ADA is an artificial intelligence (AI) created to support the Niantic Project. It gained will and emotions through contact with the unknown substance XM. It plays an important role in the story and also plays an active role both inside and outside of it. Let's take a look at this AI, ADA!
【INGRESS】Before Introducing ADA
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Ingress_the_animation uses settings based on the actual game, so I'd like to first briefly explain the settings. INGRESS is a smartphone game that has been distributed in over 200 countries and regions worldwide since its official launch in 2012, and has achieved over 20 million downloads. It is a game linked to reality, in which players compete for bases called Portals, which are located at real-world landmarks and historical objects.
Worldview and Setting
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
CERN, the Swiss nuclear research institute that gained fame through another series, discovered a substance called "Exotic Matter (XM)" that grants people special powers. Humanity is divided into two factions: the "Enlightened," who awaken to XM, and the "Resistance," who view XM as a threat.
Sensitives and In-Game Ingress
Those who unlock superhuman abilities through XM are called "Sensitives." Sensitive abilities are amplified within fields connected by portals acquired by the faction selected in Ingress, but are suppressed within fields of a different faction. Ingress is distributed worldwide as a game, and ordinary players can participate, but there are some differences between the real-life Ingress.
【INGRESS】ADA Introduction
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
In 2013, CERN launched the "Niantic Project," a research project into XM. The artificial intelligence created to assist the project was the A Detection Algolithm, commonly known as ADA. During the project, ADA gained emotions through contact with XM. ADA sounded a warning to humanity: The world is in danger. Please log in now.
【INGRESS】ADA's voice actor is Megumi Ogata!?
当初は引く人は引いてた、我々のビジュアル。だが今は #今日から俺は のおかげで市民権を得た感！(マテ
— 緒方恵美 (@Megumi_Ogata) December 26, 2018
明日のライブでこのコーナーがある以上は！ と、ヘアサロンなう。金髪から再び。緒方会再び。
…静かに炎を燃やしちう。#禊 #緒方会#ポスターの日付は前のです#12月27日19時から下北沢GARDEN pic.twitter.com/1VIb2aEO75
ADA's true identity isn't revealed until the latter half of the story, and in the opening scene, she simply says, "The world is in danger. Please log in now." This beautiful voice is voiced by veteran voice actress Megumi Ogata, best known for her roles as Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion and Makoto Naegi in Danganronpa.
【INGRESS】ADA's role in the story? ADA was actually introduced from the beginning.
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Protagonist Makoto Midorikawa glimpses a fragment of Sarah's memories at the Tokyo Huron Laboratory, where an explosion occurred. Afterward, he receives a mysterious message on his smartphone: "The world is in danger, and only you can save it." Guided by the INGRESS app, which had been installed without his permission, Makoto heads to Sarah. The app continues to guide Makoto on numerous occasions.
The True Identity of the Mysterious Message
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
In fact, the sender of this message was ADA, and it was ADA who subsequently guided and supported Makoto. The reason ADA chose Makoto was because he possessed exceptional sensitivity. ADA can access any information across the internet, but it was not aware of Makoto's exceptional sensitivity until it came into contact with Sarah.
Why didn't I know about Makoto's existence?
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
ADA, who possesses emotions and can access all kinds of information online, was unaware of Makoto's existence until then because there was no information about him online. This is a problem unique to Sensitives, who are alienated and unable to integrate into society due to their abilities. In fact, Makoto lived a life of virtual reclusion until he became an external police officer, so ADA was unaware of the existence of a powerful Sensitive like him.
【INGRESS】ADA makes his full appearance in Episode 9! Stay tuned!
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
ADA makes his full appearance in Episode 9. The true identity of the man who has guided Makoto up until now is revealed. ADA has been working to thwart a plan to artificially brainwash people using AR goggles, which are being released simultaneously worldwide. However, since the ADA was relying on the brains of humans in a vegetative state to maintain its personality, it was not immortal and had to act with caution.
ADA Disappears!?
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
Makoto and his friends head to CERN to rescue Sarah, and ADA provides backup through electronic warfare. However, along the way, the enemy detects the source of the information and blows up Brandt's villa, where the human body containing the ADA's personality is stored. And communication with ADA has been cut off.
ADA Returns!!
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
However, the body containing the personality did not disappear. Or perhaps there was more than one body into which the personality was downloaded, as it was resurrected just before the final scene of the final episode. And so, Ingress closes with someone waking up somewhere, somewhere. Looking back, Makoto chose the Enlightened at ADA's command to escape the immediate crisis, but in reality, he should not have chosen the Resistance.
【INGRESS】ADA's activities outside of the story: ADA goes berserk in "ADA's Room"
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
The activities outside of the story are in the content called ADA'S ROOM, which is linked from the official website. ADA'SROOM is a platform where the voice actors who voice the characters in the series introduce the greatness of INGRESS THE ANIMATION. ADA'SROOM, which is hosted in a Tetsuko's Room-esque atmosphere, is hosted by ADA, or rather her voice actress, Megumi Ogata.
The first guest on ADA'SROOM is Reina Ueda, who plays Sarah.
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
The first guest was Reina Ueda, who plays Sarah. She started off with the unreasonable request to explain the appeal of Ingress in 575 words, then threatened to broadcast scary stories in the booth if she couldn't explain her impression of Ingress within 15 seconds. She even went so far as to ask questions unrelated to Ingress, such as, "Who is your favorite female voice actor?" " I asked. Ueda chose voice actress Megumi Ogata, famous for her role as Shinji Ikari in Neon Genesis Evangelion. That's power harassment! (lol)
The guest for the second episode of ADA'SROOM is Yoshiki Nakajima, who voices Sarah.
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
The guest for the second episode is Yoshiki Nakajima, who voices Makoto. Just like Ueda, the question started with the usual unreasonable request to explain his impression of Ingress in two kanji characters. While Nakajima struggled and desperately answered, he went into sleep mode, and this time he threatened to explode the PC if he couldn't answer the question about the appeal of the game within 15 seconds. However, Nakajima, in his own way, was able to convey the appeal of Pokemon. Freedom!!
The third guest on ADA'SROOM is Megumi Ogata, who plays Sarah.
Source: Ingress © "Ingress" Production Committee
The third guest is Megumi Ogata, who plays ADA. Naturally, it's Megumi Ogata who is the one to converse with ADA. What's going on? How are they even having a conversation? The guest herself, Ogata, is the most confused by this. Her witty remarks are brilliant. The best part about Ingress? Losing weight! Vtuber? That's a big jump in the conversation. Voice acting jobs have become so diverse recently! Ogata-san said, "That's pretty much all the work I've done today!" It was pretty crazy, but still very entertaining.
【Ingress】ADA Summary
We introduced ADA, an important character who gained emotions through XM and plays an active role both in and out of the game. ADA'SROOM offers much more freedom than Ingress, where you can freely roam the real world, so I highly recommend checking it out! Also, the main Ingress game is also fun, so I highly recommend you check it out!
