.hack facts for kids

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'.hack (pronounced "Dot Hack") is a cool Japanese story world. It's like a big universe that includes two main parts: Project .hack and .hack Conglomerate. These stories were mostly made by a company called CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment.

The series takes place in a world where a huge computer problem happened in 2005. After that, a new version of the internet grew really fast! The main focus of the stories is a super popular online game called The World. This game is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), where many players can play together at the same time. The .hack series mostly includes anime shows and video games. These have also been turned into manga comics, novels, and other fun stuff.

Project .hack

Project .hack was the very first part of the .hack series. It started in 2002. The anime show .hack//Sign came out in April 2002. Then, the PlayStation 2 game .hack//Infection was released in June 2002. This first project mainly tells stories about the original The World game. The series became popular around the world when the game .hack//Infection and the English version of .hack//Sign came out in 2003.

Games

Cardback of the .hack//Enemy collectible card game

• .hack: This is a series of four PlayStation 2 games. They follow the adventures of two players, Kite and BlackRose. They are trying to find out why their friends, Orca and Kazu, fell into a coma while playing the game. The four games are .hack//Infection, .hack//Mutation, .hack//Outbreak, and .hack//Quarantine.
• .hack//frägment: This was the first .hack Massively multiplayer online game (MMORPG) where players could actually play online. It was only released in Japan. The online game servers were open from November 2005 to January 2007.
• .hack//Enemy: This was a collectible card game based on the .hack series. It was made by a company called Decipher Inc.. The game stopped being made after 2005.

Anime Shows

• .hack//Sign: This is an anime TV show. It's about a magic-using player named Tsukasa. He wakes up inside The World game and can't remember anything. He also finds out he can't log out of the game! Tsukasa teams up with other players to solve this mystery. The show explores ideas like feeling anxious, wanting to escape, and how people connect with each other.
• .hack//Legend of the Twilight: This is a short anime series based on a manga comic. It's set in The World game. The story is about twins named Rena and Shugo. They get special characters that look like the legendary players Kite and BlackRose. They go on a quest to find a mysterious character named Aura.
• .hack//Liminality: These are four short anime videos (called OVAs). They came with the PlayStation 2 .hack video games. Liminality focuses on what's happening in the real world, not just inside the game. It tells the story of people trying to figure out why players are falling into comas when they play The World.
• .hack//Gift: This is a funny, short anime video. It was a "gift" for players who bought and finished all four .hack video games. It makes jokes about the series and its characters.

Novels

• .hack//AI buster: This novel came out in 2002. It tells the story of a character named Albireo and a special computer program called Lycoris. It also explains how Orca and Balmung became heroes.
• .hack//AI buster 2: This is a collection of short stories. It includes characters from AI Buster and Legend of the Twilight Bracelet.
• .hack//Another Birth: This novel series tells the story of the .hack video games from the point of view of BlackRose.
• .hack//Zero: This novel series is about a character named Carl. It also explains what happened to Sora after he got stuck in The World and what Tsukasa's real life was like after he could finally log out.

Manga Comics

• .hack//Legend of the Twilight: This manga series is about two players, Shugo and Rena. They win a contest and get cute, small versions of the legendary .hackers, Kite and BlackRose, as their game characters.

.hack Conglomerate

.hack Conglomerate is the newer part of the .hack series. It was also made by CyberConnect2 and other companies. This project includes three PlayStation 2 games called .hack//G.U., an anime series called .hack//Roots, and more novels and manga. .hack Conglomerate tells stories that happen after the original The World game.

Games

• .hack//G.U.: This is a series of three video games for the .hack Conglomerate project. They are called Vol. 1 Rebirth, Vol. 2 Reminisce, and Vol. 3 Redemption. The story takes place in a new version of the game called The World R:2 in the year 2017. It follows a player named Haseo who is trying to find a cure for his friend. His friend was attacked by another player. A newer version of these games, including a new 4th volume, was released in 2017 for PlayStation 4 and PC.
• .hack//Link: This was a PSP game. It was said to be the last game in the series. The game is about a young person named Tokio in the year 2020. He gets a free copy of The World R:X from a mysterious new classmate.
• .hack//Versus: This was the first fighting game in the .hack series. It came with the movie .hack//The Movie.
• .hack//Guilty Dragon: This was a card-based mobile game for Android and iOS phones, only available in Japan. It was available from 2012 to 2016.
• .hack//G.U. The Card Battle: This is a trading card game similar to .hack//Enemy. It was made by the creators of .hack//G.U..
• New World Vol. 1: Maiden of Silver Tears: This was another mobile game for Android and iOS, only in Japan. It was like a fresh start for the series. It was available from 2016 to 2016.

Anime Shows

• .hack//Roots: This anime series follows a player named Haseo. It shows him joining a group called the Twilight Brigade. It also explains how he became known as "The Terror of Death." This series leads into the .hack.//G.U. games.
• .hack//G.U. Trilogy: This is a computer-animated movie based on the .hack//G.U. video games.
• .hack//G.U. Returner: This is a short follow-up anime video (OVA). It's the end of the .hack//Roots story. It shows the characters from .hack//G.U. on one last adventure.
• .hack//Quantum: This is a three-part anime video series (OVA).
• .hack//The Movie: This is a computer-animated movie that came out in theaters in Japan in 2012. The movie takes place in 2024. A new version of The World game, called FORCE:ERA, is released for a new generation of players.
• Thanatos Report: This is a short anime video (OVA) that you could unlock in the .hack//Versus game after finishing its story.

Novels

• .hack//Cell: This novel series takes place at the same time as .hack//Roots. It's about a character named Midori and what she experiences in The World R:2, which is a new version of the game. The story also involves real-world events about a girl named Midori Shimomura who is in a coma.
• .hack//G.U.: This is a novel series that tells the story of the three .hack//G.U. video games.
• .hack//bullet: This is a web novel that follows a character named Flugel after the events of .hack//Link.

Manga Comics

• .hack//4koma: This is a funny comic series with short, four-panel strips. It mostly makes jokes about the main characters from the original .hack video games and the .hack//G.U. games.
• .hack//Alcor: This manga series focuses on a girl named Nanase.
• .hack//GnU: This is a funny manga series about a player named Raid and his game group.
• .hack//G.U.+: This manga series is loosely based on the three .hack//G.U. video games.
• .hack//XXXX: This manga series is loosely based on the four original .hack video games.
• .hack//Link: This manga series takes place three years after .hack//G.U.. It's set in a new version of The World called The World R:X. It focuses on a player named Tokio and a mysterious new student named Saika.

Other Appearances

Some characters from the .hack series also show up in the Nintendo 3DS games Project X Zone and Project X Zone 2.