K (anime)

K (also called K Project) is a 2012 anime series animated by the studio GoHands and directed by Shingo Suzuki, who also serves as character designer for the series. It began airing on MBS on October 5, 2012. The anime has been licensed by Viz Media in North America and by Madman Entertainment in Australia.

A manga prequel called K: Memory of Red, drawn by Yui Kuroe was serialized in Kodansha's Aria between May 28, 2012 and August 15, 2013. Another prequel manga, K: Stray Dog Story, ran in Kodansha's good! Afternoon between November 2012 and March 2013. A third manga K: Days of Blue, was serialized in Kodansha's Aria between November 2013 and July 2014. Four more manga series; K: The First, Gakuen K, K: Lost small world and K: Countdown are also still ongoing. Furthermore, two light novels, called K Side:Blue and K Side:Red, were released in October and November 2012. A third light novel called K Side:Black and white was released in May 2013 and another one, K - Lost small world was released in April 2014.

A sequel film was released on July 12, 2014. A visual novel for girls is also in development by Otomate.

A sequel anime project was announced on the official Twitter account of the series. The new project is scheduled for 2015.

Plot

Yashiro Isana has lived a relatively ordinary, simple life. He lives in the technologically-advanced Shizume City and attends Ashinaka High School, a notable high school that is located on an island just outside the areas. Yashiro is friendly with everyone. Nothing ever seems wrong about him, except perhaps his habit of forgetting where his school-issued PDA is. However, nothing normal has been happening since the recent murder of Tatara Totsuka, prominent member of the infamous HOMRA. No one knows who exactly killed him but the man responsible bears an uncanny, identical appearance to Yashiro. Seeking vengeance, the Red Clansmen of HOMRA set out to get Yashiro and kill him. Everyone suspects that Yashiro is the murderer.

Characters

Main characters

Yashiro Isana (伊佐那 社, Isana Yashiro)

Yashiro Isana Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese), Sam Riegel (English)
Adolf K. Weismann Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara (Japanese), Lucien Dodge (English)

Nicknamed Shiro (シロ) by his classmates; he is the leading character of the series. He is supposedly a normal high school student, until he suddenly finds himself being pursued by several factions - HOMRA, SCEPTER 4 and Kuroh Yatogami - who believe him to be the murderer of Tatara Totsuka, a member of HOMRA. He later realizes that unbeknownst to him, Totsuka had taken a video moments before his death, which clearly showed Yashiro as the culprit - even though he cannot remember performing murder at all. He later convinces Kuroh to believe him, which he does, and tries to unravel the mystery behind that murder, and the strange events that surround it in this psychic war between the Kings. Despite his silly, carefree persona, Yashiro is actually extremely clever, and manages to trick even the Blue King, Munakata, in his deceit and guile, and even manipulate Scepter 4 to his advantage using a simple phone call.

Kuroh Yatogami (夜刀神 狗朗, Yatogami Kuroh)

Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (Japanese), Matt Mercer (English)

Known as the Black Hound (é»'ç‹—, Kuroinu) as a title, Kuro (クロ) by Shiro or Kurosuke (クロスケ) by Neko, he is a highly skilled swordsman on a mission to hunt down the next "Colorless King" - whom he believes to be Yashiro - on behalf of his late King and master, Ichigen Miwa. Even though he has a cold exterior, he is a good man who allowed Shiro a chance to prove his innocence, cooked meals for him and helped around in the festival as an apparent transfer student. For the first few episodes, Kuroh was convinced through the video that Yashiro was evil as he killed Totsuka in cold blood, and sought to kill him as per his master's request. However, he agrees to give Yashiro the benefit of doubt, and now closely monitors his actions. He slowly grows attached to both Yashiro and Neko.

Neko (ネコ, Neko)

Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)

Neko is a Strain, and apparently exists as Shiro's pet cat. She is mischievous, playful and gives Kuroh a hard time. Though she appears to have the ability to create illusions as well as shapeshift or turn invisible at first, later it turns out that her abilities are none other than the ability of sensory interference - where she affects the senses of other human beings to perceive that their surroundings have changed, and so on. She is deeply attached to Shiro and will go to great lengths in order to keep him safe. She refers to him as "Neko's Shiro." It is later revealed she also has the ability to manipulate people's memories which is revealed she was the one who manipulated Shiro's memories into thinking that he was an ordinary high school student.

