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is a manga and anime series written by Hiroya Oku. ''Gantz'' tells the story of a teenager named Kei Kurono who dies in a train accident and becomes part of a semi-posthumous "game" in which he and several other recently deceased people are forced to hunt down and kill aliens. The missions in which they embark upon are often dangerous. Many die--again--on each mission, but they are replaced by others in the same manner as Kei Kurono's appearance.
The ''Gantz'' anime, directed by Ichiro Itano and animated by GONZO, ran for 13 episodes and had a direct sequel called ''Gantz The Second Stage'', which continued the series for another 13 episodes. Both seasons make up the 26 episode series. It was licensed in North America by ADV Films. The anime series is distributed in the United Kingdom by MVM Films, and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. At Anime Expo 2007, Dark Horse Comics announced it would release the manga in English[1].

Contents

Manga

Anime

The ''Gantz'' anime is divided into two seasons: The first season is known as "The First Stage", while the second season is known as "The Second Stage", which is a direct continuation of the first season. The anime's ending took place after the Buddhist Temple mission, where the Shorty (or Chibi) Alien mission took place in the manga.

The Rules of the Game

Development

Influences

The Future

Characters

Targets

Equipment

Basic equipment

Weapons

Vehicles

Reception

Theme songs

Gantz: The Game

Playable Characters

Game Modes

Enemies

Cultural References

External links

Manga

''Gantz'' is still ongoing and is serialized in Shueisha's ''Young Jump'', and currently consists of 256 chapters, many of which have been compiled and spread across 21 tankōbon. The manga has more content and stories than its animated counterpart. The manga's art was created using a combination of CG backgrounds and hand-drawn characters, a technique which was also used in the ''Gantz'' anime. It has been licensed in the United States of America by Dark Horse.
''Gantz'' is divided into two phases. Phase 1 consists of the first 237 chapters. On November 22, 2006, the first chapter of Phase 2, chapter 238, was released.

Anime

===List of Gantz Episodes=

The ''Gantz'' anime is divided into two seasons: The first season is known as "The First Stage", while the second season is known as "The Second Stage", which is a direct continuation of the first season. The anime's ending took place after the Buddhist Temple mission, where the Shorty (or Chibi) Alien mission took place in the manga.

Plot==

Beginning

The story begins when a pair of high school students (Kei Kurono and Masaru Kato) are seemingly run over by a subway train, after saving the life of a homeless drunk who had fallen onto the tracks. Following their untimely deaths, Kei and Masaru find themselves transported — alive and well — to the interior of an unfurnished Tokyo condominium, where they're unable to leave, from which the Tokyo Tower may be seen, with a number of people who have also just died. At one end of the room is a featureless black sphere we later learn is called "Gantz". After a short amount of time, a postwar Japanese exercise radio begins to play from the sphere. By way of green text that appears on the surface of the sphere, Gantz informs those present that their lives have ended. The following words appear on the black sphere's surface: "Your lives have ended. What you do with your new lives is entirely up to me. That's the theory, anyway." (The ADV translations have it as "Your lives are over, you bastards. What you do with your new lives is entirely up to me. So there you have it.") The sphere then opens up to reveal suits that, when worn, amplify the user's attributes, such as strength, speed and agility. Along with the suits are various high-tech weapons with different uses for different situations. Next, information on the Gantz Targets appear on the surface of the sphere, shortly before the Gantz Team are transported to the location of the mission.
Much is still left unknown about the room. It appears to be isolated from the rest of the world through a dimensional barrier. Its door will only open under the condition that the mission is completed. According to the manga, there are reports of similar rooms in Germany, United States and Israel. The appearance of another Japanese team set in Osaka indicate that there is more than one of these in Japan.
In addition to the weapons, suits, and scanners, Gantz holds what appears to be a muscle-bound bald man on life support in the center of the ball. The true identity and purpose of this man is never revealed; but there has been no small amount of implication that he is in some way responsible for the running of the game, selecting players, scoring the individual players' performance, and monitoring the team both during missions and during the 'off hours' in between.

