.gay, History, Creation and contention
By 2011, the groups Dot Gay Alliance and dotgay LLC had expressed interest in operating the generic top-level domain (gTLD), which became one of approximately 2,000 new gTLDs formally requested in 2012. The .gay gTLD was one of 84 that received applications in the "community-based category". Some officials of conservative Arab nations opposed creation of the gTLD. In 2012, the Saudi Arabian government objected to use of .gay domains, alongside the .baby, .bar, .casino, .islam, .sex., and .wine gTLDs and others.


.gay, History, Creation and contention
The Saudi communications authority known as the Communications and Information Technology Commission said .gay domains "would promote homosexuality and would be offensive to 'many societies and cultures'". In August, The Verge's Kimber Streams said "several organized campaigns and petitions were filed against .sex and .gay domains in attempt to communicate large numbers of opposition."


.gay, History, Creation and contention
In April 2012, Top Level Design and three other applicants including dotgay LLC had applied to operate the gTLD. In a guest column published by the LGBT publication PQ Monthly in October 2013, the domain name registry's CEO Ray King said he was inspired to apply for .gay by his late gay brother-in-law Clyde and other family members.


.gay, History, Creation and contention
King outlined why he wanted the gTLD to remain open in order to benefit the global LGBT community, using three main concepts: "Freedom of Choice", meaning the purpose of gTLDs like .gay and .lgbt should not be defined by gatekeepers; "Freedom of Speech", or not allowing censorship of content appearing on .gay domains; and the "Freedom to Register", suggesting there should not be a barrier to authenticate oneself as LGBTQ to register a .gay domain.


.gay, History, Creation and contention
In the latter concept, King argued against the need for domain purchasers to become a member of an "Authentication Partner" (LGBT organizations such as the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association or Human Rights Campaign), who would be required to create usernames and passwords for all of their members. According to King, "This means higher costs, disenfranchising many potential registrants such as youth and people in developing countries and also, forced identification, which to some may be anywhere from distasteful to outright dangerous. Further, there are many LGBTQ folks who simply do not wish to participate in formal organizations." The column concluded by asking community members to express their support or opposition of an open .gay gTLD.


.gay, History, Creation and contention
In November 2013, Q Center, an LGBT community center in Portland, Oregon, published arguments by King on behalf of Top Level Design and Jamie Baxter on behalf of dotgay LLC; both groups expressed why they should be the registry for .gay, and were seeking community support. Slate magazine also covered the .gay contention. dotgay LLC's community application was denied by ICANN's Community Priority Evaluation committee in October 2014. The decision was appealed and denied multiple times.


.gay, History, Creation and contention
The main reason for the denial was that the TLD ".gay" did not match defined dotgay LLC's stated community of LGBTQIA, and that the organizations in support were not necessarily representative of the global population; "There is no single such organization recognized by the defined community as representative of the community".


.gay, History, Creation and contention
In 2016, in an opinion piece published by The Wall Street Journal, L. Gordon Crovitz wrote: "[ICANN] also refuses to award the .gay domain to community groups representing gay people around the world. [ ICANN's] ombudsman recently urged his group to 'put an end to this long and difficult issue' by granting the domain. [ ICANN] prefers to earn larger fees by putting the .gay domain up for auction among for-profit domain companies."


.gay, History, Launch
Top Level Design was recognized by ICANN as the .gay registry on May 23, 2019, after competing applicants dropped their bids.


.gay, History, Launch
The "Sunrise II" phase for registration began on April 6, 2020. Following a delay because of the COVID-19 pandemic, during which Top Level Design offered to provide a limited number of domains to groups "working to foster digital Pride", domains became available to the general public on September 16, 2020. Twenty percent of registration revenue will benefit CenterLink and GLAAD; approximately $75,000 was raised, as of late September 2020.


.gay, History, Launch
The web series The Library, which explores LGBT slang and other concepts, debuted alongside the gTLD's launch. Logan Lynn, who helped with the launch, said the 2020 release commemorated 50 years since the first pride parade. Domains have been registered by Roxane Gay, Grindr, Instinct, Billy Jean King, PFLAG, and George Takei.


.gay, Harassment protections
The gTLD offers harassment protections. According to Willamette Week's Andrew Jankowski, "The .gay rights protections policy gives users a clear guide on making sites queer-friendly, while outlining behavior that gets would-be trolls banned from misusing the extension."


.gb
.gb is a reserved Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the United Kingdom.


.gb
The domain was introduced with RFC 920 in October 1984 that set out the creation of ccTLD generally using country codes derived from the corresponding two-letter code in the ISO 3166-1 list. However, the .uk domain had been created separately a few months before the compilation of this list. Consequently, .gb was never widely used. It is no longer possible to register under this domain.


.gb
.gb was used for a number of years, mainly by British government organisations and commercial e-mail services using X.400-based e-mail infrastructure. This simplified translating between DNS domains and X.400 addresses, which used "GB" as a country code.


.gb
With the demise of X.400 e-mail and IANA's general aim of one TLD per country, use of .gb declined; the domain remains in existence, but it is not currently open to new domain registrations.


.gb
As of 2021, dra.hmg.gb still exists, with at least three subdomains resolving through DNS (although none serve a website): hermes.dra.hmg.gb, delos.dra.hmg.gb, and dfhnet.dra.hmg.gb. The domain was originally owned by the Defence Research Agency, which became the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency in 1995 and was split into QinetiQ and the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in 2001; the website became defunct some time thereafter.


.gc.ca
.gc.ca is a privately held second-level domain in the .ca top-level domain. It is used by the Government of Canada and operated by Government Telecommunications and Informatics Services, which holds all third level domains under the .gc.ca banner.


.gc.ca
In 2012, the government of Canada had launched a plan to move all government sites to a single domain, "canada.ca". However, that plan has been abandoned, and most government sites will remain under their own domains for the foreseeable future.


.gc.ca
In addition to many official government websites, a process has been implemented where many of the Canadian diplomatic mission locations also have gc.ca domains as well. (i.e. the Canadian High Commission in Barbados has a forwarding service from "barbados.gc.ca", or similarly the Consulate-General in Boston as "boston.gc.ca".)


.gd
.gd is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Grenada.


.gd, March 2013 dispute over ownership of the .vg, .tc and .gd registries
Domain name registrars such as GoDaddy have stopped accepting new registrations for .vg, .tc and .gd domain names since March 2013. This is the result of a dispute over the ownership and control of AdamsNames Ltd. which had been the accredited registry by the IANA for those top level domains. A former partner of AdamsNames Ltd. created a new company Meridian Ltd. which claimed to be the new accredited registry.


.gd, May 2013 freeze of the .gd zone
The National Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (NTRC) made the decision to move the .gd zone under the management of KSRegistry, running as nicGD, as of 1 May 2013. This was to ensure the integrity of the zone and to allow it remain in control and under the responsibility of the NTRC. KSRegistry, as a result of acquiring the zone, had to resolve any discrepancies that may have occurred during the dispute and chose to freeze the zone from changes until May 21, 2013. Since then, the zone has been re-opened with new policies.


.gdn
.gdn (Global Domain Name) is a generic top-level domain (TLD) name. It is a generic TLD as it has no intended audience and can be used by anyone. The Registry Agreement was made official on July 31, 2014. It became available to the general public on 7 March 2016.


.gdn
.gdn is in the top 13 registry among new gTLDs as per . The top three countries where .gdn is registered are the United States, China, and the Russian Federation.


.gdn
.gdn made 300,000+ registrations in less than a year after general public launch. The domain is registered in 119 countries.


.ge
.ge is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Georgia. .ge top-level domain names are available for direct registration for individuals and companies worldwide, without any restriction on citizenship or residence. Second-level domain names are also available for registration for several specific types of registrants:


.ge, History
.ge was delegated to Georgian ISP SaNet in 1992. In 2006 Caucasus Online has been formed after merger of 3 companies (including SaNet) and became sponsor of .ge. Registration service was initially provided by non-profit organization Internet Development Group - Georgia, but after introduction of Caucasus Online it exclusively consolidated both administrative and registrar roles. .gov.ge was delegated to LEPL Smart Logic in 2014.


.ge, .გე
In 2011, a new top-level domain name was registered for Georgia, intended for domain names in the local language. The top-level domain is .გე (.xn--node), which are the Georgian letters gani and eni, representing G and E rather than an abbreviation of a native word. It became active with active web sites in 2016.


.ge, .გე
Starting January 20, 2016, Georgia registered .გე top-level domains using Georgian Mkhedruli script. At first, the process started for reservation of governmental and commercial TLDs but after 6 months from start date, registration of IDN ccTLDs became available to the general public.


.geo
.geo was a generic top-level domain proposed by SRI International to be used to associate Internet resources with geographical locations, via a system of "georegistrars" and "georegistries" with hierarchical addresses representing locations in a grid encircling the Earth. These addresses are not intended to be typed in directly by end-users (and hence are "messy" strings like acme.2e5n.10e30n.geo) but rather, would be used "behind the scenes" by software looking things up by location (possibly driven by GPS positioning in mobile devices).


.geo
A number of schemes have been proposed or implemented in an attempt to classify Internet sites geographically; many of them do not require anything special in DNS (e.g., the GeoURL initiative). The .geo proposal can, hence, be criticized as making unnecessary use of a top-level domain where it might have been implemented using subdomains elsewhere (perhaps within .arpa, the domain allocated for infrastructure lookups), or with non-DNS methods such as "meta" tags in Web sites.


.geo
.geo was proposed to ICANN as part of the first round of new top-level domains in 2000, but failed to gain approval, and there has not been any noticeable activity regarding this proposal for several years.


.gf
.gf is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for French Guiana. It is delegated to the ISP Net Plus.


.gg
.gg is the country code top-level domain for the Bailiwick of Guernsey. The domain is administered by Island Networks, who also administer the .je domain for neighbouring territory Jersey.


.gg
In 2003, a Google Search website was made available for Guernsey, which still uses the .gg domain.


.gg, Usage in video games
Multiple video game and esports websites use this domain, because "gg" is a common initialism used in multiplayer video games as an abbreviation for the phrase "good game", usually said at the end of a match. For example, the VoIP application Discord, commonly used with multiplayer games, uses the domain discord.gg as a redirect to their main website, discord.com, as well as for Discord server invite links.


