when the team is out on missions. Voiced by:

Keiichi Nanba is a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator currently affiliated with Fujiga Office Inc. He is married to fellow voice actress Mayumi Shō. Filmography Anime * ''Persia, the Magic Fairy'' (1984) (Gaku Muroi) * ''Alpen Rose'' (1985) (Lundi Co ...

(Japanese) Michael Schwartz (English) Raven, age 35: The boss of STAND. He offers Serge the opportunity to work for them after displaying great ability in defeating a new machine taken over by the Virus. He doesn't go on missions or hack but he does supervise the team. He spends most of his time at his desk talking to a mysterious ghost woman called Donna about Serge and how he's linked to their past. Voiced by:

Hirotaka Suzuoki was a Japanese actor, voice actor and narrator from Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture who graduated from Tokyo Keizai University. His best known roles include ''Mobile Suit Gundam'' ( Bright Noa), '' Captain Tsubasa'' ( Kojirou Hyuga), ''Saint Seiya'' ( ...

(Japanese) Frankie Rome (English) Donna, age 24: A blond, mysterious entity in the form of a spirit that spends most her time talking with Raven about Serge. She has been linked to both these men while she was still alive and as the story continues, we see just how linked they really are. Voiced by:

Ai Orikasa is a Japanese actress, voice actress and singer from Tokyo, Japan who is currently affiliated with Axlone. She has played a variety of characters, from young girls to women and boys, and is particularly good at voicing attractive, strong, and ...

(Japanese);

Jessica Calvello Jessica Calvello is an American voice actress and production assistant primarily known for her anime voiceover work, particularly with ADV Films, Seraphim Digital/Sentai Filmworks, DuArt Film and Video, Media Blasters, Funimation, Central Park M ...

(English)

Episodes

References

External links

* * {{J.C.Staff 1997 anime television series debuts 1998 Japanese novels 1998 manga J.C.Staff Light novels Mecha anime and manga PlayStation (console) games Cyberpunk anime and manga Biopunk anime and manga Shōnen manga