.hack franchise plot threads that are still unresolved?

[Keyaki]

My theory for Yoshida(28) is that, like AIKA and the Returner Chim Chim, the game object existed beforehand and an AIDA attached to it.

Wait, what? Yoshida(28)? What's that? I haven't played Vol 4 yet so I'm trying to avoid spoilers hence why I haven't seen too much of your summary on it on the Last Recode thread but I saw the Yoshida(26) and that was a rare Wavemaster weapon you could get back on the Lambda Server bck in R:1. What's it got to do with anything? AIDA attached to it?

[Kuukai]

Since you're asking I will clarify:  Yoshida(28)
is an AIDA in Innocent Call that survived Rebirth by attaching to something like AIKA, presumably that Wavemaster staff.

[Keyaki]

Since you're asking I will clarify:  Yoshida(28)
is an AIDA in Innocent Call that survived Rebirth by attaching to something like AIKA, presumably that Wavemaster staff.

I'm surprised that weapon survived the transition from R:1 to R:2

[Kuukai]

Since you're asking I will clarify:  Yoshida(28)
is an AIDA in Innocent Call that survived Rebirth by attaching to something like AIKA, presumably that Wavemaster staff.

I'm surprised that weapon survived the transition from R:1 to R:2

I think it's intended to be a shocking easter egg. It raises questions about what it even was to begin with and why it had a name that sounded like a person's name and age.

[(Phantom) Thief]

I remembering seeing that there was something included with the Figurarts. Novel (BLACK side) & Novel (WHITE side).

I was not aware of these but those sound interesting.

Interview #1
Interview #2




Journal of The Dark and The Wicked


The Duplicate Phenomenon
Extracts of the Epitaph User's Investigation

I don't have much time to talk about Yoshida 26 ( 吉田さん（２６）) yet however about the novels from what I can gather Black Side - Journal of The Dark and The Wicked are personal notes from Haseo's perspective sometime after reaching his 3rd form and White Side - The Duplicate Phenomenon Extracts of the Epitaph User's Investigation are pieces of Yata (Takumi Hino )hidden observations over the matter around a separate time. What's also interesting is that while White (Skeith) never had a weapon in the original set, they felt it was appropriate for figure version of the character to have one added. (Don't mind the links they're just notes)

[SSJScygoku]

o-0 so these will be included in each of the figures? Man they really want folk to buy both for the extra info xD

[SaberChan]

Oh man, that looks so awesome!! I wish it were easier to get my hands on these -- I've no idea how I could even order them from Canada.

Thanks for the information, (Phantom) Thief!

[Falions]

Oh man, that looks so awesome!! I wish it were easier to get my hands on these -- I've no idea how I could even order them from Canada.

Thanks for the information, (Phantom) Thief!

I'm Canadian and I ordered through DeJapan as it was a sponsored mail forwarding service by Premium Bandai. The pre-orders are closed now, though. I only got the black one, and now I'm regretting not getting both!!!! Oh well. Hopefully someone else on here gets it and scans it so we can see whatever juicy info is in that file.

[Lindz]

Now that I've played through all of Vol.4 a new mystery appeared!

 How in the world is Ovan being allowed to leave Japan an not being served an arrest warrant the moment he woke up? O.o

[Keyaki]

Yata proved his innocence

[Lindz]

The innocence of setting off the Rebirth and thus the Third Network Crisis in which countless people all over the world suffered and died, intentionally of his own accord?

[Keyaki]

I don't recall some people dying due to the Rebirth. But the Third Network Crisis wasn't caused by Ovan's Rebirth. It was caused by Cubia. Everyone was gunning after Ovan because he was blamed for AIDA

[Bullet Biter]

I don't recall some people dying due to the Rebirth. But the Third Network Crisis wasn't caused by Ovan's Rebirth. It was caused by Cubia. Everyone was gunning after Ovan because he was blamed for AIDA

The Rebirth did cause a sudden outage which would've caused a nice bit of collateral damage given how much things relied on the network, but yeah Cubia was like the main reason why it escalated to the next level.

Either way it was pretty much a lose-lose situation because no Rebirth meant all the comatose people die, The World gets shut down, and then AIDA gets out and destroys the internet. Rebirth meant that there would be collateral damage due to a sudden network failure, but the comatose people wake up, and AIDA doesn't destroy the internet. So he isn't entirely innocent, but  Reconnection kind of makes it clear that he doesn't think he's innocent either.

[Keyaki]

I don't recall some people dying due to the Rebirth. But the Third Network Crisis wasn't caused by Ovan's Rebirth. It was caused by Cubia. Everyone was gunning after Ovan because he was blamed for AIDA

The Rebirth did cause a sudden outage which would've caused a nice bit of collateral damage given how much things relied on the network, but yeah Cubia was like the main reason why it escalated to the next level.

Either way it was pretty much a lose-lose situation because no Rebirth meant all the comatose people die, The World gets shut down, and then AIDA gets out and destroys the internet. Rebirth meant that there would be collateral damage due to a sudden network failure, but the comatose people wake up, and AIDA doesn't destroy the internet. So he isn't entirely innocent, but  Reconnection kind of makes it clear that he doesn't think he's innocent either.

He didn't have a choice in the matter, the burden was just AIDA but his sister as well and Aina being in a coma wasn't the only problem. There was a good risk that she'd die and not because of the coma

[Lindz]

Isn't Ovan responsible for Cubia? Of all people he had ta know it was coming as a result of what he was trying to pull. I think G.U+ or was it the novel... I was reading both while playing the games which made things pretty confusing! Regardless they said things like when stocks started crashing some people commited suicide over it. Both those and the games had plane/train/car accidents in which not everyone survived (the games don't mention deaths, of course). And there was also that TALOS incident in which a drone went berserk attacking towns and injuring civilians which an further incited the civil war in Khatakastan.

...and poor Butt-rice had his life temporarily disrupted by having to evacuate to a shelter since he lived near malfunctioning nuclear power plants!

Some of that stuff happened during the pre-Cubia phase of the crisis and some during it. But Cubia or no at least a chunk of it falls on his shoulders.

I guess his stay outta jail card is that people thought AIDA was the reason for the crisis and he was wrongly accused of creating the AIDA "virus". But it wasn't AIDA it was just plain him, so he gets off on a technicality? Can't be charged for the same crime twice kinda thing? We'll have ta ignore that every other country in the world would want a piece of him!

He didn't have a choice in the matter, the burden was just AIDA but his sister as well and Aina being in a coma wasn't the only problem. There was a good risk that she'd die and not because of the coma

Well that brings thing into a 1 life vs the lives of many kinda thing. But also part of the problem with that is he went it alone an didn't seek any help an manipulated/messed with many peoples lives. In Vol.3 Haseo called it as it was - selfishly trampling over other people for his own dream.

[Keyaki]

Isn't Ovan responsible for Cubia? Of all people he had ta know it was coming as a result of what he was trying to pull.

~Sigh~

No. Not at all. Again, the Rebirth did not bring Cubia. Play Redemption again. Cubia spawns whenever the Key of Twilight appears. It appeared when Kite had the Bracelet and it appeared when Haseo had absorbed the powers of all 8 Epitaphs. The Rebirth had nothing to do with that. All he wanted and achieved to do was to reset the internet to get rid of AIDA(the hostile ones anyway) and save his sister.

I think G.U+ or was it the novel... I was reading both while playing the games which made things pretty confusing!

That's your problem. Neither of those are canon.

Regardless they said things like when stocks started crashing some people commited suicide over it.

AIDA caused that. And the suicide is their own fault, not Ovan's.

Both those and the games had plane/train/car accidents in which not everyone survived (the games don't mention deaths, of course). And there was also that TALOS incident in which a drone went berserk attacking towns and injuring civilians which an further incited the civil war in Khatakastan.

Again, they were caused by Cubia's influence on the internet. Not Ovan. Ovan had nothing to Cubia.

I guess his stay outta jail card is that people thought AIDA was the reason for the crisis and he was wrongly accused of creating the AIDA "virus". But it wasn't AIDA it was just plain him, so he gets off on a technicality? Can't be charged for the same crime twice kinda thing?

Again, he was completely innocent. He wasn't the cause for any of it.

Well that brings thing into a 1 life vs the lives of many kinda thing. But also part of the problem with that is he went it alone an didn't seek any help an manipulated/messed with many peoples lives. In Vol.3 Haseo called it as it was - selfishly trampling over other people for his own dream.
T

No it wasn't. He did it not to just save Aina but to save everyone from AIDA. And this was the only way to go about it. It's not like he could've just told Haseo

"Hey, my sister is in a coma, so many other people are also in a coma and AIDA is to blame. You're the only one who can save them but you need to learn how to summon your Morganna Factor, and Data Drain the others including me to reset the entire internet"

Manipulated or not, the ends justified the means. He wasn't being selfish at all. He saved everyone. Not jus Aina but Shino, Alkaid, Sirius, and so many others who may have come into some kind of contact with AIDA.