.gg, Second-level domains
Names have been registered principally directly at second level, however the following legacy sub-domains are still open for registration:


.gh
.gh is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Ghana.


.gh, Second level domains
There are some exceptions to these domains: parliament.gh for the Parliament of Ghana, isoc.gh for the ISOC Ghana Chapter, nic.gh for the Ghana Network Information Center, cocobod.gh for the Ghana Cocoa Board, techgov.gh for Techgov and yellowpages.gh for the Yellow Pages Ghana Directory.


.gi
.gi is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory.


.gi, Use in Girona
It has been used for some official domains for the Spanish city of Girona due to its coincidence in abbreviation. This limited use began prior to the creation of the .cat TLD because of Catalan reluctance to use domains under the Spanish country code TLD .es. Subsequent rules changes prevent new 2nd level registrations directly under .gi for entities not connected with Gibraltar.


.gl
.gl is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet for Greenland. The domain is available for Internet services worldwide and registrations are handled by ICANN-accredited domain name registrars.


.gl
The domain name has sometimes been marketed as standing for "good luck", "graphics library" or Gloucestershire.


.gl
In December 2009, Google released a URL shortener service using the domain hack goo.gl. The service was shut down on 30 March 2019.


.gl
In April 2013, the registry unilaterally voluntarily suspended resolution of , intended to be a new primary domain name for Bittorrent search engine The Pirate Bay.


.global
.global is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) and was delegated to the DNS root zone on June 6, 2014. The application for the new top-level domain was approved on April 17, 2014, and .global was made available to the general public on September 9, 2014.


.global, Background
The path from application to launch was rather complicated, due to the name collision concerns relating to the word "global" (as it is being used in many internal networks). As a consequence, the .global registry had to block 60 000 domain names under from registration during a couple of months, until the name collision issues had been fully resolved.


.gm
.gm is the country code top-level domain (CCTLD) of The Gambia.


.gm, Second-level domains
Registrations are taken directly at the second level, or at the third level beneath the following second level names:


.gm, Second-level domains
A subregistry * .gov.gm for Government entities is delegated to the .


.gm, Second-level domains
A subregistry * .edu.gm  for Educational institutions and resources is delegated to the .


.gn
.gn is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Guinea. A local contact is required to register a domain name under .gn.


.google
.google is a brand top-level domain (TLD) used in the Domain Name System (DNS) of the Internet. Created in 2014, it is operated by Alphabet Inc., Google's parent company. It is notable as one of the first gTLDs associated with a specific brand. Plans exist to move other Alphabet products and domains to google.


.google
In addition, Google also owns the domain .goog (for sites such as  and ) and .gle (for shortened URLs such as goo.gle and forms.gle).


.google
Below is a list of websites operated by Google under the domain .google:


.gov
The domain name gov is a sponsored top-level domain (sTLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. The name is derived from the word government, indicating its restricted use by government entities. The TLD is administered by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), a component of the United States Department of Homeland Security.


.gov
.gov is one of the original six top-level domains, defined in RFC 920. Though “originally intended for any kind of government office or agency”, only U.S.-based government organizations may register .gov domain names, a result of the Internet originating as a U.S. government-sponsored research network.


.gov
Other countries typically delegate a second-level domain for government operations on their country-code top-level domain (ccTLD); for example, .gov.uk is the domain for the Government of the United Kingdom, and .gc.ca is the domain for the Government of Canada. The United States is the only country that has a government-specific top-level domain in addition to its ccTLD (.us).


.gov
Beginning in 1997, the General Services Administration (GSA) began administering .gov. Responsibility for the TLD was transferred to CISA under the DOTGOV Online Trust in Government Act of 2020, part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021.


.gov, Use
Many governments in the United States use a .gov domain, though most use .us (e.g., leg.state.nv.us), .com (e.g., myflorida.com), .org (e.g., lacity.org), or other TLDs (e.g., senate.mn). The full list of registered .gov domains is published at .


.gov, Use
During GSA's administration of .gov, registration and annual renewal fees peaked at $400 per year. When CISA began managing the TLD in April 2021, all fees were removed.


.gov, Use
Federal Executive branch policy requires the use of .gov for civilian agencies, but some U.S. government-related websites use non-.gov domain names, including the United States Postal Service (e.g., usps.com) and various recruiting websites for armed services (e.g., goarmy.com). The United States Department of Defense and its subsidiary organizations typically use the .mil sTLD instead of .gov.


.gov, Eligibility
U.S.-based government organizations and publicly controlled entities are eligible to obtain a .gov domain. This includes federal, state, local, or territorial government, as well as any tribal government recognized by the federal government or a state government.


.gov, Eligibility
To register a .gov domain, an authorization letter must be submitted to CISA. The signer of the letter differs by entity type, but it is typically an agency's head, chief information officer (CIO), or highest-ranking or elected official.


.gov, Eligibility
Historically, only U.S. federal government agencies were allowed to register a .gov domain. In May 2002, GSA proposed a change that would open registration to state, local, and tribal governments in the U.S., a change that went into effect in March 2003.


.gov, Eligibility
In November 2019, before the transfer of .gov to CISA, GSA's authorization process was shown to be weak after someone impersonated the mayor of Exeter, Rhode Island in an authorization letter and successfully gained control of exeterri.gov. In response, GSA said it had implemented additional fraud prevention controls, and CISA advocated for transferring the TLD from GSA.


.gov, Policy
The DOTGOV Act requires that CISA maintain requirements that “minimize the risk of .gov internet domains whose names could mislead or confuse users”. These include:


.gov, Policy
The Act also requires that .gov domains not be used for political campaign or commercial purposes, and that domains are registered only by authorized individuals.


.gov, Policy
.gov has been used to serve certain policy goals. As an action following Executive Order 13571, President Barack Obama restricted executive branch agencies from registering new .gov domains in an attempt to eliminate unnecessary, redundant, or outdated sites. US government agencies used the .gov registrar to make it easy for new registrants to opt-in to HTTPS preloading  and to make it easier for the public to report potential security issues.


.gov, Use by states and territories
As of February 2014, all states, the District of Columbia, and all territories except for the Northern Mariana Islands have operational domains in gov:


.gov, International equivalents
While the use of gov as a top-level domain is restricted to the United States, several other countries have second-level domains of the same name or similar semantics for governmental purposes, including:


.gp
.gp is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Guadeloupe. Pricing differs for Guadeloupians compared to other Internet users.


.gp
Registrations can be made directly at the second level, or at the third level beneath .com.gp, .net.gp, .edu.gp, .asso.gp, or .org.gp. Two digits numbers are accepted for registration.


.gq
.gq is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Equatorial Guinea. Freenom relaunched the TLD on October 1, 2014, and domains became available for free on January 1, 2015.


.gq
The .gq registry allows the creation of emoji domain names.


.gq, History
The .gq domain was launched in July 1997 by GETESA, the nation's prominent internet service provider.


.gq, History
In October 2014, domain company Freenom partnered with GETESA to try a business model which involved giving away .gq domain names for free. Before the public launch, there was a sunrise period to allow trademark holders to register their names. Public domain registration commenced on January 1, 2015.


.gq, Second-level domains
Registrations are taken directly at the second level, or at the third level beneath the following second level names:


.gq, Abuse
Due to the lack of cost required to obtain a .gq domain, the TLD has been prone to usage for spam, phishing and other malicious purposes. A study conducted by internet security company Symantec found that 92% of the top 50 .gq websites were being used for "shady" purposes. Out of all of the websites on a .gq domain that were surveyed by Symantec, a whole 98.94% were being used for malicious purposes.


.gr
.gr is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Greece. Registrations are processed via accredited registrars and domain names in Greek characters may also be registered.


.gr, Second level domains
There are some other not official second level domains that belong to registrars offering third level domain name registrations.


.gr, Alternative top domain
Greece applied for the internationalized country code top-level domain (IDN ccTLD) .ελ (.ΕΛ in capital letters) for domain names composed of letters of the Greek alphabet. This was turned down by ICANN in April 2011 because it was too similar visually to .EA in Latin letters should ICANN ever implement such a TLD (EA is an exceptionally reserved ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 code element for Ceuta & Melilla).


.gr, Alternative top domain
In 2014 ICANN decided to allow Greece to have the domain .ελ. In October 2015 the right to this top domain was handed over to Greece. The top-level domain became operational on the Internet on 10 July 2018.


.gr, Alternative top domain
The first three months, domains already held under .gr as they are in Latin or Greek letters or transcribed into Greek can be obtained for .ελ only by the holder of that .gr domain. After three months (October 2018) these restrictions cease to exist.


.gr, Alternative top domain
There is also Greek or EU plan to use the domain .ευ for the European Union. It has also been turned down because it is too visually similar to .eu, the European Union domain.


.gs
.gs is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.


.gs
.gs is a member of CoCCA, a group of country-code domains making use of common registry and dispute resolution services, (along with .af, .cx, .nf, .ki, .tl, .mn, .dm, and .mu).


.gt
.gt is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Guatemala. As from 29 May 2012, .gt second level registrations are available.


.gu
.gu is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Guam.


.gu
Registrations are free of charge but are limited to people or companies with a contact in Guam, and are limited to third-level registrations beneath second-level names such as .com.gu. There has not been very much use of .gu addresses.


.guru
.guru is a generic top-level domain (gTLD) owned by Donuts. It was delegated on 6 November 2013.


.guru, History
.guru was one of the first seven gTLDs launched simultaneously by Donuts in late 2013. The sunrise period, during which pre-existing trademark holders may register URLs prior to general availability to prevent domain squatting, lasted from 26 November 2013 through to 24 January 2014. .guru did not undergo a landrush period in which a closed group of non-trademark holders are able to purchase domains for a premium price, and instead went straight to general availability release.


.guru, History
The launch of .guru was part of a significant movement in the creation of top-level domains; prior to 2014, only 22 gTLDs were available for registration, while over a thousand were launched in February 2014 alone. .guru quickly became the pre-eminent new gTLD in signups, having 55,000 registrations by May of that year with 35,000 in the first three weeks of its opening alone. Until the release of .app, .guru had the most pre-orders of any new gTLD at GoDaddy.