The Rules of the Game

Gantz forces them to participate in what at first appears to be a reality game show, in which they hunt aliens who are secretly living in Japan. Gantz provides them with strength enhancing-skinsuits, guns, and radar. Each participant has a miniature explosive implanted in their brains that prevents them from wandering outside the designated playing field, much like the explosive collars in the series ''Battle Royale''. The designated area is roughly one square kilometer; if the participants cross this boundary or tell anyone of the secrets of Gantz and the apartment, the explosive will detonate. It appears that this trigger only works when the player speaks verbally to someone about it, as Nishi developed a web site with written reports of his missions and apparently no harm was done to him because of it.
If the players manage to survive the mission, they return to the room in perfect health (even if they were nearly dead or missing limbs). When a player is injured in the game and returns to the room afterwards, he/she will have no memory of what happened after his/her injury and will be standing in the pose he/she was last healthy in. This leads to suspect that Gantz "copies" an entire individual and later "pastes" that into the room rather than restoring an injured individual. Also of note is that it seems that later in the manga, this copy and paste method is replaced by the characters remembering their own injuries. Those who are killed during the mission do not return to the room. Gantz then tallies individual scores based on kills and sets them free, only to have them return to play another time. Points are awarded both according to the number of kills achieved by the player and by the equipment used by the player. On two occasions, Kei Kurono is forced to fight without his Gantz Suit. On both such occasions, he earned a large number of points.
Those who manage to accumulate 100 points are given one of three choices:
#Be set free with their memories of Gantz and the games wiped.
#Receive an "ultimate weapon" (Izumi selected this option but was killed by the vampires before receiving the weapon).
#Be able to bring back to life someone from GANTZ's memory bank.
In the event that the one-hour mission duration is reached without all targets being eliminated, all of a player's points are revoked, and his or her score goes back to zero (as happened to Kurono in the Chibi Seijin mission). Prior to this the players had assumed that failing to complete the mission in the time allotted would result in the immediate death of the entire team. The following mission, Kurono was informed by Gantz (who addressed him by name) that if he did not achieve 15 points in the current mission that he would be killed.
It is not known for sure if this 15 point requirement is a hard and fast rule, since some missions do not appear to have 15 total available points to be earned, but it seems pretty clear that this was a penalty imposed by Gantz for Kurono's failure the previous round.
None of the rules are actually explicitly given to the players, with the exception of the 100 point menu, which is either given automatically when a player reaches or exceeds 100 points, or is requested by a player, and the 15-point requirement given to Kurono at the start of the Kappe Seijin mission. In every other case the players have learned of their rewards and penalties only after they have been earned.
Instead of being given any training or a list of rules, the participants are simply told to kill their target, and are only shown one or two enemy profiles which are often not representative of the full complement or ability of their opponents. They are not given any useful information on their enemies' capabilities or weaknesses, or the number of enemies to expect. Unfortunately for the players, the rules of the game (as well as the capabilities of the suits, the use of the weapons, and the scoring system) are learned by one of two ways: either by institutional memory (i.e. a veteran explaining to a newcomer how the game works), or by trial and error, the latter usually resulting in the death of one or more players. In the days before the beginning of the series when Nishi was the only surviving veteran, the newcomers were forced to rely solely on trial and error; the result - as Nishi indicated following the Negi Seijin mission - was that Kurono, Kato, and Kishimoto were the only other people to survive to the end of a single mission in "a long time."
The end result is that the newcomers are entirely dependent on the goodwill of the veterans for crucial information that may be their only hope of survival; in the hypothetical event that the entire compliment of veterans is wiped out, any future group of newcomers would be utterly at the mercy of their circumstances; their only hope of survival would be their own guile, cunning, and the ability to quickly figure out and utilize the tools provided.
Gantz sometimes gives hints to the hunters about what they should do, but it rarely happens.

Development

The series introduces new characters constantly and most of them are killed off just as quickly, though a stable cast forms at times. As the series progresses, the viewers are left to ponder what Gantz is and how it is able to provide the characters with such fantastic weaponry and technology. This, along with many other questions (such as who the aliens are or even if they are evil period - after all, the aliens never seemed to actually cause harm to anyone or anything until Gantz sent people to exterminate them) remain unanswered.
Later in the manga, most of Gantz's participants have obtained over 100 points and many used their points to revive various fallen persons, like Tae Kojima and Masaru Kato. Kei Kurono, however, was convinced by his comrades and Kato to use his points to set himself free and had his memory erased. Kurono then returned to his former self before he met Gantz, without any memory at all of his life during the months he was participating in the Gantz game. Ironically, however, Kurono stumbles upon various clues of his past life (like Izumi did previously before coming to Gantz a second time) such as photographs of him and Tae and rumors of him going out with Reika. These forgotten memories begin to haunt him immediately after his return.
It is later confirmed in the manga that Gantz teams of other nationalities exist in the world. It is stated in Issue 229 in a dialogue between Izumi and Nishi when the latter asks if they should leave it to the other countries, with Izumi answering that he wants to show the world Japan's greatness. There also may be a central sphere located in Germany, but nearly all information regarding it is still in speculation.

Influences

The last episode of the anime pays homage to a scene in the anime ''Cowboy Bebop'', when Kei Kurono raises his hand in the shape of a gun and says "BANG."

The Future

In chapter 237 it was announced that the first phase of the manga was completed, and the second phase, named "Catastrophe", started on November 22, 2006, leaving many questions about the events of the previous chapters and creating new ones as the hunters now must go on without their leader Kei Kurono, and must deal with new situations, like the adding of two vampires to the team and the rogue group of hunters from Osaka.

Characters

Please note that this list is based on the manga's storyline, which does not strictly follow the anime version's plot.
''Names are in Western order, with the given name before the surname (family name).''

