Back Arrow

Back Arrow (Japanese: バック・アロウ, Hepburn: Bakku Arō) is an original Japanese anime series produced by Studio VOLN, directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Kazuki Nakashima. The series premiered in January 2021.

Back Arrow
Anime key visual
バック・アロウ (Bakku Arō)
Genre	Mecha[1]
Created by	Gorō Taniguchi Kazuki Nakashima Aniplex
Anime television series
Directed by	Gorō Taniguchi
Written by	Kazuki Nakashima
Music by	Kōhei Tanaka
Studio	Studio VOLN
Licensed by	Funimation
Original network	Tokyo MX, GTV, GYT, BS11, ABC
Original run	January 9, 2021 – present
Episodes	5

Plot

The series takes place in the land of Lingalind (リンガリンド, Ringarindo), a continent completely surrounded by a massive wall. The people of Lingalind revere the wall as a god, believing that all of existence is contained within. While the land consists of several countries, it is mostly dominated by two powerful nations: The Lutoh Republic (リュート卿和国, Rutō Kyōwakoku), which values intelligence, and The Great Rekka Empire (レッカ凱帝国, Rekka Kai Teikoku), which values honor. These two nations are in constant conflict with each other over obtaining Rakuho (ラクホウ) capsules, which are sent from an unknown location once per month and land in predetermined regions of Lingalind, containing provisions and weapons that the people of Lingalind consider gifts from the wall.

One day after a Rakuho is recovered by Rekka forces, a previously unheard-of second Rakuho lands in Edger Village on the outskirts of Lingalind. Inside is an amnesiac young man whose only memory is that he is from "beyond the wall." Taking the name "Back Arrow," he seeks to journey back over the wall to restore his memory, entangling himself in the conflict between the two nations. Certain people in Lingalind possess devices known as Bind Warpers, metallic armbands obtained from Rakuho capsules that allow one to summon and control a giant mechanical armor known as a Briheight (ブライハイト, Buraihaito) . A Briheight's abilities are tied to one's Conviction (信念, Shin'en), the thing they believe in above all else. Being defeated in battle by another Briheight while in control of one will lead to the user disappearing.

Characters

Back Arrow (バック・アロウ, Bakku Arō)

Voiced by: Yūki Kaji[2]

An amnesiac young man who emerged from a Rakuho capsule that landed in Edger Village. He claims his only memory is that he is from "beyond the wall" and seeks to return despite people believing nothing exists past the wall. He takes his alias from Bit calling him an idiot (バカやろう (Bakayarō)). His Briheight Muga (ムガ) is a blue and white humanoid. Lacking a solid Conviction, Muga is composed of a malleable gel-like material that absorbs attacks and is capable of feats generally thought impossible for Briheights, such as being able to destroy active Bind Warpers without killing the user and granting Arrow the ability to summon at least three additional Mugas that he can control individually. Arrow also appears to be able to operate his Briheight for far longer than most people, once keeping Muga manifested for nearly five hours while the average user struggles to maintain their armor for more than one or two hours.

Edger Village

Atlee Ariel (アタリー・アリエル, Atarī Arieru)

Voiced by: Aya Suzaki[2]

The sheriff of Edger Village after her father passed away. Her Briheight Ryuju (リュージュ) manifests as a pink and white feminine humanoid that can use whip-like weapons stored in its forearms. Atlee's Conviction is "I'll manage somehow," allowing her to easily slip through most attacks unscathed. However, her gentle nature makes Ryuju fairly weak in combat.

Elsha Lean (エルシャ・リーン, Erusha Rīn)

Voiced by: Ari Ozawa[2]

Granddaughter of Burk Lean, chief of Edger Village. Her Briheight is the yellow and green Shadoh (シャドウ). Shadoh's primary ability, derived from Elsha's apparent Conviction "just get me out of here," is to merge with the flying dreadnought Granedger, acting as the figurehead on its prow and allowing Elsha to steer it. Granedger is initially buried beneath Edger Village, but is awakened by Elsha manifesting Shadoh for the first time. Its emergence destroys the village, forcing its inhabitants to move to the ship and accompany Arrow on his journey. On its own, Shadoh is equipped with basic arm-mounted blasters.