.guru, History
However, the market for new gTLDs performed below expectations, with fewer registrations and a smaller market share than originally predicted. While .guru's first-mover advantage gave it a respectable market share amongst other minor gTLDs, the overall picture was of a more niche product than anticipated. In 2015, a year after its launch, .guru was found to have the second highest number of its registrations lapsed or deleted after .tips.


.guru, History
Despite the failure to meet original expectations, .guru nonetheless remains a popular niche for many individuals and small businesses, particularly in India.


.guru, Usage
As of 2021, there are 65,315 registered .guru domains, making up 0.23% of all domains. GoDaddy has the majority of the .guru market share with 52.4%, while NameCheap runs a distant second at 11.7%. Approximately 56,000 of the registrations are to active websites, and an estimated $1.5-2 million dollars are paid in .guru registration fees per year. According to The Spamhaus Project, as of March 2021 11% of .guru domains engage in spamming, compared to 3.8% of .com, 7% of .net, 6.3% of .info, and 1.6% of .org domains. .guru's primary competitors are .expert, which is similarly focused on expertise, and .ninja, another "edgy" expert-focused gTLD.


.gw
.gw is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Guinea-Bissau.


.gw
The .gw country code top-level domain was delegated multiple times to different entities.


.gw
The domain was introduced to the root zone on 4 February 1997, and management of it was most recently delegated by IANA to ARN (Autoridade Reguladora Nacional – Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação da Guiné-Bissau) on 10 July 2014.


.gw
The .gw domain name was launched to public registration in November 2014 with the technical help of Associação DNS.PT (Registry of .PT ccTLD).


.gy
.gy is the Internet country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for Guyana. It is administered and managed by the Centre for Information Technology in the University of Guyana.


.hack
.hack (pronounced "Dot Hack") is a Japanese multimedia franchise that encompasses two projects: Project .hack and .hack Conglomerate. They were primarily created and developed by CyberConnect2, and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The series features an alternative history setting in the rise of the new millennium regarding the technological rise of a new version of the internet following a major global computer network disaster in the year 2005, and the mysterious events regarding the wildly popular fictional massively multiplayer online role-playing game The World. The series mainly comprises anime and video game titles which have been subsequently adapted into manga, novels, and other related media.


.hack, Project .hack
Project .hack was the first project of the .hack series. It launched in 2002 with the anime series .hack//Sign in April 2002 and the PlayStation 2 game .hack//Infection in June 2002. Project developers included Koichi Mashimo (Bee Train), Kazunori Itō (Catfish) and Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Gainax). Since then, Project .hack has spanned television, video games, manga and novels. It centers mainly on the events and affairs of the prime installment of The World. The franchise began internationally when Bandai announced .hack//Infection, which was released in 2003 and .hack//Sign got an English dub, which was released on Cartoon Network in the same year.


.hack, .hack Conglomerate
.hack Conglomerate is the current project of .hack by CyberConnect2 and various other companies and successor to Project .hack. The companies include Victor Entertainment, Nippon Cultural Broadcasting, Bandai, TV Tokyo, Bee Train, and Kadokawa Shoten. It encompasses a series of three PlayStation 2 games called .hack//G.U., an anime series called .hack//Roots, prose, and manga. .hack Conglomerate focuses on times and installments after the original The World MMORPG.


.hack, Other appearances
A few characters from the franchise appear in the Nintendo 3DS games Project X Zone and Project X Zone 2.


.hack (video game series)
.hack (/dɒt hæk/) is a series of single-player action role-playing video games developed for the PlayStation 2 console by CyberConnect2 and published by Bandai. The four games, .hack//Infection, .hack//Mutation, .hack//Outbreak, and .hack//Quarantine, all feature a "game within a game", a fictional massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) called The World which does not require the player to connect to the Internet. Players may transfer their characters and data between games in the series. Each game comes with an extra DVD containing an episode of .hack//Liminality, the accompanying original video animation (OVA) series which details fictional events that occur concurrently with the games.


.hack (video game series)
The games are part of a multimedia franchise called Project .hack, which explores the mysterious origins of The World. Set after the events of the anime series, .hack//Sign, the games focus on a player character named Kite and his quest to discover why some users have become comatose in the real world as a result of playing The World. The search evolves into a deeper investigation of the game and its effects on the stability of the Internet.


.hack (video game series)
Critics gave the series mixed reviews. It was praised for its unique setting and its commitment to preserve the suspension of disbelief, as well as the character designs. However, it was criticized for uneven pacing and a lack of improvement between games in the series. The commercial success of the franchise led to the production of .hack//frägment—a Japan-only remake of the series with online capabilities—and .hack//G.U., another video game trilogy which was released for the PlayStation 2 between 2006 and 2007. A remastered collection of the latter was released for the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows in 2017, titled .hack//G.U. Last Recode.


.hack (video game series), Gameplay
.hack simulates an MMORPG; players assume the role of a participant in a fictional game called The World. The player controls the on-screen player character Kite from a third-person perspective but first-person mode is available. The player manually controls the viewing perspective using the game controller. Within the fictional game, players explore monster-infested fields and dungeons, and "Root Towns" that are free of combat. They can also log off from The World and return to a computer desktop interface which includes in-game e-mail, news, message boards, and desktop and background music customization options.


.hack (video game series), Gameplay
The player may save the game to a memory card both from the desktop and within The World at a Save Shop. A Data Flag appears on the save file after the player completes the game, allowing the transfer of all aspects of the player character and party members to the next game in the series.


.hack (video game series), Gameplay
The series is typical of action role-playing games, in which players attack enemies in real time. The game's action pauses whenever the menu is opened to select magic to cast, items to use, or skills to perform. The player directly controls Kite and the other characters are controlled by artificial intelligence. The player may either provide the computer-controlled characters with guidelines ("attack", "first aid", "magic", etc.) or issue direct commands. Most hostile creatures are contained within magic portals and combat will not begin until the player character approaches the portal and releases the monsters inside.


.hack (video game series), Gameplay
Kite possesses a unique ability called "Data Drain" which allows him to transform these enemies into rare items. Many boss monsters are known as "Data Bugs"—enemies with corrupted data which gives them infinite health. Data Drain is used to repair the damaged monsters' data and render them vulnerable but its use increases Kite's level of infection, randomly causing harmful side effects. The infection can be cured by defeating enemies without Data Drain.


.hack (video game series), Gameplay
Root Towns are non-combat areas of The World where the player may restock items, buy equipment, or chat and trade with other players of The World. In many towns, the player may also raise a sentient, pig-like creature called a Grunty, which can be ridden in fields and in later games raced for prizes. A blue portal called the Chaos Gate is used to travel between towns (called "servers") and to access the fields and dungeons where battles occur.


.hack (video game series), Gameplay
A three-word password system controls the characteristics of each area; attributes such as the prevalence of monsters or items change depending on the properties of each word in the password phrase. Certain plot-related areas have restricted access, but the player character has an ability called "Gate Hacking" which allows him to access these areas using "Virus Cores" obtained through Data Drain.


.hack (video game series), Plot, Setting
The .hack games are set in an alternate timeline of Earth, in the year 2010. After a computer virus called "Pluto's Kiss" crashes nearly every computer in the world, access to the Internet is closed to the general public to address security concerns. After two years without the Internet and online games, a MMORPG called The World is released. It becomes the most popular online game of all time with over 20 million unique players. Shortly before the events portrayed in the .hack games, a number of users become comatose as a result of playing The World. However, the developers blame their condition on cyberterrorism.


.hack (video game series), Plot, Setting
The World was developed by a German programmer named Harald Hoerwick; its backstory is based on the Epitaph of Twilight, an epic poem by Emma Wielant. Her death inspired Hoerwick to create the game. Elements of the poem are coded into the game's programming. The hidden purpose of Hoerwick's game is to develop the ultimate artificial intelligence (AI), which is capable of making decisions for itself. To this end, Hoerwick inserted functions into the system which monitor and extract behavioral data from millions of the game's players to aid in the AI's learning process. After Hoerwick's death, these pieces of code became black boxes to the current developers, who cannot fathom their purpose, yet are critical to the proper functioning of the game.


.hack (video game series), Plot, Characters
The main protagonist of .hack is Kite, a new player of The World whose friend Orca becomes comatose under mysterious circumstances. Kite is joined by nearly twenty other players in his quest to solve the mystery of the coma victims. The players who have the greatest impact on the success of Kite's mission are BlackRose, a fellow newbie to The World whose brother is also in a coma; Balmung, a legendary player who seeks to eliminate sources of corruption in the game he loves; and Wiseman, an information broker who becomes a key strategist for Kite's team.


.hack (video game series), Plot, Characters
Helba, a professional hacker, and Lios, a reluctant system administrator, also aid in Kite's efforts to rescue the coma victims. Two non-human characters play important roles in the story: Aura seeks to complete her growth into the ultimate AI, while Morganna, an AI who rebels against her task of nurturing Aura, acts as the unseen primary antagonist.


.hack (video game series), Plot, Story
In .hack//Infection, Kite's friend Orca invites him to play The World. In the first dungeon they visit, they encounter a girl in white, Aura, being chased by a humanoid monster. Aura tries to entrust Orca with an item called "the Book of Twilight", but the monster attacks him, crashing The World's servers. Kite's player discovers that Yasuhiko, Orca's player, has fallen comatose after the attack, and resolves to discover the cause. Kite meets BlackRose, who takes him to a cathedral where they are attacked by a headless swordsman.


.hack (video game series), Plot, Story
The legendary player Balmung appears and defeats it, but the monster revives itself as a Data Bug. The Book of Twilight then activates, altering Kite's character data and giving him the Twilight Bracelet. He uses its Data Drain to correct the swordsman's code, allowing Balmung to kill it. Balmung accuses Kite of causing the viral infection spreading through the game, and leaves. Kite and BlackRose decide to cooperate to help the coma victims. After investigating a number of leads, Kite and BlackRose track down Skeith, the creature that put Orca into a coma. They defeat Skeith. The remnants of Skeith attracts a much larger enemy named Cubia, which defeats Kite and his party. Helba then drives Cubia away.