'Character (in Japanese)'	'Descriptions'
'Kei Kurono (玄野 計 ''Kurono Kei'')'	The story's protagonist, a 10th grader. He was summoned by Gantz, along with Kato, after being hit by a subway train in an effort to help a hobo who had passed out on the tracks. In the beginning, he is a rather selfish character who often ends up being the reluctant hero. At one point, Kurono actually enjoyed the brutal missions since he had a chance to prove his mettle and to use the powers Gantz's technology grants him to decimate his foes, as well as to receive the admiration of his team members, such as Sei or Kishimoto. In the manga, Kurono is eventually regarded as a hero by the other players who look up to him. Kurono himself looks up to Kato after his death. (Ironically, Kato looked up to him when they were kids.) Gantz initially referred to Kurono as "Bitch" and "Loser," though he settled on "Kurono" as the series progressed. In Chapter 221, Kei left the game at the request of his teammates. Kurono's memory of the hunts were supposed to have been erased, but he began to remember his old life through pictures in his apartment. In addition, he rekindled his relationship with his former girlfriend Tae Kojima, whom he forgot about because of his memory wipe. A meeting with a tabloid journalist also stirred up more Gantz-related memories. In Chapter 236, he recovers some of his lost memories of being the Gantz team leader after being attacked by a group of vampires in his apartment. He fought bravely and nearly killed all of them, but he was slain by the same vampire who showed him his dead brother's head. Kei Kurono is dead as of the end of Phase 1.
'Kei "Tits" Kishimoto (岸本 恵 ''Kishimoto Kei'')'	Kishimoto first appears naked in the Apartment as her death involved slitting her wrists while in a bathtub. Kurono has a deep crush on her, but she herself has a crush on Masaru Kato; she even sacrifices her life in an attempt to save his. Early in the series, it is discovered that her body did not actually die, and the Kishimoto playing the Gantz game is just a copy or fax. The real Kishimoto and copy Kishimoto are two completely different beings, a phenomena known to be caused by Gantz's carelessness at times. Gantz calls her by the names "Boiled eggs", "Titz" and "Miss Melons" because of her huge breasts. As of the end of Phase 1, she has not been revived.
'Masaru "Katō-Cha" Kato (加藤 勝 ''Katō Masaru'')'	He is an old friend of Kurono. He is a noble and heroic person and was inspired by the Kei-chan he knew as a boy. At school, he acts as a guardian to the weaker students who often find themselves bullied. He was summoned by Gantz, along with Kurono, after being hit by a subway train, as a result of helping a drunken hobo who had blacked out on the tracks. Kato and his little brother lived with their aunt, but continued abuse toward his little brother and a stressed family situation later caused him to obtain an apartment for the two of them. He was later revived by the 'Old Man.' Frequently, Gantz addresses him as "Katō-cha", after the Japanese comedian, Katōcha. During his third mission, the Buudha Temple mission, he is killed by the final boss. He, along with Kei Kishimoto, Masanobu Hojo, Sadayo Suzumura, Sei Sakuroka and other Gantz replacements, die in this mission, leaving only Kurono alive.At the end of chapter 237, in the preview for Phase 2, Kato has stated that he will revive Kurono from his death. He and the rest of the team have somehow ended up in Osaka instead of Tokyo and have met up with the Osaka Gantz team. Kato continues to act as leader, despite the team having decided on making Reika leader.
'Masanobu "Homo" Hojo (北条 政信 ''Hōjō Masanobu'')'	He was a former model who died after being hit by a truck driver who fell asleep. At his time of death, his stalker, Sadako, was on the back of the bike he borrowed to escape her. He died during the Buddha mission along with Sadako, whom he shows to have developed feelings for. He died in Phase 1 and has not been revived.
'Sadayo "Sadako" Suzumura (鈴村 貞代 ''Suzumura Sadayo'')'	She was a stalker of Masanobu Hojo's. She died after being hit by a truck driver who fell asleep. Her nickname given by Gantz, "Sadako," is due to her bearing an extremely uncanny and creepy resemblance to the homicidal "ghost" Sadako in the Japanese "Ringu" horror novels and movies. Before Gantz ever mentioned this resemblance, it had once before been pointed out by a pair of girls who saw her in a convenience store. She dies along with Masanobu during the Buddha mission, after being "melted" in half by the final boss's acid, and seems to have won over the heart of her crush before her death. She died in Phase 1, hasn't been revived.
Izumi Gantz.jpg 'Shion "Izumi-kun" Izumi (和泉 紫音 ''Izumi Shion'')'	He was a psychotic yet powerful teenager who participated in the game and won his freedom before the series's events. He desired to return to the game and used a SMG and a pistol to rampage through Shinjuku, killing Hiroto Sakurai, Kenzo Sakata, and Daizaemon Kaze, and either injuring or killing 387 bystanders in broad daylight. He thus not only brought Gantz new participants but also himself because he was killed by Kurono in a standoff. He is an incredible swordsman and was the first to use the Gantz Saber, a katana with a retractable blade that was hidden in one of the apartment's rooms. He can easily be seen as Kei Kurono's "unfeeling" and arrogant rival whose only ambition is to live his life striving to be the best Gantz fighter. He has proved willing to take innocent lives to make it happen (e.g. killing Tae Kojima in one of the missions.) When he earned 100 points for the second time, Izumi chose Option #2 - a strong weapon. Before he can use it, however, he is attacked by a legion of vampires in front of his apartment. After he killed all of them, the four vampire leaders attack him. Izumi managed to kill three of the leaders and was in combat with the blonde vampire before his girlfriend, Ryōko, tried to save him from the blonde vampire. Izumi protected her from the final blow by shielding her with his back. He then marveled at the scores of dead vampires he felled and states that he is definitely going to hell. As of the end of Phase I, Shion Izumi is dead.
Char.JPG 'Sei Sakuraoka (楼丘 聖 ''Sakuraoka Sei'')'	Sei is proficient in martial arts and bears a striking resemblance to Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. After she had sex with Kurono, she died in her first mission (Buddha Temple) while trying to save his life. Since Sei was the first person Kei ever had sex with and because she had a strong attachment to Kurono (asking him to be her boyfriend, dying to save his life), Kurono holds a strong attachment to her. It should be noted that in the anime, Sei helped a woman in trouble that would eventually meet up with Kurono several episodes later on. Their shared link is a book titled "Labyrinth" As of the end of Phase 1, Sei has not been revived.
'Joichiro " Nishi-kun" Nishi (西 丈一郎 ''Nishi Jōichirō'')'	Nishi is a middle-school (8th grade) veteran of the Gantz world, having arrived there over a year before the beginning of the Gantz. Supposedly, he committed suicide and leapt off the side of a building, breaking his neck on impact. (Though the bonus GANTZ fan book provides a different death: while running away from police officers after shoplifting, he fled onto an apartment building roof where he fell to his death.) Much like how Kurono started out, he is also selfish and has a Social Darwinist approach to life. Nishi is reluctant to reveal anything about the Gantz or himself, but he did run a web site where he posted information about it (carefully avoiding Gantz's rule about informing outsiders, which would in turn prove fatal) Posting Kei's name on the site put him in a bit of trouble by leading the reporter to Kurono and ultimately giving him aways to the vampires. Gantz called him "Mr. Nishi," which is rather interesting given how informally or derisively he refers to most of the other participants. Nishi was killed at the beginning of the Tanaka/Suzuki Alien mission, but after six months of existing only inside Gantz's memory banks, he was revived by Kaze at Kurono's request following the end of the Oni mission. He is probably a sadist. Ostensibly, Kurono hoped that Nishi would be able to provide information about Gantz to the game players. Whether or not Nishi has actually provided any information or if this information has proven useful is yet to be seen. It seems that Nishi and Izumi have a past relationship as "teammates" before Izumi's memory was wiped and he won freedom. It has not been revealed if Nishi and Izumi were friends or just acquaintances forced to fight Aliens together by Gantz. It is not known what role he will fulfill in Phase Two.
