Guilty Gear Xtra
Guilty Gear Xtra is a seinen manga of the Guilty Gear series that was published from December 2002 to September 2003 in Monthly Magazine-Z. The chapters were collected into a single volume, released in September 22, 2003.
Taking place between the original Guilty Gear and Guilty Gear X, the story revolves around two new characters Tyr and Mizuha, and the mystery of severed Gear parts falling from the sky. Characters from the games also appear, albeit with relatively minor roles.
Chapter 1: Awakening of the Lost One
The chapter opens with a prologue about the discovery of magic, the creation of the Gears and the Crusades.
The present day story starts with Ky Kiske at the International Police Force headquarters learning that the Zessen had been rediscovered in a shrine at the Japanese Colony. He sets out to retrieve it himself. However, it appears they’re not the only ones who’ve heard this news, because a force from the Post-War Administration Bureau, lead by woman named Geena, are seen making their own way into the colony in secret.
The scene changes to Inari’s shrine in the East Section of the Japanese Colony, run by Mizuha and her Grandfather. We learn Mizuha has lived all her life in the colony and knows nothing about the outside world, though she is caught sight of continents floating in the sky outside the colony and longs to see them for herself. Detecting the presence of the P.W.A.B force, Mizuha’s grandfather sends her into the shrine and demands they show themselves.
Geena announces herself and her intentions. The old man fights her using a replica of the Zessen, however Geena destroys it shortly into the battle and is enraged to discover it to be a fake. The fight bursts into the shrine itself, where Mizuha is cleaning a strange idol statue with a dragon design on it. The old man is wounded, and Geena launches a fire spell at them. However, the spell is mysteriously absorbed by the statue. It opens to reveal a boy, apparently around Mizuha’s age, who wakes up and wonders where he is. He reassures Mizuha her grandfather will be okay
The P.W.A.B troops’ weapons break against his armour when they attack him (though apparently not without hurting him a bit). Geena attacks him with fire again, however he absorbs it much the same way the statue had done, then repels the attack back at her with a dragon-like weapon which appears on his arm. The P.W.A.B troops retreat.
Elsewhere in the world, Ky, Sol and Anji all notice their own Jinki making strange noises in reaction to something. Eventually, they quiet down again.
Back at the shrine, Mizuha finishes tending to her grandfather and tells the mysterious boy that he’s awoken at the Inari shrine, though she’s unable to answer his other questions since she knows little about the outside world. When she asks who he is, he tells her he doesn't know, but then goes on introduces himself as Tyr, much to her confusion.
Chapter 2: The Past
A flashback during the Holy War, back when Ky was only a child. On a battlefield, he runs into Tyr, who looks exactly like he does in the present day and appears to be working for Kliff Undersn. When Kliff asks what a kid like Ky is doing on the battlefield, Ky tells him both his parents are dead, and he wants to fight rather than running away. Kliff shows him how ridiculous this is, but tells him to survive for five years and come back to fight then. Ky takes off obediently, and Kliff and Tyr go back to the battle.
The scene flashes forward fifteen years later to the present day. Ky uses an ornate medallion to get through the barrier which protects the Japanese Colony, noting the bodies of the guards left behind when Geena went through shortly before.
Inside the shrine, Tyr asks about the autumn leaves falling outside, and is told that the kekkai protecting the colony has strange effects on the weather. The old man goes on to explain that although the Japanese are supposed to be under protection, it’s really treated more like the Japanese are people the rest of the world should avoid.
Ky arrives at the shrine at last, and knocks on the door only to have Tyr leap out of nowhere to greet him like an old friend. The scene flashes back to a battle from the closing years of the Holy War, when Ky was a captain in the Holy Order. Just as the Order is pulling out from a battle, a giant Manticore class gear attacks. Ky watches in horror, realising everyone won’t be able to get out of the way in time, but is even more amazed when the gear’s attack is extinguished without anyone being injured. A cryptic message relayed from Kliff about ‘babysitting’ leads him to find Tyr collapsed against a stone, presumably the one responsible for what happened to the gear. He brings the unconscious Tyr back to Kliff, but never gets the chance to ask just what Tyr really is.