.hack (video game series), Plot, Story
In .hack//Mutation, Kite and BlackRose encounter system administrator Lios, who declares Kite's bracelet to be an illegal hack. He tries to delete Kite's character data, but fails due to Kite's data being encrypted by the Book of Twilight. Helba intervenes, and convinces Lios to observe Kite for the time being. Lios directs them to an area where they find Innis, a monster with powers similar to Skeith's. Upon defeating Innis, Kite receives an e-mail from Aura, who reveals that she is an AI.


.hack (video game series), Plot, Story
They travel to an area to meet her; but Cubia attacks them, and they repel the monster with difficulty. Short on leads, they contact Wiseman, who is intrigued by Kite's bracelet. He suggests that Skeith and Innis are based on the "Cursed Wave", an antagonistic force featured in the poem Epitaph of Twilight, upon which The World is based. Wiseman helps grant them access to Net Slum, a place known as a paradise for hackers and wandering AIs. Upon arrival, another Cursed Wave monster called Magus attacks them. They defeat it and return to the Root Town, where they discover that the computer virus has spread to The World's main servers and into the real world.


.hack (video game series), Plot, Story
In .hack//Outbreak, Balmung realizes that he cannot end the situation on his own, and joins Kite's quest. BlackRose tells Kite that her brother became comatose under similar circumstances as Orca, which renews both characters' determination. Wiseman formulates a plan to combat the Cursed Wave, enlisting Helba's assistance. Their teamwork destroys the Wave monster Fidchell, but the aftermath causes networks in the real world to malfunction. Aura contacts Kite again, but their meeting is cut short by Cubia's reappearance. Lios, observing Cubia's power, agrees to join Kite, Helba, and the others to combat the Cursed Wave. In the resulting operation, the team pools their resources to defeat another Wave monster called Gorre, with no repercussions in the real world.


.hack (video game series), Plot, Story
.hack//Quarantine sees the current server becoming increasingly unstable. To fix the problem, Helba replaces it with a copy of the Net Slum. At the bottom of a dungeon, Kite encounters Mia, a member of his party. He discovers that Mia is actually another Cursed Wave monster named Macha, whom he reluctantly defeats. Meanwhile, Cubia grows stronger, and Kite's team barely fends off its latest attack. In contrast, Operation Orca is a success as they destroy Tarvos, the next Wave monster. Kite seeks the advice of Harald Hoerwick, the creator of the game who survives beyond death through his AI incarnations.


.hack (video game series), Plot, Story
Aura appears and hints that Cubia is the "shadow" of Kite's Twilight Bracelet. Cubia ambushes them and destroys the AI Harald. In their final battle, Kite recalls Aura's hint and has BlackRose destroy the bracelet, causing Cubia to fade away. Without the bracelet, the final Wave member, Corbenik, ambushes the party in Net Slum Root Town. With the aid of the spirits of the coma victims, Kite penetrates Corbenik's barrier. Aura sacrifices herself to end the battle, restoring the network to normal and reviving all the coma victims.


.hack (video game series), Development
Development for .hack began in early 2000 with the aim of shocking and surprising the player and creating a distinctive product. CyberConnect2's president Hiroshi Matsuyama played a key role in developing the concept for the series. A number of core ideas, including "slaying dragons or being a thief in London" were explored, but these were rejected in favor of an "offline/online game". Matsuyama said that this would give young gamers an opportunity to experience online play without paying monthly fees or needing powerful Internet connections.


.hack (video game series), Development
The developers looked at a number of MMORPGs such as Phantasy Star Online, Ultima Online, and Final Fantasy XI for inspiration, and drew influences from the prior works of character designer Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion) and scenario writer Kazunori Itō (Ghost in the Shell). Itō noted that casting the player into the role of a subscriber of The World creates a unique story-telling situation which draws the player deeper into the plot.


.hack (video game series), Development
From the start of its development, .hack was envisioned as a four-part series intended to mirror the four-volume story arcs found in manga. Matsuyama theorized that the act of transferring saved data across the four volumes would help to create a sense of the human drama embodied by the games' story and invest the player into the narrative. The games were developed simultaneously alongside other elements of Project .hack such as .hack//Sign to emphasize the multimedia aspect of the franchise. The three-month gap between each game's release allowed the developers to make minor changes in response to criticisms.


.hack (video game series), Development
The games were packaged with bonus DVDs featuring episodes of .hack//Liminality, an original video animation (OVA) series that depicts events that occur concurrently with the games. The developers intended the OVA series to depict fictional events happening in the real world outside the game. Players in Japan who purchased all four games were rewarded with .hack//Gift, an OVA parodying the .hack series. After the completion of the series, the development team produced .hack//frägment, a game using the same engine as the .hack series with an online multiplayer component. The aims of .hack//frägment were to allow the developers to watch player interactions in an online environment and to gauge interest in an online .hack game.


.hack (video game series), Reception
By April 2004, the games had sold 1 million units in Japan and the United States. By March 2004, sales of the .hack games exceeded 1.73 million, with 780,000 copies sold in Japan.


.hack (video game series), Reception
Critics gave the series mixed reviews. .hack//Infection received the most positive reviews of the series; critics were intrigued by the games' unique premise. Jeremy Dunham of IGN was impressed by the game's commitment to preserve the illusion of online and praised the character designs and the inclusion of the Japanese voice track, but criticized the camera manipulation and the game's shortness and lack of difficulty. A Game Informer reviewer praised the way it captures the sense of community that a real MMORPG offers.


.hack (video game series), Reception
Many reviewers cited the game's unusual setting as the counterbalance to the mediocre gameplay, repetitive environments and poor camera control. Overall, the first game was moderately well received, with reviewers overlooking gameplay flaws because of a compelling story. Christian Nutt of GameSpy awarded if four stars out of five and commended Bandai for breaking new ground and Cyber Connect 2 for providing an engrossing RPG experience.


.hack (video game series), Reception
Gary Steinman of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine wrote, "[a]t its core, .hack is not a good game", calling the battle systems "wildly unbalanced" and the graphics "spectacularly underwhelming", but said the "mind-bending" story allowed him to look past its obvious flaws and anticipate future games in the series. Greg Kasavin of GameSpot was less forgiving, deriding .hack//Infection as a sub-par version of Kingdom Hearts.


.hack (video game series), Reception
.hack//Mutation also received mixed reviews, and many critics complained that little was done to address the problems of its predecessor. Fennec Fox of Gamepro said that game, "is simply an extension of Infection", with "muddy graphics, questionable control, and a story concept that's just interesting enough to keep you going." Greg Kasavin of GameSpot gave it a rating of 6.7 out of 10 and wrote, "not only does it bring you exactly the same sort of repetitive hack-and-slash gameplay, but it's also similarly short and simple and once again offers little in the way of plot or character development."


.hack (video game series), Reception
Nutt found the second game to be more addictive than the first, despite its numerous shortcomings such as obvious padding towards the end of the story. He praised the "mixture of cool story and viscerally engaging RPG gameplay", the accelerating story, gameplay progression and memorable boss battles. Other reviewers were encouraged by the MMORPG-oriented details that contribute to the game's presentation and built excitement for the future of the series. IGN also named .hack//Mutation as PlayStation 2 Game of the Month for May 2003.


.hack (video game series), Reception
.hack//Outbreak represented a shift in the critical reception of the series as reviewers grew tired of the incremental or nonexistent improvements between titles. Kasavin rated it 6.4 out of 10, and wrote that it "just doesn't make for a satisfying experience". Dunham gave it an overall rating of 8.4 out of 10, praised the battle system and wrote that there had been a great improvement in the artificial intelligence of ally characters and enemies, although he was disappointed by the lack of any other changes.


.hack (video game series), Reception
Nutt awarded .hack//Outbreak three stars out of five, writing that the game's "extremely challenging enemies and lots of solo missions give the game an edge that keeps it from becoming boring". However, he criticized the four-part game structure, observing, "we are paying Bandai $200 for one game" and that "the extreme lack of improvements from volume to volume is ... downright exploitative of the fans".


.hack (video game series), Reception
Some critics called the final game, .hack//Quarantine, a satisfying conclusion to a mediocre series, while others said it is a confusing mess of poor pacing and plot holes. Dunham awarded the game 8.3 out of 10 and called the plot twists "shocking and clever". Kasavin rated it 6.1 out of 10 and wrote that, "[ o]n its own merits, Quarantine isn't a bad game, and [loyal players] should find it to have a satisfying conclusion that, sure enough, leaves the possibility for further adventures in The World".


.hack (video game series), Reception
He also called Bandai's decision to add 60 to 80 hours of padding to the game, split it into four full-priced products, and release these as a series disappointing. Nutt was similarly disappointed with the final game, awarding it two stars out of five. He wrote that the story was well-presented and excellent, but that it was only present in the game's first and last quarters. He was satisfied by the game's ending and loved its story, style, and characters, but grew tired of the game's "endless chains of chambers, these easily-defeated enemies, this total lack of strategy".


.hack (video game series), Reception
The Game Informer reviewer hoped to see a more effective implementation of .hack's concept in the future. Japanese magazine Famitsu Weekly gave the .hack games scores in the 29 to 30 out of 40 range, indicating average reviews. However, the Japanese Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) honored the series for its combination of different fictional media including games, anime, radio, and manga into a compelling whole at the 2002-2003 CESA Awards.


.hack (video game series), Related media and legacy
The .hack video games are part of a multimedia franchise that includes novels, manga, and anime series. Set before the events of the video games, .hack//Sign is an anime television series that establishes The World as a setting. .hack//Another Birth is a series of novels that retells the story of the games from BlackRose's perspective. .hack//XXXX is a manga adaptation of the games' story with changes to some elements, such as Cubia acting as a player character.


.hack (video game series), Related media and legacy
The first official sequel to the games is the manga and anime series .hack//Legend of the Twilight, which began serializing on July 30, 2002. It tells the story of Shugo and Rena—regular players who win avatars of Kite and BlackRose in a contest—and their exploration of The World and its secrets. .hack//G.U. is a series of video games also released in multiple parts that forms the centerpiece of .hack Conglomerate, a new project set seven years after the events of Project .hack with a new version of The World.


