Sakura Taisen

''All about a title: A title literally translates when "The Great War Among the Cherry Blossoms", symbolising a back's beginning inside spring, the period delineated within Japan per bloom of a cherry. Look at as well ''hanami'

Platform(s): Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, Play Station Portable
Release date:''' Saturn: September 27, 1996; Dreamcast: May, 2000; Windows: ?; Play Station Portable: Spring 2006

The game that started it all, this Sega Saturn game was released in 1996, and established the now-famous Live Interactive Picture System (LIPS) dialog game system, wherein the player is presented with dialog options to choose from during conversations with other characters. Each choice made (or not making one at all) adds or deducts "trust points" from various characters' totals, eventually shaping the player's relationship with the rest of the cast, and ultimately, the ending of the game.

The second portion of gameplay featured turn-based battling between the characters' Koubu and their enemies. Units moved about on a grid-based map of the battlefield performing attacks and spectacular special moves to destroy the villains.

Set in 1923, the twelfth year of the Taisho Emperor's reign, the story details the adventures of the Teikoku Kagekidan—Hanagumi (lit. "Imperial Floral Assault Click—Flower Section") and its leader Ensign Ogami Ichiro as they defend Teito (lit. "Imperial Capital" a.k.a. Tokyo) against evil creatures of the Kurono Sukai (lit. "Hive of Blackness") led by the vile Tenkai. All the while the Hanagumi continues to perform onstage undercover, as the Imperial Opera Troupe (see note below), featuring the plucky Shinguuji Sakura, the "top star" Kanzaki Sumire, the cool and icy Maria Tachibana, the fiery Kirishima Kanna, the playful Iris Chateaubriand, and engineering genius Ri Kohran.

(Note: The Japanese words for "Imperial Floral Assault Inflict" and "Imperial Opera Troupe" are pronounced in the same way, and only the characters used in writing are different, resulting in a clever pun. Thus the Hanagumi performs as one during the day, and "changes characters" come time for battle.)

One notable feature of the game is that the FMV sequences have fully orchestral music accompanying them; this was very likely the first video game released to include this.

Sakura Taisen 2 ~Kimi, Shinitamou koto Nakare~

''About the title: The subtitle "Kimi, Shinitamou koto Nakare" (lit. "Busy people shall non die") refers to the title of a poem by Yosano Akiko, a famous early-twentieth-century Japanese poet. The poem itself is known for Russo-Japanese war and his young brother(Anti-war poet)

Platform(s): Sega Saturn, Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, Sony Playstation Portable
Release date: Saturn: April 4, 1998; Dreamcast: ?; Windows: ?; Sony Playstation Portable: Spring 2006

The second game in the series was released in 1998 and sported not only a subtitle but minor changes to the battle system, adding the ability to choose a "battle project" that increased the team's effectiveness in using certain tactics. Many variations on the Adventure Mode's LIPS system were also added.

The story this time takes place in the fourteenth year of Taisho (1925), roughly a year after the cataclysmic conclusion of the original in 1924. Ensign Ogami has returned from a tour of duty in the Imperial Navy and has been permanently assigned as squad leader of the Imperial Floral Assault Force—Flower Division (and errand boy for the Great Imperial Theater). Two new members, the quiet Reni Milchstrasse and outspoken Orihime Soletta, have joined the squad from the now-disbanded Hoshigumi (lit. "Star Section"), and many new enemies are arising to threaten Teito, both from without and within. How will the newly expanded Hanagumi deal with the approaching darkness?

Sakura Taisen 3 ~Pari wa Moeteiru ka?~

''About the title: The subtitle "Pari washington moeteiru ka?" (lit. "Is Paris burning?") refers to a famous quote from German dictator Adolf Hitler as he asked about General Dietrich von Choltitz's progress in destroying the City of Lights. Paris was not burning, however, as Gen. Choltitz had disobeyed Hitler's orders and not leveled the city.

Platform(s): Sega Dreamcast, Microsoft Windows, Sony PlayStation 2
Release date: Dreamcast: March 22, 2001; Microsoft Windows: ?; PS2: February 24, 2005

Released in 2001, Sakura Taisen 3 represented the most dramatic change in the series to date. It was the first major Sakura Taisen title to be released on the next-generation Dreamcast console (a puzzle-based spinoff game had been released earlier), and featured all-new 3D graphics and a totally new battle system known as the Active and Real-time Machine System (ARMS), which used a gridless action-point-based combat scheme. Furthermore, the game featured an all-new cast of girls in an all-new setting.