[Bullet Biter]

Isn't Ovan responsible for Cubia? Of all people he had ta know it was coming as a result of what he was trying to pull.

His plan inadvertently resulted in Cubia, but he didn't knowingly unleash Cubia.

I think G.U+ or was it the novel... I was reading both while playing the games which made things pretty confusing!

Those aren't canon and Ovan is such a radically different character in the novels and somewhat more of an asshole in the manga that trying to mesh them with GU Ovan's plotline is madness lol

(the games don't mention deaths, of course)

Then no one died. (some people probably got injured in those self-driving car crashes though I'll give you that)

...and poor Butt-rice had his life temporarily disrupted by having to evacuate to a shelter since he lived near malfunctioning nuclear power plants!

This is the REAL crime tbh

Some of that stuff happened during the pre-Cubia phase of the crisis and some during it. But Cubia or no at least a chunk of it falls on his shoulders.

I won't argue this, but the impact he had in the GU game canon was significantly less than it was in GU+ and the novels.

I guess his stay outta jail card is that people thought AIDA was the reason for the crisis and he was wrongly accused of creating the AIDA "virus". But it wasn't AIDA it was just plain him, so he gets off on a technicality? Can't be charged for the same crime twice kinda thing? We'll have ta ignore that every other country in the world would want a piece of him!

AIDA amplifies human emotions (and apparently takes over your body to laugh at you) so you could argue he wasn't operating in the best mental state. Again, Cubia caused the majority of the damage. CC Corp was literally trying to put everything (including the things caused by CC's own negligence/secret evil plans) on him so they could continue to operate unimpeded. That ain't right, my guy. He didn't cause AIDA and he didn't rub his hands together and purposely bring about Cubia.

He ain't guilty of a crime, but he is guilty of being kind of a jerk.

Well that brings thing into a 1 life vs the lives of many kinda thing. But also part of the problem with that is he went it alone an didn't seek any help an manipulated/messed with many peoples lives. In Vol.3 Haseo called it as it was - selfishly trampling over other people for his own dream.

He didn't just save 1 life he saved the lives of several other players who were comatose and prevented AIDA from leaving The World and causing a crisis potentially worse than the one Cubia caused. The funny thing about that whole speech is that Haseo was literally on the same path (hurting Tabby, hurting/using Atoli, pushing everyone aside to focus on his goal and to hell with the consequences) until he grew up a little and realized he couldn't (and shouldn't) do it alone.
Either way, Reconnection really ties up that whole thing and gets out all those emotions.

TL;DR Ovan is literally just

[Lindz]

His plan inadvertently resulted in Cubia, but he didn't knowingly unleash Cubia.

That guy new darn near every about "The World" even more than Yata. There's no way he didn't know about Cubia and how using the kind of power he did wouldn't result in it.

Those aren't canon and Ovan is such a radically different character in the novels and somewhat more of an asshole in the manga that trying to mesh them with GU Ovan's plotline is madness lol

Then no one died. (some people probably got injured in those self-driving car crashes though I'll give you that)

I'm not saying they're canon, but the disasters that struck 'em are reflected in Vol.3 all the same! Financial markets tanked, all kinds of vechicluar accidents happened, and more! An not specifying deaths doesn't mean there weren't any. It'd be extremely unlikely that either side fighting after the TALOS incident walked away sans casualties.

AIDA amplifies human emotions (and apparently takes over your body to laugh at you) so you could argue he wasn't operating in the best mental state. Again, Cubia caused the majority of the damage. CC Corp was literally trying to put everything (including the things caused by CC's own negligence/secret evil plans) on him so they could continue to operate unimpeded. That ain't right, my guy. He didn't cause AIDA and he didn't rub his hands together and purposely bring about Cubia.

He ain't guilty of a crime, but he is guilty of being kind of a jerk.

The dude drugged and manipulated a child "just give me one more hit of AIDA!". He's a monster. Or as you said does that also fall on AIDA affecting his emotions? AIDA obviously couldn't have been straight up mind controlling him seeing as how he was able to set everything up to wipe 'em out an then some. Seems kinda farfetched ta say he bears zero responsibility for any of his actions.