Burk Lean (バーク・リーン, Bāku Rīn)

Voiced by: Kunihiro Kawamoto[3]

Chief of Edger Village and Elsha's grandfather.

Bit Namital (ビット・ナミタル, Bitto Namitaru)

Voiced by: Kensho Ono[2]

A longtime friend of Atlee and Elsha. Despite his boastful, arrogant attitude, he is actually rather cowardly and unlucky. He avoided his village's coming-of-age trials and is inclined to take the easy option in a difficult situation.

Sola Athin (ソーラ・アシン, Sōra Ashin)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Seki[3]

Edger Village's doctor, a man possessing vast knowledge of Bind Warpers and Briheights, and their connection to the user's willpower and conviction.

Annie (アニー, Anī)

Voiced by: Reina Ueda[3]

Jim (ジム, Jimu)

Voiced by: Sara Matsumoto[3]

Sam (サム, Samu)

Voiced by: Maria Naganawa[3]

Tom (トム, Tomu)

Voiced by: Anna Nagase[3]

Great Rekka Empire

Zetsu Daidan (ゼツ・ダイダン, Zetsu Daidan)

Voiced by: Kenyu Horiuchi[4]

Emperor of the Rekka Empire.

Tae Howa (テイ・ホウワ, Tae Houwa)

Voiced by: Kenta Miyake[4]

Chancellor of the Rekka Empire.

Bai Toatsu (バイ・トウアツ, Bai Toatsu)

Voiced by: Tetsu Inada[4]

Northern General of the Rekka Empire.

Goh Zanga (ゴウ・ザンガ, Gō Zanga)

Voiced by: Nobuyuki Hiyama[4]

Western General of the Rekka Empire.

Kai Rhodan (カイ・ロウダン, Kai Rōdan)

Voiced by: Ryōtarō Okiayu[2]

A general in Rekka's army and Shū Bi's childhood friend. His Conviction is "unrivaled," which translates into his Briheight Gigan (ギガン), a humanoid clad in bulky red armor and armed with a guandao, boasting incredible strength. He and Shū Bi were sold into slavery by their hometown as children and they have plotted since then to take down Rekka from the inside.

Shū Bi (シュウ・ビ)

Voiced by: Tomokazu Sugita[2]

Rekka's High Diviner, an eccentric scientist who monitors Rakuho capsule arrivals and directs the army to retrieve them. He has been friends with general Kai Rhodan since childhood. He and Kai were sold into slavery as children and have worked their way up as part of a plan to take Rekka's government down from within out of revenge.

Ren Sin (レン・シン, Ren Shin)

Voiced by: Megumi Han[2]

A devoted, high-ranking soldier in Rekka's army, often accompanying Shū Bi when he ventures out into the world. She has a cold and tough exterior, but Shū Bi claims she is an excellent cook and she is easily flustered when teased.

Lutoh Republic

Fine Forte (フィーネ・フォルテ, Fine Forute)

Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu[5]

The pacifistic princess of the Lutoh Republic.

Prax Conrad (プラーク・コンラート, Purāku Konrāto)

Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu[5]

Peath Glinhouse (ピース・グリンハウス, Pīsu Gurinhausu)

Voiced by: Kōichi Tōchika[6]

Iki Territory

Baran Sujita (バラン・スジータ, Baran Sujīta)

Voiced by: Yasuhiro Mamiya[6]

President of the Iki Territory which forms an uneasy alliance with Lutoh Republic to capture Back Arrow.

Tyrone Duster (タイロン・ダスター, Tairon Dasutā)

A vigilante military commander who is sent to retrieve Arrow. His Conviction is "don't get roped into things," which grants his Briheight, a black and red model with a bulky appearance and arm cannons, a strong defense. He has a habit of spouting clichéd one-liners and exclaiming that he always wanted to say them.