It is the middle of 1926, barely weeks after the Teito was saved a second time, and Oogami has been promoted to lieutenant and reassigned to "study" in the French capital of Paris, the City of Lights. Just as he arrives, however, Oogami is informed that he is there to train a new "Paris Assault Squad" (Japanese: "Pari Kagekidan"), and battle marauding Beast-Men (Japanese: "Kaijin") with the "Fleur de Paris" (Japanese: "Pari Hanagumi"), a team of young women working undercover as performers in Chattes Noire, a famous Parisian nightclub. Can Oogami help Erica Fontaine, Glycine Bleumer, Lobelia Carlini, Hanabi Kitaoji, and Coquelicot stem the tide and ensure that the Eternal City stays that way? Can he even get them to work together?!

Sakura Taisen 4 ~Koise yo, Otome~

About the title: "''Koise yo, Otome-tachi" translates as "Fall enamored, Maidens", a line from the "Gondola there is no Uta", or "Song of the Gondola", written in 1915 by Shinpei Nakayama and Isamu Yoshii, and featured in Akira Kurosawa's Ikiru.

Platform(s): Sega Dreamcast
Release date: March 21, 2002

2002 saw the end of the Sakura Taisen'' series in its current story form. Revealing a newly restructured story format, concentrating on "wide, like than yearn" gameplay (2 large multipathed 'Acts' versus many short 'Episodes'), the last of the Tokyo and Paris storylines featured the entire combined casts of Sakura Taisens 1 through 3, a total of fourteen girls with who to curry favor, as well as the ability to create an "Oogami Kagekidan" (lit. "''Oogami's Assault Inflict") to use in the fight against evil.

Spring, 1927. Oogami has returned to Tokyo from Paris in triumph, and finds the Teikoku Kagekidan in battle with a new foe, this time one that looks impossible to defeat with the resources at hand. To where can the beleaguered Hanagumi turn for assistance? Perhaps to across the sea, to the City of Lights?

Sakura Taisen ~Atsuki Chishio Ni~

About the title: "Atsuki Chishio Ni", literally "Within Hot Blood" refers to passage #26 from the "Midaregami", a poem/story written by Yosano Akiko.

Platform(s): Sony PlayStation 2
Release date: February 27, 2003

In a return to the roots for the new generation, Sega almost completely remade the original Sakura Taisen'' game, releasing it on 2003 on Sony's PlayStation 2 game console.

Adding new content and remade artwork by series art director Matsubara Hidenori, the game featured remastered full motion video sequences, as well as converting the battle system to ARMS, the 3D graphics and tactical combat engine used in Sakura Taisens 3 and 4. LIPS interaction sequences were also updated to include the LIPS types introduced in previous releases, and adding Action LIPS, where the player enters a series of commands on the controller, in a fashion similar to "Simon Says".

Reprising the original story of the first Sakura Taisen game, there are no changes to the plot other than re-recorded speech dialogue by the original voice actors, and several new scenes and "more content".

Sakura Taisen 5 Episode 0 ~Kouya no Samurai Musume~

(Note: ''A zero inserted into a franchise series' title usually indicates a prequel feature, detailing that the product takes place before the events of the "rattling" product, as with the Nintendo GameCube game Resident Evil 0.)

About the title: The subtitle "Kouya there are no Samurai Musume" can be interpreted to mean "A Samurai Girl from either a Uncivilized West", though the literal Japanese translation is actually "A Samurai Girl from either a Wild/Wilderness".

Platform(s): Sony PlayStation 2
Release date: September 22, 2004

In a radical departure from traditional Sakura Taisen gameplay yet, Sega released a new completely action-based game which acts as a prequel to the Sakura Taisen 5 main game. This new game features "Action Rodeo Combat", with the protagonist fighting off her foes while on horseback, and interacting with characters via the revised LIPS system used in Sakura Taisen ~Atsuki Chishio Ni~.

The story is now set in the United States, and focuses on one of the new cast members of Sakura Taisen 5, a young Japanese-American girl named Gemini Sunrise. Gemini has lived all her life out in the Wild West of Texas. At the request of her master, Mifune, she has a new assignment waiting for her in New York City. The young samurai cowgirl boards her best pal Rally the Horse, and rides off, away from the sunset (no one said she knew how to get to New York). But something is stirring afoot, and it involves a young girl named Juanita Cushing, a calvaryman from Kansas named Bread Basileus, and a magician named Patrick Hamilton. The ride ahead looks long, indeed.

(Note: This game is the only title currently under active consideration by Sega for release in the West. If the plans announced in the Sakura Taisen WORLD project pull through, this could be the first title to be localized and released in the US.)

Sakura Taisen 5 ~Saraba, Itoshiki Hito yo~

About the title: The subtitle "Saraba, Itoshiki Hito yo" is officially translated "Farewell, The Love", and is the Japanese title for The Heartbreak Yakuza, a film directed and released in 1987 by Harada Masato. The film is about a yakuza who stumbles upon a girl he once knew in his childhood.