Back in the present, they puzzle over how Tyr came to be at the shrine, and Tyr is mortified to learn that the Holy War ended without him. Ky begins to explain to the old man why he came to the colony, but is interrupted by Mizuha, standing and walking outside in a trance like state. Mizuha says a cryptic phrase which translates roughly to ‘disaster from the sky’, and a giant hand falls from the air, crushing part of the shrine. Mizuha says one further cryptic line about a pillar to heaven and passes out.
The chapter ends with the old man making one brief statement about how much the kekkai is weakening.
Chapter 3: Barrier Distortion
The next morning, Tyr and Mizuha discuss Mizuha’s mysterious behaviour the previous night, which she now remembers nothing about. Meanwhile, Ky learns from the old priest that the Zessen is already gone, taken by Anji Mito some time previously when he left to explore the world outside the Japanese Colony. He states again that the kekkai has been weakening without the Zessen as its focus, and says that otherwise the giant arm would never have been able to get in.
At the Post-War Administration Bureau headquarters, Geena and other staff are tracking landings by similar gear parts all around the world. They are unable to find a purpose to what’s happening, and assign the incident a risk rating of 'S'.
Back at the Japanese Colony, Ky confirms that the giant hand came from a gear, but reassures the others that since Justice's defeat, the gears no longer function. Baiken appears out of nowhere, slicing the gear arm apart. She demands to know where it came from, which infuriates Ky since she’s just destroyed the very evidence they needed to figure that out. Baiken accuses Tyr of being the one responsible for the arm’s appearance, prompting him to start to wonder whether Mizuha might really have somehow called it down from the sky. Baiken catches on and moves to attack her. Ky get in her way, telling her he can’t let her interfere with such important witnesses to the incident, which Tyr mistakenly takes to mean he and Mizuha are under arrest.
The battle between Ky and Baiken moves into the forest. Tyr follows, hoping that by helping out, he’ll be able to prove his innocence to Ky. Mizuha wonders whether she could really have been the one to call the gear arm out of the sky. Tyr reassures her that he doesn’t know what’s going on yet, but he’s sure she couldn’t have meant to do anything wrong.
Tyr runs toward the battle, once more bringing out his dragon shaped weapon which he refers to as 'Fenrir'. Ky hears him, and realises too late that with the kekkai in its weakened state, this will be more power than it can contain. In the sky, the kekkai distorts and Mizuha is swept upwards. Tyr manages to follow her using Fenrir, and both disappear.
In London, Axl Low is trying to get his 20th Century radio to work without success. Unexpectedly, he hears a voice saying 'help' coming from his headphones, and soon after finds Mizuha and Tyr collapsed behind a dumpster.
Chapter 4: Former Friends
In the colony, Ky tries to locate Tyr using his medallion, stating that since the boy’s an associate of the Holy Order, it should react if he’s within ten kilometres. However, nothing happens, proving the kids have been thrown a long way away. Ky and Baiken argue again. The old priest apologises for Baiken’s behaviour, telling Ky how she’s hated Gears so fiercely ever since the deaths of her parents in a gear attack as a child. Baiken eventually decides she doesn’t want anything more do to with this, and leaves them to it.
The old priest asks Ky what he intends to do from there. Ky tells him the police will investigate, also adding that he knows someone who might be able to tell them more about this matter.
Elsewhere, Sol appears to be monitoring what is happening from a hidden lab. He makes a cryptic comment about what has been started, and leaves.
Tyr and Mizuha wake up to find outside the colony, in a building where Axl Low moved them during the night. After the kids have introduced themselves and sat down to breakfast, Axl tells them his name and life story, including how he was mysteriously thrown forward in time from the 20th Century and has been searching a way home ever since. This gets him sympathy from Mizuha’s and skepticism from Tyr. To prove he’s really from the 20th Century, Axl brings out his radio to show them, but also puzzles quietly about the voice he heard coming from it last night – he knows now it was definitely Mizuha’s. He offers to guide the kids around, suggesting they start by getting Mizuha some new clothes.