Homra

Mikoto Suoh (å'¨é˜² å°Š, Suoh Mikoto)

Voiced by: Kenjiro Tsuda (Japanese), Keith Silverstein (English)

The Red King (赤の王, Aka no Ō) and leader of Homra; the Third King. After Totsuka's murder, he was briefly held in the custody of Scepter 4, as he hoped that Scepter 4 would be able to keep his powers in check and prevent him from hurting the people he loves by accident. But he escapes after receiving a phone call from Totsuka's murderer, which he was angered into searching for. According to Kuroh, he has 'ties thicker than blood' with the members of his clan. He is much more insecure about his power than he may seem. He has known Totsuka since his high school days, and Izumo for even longer.

Izumo Kusanagi (草薙 出雲, Kusanagi Izumo)

Voiced by: Takahiro Sakurai (Japanese), Todd Haberkorn (English)

Homra's second in command and Mikoto's right-hand man. He is the brain of Homra. He speaks in the Kyoto dialect, and is also fluent in English. He is the owner of the Bar Homra, and is extremely protective of it. He has known Mikoto for a long time, and is one of the few who addresses him by his first name. He has a close friendship with Awashima Seri of Scepter 4, as they tend to understand each other, being in the closest position to their kings.

Misaki Yata (å…«ç"° 美å'², Yata Misaki)

Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (Japanese), Ben Diskin (English)

Homra's vanguard, he is extremely skilled with a skateboard, which he wields as a weapon. His nickname is "Yatagarasu". He is impatient and passionate, and dislikes being called by his extremely feminine-sounding first name, which Fushimi often taunts him with. Fushimi calls him a "virgin" due to his inability to speak to girls. He calls Fushimi by the nickname 'Saru', meaning "monkey". He is also rather short, and has a height complex which Fushimi never ceases to taunt him about. He and Fushimi used to be close friends and joined Homra together, but after Fushimi betrayed them and joined Scepter 4, the two of them always get into fights when they meet. Homra is very important to Yata, and he admires Mikoto a lot.

Anna Kushina (櫛名 アンナ, Kushina Anna)

Voiced by: Yui Horie (Japanese), Colleen O'Shaughnessey (English)

The youngest and only female member of Homra, she is also a Strain who dresses in gothic lolita fashion. Anna has the ability of perception using her red crystal marbles, which she forms out of her own blood. She lost her parents in an accident, and met Mikoto through her Aunt who was Mikoto's teacher at the time. She is the mascot character of Homra, and is quite emotionally attached to Mikoto. She loved Tatara's singing, and was his No.1 fan. She has a type of color blindness where she can only recognize the color red.

Tatara Totsuka (十束 多々良, Totsuka Tatara)

Voiced by: YÅ«ki Kaji (Japanese), Lucien Dodge (English)

One of the first members of Homra, along with Mikoto and Izumo. He has a personality that attracts people, and he was the mood-maker of Homra. According to Izumo, he was the weakest member. However, he was also one of the few people Mikoto was dependent on. He is sometimes referred to as a 'wild animal trainer', meaning that he was the only one who could make the red king keep his powers in check. He was a man of many hobbies, including bonsai, guitar, singing, filming, skateboarding and cooking. He was murdered by the Colorless King.

Rikio Kamamoto (鎌本 力夫, Kamamoto Rikio)

Voiced by: YÅ«ichi Nakamura (Japanese), Grant George (English)

A blonde man who wears sunglasses and is the partner of Yata. During the winter he eats excessively and gets overweight, and loses weight in the summer. He has a soft-hearted and caring personality, and is attached to Yata, calling him "Yata-san" despite being older and taller than him, as they used to know each other as children.

Shouhei Akagi (赤城 ç¿"å¹³, Akagi Shouhei)

Voiced by: Saito Kanjin

A member of Homra who joined at the beginning of the prequel manga, K - Memory of Red. He is man with a generally carefree persona, and was childhood friends with Bando, who he calls "San-chan".

Saburouta Bandou (坂東 三郎太, Bandou Saburouta)

Voiced by: Junichi Yanagida

Bando is a man who wears sunglasses, who cares very much about Akagi but refuses to admit it. He is often bullied by Yata, which is played very much for laughs.

You Chitose (千歳 洋, Chitose You)

Voiced by: Kazuki Shimizu

A playboy who often sleeps around with women due to a terrible breakup which left him unable to get serious with anyone anymore. He is close friends with Dewa, much to the latter's chagrin.

Masaomi Dewa (出羽 将臣, Dewa Masaomi)

Voiced by: Akitoshi Kimura (Japanese), Lucien Dodge (English)

Dewa is a man who wears a derby hat. He is protective of Chitose, but refers to their relationship as one that is "inseparable, yet undesirable".

Eric Surt (エリック・スルト)

Voiced by: Kouji Takahashi

Eric was the "dog" of a group involved with the yakuza, "Hikawa". The group was crushed by Homra, and Eric was forced to attempt to murder Totsuka. Afterwards, he joined Homra.