Platform(s): Sony PlayStation 2
Release date: July 7, 2005

The fifth major release in the seminal Sakura Taisen series of games, Sakura Taisen 5'' adds a new set of features, including new LIPS interactions that use some of the unique characteristics of the PlayStation 2 platform, like the Dual Shock 2 Controller's Analog Joysticks, and a three-dimensional navigation system that opens up the streets of New York for the player to explore, including areas of New Jersey, Queens, and Manhattan Island.

Set in New York City in America, Sakura Taisen V feature an all-new cast of characters, working in Broadway's famous "Little Lip Theater". Joined by a new protagonist and player character, Taiga Shinjiro, the "Up to date York Fighting Troupe" (Lit. "Up to date York Kagekidan") will ride to battle in their "STAR" combat armors, which can transform into flying aircraft, able to engage evil on the ground and in the clouds. What does the future hold for Shinjiro and his teammates -- Harlem lawyer Sagiitta Weinberg, samurai cowgirl Gemini Sunrise, Boston resident Diana Caprice, Mexican livewire Rikaritta Aries, and Japanese enigma Kujou Subaru -- and what evils must they face to protect the Big Apple?

(Note: The game also features Ratchet Altair, a character first introduced during Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin (Sakura Taisen: The Movie).)

The Animated Works

One of the consistent draws to the Sakura Taisen license has always been its strong presentation, most publicly shown in the lavishly produced animated FMV ("Good Motion Streaming") sequences sprinkled throughout the games. In 1997, it was decided that the rich fiction and characterization of the world of Sakura Taisen should be also brought to those without access to a game console, in the form of an animated OAV (Original Animated Video, a.k.a. OVA) series, which proved to be a resounding success. Since then there have been multiple releases of Sakura Taisen animated works, currently totalling about seven major releases, including a full-season TV series and a theatrical motion picture feature. Geneon Entertainment (formerly Pioneer Entertainment) has released the Sakura Taisen Motion Picture on video in the United States, with ADV Films and FUNimation releasing the various OVAs and the TV series under the name Sakura Wars. Each major releases to date is listed as follows:*

(Note: The dates, names, and release figures given in the above list are for Japanese releases. Information on names and release dates for outside Japan, if available, are included in the individual releases' sections.)

Sakura Taisen: Ouka Kenran

(Note: The title literally translates as "The Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms", and may be taken as a symbolism of the OVA's functioning as an "origin story" of sorts for the Flower Division.)

This title was released on DVD in October of 1999 by A.D. Vision (now known under their video brand ADV Films), though it had been available at the time on VHS and LaserDisc as well. It was then known as "Sakura Wars".''

Released in Japan in 1997, following the original game's skyrocketing popularity, the Sakura Taisen: Ouka Kenran OVAs came out to sate the Japanese public's thirst for more of the game's setting, characters, and art.

Appealing primarily to fans rather than the inexperienced, Ouka Kenran served to expand the story of the Flower Division, with two of the four released episodes focusing on the beginnings of the Flower Divisions parent organization, the Imperial Floral Assault Troop*, and how the various members of the Flower Division were scouted out and recruited. The episodes focus on Flower Division member Sakura Shinguuji, and her own trials leading up to her joining the Flower Division. The later episodes jump far forward, placing themselves within the actual timeline of the original game, and switch perspectives to that of the game's protagonist and player character, Squad Captain Ichirou Oogami.

This perspective switch is jarring to newcomers and does little to introduce them to the world of Sakura Taisen, thus cementing the purpose of the Ouka Kenran OVA as a for-fans-by-fans product.

Despite this, Ouka Kenran was released on VHS Video by ADV Films in English as Sakura Wars, and met with surprising success among Americans, eventually meriting further releases of Sakura Taisen animation material regardless of the presence of the license's core products (the games) in that country.

The original OVA is no longer available singularly, though it is packaged with the second OVA, Sakura Taisen: Gouka Kenran in the Sakura Wars OVA Collection on DVD Video, released in 2003 by ADV Films.

(Note: The current DVD release refers to the Imperial Floral Assault Troop (Lit. Teikoku Kagekidan) as "A Imperial Capital Defense Class action". This is erroneous, most likely a product of the "localization" trend in Anime translation of the time.)

Sakura Taisen: Gouka Kenran

(Note: ''The title literally translates as "The Radiant Gorgeous Blooming Flowers", and may be taken as a symbolism of this OVA's concentrating more closely on all of the characters of the Flower Division, rather than just Sakura.)