'Yoshikazu "Bald Dude" Suzuki (鈴木 良一 ''Suzuki Yoshikazu'')'	Best known as "Old Man" ★ . Not much is known about him except that he is a fairly old widower who has a grandson. Surprisingly, it doesn't take long for Kurono to grow attached to him and visa versa. He sees Kurono as a role model, and even gives his 100 points to revive his friend Masaru Kato. He sees Kurono as the world's hope for "survival." ★ As it is rude to call older Males "Old Man", it is possible that the original Therm would Translate into something like 'Gramps'
'Hiroto "Cherry" Sakurai (桜井 弘斗 ''Sakurai Hiroto'')'	A psychic who received instructions on how to unlock his latent powers from Sakata after attempting suicide. He was then encouraged by Sakata to kill his bullies who sexually abused him with the use of his powers, which he did. However, he later regrets it, not realising how feeling like a murderer was like. He lost his life against Izumi in Shinjuku whilst he and Sakata (at Sakurai's suggestion) attempted to stop him so that they could redeem themselves for the murders they had both committed, leading him to Gantz. A phenomenal learner, he mastered his abilities rather quickly. He died in the fight against the Flame Oni, but was revived by Sakata. Gantz calls him "Cherry", taken from the Japanese Sakura and which is his online handle.
'Kenzo "Stupid Noob" Sakata (坂田 研三 ''Sakata Kenzō'')'	Another psychic. He lost his life against Izumi in Shinjuku before his arrival to Gantz. He teaches Hiroto Sakurai to use his latent psychic powers, thus Sakurai refers to him as "master." He seems to have an unorthodox view on people's lives; he tells Sakurai that he was like him once and that he himself has killed, and encourages his pupil to kill those bullying him. Gantz called him "Stupid Newb" and "Dumbass." His psychic powers are significantly reduced, and a recent doctor examination indicated that continued use of his powers has significantly aged his internal organs. After the Oni mission he used his 100 points to revive Sakurai.
'"Kurono's #1 Fan" Reika (レイカ)'	A beautiful, young and popular idol. Like almost everyone else, she was caught in the line of fire during Izumi's killing spree in Shinjuku. She develops a crush on Kurono after seeing him in action during her first night as a participant in the game (the Dinosaur Mission). Gantz used to call her "Kurono's #1 Fan," but now he just calls her "Reika." Surprisingly enough, she proves to be a formidable opponent against the Aliens. She uses her points to resurrect Tae because she wants Kurono to be happy. It is not until Kurono chooses to be free that she confesses to him that she loves him. After Kurono departed from the game, she was appointed the new team leader of Gantz. She received a phone call from Kurono just before he was attacked by the vampires, but did not arrive in time to save his life; she even tried to hold on to Kurono's body in order to be transferred with him in the hope of reviving him. However, this was stopped by one of the vampires who used her body to transfer to the Gantz room instead.
'Daizaemon "Countryside General" Kaze (風 大左衛門 ''Kaze Daizaemon'')'	A tall and incredibly powerful martial artist who came from the countryside to Tokyo looking for a good fight. One of his signature moves is the "back attack", in which he thrusts his back against his enemies with incredible force, often sending them flying. He died against Izumi in the Shinjuku massacre. He seems to care about Takeshi, a young child who recently joined the game and admires Kaze as his "Muscle Rider" savior. On Kurono's request, he uses his points to revive Nishi. Gantz calls him "Countryside General," and later on "Muscle Rider." He has chosen to remain in the Gantz game in order to both continue testing his strength and fighting skills against more powerful enemies and to protect Takeshi.
'Kouki Inaba (稲葉 光輝 ''Inaba Kōki'')'	An ordinary joe, gunned down in the Shinjuku massacre. He is the only participant apart from Izumi and Hoi Hoi (a panda) that doesn't train with Kurono as he thinks Kurono shouldn't be leader. He even sides with Izumi during the Tae Alien mission to assassinate Tae. Eventually, he realizes his only chance of survival is under Kurono's guidance. And at the end of the Oni mission, he gives Kurono his support. He's quite the coward when it comes to fighting, and tries to feign a cool head in these situations. It is hinted at numerous occasions that he is attracted to Reika, and he has admitted the fact to an Oni Alien he thought was Reika, subsequently having sex with the alien.
'Hoi Hoi (開開)'	Dead animals can also enter the Gantz room. The first animal seen in the Gantz room was a dog (Butter Dog). Hoi Hoi the panda entered the room a while after the dog got killed in the Buddha arc; however, considering Kurono was the only member left after the Buddhist Temple mission, it is very likely if not obvious that the Butter Dog was killed, like every other character, save Kurono (in the anime, the dog is crushed to death by a colossal Buddha Statue Alien). Hoi Hoi is especially fond of Izumi and can be seen hugging him whenever a chance presents itself.
'Takeshi (タケシ)'	A young boy of toddler's age who dies due to parental abuse (his mother's boyfriend beat him to death for eating his pudding). He drew a fictional hero called "Muscle Rider" before his death, and when he awoke inside Gantz's room as a selectee to participate in the game he believed that Kaze was this "Muscle Rider." To no one's surprise, he still does. By chapter 240, he has discovered and used the abilities of the suit, this includes the utilization of the "back attack", which happens to be Kaze's signature move.
'Tae Kojima (小島 多恵 ''Kojima Tae'')'	Kurono's first actual girlfriend, first dated on a dare. He actually falls in love with her and they build a real relationship, Kurono appearing to be very protective of her. After taking pictures of the Game's participants during their mission, she immediately becomes the next target (considering Gantz wants to remain unknown to outsiders). To end the mission and preserve his points, Shion Izumi takes the pleasure of murdering Tae (while Kei and Reika wanted to deliberately fail the mission by protecting her life), but she is later on brought back to life by Reika. Similar to Kurono, she also realized parts of her memory was missing, as hinted by pictures of her with Kurono, and also her paintings of him.
'The Vampires'	These "vampires" or "vamps" are sworn enemies of the Gantz game's participants, who they refer to as "Hunters." Because Izumi has killed many of them, they have labeled him as a dangerous target. Kurono's younger brother, Akira Kurono, is one of them, a fact Kurono is still unaware of. They can see past the Hunter's cloaking modules with special contact lenses or shades, in addition to being able to spawn weapons from their bodies. The vampires are a result of numerous nanomachines entering humans, giving them super-human reflexes and strength. Vampires are able to maintain a regular human diet but suffer from dizziness and a bat-wings-shaped eczema on their back if no human blood is consumed. For the vampires, sunlight is lethal though some take some special medicine that toughens their skin allowing them to walk around in the daylight; they mainly attack the "Hunters" at night.The five pictured here are the only apparent leaders we've seen; the one in the middle top appeared to be the boss, surrounded by his four "captains," but this "boss" was killed by Izumi in chapter 167. The actual organization is rather large and has an unknown number of members. Also, they seem to have connections with other groups being "hunted" by Gantz, such as the Oni Aliens. In chapters 231-233, Izumi managed to kill 3 of the 4 remaining captains, but was slain by the remaining one (pictured top right, the one with the long, flowing hair). Kurono was warned by his brother Akira that he was the Vampires' next target (after they killed Izumi). During the attack Kurono managed to kill many vampires (using powerful lights, using tubes to focus them) but the vampire pictured in the top right kills him, right after holding up Akira's severed head. At the end of chapter 237 both that vampire and a new female vampire are apparently transferred into the Gantz room by latching onto Reika and Suzuki while their transfer was taking place.The journalist Kikuchi, gave the vampire of the top left corner the address of Shion Izumi (to save his own life). The only one remaining "known" vampire leader is still alive as of the end of Phase 1. It is revealed at Phase 2 that the blond vampire is nicknamed Host Samurai, which is written on the Gantz suit box, presumably because he is dressed like a male host (a host being equivalent to a hostess in Japan, where you can go into a bar and talk, flirt, and drink with the host). The Blond Vampire, in chapter 238, attempted to plunge his blade into the human body contained within Gantz, but was unable to do so. One possible explanation for this is that the body may be surrounded by the same invisible barrier that prevents Gantzers from touching the windows or leaving the apartment until the hunt ends, but for some reason or another Gantz players can stick their finger into Gantz's ear. As shown by Nishi,Kurono,and Sakata.

