document_title: List of .hack characters

question_text: who was yata in the original .hack

question_tokens: who was yata in the original . hack

text: List of .hack characters

text: Main characters[edit]

text: The World[edit]

text: A list of the main characters from the first version of the massively multiplayer online role-playing game The World:

text:
Aura (アウラ) is an advanced AI that takes the form of a young girl whose white hair, skin, and garments give her a ghostly appearance. She is created by Harald Hoerwick to be a symbol of his love for his deceased lover as the daughter that could have been.[1] She is the perfect AI, and is the spirit of The World. Since her awakening by Tsukasa, she has been fleeing the clutches of Skeith, as witnessed by Orca and Kite, and several other players as well. She is meant to be the perfect AI that will take in collected player information by Data Draining the current AI control program, Morganna, though Morganna intentionally keeps Aura in her sleep-like state to keep her purpose.[1][2] After Morganna's plot to keep her asleep by using Tsukasa in .hack//Sign fails, Aura awakens and becomes hunted by Morganna's Phases to prevent her from developing Data Drain. Aura manages to cultivate this power into an installation book, which ends up in the hands of Kite. Aura becomes Data Drained afterward, which causes her to be scattered throughout The World. She manages to communicate with Kite and other players through corrupted e-mails, which leads to the defeat of most of the Phases. During the final battle, Aura is scattered again and merges with Morganna to complete the Ultimate AI. She becomes an omnipresent yet mostly silent force within The World for some time. She eventually sets out to perfect herself by interacting with the World by giving two players, Shugo and Rena, chibi versions of the avatars of Kite and Blackrose in a contest, and giving birth to another AI, Zefie. This helps Shugo reach his goal of becoming a hero. Aura's eventual disappearance causes The World to decline. Consequently, the CC Corp develops Project GU to recreate her.[3] Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese); Lia Sargent (English)
Albireo (アルビレオ, Arubireo) is the main character of the first volume of the novel .hack//AI buster and a central character in the second volume. Albireo is a powerful Long Arm character class, who mostly keeps to himself as a solo-player. In real life, Albireo is Kazushi Watarai, a system administrator and debugger for CC Corporation. His job is to work out any glitches in the game, as well as delete any system anomalies. He is set to hunt down a Vagrant AI, Lycoris, as part of his job, though he later meets her and befriends her, not knowing her true nature. He helps her regain various pieces of data, along with Hokuto, a newbie player, and when completed, Lycoris realizes that she cannot exist and forces Albireo to delete her. Albireo reappears in .hack//AI buster 2, chasing after Tsukasa, though he soon runs into Macha and is rendered comatose for several months.[4] He is forced to resign from CC Corporation as he is labeled as the one who caused the Twilight Incident. He then meets up with the person behind Hokuto, Haruka Mizuhara, and they begin a relationship and live together.[4]
Balmung (バルムンク, Barumunku), also referred to as Lord Balmung and "Balmung of the Azure Sky", is a legendary player in The World. He gains his title by defeating an event called the One Sin, which was thought to be unbeatable, with his partner, Orca, causing them to be known as "The Descendants of Fianna." He is a Blademaster, who is given white wings after the event as a reward. He can use them to float and jump higher than other players. Balmung is originally very formal and assertive of his views, following a strict moral code of doing good in The World, leading some to consider him arrogant or rude at times. He truly loves The World and takes playing it very seriously, to the point of investigating disturbances within it personally and refusing to speak with .hackers or associating with them. In .hack//Legend of the Twilight, he's much more carefree and less serious with new players, though still completely business-like with his associates. Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English) Doug Erholtz (English - .hack//Infection)
Bear (ベア, Bea) is a large, burly Blademaster. He wears relatively little clothes, and most of his body and face is covered in blue wave tattoos resembling Celtic woad. Having played computer games for over thirty years, he uses The World to relax and likes to help out new players. He enjoys interacting with Mimiru and BT, having met the BT in person. His real name is Ryo Sakuma (佐久間 亮, Sakuma Ryō), and he is a famous novelist. He enjoys various hobbies, such as reading books by famous authors and going to the theater. He uses The World to interact with his son, with whom he has an estranged relationship. He later becomes the guardian of An Shouji, the player behind Tsukasa, and supports her financially as she attends boarding school.[5] Voiced by: Kazuhiro Nakata (Japanese); Paul Mercier (English)
BlackRose (ブラックローズ, Burakkurōzu) a female Heavy Blade who meets Kite in the video game series. BlackRose is just starting on her adventure at the same time as Kite (though this is a fact she attempts to hide when they initially meet). The two clash immediately, but warm up to each other little by little. She reveals that her purpose for joining is to find a cure for the data bug that placed her brother in a coma. BlackRose is a young woman with a tough-as-nails attitude and can be a bit full of herself at times. Luckily, she has Kite alongside her to balance her out and keep her in check. Her real name is Akira Hayami and is a member of the tennis team at her high school. Voiced by: Masumi Asano (Japanese); Wendee Lee (English)
BT is a Wavemaster featured in .hack//Sign. Her avatar has blonde hair and dresses in light green robes. BT focuses her attention on finding the Key of the Twilight and seems to be the least concerned with Tsukasa's predicament. She meets with Bear and Crim often in The World and in person. The name BT comes from her favorite food, a BLT sandwich, but without the lettuce, which she hates.[6] She is a former model named Machiko in her real life and now makes a career at a dispatch company in the Touhoku region. Voiced by: Akiko Hiramatsu (Japanese); Donna Rawlins (English)
Crim (クリム, Kurimu) is a Long Arm featured in .hack//Sign. His avatar is a male with spiky blue hair, a red jacket, flared red and yellow pants, and a wave symbol on his chest. Crim plays as a very happy-go-lucky character, easygoing and sociable. He enjoys testing his skills against strong opponents and is always ready to help anybody in need. He founded the Crimson Knights with Subaru, though he eventually leaves. He is very close to Subaru, as he knows that she is handicapped and offers his phone number to her if she feels the need to talk. He is a business man in his real life and is frequently sent off on business trips to places all around the world. Voiced by: Shinichiro Miki (Japanese); Lex Lang (English)
Cubia is a monster in The World the 'opposite side' of the mystical "Twilight Bracelet", born during the creation of the bracelet. It constantly attempts to prevent Kite from progressing until it is finally defeated, which results in the destruction of the bracelet. .hack//XXXX features Cubia with a human avatar with a similar bracelet who befriends Kite. Cubia returns in GU as the anti-epitaph, giving it power equal to all eight. It spreads throughout the internet, causing malfunctions all over the world.
Elk is a shy Wavemaster who only finds comfort in working with Mia. Elk shows a great loyalty to and infinite concern for his odd companion as her mysterious condition slowly worsens throughout the game. He eventually accepts Kite and his companions as they work together. In the next version of The World, Kaoru Ichinose (一ノ瀬薫), the player behind Elk, creates Endrance (エンデュランス) the Temptress. Endrance is cold towards other players, referring to them as "ugly dolls". Endrance is online for most of the day, logging off only to sleep, and interacts with a small cat, which he believes to be the reincarnation of Mia. The cat is actually an AIDA feeding off his emotions by acting as Mia. Haseo eventually destroys the AIDA while fighting Endrance. Endrance falls into a deep depression until he becomes connected to Haseo in a similar format, devoting his life to what he believes he owes.
Gardenia (ガルデニア, Garudenia) is a quiet Long Arm with a great love for flowers, she takes Kite to fields that have something to do with flowers in the name. Though she appears quite mysterious, she is not truly a part of the conspiracy that the outlaw player Kite is battling. Gardenia is a true romantic even though her personality is a little on the hostile side. She enjoys foreign films. She is also optional, though her recruiting manner is different. To acquire Gardenia, you must read a message board post from her "groupies", and go to their meeting place, where Gardenia will join you in the hopes of keeping her unwanted fans off her back. She resembles the character "Mimika", who Mimiru saw use "Ap Crystal" in the episode "Intermezzo", but, contrary to popular belief, is not one of the three players who controlled Mimika. Voiced by: Yumi Touma (Japanese); Carolyn Hennesy (English)
Harald Hoerwick (ハロルド・ヒューイック, Harorudo Hyūikku) is the German programmer responsible for creating The World. He meets his unrequited love interest, Emma Wielant, at a seminar for anthroposophy. She dies in a car accident, which leaves Harald grief-stricken to the point where he feels the need to create a tangible expression of his love for Emma. He creates a virtual daughter, Aura, designed to receive data on humanity and its various emotions. His plan goes wrong when the program designed to nurture Aura, Morganna, decides to bend its own programming to stay in existence. Obsessed with completing Aura, he decides to rid himself of his physical body and become part of The World. Morganna traps Harald and restricts him to inaccessible areas, leaving him as "The Broken Man", where he loops dialogue expressing his regrets and the error he made in creating Morganna. He eventually helps Bear and his companions get on the right path to Aura, but Morganna deletes him soon afterward. Remnants in the form of a stone tablet appear to Kite, giving him clues on how to proceed, before being destroyed by Cubia. The next version of The World also features remnants that appear to Haseo. Voiced by: Takumi Yamazaki (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English)
Helba (ヘルバ, Heruba) is a professional hacker of extraordinary skills both in and out of The World. She uses an edited Wavemaster with a white dress with purple triangular designs and hides her eyes behind a red visor trimmed with gold. She provides help and information to some of the main characters in the storylines, though she usually works in the background. Helba's name comes from the long lost net-distributed text, the Epitaph of Twilight. She finds files of an unused town and creates a patchwork area which she names Net Slum. It is a sanctuary for Vagrant AI, trash data, and other illegal items. It is suspected that she made a brief real-life appearance in Liminality as Kaoru Asaba, a strange woman who helped Yukichin in the second episode. The info book .hack//analysis, which compiles various information regarding characters and The World, mentions that she is a working single mother of a little girl.
Voiced by: Yumi Tōma (Japanese); Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (English)
Kite (カイト, Kaito) is a Twin blade and the main character of the .hack//Games series. He is kind, considerate, and courteous to those he meets in The World; even those who seem a hindrance to his righteous quest to save the coma victims. Kite is the close friend of Yasuhiko, who plays online as Orca, in their school, so Kite joins The World and meets up with Orca. Soon after, Yasuhiko is placed in a coma by Skeith, and Kite receives the Twilight Bracelet from Aura, allowing him to Data Drain. Following leads set by Aura, Kite defeats the various Phases and Cubia, the alternate side of the bracelet, destroying the bracelet. Aura eventually gives him a new bracelet called the Dawn Bracelet. In .hack//G.U., Haseo gets a message from BlackRose, indicating that she and Kite finally meet each other offline and that she has feelings for him. Voiced by: Sayaka Aida (Japanese); Mona Marshall (English)
Marlo has a rotten personality on the surface. He has a hard time showing gratitude, and rarely says anything positive. He was typically a loner until he joined up with Kite. He seems to like Kite due to Kite tolerating his personality. His class is Blademaster.
Mia (ミア) is a Blademaster with the appearance of an anthropomorphic cat with purple fur and long rabbit-like ears. She is a truly strange character, made increasingly strange by her ability to see Kite's Bracelet. While she thinks she is a hacker with advanced skills, she is really just an incarnation of the Phase, Macha. She is close to Elk because she unconsciously sees the resemblance to Tsukasa, a friend from the previous incarnation, and she is constantly on the look out for an item called "Aromatic Grass." As Kite defeats each phase, she loses her memory and begins to wander the root towns. As The World becomes more corrupt, she eventually awakens in her full phase form, Macha the Temptress. She is destroyed, and Aura revives her afterward. Mia is captured and killed after the Project G.U. (aka: Project Roots) staff remove the Temptress data from her.[3] The original "Macha" is an AI character created by Morganna to follow Tsukasa and make sure that he never leaves the game.[4] She eventually turns on Morganna and sacrifices herself to save Tsukasa and the others.[7] After Macha was data-drained and killed, her data was reconfigured as Mia, who later meets Elk, a Wavemaster.
