.hack: Kite & BlackRose

[chibisophia.livejournal.com]

Title: Partners: KitexBlackRose
Author: chibisophia
Fandom: .hack
Pairing: Kite/BlackRose
Email:sophita@gmail.com
Spoilers: All of the videogames, minor spoilers from .hack//LotT(B)


INTRODUCTION

The .hack series is a multimedia extravaganza of a series made by Bandai and Cyber Connect. It encompasses several different stories, but they all have one thing in common – they are told through the online MMORPG, “The World.” Each story is very different in media, tone and content, but they all deal with characters in the online game, and rarely do they involve the offline world at all. As such, the .hack series is somewhat unique in that the major parts of the story take place online.

(Note – because the .hack franchise is so voluminous – with 2 TV series (and another coming), 4 games (and 2 more on the way), 2 novel series, an OVA series and more on the way, doing even a brief introduction of every single aspect of the series would never fit within the confines of this article. Instead, I’ll only be giving a brief introduction to the part of the series Kite and BlackRose feature majority in – the videogames, and even then, only some of the events that are significant in their relationship. If you are interested in the .hack world and would like to learn more about the other stories in its universe, I encourage you to visit some of the links I’ve provided at the end of this essay.)

WELCOME TO THE WORLD



The year is 2010. It is a time much like our own - but in this world, the state of the security of technology becomes troubling as hackers discover they can use their skills to reach far beyond the virtual world. In 2004, the “Deadly Flash” virus appears, and manages to kill 7 people worldwide. The hacker who developed the virus is caught and executed for his crimes, marking the first time a person has been executed due to cyber crimes. And in December of 2005, the “Pluto’s Kiss” incident occurs. All at once, the entire Internet ceases to function. Computers and communication control systems all over the world go down, and even the United States nuclear defense systems and automated counter-strike begin to operate erroneously, sparking a major national crisis. The network recovers 77 minutes later, but the damage has been done. This incident, combined with the “Deadly Flash” virus, leads to the domination of a new kind of OS – the ALTLIMIT OS, the only one to escape the damages of Pluto’s Kiss.

The ALTLIMIT OS spreads like wildfire, quickly becoming the dominant OS in it’s day. Around the same time, Cyber Corp (C.C.) Corporation creates a new Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game (MMORPG) for the OS called “The World.” The World quickly becomes a hit, with millions upon millions of players throughout the globe. By 2010, it is practically the most popular game ever, played extensively on almost every continent. Corporations and schools are even reporting losses in productivity as people stay home to play the game obsessively. But there are rumors of troubles within the game – of players falling into comas as they play, of mysterious monsters with unlimited HP, and of a girl in white seen floating in the dungeons. Of course, these are just rumors…

One day, a young schoolboy receives an invitation to play the game from his friend/classmate, Yasuhiko. After creating his character (christening himself “Kite”), the young boy logs on to meet his friend Yasuhiko, who goes by the name Orca in the world. The two quickly go to a beginner’s dungeon to help Kite train, but once there they meet a woman in white and a strange monster chasing her, Skeith. Orca is “data-drained” (his character data is absorbed by) Skeith, landing the real life Yasuhiko in the hospital in a coma. Kite, dedicated to finding what happened to Orca, begins to investigate the game Along the way, he meats a feisty pink haired Heavy Blade, and as they continue to unravel the secrets of the game, it becomes clear that the World is much more than a MMORPG…

CHARACTER INTRODUCTIONS

KITE



In real life, an average, young 14 year old schoolboy in the 8th grade who enjoys playing soccer with his friends, eating beef stew and apple pie, and reading science fiction novels. Online, he is the twinblade character Kite. Kite became involved in the game when Orca invited him. Once Orca was data drained by Skeith and fell into a coma, Kite become dedicated to finding out what happened to him and how to fix it – not exactly an easy task. Kite is normally a very passive person – his reactions to thinks are often much lower key than his companions, he does not speak often unless he has something to say, and even his e-mails are short and to the point, rarely longer than 2 to 3 lines. However, Kite isn’t afraid to take control of a situation when need be, and his cool head often helps him think through solutions to admittedly sticky situations. Calm, patient, responsible and dedicated, Kite is often held as the leader of the group, despite the fact he is one of the youngest members of the “dot hackers” group. It is perhaps no wonder that many of the characters Kite meets along his quest feel certain closeness with him. But no one becomes as close to him as…