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'Green Onion Alien Team' || Appearing only in the Green Onion Alien mission, the team consists of Kurono, Kato, Kishimoto, Nishi, a teacher named Masashi Yamada, Goro Suzuki, a young kid named Inamori, two Yakuza members named Hatanaka and Yoshioka, and a dog referred to as Butter Dog. Suzuki died of cancer, Yamada in a car accident and Hatanaka and Yoshioka in some sort of gun fight (judging from the bullet holes in their clothes only.). Inamori's cause of death is unclear. Upon dying, they are transported to the Gantz apartment and given the task of eliminating the Green Onion alien(s). After they are transported to the outside, Suzuki decides to go home rather than pursue the alien. After crossing the playing field, the bomb planted within Suzuki's head explodes. He becomes the first casualty of the mission.
After eliminating the child alien, the adult alien appears and quickely disposes of most of the team. inamori was killed first, after the alien tore him apart. Hatanaka died next when Yamada starled and fired the X-gun at him. Yamada and Yoshioka were then killed, leaving only Kato, Kishimoto, Kurono, Butter Dog and Nishi left.

Targets

Main articles: Gantz Targets

In each mission, Gantz informs the Hunters about the current target which has to be hunted. This information include an image of the target as well as its characteristics, things it likes, and favorite quotes. Most of the time, Gantz doesn't give the whole information because almost always the "boss" is not the original target or there are more than one specimen for each class. While in the anime version, there are four targets including a "Kurono alien" (after The Buddhist Temple Aliens mission), until this moment, there have been nine different targets in the manga:

★ The Green Onion Aliens

★ The Tanaka Aliens

★ The Buddhist Temple Aliens

★ The Shorty Aliens (aka The Chibi Aliens)

★ The Kappe(countryman) Alien

★ The Ring Aliens

★ Kojima Tae

★ The Oni Aliens

★ Nurarihyon

Equipment

Before each mission, Gantz's black ball opens, displaying a handful of equipment that the players can use in the hunts. They can take these items home after the battles and even use them in their personal matters.

Basic equipment

★ 'Gantz Suit:' Unquestionably the most essential piece of equipment the Hunters can employ. Each suit is attuned to an individual body and can only be utilized by that specific Hunter. The suits are tight to a point that the wearer cannot put it on with any kind of underwear, but gives them incredible strength, speed, and endurance. On top of that, the suit provides the player with an almost impenetrable protection to his/her body, even to the head which is fully exposed. Large caliber bullet rounds to the face do not leave as much as a bruise. It should be noted, however, that the suit only seems to protect from blunt attacks such as bullets and punches, but it doesn't seem to do anything for slicing attacks like from a sword. When in full use, the suits' artificial muscles expand, making the Hunter appear larger. In terms of strength, they can easily lift over fifty times their weight and jump well over thirty feet high. However, the amount of damage it can sustain is limited. Should the suit receive too many powerful impacts without time to recover, the "caps" along the suit will break, releasing the essential chemical that powers it, rendering it as useful as ordinary clothes. The Vampires are apparently aware of the suits, as they often attack the caps directly.

