Aria the Scarlet Ammo
Encyclopedia
is a Japan
ese light novel
series by Chūgaku Akamatsu with illustrations by Kobuichi. As of March 2011, 9 volumes have been published by Media Factory
under their MF Bunko J
label. A manga
adaptation by Yoshino Koyoka started serialization in the seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive
on September 26, 2009. An anime
adaptation began airing on April 14, 2011 and concluded on July 1, 2011.
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Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
series by Chūgaku Akamatsu with illustrations by Kobuichi. As of March 2011, 9 volumes have been published by Media Factory
Media Factory
is a Japanese publisher. It was founded on December 1, 1986, and its headquarters are situated in Shibuya, Tokyo. It is a subsidiary of Recruit Co., Ltd...
under their MF Bunko J
MF Bunko J
is a publishing label affiliated with the Japanese publishing company Media Factory. It was established in July 2002 and is a light novel label that is aimed at young adult males.Label names "J" is for "Japan" and "Juvenile" have meaning.-0-9:-A:-B:-C:...
label. A manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
adaptation by Yoshino Koyoka started serialization in the seinen manga magazine Monthly Comic Alive
Monthly Comic Alive
is a Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Media Factory. The first issue was released on June 27, 2006.-Serialized titles:*Asobi ni Ikuyo!*Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai*Bone Crusher*Chaos;Head -Blue Complex-*D-Frag...
on September 26, 2009. An anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
adaptation began airing on April 14, 2011 and concluded on July 1, 2011.
Plot
Kinji Tōyama is a student at Tokyo Butei High, a universal educational facility. At this school, students undertake special training in order to learn the path of the Butei, which is a national qualification permitting its holders to arm themselves and capture criminals. The Butei were established to counter the worsening crime conditions, with training in various specialized fields. One day, Kinji decides to quit the Academy, until he is mysteriously attacked by the Butei Killer, a notorious criminal hunting down Butei with passion. The elite Assault prodigy Aria H. Kanzaki comes to his rescue. From this point on, Kinji's future as a Butei changes drastically.Characters
:- Protagonist of the series and a student at Butei High School. He was ranked Level E (lowest combat rank) due to missing the third term's final examination. However, when he is sexually aroused, he enters a state known as "Hysteria Mode" in which his cognitive and physical abilities increase to around thirty times his normal state, which allows him to perform feats of near-superhuman strength and skill, such as accurately shooting up the muzzle of an enemy gun, swinging his knife at supersonic speeds, and accurately shooting enemy bullets out of the air. Hysteria Mode is a genetic trait that all members of the Tōyama family possess, and is stated to be an extremely highly evolved version of the natural male instinct to protect women. As such, when in Hysteria Mode, Kinji's major weakness is the fact that he cannot directly harm women, though he is still able to fight and restrain them without directly hurting them. In addition to this, Hysteria Mode also causes Kinji to develop a suave and seductive attitude towards women, which makes him very attractive to them while in Hysteria Mode. He is currently enrolled in the Inquesta department, though in the past, he was a prodigy (being ranked Level S) of the Assault department, the most dangerous department in Butei High. He starts to respect and have romantic feelings for Aria.
- His gun of choice is a Beretta 92F (which was illegally modified to fire a three-round burst; he refers to it as the Beretta Kinji Model). He also wields a butterfly knife. In Volume 6 of the light novel he obtains a black Desert EagleDesert EagleThe Desert Eagle is a large-framed gas-operated semi-automatic pistol designed by Magnum Research in the U.S. and by IMI in Israel; the pistol is manufactured primarily in Israel by IMI...
(which was similarly modified to fire in burst as well as auto) which belonged to his father and a double-edged seaxSeaxSeax in Old English means knife or cutting tool. The name of the roofer's tool, the zax, is a development from this word...
, (modified with a hidden sheath and a reinforced rubber handle) which belonged to Sherlock HolmesSherlock HolmesSherlock Holmes is a fictional detective created by Scottish author and physician Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The fantastic London-based "consulting detective", Holmes is famous for his astute logical reasoning, his ability to take almost any disguise, and his use of forensic science skills to solve...
, to add to his arsenal.
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- Female transfer student of Butei High School. An "Assault" department elite rank S (The highest rank), she wishes to recruit Kinji after their encounter. She can wield two guns or two swords at the same time, earning the title of a "Quadra". Her weapons of choice are a M1911 pistol (also known as Colt Government) and two undersized Japanese swords known as KodachiKodachiA , literally translating into "small or short tachi ", is a Japanese sword that is too long to be considered a dagger but too short to be a long sword...