Mimiru (ミミル) is a female Heavy Blade who appears in .hack//Sign. Her avatar appears as a teenage girl dressed in an armored bikini top and a short skirt, with large greaves on her legs. The outfit is the same design as BlackRose's, albeit with a different color set and wave design. Mimiru plays as a "tough-it-out-through-anything" player, who is poor at planning and following through on those plans. Nevertheless, she has a big heart with bigger attitude, which is a great asset. She meets Tsukasa and soon becomes one of the few he trusts, eventually befriending him. She also teams up with Bear, whom she refers to as an "old man", and spends considerable time in the series attempting to figure out what Bear's career is in real life. She eventually meets with An Shouji, Tsukasa's real identity, and the two go shopping together in Shimokita. In real life, she is a 15-year-old teenage girl, who is an only child and has few friends. Her father works at a company that manufactures semiconductors. Voiced by: Megumi Toyoguchi (Japanese); Amanda Winn-Lee (English)
Mistral (ミストラル, Misutoraru) is a Wavemaster who joins Kite's campaign quickly, she is a treasure hunter and a young woman with bright pink hair that is outshined only by her eternally cheerful personality. She is truly an oddity among the friends that Kite makes within the game, as there is little to guess about her. Unlike the others, she plays the game just to play the game. While she has no mysterious role or secretive agenda, although she is very fascinated by the Twilight Bracelet, as she is a treasure hunter, she does jump on the bandwagon that is Kite's crusade. She tends to behave much like how a stereotypical MMORPG "noob" behaves: hopelessly enthusiastic, begging to be given rare treasures, and using lots of smilies in her messages. Near the end of the game, she goes "off-line" in order to give birth in real life. Voiced by: Atsuko Enomoto (Japanese); Sandy Fox (English)
Moonstone is the strong silent type to an extreme degree. Usually, Moonstone speaks in one word phrases. When he does speak in a complete sentence, it'll be short. Like Natsume, he is obsessed with increasing the strength of his character, and has a great deal of respect for other strong characters. However, Moonstone does not force anything he desires onto other characters. Always leaving them the option of not participating in his quest for strength. Moonstone's character class is a twin blade. He is also the first character to send you his address though e-mail.
Morganna Mode Gone (モルガナ・モード・ゴン, Morugana Mōdo Gon) is an AI system created by Harald Hoerwick to oversee the birth of Aura by gathering personality data of the players of The World and allowing herself to be absorbed into Aura. However, Morganna eventually realized that after Aura's birth, she would have no purpose, so she attempts to stall the growth of Aura indefinitely, resulting in many of the events in the .hack series. In .hack//Sign, she imprisoned the character Tsukasa in The World and tried to use his negative emotions to keep Aura from waking, but the plan failed. She is able to bend her programming by succumbing to a paradox, though she eventually breaks her programming and takes on the persona of the Cursed Wave from the Epitaph of Twilight. She exists everywhere in The World with the exception of glitched areas, and when she is damaged, The World becomes corrupted. Morganna fails to keep Aura sealed and tries to kill her with the Eight Phases, her creations which contain part of her data). Morganna is eventually merged with Aura to create the Ultimate AI. Voiced by: Rie Tanaka (Japanese); Valerie Arem (English)
Natsume (なつめ) is A Twin Blade just like Kite, she is in a constant search for more power and fears that she will never be good enough. Her character model is the same as the lesser known A-20 of .hack//Sign. Despite this, she still has an upbeat nature and is a welcome addition to any team. In real life, she is in the ninth grade, and she plays The World to make herself more confident in the every day trials of life. Like Sanjuro, you must read her weapon-hunt request and help her acquire a rare sword before she will join you. Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese); Lia Sargent (English) Kate Higgins (Last Recode)
Nuke Usagimaru is the host of a battle commentary show where he tries to tackle a powerful monster solo, providing humorous commentary and physical comedy while others watch. Though his shows are often failures, Nuke takes it in stride and is always using his past experiences to improve on future shows. Even in normal situations, Nuke acts in a flashy way; it seems to be an innate part of his personality. His closest friends in the game are Kite, who Nuke sees as the ultimate straight man and his ideal partner, and Rachel, who acts as his editor via e-mail. Nuke's character class is a Long Arm and his dress is something like that of a clown. It is implied that he and Rachel have become somewhat famous by time the events of .hack//G.U. occur.
Orca (オルカ, Oruka) is a male Blademaster played by a fourteen-year-old boy named Yasuhiko and is a friend of Kite's. Orca is a high-level Blademaster who is given the title "Orca of the Azure Sea" after beating an event thought to be unbeatable with Balmung. Orca has been known to assist fledgling players of The World in numerous ways, lending his strength to theirs. After having his friend, Kite, join the game, he is given the Book of Twilight by Aura because of his reputation. Orca was originally meant to be the true keeper of the Twilight Bracelet, but he is Data Drained by Skeith, leaving Yasuhiko in a coma until Kite helps complete Aura. Voiced by: Yasunori Masutani (Japanese); Kirk Thornton (English)
Piros (ぴろし, Piroshi) is a Heavy Axeman and a strange one at that. Piros believes he is the true protagonist of the story and refers to Kite as "he of fair eyes." ("Ii me wo hito shita yo"). His odd speech pattern is not as odd as his character model – Piros appears to have a shrunken head, given the Brobdingnagian proportions of his body. He involves Kite in his misadventures... which are usually the result of his naivety. Although he can be very childish at times, Piros is actually a graphics designer, a programmer, who spends his time playing The World. Voiced by: Masaya Onosaka (Japanese); Darran Norris (English)
Rachel is greedy and money-obsessed. She is always cooking up a new idea for making money in The World. If there was an option to make a merchant character, that's what Rachel would have been. She drags Kite into helping her with whatever plan she has currently at work, even though her plans usually fail for various reasons. Despite her obsession with money, Rachel doesn't accept anything that is low in quality. Her character class is a Blademaster.
Rena Kunisaki (国崎 玲奈, Kunisaki Rena) is a player who wins a special chibi version of BlackRose's avatar in a contest developed by Aura. She originally plays as a female Blademaster named Brigit and becomes bored of The World until she learns of the exploits of Kite and his companions. She starts playing The World with her twin brother, Shugo, who won a version of Kite's avatar, and uses her new character to support him in becoming a hero. The two work to reunite Aura with her daughter, Zefie.
Sanjuro (砂嵐 三十郎) is heavy blade player in the game, Sanjuro is an American man who loves Japanese films – specifically samurai films and the work of actor Toshirō Mifune and director Akira Kurosawa. Indeed, the only thing Sanjuro may enjoy more than samurai films is telling people about his favorite samurai films. His love may extend past films and may encompass all things samurai, considering that his character model is a samurai and he has a small obsession with collecting katana – kotetsu swords in particular. He is optional, and can only be found if the player reads his message board entry and helps him find a rare weapon. Voiced by: Yasunori Masutani (Japanese); Steven Jay Blum (English)
Silver Knight (銀漢, Ginkan) is a Blademaster who is the second-in-command of the Crimson Knights under Subaru. His avatar is an edited version of the standard Crimson Knight design, with full chest and back plates added to his armor, horns added to his helmet, and red eyes instead of blue. He possesses a strong sense of justice but is also extremely naive, leading him to end up as more of a tool to be used by whoever is in control. He is extremely overprotective of Subaru, more so than anyone else. Silver Knight also appears in the .hack//Legend of the Twilight anime, where he helps Shugo until his character is deleted by the Cerulean Knights. He makes a third appearance in .hack//Roots, where he offers Haseo his assistance after stating that he has been in a similar situation. Haseo refuses his help. Voiced by: Isshin Chiba (Japanese); Douglas Rye (English)
Shugo Kunisaki (国崎 秀悟, Kunisaki Shugo) is a player who wins a special chibi version of Kite's avatar in a contest developed by Aura. He originally believes he outgrew video games, but after winning the character along with his twin sister Rena, who won a version of BlackRose's avatar, the two join the game. He lacks planning skills and has difficulty turning down the others' requests of others. Aura gives him a version of Kite's Twilight Bracelet that does not harm humans. Aura's plan is to motivate Shugo by allowing him to be a hero, after meeting and talking to him using another player's character in the past.
Skeith (スケィス, Sukeisu), known as Skeith, the Terror of Death, is the first of Morganna's phases to be created. He first absorbs Sora using Data Drain and then is sent out to find Aura. His avatar appears as a humanoid seemingly made of rounded rock with floating disjointed appendages and a two-piece ring shaped horn. Skeith carries a red staff, upon which he 'hangs' (similar to cruxificion) his victims prior to Data Draining them. He resides in an amnesiac Sora until Aura is found. Skeith seals Sora within his staff. He drains Orca, which places Yasuhiko into a coma. Kite eventually fights and defeats Skeith. Skeith is recreated with the other Phases as part of CC Corporation's plan to reconstruct Morganna, though the plan backfires. Based on Sora's condition, the corporation gave him the ability to fuse with players. The seven Phases absorb the consciousness of their players and escape into the network. (The seventh, Tarvos, had already been stolen and hidden away halfway through the plan), where they waited for the right person to "connect to". Skeith eventually becomes part of Haseo, a new character created by the player of Sora, whom Skeith Data Drained. Haseo can use Skeith to Data Drain opponents.
Sora (楚良) is a Twin Blade Player Killer who seeks out attractive female characters and attempts to obtain their personal member addresses. In real life, he is Ryou Misaki, a 10-year-old fourth grader. He interacts with Mimiru, who finds him to be a nuisance, and BT, who exchanges information with Sora and is often on the receiving end of his player killer activities. He searches for interesting activities, which leads him to Tsukasa and the Key of the Twilight, Aura. He eventually comes into contact with Morganna and works with her until he finds her boring. She has Skeith Data Drain and absorb him, causing Misaki to fall into a coma. Skeith uses Sora's body, which is covered in rags and has no recollection of past events, to track down Aura.[5] Sora's body is later absorbed into Skeith's wand until he is freed by Kite. Ryou awakes from his coma after Morganna is destroyed. Ryou later becomes the main protagonist in .hack//G.U. as the creator of the character Haseo. Voiced by: Hiroshi Yanaka (Japanese); Dave Wittenberg (English)
Subaru (昴) is a female Heavy Axeman with blue-green hair, a puce-colored tattoo on her forehead, and rudimentary wings on her back. She first joins The World hoping to meet people, though she knows nothing of the game and just wanders around for hours. She eventually meets Crim, who teaches her to stand up against other players, and the two form an unofficial player organization designed to bring order, the Crimson Knights. She eventually comes into contact with Tsukasa and forms somewhat of a romantic bond with him. Her real name is Mariko Misono (御園 真理子, Misono Mariko), a paraplegic girl who spends so much time in The World because it is the only place where she can roam freely on her own. At the end of the series, she meets An Shouji, Tsukasa's player, and the two begin a relationship.[5] Voiced by: Kaori Nazuka (Japanese); Kim Mai Guest (English)
Tsukasa (司) is the protagonist of the .hack//Sign anime series. He is a Wavemaster whose consciousness becomes trapped in The World, while his real body is in a coma. He is a young silver-haired boy clad in grey robes. Morganna poisons Aura with his negative emotions to prevent Aura from awakening. Tsukasa is distant at first, but he eventually connects with Mimiru, Subaru, and Bear. Aura is eventually awakened, allowing Tsukasa to log out. In real life, Tsukasa is a girl named An Shouji (荘司杏, Shōji An). After her mother died, she was raised by her father, who abused her. His abusive behavior also distanced her from her gender: he treated her like a boy, refusing to allow her to use feminine products and basic hygiene products. The story implies that her father is an alcoholic. Why he was abusive was never explained.[8] After awaking from her coma, Ryo Sakuma, the player behind Bear, becomes her legal guardian and allows her to go to a boarding school. She meets with Mariko, Subaru's player, and the two begin a relationship.[5] Voiced by: Mitsuki Saiga (Japanese); Brianne Siddall (English)
Wiseman is a Wavemaster with a calm and collective attitude and an excellent perspective on business. He is greedy like Rachel, but shows it indirectly. He lets on a personality that brings people to think that he is always keeping something from them. His real name is Takumi Hino, a ten-year-old boy who enjoys collecting trading cards and playing soccer.
Zefie (ゼフィ, Zefi) is a Vagrant AI and Aura's daughter. She is separated from Aura and becomes attached to Shugo when she smells Aura's scent on his bracelet. She always vies for Shugo's affections and is rude to all who try to stop her. She can control The World and avatar appearances however she sees fit. At first, Zefie is selfish, spoiled, and rude, but matures through her interaction with Shugo and Rena.

text: The World R:2[edit]

text: A List of the Main characters from the second version of "The World"

text:
Haseo (ハセヲ, Haseo) is an Adept Rogue "Player Killer Killer" and the main protagonist of the .hack//G.U. video game series and the .hack//Roots anime series. He joins the game and he is quickly hunted by player killers until he joins with Ovan of the Twilight Brigade. Ovan eventually disappears, and Shino, Haseo's friend, is placed into a coma by Ovan. Haseo attempts to find power, which leads him to Harald, who gives him power. He eventually tries to face Tri-Edge, though he is completely reset after being data drained. Haseo agrees to assist Yata and Pi, two System Administrators in The World R:2, in their efforts to discover the reason behind recent attacks on players and a sudden increase in AIDA activity. Haseo gains an "Avatar" named Skeith by awakening him, acquiring the ability to call Skeith and wield his abilities. In the real world, Haseo's real name is Ryou Misaki, a social outcast who played as the player killer character Sora in the original series .hack//Games until he was placed into a coma by Skeith and awoke with amnesia. During the development of the game he grows as someone mature who wishes to protect everyone and that enjoys company instead of his cold and lonely self. However, in .hack//LINK, during Tokio's journey in 2017 timeline, it was shown that Haseo declined Shino's invitation to rebuild Twilight Brigade. In the English version, Haseo is voiced by Yuri Lowenthal in the games and Andrew Francis in the anime.
Artificially Intelligent Data Anomaly, shortened to AIDA, is described as a bug or virus, thought to have come from the disappearance of Aura, that defies all system parameters in The World. AIDA afflicts players in the .hack//G.U. series by attacking them and causing them to become insane over time or comatose in the real world. The eight Epitaph Users are partially immune to the effects of the virus and use this advantage to fight it. The bad, viral instances of AIDA are deleted at the end of the game series, though it is stated that good instances exist, who try to exist happily. AIDA may only be stopped by the Epitaph Users' ability to "data drain", an illegal program originally given to Kite by Aura, which CC Corp believes also causes AIDA.
Alkaid is a female Twin Blade known as "Alkaid, Former Emperor of the Demon Palace." She is part of Icolo's guild, and takes part in the arena battles. She fights with Haseo after an argument, and loses after Haseo uses Skeith to fight for him. She thinks of him as a cheater while leaving. She later teams up with Haseo in order to enter the Holy Palace tournament to see Sirius. While searching for information, she is PKed by an AIDA-infected Bordeaux and placed into a coma until the fight with Cubia. Her real name is Chika Kuramoto, a sixteen-year-old Japanese girl. She lives in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and is on the library council for her high school. She values reading, and reads both Chinese classics and Western contemporary fiction. In the Japanese version, her name is "Youkou,(揺光 youkou)" the Japanese name for the star Alkaid.
Atoli (アトリ, Atori) is a Harvest Cleric who becomes attached to Haseo. A pacifist, Atoli is part of the guild Moon Tree under Sakaki's command. She harbors feelings for Haseo, which, in the beginning of the G.U. series are reciprocated, and slowly wane after Haseo slanders Sakaki. However, her affections are later rekindled, after Haseo realizes Atoli was suffering from her desire to be recognized by Haseo. Haseo, who was drawn to Atoli because she used a nearly-identical Player Character to Shino, had only been looking for Shino in Atoli. Atoli is later found to be an Epitaph user when she is separated from her Avatar (Innis, the Mirage of Deceit) by AIDA after following Haseo, Kuhn, and Pi to an area inaccessible to regular players, found inside one the Tri-Edge marks. At the end of the .hack//G.U. trilogy, she sees Haseo with Shino at the cathedral because she received an e-mail from Shino herself requesting her presence in the cathedral. After a few words she runs away heartbroken thinking that her relationship with Haseo has ended, but is surprised when she sees Haseo running towards her. Her real name offline is Chigusa Kusaka. Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi (Japanese); Bridget Hoffman (English)
Azure Kite, also known as Azure Flame Kite or Kite of the Azure Flame, is a Twin Blade-type character who resembles a corrupted, stitched-together version of Kite. He does not talk, and only breathes loudly and growls. Azure Kite carries two triple-edged blades known as the "Empty Skies" and has access to the Data Drain skill. He can also transform into a floating azure orb of light to travel, and often arrives at areas in this form, surrounded by azure flames. He is an artificial intelligence created by Aura that exists to destroy computer viruses and AIDA. He is mistaken as the "Tri-Edge", which leads to Haseo attempting to fight him. He is scattered by Haseo, and later reforms himself, though he loses an arm to Ovan. He later joins with Haseo after Cubia is defeated.
Endrance: Considered to be one of the most beautiful and mysterious players of all The World. He is Elk of the previous games, but now grown up. He is always with his cat, that he thinks is the reincarnation of Mia. He is an Epitaph-User who controls the avatar Macha "The Temptress". He first dislikes Haseo, but after losing Mia and falling into depression, Haseo asks him for his help making him develop feelings for Haseo. He then decides to help him and says he gives Haseo his heart and soul. He is the Emperor of the Demon Palace in Lumina Cloth and has numerous fans. However, he's extremely cold and only ever shows emotion towards the cat he has on his shoulder. In real life he is a 20-year-old hikikomori.
Kuhn (クーン, Kūn) is a Steam Gunner and the Epitaph-PC who controls Magus, the Propagation. Kuhn comes in contact with Haseo through the growing AIDA infection that is afflicting The World. Kuhn describes himself as more similar to Haseo than anyone else, despite Haseo's initial hostility towards him. Kuhn is light-hearted and brings laughter to the game players, but possesses the ability to remain calm and has an air of responsibility, especially towards Haseo's control of Skeith. He attempts to flirt with women avatars within the game, which leads to awkward situations. Kuhn's real life persona is Tomonari Kasumi, who controlled the PC "Sieg" in the original version of "The World" as well as the boyfriend of .hack//Liminality protagonist Mai Minase. Kuhn confesses to Haseo that the only serious girlfriend he had was in high school, but she had broken up with him due to his immaturity.
Ovan (オーヴァン, Ōvu~an) is a Steam Gunner who leads the Twilight Brigade. He usually never shares any personal things to anyone with the exception of Shino, who knows him in the real world. Ovan's arm is encased in a lock, which leads to others thinking that he is a hacker. Inside the lock is a black hatchet-like weapon in his hand, long black blade coming out of his shoulders. This is revealed to be the AIDA known as Tri-Edge, who has been placing users into comas. Ovan wants to save the first victim of his arm, his little sister, Aina. Ovan seeks to purge the system of AIDA with his Avatar's Rebirth ability, which can only be used after the defeat of Corbenik at the hands of Haseo using the power of Skeith and the other phases. After the Rebirth he falls into a coma but awakens to help Haseo defeat Cubia. He is seen again in the OVA "Returner" where he and Aina are reunited.
Tri-Edge (トライエッジ, Torai Ejji) is a legendary Player Killer, whose victims, "The Lost Ones", never log back into the game and the players are left comatose. His name comes from the fact that he leaves a triple pronged sign at the location where he defeats his victim. Azure Kite is mistaken for Tri-Edge (due to his triple bladed twin-blades), but it turns out to be AIDA<Tri-Edge>, an AIDA that infects Ovan's character. It forms on his arm, and sometimes takes control over him.
Phyllo: A character owned by Antares but used to be owned by an old man who helps Haseo in the first episodes of .hack//Roots. His real player died because of cancer, leaving the character to his friend Antares. In Reminisce he leads Haseo to the Great Temple of Caerleon Medb, a Lost Ground containing Lost weapons, weapons that can help destroy AIDA.
Pi is a Tribal Grappler and an Epitaph-PC who controls Tarvos, the Avenger. She is a subordinate of Yata and a member of G.U.; in real life, she is a system engineer for C.C. Corp named Reiko Saeki, the younger sister of Jun Bansyoya, the former leader of Project G.U. She is also the player behind the PKer Ender, a character she uses to garner information as a subordinate of Naobi, one of Yata's alter-egos. Pi is voiced by Jessica Strauss in the English version of the games while Lisa Ann Beley voices Pi and Ender in the anime.
Sakubo (朔望, Sakubō): Supposedly a PC played by two people; Saku, who speaks in Kansai-ben, and Bo; a shy and quiet player. Saku is an alternate personality of Bo (albeit the much more forward of the pair), and is obsessed with Endrance. They control the Avatar, Gorre.
Yata (八咫, Yata) is a Macabre Dancer and the Epitaph-PC who controls Fidchell, the Prophet. He is a system administrator for C.C. Corp assigned to investigate and deal with the AIDA which have appeared in The World R:2 through the organization, G.U.. As a system administrator, Yata prefers to monitor the situation from his headquarters, the Serpent of Lore, and tends not to reveal his motives. His regard for players is questionable at best, though his subordinates Pi and Kuhn tend to act more ethically. Yata's offline counterpart is a 17-year-old teenager, Takumi Hino, and the player who was once behind the Wavemaster Wiseman in the original .hack series. Takumi Hino is also the player behind the PCs Nala and Naobi.