★ 'Controller:' A device used to track the targets, as it carries a small screen displaying the location of the targets. However, the marker on the radar isn't very precise and has created many situations in which the Hunters ran into trouble pinpointing the exact number and location of the targets. The players can also change cloaking frequencies with this device, rendering them invisible to the naked eye. Some aliens, however, can see through the cloaking field, and there are devices that can do the same, such as the glasses used by the Vampires. Vampires also have contacts that fulfill the same purpose as the glasses and they tend to put them on while in combat.

Weapons

'X-Gun:' The most frequently used weapon of the Hunters. The X-gun is a small handgun-sized weapon, that gets its name from the four protrusions around the barrel that spread out like an "X" when fired. It also has an X-ray monitor in the back. Later in the manga, the X-ray device is revealed to be part of a lock-on system that can target multiple enemies at once. The X-gun functions by firing nano-sized explosives which stop and explode inside the target. The effectiveness of this gun is not specific to biological targets as it has been shown to affect the surroundings as well. The only drawback to this weapon is that it has a significant time delay between the triggers being pressed and the projectile being fired/impacting the target, during which the enemy can easily dodge it, use an object as a shield, or kill the wielder.
'X-Rifle:' This weapon is similar to the X-Gun in almost every respect in terms of functionality. However, the X-Rifle (which is shaped like a rifle version of the X-Gun) is clearly meant for longer range. It has a much greater firing range, higher accuracy, and a sniper scope. In the Buddha alien mission, one of the Hunters equipped with this weapon stated that its range is at least one kilometer.
'Y-Gun:' The only non-lethal weapon in the Hunter's arsenal so far. It is a handgun-sized weapon that has the same lock-on capabilities of the X-Gun, but rather than fire out a lethal payload, it instead launches a homing net that securely ties up the target with a strong wire and then buries the points of the net into the ground. Once this is done, the target is "sent" by means of teleportation to an unknown point in space. One trigger on the Y-gun is used for firing the snare and the other is used for initiating the 'send'. This weapon gets its name from the Y-shaped barrel that the net launches from.
'Gantz Sword:' The only melee weapon revealed so far. It is a katana-like weapon that is usually in a closed hilt-only state. When in use, an incredibly sharp blade extends from the hilt. It can extend without loss of durability and it is unknown if its length is limited; currently it has only been extended to roughly 30 feet. The sword and the vehicle were both in a room next to the Gantz room, and nobody knew about them until Izumi appeared in the Dinosaur arc.
'Strong Weapon (reward):' This weapon has not yet been used during the manga by the Tokyo Gantz team, and Izumi was killed by the vampires before he could use his. From chapter 243 though we see the Osaka team, and it is pointed out that they are carrying large, and powerful looking weapons which have not been seen before, so there is a big possibility that these are the 'strong weapons' rewarded after getting 100 points. This is still unconfirmed because Sakata had the idea that it could be the "powerful" weapon. It's also possible that's a secret weapon like the "Gantz Sword" but only 5 of those weapons have been seen in the manga during the Osaka mission. In chapter 247, the weapon is used for the first time. It emits a similar blast as the X-gun but in a very wide area, disintegrating anything within the blast radius. So far it's been used once and not much is known if any type of alien can withstand the blast without dying. Of course, some of this is fan speculation and seen in the manga not much of it is actually confirmed in the manga or its creators.

Vehicles

'Gantz Bike:' A type of monowheel and the only vehicle provided by Gantz so far. It doesn't seem to possess any attack ability, but can travel at a great velocity. It made its first appearance in the Dinosaur mission, in which Kurono and the old man used it numerous times to pursue their enemies. It has a second appearance in chapter 243 when two Gantz members from the Osaka team enter the battle riding on them. The Gantz Bike is also present in the Gantz video game as part of a prize after reaching 100 points.

Reception

The first season, known as the “First Stage”, was heavily edited on Japanese TV, but the second season (“Second Stage”) remained uncut. The Gantz anime is often criticized for its ending and pacing problems. The anime was made while the manga was still in early production, and thus Gonzo had to go at a weird pace, including creating an ending disliked by the fans.

Theme songs

Opening

★ "Super Shooter" by Rip Slyme
Ending

★ "Last Kiss" by Bonnie Pink

Gantz: The Game

On March 17 2005, Konami published a game for the Playstation 2 based on the Gantz series. It was named simply as 'GANTZ: THE GAME'. It features the characters and plot up to the Buddha Alien mission (though the vampires and the Shorty Aliens are present). The game may be classified as a Third-person shooter, although it does have a little RPG elements put together. More information can be found on the game's
★ official website.

Playable Characters

The game offers a total of nineteen playable characters, and they are made available as the players progress. The available characters include:
'Kei Kurono' (the story's protagonist)
'Masaru "Katō-Cha" Katō' (Kurono's best friend)
'Kei "Tits" Kishimoto' (the girl with large breasts; Kurono has a crush on her)
'Rice' (also known as Butter Dog)
'Joichiro " Nishi-kun" Nishi' (a Gantz veteran who enjoys watching people die)
'Masanobu "Homo" Hojo' (a former metrosexual model)
'Sadayo "Sadako" Suzumura' (Masanobu Hojo's stalker)
'Sei Sakuraoka' (she looks like Lara Croft; Kurono lost his virginity to her)
'Tougou Juuzou' (the sniper in the Buddha Mission)
'Tae Kojima' (Kurono's girlfriend; a hidden character)
Although they are playable, players cannot access the characters immediately; they may do so only upon completing the game once. By doing so, one may choose a different character other than Kurono to play as. This is possible through the ''Extra Option'' mode.