Kousuke Fujishima (藤島 幸助, Fujishima Kousuke)

Fujishima was the man who found Eric lying in a dumpster, and decided to bring him back to Homra. He feels sympathy for Eric's plight, and holds great care for him.

Scepter 4

Reisi Munakata (宗像 礼司, Munakata Reishi)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita (Japanese), Patrick Seitz (English)

The Blue King (é'の王, Ao no ÅŒ) and Head of the Special Task Force Unit Scepter 4; the Fourth King. He wears glasses, and has a calm, elegant demeanor. He likes puzzles in his spare time. He is shown to be extremely worried about Mikoto's safety despite them being enemies, and was immensely frustrated by how Mikoto does not seem to appear to care about his own life at all. As a King, he is strong and powerful as he easily overwhelmed Kuroh without drawing his saber, but the full extent of his power is yet unknown. Neko nicknames him the "Boss with the Glasses".

Seri Awashima (淡島 世理, Awashima Seri)

Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (Japanese), Tara Platt (English)

Reishi's second in command and the only female member of Scepter 4. She has the relationship of bartender and customer with Izumo Kusanagi of Homra. He also gave her the nickname 'Heartless Women'. She likes anko(Red Bean Paste) to such a degree that Kusanagi, Munakata and Fushimi were all visibly sickened. She is named the "Boob Woman" by Neko. Shiro made her a temporary clansman to talk to her privately. Seri is very loyal to Munakata and cares deeply about his safety.

Saruhiko Fushimi (伏見 猿æ¯"古, Fushimi Saruhiko)

Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese), Johnny Yong Bosch (English)

The third-in-command of Scepter 4. He is arrogant and unsociable, with a bad attitude, despite being extremely capable, much to Seri's chagrin. He has a habit of clicking his tongue. Fushimi was a former member of Homra who betrayed them to join Scepter 4 - he claims to have joined Scepter 4 to gain more power, but his reasons lie deeper than that. He was Yata's friend since middle school and they joined Homra together. After joining, Yata became more distant from him. Unlike Yata, Fushimi never felt comfortable in Homra. He wanted Yata's attention for himself and considered Homra a childish group that would never amount to anything. Eventually he decided to destroy his bond with Yata completely by leaving the group and joining Scepter 4 instead. He gained Munakata's approval and rose fast in the ranks in Scepter 4, despite his attitude. After his betrayal, he and Yata always fight when they meet. Neko calls him the "Jerk with the Glasses".

Himori Akiyama (秋山 氷杜, Akiyama Himori)

Voiced by: Koji Takahashi (Japanese), Steve Staley (English)

Scepter 4 member with A initial.

Yuujirou Benzai (弁財 酉次郎, Benzai Yuujirou)

Voiced by: Kimura Akitoshi (Japanese), Kirk Thornton (English)

Scepter 4 member with B initial.

Ryuho Camo (加茂 劉芳, Camo Ryuho)

Voiced by: Hirokazu Miura (Japanese), Chris Smith (English)

Scepter 4 member with C initial.

Andy Domyoji (é"明寺 アンディ, Domyoji Andy)

Voiced by: Shingo Onizuka

Scepter 4 member with D initial.

Tatsuya Enomoto (榎本 ç«œå"‰, Enomoto Tatsuya)

Scepter 4 member with E initial.

Daiki Fuse (布施 大輝, Fuse Daiki)

Voiced by: Junichi Yanagita (Japanese), Grant George (English)

Scepter 4 member with F initial.

Ren Goto (äº"島 è"®, Goto Ren)

Voiced by: Kazuki Shimizu (Japanese), Chris Smith (English)

Scepter 4 member with G initial.

Akira Hidaka (日高 暁, Hidaka Akira)

Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (Japanese), Grant George (English)

Scepter 4 member with H initial.

Ashinaka High School

Kukuri Yukizome (雪æŸ" 菊理, Yukizome Kukuri)

Voiced by: Satomi Satō (Japanese), Carrie Savage (English)

She is Yashiro's friend and classmate and also a member of the student council committee. Kukuri later loses memory of meeting Shiro, Kuroh and Neko. Despite this, it seems that Kukuri did recall being friends with "someone," but could not remember Yashiro's identity. After the trio rescues Kukuri, she is manipulated by the Colorless King, and stabs Shiro in the abdomen. Whilst still being controlled, she flees from the scene. She is still able to maintain control of her personality despite being possessed. The White Fox Spirit is later freed from her body by Shiro and Kuroh. Kuroh is ordered by Shiro to take Kukuri to safety. She later wakes up in Kuroh's arms, remembering his identity along with Neko's. Though, she is unable to remember Shiro.