. The H in the middle name stands for "Holmes" as she is a descendant of Sherlock Holmes himself, and her full name is Aria Holmes Kanzaki IV. Her mother is Japanese and her father is English. Her grandmother is a member of the British Royal FamilyBritish Royal FamilyThe British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
, having received the title of a "dameDameA Dame may be:* Dame , a female title of rank, equivalent to 'Sir' used as the title of a knight* A title of respect for certain Benedictine nuns equivalent to the male "Dom"* A pantomime dame...
". She also starts to have feelings for Kinji but shows it in a different way than other people.
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- Shirayuki Hotogi: a female student of Butei High School, Childhood friend of Kinji. Enrolled in Butei's special department known as SSR. Butei rank A. She's the current student councilStudent councilStudent council is a curricular or extra-curricular activity for students within elementary and secondary schools around the world. Present in most public and private K-12 school systems across the United States, Canada and Australia these bodies are alternatively entitled student council, student...
chairman, and president of various clubs like the gardeningGardeningGardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants. Ornamental plants are normally grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants are grown for consumption , for their dyes, or for medicinal or cosmetic use...
club, handicraft club, and girl's volleyballVolleyballVolleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules.The complete rules are extensive...
club. A perfect Japanese beautyYamato Nadeshikois a Japanese term meaning "personification of an idealized Japanese woman", "ideal" in the historical context of the patriarchal, traditional culture of Japan...
according to Kinji, except for one flaw - jealousyJealousyJealousy is a second emotion and typically refers to the negative thoughts and feelings of insecurity, fear, and anxiety over an anticipated loss of something that the person values, particularly in reference to a human connection. Jealousy often consists of a combination of presenting emotions...
, which turns her into a berserker who assaults any girl approaching Kinji. When she finds out that Aria is living with Kinji she goes as far as trying to murder her. She is shown to love Kinji to the point that she will do anything for him. She uses a Japanese sword named Irokane Ayame as a weapon of choice. It is revealed that her name, Shirayuki, was an alias to hide her real name, Himiko.
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- Female student of Butei High School, friend of Kinji. She's enrolled in the Inquesta department; although often considered the biggest idiot in Kinji's class, this is a deliberate facade which breaks down when she is forced into dangerous circumstances. She has a talent for intelligence assessment and, at Butei High, gossip. She enjoys customizing her uniform in an Elegant Gothic Lolita style. She wields two Walther P99Walther P99The Walther P99 is a semi-automatic pistol developed by the German company Carl Walther GmbH Sportwaffen of Ulm for law enforcement, security forces and the civilian shooting market as a replacement for the Walther P5 and the P88...
s and two knives. Like Aria, she earned the title of a "Quadra".
- Near the end of the first volume, Riko reveals that she is a descendant of Arsene LupinArsène LupinArsène Lupin is a fictional character who appears in a book series of detective fiction / crime fiction novels written by French writer Maurice Leblanc, as well as a number of non-canonical sequels and numerous film, television such as Night Hood, stage play and comic book adaptations.- Overview :A...
. Her real name is Riko Mine Lupin IV. Riko also reveals that she was the Butei Killer. She appears to have an inferiority complex towards the first Lupin and wanted to overcome him. Her plan was to make Aria and Kinji become a partner so it would create the same battle situation where Sherlock has Watson as a partner before. Defeating both of them would mean she would overcome her ancestor since Sherlock Holmes and Arsene Lupin fought 100 years ago and neither side came out on top. For reasons never made clear, she despises being referred to by her generation's number. It was also revealed that there is in fact a reason for Riko's complex of wanting to surpass the original Lupin, Riko was held captive by Vlad the Sinless and was recently 'let go', under certain circumstances, these were that Riko would have to prove to surpass the original Lupin causing her to have an obssession in the defeat of Sherlock Holmes the 4th.
- Her lineage, as well as her middle name, may be an indirect implication that she is the descendant of Arsene Lupin IIIArsène Lupin IIIis a fictional character introduced by Monkey Punch in Weekly Manga Action on August 10, 1967. According to its creator, Lupin is the grandson of Maurice Leblanc's Arsène Lupin....
and Fujiko MineFujiko Mineis a fictional character created by Monkey Punch, for his Lupin III series. Fujiko is a professional criminal, burglar and "confidence trickster"....
of Lupin IIILupin III, also known as Lupin the 3rd, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Kazuhiko Kato under the pen name of Monkey Punch. The story follows the adventures of a gang of thieves led by Arsène Lupin III, the grandson of Arsène Lupin, the gentleman thief of Maurice Leblanc's series of...
.
- Riko and Aria share several traits: small height, Quadra status, twin-tailed hair and representation of the fourth generation of their ancestral family.