.hack (video game series), Related media and legacy, Music
The games' soundtrack, titled .hack//Game Music Perfect Collection, was released as a double album in Japan on April 23, 2003. It features 68 compositions by Chikayo Fukuda, Seizo Nakata, and Norikatsu Fukuda. A special edition of this soundtrack includes a third disc featuring sound effects and clips used in the games. The album was released with fewer tracks in North America as .hack//Game Music Best Collection. Patrick Gann of RPGFan wrote that the second disc, which contains music for cutscenes and special events, was stronger than the first disc's generic town and battle themes.


.hack (video game series), Related media and legacy, Music
He called the soundtrack "techno meets opera", singled out the volume intro tracks for particular praise. Gann noted that the North American release functions as a "Best of" album, but felt that "a lot of solid music [is] missing" in this release. Other reviewers were less enthusiastic; Paul Koehler of RPGamer called the music "particularly bland" and IGN's Dunham lamented that the second installment did not introduce many new pieces. However, he concluded that "the melodious piano and oboe themes were still brawny enough to convince us that we needed to buy the soundtrack sometime in the near future".


.hack (video game series), Related media and legacy, .hack//frägment
.hack//frägment is a multiplayer online game based on the fictional MMORPG, The World. It was released only in Japan on November 23, 2005 and online service ended on January 18, 2007, after being extended two months because of its popularity. Famitsu Weekly gave .hack//frägment a cumulative score of 29 out of 40 over four reviews, much like its reviews of the main series. Designer Hiroshi Matsuyama described the game as a way to see how players would react to online play.


.hack (video game series), Related media and legacy, .hack//frägment
The game uses the same game engine as the .hack video game series and thus, its gameplay is identical, with the exception of online mode. Players explore areas and fight monsters in real time. A major difference is that during online play, the action does not pause when the menu is opened. Players may still use the skill "Data Drain" to weaken monsters and collect rare items. The user interface and control scheme are otherwise unchanged.


.hack (video game series), Related media and legacy, .hack//frägment
Players may create their characters based on a number of preset body shapes and color schemes and may choose a class (such as Wavemaster or Twin Blade) and character name. In online mode, players may enter a lobby and search for a maximum of two other players to join them on an adventure. The game includes an expanded communication interface that allows players to chat, send e-mail, post to an in-game Bulletin Board System, and receive server news updates. It is possible to establish ad hoc chat rooms separate from the public-access ones.


.hack (video game series), Related media and legacy, .hack//frägment
Guilds are permanent, exclusive chat rooms for members. In offline mode, players may level up, obtain items, and learn new skills as one of their online mode characters without the need for an Internet connection. Players may invite or create characters from the .hack games, .hack//Sign, and .hack//Legend of the Twilight into their party. The "story mode" of .hack//frägment is identical to that of the .hack games, with the player's created character replacing Kite. With the goal of collecting the member address of characters from the .hack franchise starting with Bear and B.T. and ending with Kite and Helba. While offline, players may use a Windows XP era program called "Area Server" to create fields and dungeons and release them online. The creators of the most popular areas are given the ability to add strong monsters for players to defeat.


.hack (video game series), Related media and legacy, .hack//frägment
As the official online servers ended back in January 2007, an alternative player ran lobby server is available for owners of this game to connect to in present-day and play with players as you did back in 2005, fan translated into English thanks to a patch from the community.


.hack//G.U.
.hack//G.U. is a series of single-player action role-playing games for the PlayStation 2, developed by CyberConnect2 and published by Namco Bandai Games between 2006 and 2007. The series contains three games: .hack//G.U. Vol. 1//Rebirth, .hack//G.U. Vol. 2//Reminisce and .hack//G.U. Vol. 3//Redemption. As in the previous .hack games, .hack//G.U. simulates a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) called The World—the player controls a character who plays the fictional online game. They were directed by Hiroshi Matsuyama who aimed to address criticisms of the previous series. Its narrative, by Tatsuya Hamazaki, was written concurrently with .hack//Roots, an anime set before the events of the games.


.hack//G.U.
The story focuses on a character named Haseo. He hunts another player named "Tri-Edge" who killed his friend Shino within the game and left her in a coma in real life. Haseo joins an organization that is also tracking Tri-Edge. The reason Shino and other players fall into comas is connected with AIDA, a mysterious computer anomaly that infects their characters. During the release of the games in Japan, Bee Train produced .hack//Roots, which depicts Haseo's first days in The World. The series has also been adapted into a manga, a light novel, and a CGI film.


.hack//G.U.
Critical reception to the games has been lukewarm with reviewers focusing on how the developers dealt with the issues regarding the previous .hack games and the execution of the storyline across the three titles. The first game got higher ratings; critics praised the addition of new gameplay features while parts from the story have been labeled as filler. Average scores declined across the three games. A high-definition remaster of the trilogy, .hack//G.U. Last Recode, was released for the PlayStation 4 and Microsoft Windows in November 2017. The remaster marks the first time that .hack//G.U. was released in Europe. The collection received more praise than the original trilogy for solving issues with the gameplay and presentation but was criticized for the lack of variety in dungeons.


.hack//G.U., Gameplay
.hack//G.U. simulates a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG); players assume the role of a participant in a fictional game called The World. While in The World, the player controls the on-screen player character, Haseo, from a third-person perspective (with optional first-person mode). The player may control the camera using the game controller's right analog stick. Within the fictional game, players explore monster-infested fields and dungeons as well as "Root Towns" that are free of combat.


.hack//G.U., Gameplay
They also can "log-off" from the game and return to a computer desktop interface which includes in-game e-mail, news, and message boards, as well as desktop and background music customization options. In Reminisce, an optional card game called "Crimson VS" becomes available. The player may save the game to a memory card both from the desktop and within The World at a Save Shop. After the player completes the game, a Data Flag appears on the save file, which allows the transfer of all aspects of the player character and party members to the next game in the series. This can also be applied to previous games if the player first finished the Reminisce or Redemption.


.hack//G.U., Gameplay
Root Towns are non-combat areas in The World. The player may restock on items, buy equipment, or chat and trade with other "players" of The World. The player may also undertake optional quests and visit guilds. A key feature of all towns is the Chaos Gate. This blue portal is used to travel between towns (called "servers") as well as access the fields and dungeons where battles take place. A password system controls the characteristics of each area. Depending on the characteristics of each word in the three word phrase, the resulting area may have different attributes such as prevalence of monsters or items, among other features.


.hack//G.U., Gameplay
.hack//G.U. is an action role-playing game; players attack monsters in real time. However, the action pauses whenever the menu is opened in order to select magic to cast, items to use, or skills to perform. The player only directly controls Haseo; the other characters are controlled by the game itself. The player may either provide guidelines ("Free Will", "Rage", "Life", etc.) or issue direct commands (for example, to cast a particular magic at a particular enemy) to the computer-controlled characters. Monsters roam the environments freely or guard treasure chests.


.hack//G.U., Gameplay
Once combat is initiated, via a "surprise attack" or the player being spotted, a wall erects around the combat area to prevent escape. Weapons give the player access to the Skill Trigger feature which allows Haseo to perform a powerful attack. At his initial power level, Haseo can only wield dual short swords; he earns the right to equip additional weapons like broadswords and scythes over the course of the game. In Reminisce, he gains the ability to instantly change weapons in the middle of combat and scan the enemy for weapon weaknesses.


.hack//G.U., Gameplay
If a party lands a large combo against an enemy with one of those hits being a regular attack, the victim becomes vulnerable to an enhanced type of Skill Trigger called "Rengeki" upon the landing of the regular attack. Rengeki attacks deal double damage, give an experience point bonus, and fill the aggressor party's Morale gauge, which allows the party to use a combination attack. Certain plot-related fights, called "Avatar battles", use a different interface which incorporates shoot 'em up gameplay elements. After depleting the opponent's health, players must charge up a "Data Drain" to end the battle.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Setting
.hack//G.U. takes place in an alternate version of Earth in the year 2017. As depicted in the first .hack game series, the "2nd Network Crisis" was an incident that occurred seven years ago in which many computer systems across Japan malfunctioned. Through the efforts of those games' hero, Kite, the incident resulted in the birth of Aura, the ultimate artificial intelligence (AI), capable of making decisions for itself. Under the guidance of Aura, The World, the most popular MMORPG at the time, flourishes and the events of .hack//Legend of the Twilight occur during this four-year period.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Setting
In late 2014, Aura disappears, resulting in the slow decay of The World and the Internet as a whole. In response, the company that administrates The World, CC Corp, sets up "Project G.U." and tasks them with remedying the problem. They come up with the "Restore Aura (RA) Plan", in which they attempt to retrieve the fragments of Morganna—an AI that served as Aura's "mother"—and seal them into player characters (PCs) of The World. In theory, this would allow the Project G.U. programmers to manipulate the Morganna program to recreate Aura. Only certain "chosen" players could control these special "Epitaph PCs".