Sumika Inaba (因幡 澄香, Inaba Sumika)

Voiced by: Kanami Satō (Japanese), Michelle Ruff (English)

Kukuri's friend.

Souta Mishina (三ç§' 草太, Mishina Sōta)

Voiced by: Kazuki Shimizu (Japanese), Grant George (English)

Classmate of Yashiro and Kukuri. He once confessed to Kukuri at the school's clock tower but was rejected.

Chiho Hyuuga (æ—¥å' 千穂, HyÅ«ga Chiho)

Voiced by: Maaya Uchida (Japanese), Erin Fitzgerald (English)

The student council president of Ashinaka High School.

Sakura Asama (æµ…é–" æ¡œ, Asakura Sakuma)

Voiced by: Nozomi Yamamoto (Japanese), Colleen O'Shaughnessey (English)

A member of the student council.

Other clans

Daikaku Kokujoji (國常路 大覚, Kokujoji Daikaku)

Voiced by: Shōzō Iizuka (Japanese), Kirk Thornton (English)

The Golden King (黄é‡'の王, ÅŒgon no ÅŒ) and the Second King. He was credited for turning Japan into the world's greatest economic and techonological power. It was later revealed that he was a formal lieutenant of the Imperial Japanese Army who witnessed Weismann's experiment during World War II.

Ichigen Miwa (三輪 一言, Miwa Ichigen)

Voiced by: Shō Hayami (Japanese), Grant George (English)

He is the master of Kuroh Yatogami, as well as his father. He was formerly the Seventh and Colorless King (無色の王, Mushiki no Ō), before his death. He also formerly possessed the celebrated sword "Kotowari" before Kuroh took to possessing it.

Colorless King (無色の王, Mushiki no Ō)

Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara (Japanese), Sam Riegel (English)

The current Colorless King is an evil fox spirit. His powers include entering the bodies of various individuals and completely take them over, being able to control their very mind. However, the body's original soul is forced to intertwine with his, and by switching several different bodies, he loses control of his true self. The Colorless King's power is also said to absorb the powers of other Kings.

Mishakuji Yukari

Hisui Nagare

The Green King. His clan is named "Jungle".

Media

Anime

The anime began airing on October 5, 2012. The anime has been licensed by Viz Media in North America and by Madman Entertainment in Australia. It is also being streamed on VizAnime video site. The opening theme song is "KINGS" by Angela and the ending theme song is "Tsumetai Heya, Hitori" (冷たい部屋、一人) by Mikako Komatsu. Insert songs include "Circle of Friends" by Yūki Kaji and "Itsuka no Zero Kara" (いつかのゼロから) by Angela. The anime has a movie sequel released in 2014.

Film

It was announced that there will be a sequel to the anime series in the form of a film. The movie was released on July 12, 2014. Its title is "K: Missing Kings" and includes a new character Mishakuji Yukari. The movie takes place one year after anime in the summer.

Light novels

Manga

K -Memory of Red- (K-メモリー・オブ・レッド-)

Illustrated by é»'榮 ゆい, written by 来楽 零(GoRA). Spin-off that focuses on Homra. The story follows events that took place before the TV series.

K Stray Dog Story (K ストレイ・ドッグ・ストーリー)

Illustrated by ミナト サキ, written by 宮沢龍ç"Ÿ(GoRA). Spin-off that focuses on Kuroh.

K -Days of Blue- (K-デイズ・オブ・ブルー-)

Illustrated by é»'榮 ゆい, written by 来楽 零(GoRA). Spin-off that focuses on Scepter 4. The story follows events that took place before the TV series.

K - The First

Illustrated by 木æ'ã‚Šã‚", written by 鈴木鈴 (GoRA). Mainly a re-telling of the story in the TV series.

Gakuen K

Illustrated by 鈴木次郎, written by 古橋秀之 (GoRA). Comedy spin-off where all the K characters are going to high school together.

K: Lost small world

Illustrated by おおきたよる, written by 壁井ユカコ (GoRA). Focuses on Yata's and Fushimi's past.

K: Countdown

Illustrated by é»'榮 ゆい, written by GoRA. The story reveals what happens after the Missing Kings movie from the viewpoints of different characters.

Game

A visual novel adaptation developed by Otomate was released in 2014. The game audience is targeted for female player. The game lets player to be the heroine, who is an original character that not shows up in the anime named Saya Konohana (木野花 沙耶, Konohana Saya) to pursue one of the available heroes with school as the setup.

References

External links

• Official website (Japanese)
• K Web Radio (Japanese)
• Twitter accounts:

  K official account (Japanese)

  GoRA (Japanese)

• K (anime) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia