The World is the most advanced online game ever created. In The World you can be anyone you want to be, act out your adventure fantasies and through teamwork and determination, you can even become a hero. 14-year-old twins Shugo and Rena just won a contest that lets them play as the legendary avatars ‘Kite’ and ‘Black Rose.’ Armed with the power of the Twilight Bracelet, the two must discover what is causing rogue monsters to infect The World and carry on the legend of the .hackers.
.hack//Legend of the Twilight is the anime adaptation of the sci-fi adventure manga series under the same name, written by Tatsuya Hamazaki and illustrated by Rei Izumi. Produced by studio Bee Train under the direction of Koichi Mashimo and Koji Sawai, .hack//Legend of the Twilight aired a total of 12 episodes which spanned from January 8, 2003, to March 26, 2003.
Episode 1: “The Legendary Hero”
The twins Shugo and Rena acquire the character of two legendary dot hackers named Kite and Black Rose. On their first dive in The World, they encounter an irregular monster which manages to kill Shugo’s character. Shugo is then resurrected by Aura, the AI who controls The World. He then receives a special bracelet which allows him to rewrite the data of monsters and other player characters. Later, the twins meet Mireille, who was a collector of rare items.
Episode 2: “Kite’s Bracelet”
Rena and Shugo attend the event hosted by Balmung, along with their new friend Mireille. An irregular monster appears once again, which presents an opportunity to use Shugo’s bracelet. However, the “Data Drain” did not work as expected. The gang is then assisted by Divine Fist Ouka, the career werewolf. Balmung starts to wonder about the origin of the irregular monsters.
Episode 3: “The Phoenix Feather”
After the first few challenging encounters, Shugo finally manages to level up his character. However, he downgrades back to level one, after naively opening a trap box. Later, Shugo meets with Hotaru. Hotaru is taking care of a Grunty, who has somehow fallen ill. The duo decides to search for the phoenix feather, which will supposedly cure the Grunty. While on their quest for the phoenix feather, Shugo meets Sanjuro Sunaarashi.
Episode 4: “Tanabata Night”
Shugo has gone into training with Sanjuro, with hopes that he will learn how to play better. Later, he attends another event with Rena, and an irregular monster shows up once again like the last time. Fortunately, Shugo’s training pays off, and “Data Drain” finally works.
Episode 5: “Mansion of Terror”
A group of hackers decide to get rid of Shugo, and sets a trap for him. However, Rena becomes the victim instead of Shugo, and her character disappears shortly after. Meanwhile, Kamui of the Cerulean Knights confronts Balmung.
Episode 6: “Trap of The Steaming Hot Water”
Shugo starts his search for Rena, alongside Hotaru and Mireille. As they go on through their search, they receive a message from an unknown sender. Later, they stumble upon a hot spring, which later turns out to be an illusion. A monster then appears, and Shugo uses his Data Drain to defeat it.
Episode 7: “Twilight Moon”
Rena falls ill due to the effects of The World and the Twilight Incident. Aura awakens Rena inside The World, but her player remains comatose in the real world. Meanwhile, Shugo continues his search for Rena. He devises a plan to find out where his sister is, but the Cerulean Knights have other ideas.
Episode 8: “The Solitary Knight”
After learning about Shugo’s bracelet and its capabilities, the Cerulean Knights carry out an intensive search operation for the entirety of The World. Silver Knight appears, but is deleted after disagreeing with the Cerulean Knights. Balmung also meets the same fate, and is removed from the system administration after disobeying direct orders. Later, Rena manages to send a message to Shugo, moments before security around her detainment area was locked in.
Episode 9: “Footsteps of Collapse”
The Cerulean Knights continue their hunt for Shugo. Meanwhile, Shugo discovers Rena’s location, but she is on an unopened server. Shugo then tries to use his new skill Gate Hacking, to access the server. He is confronted by the group of hackers responsible for sealing Rena. At the same time, the Cerulean Knights arrive, and a battle ensues. However, a rogue AI starts attacking all the players, and puts them in a comatose state.
Episode 10: “Capitol of Illusion”
Rena searches the vicinity with hopes that she might find an exit. During her search, she stumbles upon the rogue AI. Meanwhile, Shugo decides to return to Rena’s location once more, but this time he is accompanied by Sanjuro, Hotaru, Mireille, and Ouka. The group encounters another irregular monster, which appears to be immune to Data Drain. Balmung then arrives to help the group. After defeating the monster, Morti appears.
Episode 11: “The End of the World”
Morti reveals her capabilities, which can affect the entirety of The World. The final battle between the players and AI commences, with NPCs under the control of Morti. In addition to this threat, Morti creates a special monster capable of infecting player data.
Episode 12: “The Legend Begins”
The battle between Shugo and Morti continues.