On board an International Police Force airship, other staff update Ky about the gear parts that have fallen elsewhere and the damage that has been caused.
The scene changes to the site of Kliff's grave, where Ky (as he'd expected) finds Sol. Ky asks Sol what he knows about the falling gear parts. When Sol (as usual) tells him it’s none of his business, Ky says he will get the information from Sol by force.
Chapter 5: Unspeakable Thoughts
At Ky's insistence, he and Sol move to an abandoned city for the fight. Ky declares again he’ll have Sol tell him what he knows about the situation, despite Sol’s usual impatience with him. They exchange some blows and banter, Sol eventually launching a Tyrant Rave directly at Ky, however, Ky reappears behind him and stabs him through the shoulder. He criticises Sol for leaving such an opening, and calls to the International Police Force airship above him, which responds by firing down several devices which appear to function as magical boosters. Using them, Ky deals Sol a seriously nasty electric shock.
The scene advances to shortly after the battle. Ky tries to tell Sol that any human’s strength comes from their ability to help (and rely on help from) each other, but Sol isn’t much interested in listening to him. He passes Ky a sheet of paper which appears to have the information he wanted on it, and seems to consider the encounter finished with.
Suddenly, they hear a high pitched whine coming from the Fireseal and the Thunderseal. The police aboard the airship contact Ky to warn him another giant Gear is falling from the sky above them, and that they need to get out of there. Ky turns to Sol, to find Sol’s back turned to him, and his headband dropping to the ground. Sol releases a powerful blast of magic which destroys the falling gear in mid air, before putting his headband back on again. He ignores Ky’s attempts to talk to him, saying only that he didn’t do it to help Ky out.
Meanwhile, Axl, Tyr and Mizuha are shopping for new clothes for Mizuha in London. While Mizuha heads off with a shop assistant, Axl explains to Tyr that the Japanese aren’t allowed to leave the Colony, which is why they can’t leave her wandering around in such distinctly Japanese clothes. He adds that he’ll leave taking care of her up to Tyr, which Tyr is perfectly happy about.
It turns out there aren’t any clothes for sale larger than about three sizes too small for Mizuha, but for some reason, she buys a new outfit anyway.
Chapter 6: Butterfly that Dances in Chaotic Flowers
Tyr and Mizuha explaining more about what they've been through to Axl over lunch, including their various troubles with Baiken and Ky. Tyr mentions that their involvement with the falling Gears is probably what's gotten them so much attention, though he doesn't personally feel like they've got much to do with it. He also mentions that Mizuha's grandfather had said that what was happening was connected with the weakening of the kekkai around the colony since Anji left with the Zessen, and that he and Mizuha had been thinking of trying to find Anji now that they're out in the world. Axl realises the guy they're talking about is the same Anji he knows, and tells the kids that he'd actually already been planning to meet up with Anji later that day to exchange some information.
The task of finding Anji easily solved, Axl asks what else they'd like to do, and Mizuha remembers the floating island she saw from inside the Japanese colony and wants to go see it for herself. Tyr says he'll go too, since he's assigned himself Mizuha's protector, while Axl figures it must be the continent of Zepp she's talking about.
Before they can go anywhere though, Geena reappears and attacks them - now armed with an artificial right arm which allows her to fire bullets from her palm, among other tricks. Mizuha attacks her with a chair but is easily knocked away. Tyr easily deflects the bullets Geena fires at them, but she goes on to fire entangling wires at him which electrocute him with two thousands volts. Tyr falls to the ground, unconscious.
Axl jumps in to help, and manages to tie her up with his chains. Geena identifies him as the Axl Low from the P.W.A.B. profile of him, and manages to twist her arm enough to fire and knock down a nearby building so that it falls on a young girl. Axl rescues the girl in time, but is shot by Geena, who'd engineered the situation to set him up.
