Sometime in the future, online gaming has gone to the next level. Total immersion has been made possible and now users can log into an online multiplayer game called 'The World'. Within this game users go on quests, find hidden treasures, and interact with other players. However one user named Tsukasa finds something mysterious is going on with the world as when he learns he can't log out. Banding together with his friends, Tsukasa must learn the secret innards of the world and find out what is the true meaning of the word "real".

.hack//SIGN was produced by a collaboration of Neon Genesis Evangelion's author/designer Yoshiaki Sadamoto, Patlabor's screenwriter Kazunori Ito, and NOIR's director Koichi Mashita. The series is known for it's inventive flare and thought provoking story. Because of this, it's very hard to follow at times, and can be considered a hit or miss series.

.hack//SIGN joined Toonami on Saturday, February 1st 2003, Cartoon Network officially unveiled the series, as part of their Saturday Toonami programming block, but after a few episodes aired, the Saturday block ceased to exist and the show was moved to a midnight time slot on 'Saturday Video Entertainment System' where it finished its run on CN.

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.:Episode Guide

Episode 01: Role Play Episode 02: Guardian Episode 03: Folklore Episode 04: Wanted Episode 05: Captured Episode 06: Encounter Episode 07: Reason Episode 08: Promise Episode 09: Epitaph Episode 10: Compensation Episode 11: Party Episode 12: Entanglement Episode 13: Twilight Eye

Episode 14: Castle Episode 15: Evidence Episode 16: Depth Episode 17: Conflict Episode 18: Declaration Episode 19: Recollection Episode 20: Tempest Episode 21: Despair Episode 22: Phantom Episode 23: The Eve Episode 24: Net Slum Episode 25: Catastrophe Episode 26: Return

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.:Characters

Tsukasa - is an anti-social Wavemaster(character type in 'the world') with unusual power who finds himself the center of a mystery plaguing the .hack world. He is unable to leave the game and often finds himself pursued by other players because of his abilities (which at times causes him to call upon a strange 'Guardian' to protect himself). His encounters with Mimiru are awkward because of their different personalities, but they eventually find common intrests and take enjoyment from each other's company.

Subaru - is a Heavy Axeman who spends most of her time ruling over the Crimson Knights and getting reports about activityies going on in 'the world'. Her mod-ing skills are much diffrent from the Silver Knights as she emphasizes that true enforcement is the job of the System Administrators. After a few run-ins with Tsukasa Subaru begins to feel for him and his situation and the two grow closer as the series progresses. She is generally reserved and cautious but can be quite forceful when commanding the Knights. Her online personal represents everything she's not in real life...right down to the physical characteristics.

Bear - is a friendly Blademaster likes to help out the new players in the game. He is thoughtful and generally willing to assist anyone in need. After meeting Tsukasa, he becomes intrigued by his situation and starts involved in the mystery. In order to help solve the mystery that shrowd's Tsukasa mystery, Bear uses his online and Offline connections to gain clues and information. He often hangs around with Mimiru and BT, and his real life job is often questioned but never answered (We here at ANX think he's an author).

Mimiru - is an very outgoing Heavy Blade who travels around "The World" in search of adventure. She's tough and is always asking the questions who everyone else is afraid to ask. When Tsukasa and Mimiru first meet there is animosity between the two because of they're incredibly diffrent personalities, however they eventually warm up to each other and Mimiru finds it's her job to watch over Tsukasa.

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.:Misc.

• Bee Train and CyberConnect 2 (the production companies behind .hack//SIGN) created a bonus, '29th' episode titled .hack//GIFT. This episode sports a redesigned opening and follows the characters from SIGN as they search for a secret area called the Twilight Hot Springs.



• .hack//GIFT features radically different designs. Where as the designs for SIGN are typically grounded in a constant appearence (not exaggerated), GIFT is far more cartoony with exaggerated physical features and expressions.



• Each .hack series occurs in its own section of 'The World', but all of them take place around the same story.



• The games act as bridges between series and extentions to the stories told in the series. The .hack series as a whole is told over games, novels, mangas, and series; not existing entirely in one medium.