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- The Snipe department's ace, Butei rank S. Real name unknown. She's habitually taciturn, impassive and indifferent in fashion. She's always seen wearing headphones. Her signature quote is "I am a single bullet. It has no heart. Therefore, it does not think. It just flies straight towards its target", which she always say before she shoots her target. She can shoot anything without missing her target within a 2km radius. Her personal weapon is a Dragunov sniper rifle with an attachable bayonet. She apparently listens to the sound of wind from her homeland (somewhere between Northen Mongolia and Siberia) with her headphones, which are Sennheiser PMX990.
- In the middle of volume 3, she eventually tames a wolf in a matter 5 minutes, which she later named Haimaki, and trains it to be a butei dog. From then on, she lives together with Haimaki in her own room in a girl's dormitory. Kinji visited her room at least twice up to volume 6 of light novel. He commented how bare and simple it is. She also sleeps upright with the Dragunov on her hands, perhaps to prevent an ambush attack according to Kinji. Reki apparently doesn't possess any clothing other than several school uniforms in which she alternately wears, so Kinji bought her a casual one as a present, as a part of his Lima syndrome plan. Reki cleans up nicely. In fact, Kinji was left speechless after witnessing her dressed-up appearance in volume 6.
- She plays a minor role in the series, usually providing covering fire to Aria and Kinji when they are fighting at close range or saving them during times of trouble, up until the events at the end of volume 5, when she holds Kinji at gunpoint on the rooftop of Butei High, kissing him and proposing a marriage. She also reveals that she already knows about E-U and Hysteria Mode. Her ancestors were revealed to be Minamoto no YoshitsuneMinamoto no Yoshitsunewas a general of the Minamoto clan of Japan in the late Heian and early Kamakura period. Yoshitsune was the ninth son of Minamoto no Yoshitomo, and the third and final son and child that Yoshitomo would father with Tokiwa Gozen. Yoshitsune's older brother Minamoto no Yoritomo founded the Kamakura...
and Genghis KhanGenghis KhanGenghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
.
- Apparently before coming to Butei High, Reki was also doing "unrecorded" jobs in Russia and China due to her Butei license. In other words, she worked as a "Sweeper", killing her targets.
Students
:- Jeanne d'Arc 30th (also known as Durandal or Diamond Dust Witch) is an ice ability user from I-U (a criminal organization). During the events in Volume 2 of the light novel, she targets Shirayuki in an attempt to kidnap her and force her to join I-U. She is successfully captured via the combined efforts of Aria, Kinji and Shirayuki during the season of Adseard. As one of the conditions of her plea bargainPlea bargainA plea bargain is an agreement in a criminal case whereby the prosecutor offers the defendant the opportunity to plead guilty, usually to a lesser charge or to the original criminal charge with a recommendation of a lighter than the maximum sentence.A plea bargain allows criminal defendants to...
, she was forced to stay in Butei High as a 2nd year international studentInternational studentAccording to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development , international students are those who travel to a country different from their own for the purpose of tertiary study. Despite that, the definition of international students varies in each country in accordance to their own national...
from ParisParisParis is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
enrolled in the Informa department. As a reliable Informa student, Kinji requests her aid whenever he needs a supply of knowledge about a particular case he is involved at. Jeanne and Riko get along with each other very well.
- She is one of the few people that knows Kinji's secret. Her personality is serious and cool. Her first comment about Butei High's skirt is: "Unmarried girls shouldn't openly reveal their legs like this!". However, that notion was pretty much shattered because of Riko's strong influence on her, and she has grown a habit of secretly collecting maid dresses, Lolita fashion and other cute dresses.
- Although Jeanne is quite extraordinary in terms of fighting skills, beauty and ability, her drawing skills are unimpressive. Despite her strength, she alleges that she is the weakest out of all the members of I-U.
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- Kinji's underclassmen. A Lezzad freshman, enrolled in class 1-C. She has her black hair usually pony-tailed in the back. She also wears a long muffler around the neck, a FundoshiFundoshiis the traditional Japanese undergarment for adult males, made from a length of cotton. Before World War II, the fundoshi was the main form of underwear for Japanese adult males...
for underwear, and appears in traditional ninja garb. She is rumored to be a descendant of a famous ninja lineage.
- Back in middle school, she and Kinji had a practice spar before. At that time, Kinji was coincidentally in Hysteria Mode and had subdued Fuuma like a kid. Ever since then, she holds a huge respect to Kinji, and calls him "Master". Due to poverty, in order to pay for her tuition as well as for subsistence, she works part-time, in which she refers to as "training". In Hidan no Aria AA, she and Kinji are apparently partners.