BLACKROSE




In real life, she is a high school sophomore who enjoys playing tennis, swimming, and eating hot dogs. Online, she is the heavy blade character BlackRose. In terms of personality, BlackRose is pretty much the exact opposite of Kite. Headstrong, fiery, and stubborn, BlackRose is anything but subtle. She can be counted on to have the most extreme reaction amount the dot hackers crew to any new event. But she is similar to Kite when it comes for her reasons for being in the world – her brother, Kazu, was found unconscious after playing the world. Like Kite, she desires to learn why her brother fell into a coma and, more importantly, how she can help him get out of it. Blackrose is completely dedicated to finding out what happened to her brother…and helping Kite. At one point, she even sends him a short e-mail to let him know she’s always logged on, just in case he needs her. Indeed, the player can hardly get awayfrom Black Rose – more than any other character, Blackrose is often a mandatory character for story-relevant dungeons.

RELATIONSHIP

The Videogames: From INFECTION to QUARENTINE



Delta Forbidden Holy Ground

BlackRose and Kite don’t exactly have the easiest of first meetings – the first time Kite returns to the game after Orca was put into a coma, he runs into a pink haired heavy blade (.hack’s pure warrior class) who, after glancing around for a few seconds, immediately launches into a tirade about Kite staring at her and how it is impolite to do so. She comes to the decision he must not understand because he is a new player, and tries to get some information out of him, but poor Kite is so overwhelmed by BlackRose, who never gives him a moment to answer. She runs off, frustrated at the lack of answer, but when Kite approaches the chaos portal, where players choose their destinations, she offers him some new keywords, the GPS co-ordinates of the world, if he’s willing to go there with her.

Kite readily agrees, and together, they head towards Delta Forbidden Holy Ground. Unlike many of the places the player can go in the world, this is neither root town (where players congregate shop, save, and trade) nor dungeon (where players explore, fight, and level up). Instead, it is a cathedral. Kite and BlackRose venture inside, where they meet a small goblin, one of the lowest class monsters in the game0. BlackRose reveals that she is pretty new herself by freaking out about the goblin, but Kite quickly rushes to the forefront and kills the small-time monster in a couple blows. The two venture deeper into the church, where they see a statue of the girl who gave Kite the book when he encountered earlier with Orca bound in chains.

Then comes the first “big moment” in their relationship - BlackRose then apologizes for the way she was acting earlier. BlackRose acts confident, but in truth, it’s all a façade; she’s terrified. Though Kite doesn’t know it yet, the area he’s standing on is s the very area her twin brother, Kazu, was data drained. Kazu is now, much like Kite’s friend Orca, laying in the hospital in a coma, and BlackRose, much like Kite, is now investigating the World. The dynamic between BlackRose and Kite really shines for the first time here; Kite does not berate BlackRose for putting up a front; rather, he lets her sit back and explains things, and only offers a few words, but words with a heavy meaning behind them. From this time on, the pair is pretty inseparable. In many of the main story dungeons, BlackRose is a mandatory party member. Kite and BlackRose already trust each other; one is very rarely seen without the other.

Theta Chosen Hopeless Nothingness

At the end of INFECTION, Kite and Blackrose manage to defeat Skeith, the Phase which put Orca into a coma. However, nothing seems to have changed – Orca and Kazu did not wake up, and they’re still no step closer to solving the mystery than they were before they defeated Skeith. Nor are they having much luck finding clues. In an attempt to see if they missed something, Kite and BlackRose travel back to the area where Skeith was defeated.

Things aren’t normal; unlike a normal dungeon, here the portals which contained monsters didn’t respawn, they way they do in normal dungeons. As they slowly descend into the dungeon, Kite and BlackRose have a conversation with each other. Kite asks BlackRose if she’s nervous.