.hack//G.U., Plot, Setting
After locating candidates to operate the Epitaph PCs, the team proceeds to test the RA Plan despite concerns over "anti-existences" that might damage the Internet. The program fails catastrophically and destroys over 80% of the data for The World. Instead of trying to salvage the data, CC Corp develops The World R:2 and releases it to a new generation of players. However, this new game is less popular than its predecessor and becomes plagued by "player killers" (PKs), players who target other players for fun and sport. The Epitaph PCs which had been lost during the RA Plan disaster resurface in the new version, attached to certain players of interest.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Characters
The main playable character of .hack//G.U. is Haseo, a player of The World whose friend Shino fell into a coma after being attacked by a PK named "Tri-Edge" within the game. As a result, Haseo becomes obsessed with gaining the strength to defeat Tri-Edge and save Shino—he earns the nickname "Terror of Death" for his relentless hunting of PKs. As an Epitaph PC, Haseo is recruited into the new incarnation of Project G.U., which now handles debugging of The World.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Characters
Yata, who played a key role in the events of .hack under the name Wiseman, leads Project G.U., while other Epitaph PCs including Kuhn and Pi make up the rest of the group. Haseo's hostile nature attracts the attention of Atoli, a member of the peace-loving Moon Tree guild, who resolves to befriend him. Haseo is also searching for Ovan, Haseo's and Shino's former guildmaster who disappeared during .hack//Roots under mysterious circumstances.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Story, Vol. 1//Rebirth
After months of searching, Haseo finally encounters Tri-Edge and attempts to kill him but is hopelessly outmatched. In the battle, Tri-Edge uses an illegal skill on Haseo, Data Drain, which corrupts his character data and resets it to level one. Lacking the strength he once had, Haseo meets two friendly players, Silabus and Gaspard, who invite him to join their guild. Haseo is also approached by Kuhn and Pi who recruit him into Yata's organization of Epitaph PCs, players who can summon Avatars. This group's goal is to protect The World from AIDA, a mysterious software bug that has been infecting parts of the game which can only be defeated using an Avatar.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Story, Vol. 1//Rebirth
During this time, Haseo is contacted repeatedly by Atoli, a gentle healer from Moon Tree guild who tries to convince him to enjoy the game and its world more. He is brusque and standoffish with her because her character model strongly resembles Shino's but she persists in trying to befriend him. Haseo awakens his Avatar, Skeith, while fighting in a tournament and he prevails over the champion Endrance, who was being controlled by AIDA. After Endrance's defeat, Atoli finds a strange red mark made by Tri-Edge and falls into the portal it creates. Haseo, Pi, and Kuhn follow her through the warp and see her struggling to open a locker in a white void. Tri-Edge ambushes them but they manage to defeat him. After he fades away, the locker opens to reveal AIDA, which infects Atoli.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Story, Vol. 2//Reminisce
Haseo and the G.U. staff find themselves trapped inside the game, physically unable to leave or log out. Atoli recovers, but is rendered mute, able to communicate only through instant messages. Yata explains that AIDA has copied The World's server, trapping everyone inside to experiment on them. They transfer everyone back to CC Corp's servers to escape. Ovan directs Haseo to gather the Epitaph PCs together to solve the mystery of AIDA. Shortly afterwards, Haseo is approached by a player named Alkaid, concerned for her friend Sirius, who has been possessed by AIDA. They enter into a tournament to fight Sirius, but Alkaid is ambushed by the AIDA-infected PK Bordeaux, which leaves her in a coma. Haseo requests Endrance's assistance for the rest of the tournament. They defeat Sirius and purge him of the AIDA that had stolen Atoli's Epitaph.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Story, Vol. 2//Reminisce
With Atoli's Epitaph returning, she also recovers. However, her superior from Moon Tree, Sakaki, pushes her into a depressed fugue that leaves her vulnerable to AIDA again. Sakaki attacks his own guild to provoke Atoli into using her Avatar; he seeks to manipulate her and AIDA so he can gain control of the real world through the Internet. Haseo saves Atoli and defeats Sakaki after he purposely contaminates himself with AIDA in a last-ditch effort to gain control of the network. Following this, Ovan appears and reveals that he is the real Tri-Edge—his left arm contains the first hostile AIDA.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Story, Vol. 2//Reminisce
The enemy that Haseo had believed was Tri-Edge is actually Azure Kite, one of three AIs that Aura had created to destroy the AIDAs. Ovan orchestrated Shino's and Alkaid's attacks and Sakaki's betrayal in order to push Haseo into becoming strong enough to kill the AIDA possessing him. Though Haseo succeeds in defeating Ovan, the coma victims do not recover.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Story, Vol. 3//Redemption
With AIDA corruption spreading throughout the Internet, CC Corp executives fire Yata from Project G.U. and replace him with Sakaki. Mad with power, Sakaki forces Haseo into a tournament filled with AIDA-corrupted PKs. Haseo prevails in the tournament and defeats Sakaki. Haseo and the others find Yata who awakens as an Epitaph PC. They meet Ovan's sister, Aina, who has been trapped in The World after Ovan's AIDA attacked her. With all the Epitaph PCs awakened, Ovan challenges Haseo to another fight.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Story, Vol. 3//Redemption
In defeat, Ovan is able to use his Avatar's special ability "The Rebirth" which completely resets the Internet and cleanses it of AIDA, though he falls into a coma as a result. The G.U. members are saved by Zelkova, leader of Moon Tree, who reveals that Ovan's actions caused several comatose players to wake up, though others are still trapped within the game. Yata discovers the cause: an "anti-existence" called Cubia is trying to devour The World, resulting in the death of all players.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Story, Vol. 3//Redemption
Aina summons Aura who hints to the party that the key to defeating Cubia is the eight Avatars. Haseo calls on all the players of The World to help in defending against Cubia's minions. With the combined powers of the eight Epitaph PCs including Ovan's spirit, Haseo destroys Cubia. With Cubia gone, all the remaining comatose players awake and Haseo meets Shino once again. Upon meeting her, Shino motivates Haseo to be more honest with his feelings which causes him to pursue Atoli. A hidden ending in the Forest of Pain shows Haseo a vision of Ovan; Haseo declares that they will meet again.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Story, Vol. 4//Reconnection
One year and three months after Cubia's destruction, Haseo learns from Pi that Ovan's body has been located in The World frozen in ice. Due to Skeith becoming destabilized, Zelkova seals Haseo's Avatar. Haseo is unable to shatter Ovan's ice prison. Haseo then meets Kusabira who informs him of an attack on the Net Slum a few days before at the hands of a gigantic monster created by the game's network issues, Vegalta. Kusabira tells Haseo that Vegalta has consumed Zelkova, her brother, and asks Haseo to save him before he dies.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Story, Vol. 4//Reconnection
Haseo confronts the monster and frees Zelkova, who remarks that he does not have a sister but surmises her true identity. Kusabira is a remnant of AIDA that had developed human-like AI, and she called him her brother because he, too, is an AI native to The World. Zelkova uses Kusabira's data to pacify Skeith's power and unseals the Epitaph, unlocking Haseo's final form and granting him access to the powers of all the Epitaphs at will.


.hack//G.U., Plot, Story, Vol. 4//Reconnection
Haseo successfully destroys Ovan's ice prison with this new power. Kusabira appears and merges with Ovan, reviving him. Vegalta returns and faces both Haseo and Ovan. With their Epitaphs merged into one being combining Skeith with Corbenik and the others' powers, the duo destroys Vegalta. Ovan reunites with his sister and friends. On the last day of service for The World R:2, Haseo logs on and speaks with each of his friends to say goodbye to the game and them. Ovan invites him on one last adventure through a dungeon and they reflect on their memories together.


.hack//G.U., Development
Development for .hack//G.U. began in October 2002, towards the end of the first .hack series' production cycle, with CyberConnect2's president Hiroshi Matsuyama as director. It was first announced in June 2004 under the working title of "Project G.U.". Instead of a direct sequel, CyberConnect2 developed it as an independent series with connections to the first .hack series that new players could still enjoy. Players criticized the number of parts in the first .hack series. As a result, .hack//G.U. comprises three games instead of four.


.hack//G.U., Development
The first game's release date was delayed in order to coincide with the start of its manga adaptation and anime companion series. In Japan, the three games were released on May 18, 2006, September 28, 2006, and January 18, 2007, respectively. In North America, they were published on October 24, 2006, May 8, 2007, and September 10, 2007.


.hack//G.U., Development
Graphically and technologically, the game is an improvement on the original .hack series. As a series, the setting and concept presented in the games are darker and more mature than before. In terms of gameplay, .hack//G.U. was made more action-oriented than the first .hack games with Haseo being able to connect combos with other characters from the party. The interactions between the characters outside The World were expanded to further simulate the experience of playing a MMORPG.


.hack//G.U., Development
This was based on .hack and the .hack//SIGN anime in which the characters had to leave The World in order to take care of "real life events." Matsuyama claimed that Rebirth was longer than the four games of the first series combined and that the three .hack//G.U. games would not be "three parts to the same game". Unlike the previous series where the animated tie-in .hack//Liminality was included as a bonus DVD, the development team opted to integrate the animated story into webisodes available in-game. Bandai also released a "Terminal Disc" with the special edition of Rebirth, which further expands the franchise's backstory and bridges the gap between the two game series.


.hack//G.U., Development, Scenario
Just as .hack and .hack//Sign were conceived as interconnected projects, Matsuyama wanted to do the same with .hack//G.U. and .hack//Roots. This time, he wanted them to feature the same lead character, Haseo. However, it was difficult to keep the writing consistent across projects. Matsuyama brought Tatsuya Hamazaki in to help with this challenge due to his experience working on the previous .hack project. Hamazaki wrote the game's script so the team could focus on developing the game. On Hamazaki's advice, two different writing teams worked on the game and the anime simultaneously. The second game is subtitled "The Voice that Thinks of You" in Japanese; Matsuyama says this refers to the web of relationships between characters, including how Haseo remembers Shino's voice, how Atoli thinks of Haseo, and most importantly what Ovan means to Haseo.


.hack//G.U., Development, Scenario
Matsuyama has stated that the acronym "G.U." has twelve meanings related to the plot of the games but the central theme is "growing up" in many respects. Haseo grows up as a character over the course of the series, developing his inter-personal skills and his worldliness. Matsuyama considered Kite, the lead of the previous games, as a kind and relatable character and thus wanted the new game to feature a different type of lead character. In contrast, Haseo begins the series with a vengeful personality similar to main characters of shonen manga who exhibit iconic traits such as "rage, despair, conflict, courage, and victory".


.hack//G.U., Development, Scenario
Haseo and Ovan were designed by Seiichiro Hosokawa. They were Hosokawa's first creations as a rookie at CyberConnect2. The staff asked previous artist Yoshiyuki Sadamoto for feedback on the character. As a result, some aesthetics from Haseo's design featured in the games' original trailers were removed from the finished product. Haseo was influenced by Manji from the manga Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura while Atoli's design was mix between Western and Eastern culture with a bird theme forming her naming and design. For Haseo's Xth form design, his bangs were made to symbolize his continued immaturity.


.hack//G.U., Development, Scenario
Haseo can pursue a romance with certain other characters over the course of the games. Although Atoli was intended to be the main heroine, the team had issues while writing her to the point that Matsuyama himself chose other characters to romance when playing the game alone. This motivated Matsuyama to make her more appealing for the second chapter of .hack//G.U..