text: The World R:X[edit]

text: A list of the main characters from the new portable version of "The World"

text: Tokio Kuryuu (トキオ, Tokio)

text: Tokio is a 14 years old boy who is very fond of games. When Saika first transferred to his class, he was invited to play The World R:X with a special copy that she has and was directly sent to The World itself. Arriving in The World and met Kite, Tokio was partly forced to work for Saika on retrieving the Chrono Core to open the Akashic Record, and partly feeling indebted to Kite who had saved him. Tokio is a Doubleware, a special kind of human that able to use Real Digitilize technology that allows a human to physically enter a virtual space. In 2014, during the Akashic Line's closed beta test, Tokio succeeded in rescuing an NPC to clear an event. For an instant, he was successfully Real Digitalized by Jyotaro Amagi's test program, becoming the only Doubleware to be discovered by the game. Although he did not understand this at the time, this direct contact left a lasting impression on both him and the NPC (Later revealed to be AIKA) since Tokio often dreamed about her.

text: Saika Amagi (彩花, Saika)

text: Saika is a transfer student in Tokio's class. She invited Tokio to play The World R:X, claiming that he is the hero she had been looking for. Excellent in both studies and sports, she soon became famous in school. However, this turned out to be an act to make Tokio work for her as her 'slave' on collecting the Chrono Core. It's revealed that she's actually Jyotaro Amagi's cousin who was adopted by the latter as his sister after her mother's death. She received an e-mail sent by Jyotaro (that was actually sent by Geist) that instructed her to find him who is lost in The World and the only way to find him is by collecting the Chrono Cores with the help of the Doubleware, Tokio, and AIKA.

text: Toki-grunty (トキ★ランディ)

text: He is the grunty that stays in Grand Whale and act as Tokio's guide.

text: AIKA

text: AIKA is a mysterious girl who appears in Tokio's dream who resembles Saika. Prior knowing her identity, Tokio referred to her as 'Princess.' She made her appearance when Tokio was devastated for unable to prevent Shino's coma and granted him the X-Form, encouraging him to continue fighting for those whom he cherished. She became one of Tokio's guide throughout the game, accompanying him by making herself invisible in other player's eye with only Tokio able to see her. In 2014, AIKA was created as an event NPC in Jyotaro Amagi's online game Akashic Line, subconsciously modeled after his late aunt Ayaka Amagi. In 2014, during the game's closed beta test, Tokio succeeded in rescuing her to clear an event. For an instant, he was successfully Real Digitalized by Amagi's test program, becoming the only Doubleware to be discovered by the game. Although he did not understand this at the time, this direct contact left a lasting impression on both him and the NPC. In 2017, she became fused with benevolent AIDA, retaining the memories of the NPC and the personality of the AIDA, forming a completely new type of AI. Eventually, she was discovered and retrieved by Saika in order to find Jyotaro. In the final battle, AIKA sacrificed herself to purify Aura's data that has been corrupted by virus and disappeared along with her. However, Helba suggested that AIKA might as well still exist somewhere in The World, but unable to show herself for some reason.

text: Death Queen Aura

text: Death Queen Aura or also known as Queen of Demise is Aura who was infected by virus implanted by Geist within Tokio. When Tokio and Saika reached the end of Akashic Record and met Aura who was imprisoned, the virus within Tokio reacted and infected Aura. Due to the infection, Aura becomes crazed, and tries to ensnare the entire world into her network in order to trap them in a twisted expression of her love for the world. She began creating monsters called Legion that spread throughout The World, corrupting data and beginning the process of Twilight and began to Real Digitilize humanity as proof of her love. Tokio and the Twilight Knights tried to save her from the infection with the vaccine program they have developed. However, they succumb to her power and nearly lost until AIKA interferes, using her power to regain Aura's memories at cost of disappearing with her. She's last seen, presumably within her own mind, in her child form with AIKA holding her hands before disappear.

text: Ayaka Amagi (天城綾香, Amagi Ayaka)

text: Ayaka was Saika's mother and Jyotaro's aunt who died ten years before the event of the series. Her death was one of Jyotaro's reasons to realise the Immortal Dusk plan.

text: Schicksal[edit]

text:
Genius (ジーニアス)
No. 1, Flügel (フリューゲル))
No. 2, Metronom (メトロノーム)
No. 3, Cello (チェロ)
No. 4, Klarinette (クラリネッテ)
No. 5, Orgel (オルゲル)
No. 6, Posaune (ポザオネ)
No. 7, Trommel (トロンメル)
No. 8, Geist (ガイスト)

text: Supporting characters[edit]

text: The World[edit]

text:
Innis, The Mirage of Deceit - Phase
Mai Minase (水無瀬舞, Minase Mai) is the main protagonist of the first episode of .hack//Liminality and the girlfriend of Tomonari Kasumi, the player behind Sieg and Kuhn. Tomonari introduces her to The World, but they are soon attacked by Skeith. While Mai is able to awaken from her coma, Tomonari does not, leading her to investigate the incident and aid Junichiro Tokuoka to help save The World in the real world while the battle against Cubia is ongoing.
Yuki Aihara (相原有紀, Aihara Yuki), known as Yuki-chin online, is the main protagonist of the second episode of .hack//Liminality. She is an acquaintance of Sieg (Tomonari Kasumi) and aids Mai Minase, Tomonari's girlfriend, in order to prevent C.C. Corp from destroying The World in order to save the comatose victims of the game.
Kyoko Tohno, is the main protagonist of the third episode of .hack//Liminality.
Alph - Wavemaster
Mistral is a Wavemaster and one of the original Dothackers. She is the first player to join Kite and BlackRose and is a fun-loving and pleasant, but reliable and dedicated. In real life, she is a married office worker in her late 20s named Mayumi Kurokawa.
Mireille is a Wavemaster who uses the same avatar as Mistral and loves of treasure-hunting. She is a good friend and ally of Rena and Shugo and is knowledgeable of The World. Her true identity is Mirei Kurokawa (黒川深鈴, Kurokawa Mirei), the daughter of Mayumi Kurokawa, who was originally the Wavemaster Mistral and gave the avatar to her daughter. Voiced by: Yuki Matsuoka  (Japanese); Sandy Fox (English)
Hotaru is a Wavemaster who plays on the Japanese servers in hopes of improving her Japanese. She is shy and soft-spoken. She becomes friends with Shugo and Rena and enjoys raising Grunties. It is not confirmed if it is official but in a drama audio it was revealed that Hotaru is a boy. Voiced by: Ayako Kawasumi  (Japanese); Lara Jill Miller (English)
Ouka (凰花, Ōka) is Werewolf, a limited edition class offered in the expansion of The World. Her strength is well-known, so she is called "Ouka of the Divine Fist." She is an acquaintance of Mireille.
Reki (レキ, Reki) is Wavemaster and the assistant of Balmung, after Balmung becomes a System Administrator for C.C. Corp. Reki frequently acts as a proxy for his boss, since Balmung likes to participate in the events that he has planned. In real life, Reki is a history major who couldn't find work in his field, so he joined C.C. Corp; his real name is Satoshi Fujio. Voiced by: Souichiro Hoshi (Japanese); Derek Stephen Prince (English)
Kamui (神威) is a female Long Arm and Albireo's successor as the System Debug Administrator. She is the leader of the Cobalt Knights and possesses a strong sense of justice as a result of Kazushi Watarai (Albireo)'s sudden resignation from C.C. Corp. Her real name is Saki Shibayama (柴山咲, Shibayama Saki) Voiced by: Sakiko Tamagawa  (Japanese); Melodee M. Spevack (English).
Magi is a Wavemaster and Kamui's assistant. Her real name is Asako Saitou (斎藤麻子, Saitō Asako), an employee of C.C. Corp. Voiced by: Asako Shirakura  (Japanese); Amanda Winn Lee (English)
Hokuto is a Wavemaster and the personal account of player W.B. Yeats. She is an ally of Albireo and witnesses the defeat of the One Sin by Balmung and Orca. Her real name is Haruka Mizuhara, a translator with a strong interest in Celtic literature and poetry.
Komiyan the Third (コミヤン3世, Komiyan Sansei) - Blademaster, a classmate of Rena and Shugo in real life. They find him obnoxious both in and out of The World. Voiced by: Masami Kikuchi (Japanese); Brian Silva (English)
Dynamite Headdy (ダイナマイトヘッディー, Dainamaito Heddī) - He is a weird but cool character from a video game of the same name,he snuck into .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet and wants to see Rena/Blackrose's panties.
Morti (モルティ, Moruti) is an AI that appears only in the anime version of .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet as an antagonist. Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto

text: The World R:2[edit]

text:
Adamas - Blade Brandier
Aihara, Salvador: a T.V celebrity that holds an online show called "Online Jack" which investigated the case of the Lost Ones and the Doll Syndrome. Despite the true factors the it talked about, it is never known if the show was true or made. This show appears only during the .hack//G.U games in the false internet of the game in the "News Capture" zone.
Aina (Indou, Aina):Ovan's little sister and his first victim. Her character is hidden in the world in area called "The Creators Room" but she escapes from it and becomes a ghost in the world who appears and vanish every second. After the Rebirth she awakens from her coma. When she sees Haseo for the first time she blames him of her brother's coma, but later realizes her mistake and helps Haseo as much as she can. She is reunited with Ovan in the OVA "Returner". She also appears years later in .hack//Quantum with the same character model.

text: Voiced by: Atsuko Enomoto  (Japanese); Rachel Hirschfeld (English) Jenny Kwan (.hack//G.U. Last Recode)

text:
Antares (Ogata, Mikihisa) - Blade Brandier: He is called "The Legendary Emperor" due to his great ability in the arena, until he is defeated by Taihaku he also is the founder of Icolo. He later takes Haseo under his wing, although Haseo never accepts it until the end of the fight with Cubia where he calls him Master.
Asta (Hori, Tatsumi) - Edge Punisher: A PK who pairs with IYOTEN to hunt down beginners and kill them.
Azure Balmung: Another of Aura's creation like Azure Flame Kite to hunt down anomalities in The World. He looks like Balmung except he looks ruined and without Balmung's original wings (instead he has strange-looking wings). He joins Haseo at the end of the fight with cubia.
Azure Orca: Another of Aura's creation like Azure Flame Kite to hunt down anomalities in The World. He looks exactly like Orca except he looks ruined and doesn't talk at all. He joins Haseo at the end of the fight with Cubia
Bordeaux (ボルドー, Borudō) (Nina Kircheis) - Blade Brandier: Bordeaux is an established PK and usually parties with Negimaru and Grein. She is also a member of Kestrel and well respected in the PK community. She is obsessed with gaining fame by being the PK that PKed the Terror of Death. In Vol. 2, Bordeaux is infected by an AIDA which gives her greater fighting capabilities. She is a German-Japanese fourteen-year-old middle-school student named Nina Kircheis in real life. She gives Haseo her member address at the end of the game.
Gabi (がび, Gabi) (Daijirou Washio) - Edge Punisher: Gabi is the Guildmaster of Kestrel and adopts a laissez-faire attitude to running his Guild. Although his Guild is overrun with PKs, he is not a PK himself. He is an old friend of Kuhn's but he does not have a large impact on the plot. Haseo's first encounter with Gabi shows the speed of Gabi's movement, the reason for this is because Gabi's PC is a hacked PC.
Gaspard (ガスパー, Gasupaa) (Kouta Maki) - Shadow Warlock: A member of Canard who follows Silabus and assists in helping Newbies. He and Silabus are the only members of Canard at the start of GU. He is in awe of former Canard member Kuhn. He is a 13-year-old middle school student named Maki Kouta in real life. Gaspard's favorite part of The World is the card game feature called Crimson VS., which is not available for the first volume. Gaspard is rather sensitive and clumsy but plays The World for the sole purpose of having fun.
Hiiragi (柊, Hīragi) (Yuki Fumihiko) - Macabre Dancer: Hiiragi is the leader of the Fifth Division of the Moon Tree Guild and appears in Volume 2 of .hack//G.U. One of Sakaki's followers. A 22-year-old closet homosexual named Yuki Fumihiko in real life.
Kaede (楓, Kaede) (Kyouko Kaga) - Blade Brandier: A member of Moon Tree and the leader of the Third Platoon. Kaede is one of the many supporters of Zelkova in his conflict with Sakaki and often opposes Sakaki on his decisions. She is known for her kind and sincere attitude. She gives Haseo her member address in volume 3.
Matsu (松, Matsu) (Shingo Kudou) - Adept Rogue: A member of Moon Tree and the Leader of the Seventh Platoon. Matsu was once a famous PK but has since grown ashamed of his past and chosen not to fight. He is a supporter of Sakaki. Because of this, he never uses his Edge Punisher form - the form he opted for most when he was a PK.
Natsume (なつめ, Natsume) (Natsume Oguro) - Twin Blade: Former .hacker Natsume from the original games returns in vol. 3, and is now a Chaotic PK with a split personality. She is in search of Tri-Edge (which she believes to be a weapon) and still has an obsession with Kite from seven years ago. Haseo gets her member address after clearing the Chaotic PK side quest. Voiced by: Maaya Sakamoto (Japanese); Lia Sargent (English) Kate Higgins (.hack//G.U. Last Recode)
Nala (楢, Nara) (Takumi Hino) - Lord Partizan: Nala is the leader of the Fourth Division of the Moon Tree Guild and appears in Volume 2 of .hack//G.U. He holds a neutral position within the Guild and is actually another PC used by Yata.
Piros the 3rd (ぴろし３, Piroshi3) (Hiroshi Matsuyama) - Lord Partizan: Piros the 3rd is the same .hacker Piros from the original games. He is the Guildmaster of the coincidentally named Project GU (Graphics Umai meaning "Good at Graphics"; in the English adaption, "Graphics Unbelievable") Guild and works as a Graphics Designer for The World. Piros is also in chase of Tri-Edge along with Haseo, but for his own reasons.
Sakaki (榊, Sakaki) (Tooru Uike) - Edge Punisher: Leader of the Second Division of Moon Tree, Sakaki is famous throughout The World and commonly associated with Moon Tree. He appears to be part of a sinister plot and because of this, tension has grown between him and Zelkova. He tries to create an ideal world by dominating the minds of people through the eight phases and the internet. Sakaki is a role model of Atoli as she cannot seem to stop talking about him. He is a ten-year-old elementary school student named Uike Tooru in real life. He replaces Yata as leader of GU in vol. 3 for a short period before being killed by Azure Kite and going into a coma. He awakens with no memories of what happened after the rebirth of the internet.
Silabus (シラバス, Shirabasu) (Yuuichi Morino) - Blade Brandier: The Guildmaster of Canard at the start of the game, he eventually makes Haseo the Guildmaster. He and Gaspard are the only members of Canard at the start of GU. He is in awe of former Canard member Kuhn. He is a 19-year-old university student named Morino Yuuichi in real life, and started using the internet at the age of 9.
Shino is a Harvest Cleric and friend of Haseo and Ovan, whom the latter Shino is devoted towards. She was a member of the Twilight Brigade, a guild led by Ovan to find the Epitaph of Twilight in The World: R2, and was the one who introduced Haseo to Ovan. When she is mysteriously PKed by Tri-Edge, Haseo's primary motivation to continue playing The World: R2 is in order to save Shino, who has fallen into a coma the real world after her character was PKed. In real life, she is a college student named Shino Nanao who is studying to be a nurse; when she falls comatose, Ryou Misaki visits her in the hospital. In the English versions, Shino is voiced by Kari Wahlgren in the games and Kelly Sheridan in the anime.
Sirius (天狼, Tenrō) (Min Myeon-Do) - Tribal Grappler: One of the current members of Icolo, Sirius is known for his arrogance and is generally a dislikeable character. Being a member of Icolo means he is the Emperor of the Holy Palace; above Endrance and below Taihaku. Later on he is infected with AIDA, and goes on to fight Haseo in the arena. It is then revealed that the Orca and Balmung associated with him were mirages created by Atoli's infected Avatar.
Sophora (槐, Enjū) - Twin Blade: Sophora is the leader of the Sixth Division of the Moon Tree Guild and appears in Volume 2 of .hack//G.U. Sophora appears to support Sakaki and seems to be the player behind Nanase from .Hack//Alcor
Tabby (タビー, Tabī) (Moe Kubo) - Tribal Grappler: Tabby joined the Twilight Brigade around the same time as Haseo and wanted to help him in his quest to revive Shino. She stopped playing in order to become a nurse at the end of .hack//roots anime, but returns in vol. 3 stating that she will remain online for just the day because she had a test the next day after so she helped out for that one day. She later offers her extended help to him, though it is unknown what became of the "one day".
Taihaku (太白, Taihaku) (Keisuke Kurokai) - Steam Gunner: Taihaku is the current Guildmaster of Icolo and, therefore, one of the most powerful characters in The World. Being the Guildmaster of Icolo makes him the Emperor of the Sage Palace; above both Endrance and Sirius.
Zelkova (欅, Keyaki) - Flick Reaper Zelkova is the Guild Master of Moon Tree. Despite his appearance of a young child, Zelkova is an expert hacker who created The World R:2's Netslum. He has horns on his head, which people presume he either got from an event, or hacked. It is often assumed that he is the same person or persons as Helba from The World, as they're both expert hackers, lead Net Slum, knows Yata, who used to be Wiseman in the World R:1, and knows far more about the inner workings of the game than others would.


