Plunderer is a battle fantasy currently being serialized in Monthly Shonen Ace. Written by the author of Sora no Otoshimono, this work is characteristic of the series in many places, and while it is playful in its moments, it also has the ruthlessness of Attack on Titan. The story's many twists and turns keep you from getting bored, but it's also a work that stretches the boundaries so much that it can be difficult to gather information. So today, I'd like to provide a thorough explanation of one of the keywords of this work: the "War of Disposal"!
The story begins with the search for the hero of the "Discarded War," the ace pilot.
The world of this work is called Alcia, where people are born with a certain number that determines their social status. The story begins with the heroine, Hina, setting out on a journey in search of the legendary ace pilot who ended the war 300 years ago. However, Hina is naive and continues her journey unaware that the ace pilot was a hero from 300 years ago.
The "Discarded War": An absurd war said to have occurred 300 years ago?
The "Discarded War" may be an unkind name, but it is said to have resulted in untold casualties, nearly bringing humanity to its knees. However, in Arsia, the "Discarded War" is merely known as a war brought together by heroes known as ace pilots, and almost no one knows its origins or background.
The world was engulfed in nuclear flames! The Original Trigger for the "Plunderer War"
300 years ago, just before the Plunderer War, Arsia did not exist, and there were no fantasy elements. At that time, the world was experiencing population growth and resource depletion, making it impossible for the Earth's resources and food to sustain the current human population. As a result, the only option to alleviate the food shortage was to seize resources from other countries through war. After a nuclear war broke out during a war with a certain country, the situation spiraled out of control, plunging the world into nuclear flames and further famine.
Humanity was on the brink of extinction...
Humanity was heading toward extinction. However, at that moment, a "machine that takes majority votes" with overwhelming power fell from space. Using this machine, commonly known as the "Parliament," humanity decided to conclude a ceasefire and abandon nuclear weapons. However, the current problems of food and resource depletion, and environmental pollution could not be resolved.
The "War of Disposal" breaks out! Where does its name come from?
During the ceasefire agreement, people around the world prepared for the coming war. Ultimately, problems such as environmental pollution, resource depletion, and food shortages could not be resolved, resulting in mass starvation deaths around the world. Meanwhile, simultaneous invasions of other countries began around the world. These wars began in defiance of the ceasefire agreement reached by the "Parliament." However, the War of Destruction actually began when world leaders gathered and approved the abandonment of nuclear weapons and the abandonment of the ceasefire agreement decided by the "Parliament."
The Meaning of the Haikisensou
The reason why the leaders of various countries deceived their citizens and abrogated the nuclear disarmament and ceasefire agreements in their parliaments was to mass-cull the saturated human population and control it to a level that the Earth's current capacity could support. The origin of the term "Haikisensou" ("War of Disarmament") meant eliminating humanity until the Earth's current capacity could support it. In reality, the Haikisensou would result in an enormous number of deaths worldwide.
A War Without Justice or Evil
From a third-person perspective, this war was a desperate measure launched "to somehow ensure the survival of humanity." The leaders of the nations that launched the Haiki War and the armies of other countries attacked the area where the protagonists lived. It was a war without justice or evil, including the protagonists, who had to intercept and annihilate the foreign armies. And so, the protagonists went to battle and killed many soldiers.
What is the truth behind the hero of "Haiki War," the ace pilot?
The Ace Pilot, considered a hero of the Discarded War, is a superhuman born from an experiment conducted by the protagonists' superiors to create a wizard capable of drawing out the power of the "Parliament." Originally, the protagonists' superior, Schmelman, was able to draw out the powers of the Parliament without surgery. Those who were able to draw out the power of the Parliament by transplanting Schmelman's genes would later be known as "Aces."
Five Aces
Through experiments on ace pilots, the protagonist Licht Bach, along with Tokikaze Sakai, Taketora Michian, Mizuka Sonohara, and Captain Alan, were found to be suitable for the task and deployed in the Disposal War. However, Licht, who is said to have killed the most soldiers on the battlefield, was unable to suppress his destructive impulses when his powers were activated, causing him to become so mentally unstable that he would even attack his own allies. He was usually isolated and only administered drugs and thrown into battle.
The Victor is Right
This war was one without either evil or justice, but the exploits of the ace pilot ultimately brought it to a close. However, this image of heroism was created by Licht's superiors, who created Alcia. In reality, they were heroes of a tragic war that killed countless soldiers and left them traumatized.
The "Disposal War" came to an end as the wishes of those who collected the seven balls were granted.
The ultimate victors of the Disposal War were Licht's superiors. They collected "Original Ballots," out-of-place artifacts that served as voting rights for the assembly's majority votes. Collecting them all maximizes the assembly's power—in other words, they were like Dragon Balls.
Founding of Arsia
By unanimous consent of the assembly, Licht and his superiors created a utopia in the sky and housed fertilized eggs selected from around the world. Due to the presence and location of the assembly, this utopia was inaccessible to attack. Arsia was created to complement humanity by abandoning the people on the surface and exploiting them with its power. The birth of Arsia marked the end of the Plunderer War.
[Plunderer] Summary of the Plunderer War
This time, we've summarized the Plunderer War. It's a keyword that appears early in the story, but its content is quite merciless. Just when you think it's a standard fantasy, it turns out that's not the case, and the story takes some interesting twists and turns!