Game Modes

The following are the option modes available at the main menu:

★ Start Game: This begins a fresh new game. Players begin the game from the very first scenario, and all the player statistics and such are reverted back to default.

★ Load Game: This option will load a previously saved game. Upon loading, all of the players last saved statistics will be loaded.

★ Option: The option menu simply allows the players to change their gameplay style. Here the players may modify the Controller Vibration option, change blood settings, adjust their screen positions and brightness level, sound, controller settings and various other gameplay options.

★ Extra Option: The extra option menu displays very little at first, as it reveals more features and options as players progress through and complete the game. Some of the options available (before and after progression) include Free Play mode, a Mini Mode, Magazine Browser mode, Gantz Rankings, a special preview movie and the scenario completion statistic.

Enemies

The enemies the player may encounter are almost exactly from the manga and anime. Although this is true, the game actually multiplies the number of enemies the player encounters of the same type over and over. Hence, players will fight a copy of the same enemy depending on a particular stage/scenario. The enemies available in the game are as follow (in order):
'The Onion Aliens'
'The Tanaka Aliens'
'The Buddhist Temple Aliens'
'The Chibi Aliens'
'The Vampires'

Cultural References

★ Gantz's apartment bears a strong resemblance to a famous building in the Ebisu area of Shibuya.

★ The stray dog, often depicted as licking Kishimoto's genitals and commonly referred to as "Butter Dog" (although in the PS2 game it was given the name "Rice"), was abandoned by his owner during a walk, then hit by a dumptruck and sent to Gantz's apartment (source: Volume 7; as stated by Hiroya Oku over a phone conversation).

★ Inaba Kouki's clothing style is similar to Terry Bogard from Fatal Fury.

★ One of the Vampires bears a striking resemblance to actor Vincent Gallo from the movie Buffalo '66.

★ Kappe Alien Mission takes place in Chiba, Chiba Makuhari.

★ During the Buddha mission of the Anime, reference is made to the movie Shaft (1971 film) in which the other character tells the first to "Shut your mouth" to which he is replied with "But you can dig it can't you" which is a reference to the popularized theme song.

★ In the anime, the notebook computer that Nishi used to keep track of the 'games' was an Apple PowerBook G4.

★ Episode 3 of the series there is a reference to the series Dragonball and Hokuto no Ken. The reference refers to Goku and Kenshiro, used to describe Kei Kurono.

★ The sunglasses and contact lenses used by the vampires to see the Gantz team are similar to the Hoffman Lenses from They Live.

★ ''Volume 1, Issue 3'': The song being played by Gantz is one from a popular postwar Japanese exercise radio program.[2]

★ ''Volume 1, Issue 4'': (1) The writing on the Gantz ball is in Leet language. (2) "Denpa Shonen" is a stunt reality show running now for about a decade and made most famous by the comedian Nasubi. (3) Office Lady remark: TO BE ADDED...

★ ''Volume 1, Issue 5'': (1) Honoo Challenge is a Japanese game show? (2) Franz Harary is an American magician and illusionist.

★ ''Volume 1, Issue 6'': (1) Natto are a traditional Japanese food made from fermented soybeans. (2) The Onion Alien [1st] Mission takes place in Ichinomiya (一宮, ''literally'' "First Shrine") in Tama, Tokyo.

★ ''Volume 1, Issue 9'': Eichmann test is referring to Adolph Eichmann, an SS soldier in World War II. the term "Eichmann test" describes the player's instructions to blindly obey Gantz and kill the aliens. Adolph Eichmann was tried for the murder of countless Jews during the Holocaust, and claimed as his defense that he was only "following orders"(similar to the players).

★ ''Volume 3, Issue 23'': Bosozoku are Japanese motorcycle gangs.

★ ''Volume 3, Issue 25'': The "Shosen Grand" in Jinbōchō is a good area from Tokyo to locate rare books and manga.

★ ''Volume 3, Issue 25'': "Aerts" and "Hickson" are references to Peter Aerts and Rickson Gracie

★ ''Volume 3, Issue 29'': Tetsuo Nemoto is the leader of the Bosozoku Japanese motorcycle gang that partakes in the Tanaka Alien Mission.

★ ''Volume 4, Issue 37'': The Tanaka Alien's words "Hey, hey, hey, it's a beautiful day" are Daniel Boone's "Beautiful Day." This was covered in 1976 by Japanese singer Seiji Tanaka. The Tanaka Alien (Tanaka Seijin) is a play on his name in Japanese (Tanaka Seiji). The other things the Alien say are presumably bits of his other songs. His name was changed in the anime to "Suzuki Alien" perhaps due to Seiji's discontent of his portrayal.

★ ''Volume 4, Issue 40'': Yoshinoya (吉野家) is the largest chain among beef bowl (Gyūdon) restaurants and one of the leading fast food chains in Japan; often shortened to "Yoshigyū" (meaning Yoshinoya's beef) among its enthusiasts.

★ ''Volume 5, Issue 47'': (1) "Yuzo" refers to Yuzo Gucci, the original singer on the show "Together With Mom," a cousin of Seiji Tanaka who was the lead singer of the comedic band "Busy Four" and famous for his impersonations of Tanaka. The "Haah" and "beautiful" lines originate from the lyrics of his biggest hit, "Beautiful Sunday." Famous Watermelon Lands and "Did you make some friends" are lines from his "Famous Watermelon Lands" song. (2) Kagoshima Prefecture is where his current record label is located at. (3) His sidekick "Gyoro-chan" is a grotesque take-off of a "Choco Ball" Morinaga Confections mascot, "Kyoro-chan." Tanaka was well-known for his appearance in Morinaga commercials from 1973 to 1988.

