Plunderer, a battle fantasy anime set to begin airing in winter 2020, features many complex plots. To help you better understand the plot, we've compiled a glossary of story keywords. Understanding the plot will make it even more enjoyable, so we'd like to provide a thorough introduction!
Plunderer Glossary Part 1: "Alcia"
This is the name of the kingdom in which Plunderer is set. The world is inspired by medieval fantasy, and the kingdom's military maintains order. Additionally, every citizen born in Alcia has a number called a "Count" inscribed somewhere on their body, and every citizen lives by keeping this number in mind. It's actually a utopia created by the Congress, and it extracts a large amount of resources from the Abyss, the underground world.
Plunderer Glossary Part 2: "Count"
Every citizen of Alcia has a number. A star-shaped crest and a number are inscribed somewhere on their body, and each person is obligated to live their life counting something different. For example, their Count may be "distance walked," "number of times customers have commented that their food is delicious," or "number of times they've been dumped," and these numbers may fluctuate depending on their actions. If this count reaches 0, with some exceptions, you will be dragged into the underground world. This phenomenon is called "Abyss Sent."
Plunderer Glossary Part 3: "Abyss Sent"
If the count reaches 0, countless hands will emerge from the earth and drag you into the underground world known as "Abyss." When the star count reaches 0, the system is activated and the debtor is sent to the Underground. This is reminiscent of the situation in Espoir, where debtors who reach 0 stars are sent to the Teiai Underground. However, the underground world in this world is a nuclear war-ravaged Earth, and is far harsher than the Teiai Underground, with a 90% chance of death. The purpose of this system is to establish a ruling system and control the population.
Plunderer Glossary Part 4: "Ace of Pilots"
He is considered a hero who brought an end to the "Disposal War" that broke out 300 years ago and resulted in a great many deaths. However, they have actually survived for 300 years without aging beyond a certain age, and possess incredible powers beyond the reach of ordinary humans. The protagonist, Licht, and his teammates are known as ace pilots, and their true identities are that they were candidates for genetic transplants of Schmelman-Bach, a man with a special talent for drawing energy from the "Parliament." There are six other members besides Licht, and all seven of them are still alive somewhere in this world.
Plunderer Glossary Part 5: "Ballot"
A special weapon only available to certain officers in the Alcia Kingdom Army. Each individual can activate various abilities, the strength of which is determined by the number of counts they hold. Aces can activate their abilities without using a Ballot, but using one can unleash even greater power. Its principle is to extract energy from the "Parliament."
Plunderer Glossary Part 6: "Parliament (Althing)"
The hands that drag you from the earth into the Abyss when you are sent to the Abyss are called the "Parliament (Althing)." However, in reality, it is a mysterious out-of-place artifact that arrived from space 300 years ago, when humanity was on the brink of extinction in a nuclear war that spread across the world as a result of overpopulation and the Earth's resources becoming insufficient to support humanity. It is a "machine for taking majority votes," the principles of which are unknown, but it is capable of wielding enormous power. A special device called the Original Ballot serves as voting rights, and by obtaining a majority, coercive force can be activated. It is this device that is the source of energy for the Ballot, which created Alcia, created systems like Teiai, and created fantasy worlds and dystopias in an age of nuclear proliferation at the end of the century.
Plunderer Glossary Part 7: "Original Ballot"
The "Ballot" is the key to activating the power of the Assembly, acting as a voting right. Gathering a majority of votes activates coercive power. The "Ballot" device, which draws energy from the Assembly, is a replica of the Original Ballot. There are seven Original Ballots, and collecting all seven grants the power of "unanimous agreement," unlocking tremendous power. Shaped like a bead, collecting seven grants a wish... (I see.)
Plunderer Glossary Part 8: "The Discarded War"
This great war occurred 300 years before the founding of Arsia, and is said to have been brought to an end by ace pilots. It began with a nuclear war caused by overpopulation, food shortages, and environmental pollution. The leaders of each nation were forced to abandon nuclear weapons and sign a temporary ceasefire through the arrival of the out-of-place artifact "Parliament." While the world temporarily regained peace, problems such as food shortages due to overpopulation and rising starvation deaths due to resource depletion remained unresolved. As a result, the leaders of all nations deceived their citizens, abandoned nuclear weapons and abandoned ceasefire agreements, and simultaneously launched the War of Disposal.
The War to Disposal of Humanity
This war was one without justice or evil, a war to reduce the human population to a point where Earth's current resource and food problems could be solved. It was a war to dispose of humanity, and the ace pilots were merely human weapons created in the process. As a result, the protagonist and his superiors unanimously decided to found the aerial nation of Arsia, stealing Earth's resources and civilization and thereby depriving it of the power to wage war. Ultimately, this resulted in the creation of utopia and dystopia, Teiai and Teiai Underground, but it's also said that without this, humanity would have continued the war until its extinction.
[Plunderer] Glossary Summary
I've compiled a list of Plunderer's terminology. Each one has major foreshadowing, and I think it's a very interesting setting to break down one by one. For now, if you know just this much, you'll be able to enjoy the story without getting lost, so please use it as a reference. Also, the anime will be airing in 2020, so be sure to check it out! It's definitely a fascinating work!