.hack//G.U., Development, Scenario
The two leads, Haseo and Atoli, were voiced by Takahiro Sakurai and Ayako Kawasumi. Matsuyama was surprised by Sakurai's performance during Avatar battles where Haseo yells to summon Skeith; these were among Matsuyama's favorites as a result. Kawasumi also enjoyed voicing her character across thee series. Other major actors include Megumi Toyoguchi and Mitsuki Saiga. Kaori Nazuka reprised her role as Shino from .hack//Roots. She enjoyed the process due to the friendship she formed with Sakurai and Hiroki Tōchi (Ovan) during the recording of the series. As in the previous games, Matsuyama appears and voices a character in Japanese, this time as Piros the 3rd.


.hack//G.U., Development, Remaster
Matsuyama was motivated to remaster the trilogy in 2017 because it was nearing the 15th anniversary of the .hack series and .hack//G.U. takes place in 2017. CyberConnect2 aimed to improve the visuals from the original trilogy to fit the PlayStation 4. They wanted to create something that would meet the expectations of our fans. Thus the modifications to the game to deliver something that would be "fresh and nostalgic". A cheat mode was added to make progress faster. The fights were also revised to increase their speed and reduce any stressful feeling from the original product. In order to improve the game, Last Recode employs a 1080p resolution with a 16:9 widescreen picture and 60 fps.


.hack//G.U., Development, Remaster
Matsuyama wanted to use the remaster as an epilogue to Haseo's story and to further promote it, the team designed a new form for combat. The new chapter, Vol. 4//Reconnection, is meant to resolve the cliffhanger at the end of the original trilogy and conclude Haseo's story.


.hack//G.U., Development, Remaster
The Japanese limited edition features a number of supplemental materials depicting events that take place after the end of the games including a CD drama about Haseo's job working for Pi while also looking after the comatose Ovan, a light novel centered on the supporting cast, and Bee Train's original video animation .hack///G.U. Returner.


.hack//G.U., Development, Music
.hack//G.U. Game Music O.S.T. and .hack//G.U. Game Music O.S.T. 2 are the soundtracks for the .hack//G.U. games. The former contains 62 compositions from Rebirth while the latter contains 58 compositions from Reminisce and Redemption. Both soundtracks come with a third disc with special features, such as game trailers, desktop wallpapers, and voice clips. Chikayo Fukuda returned to compose the music for the series. Mitani Tomoyo sang the main themes for the three games. Patrick Gann of RPGFan commended Fukuda's more mature sound, noting a greater emphasis on vocal tracks than before. He praised the use of piano as a key instrument and found this soundtrack to be more memorable overall. Gann also appreciated the wide variety of styles from "silly character themes" and "rock-hard battle themes" to "beautiful piano solos".


.hack//G.U., Reception
The series has received a lukewarm reception, but positive sales figures. In 2010, CyberConnect2 announced that sales of the .hack games exceeded 3 million combining both the first .hack series and the .hack//G.U. series. Last Recode sold 300,000 copies worldwide. Patrick Gann of RPGFan recognized the development team's efforts to address the problems of the first .hack series, succeeding in some respects and failing in others.


.hack//G.U., Reception
Like the first series, .hack//G.U. goes to great lengths to preserve the illusion of playing an online game, through in-game message boards and news reports, and Gann found that these elements gave more depth to the future world he was experiencing. He found fault in the formulaic progression between dungeons, checking email to find the next dungeon, but the battle mechanics were a marked improvement over the original series. Although the graphics were "spectacular", Gann criticized the limited and repetitive dungeon designs.


.hack//G.U., Reception
In his review of Reminisce, Gann noted the relatively good quality of the voice acting, but called the translated script "hit or miss". Yuri Lowenthal's performance as Haseo was also well received, with his acting having aged well across the years. Minor changes to the battle system, such as being able to change weapons at any time, made Reminisce's combat more exciting. While Haseo was criticized for his immature personality in the first game, his development in following games has been praised. He concluded in Redemption that, while not perfect, the three-part format of the series was relatively more worth it than its previous iteration. Redemption has been praised for its new gameplay featuries although writers lamented that they became available late in the game.


.hack//G.U., Reception
Meghan Sullivan of IGN described the series as an overall improvement over the first series but complained that the Avatar battles were boring and a missed opportunity for a "very cool feature". She also suggested that the storyline could be streamlined by allowing e-mail access within The World. Despite deriding the "filler" story of Rebirth, Sullivan found Reminisce to be much more enjoyable due to its more mature storyline, citing the interactions between the cast. However, she found the new Crimson VS card game to be as "pointless" as the Avatar battles. The overall sentiment conveyed by multiple reviewers was that the new games would appeal to fans of the series, but would have been much better if released as a single game.


.hack//G.U., Reception
The collection Last Recode was better received for bringing resolution to the original trilogy. Josh Torres of RPGSite praised the main narrative and improvements to the graphics. Garri Bagdasarov of PlayStation Universe lamented the lack of variety in dungeons in the first title but welcomed more replay value when facing other enemies. Peter Triezenberg of RPGFan echoed these criticisms but noted that Haseo's character arc was one of the strongest parts of the narrative. Aarón Rodríguez of Meristation also praised the narrative but felt the graphics were still lacking.


.hack//G.U., Reception
Ray Porreca of Destructoid liked Haseo's journey in the fourth volume of .hack//G.U. based on the handling of his relationships. The PC port earned positive responses overall though Cody Medellin of WorthPlaying cited issues in the usage of controls and keyboard. Adam Beck of Hardcore Gamer found the content aged well and fitted properly in the PC as there were no framerate drops.


.hack//G.U., Related media
As part of a larger multimedia franchise, the games have inspired a variety of subsequent novels, manga, and film. An anime television series set before the events of .hack//G.U. was produced by Bee Train under the title of .hack//Roots. The series depicts Haseo's first experiences playing The World. It lasted for twenty-six episodes that aired in Japan between April 5 and September 26, 2006. .hack//G.U.+ serves as a manga adaptation of the game's story. It was published in the .hack//G.U. : The World magazine starting in November 2005 with art by Yuzuka Morita and story by Tatsuya Hamazaki. It was collected in a total of five tankōbon volumes published by Kadokawa Shoten between June 26, 2006 and March 23, 2009. Tokyopop licensed the series for English publication in June 2007 and released all of its volumes, from February 12, 2008 to September 1, 2009.


.hack//G.U., Related media
A novel series written by Tatsuya Hamazaki and illustrated by Yuzuka Morita of the same name retells the story of the games with slight modifications, such as depicting Epitaphs as weapons instead of physical Avatars and a further exploration Haseo's background. Four volumes were published by Kadokawa Shoten between April 1, 2007 and August 1, 2008. Tokyopop published the novels in North America between February 10, 2009 and April 26, 2011. Cyberconnect2 also produced .hack//G.U.