He didn't just save 1 life he saved the lives of several other players who were comatose and prevented AIDA from leaving The World and causing a crisis potentially worse than the one Cubia caused. The funny thing about that whole speech is that Haseo was literally on the same path (hurting Tabby, hurting/using Atoli, pushing everyone aside to focus on his goal and to hell with the consequences) until he grew up a little and realized he couldn't (and shouldn't) do it alone.

Ya he saved those people he put into comas in the first place! Hooray for Ovan! And hooray for his AIDA which apparently is good and also bears no responsibility an won't mess with his emotions anymore!

[Keyaki]

AIDA amplifies human emotions (and apparently takes over your body to laugh at you) so you could argue he wasn't operating in the best mental state.

I'm not so sure about that. Ovan seemed do to be sane the entire time despite Tri-Edge.

That guy new darn near every about "The World" even more than Yata. There's no way he didn't know about Cubia and how using the kind of power he did wouldn't result in it.

He didn't know about Cubia. The Rebirth didn't cause Cubia.

How many times I have to say it?

Cubia's presence was even hinted before the Rebirth.

I'm not saying they're canon, but the disasters that struck 'em are reflected in Vol.3 all the same! Financial markets tanked, all kinds of vechicluar accidents happened, and more! An not specifying deaths doesn't mean there weren't any. It'd be extremely unlikely that either side fighting after the TALOS incident walked away sans casualties.

That was Cubia's fault. Not Ovan's.

The dude drugged and manipulated a child "just give me one more hit of AIDA!". He's a monster. Or as you said does that also fall on AIDA affecting his emotions? AIDA obviously couldn't have been straight up mind controlling him seeing as how he was able to set everything up to wipe 'em out an then some. Seems kinda farfetched ta say he bears zero responsibility for any of his actions.

Calling him a monster isn't fair. He manipulated AIDA to get rid of it. Yes, Sakaki he infect Taihaku and the Hetero Trio but aside from that and turning the Arena into an AIDA Server, that's really all he could do because that's all Ovan allowed him to do. And it was all to make Haseo stronger. Yes, highly questionable but he got rid of Sakaki and left him at the mercy of the Azure Knights and the AIDA that was plaguing the Arena was eradicated by Haseo. Just as Ovan planned. Calling him a monster isn't right at all.

Ya he saved those people he put into comas in the first place! Hooray for Ovan! And hooray for his AIDA which apparently is good and also bears no responsibility an won't mess with his emotions anymore!

Yes. Because Ovan wanted to put Shino and Aina in a coma.

[Bullet Biter]

I'm not so sure about that. Ovan seemed do to be sane the entire time despite Tri-Edge.

I kind of took the fact that literally every other character in the series that gets infected by AIDA goes a little bit off their rocker to assume that Ovan is probably somewhat similar. Adding in that he has to deal with the mental strain of his sister's condition and losing the one person who knew of his situation (Shino) I don't think any person would be able to handle that without breaking down a little.

The dude drugged and manipulated a child "just give me one more hit of AIDA!". He's a monster. Or as you said does that also fall on AIDA affecting his emotions? AIDA obviously couldn't have been straight up mind controlling him seeing as how he was able to set everything up to wipe 'em out an then some. Seems kinda farfetched ta say he bears zero responsibility for any of his actions.

I said he was a jerk, but not a criminal. That's not saying he has no responsibility for his actions that's saying he's not guilty for the crimes NAB charged him with.
To put it even clearer: he's kind of a jerk to begin with and AIDA + extreme mental stress + desperation made him a mega jerk. Sakaki was the same way. He went from jerk to mega jerk once he got AIDA. Remember that kid was already manipulating people and attempting to take over Moon Tree before he was given it.

Ya he saved those people he put into comas in the first place! Hooray for Ovan! And hooray for his AIDA which apparently is good and also bears no responsibility an won't mess with his emotions anymore!

Did we even play the same games at this point or did you miss the parts where they plainly showed that Tri-Edge is a completely separate entity from Ovan? He didn't put them into comas; that was Tri-Edge!

Ovan did a lot of lousy things but blaming both Cubias actions and Tri-Edge's actions on him is just showing a complete lack of understanding of the plot.
Ovan played the role of the antagonist so he could give Haseo something concrete to fight against and so he wouldn't hesitate when he'd inevitably have to defeat him. He's the deuteragonist of the story behind which the true antagonist (Tri-Edge/AIDA) hides.