Undead Unluck, which has been serialized in Weekly Shonen Jump since the summer of 2020, is a popular work with a total circulation of over 1.5 million copies. It is abbreviated as "Undera" and is garnering attention for its upcoming anime adaptation scheduled to air this fall. The word "deniers" is a keyword in this work, and the protagonist Izumo Fuko and Andy are both deniers. Furthermore, various phenomena in the work have various "rules," and deniers are no exception. In this article, we'd like to explain what deniers are and their "rules"!
Introduction: Story Summary
Fuko Izumo, a young girl who has been withdrawn since an incident she experienced at the age of eight, contemplates suicide after her long-running shojo manga ends. Fuko possesses the power of "Unluck," which brings misfortune to anyone she touches. She then encounters a man known as "Undead" (nicknamed Andy), who despises a life where death is impossible even if she wishes, and instead seeks the ultimate death. The two begin traveling together, and in order to fulfill Andy's wish, she joins an organization called the Union. Fuko and Andy's adventure begins as they face various enemies and mysteries.
About the Negators
Chosen by the World's Hair, they are beings who are exempt from the rules. Each of them unleashes their powers by negating one rule. Our protagonists, Fuko Izumo and Andy, are among the Negators. When Negators battle each other, the key to victory is figuring out the opponent's negation rules and applying a pattern to their abilities. Even if their abilities don't match up, knowing the Negator's rules can help exploit their weaknesses. Speaking of the original manga, when a negator's abilities are revealed, a giant font appears displaying the negator's name and ability. Perhaps something similar will happen in the anime.
Ability Classification: Self-targeted and Other-targeted
Negation abilities can be broadly categorized as self-targeted or other-targeted. The difference is whether they are directed at oneself or at others. Self-targeted abilities are essentially always active against the negator, which, depending on the ability, can be a significant disadvantage. However, not all abilities necessarily affect the negator themselves. Abilities like untouchability and immortality do not directly affect the negator themselves. Unlike self-targeted abilities, abilities that target other people are not always active; they activate when the negator is interfering with the other person in some way. While abilities like Incurable and Invisible can be activated on oneself, they are rarely used because there is no benefit to doing so.
Ability Classification #2: Forced Activation and Voluntary Activation
Abilities can be further categorized into two types: forced activation and voluntary activation. Forced activation is an ability that activates regardless of the negator's will once certain conditions are met. It is said that the majority of negators fall into this category. Voluntary activation is an ability that activates at the negator's will once certain conditions are met. Naturally, it is easier to control than forced activation, but it takes time to control it willfully. It seems that many deniers' abilities can go out of control and cause accidents if they are not careful. Because the denier's will is crucial, if the denier is mentally immature, the ability may not activate even if the conditions are met. In other words, the opposite of forced activation can occur.
Types with Major Disadvantages
Self-targeted forced activation types are said to have significant disadvantages. Denying oneself is a significant disadvantage for the ability user, and if the ability is forced to activate, there is almost no benefit. In the story, unknown, insomnia, and poor health are well-known self-targeted forced activation types. While it would be nice if these abilities could be used on others, that is not possible, and there is no benefit to using them on oneself.
Rules for Negators: Basics
First, and perhaps obviously, there's a basic rule: "Negators gain the power of negation." Becoming a negator transforms a person into a monster known as an UMA. While many negators despair, if they can control their powers, they can be used to their advantage. Furthermore, negators are chosen by God, and it's said to be extremely difficult to find a pattern to this. Furthermore, negation powers cannot be taken away or given; they are transferred only upon the negator's death. As long as a negator is alive, no other person can have the same power. This means that no two people with the same negation power can exist. Related to this, there's also a rule that a character cannot possess multiple negation abilities. Each character can only have one negation ability, and a character who is already a negator cannot be granted another negation ability. Incidentally, there's no penalty for attempting to acquire more than one ability.
The Rules for Negators: Advanced Edition
In the world of the story, the actions of characters can sometimes change the world. However, there's a rule that negators are the only exceptions to this. Conversely, everyone else is affected, so from a negator's perspective, it feels like everything around them has suddenly gone awry. Strictly speaking, only the negators' "memories" and "civilization" are unaffected. Everything else is affected in the same way as other non-negators.
The Choice to "Kill God"
One of the options for a denier's life is to "kill God." The organization that Kaze and Andy joined, Union, was created with the sole purpose of killing gods, and they continue to take on the challenge. The concept of killing gods is rather nasty: "We want to see the struggles and ups and downs of the tasks and rewards." Taking on the challenge means being toyed with by God.
Summary of Explanations about Negators and Rules
Becoming a denier and being bound by the rules associated with deniers is extremely inconvenient and unreasonable. However, watching them not give in to despair but instead use their abilities to fight back is captivating and makes you want to root for them. I can't wait to see the deniers in action in the anime! That's all for today. Thank you for reading.