Others

Demyne Shaft (デマイン・シャフト, Demain Shafuto)

Voiced by: Riki Kitazawa[6]

Four Fiends

A group of four mercenaries with their own individual elemental-themed Briheights who sometimes work for the Rekka Empire. They consist of: Cho Chisen who controls a yellow earth-themed Briheight and whose conviction is "bury everything"; Kei Suiitsu who controls a blue water-themed Briheight and whose conviction is "drown everything"; Nen Kasei who controls a red fire-themed Briheight and whose conviction is "burn everything"; Sin Fusui who controls a green wind-themed Briheight and whose conviction is "blast everything".

Anime

The original anime television series was announced on December 28, 2020 and is produced by Studio VOLN.[7] The series is directed by Goro Taniguchi and written by Kazuki Nakashima.[8] Kōhei Tanaka is composing the music and character designs are done by Shinobu Ohtaka and Toshiyuki Kanno. The series premiered on January 9, 2021 with the series running for two cours (seasons).[2][lower-alpha 1] The opening theme song is "dawn" performed by LiSA while the ending theme is "The End of the World" (セカイノハテ, "Sekai no Hate") performed by Shuka Saitō.[9] Funimation licensed the series and is streaming it on its website in North America and the British Isles, in Europe through Wakanim, and in Australia and New Zealand through AnimeLab.[10]