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- The Logi's ace with a 190cm height and pointy hair. Kinji considers him as a transportation geek. This is all due to his knowledge about all kinds of vehicles may it be on land, sea or air. He is a skilled driver that can operate anything from a car to a nuclear submarineNuclear submarineA nuclear submarine is a submarine powered by a nuclear reactor . The performance advantages of nuclear submarines over "conventional" submarines are considerable: nuclear propulsion, being completely independent of air, frees the submarine from the need to surface frequently, as is necessary for...
. His personal weapon is a Colt PythonColt PythonThe Colt Python is a .357 Magnum caliber revolver formerly manufactured by Colt's Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. It is sometimes referred to as a "Combat Magnum". It was first introduced in 1955, the same year as Smith & Wesson's M29 .44 Magnum. The now discontinued Colt Python...
Revolver that uses .357 magnum.357 MagnumThe .357 S&W Magnum , or simply .357 Magnum, is a revolver cartridge created by Elmer Keith, Phillip B. Sharpe, Colonel D. B. Wesson of firearms manufacturer Smith & Wesson, and Winchester. It is based upon Smith & Wesson's earlier .38 Special cartridge. The .357 Magnum cartridge was introduced in...
bullet and only chose it for the sake of easy maintenance. Despite the astounding firepower, the gun's loading capacity is small, the accuracy is horrible and it cannot equip a suppressor, so normally, no Butei would use it.
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- A bright, handsome and popular guy. Enrolled in Assault, and in the same class as Kinji. His Butei level is A. Even though there are different aspects involved in an A ranking, his integration capacity is high. Barehanded, dagger handling or shooting aspects can all be relied on. The reliability of his gun is very high, a Mk. 23 MODO with an installed laser aiming lens. He is also a rare polite person in Butei High. Even though he is very popular with girls, he never had a girlfriend before.
- He is Kinji and Mutou's close friend. In past, back in Kinji's Assault days, he was often his teammate. Kinji considers him a good friend and someone to rely on, an example of a polite and elegant student.
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- A genius of Amdo department, she is enlisted by other students to upgrade or modify their weapons, Kinji's Beretta pistol is one such example. Her ancestor is Hiraga GennaiHiraga Gennaiwas an Edo period Japanese pharmacologist, student of Rangaku, physician, author, painter and inventor who is well known for his Erekiteru , Kandankei and Kakanpu...
. According to Kinji, her labor fees are considerably expensive. Despite being a genius in customizing weapons, sometimes due to sloppy work, the guns she works at has a probability to malfunction. Later, Kinji's Beretta's three-round burst function stops working and instead fires 2 bullets almost at the same time.
- Kinji states that considering her skills, she should be ranked S. However, due to the massive fees she charges for her services, coupled with the large number of illegal modifications she performs, she is ranked A. Her appearance is like a child, her hair's length is around below the ear, and were widely known in Butei High watching animeAnimeis the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
as she tinkers through Butei guns and weapons.
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- A second year student from Connect, she specializes in providing real-time intelligence to Buteis that are operating in the field. Her instructions are always crystal clear, and Kinji claims that she has a voice worthy of a NHKNHKNHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
news broadcaster. She also possess an incredible sense of hearing and is able to deduce the location of the sound of wind which Reki always listens to through hearing alone. However, she is shown to be extremely timid when she is off-duty and have trouble interacting with people without communication devices, which is probably why she is ranked B despite her talents.
- She became friends with Jeanne when she was forced to transfer to Butei High and shared a dormitory apartment with her.
Teachers
:- Homeroom teacher for Class 2-A and the head of department for Inquesta. Described as a "kind teacher in Butei High", she is also one of the few non-violent teachers depicted in the series.
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- Homeroom teacher for Class 2-B and head of department for Dagula. An expert in interrogation techniques, she is capable of extracting confessions from the toughest offenders. She is apparently one of the top five interrogators in Japan. Has a habit of smoking hand-rolled cigarettes, even in the vicinity of students.
- Wields a Glock 18.
- An Assault department instructor, she is known to be a very violent teacher, earning her the nickname of "Human Bunker Buster". Her catchphrases are "Go die!" or "Death!". Rumored to be connected with the Hong Kong triads. She was the teacher that took the group photograph for Team Baskerville during their formation ceremony in volume 7 of the light novels.
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- A geneticist who works as a part-time instructor for the Ambulance department, he is a university graduate from abroad and is noted to be very handsome with an appearance of a 20-year old. He is known to be very polite, using honorific speech at all times, which contributed to his immense popularity in Butei High.
Novels
Anime
- Opening Theme: Scarlet Ballet by May'n
- Ending Theme: by Aiko Nakano
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