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.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.
It's a short story about the characters from .hack// Legend of the Twilight meeting offline. It's more to hear than to see. It shows only backgrounds from the real world with the heads of the charater-game-avatars; but it reveals some interesting real life information about the characters. Sound Drama from .hack//Legend of the Twilight Bracelet, can be found on Disk 1 of the .hack Integration + Liminality Vol. 1-4 DVD box set.
Helba has prepared a special hot springs for the .hack characters so they could get some rest and relaxation. Kite, Elk, Tsukasa, Mimiru and many other characters from the series make an appearence in The World for this reward. There is only one small catch, Helba will not reveal the exact location of where the springs are located. It soon becomes a race between the cast of .hack//SIGN and the characters from the game to see who can find it first. However, this is a catch, while everyone is trying to find the springs, someone is going around killing the other charcaters. Who will make it to the springs first and who is behind the deaths of many of the other characters?
The characters receive an email from Ovan requesting them to go to Δ Hidden Forbidden Festival where a mysterious summer festival is set up. There they encounter an AIDA Chim Chim who wishes to peacefully co-exist with the players of The World. It then transforms into the word "Returner", which Haseo assumes it to mean that Ovan will return to The World.
Join Haseo on his quest to track down Tri-Edge, the devious PK responsible for leaving one of his closest friends in a coma. Along the way he meets Atolli, a gentle girl who takes an interest in him despite his chilly demeanor. Together, Haseo and Atolli will attempt to survive long enough to decipher the riddle of the entities known as AIDAs—and save their fellow gamers from permanent sleep.
Tobias, Mary, and Sakuya are way into the The World. Together, they form an inseparable group, grinding toward the break of day and running dungeons in search of the artifacts of adventure. But when the trio becomes lost in this virtual labyrinth, a chance encounter with the mysterious entity known only as Hermit will change their lives forever.
In 2024, the computer network prevails throughout the daily life. Arishiro Sora is a 14 year old girl. One day, she is invited to an online game "The World". After an accident in the game, the real world begins to deform.
Bundled along with a free game, .hack//Versus, on the .hack//Sekai no Mukou ni Blu-ray disc, is a special called "The Thanatos Report". This special connects the events of the game with the events of the movie and "reveal the last truth". The protagonist of the special is Dave; a character who also appears in the main movie. The special takes place in both 2024 (the year in which the movie takes place) and 2025 (the year in which the game .hack//Versus takes place).