No.	Title [11][lower-alpha 2]	Directed by [11]	Written by [11]	Original air date [13][lower-alpha 1]
Part 1
1	"Do Guys From the Sky Have Undies?" Transcription: "Tonde Kita Otoko ni Pantsu wa Aru ka" (Japanese: 飛んで来た男にパンツはあるか)	Daisuke Yoshida	Kazuki Nakashima	January 9, 2021
General Kai Rhodan of Rekka claims a "Rakuho" which lands near the Lutoh Republic border containing a cache full of Bind Warpers. A Lutoh unit of Briheights soon arrive, but he defeats them by becoming a Briheight himself. A second Rakuho is then seen streaking across the sky, heading for uninhabited Iki Territory and Rekka High Diviner, Shu Bi, goes to investigate with warrior Ren Sin providing support. The second capsule lands in the remote Edgar Village. Villager Bit Namital suspects there's food inside, so the villagers start boiling the capsule while Shu Bi watches from afar. The capsule opens and a naked youth jumps out, recalling only that he came from "beyond the Wall", much to everyone's disbelief. Suddenly, a bandit attacks the village and uses his Briheight to obtain the Rakuho treasure. The sheriff, Atlee Ariel, attempts to defend the village and stop the destruction with her own Briheight, but she is trapped by the bandit. The naked youth grabs a Bind Warper from his capsule and transforms into a unique Briheight, rescuing Atlee and destroying both the bandit's Briheight and Bind Warper, although unusually the bandit survives. Bit has repeatedly called the naked youth an idiot, a "bakayaro!", which the young man mistakenly hears as "Back Arrow", and takes it as his name.
2	"Is Having Dreams a Burden?" Transcription: "Yume wa Mattaku Meiwaku na no ka" (Japanese: 夢はまったく迷惑なのか)	Won Chang hee	Kazuki Nakashima	January 16, 2021
Back Arrow heads off for the distant Wall in his Briheight armor, but when the falls from exhaustion hours later, Shu Bi and Ren Sin catch up with him. Shu Bi offers to help him in a few days and returns him to Edgar Village. There, Back Arrow learns about village life and the conflict between Rekka and Lutoh. Shu Bi returns to the Rekka capital to carry out research at the Banned Text Archive. Meanwhile in Maestrag Castle in the capital of Lutoh, the bandit displays his broken Bind Warper and relates his experience with the naked youth and destruction of his Briheight. Princess Fine Forte sees the appearance of the foreigner as a potential for world peace, however the Lutoh military force the Iki president to retrieve the foreigner and destroy the Edgar Village. Tyrone Duster of the Iki defense force arrives at the village and begins to destroy it, but Atlee uses her inherited Bind Warper to invoke her Briheight, "Ryuju", but is ineffective. Sheriff Elsha finds another Bind Warper in Back Arrow's capsule and transforms into her own Briheight, "Shadoh", to defend the village, but is into an underground cavern. Back Arrow invokes his Briheight and defeats Duster's Briheight and breaks Duster's Bind Warper, but again this does not cause the death of the wearer. Back in Rekka capital Shu Bi discovers an ancient text containing a prophecy that when a newcomer achieves self realization, the world will be destroyed.
3	"Does a Huge Ship Bring Hope?" Transcription: "Kyodai na Fune wa Kibō ni Naru ka" (Japanese: 巨大な城艦は希望になるか)	Jun'ichi Fujise	Kazuki Nakashima	January 23, 2021
Elsha's Briheight, Shadoh, emerges from underground, connected as a figurehead to the huge flying battleship Granedger. Together with Back Arrow's battle with Duster, the emerging battleship threatens to destroy Edgar Village and everything in the vicinity. The Rekka emperor, Zetsu Daidan, distributes Bind Warper armbands salvaged from the Rakuho to his troops in an effort to seize the foreigner. Meanwhile, Bit steals Back Arrow's Bind Warper while he sleeps, and the villagers prepare to hand him over to the Iki president in exchange for a new place to live. That night Elsha tries to release Back Arrow in return for defending the villagers, but she is stopped by Atlee, and Back Arrow agrees to remain a prisoner. As the Edgar villagers are transported towards their new location on the Granedger piloted by Elsha, Bit joins the Iki military in frustration in response to Elsha expressing her disappointment in him, at the departure of the villagers. Iki's president orders his forces fire cannons to destroy Granedger to avoid the ship falling into the hands of either Rekka or Lutoh, leaving Bit horrified. Bit throws Back Arrow his Bind Warper whereupon Arrow invokes his Briheight and saves the ship. Back and Bit then leave with the villagers to find a new homeland. When Emperor Daidan learns of the ancient prophecy, Shu Bi offers to capture Back Arrow himself.
4	"Does Genius Come When Least Expected?" Transcription: "Tensai wa Wasureta Koro ni Yatte Kuru no ka" (Japanese: 天才は忘れた頃にやってくるのか)	Tomohisa Onoue	Kazuki Nakashima	January 30, 2021
A flashback to fifteen years earlier shows the young friends Shu and Kai, along with other children from their poor village, being offered to Rekka in lieu of paying taxes and forced to become soldiers. Shu decides to exploit the opportunity to succeed and change the Rekka system from within. In the present, the mercenary group of Four Friends attack and breach a Lutoh border outpost in the "Neutral Zone". Meanwhile, Sol Athin suggests the Granedger dreadnaught follows a path through the neutral zone used by traders as the best way to reach the Wall in the north. They are soon confronted by Shu and Ren with Rekka forces who launch an attack. Atlee and Back invoke their Briheights to engage the troops while Elsha attempts to steer the Granedger towards Bandkia in the northeast. The Four Friends invoke their Briheights and use a "decouple" spray to halt the Granedger[lower-alpha 3]. Facing defeat, Back Arrow clones his Briheight into four separate versions and attacks and defeats the Four Friends' Briheights, returning them to their human forms. Shu surmises that without a single "conviction" Back is not limited to a single Briheight. Shu suddenly disables all of the Rekka army's weapons and Briheights, and offers to join Back Arrow and Edgar Village. Impressed by Back's powers, Shu orders Ren to return to the Rekka capital and report his betrayal to Zetsu Daidan.
5	"Is Today Yesterday's Tomorrow?" Transcription: "Kyō wa Kinō no Ashita na no ka" (Japanese: 今日は昨日の明日なのか)	Daisuke Yoshida	Kazuki Nakashima	February 6, 2021
A flashback to ten years earlier, Kai and Shu earn the respect of the Rekka emperor by finding a Rakuho and defeating rebel troops. In the present Kai sets off to confront Shu and finds him in the company of the Edgar villagers aboard the Granedger. Shu refuses to return to Rekka and Kai prepares to kill him, but Back intercepts him and they both invoke their Briheights. However, Shu has Dr Athin fire a particle cannon from the Granedger towards the capital. Expulsions rack the capital and Kai decides to return, but vows that his former friend Shu is now his enemy. Shu then reveals that he had remotely detonated pre-prepared explosives in the capital and that they should head for the north wall before the deception is discovered. In the capital, Ren Sin agrees to now serve Kai Rhodan.
6	"Are Pretty Boy Farms a Thing?" Transcription: "Bishōnen Bokujōtte Maji na no ka" (Japanese: 美少年牧場ってマジなのか)	TBA	TBA	February 13, 2021