True to character, BlackRose boasts she’s not nervous at all. Kite gives this a neutral “hmm”; in response, BlackRose breaks down a bit and admits she’s not really that confident; in fact, she’s terrified; er controller is soaked with sweat.

Kite, rather than rub her fear in her face, instead makes her feel better by replying that he, too, is scared, but that they have to continue. And they do.

When they reach the point where they tried to fight Skeith, they find a dead end. Though they find nothing, the trip to Theta Chosen Hopeless Nothingness does have at least one positive outcome – it brings Kite and BlackRose closer together.

Cultural City Carmina Gadelica (Song of Gael)

When Kite and BlackRose manage to defeat two more of the 8 phases, the world begins to change. When Kite and BlackRose return to the root town Carmina Gadelica, they find it as corrupted as some of the dungeons.

Seeing the damage done to the root town, Kite becomes discouraged. He calls BlackRose to Carmina Gadelica in order to ask her a simple yet loaded question: are they doing the right thing?

BlackRose wastes no time in chewing him out for it, for even questioning the journey. This is important. How can he question them now? Of course they’re doing the right thing. They have to keep going.

Just as Kite has helped BlackRose, so to does BlackRose help Kite by keeping him grounded and preventing him from turning from their path. Though things are difficult, they persevere.

Delta Reincarnated Purgatorial Alter

And in the end, BlackRose and Kite (and, possibly, Balmung) are the dot hackers who prepare to confront the last phase and Cubia.

Cubia is the other side of Kite’s bracelet; as a result, Kite cannot kill Cubia in any conventional way; the only way to destroy Cubia for good is to also destroy the bracelet. Unfortunately, the bracelet has, until now, been the only way Kite and co. can combat Morganna and the 8 phases.

But in the end, they are left with no choice. Kite calls upon BlackRose to break the bracelet.. She strikes hard and true. Cubia is destroyed. However, so is the bracelet.

But the group doesn’t give up hope. BlackRose encourages everyone to continue fighting, even though they no longer have the bracelet. And surprisingly, they are successful against the 8th phrase, Corbenik, for a while. However, Corbenik has a few tricks up it’s sleeve. Corbenik eventually forms a huge shell that no one can get through.

But just when all hope seems lost, Aura comes in. Bringing the players who had been induced into comas with her, she and they attack the shell, destroying it. And then, finally, Kite, BlackRose, and the rest of the dot hackers manage to bring the 8th phase down.

But it’s not over yet. Morganna, the programming which seeks to suppress Aura and has been putting other players into commas, initiates a data drain sequence, intending to end the dot hackers once and for all. And for a few moments, it works – Balmung gets data drained, and, worse, BlackRose does, too. Kite nearly falls himself, were it not for Elc taking the hit for him. Inspired by the sacrifices of his friends, Kite hits the heart of Morganna – and Aura, forcing her death…and her resurrection.

And then, it’s over. The players who were put into comas wake up. The danger is past. And everyone rejoices.

After the defeat of Morganna and the Phases, BlackRose sends Kite an e-mail, talking about meeting up with him offline. As a P.S., she also adds she loves him. (Of course, right after, she mentions she’s just kidding, but it is well illustrated that she often pretends to be kidding when she is uncomfortable with a concept, so…)

.hack//ANOTHER BIRTH



.hack//ANOTHER BIRTH is a manga adaptation of the games from BlackRoses’s point of view. Unfortunately, as of this moment, ANOTHER BIRTH remains a Japanese exclusive, and, as a non-Japanese speaker, I cannot comment much on it. It will be coming out on June13th, 2006 in the states, so presumably we will get more information as it develops. There is a great deal of art produced for it, however, including some of the more relationship-focused artwork for Kite and BlackRose.

.hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet



(Note: There are two versions of this available, the anime, and the manga. Because the manga version is canon, the manga version is what I will reference.)

.hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet both is and isn’t about Kite and BlackRose. The characters certainly are chibi versions of Kite and BlackRose, however, they are not played by the same players as those in the .hack videogames. 4 years after the events of the videogames, Rena, a young girl, wins a contest for the avatars of the Legendary Dot Hacker’s BlackRose and Kite. What happened to the original Kite and BlackRose is somewhat unclear; though the manga mentions their characters were banned, they do not specify whether the actual players Kite and BlackRose were banned from the game or if the character models were banned from use by players other than Kite and BlackRose.

At any rate, one thing is for certain: 4 years after the games, neither Kite nor BlackRose plays the game anymore. However, their legacy continues to echo across the World.

.hack//G.U.





A new .hack game and anime series has just been announced. Though no one is quite sure yet what G.U. stands for, a few things have been gleamed about the plot. Much of that does not have anything to do with Kite or BlackRose -- like all the other .hack offerings, it seems likely this one will have a completely new set of playable characters with only a few characters making cameos from one section to another – but one tantalizing item has come up. A character, Tri-Edge (seen above), certainly bears a certain …resemblance to Kite. Considering his strong resemblance to Kite, there’s a good chance Tri-Edge has something to do with him. What, however, and if BlackRose is involved, has yet to be seen.

The Reasons Why




Why do Kite and BlackRose make such a good pair? The answer, I believe, is simply how well the characters compliment each other.

Kite and BlackRose are opposites in many ways. Kite is reserved; BlackRose is prone to saying the first thing she thinks reguardless of consequence. Kite tends to be cautious; BlackRose rushes into things. Kite becomes discouraged when things go badly; BlackRose never wavers. However, these differences work to their advantage. Kite often keeps BlackRose from flying off the handle; BlackRose inspires Kite to go on and even sometimes gives him the hard kick in the right direction he needs. Their opposite traits wind up working together well.

However, they’re not entirely opposites. Both are very dedicated to their friends and family. Both are rather blunt. Both are intelligent and fairly mature for their age. They have very similar tastes in activities; they’re both around the same age. They’re a pretty well balanced pair.

And of course, perhaps most importantly, both of them know the pain of losing one of their dear ones. None of the other characters in the games experience this. In a scene in MUTATION that is sometimes mocked, BlackRose and Kite confess how they’re feeling about entering the dungeon where they beat Skeith: terrified. However, this makes perfect sense when you consider that both of them lost a brother (BlackRose literally, Kite figuratively) from playing a game. Both Kazu and Orca are in comas, and no one knows why. Kite and BlackRose are mostly stumbling in the dark, in the chance they might find a cure. Of course they’re terrified. There’s a good chance they’ll end up in the same place as their friends – a hospital bed. It’s hard for the other characters to understand that, even those involved in maintaining the game, as Lios does. They do not understand that the game is much more than your average videogame. Certainly, this feeling of lost friends is something that motivates both of them to play the game, and, I think, something that brings them together.

MY STORY



I picked the games up almost on a lark; I read an article about the .hack juggernaut in NewType and found the idea of a game taking place in a faux MMORG fascinating. The concept of identity is the thing I found most interesting: In an online game, what is real about a person, and what is not? What aspects matter? How do the choices players make in choosing to express themselves through their clothing, character type, even their choice on what goals to take upon during the game show who they are? Are Aura or Mia any less real because they exist only in the World? These questions, and more, were what first caught my interest. My primary interest in playing was in the themes of the game, not necessarily the characters.

But that slowly changed. As I met .hack’s colorful cast, I quickly became attached to the many denizens of .hack’s World. And the first I truly grew attached to were Kite and Blackrose. Kite’s story is the player’s story, and we experience the game from his eyes. How can we not grow attached to him? And BlackRose, the least reserved member of the cast, forms the emotional core of the group. And as their relationship developed, I began to wonder what road it was going down. They made a good team, that was for certain, but what kind? Some would charge that BlackRose and Kite have more of a brother and sister bond; however, I do not think this is true, as BlackRose [i]does[/I] compete for Kite’s attention and shows jealousy against other female members of the party who attempt to win Kite’s favor, namely Terajima Ryoko. She does not do this with the male members of the party, nor even with females who aren’t interested in Kite. Kite’s feelings seem more ambivalent, however, that is a consequence of the fact that Kite is somewhat of a silent hero; his thoughts are meant to be filled in with the player. In only a few scenes does Kite show his emotions. And as the game continued and they continued to build a solid bond, I became a fan of them both as partners and as a couple.

