This battle action series, written by Ashihara Daisuke, began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2013. It has been serialized in Jump Square since 2019. The first season of the anime (73 episodes) aired from October 2014 to April 2016, with a second season scheduled for 2020. Border is an organization that protects the Earth from Neighbors (Neighbors). The protagonist, Mikumo Osamu, a member of the organization, meets Kuga Yuma, a Neighbor who has come from outside the gate. Mikumo fights the Neighbors who have invaded the school, but when he finds himself struggling and unable to fight, Kuga uses a "Trigger" to come to his aid. Mikumo of Border and Kuga of the Neighbor, two people who should normally be enemies, end up joining forces to fight. In this article, we'd like to introduce Replica, the man who supports Yuma by his side.
Replica, the mysterious creature who follows Yuma
The first time Replica converses with anyone other than Yuma is when the Mallmod attacks the school. Osamu is surprised by the unknown creature with rabbit-like ears. While it's rare for Replica to converse with anyone other than Yuma, since Yuma is indebted to Osamu, he carefully explains the relationship between Trion and Triggers to Osamu. As a guardian, he is knowledgeable and speaks politely and clearly. Incidentally, when introducing himself, he always says, "I'm Yuma's guardian."
Replicas can split into smaller versions and be used as a means of communication
Replicas can create smaller versions of themselves from their bodies. The original and the clones can communicate, and the replicas can even function as walkie-talkies. There are numerous scenes where Osamu and Chika have clones and communicate with each other. However, the clones are merely clones and do not have the same power as the original.
Replica explains Yuma's actions and thoughts
Replica, who understands Yuma almost completely, carefully explains to Osamu and Chika what Yuma is thinking and why he behaves the way he does. Replica's objective commentary is easy to understand, even for readers, and is very appreciated. When Miwa Squad attacked Yuma, he provided commentary throughout the entire fight. He likely didn't help because he judged them to be no match for Yuma. Jin dealt with Miwa Squad's sniper, but Replica said that if Jin hadn't been there, he would have dealt with them. Although Replica usually just watches, it seems he could handle even A-rank fighters if he wanted to.
Replica Tells Osamu About Yuma's Past
Yuma and his friends spoke with Branch Chief Rindo at Tamakoma. That night, Replica tells Osamu about Yuma's past. Yuma nearly died in the war when he was 11 years old, and his father created the Black Trigger to save him. Yuma's current body is generated by Trion, while his true body is sealed within the ring. Because Trion bodies lack growth functions, Yuma's physical growth has stopped since he was 11. However, his sealed body is slowly but surely heading toward death, and Replica's goal is to prevent this. However, Yuma's goal was to revive his father from his black trigger. The reason why Replica told Osamu this story was because Yuma had lost his purpose in life. Yuma heard at Tamakoma that Mogami Souichi, the person he was searching for, had died. Yuma realized that since they had Border's technology but had not revived Mogami, it was impossible to revive someone who had become a black trigger. Wanting Yuma to have a "purpose," Replica told Osamu about Yuma's past. Replica usually supports Yuma, and when he does something, he lets Yuma do what he wants, saying, "That's up to Yuma to decide," but this is probably the first time that Replica has acted independently. Replica has known Yuma for a long time, so he is truly worried about him.
Replica Created by Yugo Kuga
Replica was a multi-purpose Trion soldier created by Yuma's father, Yugo. Replica contains records of the various Neighbors that Yugo and Yuma traveled with, and also contains much of the information Border desires. Replica first revealed itself as a Trion soldier during a meeting at Border HQ, so even Osamu had no idea it was a Trion soldier until then. I guess he'd always considered it a mysterious creature (lol). Replica demands Yuma's safety as a condition for providing information to Border. Replica puts Yuma first above all else, and he's an indispensable presence to Yuma.
Replica Reads the Enemy's Intentions
Replica, accompanying Osamu and Kitora, senses something strange about the enemy's actions. They're using a huge amount of Trion for the invasion, even at the expense of weakening their homeland's defenses. And they're deliberately dispersing their forces. Kitora explains that they're deploying new types of triggers where we're dealing with the dispersed enemy, securing trigger users who can be immediately deployed, but Replica isn't convinced. It's hard to imagine that an enemy that went so far as to conduct prior research with Ladd would overlook Border's Pale Out. Replica suspects that there's a hidden "true purpose" behind the capture of C-rank members, the dispersal of forces, and the bombing of the headquarters. Only Replica, with his vast knowledge and extensive experience, could come to this conclusion.
Reversal of Forces
Replica says the bombing of Border Headquarters wasn't serious. If they had been serious, they could have taken them down, but that doesn't seem like a good idea. If pushed to the limit, there is a possibility that someone will risk their life to resist, leading to the creation of a Black Trigger. Apparently, there have been many cases in past wars where countries on the verge of victory were defeated by Black Triggers. It's like the proverb "A cornered rat will bite a cat."
Replica Comes to Osamu's Rescue
Replica comes to rescue Osamu and Chika at Yuma's command. He analyzes the Rabbit he defeated and creates his own Rabbit. Professor Replica was able to do that! Unfortunately, Replica's internal trion is not enough to create a second Rabbit, so it cannot respond to reinforcements, but it still buys enough time for Osamu to escape. While Rabbit stalls for time, Replica rushes to Border Headquarters with Osamu.
Replica Analyzing the Base
If the entrance to Border Headquarters is closed, Replica can open it. Replica claims that the base is easily opened because it is mostly made of trion. However, if Earth technology is incorporated, analysis will take time, so Replica sends a sub-unit ahead to analyze it. Even in this situation, Replica remains calm and handles the situation with ease. If I had subordinates and juniors like this, my company would be safe and sound (lol).
Replica Cut in Half
Osamu was cornered by Mira's precise warp technique, but the Rabbit created by the replica caught up and reversed the situation. The Rabbit could not be killed with the small window, and the large window consumed a lot of trion, leaving Mira with no other option. Just when she thought she could get out of this situation, Mira targeted the replica, who she believed was controlling it, instead of the Rabbit. Osamu panicked at the loss of the replica, but fortunately the Rabbit was operating independently, and the replica had switched to a backup system, so she was able to move forward. However, most functions had stopped working, and all they could do was manage to open the base's entrance.
Replica Makes a Life-Risking Proposal
It took about 20 seconds from arriving at the base entrance until the analysis was complete. During that time, Replica made a proposal to Osamu to prevent Hyrein's cube-forming attack. Since Hyrein's attacks only react to Trion, disabling the trigger would neutralize them. However, disabling the trigger would mean running to the base unaided, leaving him vulnerable to all other attacks. It was a highly risky plan, but with no other choice, Osamu made up his mind and disabling the trigger.
What is Replica, Kuga Yuma's watchdog? Summary
What did you think?
Replica, a mysterious creature, is a Trion soldier created by Yugo. As Yuma's watchdog, always thinking about him, Replica is like a grandfather to him. Replica provided new knowledge to Osamu and Chika, and Neighbor information to Border Headquarters, making significant contributions to others besides Yuma.