.hack//G.U., Related media
Trilogy, a computer animated film adaptation that abridges the story in order to appeal to players who do not have the time to play all three games. The film was first screened in Japan in a Tokyo theater in December 2007. Bandai Visual later released it in DVD and Blu-ray format on March 25, 2008. In May 2011, Bandai Entertainment announced that they licensed the film for an English release but only with Japanese audio accompanied by English subtitles on August 18, 2009. Following the closure of Bandai Entertainment, Funimation announced at SDCC 2013, that they have acquired the rights to four .hack titles including .hack//G.U. Trilogy. The games' sequel is .hack//Link, a PlayStation Portable game that takes place three years in the future with a new version of The World.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy
.hack//G.U. Trilogy (Japanese: ドットハック G.U. Trilogy, Hepburn: Dotto Hakku G.U. Trilogy) is a 2008 Japanese CGI anime original video animation (OVA) directed by Hiroshi Matsuyama based on CyberConnect2's games .hack//G.U.. It was released on January 25, 2008 on DVD and Blu-ray format. The OVA features the voice talents of Takahiro Sakurai, Ayako Kawasumi, Hiroki Touchi and Kaori Nazuka. Its story focuses on an online gamer known as Haseo who seeks to find the player killer Tri-Edge who sent his friend Shino on a coma after her character was killed in the game.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy
Director Matsuyama aimed to retell the story from the .hack//G.U. trilogy but with enhanced visuals, following issues with fans of the series who were not able to play the game as a result of lacking enough free time. Feeling the need to add new content not seen in games, Matsuyama came with the idea of giving Haseo another redesign. The OVA features a theme song "Deepest Memories" by Japanese music artist Tomoyo Mitani.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy
Upon release, critics were divided in regards to the OVA's narrative, finding it too rushed due to the inclusion of too many characters in too little time but praised the bond Haseo forms with Atoli as well. The presentation, though, received mostly positive response for the fights provided with the visuals as well as the performance from the main voice actors.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Plot
In a popular online game called "The World", a player named Haseo searches for a Player Killer (PK) called Tri-Edge to save his friend, Shino, who was PKed and rendered comatose in real life as the result. One day, he encounters a girl named Atoli, who uses the same PC as Shino after a disagreement with Atoli's superior, Sakaki, regarding his PKK activities. Haseo meets his former guild master, Ovan, who informs Haseo that Tri-Edge will appear again at the place where Shino was PKed. Haseo fights the fighter but is defeated and loses all his PC's powers.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Plot
The defeated Haseo is taken by a group of CC Corp system administrators called G.U., which consists of its leader Yata, and his two subordinates Pi and Kuhn. They reveal that Haseo is one of special PCs known as the Epitaph Users that possesses special power to control a being known as Avatar. G.U. offers to help Haseo in finding Tri-Edge in exchange he joins G.U. and help to exterminate an unknown A.I bug called AIDA that causes multiple players to fall into a coma in real life.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Plot
Wishing to help, Atoli approaches Haseo and starts to spend times with him, but Haseo later rejects her in rage. Ovan manipulates Atoli to look for Tri-Edge to gain Haseo's acceptance. Learning Atoli's disappearance caused by an AIDA phenomenon, Haseo pursues Atoli with Pi and Kuhn. When they found Atoli, Tri-Edge appears once more. Haseo awakens his Avatar, Skeith, and defeat his nemesis. Upon his defeat, however, Atoli is attacked by AIDA, causing her PC data to deteriorate. To save her, Haseo shares his PC data with Atoli.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Plot
During the process, Ovan hacks into G.U., transporting Haseo and Atoli to an area. In Atoli's mind space, Haseo confronts the AIDA-infected Atoli, freeing her from its influence. When they regain consciousness, they are shocked to find Pi and Kuhn's PCs destroyed with a Tri-Edge sign left behind. Ovan appears, revealing an AIDA arm. Ovan PKed Atoli and admit to being the true Tri-Edge who killed Shino.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Plot
Shocked and angered by Ovan's betrayal, Haseo's rage transforms him, but is still not enough to surpass Ovan. Atoli helps him to remember his true reason for fighting, enhancing his PC again. As Haseo wins the fight, it is revealed that Ovan has unintentionally made his sister, Aina, comatose, after being infected by AIDA. To save her and eradicate all AIDA, Ovan successfully awakened his sister at the cost of himself, leaving Haseo grief-stricken. Atoli uses her Avatar's power to send Haseo to the sea of data to save Ovan. After the battle, Haseo meets Atoli at Hulle Granz Cathedral and is approached by Shino who has regained her consciousness. Realizing Haseo and Atoli's mutual feelings for one another, Shino gives them her blessing.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Plot
In the post-credit scene, Aina is playing on a field with Ovan happily. Meanwhile, Pi's player, Reiko Saeki, is contacted by an unknown man, reporting that the threat has been dealt with and a group known as Schicksal is on the move.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Production
Hiroshi Matsuyama decided to create a film with CyberConnect2 ever since the making of the second .hack//G.U. game. By May 2006, Matsuyama read articles in regards to how people reacted to the first .hack/G.U. game impressed the animation. However, Matsuyama felt some were unable to play a 30-hour-long game based on comments of lacking the free time to the point fans wanted to watch a DVD with all the cutscenes in the game. Matsuyama related with many of these comments focused on lack of free time as well as difficulties with finishing lengthy games such as role-playing games.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Production
The team sought to combine all scenes from the trilogy in the OVA but only had 72 minutes. This proved difficult as there was no way the film would fit every scene. There were a total of 43 in the final product which were edited to fit the hardware of the PlayStation 3.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Production
The company had already produced multiple games for the .hack and Naruto: Ultimate Ninja series. The company listened to feedback from their fans in regards to what elements from their series they had to improve in order to create a new product. Matsuyama was influenced by his desire to produce challenging visual graphics with the film. The narrative was meant to cover both the .hack//G.U. games and the prequel anime .hack//Roots. As a result, CyberConnect2 worked into giving Haseo's multiple facial expressions since his character underwent multiple changes of personality in the narrative.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Production
Although initially centered on Haseo, Matsuyama wanted to film to explore Atoli's character furthermore and how she is connected to Haseo's quest of revenge. Another character given more importance was Ovan in contrast to his previous incarnation. In regards to the 3D animation, Matsuyama used his experience in the Naruto games to provide new similar action scenes. CyberConnect2's idea was to take advantage of the HD graphics presented in .hack//G.U.. The animation was based on cellshading to produce colorful areas fitting for PlayStation 3 games.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Production
Matsuyama wanted him to give the cast more realistic expressions, resulting in alterations to their design. He wanted the film to deeply focus on Haseo and Atoli's relationship. Additionally, with the film Matsuyama wanted to give Haseo another design as he felt retelling the story with the same abilities the character possessed would not attract returning fans. This was called "B-st Form" which occurs when Haseo loses his control when believing Atoli is killed. In trailers of the film, Haseo's B-st form was kept in secret to the point he joked they might be different characters.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Production
Matsuyama gave multiple directions to Sakurai for the Trilogy film, including how he should act in a scene like he was throwing up due to his large amount of yells Haseo has when achieving the B-st form. In contrast to the original games where Ovan becomes an ally to Haseo, the Trilogy OVA was written with the opposite result. Haseo's character arc in the movie comes in the form of how he is obsessed with violence during his struggles with Ovan and thus reaches his Xth Form when coming on terms with the flaws of his ways.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Production
Matsuyama felt this take on Haseo was well executed. The music was composed by Chikayo Fukuda while the theme "Deepest Memories" was performed by Tomoyo Mitani. "Deepest Memories" was thought by Matsuyama as an ideal romantic theme song that would play in the film ever since he thought about the making of Trilogy. The original tracks from the video games were rearranged to fit the format. Not satisfied with the complete OVA, Matsuyama decided to add a Parody Mode to the product in order to produce extra material for fans to have fun.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Production
CyberConnect2 first announced the OVA it in Tokyo Game Show during September 2007. Its original soundtrack was released on March 26, 2008 featuring twenty-three tracks. Bandai Entertainment obtained rights to the film in August 2008. It was limitely screened in Japan between December 2007 and January 2008. It was released on January 25, 2008 in home media format in Japan, while on August 18, 2009 in English regions by Bandai. It was rerelased in Blu-ray format in Japan on November 27, 2017. Crunchyroll obtained rights to stream the OVA in January 2018. The original soundtrack was released in Japan on March 26, 2008 as .hack//G.U. Trilogy O.S.T. and featured a total of twenty-three themes.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Reception
Sales for the DVD and Blu-ray have been positive, based on charts in Japanese sites. Early impressions of the OVA were positive with Siliconera being surpised by quality of the visuals.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Reception
Following the release of the movie in English regions, reviews were mixed negative comments focusing on Haseo's early portrayal, but his interactions with Atoli being praised. Carl Kimlinger from Anime News Network referred to Haseo's and Atoli's relationship as one of the best parts from the film .hack//G.U. Trilogy, pointing to the scene in which the former confronts the latter's AIDA-infected. He called Haseo an "unsympathetic bastard of a lead" though for his antisocial and aggressive manners. Jeuxact found Haseo as too unlikeable in the film in contrast to his more enjoyable persona from Roots.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Reception
The Fandom Post had mixed thoughts about the narrative due to the idea of the film feeling rushed as a result of employing multiple characters not present from Roots but felt Haseo's interactions with Ovan and Atoli are the best points. Capsule Monsters regarded it as an "absolute mess" due to the narrative attempts to introduce multiple characters in little time but still felt the character arc Haseo has with Atoli to be one of the film's strongest points. The reviewer also regarded Atoli's character as one of the strongest ones in the film. Paul Jensen from Anime News Network was more negative, panning Haseo's characterization and, stating that while Atoli is likable, her relationship with Haseo was not well developed.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Reception
Journalists also commented on the film's visuals, which were mostly received well. While also having different thoughts in regards to the use of CGI animation, The Fandom Post found it enjoyable, fitting of an anime. Capsule Monsters praised the visuals for its action scenes, especially pointing Haseo's fastspaced fights. ANN highly praised the visuals for the action fights choreography as well as character's facial expressions. Jeuxact made similar comments in regards to the visuals, praising Hiroshi Matsuyama's direction as well as character designs.


.hack//G.U. Trilogy, Reception
comparing it with the 2005 CGI film Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children but found Trilogy to lack the realism from Advent Children's visuals. Both Haseo and Atoli's actors, Takahiro Sakurai and Ayako Kawasumi, were highly praised for their work in the OVA. ANN enjoyed Kawasumi's vocal range of emotions to Atoli but was had mixed thoughts about how Sakurai can make Haseo more likable despite his striking performance.


.hack//G.U.+
.hack//G.U.+ is a shōnen manga written by Tetsuya Hamazaki and illustrated by Yuzuka Morita. Based on CyberConnect2's role-playing game trilogy .hack//G.U. for the PlayStation 2, the series follows an online gamer called Haseo who is on a quest of revenge to defeat the player killer Tri-Edge who sent his friend Shino into a coma in real life. The series was published in Kadokawa Shoten's magazine .hack//G.U. The World between 2006 and 2009 and collected in a total of five tankobon volumes. TokyoPop licensed the series to be published in North America starting in February 2008.


.hack//G.U.+
Despite being an adaptation of the video games, Hamazaki addressed multiple changes in freedom given to work in the manga. This include Haseo's darker characterization to reflect a teenager's angst as well as a new character named Kazumi who stars as an antagonist in the manga's second half.


.hack//G.U.+
Critical reception to the manga expressed mixed thoughts on Haseo due to his portrayal of an anti-hero despite having noble goals while the plot was praised for being easy to understand despite being part of a large media. Morita's artwork was the subject positive response based on the character designs and fight scenes.


.hack//G.U.+, Plot
Set in 2017, .hack//G.U.+ chronicles the revenge quest of Haseo, a player from the online video game The World. Haseo is a player killer of player kills, defeating a group of them in the first chapter who were aiming to kill the young Atoli. Haseo seeks the pk Tri-Edge who used an unknown skill to send his friend Shino into a coma after defeating her in the game. With help from his former mentor, Ovan, Haseo learns of the current location of Tri-Edge, a cathedral.


.hack//G.U.+, Plot
However, Tri-Edge, easily defeats Haseo, sending him into a coma for a short time where his PC is taken to the guild of the Serpent of Knowledge who have been investigating Tri-Edge actions as they work for The World's developers. When Haseo recovers, he learns that Azure Flame Kite is the true name of the Tri-Edge and that multiple people have been sent into a coma by Tri-Edge through a virus known as AIDA. Finding a chance to bring Shino back, Haseo joins G.U..


.hack//G.U.+, Plot
Once joining G.U. Haseo meets Khun who reveals that there are eight players called Epitaph Users who can use Kite's Data Drain skills provided by their Avatars in order to defeat the AIDA. Haseo and Shino are two of the eight Epitaph Users. Seeking to wake up his Avatar, Haseo is motivated by Ovan to face Endrance, a gamer famous in The World tournaments who possesses both AIDA and an Avatar. When facing Endrance, Haseo awakes his own Avatar, Skeith, and defeats Endrance, erasing his AIDA in the process.


.hack//G.U.+, Plot
During his quest, Haseo, Khun and G.U. 's Pi face Azure Kite, but are unable to make him reveal information about the Lost Ones. After saving an AIDA infected Atoli, Ovan reveals himself to Haseo as the true Tri-Edge whose PC contains AIDA. Ovan had manipulated Haseo to awaken his Avatar and gather all other ones in order to unlock his own skill: The Rebirth.