Plunderer, a battle fantasy anime set to air from 2020, is the next work from the creator of Sora no Otoshimono, and is notable for its beautiful illustrations. However, while it is a battle fantasy with a unique setting and worldview, as the story progresses, unexpected facts are revealed and mercilessly unexpected developments occur, leaving you with no time to catch your breath, making it an interesting story. In this article, we would like to introduce the synopsis of this fast-paced story. There will be spoilers.
Synopsis Part 1: Hina and the Legendary Ace Pilot, "Licht Bach"
The world of Alcia is a place where people are ruled by numbers. Each person has a star-shaped emblem and a number inscribed on their body, known as a "Count," and they are obligated to live their lives counting something. For example, "distance walked," "number of times someone has told them they're delicious," or "number of times they've been dumped." These counts go up and down depending on your actions, and the moment the count hits zero, you're pulled into the underworld. This phenomenon is called "Sent to the Abyss," and in this world, people are constantly conscious of their Count, and the higher or lower the Count, the greater their status.
Synopsis Part 2: Traveling Heroine Hina
Five years ago, Hina's mother was "Sent to the Abyss." Following her mother's will, she continues her journey in search of the legendary hero, "Ace of Pilots." In a certain town, Hina meets Nana, the owner of a traveling bar, and Licht Bach, a masked, sexually harassing demon with a negative count. Then, a man from the Alcia Army appears from out of nowhere and claims to be the Ace of Pilots.
Naturally, a fake
The man from the Alcia army was a fake. He challenged her to a star-stealing battle, where the winner could steal the opponent's count (stars), and the stars were quickly stolen. Just as Hina was in a desperate situation, a masked, sexually harassing man named "Licht Bach" appeared before her. With superhuman strength, Richt recaptured Hina's count. In fact, Richt was the man known as the legendary ace pilot. However, Richt vanished before Hina, saying, "I'm not the ace pilot you're looking for."
Synopsis Part 3: Richtto and Jail Murdog
After disappearing from Hina's sight, Richtto fled to a remote rural area of Alcia. Disguised as Pudding, he sexually harassed a female officer in the Alcia Royal Army named Rean-May. Then, Lieutenant Jail Murdog of the Alcia Royal Army appeared and came to capture Richtto.
Synopsis Part 4: A Temporary Truce
The battle between Richt, the protagonist of the previous work, and Jail, the supporting protagonist of the previous work, is temporarily called to a truce through Rean's mediation. However, a certain town is subsequently devastated by an attack by demons from the Abyss. Richt and Jail reunite in the same town, and Jail asks Richt about the demons of the Abyss. Jail is certain that Richt is not a demon from the Abyss, but at the same time, he senses that he knows something. Then, the demons of the Abyss attack the town.
Synopsis Part 5: The True Identity of the Abyssal Demon
The Abyssal Demon was a mysterious entity unknown to the Arusians. It flew through the sky, blasted bombs, and launched shards of iron to slaughter people. However, it was none other than a modern weapon, an "armed helicopter," that we modern people would recognize at a glance. Licht and Jail teamed up to defeat the Abyssal Demon, but the Abyssal Demon appeared as a young child. And there appeared Sonohara Mizuka, one of the world's leading ace pilots, known as the "Pursuit Ace."
Synopsis Part 6: Mizuka Sonohara and Licht
The Alcia Kingdom Special Forces, accompanied by Mizuka Sonohara, begin massacring everyone who has seen the Abyss Demon. Filled with madness, Sonohara attacks Licht and indiscriminately kills people. Seeing this, Licht's count skyrockets. However, at the same time, he unleashes an unprecedented level of aggression, overwhelming Sonohara and slashing through the Special Forces members one after another, overwhelming Sonohara himself. However, this was a side effect unique to being an ace pilot. Instead of gaining incredible combat power, a destructive personality emerged, causing indiscriminate violence.
Synopsis #7: The Objective of "The Ace of Flash Strikes"
After revealing his goal of taking everything from the country, Licht renders Sonohara unable to fight and attempts to finish him off, but the injured Sonohara reverts to his true self. Although he was an ace pilot, Sonohara originally had a kind heart, incapable of killing a single person. The drugs brought out his aggressive personality. Meanwhile, Jail stands in the way of the out-of-control Licht.
Synopsis Part 8: Her Secret
Jail risks her own life to stop the out-of-control Licht, and the two clash. As a result, Jail somehow manages to bring Licht back to his senses. This marks the end of the matter, but Jail witnesses the darkness lurking in the peaceful world of Alcia. By military order, Jail is forced to take Licht into custody, but Nana puts a stop to this. Nana possesses a special ability, and using it, Jail, Hina, Rean, and Pelle are transported to a strange land.
Synopsis Part 9: 300 Years into the Past
Nana's ability transports them to a world 300 years into the past. However, this is a world where the conveniences of civilization that do not exist in Alcia—armed helicopters, known as the Devil of the Abyss—are commonplace, and fantasy elements are nonexistent. The four then set out to change Licht's past and discover what he encountered.
[Plunderer] Summary of the Beginning
This concludes the synopsis of the beginning. It roughly corresponds to volumes 1-4 of the manga. While you might expect a battle set in a world similar to that of the Espoir, where the two sides compete to steal each other's planets and the loser is dragged into the underground, the story takes a rather unexpected turn. While the plot is innovative and throws away established settings, the way it all connects together is incredibly interesting and highly recommended. The anime will begin airing in 2020, so be sure to check it out!