THE WORLD AND THE WEB



Despite the many forms of media the .hack franchise comes in, the fandom online is pretty small, and, truth be told, is going through a slow activity period at the moment. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t plenty of good stuff out there. The Kite/BlackRose pairing is one of the most popular in the .hack fandom.

General .hack Links:

Dot Hack.com - Bandai's Official US Site

Cyberconnect2's .hack site - Official JP site of the developers, CyberConnect2

.hack Wiki page

Dot Hackers

Dothackers (Note: This is not a repeat; two different sites, same name.)

The Helba Gate

RPG Dreamer (Note: The link goes to the PS2 section. The .hack games are the first 4 there. A valuable source for pictures; most of the pictures I’ve used here have come from RPG Dreamer.)

LJ:

dothack
dothackers

Fanfiction:


Fanfiction.Net's Dot Hack section
RPGamer's .hack fanfiction section

Fanfic Recs:

Ie no Ha - R/M - It started with a BBS post. Rumors of a dungeon that cannot be mapped, that grew as the player explored it, that swallowed people whole... (Note: This is actually a crossover between the .hack universe and the book House of Leaves, however, one need not be familiar with House of Leaves to enjoy it. Also, BlackRose's role in this is smaller than in other recs, but it is such a good story and BlackRose's part is critical during the story, so I'm including it.)

Turn - K Lives turn just like leaves. [Drabble Collection]

Wonderland of My Own Making - T Eleven years after The World was quarantined, Kite and BlackRose are living the lives of normal, everyday people, no longer heroes, until they receive an urgent email from Yasuhiko that begins a whole new dangerous adventure. "Akira, they want us back."

Every Road Leads To You K+ - "She knew now,if it had been Kite, she would have searched every road, every field, done or said anything that might bring him back to her."

Gauntlet K+ - A test is just a test. Isn't it? "He's a threat, but to who is the question above all questions."

Ende des Tages" T - In the midst of finally discovering their mutual feelings, BlackRose is kidnapped and plunged into the center of a plot that will take all of Kite's courage to solve. Will he be able to save her before it's too late?

For the Honor - K+ Kite doesn't understand BlackRose. She'd prefer to keep it that way.

Tantalus - K+ Just how did the System eradicate Kite from The World, and why was BlackRose condemned right along with him?

Tapestry - In Need of Company - T A collection of short stories involving the .hack characters in the real world. (This is a direct link to Kite's story.)

Chill - K [.hackOutbreak] BlackRose sometimes gets the chills

Just a Moment Longer - K+ During .HackQuarantine. Sometimes the things that need to be said are the hardest to say.

Dot Hack: Heist - T A team of thieves seeks to recruit Kite into hacking Cyber Connect's mainframe, unaware of the forces that conspire against them all, online and offline.

Dot Hack:Relapse - T During the events of Outbreak, Kite teams up with a private investigator to track down the origin of Morganna. Sequel to Heist.

Dot Hack:Penance - T As Kite and company foil the efforts of the thieves online, Dean wakes
from an apparent coma to find himself in the middle of another heist, this one of the AI that governs and protects 'The World'. Sequel to Relapse.

Comments

[murgatroyd314.livejournal.com]

I'm one of those lucky few who have read Another Birth in the original. I don't have much time right now, but I can tell you that I got the distinct impression that Akira (BlackRose's name IRL) was somewhat attracted to Kite, though a bit turned off by the age difference, and that in the fourth book, she decided she wasn't ready for a relationship with anyone (whether Kite or one of her classmates) just yet.

[lblikesbagels.livejournal.com]

flakhfajf I love Kite/BlackRose, hehe. Whenever I'm playing, I always think of her as Kite's online girlfriend, and put up the BlackRose desktop picture. XD