★ ''Volume 5, Issue 56'': Oolong tea is a traditional Chinese type of tea.

★ ''Volume 5, Issue 57'': (1) Sei Sakuraoka from the Buddha Mission looks like Lara Croft from Tomb Raider. (2) Musou Tokugawa, the monk from the Buddha Mission, looks like the Japanese television personality Odamudo. (3) Tougou Juuzou (the sniper in the military fatigues in the Buddha Mission) looks like Duke Togo, the codename for the assassin from Golgo 13. (4) JJ, the American karate practitioner from the Buddha Mission looks like Geese Howard from SNK. (5) Tomao from the Buddha Mission looks like the Japanese actor Yosuke Kubozuka. (6) Tomao's friend, Konta, also from the Buddha Mission looks like Kawabata Kaname, a Japanese musician from Chemistry. (7) "Namuami Dabutsu" is a Japanese Buddhist prayer meaning "I take refuge in Amida Buddha."

★ ''Volume 6, Issue 61'': Rateiin Temple is fictional, but it could be based off of some real temple; maybe Tōdai-ji Temple from Nara.

★ ''Volume 6, Issue 67'': The Buddhist Temple Alien statue that appears on the rooftop looks like one of the Buddhist Bishamonten or Tamonten deities who are in statue form in Kamakura.

★ ''Volume 6, Issue 68'': Among the remaining Buddhist Temple Aliens are the Tentouki (Tentoki) and Ryuutoki (Ryutoki) creature who hold lantern. Though originally evil, they were trampled by the Shitenno (Four Deva Kings), repented, were saved, and now carry lanterns as offerings for the Buddha.[3]

★ ''Volume 6, Issue 69'': The big Buddhist Temple Alien is based off a Buddha statue located at Tōdai-ji Temple in Nara.

★ ''Volume 7, Issue 72'': (1) The Seibu Line runs from Seibu Shinjuku Station in Shinjuku, Tokyo to Honkawagoe Station (本川越駅) in Kawagoe, Saitama. (2) Higashi-Nagasaki (東長崎駅) Station is in the Toshima ward of Tokyo. (3) Ikebukuro (池袋) is a part of Toshima ward and is a large commercial and entertainment district of Tokyo.

★ ''Volume 7, Issue 74'': The "Thousand Arms Kannon" Buddhist Temple Alien: TO BE ADDED

★ ''Volume 8, Issue 87'': "Thousand Arms Kannon" Buddhist Temple Alien (part 2) looks like Spider Smith from the movie Lost In Space.

★ ''Volume 8, Issue 93'': (1) Kei Kurono's laptop is a Sony VAIO. (2) The Tanaka Alien [2nd] Mission took place in Itabashi (板橋区), one of 23 special wards of Tokyo.

★ ''Volume 8, Issue 94'': Regarding Nishi's website, Izumi wonders if its a parallel to the beginnings of Blair Witch 2.

★ ''Volume 9, Issue 95'': Chibi / Shorty Alien: (1) Has uzumaki or swirls on his cheeks and chest. (2) The Chibi Alien looks like a statue of a kami in the Shinsekai district of Osaka.

★ ''Volume 9, Issue 101'': Red Envelope are occasionally given from married couples to friends and family.

★ ''Volume 10, Issue 108'': Shibuya is known for being a fashion epicenter of Tokyo and all of Japan as well as being a particularly famous for its nightlife.

★ ''Volume 10, Issue 109'': Sakata Kenzō asks if he looks like Takuya Kimura (木村拓哉), a Japanese actor and singer.

★ ''Volume 10, Issue 114'': Hiroto Sakurai ("Cherry") is shown wearing a UEFA Champions League sweater.

★ ''Volume 10, Issue 115'': From the '''Gantz Manual''', Oku Hiroya clearly states that Kaze Daizaemon's inspiration for ''Hakkyoku-Ken'', a Chinese martial arts known as Bajiquan, is Virtua Fighter's Akira Yuki.

★ ''Volume 10, Issue 117'': Kei Kurono poses like the Karate Kid.

★ ''Issue 122'': An Advertisement for a James Bond Movie can be seen in the Background of Page 5.

★ ''Issue 124'': Izumi is wearing Adidas Handshoes.

★ ''Issue 134'': The cover girl looks like Fujiko Mine from Lupin III.

★ ''Volume 17, Issue 191'': Oni Mission takes place in Ikebukuro.

★ ''Issue 228'': One the girls hitting on Akira Kurono and his friends looks like Chiaki Kuriyama.

★ ''Issue 232'': Izumi Shion fights the Vampires in Chiyoda Park outside of Mizuo Train Station.

★ ''Issue 233'': Razor Ramon HG is shown on Kei Kurono's television while flipping through channels.

★ ''Issue 234'': Kei Kurono goes to shop in Akihabara to find a counter weapon against the Vampires.

★ ''Issue 235'': The subtext of: "The dew may stay on the withered flower, but it will never see another evening." of the issue's title is borrowed from Hōjōki (1212) by Japanese author Kamo no Chōmei (1155-1216).

External links

★ Gantz manga for online viewing

★ ADV's ''Gantz'' website

★ MVM Films' ''Gantz'' website

★ Madman Entertainment's ''Gantz'' website

★

★ Young Jump Magazine Webpage

★ Official Japanese site

★ GANTZ: THE GAME official website.

★ Review of the series by Dreamlogic.net

★

★ Gantz Box Set DVD review at www.sci-fi-online.com