Mizuha panics, desperate to help somehow as Geena gloats over her victory. She's just about to finish them all off when her artificial arm suddenly shatters, despite a magical barrier that should have protected it. To her amazement, she sees Mizuha rising into the air with an unusually serious expression on her face. Mizuha releases a powerful blast of magic that hits Geena in a huge explosion.
Axl is worried about Mizuha, but looks down to see his hand is becoming transparent and realises he's about to timeslip yet again. Just before he does, however, he sees one of Anji's Ki butterflies go past, and realises Anji's will be able to take care of the rest. Anji appears, and catches Mizuha as she falls unconscious.
Chapter 7: Words that Pierce through Darkness
A scenes of assorted objects (a cat, a watch, a bettle and then an apple) overlayed with a mystery voice asking Tyr questions about what he sees and how he feels - presumably something from Tyr's memory. The scene shifts to show the Fenrir - the dragon-like weapon which appears on Tyr's arm, now in sentient form - telling Tyr that he has the name of a god who sacrificed his right arm to Fenrir. With that, Fenrir bites off Tyr's arm.
The scene goes back to reality, where Anji is now carrying the unconscious Mizuha, Axl having disappeared. Suddenly, there's a strange pulse of energy from Tyr, who'd until then been out cold. He stands up, Fenrir again appearing on his arm, but also extending back so that material of the same dark, scaly texture covers his entire body. Anji stares, and wonders if this transformation means the boy is actually a Gear.
As Anji watches, a statue near Tyr disintegrates and is transformed completely into flower petals. Anji calls out to Tyr, but gets no response, and realises the boy doesn't even seem to be conscious of what's happening. Anji tries attacking Tyr, only to see even his own magic transformed into petals before it can get close. As more things around them begin to similarly disintegrate, Anji hurries to get further away. He lists off the five known kinds of magic (fire, water, wind, lightning and Ki), but can't find nothing to explain the power Tyr is showing, and concludes he can't be a Gear - he's something even stranger.
Mizuha begins to wake up, and wants to know where she is and where Axl and Tyr are. Anji tells her Axl's gone but there's no need to worry about him, but Tyr is in far worse state. Mizuha calls out to Tyr in shock when she sees him, and Anji is surprised to see Tyr appear to react to the sound of her voice. She tries to get to him, and Anji barely stops her before she gets transformed into petals like everything else. Mizuha begs him to tell her what she can do to help. Anji remembers Tyr reacting to the sound of her calling out, and decides there might be a way she could get through to him.
Anji explains what Mizuha can do as 'Kotodama' or the 'power in words', being a Ki-based power passed down in the songs of the Mikos at their shrine. Anything else which went near Tyr would become petals, however, since speech traveled only as waves in the air, the 'arrow of words' should still reach him. Using the Zessen to amplify and direct the sound, Anji has Mizuha call out to Tyr.
The scene changes back to the dream sequence where Tyr is still fleeing from the dragon. He hears Mizuha's voice calling his name over and over, and we see her hand catching his and pulling him out. Back in the real world, Tyr transforms back to normal and collapses, most of his clothing shredded. Mizuha runs to his side.
The scene changes again to where Gabriel and Potemkin are watching these events via a television screen. Gabriel talks about a 'mothership' - presumably connected to the falling Gears - which appeared to be being called towards London by a strange electrical wave. He identifies what's been going on down there with Mizuha as the source of the wave, and seems to have finally figured out what's going on. He sends Potemkin down to find them and bring them back to Zepp. The chapter ends with Potemkin heading off on his mission.
Chapter 8: Ship Floating Among Stars & Metallic Island in the Sky
Tyr, still unconscious despite Mizuha's attempts to wake him, suddenly transforms into an stone egg-shaped object with a dragon-like design on it, which drifts down into Mizuha’s hands. She recognises it as a smaller version of the statue in her shrine which Tyr originally emerged from when they first met.