document_title: Water security

question_text: three reasons responsible for water scarcity in india

root

text: Water security

text: Background[edit]

text: Water security is achieved when there is enough water for everyone in a region and the water supply is not at risk of disappearing.[4] According to the Pacific Institute "While regional impacts will vary, global climate change will potentially alter agricultural productivity, freshwater availability and quality, access to vital minerals, coastal and island flooding, and more. Among the consequences of these impacts will be challenges to political relationships, realignment of energy markets and regional economies, and threats to security".[5]

tag: p

text: It impacts regions, states and countries. Tensions exist between upstream and downstream users of water within individual jurisdictions.[6]

text: During history there has been much conflict over use of water from rivers such as the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers.[7] Another highly politicized example is Israel's control of water resources in the Levant region since its creation,[8] where Israel securing its water resources was one of several drivers for the 1967 Six Day War.

text: Water security is sometimes sought by implementing water desalination, pipelines between sources and users, water licences with different security levels and war.

text: Water allocation between competing users is increasingly determined by application of market-based pricing for either water licenses or actual water.[9]

text: Fresh water[edit]

text: Water, in absolute terms, is not in short supply planet-wide. But, according to the United Nations water organization, UN-Water, the total usable freshwater supply for ecosystems and humans is only about 200,000 km3 of water – less than one percent (<1%) of all freshwater resources. Usable fresh water includes water not contaminated or degraded by water-altering chemicals, such as sewage or any other harmful chemicals from continuous previous use.[10] And, water use has been growing at more than twice the rate of the population increase in the last century. Specifically, water withdrawals are predicted to increase by 50 percent by 2025 in developing countries, and 18 per cent in developed countries.[11] One continent, for example, Africa, has been predicted to have 75 to 250 million lacking access to fresh water.[12] By 2025, 1.8 billion people will be living in countries or regions with absolute water scarcity, and two-thirds of the world population could be under stress conditions.[13]

text: Threats[edit]

text: The most common threat to water security is water scarcity. There can be several causes to water scarcity including low rainfall, climate change,[14] high population density, and overallocation of a water source. An example of periodic water scarcity in the United States is droughts in California. Another category of threats to water security is environmental threats.[15] These include contaminates such as biohazards (biological substances that can harm humans), climate change and natural disasters. Contaminants can enter a water source naturally through flooding. Contaminants can also be a problem if a population switches their water supply from surface water to groundwater. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and wildfires can damage man-made structures such as dams and fill waterways with debris. Other threats to water security include terrorism and radiation due to a nuclear accident.[16]

text: Research[edit]

text: According to Nature (2010), about 80% of the world's population (5.6 billion in 2011) live in areas with threats to water security. The water security is a shared threat to human and nature and it is pandemic. Human water-management strategies can be detrimental to wildlife, such as migrating fish. Regions with intensive agriculture and dense populations, such as the US and Europe, have a high threat of water security. Water is increasingly being used as a weapon in conflict.[17] Water insecurity is always accompanied by one or more issues such as poverty, war and conflict, low women’s development and environmental degradation.[18] Researchers estimate that during 2010-2015, ca US$800 billion will be required to cover the annual global investment in water infrastructure. Good management of water resources can jointly manage biodiversity protection and human water security. Preserving flood plains rather than constructing flood-control reservoirs would provide a cost-effective way to control floods while protecting the biodiversity of wildlife that occupies such areas.[19]

text: Lawrence Smith, the president of the population institute, asserts that although an overwhelming majority of the planet's surface is composed of water, 97% of this water is constituted of saltwater; the fresh water used to sustain humans is only 3% of the total amount of water on Earth.[20] Therefore, Smith believes that the competition for water in an overpopulated world would pose a major threat to human stability,[20] even going so far as to postulate apocalyptic world wars being fought over the control of thinning ice sheets and nearly desiccated reservoirs.[20] Nevertheless, 2 billion people have supposedly gained access to a safe water source since 1990 who may have earlier lacked it.[21] The proportion of people in developing countries with access to safe water is calculated to have improved from 30 percent in 1970.[22] to 71 percent in 1990, 79 percent in 2000 and 84 percent in 2004, parallel with rising population. This trend is projected to continue.[21]

text: The Earth has a limited though renewable supply of fresh water, stored in aquifers, surface waters and the atmosphere. Oceans are a good source of usable water, but the amount of energy needed to convert saline water to potable water is prohibitive with conventional approaches, explaining why only a very small fraction of the world's water supply is derived from desalination.[23] However, modern technologies, such as the Seawater Greenhouse, use solar energy to desalinate seawater for agriculture and drinking uses in an extremely cost-effective manner.

text: Most affected countries[edit]

text: Based on the map published by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR),[24] the countries and regions suffering most water stress are North Africa, the Middle East,[25] India, Central Asia, China, Chile, Colombia, South Africa and Australia. Water scarcity is also increasing in South Asia.[26]

text: Israel[edit]

text: The Israeli Holistic Approach to Water Security draws from 70 years of experience in national security and water management. Nations such as the US, UK, Spain, and others are collaborating with Israeli experts in water security standards.[27][28]

text: International competition[edit]

text: International competition over water can arise when one country starts drawing more water from a shared water source.[29] This is often the most efficient route to getting needed water, but in the long term can cause conflict if water is overdrafted.

text: More than 50 countries on five continents are said to be at risk of conflict over water.[30]

text: Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Project (Guneydogu Anadolu Projesi, or GAP) on the Euphrates has potentially serious consequences for water supplies in Syria and Iraq.[7]

text: China, is constructing dams on the Mekong, leaving Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Thailand without same amount of water as before investment. A huge project of reversing the flow of the Brahmaputra (Chinese: Tsangpo) river, which after leaving Chinese Tibet flows through India and Bangladesh. The struggle for water in some afflicted regions has led inhabitants to hiring guards in order to protect wells. Moreover, Amu Daria River, shared by Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan and Afghanistan, which has been nearly completely dried out, so much so that it has ceased to reach the Aral Sea/Lake, which is evaporating in an alarming pace. The fact that Turkmenistan retains much of the water before it flows into Uzbekistan.[31]

text: Intra-national competition[edit]

text: Australia[edit]

text: In Australia there is competition for the resources of the Darling River system between Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia.

text: In Victoria, Australia a proposed pipeline from the Goulburn Valley to Melbourne has led to protests by farmers.[32]

text: In the Macquarie Marshes of NSW grazing and irrigation interests compete for water flowing to the marshes

text: The Snowy Mountains Scheme diverted water from the Snowy River to the Murray River and the Murrumbidgee River for the benefit of irrigators and electricity generation through hydro-electric power. During recent years government has taken action to increase environmental flows to the Snowy in spite of severe drought in the Murray Darling Basin. The Australian Government has implemented buy-backs of water allocations, or properties with water allocations, to endeavour to increase environmental flows.

text: India[edit]

text: In India, there is competition for water resources of all inter state rivers except the main Brahmaputra river among the riparian states of India and also with neighbouring countries which are Nepal, China, Pakistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, etc.[33] Vast area of the Indian subcontinent is under tropical climate which is conducive for agriculture due to favourable warm and sunny conditions provided perennial water supply is available to cater to the high rate of evapotranspiration from the cultivated land. Though the overall water resources are adequate to meet all the requirements of the subcontinent, the water supply gaps due to temporal and spatial distribution of water resources among the states and countries in the subcontinent are to be bridged.

text: There is intense competition for the water available in the inter state rivers such as Kavery, Krishna, Godavari, Vamsadhara, Mandovi, Ravi-Beas-Sutlez, Narmada, Tapti, Mahanadi, etc. among the riparian states of India in the absence of water augmentation from the water surplus rivers such as Brahmaputra, Himalayan tributaries of Ganga and west flowing coastal rivers of western ghats. All river basins face severe water shortage even for drinking needs of people, cattle and wild life during the intense summer season when the rainfall is negligible.

text: Water security can be achieved along with energy security as it is going to consume electricity to link the surplus water areas with the water deficit areas by lift canals, pipe lines, etc.[34] The total water resources going waste to the sea are nearly 1200 billion cubic meters after sparing moderate environmental / salt export water requirements of all rivers.[35] Interlinking rivers of the subcontinent is possible to achieve water security in the Indian subcontinent with the active cooperation of the countries in the region.

text: United States Domestic Policy[edit]

text: The United States currently does not have a cohesive domestic water security policy.[36] Water security is projected to be a problem in the future since future population growth will most likely occur in areas that are currently water stressed.[4] Ensuring that the United States remains water secure will require policies that will ensure fair distribution of existing water sources, protecting water sources from becoming depleted, maintaining good wastewater disposal, and maintaining existing water infrastructure.[37][38] Currently there are no national limits for US groundwater or surface water withdrawal. If limits are imposed, the people most impacted will be the largest water withdrawers from a water source. In 2005, 31% of US water use was for irrigation, 49% was thermoelectric power, public supply 11%, public supply, industrial was 4%, aquaculture 2%, domestic 1%, and livestock less than 1%.[39]

text: The lack of current national water policy is effective in regions of the United States where there is a lot of water but not effective in regions of water scarcity. In the future, a national water security policy may have to be implemented to move water from regions that are water rich to regions that are water scarce. If new policies are implemented, the major stakeholders will be individual states (both water rich and water poor states), farmers, power companies, and other industries that use a substantial amount of water (such as mining and oil and gas).[36][15]

text: Water utility security[edit]

text: According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), "Improving the security of our nation's drinking water and wastewater infrastructures has become a top priority since the events of 9/11.[40] Significant actions are underway to assess and reduce vulnerabilities to potential terrorist attacks; to plan for and practice response to emergencies and incidents; and to develop new security technologies to detect and monitor contaminants and prevent security breaches."[41]

text: One of the most important elements of water security is early and accurate contamination detection. The EPA has issued advisory material and guidelines for contamination warning systems to be implemented in water utilities and supplies. The security challenges that utilities frequently revolve around fast detection, accuracy, and the ability to take fast action when there is a water problem. If contamination is detected early enough, it can be prevented from reaching consumers, and emergency water supplies can be put into effect.[42]

text: In cases where contamination might still reach consumers, fast and efficient communication systems are necessary. All these factors also point to the need for organized and practiced emergency procedures and preparedness.