Notes

1. Tokyo MX listed the series premiere at 24:00 on January 8, 2021, which is at midnight on January 9.
2. All English titles are taken from Funimation.[12]
3. Liquid metals flow underground in Lingalind like rivers, and metal devices like the Granedger dreadnaught use its magnetic attraction and repulsion to float and move. Decouple spray temporarily neutralizes the effect for about one hour.

References

1. Harding, Daryl (November 5, 2020). "Code Geass Director's Next TV Anime, Back Arrow, Reveals January 2021 Premiere With New Visuals". Crunchyroll. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
2. Loo, Egan (March 22, 2020). "Code Geass Helmer Goro Taniguchi's Back Arrow Anime Unveils Story, More Staff & Cast, 2021 Date in Video". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
3. Sherman, Jennifer (December 11, 2020). "Back Arrow Anime's New Promo Reveals January 8 Premiere, More Cast". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
4. Mateo, Alex (December 18, 2020). "Back Arrow Anime's New Promo Video Highlights Rekka Empire, Reveals More Cast". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 18, 2020.
5. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 26, 2020). "Back Arrow Anime's 2nd Video Previews LiSA's Opening Song". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 26, 2020.
6. Hodgkins, Crystalyn (December 25, 2020). "Back Arrow Anime Streams Video Highlighting Principality of Ryuto". Anime News Network. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
7. Pineda, Rafael Antonio (November 5, 2020). "Back Arrow TV Anime Reveals Half-Year Run, January 2021 Premiere, More Staff". Anime News Network. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
8. Loo, Egan (December 28, 2019). "Code Geass Helmer Goro Taniguchi, Promare Writer Kazuki Nakashima Make Back Arrow TV Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
9. "Myūjikku | Orijinaru Terebi Animēshon "Bakku Arō" Kōshiki Saito" MUSIC | オリジナルTVアニメーション「バック・アロウ」 公式サイト [Music | Original TV Animation "Back Arrow" Official Website]. back-arrow.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
10. Friedman, Nicholas (December 21, 2020). "Beyond the Wall! BACK ARROW Anime to Stream Exclusively on Funimation". Funimation. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
11. "Sutōrī | Orijinaru Terebi Animēshon "Bakku Arō" Kōshiki Saito" STORY | オリジナルTVアニメーション「バック・アロウ」 公式サイト [Story | Original TV Animation "Back Arrow" Official Website]. back-arrow.com (in Japanese). Archived from the original on January 8, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
12. "Watch Back Arrow Sub | Action/Adventure, Fantasy, Sci Fi Anime | Funimation". Funimation. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
13. "Hōsō Jōhō｜Bakku Arō｜Anime｜Tōkyō Emu Ekkusu" 放送情報｜バック・アロウ｜アニメ｜TOKYO MX [Broadcast Information｜Back Arrow｜Anime｜Tokyo MX]. Tokyo MX (in Japanese). Retrieved February 6, 2021.

External links

• Official website (in Japanese)
• Back Arrow at Anime News Network's encyclopedia