The anime "Gleipnir," which will begin airing in April, combines supernatural battles, horror, and romantic comedy. The story is gripping, filled with tension and a sense of despair, along with a wealth of plot twists. The characters in the series possess a variety of transformation abilities, including the ability to transform into mascot costumes. Today, we'd like to introduce some of these characters!
First, what kind of beings are these characters?
Aliens who crash-landed on Earth arrived in this world as "coins," scattering them across a certain area. In order to gather their fellow aliens who have turned into coins, the aliens have humans collect them, and in return, they grant them various powers. However, this leads to bloody conflicts between the coin collectors. The aliens' coins grant the supernatural powers to those who possess them. These powers are diverse.
It's All This Guy's Fault
The aliens generally treat humans kindly, but even if the powers they bestowed on them cause conflict, they completely ignore the conflict, believing it to be a human-to-human problem. He doesn't care what happens as long as the coins are collected, and he doesn't try to stop the fighting, so he blames almost all of the problems the protagonist and his friends get into on him. He says that gaining the coin's powers has no effect on the human body and that it doesn't affect daily life, but it wouldn't be surprising if he overused his powers and turned into a witch. He's a fundamentally incompatible being, on par with QB, and has a vicious nature.
Gleipnir User #1: Kagaya Shuichi
The protagonist of this work, Kagaya Shuichi, has somehow acquired the ability to transform into a kigurumi. While transformed, Shuichi gains monstrous abilities and senses. However, compared to other combat-oriented ability users, his combat abilities are not as impressive on their own, and his true powers are only fully realized when worn by someone else. Apparently, it gets quite stuffy and hot inside.
An Ability He Acquired Without Realizing It
Shuichi himself has no idea how he gained this ability, which has caused him to worry about his own life. However, there is a great mystery hidden within, and the story begins when the heroine, Claire, discovers his secret. It also pairs exceptionally well with Claire, whose combat-oriented personality makes it truly effective. While the ability complements each other's shortcomings, it also reveals many hidden mysteries.
Gleipnir User #2: Hikawa
This is the first enemy to stand in Shuichi's way. His ability allows him to transform into a physically powerful, animal-like monster. He sets his sights on the coin Claire is holding and attacks. While initially overwhelming Shuichi, he is powerless against Claire in the costume, breaking her legs and puncturing her back, killing her. Later, to destroy the evidence, she was betrayed with kerosene and incinerated. While she deserved it, as she was the first to attack and attempt to kill the main characters, she met one of the most tragic ends in the story.
The price of her power was high
She was originally a student admitted on a sports recommendation, but she struggled to achieve the results she had hoped for. Then, a coin she picked up by chance changed her fate. She received powers from an alien and was able to achieve results, but her transformation into a monster's body further troubled her. She was a pushover, but she was a pitiful character from start to finish.
Gleipnir User #3: Reina Aokie
Claire's older sister and a key figure in the story's mystery. Her abilities are incomparable to those of Hikawa and Shuichi, whom she fought earlier. Even bullets are ineffective against her, overwhelming Claire in her costume. Perhaps due to her powers or her changing environment, she sometimes exhibits slight mental instability. She remains a mysterious character, and the motives behind her actions are also a mystery.
The Person Who Turned Shuichi into a Monster
Elena is the person who transformed Shuichi into a monster with the help of aliens. She appears to have met Shuichi, but Shuichi had no idea about this. However, Elena harbors no animosity toward Shuichi. In fact, she often acts with Shuichi's best interests in mind, and she is a person who is deeply involved in Shuichi's past.
Gleipnir User #4: Mibe Tadanori
A user specializing in combat abilities. He possesses a demonic appearance and overwhelming combat abilities, making him one of the most powerful users. He has studied all kinds of martial arts, and is a battle addict seeking strength, with his only goal in fighting being to prove his own strength. In some ways, he is the most easily understood character.
A Refreshing Man
He's a dangerous guy who continues to fight for the ridiculous reason of proving his own strength, but his temperament is that of a refreshing warrior. He overwhelms Claire and Shuichi, but when he's cornered by Claire's clever tactics, he gracefully admits defeat, undoes his transformation, and attempts to be killed. From then on, he seeks even greater strength, and exchanges contact information with Claire and Shuichi as a trump card. He himself is a calm and understanding person. He has a good education, and aside from being a battle addict, he's surprisingly decent.
Gleipnir User #5: Sayaka Koyanagi
She is the leader of the team that Shuichi and Claire contacted. Her ability differs from other combat-oriented users in that it can be summed up as "the ability to cause death if someone betrays you." While her ability is extremely limited and she has no combat skills, it is perfectly suited to her current situation, where she faces immediate death if she doesn't band together, but being betrayed would mean the end.
A Serious Lesbian Leader
Sayaka Koyanagi gained such unique powers because she wished for them strongly. While granting a vague wish seems to simply grant a powerful ability, the abilities obtained seem to vary depending on the individual's personality and wishes. The reason she gained these powers was because she had a relationship with her teacher, but the teacher decided it was wrong and distanced himself from her. After agonizing over it, she consulted a friend and revealed everything. It all began when the teacher she loved was driven to suicide. Incidentally, the teacher was a woman. Sayaka is a serious lesbian.
Gleipnir User #6: Chihiro Yoshioka
A kind-hearted girl who belongs to Sayaka's group. Her ability allows her to communicate with animals, and while transformed, she transforms into cunning cat ears. She has no combat skills, and that ability is only due to her dream of becoming a veterinarian. She's a fragile girl who seems too kind to survive, but as expected, she dies easily in the mountains with Shuichi... or so it seems. However, she is revived by Shuichi's ability and learns about some of the mysteries hidden within Shuichi.
Gleipnir User #7: "Ikeuchi"
A timid boy who belongs to Sayaka's group. Claire and the others encounter Sudo in the mountains, and they are threatened by him. After Sudo's death, Claire accesses information from his phone and contacts him. His abilities and transformed appearance suggest he's a movie thief, and he's probably good at secretly taking photos. He has a crush on Yoshioka Chihiro and is harsh towards the newcomers, Shuichi and his friends. He's a typical weakling who's all talk and no action when it comes down to it. However, in some ways, he may be the most sensible of them all.
Gleipnir User #8: Yuu Kasuga
A kind-hearted boy who belongs to Sayaka's group. He can transform into a large monster, but he has no combat ability, and his personality is completely unsuited to combat. However, he possesses a unique talent that allows him to reshape forests and terrain, and make plants grow in an instant, more than making up for his lack of combat ability. When he is surrounded by a group of superior enemies, he uses his powers to find a breakthrough...
Gleipnir User #9: Kaito
The man who collected 100 coins and is at the root of the mystery of this work. Kaito possesses the despicable ability to virtually revive the dead. However, he does not fully revive them; rather, their bodies are made of insect-like substances that, while possessing a will of their own, cannot resist the will of the user. Since Kaito himself is nearly immortal, it is unclear how he can be defeated with his overwhelming strength and despicable abilities. He uses his power to defeat coin collectors attempting to collect the coins, despicably increasing his fighting power.
[Gleipnir] Summary of Transforming Ability Users
This time, we've picked out a variety of ability users. While Gleipnir is one of many supernatural battle stories, I think it's one with a fairly realistic setting. It's a very realistic story, like, "What would happen if a QB-like entity mindlessly distributed the power of superhuman powers to an unspecified number of people?" It's a unique work among supernatural battle stories. The anime will be airing from April, so be sure to check it out!