text: Regulation[edit]

text: Since 2002, under the Bioterrorism Act, a water utility supplying more than 3,300 people must take at least the following measures to ensure security of the water supply:[43][44][45]

text:
Conduct an assessment of the facility’s vulnerabilities to vandalism, insider sabotage, or terrorist attack, and submit the report to the EPA.
Show that the facility has an up-to-date emergency response plan, should an incident occur.

tag: ul

text: More recently, under the Drinking Water Security Act of 2009, the EPA is now required to establish risk-based performance standards for community water systems serving more than 3,300 people.[44]

text: Cincinnati Water Works, San Francisco, and New York City are among the major water utilities that have taken water security measures at their facilities, such as planning for contamination warning systems.[46]

text: Water utility security components[edit]

text: Security of a water supply involves a range of elements. Prevention and detection systems include some or all of the following: access to public health and customer complaint data, water quality monitoring equipment, sampling and analysis, cyber-security which includes situation management and IT systems hardware and software, and physical security. Crisis management and recovery, for when critical water events occur, includes flow control and security valves, rapid and effective communication systems, and emergency water supply equipment.

text: Specific technologies involved in water security are SCADA, GIS (geographic information system), online (real-time) water quality monitoring devices, contamination warning systems, intrusion detection systems (IDS), contamination detection devices, security valves, security cameras and fences, situation management/emergency management software, emergency supply tanks, manned (or human) security personnel, personal purification devices, and counter-terrorism intelligence.

text: Notable water security organizations[edit]

text: The Water Information Sharing and Analysis Center (WaterISAC),[47] is the US water sector's security and emergency response information source. This nonprofit service provides US, Canadian, and Australian drinking water and wastewater utilities with the information they need to heighten the protection of water collection and delivery infrastructure. WaterISAC is also a peer-to-peer, business networking platform. Eligible members of the water sector have access to a clearinghouse of government and private documents, guides, best practices, handbooks, and contaminant databases as well as shared data including analysis of successful and failed security incidents within the water sector. These include cyber incidents, physical incidents, and other security related incidents. Many but not all of these are reported to and tracked by WaterISAC. Together, these resources are can be used by utility managers to identify risks, prepare for emergencies, and secure the nation's critical water infrastructure and the environment.[48]American Water Works Association[49]

text: Blue Peace[edit]

text: Blue Peace is a method which seeks to transforms trans-boundary water issues into instruments for cooperation. This unique approach to turn tensions around water into opportunities for socio-economic development was developed by Strategic Foresight Group in partnership with the Governments of Switzerland and Sweden.

text: "The Blue Peace is an innovative approach to engage political leaders, diplomats and populations in harnessing and managing collaborative solutions for sustainable water management."

text: Blue Peace is part of a larger trend of viewing water as a human right rather than a market commodity.[50] When water is viewed as a human right, it empowers people in water stressed areas to manage their water sources effectively.[51] Part of having effective management of water is ensuring that all socioeconomic groups of people in a region have adequate access to water, not just certain people.

text: Conventional fossil or nuclear energy based desalination[edit]

text: As new technological innovations continue to reduce the capital cost of desalination, more countries are building desalination plants as a small element in addressing their water crises.[52]

text:
Israel desalinizes water for a cost of 53 cents per cubic meter [53]
Singapore desalinizes water for 49 cents per cubic meter [54] and also treats sewage with reverse osmosis for industrial and potable use (NEWater).
China and India, the world's two most populous countries, are turning to desalination to provide a small part of their water needs [55][56]
In 2007 Pakistan announced plans to use desalination [57]
All Australian capital cities (except Darwin, Northern Territory and Hobart) are either in the process of building desalination plants, or are already using them. In late 2011, Melbourne will begin using Australia's largest desalination plant, the Wonthaggi desalination plant to raise low reservoir levels.
In 2007 Bermuda signed a contract to purchase a desalination plant [58]
The largest desalination plant in the United States is the one at Tampa Bay, Florida, which began desalinizing 25 million gallons (95000 m³) of water per day in December 2007.[59] In the United States, the cost of desalination is $3.06 for 1,000 gallons, or 81 cents per cubic meter.[60] In the United States, California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida use desalination for a very small part of their water supply.[61][62][63]
After being desalinized at Jubail, Saudi Arabia, water is pumped 200 miles (320 km) inland though a pipeline to the capital city of Riyadh.[64]

text: A January 17, 2008, article in the Wall Street Journal states, "World-wide, 13,080 desalination plants produce more than 12 billion gallons of water a day, according to the International Desalination Association." [65]

text: The world's largest desalination plant is the Jebel Ali Desalination Plant (Phase 2) in the United Arab Emirates. It is a dual-purpose facility that uses multi-stage flash distillation and is capable of producing 300 million cubic meters of water per year.[66]

text: A typical aircraft carrier in the U.S. military uses nuclear power to desalinize 400,000 US gallons (1,500,000 L) of water per day.[67]

text: While desalinizing 1,000 US gallons (3,800 L) of water can cost as much as $3, the same amount of bottled water costs $7,945.[68]

text: However, given the energy intensive nature of desalination, with associated economic and environmental costs, desalination is generally considered a last resort after water conservation. But this is changing as prices continue to fall.

text: According to MSNBC, a report by Lux Research estimated that the worldwide desalinated water supply will triple between 2008 and 2020.[69]

text: However, not everyone is convinced that desalination is or will be economically viable or environmentally sustainable for the foreseeable future. Debbie Cook, the former mayor of Huntington Beach, California, has been a frequent critic of desalination proposals ever since she was appointed as a member of the California Desalination Task Force. Cook claims that in addition to being energy intensive, desalination schemes are very costly—often much more costly than desalination proponents claim. In her writing on the subject, Cook points to a long list of projects that have stalled or been aborted for financial or other reasons, and suggests that water-stressed regions would do better to focus on conservation or other water supply solutions than to invest in desalination plants.[70]

text: Solar energy based desalination[edit]

text: A novel approach to desalination is the seawater greenhouse, which takes seawater and uses solar energy to desalinate it in conjunction with growing food crops in a specially adapted greenhouse.


document_title: Gimme a Break!

question_text: who played julie on gimme a break

question_tokens: who played julie on gim me a break

text: Gimme a Break!

text: Premise[edit]

text: The sitcom takes place in Glenlawn, a fictional California suburb (certain episodes differ as to of what California city suburb was Glenlawn). Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper (Nell Carter) agrees to look after the Kanisky household as a special favor to her dying friend Margaret Huffman Kanisky (played in flashback by Sharon Spelman), who was the wife of police chief Carl Kanisky (Dolph Sweet), serving as a parental figure to the Chief's three teenage daughters, Katie (Kari Michaelsen),  Julie (Lauri Hendler), and Samantha (Lara Jill Miller). A foster son, Joey (Joey Lawrence), was added to the Kanisky household in Season 3.

text: Five episodes into the sixth and final season, the show changed locales from Glenlawn to New York City, when Nell, concerned for Joey's welfare after he moved there with his absentee father, traveled there to check on him. She subsequently assumed guardianship of Joey and his younger brother Matthew (played by Joey Lawrence's real-life brother Matthew Lawrence) at their father's request and was forced to permanently relocate there after Chief Kanisky's father Stanley (John Hoyt) sold the family's Glenlawn home.

text: Over the six-year run, a number of celebrities appeared on the show, including singers Whitney Houston, Andy Gibb, Sammy Davis, Jr., Ray Parker Jr., and The Pointer Sisters. More often than not, the guest singers would perform a song with Nell on the episodes. During the third season, Pat Sajak guest-starred as himself when Nell and her friend Addy (Telma Hopkins) were contestants on Wheel of Fortune. Other notable guest stars included Milton Berle, Danny Glover, Rue McClanahan, Tony Randall, Helen Hunt, Don Rickles, Gwen Verdon, Dennis Haysbert, Ernie Hudson, Gary Collins, and Elizabeth Berkley.

text: The episode "Cat Story" was performed and broadcast live on March 2, 1985, as a promotional gimmick, which the cast performed without major incident. An earlier episode (from the 1984–85 season), "Baby of the Family," ranked No. 38 on TV Land's list of "The 100 Most Unexpected TV Moments;" it depicted Joey dressing and performing in blackface at Nell's church benefit, a plan hatched by Samantha to retaliate for Nell forbidding her to go on an unchaperoned camping trip.[1]

text: The location of Glenlawn is never fully clarified, but Season 3 episode "Flashback" placed the town an hour away from Fresno, in the direction of Bakersfield. In yet another episode, Chief Kanisky boasts to the town mayor that his new police car will make it to Sacramento in just 23 minutes, putting the city of Glenlawn somewhere closer to the capital city than Fresno. Yet in another episode where exterior shooting took place, GlenLawn is on the ocean with palm trees. Still in another episode Nell states that Glenlawn is 300 miles from Santa Barbara. This places Glenlawn close to San Francisco. This is supported by episodes where Katie moves to San Francisco and Julie moves to nearby San Jose.