At the International Police Force headquarters, more of the giant Gears which have been landing around the world have been detected in orbit. Ky and his subordinates attempt to have them shot down using a defence satellite, however, one of the targets survives everything they throw at it. The mystery target collides with the satellite, destroying it, and Ky’s subordinates predict that if it continues on to collide with the earth the damage from the impact will wipe out all of humanity. They finally manage to get the target on screen.
Back in London, Mizuha and Anji see one of Zepp’s ships passing over them, and Potemkin lands in front of them with a squad of soldiers and asks them to come with him. On board the ship, they meet Gabriel and learn that the ‘target’ the International Police Force identified is the ‘mothership’ Gabriel – actually a relic from the Holy War built to create and ferry Gears. While long dormant, the ship had recently reawakened and begun creating the Gears which had been seen falling to Earth. Gabriel explains that the ship is being guided down to Earth as a result of Mizuha’s powers, and the only way to stop it requires them to put Mizuha into a deathlike state until another solution can be found. Anji argues that the combined force of his Zessen, Mizuha’s power and Zepp’s weaponry should be able to destroy the ship outright, but is forced to accept that without Tyr’s help they don’t have the firepower to make it work.
Spending what she thinks will be her final conscious moments on Zepp, Mizuha talks sadly about her own stupidity in picturing the flying island as something from a dream and wishes Tyr would wake up. One of her tears falls on the stone egg, and there is a blinding flash of light.
Chapter 9: Right Ones
As the flash of light from the stone egg fades, Tyr has returned to human form. He greets Mizuha, and accuses Gabriel of making her cry. The others fill him in on what has been going on.
In London, living electrical cables find where Geena is buried and revive her, somehow sending her information about the mothership as they do so. Her comments imply the Gear ship needs her for something, which she doesn’t seem to mind.
Tyr tells Mizuha he remembered some of his past while he was asleep. He was a created being, but he still can’t remember what he was created for, and is a little concerned he was created for something evil. Mizuha comforts him and tells him not to push himself too hard in their new plan to take out the mothership, even though Tyr points out that it’s worth risking his becoming a statue again when the world is at stake. Gabriel and Potemkin discuss whether these children are ready for this sort of responsibility, and Gabriel shares an anecdote about how unlikely a candidate he should have been for president, comparing that to whether the kids will be able to rise to the challenge. He then contacts Ky to check that all preparations are ready.
A subordinate informs him that the mothership has entered their range, and the attack begins. Gabriel instructs Anji and the kids that their job will be to take down the magic barrier around the space ship, after which Zepp's forces will take over to destroy it. The ship appears above them, Tyr summons Fenrir and the plan appears to go off without a hitch, but when the dust clears on the final page, part of the ship remains, with a ominous black, web-like shape inside it. Gabriel comments that they still have yet to find out whether the kids will succeed or not.
Chapter 10: The Power that Chooses
Tyr and Mizuha watch in shock they realise that Geena appears to be piloting the mothership, which is restoring itself before their eyes. She spots them, and announces that she’s fused with the ship and her intention is to take revenge on what she sees as a ‘rotten’ world. Learning that Tyr, like herself, is himself a kind of living weapon, she challenges him to act like one and revel in causing destruction. Tyr and Mizuha refuse, arguing that no one deserves to be treated as a weapon, or mindlessly good or evil. Their first attacks clash and cancel out. Anji realises Tyr’s matter transformation powers have emerged again, but is amazed to discover that this time he appears to have them under control. Tyr and Mizuha finally launch an all out attack which defeats the shocked Geena.
Elsewhere, Ky reviews the information Sol left him. It reveals that the original purpose of the ship was not meant to have been warfare but to seek out other planets capable of supporting life, and Ky struggles with the idea that mankind could have been capable of devising two so very different purposes for the same vessel. Sol walks off, plotting slightly ambiguous murder.
A scene shows Tyr and Mizuha in some kind of town wearing new clothes. Tyr says that he still doesn’t know much about the man who created him, but he’d like to thank him if he ever gets the chance.
Characters
Note: (*) Appears as a cameo in-story or chapter covers.
Trivia
References