text: Cast[edit]

text: Main characters[edit]

text:
Nell Carter as Nellie Ruth "Nell" Harper. Nell was a singer from Tuscaloosa County, Alabama who ran away from home when she was 18. She met and became friends with Margaret Kanisky and promised to look after her family after she had died from cancer. In keeping her promise, Nell took on the role of housekeeper and mother to the kids and remained in the series for the entire 6-year run. She later became a foster mother to Joey Donovan in Season 3. Nell moved to Greenwich Village in New York City in Season 6 with Joey and Addy and worked as an assistant editor for a publishing company.
Dolph Sweet as Police Chief Carl "Chief" Kanisky (Seasons 1–4). Police Chief Carl Kanisky, known simply as "the Chief," was a widower with three teenage daughters. After Dolph Sweet's death on May 8, 1985, his character of the Chief was written out of the series as also having died, and the show continued with Nell taking over as head of the household.
Kari Michaelsen as Kathleen "Katie" Kanisky (Seasons 1–5). The Chief's eldest daughter, portrayed as a typical "blonde" and being promiscuous. She decided not to go to college and opened a boutique called Katie's Korner. After her boutique went out of business, she was written out of the series as having obtained a job in San Francisco. Her last appearance was the first episode of Season 6.
Lauri Hendler as Julie Kanisky Maxwell (Seasons 1–5).  The Chief's middle daughter, portrayed as being very intelligent. She married Jonathan Maxwell at the end of Season 4 and became pregnant in Season 5. In the Season 6 premiere, after Nell Maxwell had been born, the new three-member Maxwell family moved to San Jose and was therefore written out of the series.
Lara Jill Miller as Samantha "Sam" Kanisky (Seasons 1–5, recurring in season 6). The Chief's youngest daughter, portrayed as a typical tomboy in her preteen years but developed into a boy-crazy teenager. She moved to Warren County, New Jersey to go to Littlefield College and had a recurring role in Season 6.
Joey Lawrence as Joey Donovan (Seasons 3–6), who eventually became Nell and the Chief's foster son; before that he had been working as a con artist to raise money to join his uncle in Chicago. Later Joey became a key cast member. His father Tim Donovan appeared on the show in New Orleans and in New York City. Joey met his little brother and moved in with Tim at the beginning of season 6 but soon afterwards was reunited with Nell and lived with her and Addy in New York City.
Howard Morton as Officer Ralph Waldo Simpson (Seasons 3–5, previously recurring). A not very bright but lovable police officer who was a subordinate of the Chief's.
John Hoyt as Stanley "Grandpa" Kanisky (Seasons 2–6, previously recurring). The Chief's crusty but lovable Polish immigrant father. After his wife died, Grandpa Kanisky came to live with his son and granddaughters in Season 3. In Season 6 he moved to New York City, into the same building as Nell.
Telma Hopkins as Dr. Adelaide "Addy" Wilson (Seasons 4–6, previously recurring). Nell's childhood friend, Ph.D. and a Phi Beta Kappa, Addy was chief educational curriculum supervisor for postgraduate students who are studying for Doctorates in history, English and economic geography under the California university system and later moved to New York City; Nell eventually joined her there. Although Nell and Addy were friends, they were also constantly clashing.
Jonathan Silverman as Jonathan Maxwell (Season 5, previously recurring). Julie's husband, pizza-delivery man and archeology student. Jonathan went to Mexico on a three-month dig.  Jonathan, Julie, and their new baby left for San Jose after Season 5.
Rosetta LeNoire as Maybelle "Mama Maybelle" Harper (Season 6, previously recurring). Nell's stern, bitter and critical mother who was introduced in Season 4 ("Alabamy Bound: Part 1"). Previously, in Seasons 1 ("Nell Goes Home") and 3 ("A Kanisky Christmas"), the character's name was Emma, was played by Hilda Haynes and was soft-spoken.
Paul Sand as Marty (Season 6), The landlord of the building Nell, Addy, Joey, and Matthew lived in. He also owned the adjacent restaurant La Gazpacho, where he went by "Esteban."
Rosie O'Donnell as Maggie O'Brien (Season 6), Nell's dental hygienist neighbor in New York City.
Matthew Lawrence as Matthew Donovan (Season 6), Joey's little brother.

text: Recurring characters[edit]

text:
Alvernette Jimenez as Angie McDaniel. Nell's tall, skinny, and dim-witted friend, the typical airhead with a little girl's voice. The character was eventually written out of the show, but appeared in several episodes between seasons 1 and 4.
Jane Dulo as Mildred Kanisky (née Wuchetzky). Stanley Kanisky's wife and Carl's mother. Also played by Elvia Allman in "Katie the Cheat" and Elizabeth Kerr in "Grandma Fools Around." Dulo played the role in season 2. The character died, leaving Stanley a widower in Season 3.
Pete Schrum as Ed Kanisky, Carl's brother, an overweight mortician who loved to play practical jokes. Ed was a recurring character in Seasons 1 and 2, then got married and was written out of the series.
Patrick Collins as Tim Donovan. Joey and Matthew's father was a merchant seaman. Joey reunited with Tim in New Orleans in season 4 (when Tim was played by Fred McCarren). Joey went to live with Tim and Matthew in the beginning of season 6 when Tim decided to get a job in New York City. After realizing he couldn't handle a 9-to-5 job, Tim decided he wanted to go back to sea and Joey returned to Nell and Addy along with Matthew.
Jack Fletcher as Erwin J. Swackhammer. During the 1982–83 season, the family contended with this man who would annoy the Kanisky household in various ways, the most notable of which occurred when he was the manager of the telephone company and had Nell arrested and jailed. After 5 episodes, Swackhammer disappeared with no explanation.
Harrison Page as Hamilton Storm. A news reporter that appeared occasionally during Seasons 1 and 2 who appeared more concerned with his appearance than giving the news.

text: Broadcast history[edit]

text:
Season
Time

1981–82
Thursday at 9:30–10:00

1982–83
Saturday at 9:00–9:30 (1982)Thursday at 9:00–9:30 (1983)

1983–84
Thursday at 8:00–8:30

1984–85
Saturday at 8:30–9:00 (Episodes 1–9)Saturday at 9:00–9:30 (Episodes 10–25)

1985–86
Saturday at 8:00–8:30

1986–87
Wednesday at 9:00–9:30 (Episodes 1, 3–15, 17–21)Wednesday at 9:30–10:00 (Episodes 2, 16, 22)Tuesday at 9:00–9:30 (Episodes 23–25)

tag: table

text: Episodes[edit]

text: Production information[edit]

text: The show was produced by Alan Landsburg Productions (renamed as Reeves Entertainment Group in 1985). The American syndication rights are held by NBCUniversal Television Distribution, the successor company to original syndicator MCA TV. FremantleMedia owns the international rights, as they own Thames Television, which acquired Reeves Entertainment Group in 1990. The creators of the show were Mort Lachman and Sy Rosen.

text: Over its run, the series used two different theme songs. The first was composed by Bob Christianson with lyrics by Bob Garrett and Marley Sims; two versions of this song were used, one for the first season and a new recording for the second. A new theme, with music by Jay Graydon and lyrics by Richard Page, was introduced in the third season and used for the remainder of the show's run. The new theme has similarities to the first but with a more positive attitude. Carter performed both themes.

text: Syndication[edit]

text: The show has been in syndication since 1985. Reruns have also aired nationally on WWOR EMI Service and USA.[2][3][4][5] Distribution rights are jointly owned by The Program Exchange and NBCUniversal Television Distribution, successor in interest to previous syndicator MCA Television. Reruns of the series are a mainstay of many of Sinclair Broadcast Group's The CW and MyNetworkTV stations, especially in low-traffic time periods, due to the low-cost barter setup of The Program Exchange.

text: Antenna TV has aired the show since January 2, 2018.

text: DVD releases[edit]

text: United States[edit]

text: Universal Studios Home Entertainment released a three-disc DVD of the complete first season of Gimme a Break! on February 14, 2006, available in the United States only. The Complete Series is now available in the US.

text: Canada[edit]

text: Visual Entertainment (under license from FremantleMedia) released the first two seasons of Gimme a Break! on DVD in Canada between 2006–07. In 2009, VEI announced that they plan on releasing the entire series in a complete series box set in 2010.[6]  VEI released Gimme a Break! The Complete Series on DVD in Canada on July 20, 2010.[7]  As of 2013, these releases have been discontinued and are out of print.

text: UK[edit]

text: Simply Media TV Ltd released the first and second series in the UK, although the series has never been broadcast on British television.

text: Awards and nominations[edit]

text: Nell Carter received two Emmy nominations as Best Actress in a Comedy Series (1982, 1983)[8] and two Golden Globe nominations as Best Actress in a Television Series-Comedy or Musical (1983, 1985).[9]


document_title: Macula of retina

question_text: where does the macula get its blood supply from

text: Macula of retina

text: Structure[edit]

text: Color[edit]

text: Because the macula is yellow in colour it absorbs excess blue and ultraviolet light that enter the eye, and acts as a natural sunblock (analogous to sunglasses) for this area of the retina. The yellow color comes from its content of lutein and zeaxanthin, which are yellow xanthophyll carotenoids, derived from the diet. Zeaxanthin predominates at the macula, while lutein predominates elsewhere in the retina. There is some evidence that these carotenoids protect the pigmented region from some types of macular degeneration. A formulation of 10 mg lutein and 2 mg zeaxanthin has been shown to reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration progressing to advanced stages, although these carotenoids have not been shown to prevent the disease.[7]

text: Regions[edit]

text:
Fovea - 1.55 mm (0.061 in)
Foveal avascular zone (FAZ) - 0.5 to 0.6 mm (0.020 to 0.024 in)
Foveola - 0.35 mm (0.014 in)
Umbo - 0.15 mm (0.0059 in)

text: Function[edit]

text: Structures in the macula are specialized for high-acuity vision. Within the macula are the fovea and foveola that both contain a high density of cones (photoreceptors with high acuity).

text: Clinical significance[edit]

text: Whereas loss of peripheral vision may go unnoticed for some time, damage to the macula will result in loss of central vision, which is usually immediately obvious. The progressive destruction of the macula is a disease known as macular degeneration and can sometimes lead to the creation of a macular hole. Macular holes are rarely caused by trauma, but if a severe blow is delivered it can burst the blood vessels going to the macula, destroying it.

text: Visual input from the macula occupies a substantial portion of the brain's visual capacity. As a result, some forms of visual field loss that occur without involving the macula are termed macular sparing. (For example, visual field testing might demonstrate homonymous hemianopsia with macular sparing.)

text: In the case of occipitoparietal ischemia owing to occlusion of elements of either posterior cerebral artery, patients may display cortical blindness (which, rarely, can involve blindness that the patient denies having, as seen in Anton's Syndrome), yet display sparing of the macula. This selective sparing is due to the collateral circulation offered to macular tracts by the middle cerebral artery.[8] Neurological examination that confirms macular sparing can go far in representing the type of damage mediated by an infarct, in this case, indicating that the caudal visual cortex (which is the principal recipient of macular projections of the optic nerve) has been spared. Further, it indicates that cortical damage rostral to, and including, lateral geniculate nucleus is an unlikely outcome of the infarction, as too much of the lateral geniculate nucleus is, proportionally, devoted to macular-stream processing.[9]

text: Additional images[edit]

text:
The interior of the posterior half of the left eyeball.

A fundus photograph showing the macula as a spot to the left. The optic disc is the area on the right where blood vessels converge. The grey, more diffuse spot in the centre is a shadow artifact.

An optical coherence tomography (OCT) scan of a macula at 800 nm, with an axial resolution of 3 µm