Following the success of the Ouka Kenran series, Sakura Taisen: Gouka Kenran continued the trend of showing side stories happening alongside and between the events of the original video games. Each episode of the six-episode series shows a separate adventure from somewhere in the timelines of Sakura Taisen and Sakura Taisen 2. The episodes were written to concentrate on different members of the eight-member Flower Division (the original six plus two from Sakura Taisen 2): Maria and Sakura in the first, Iris and Reni in the second, Kanna and Sumire in the third, Orihime and Kohran in the fourth, and all of them together in a two-part episode.

Again, little was done to aid newcomers to Sakura Taisen in finding out the basics of the background and story provided in the original games. Gouka Kenran remained a fan-concentrated work.

Released in the US on DVD Video by ADV Films as a two-volume release called Sakura Wars: Return of the Spirit Warriors and Sakura Wars: Wedding Bells.

Sakura Taisen: the Television Series

First aired in Japan in April of 2000, the first TV incarnation of the Sakura Taisen franchise was essentially a retelling of the plot of the first Sakura Taisen, with a slightly different art style, and various major details altered to provide a decidedly different experience for veteran fans. As with previously released animations the TV series focused more on the Hanagumi than on the player character of Ohgami. The plot was also darker, and avoided some of the almost camp sensibilities of the games.

The series was later licensed by ADV films as "Sakura Wars TV", and was first released on DVD Video in 2003. The DVD releases covered six volumes.

Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin (Sakura Taisen: The Movie)

The first full-length feature release in the franchise, Sakura Taisen: Katsudou Shashin (lit. "Moving-picture show") takes place just after the conclusion of the third game, Sakura Taisen 3: Pari wa Moeteiru ka?" (when Flower Section Captain Ohgami Ichirou sails back to Tokyo to resume his position in a Imperial Floral Assault Inflict), & slightly prior to the beginning of the quaternary game, Sakura Taisen Four: Koise yo, Otome.

A season's prevent is at h&, and the recently beginning is nigh. A Flower Section continues its double duty of putting grinning on the faces of Tokyo's humans, besides when defending a capital against a forces of darkness, anticipating a go to of their dear captain.

Freshly lives & old memories bubble higher when Ratchet Altair, previous Captawithin of the experimental Star Section, a a single Flower Section members Orihime & Reni were when section of, joins the company, seemingly to gather information for a projected project to defend Just released York City in America. But not tons that comes from either United states is benign, for the monolithic Douglas Stuart company, under a leadership of Brent Furlong & his enigmatic minion Patrick Hamilton, come parading prior to Tokyo the Japhkiel, a revolutionist, unmanned fighting machine, when a first of the Imperial Capital's defense. Might a Flower Section exist as overshadowed & declared obsolete?

Discharged inside Japanese theaters around December of 2001, the film saw the limited Northward Our contries theater debut inside July of 2003, & a DVD Cd Release by Pioneer Animation/Geneon Animation when Sakura Wars: A Moving-picture show.

Sakura Taisen: Kanzaki Sumire Intai Kinen "~Su~Mi~Re~" (Sakura Taisen: ~Su~Mi~Re~)

For near a decade, Sumire Kanzaki, immature scion of the Kanzaki industrial conglomerate, has fought & sacrificed to defend the Imperial Capital & its humans. She's been a Imperial Opera Troupe's Top Star, perennial fire of the theater scene. She's been inside motion picture, radio, concerts, & a field. She's learned very lot, loved tremendously, & seen much, & it seems it's instance to settle down & require a reins of her birthright-a corporate monolith that leads Japanese industry. However there are no admittedly star goes out using the whine, & she is the Top Star!

Translated when Sakura Taisen: Sumire Kanzaki Retirement Favorite "~Su~Mi~Re~", this 2002 Japanese release was a 30-microscopic OVA commemorating a retirement of one of the franchise's key voice actresses, Michie Tomizawa, who played a popular character of Sumire Kanzaki. Resulting Tomizawa's announcement of her allowing a Sakura Taisen series, a guide was manufactured to likewise announce a retirement of Sumire, a character. the very much loved character & voice actress, each Sumire & Tomizawa left the stage to a sold-out survive concert.

FUNimation productions late freed a OVA in the U.s.a. when Sakura Taisen: ~Su~Mi~Re~ inside 2004.

Sakura Taisen: Ecole de Paris

This has been licensed for release in the United states by FUNnimation. It is titled Sakura Wars: Ecole delaware Paris.

Sakura Taisen: Le Nouveau Paris

The sequel to Sakura Taisen: Ecole first state Paris.

The Characters

Note: A list of the various troupes/divisions of the Teikoku Kagekidan (e.g., flower, star, moin, wind) come modeled on victims of the Takarazuka Kagekidan (Takarazuka Revue). [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=216&page=22] Likewise, a list of the company members come typically patterned on the title of the company—flowers in a Hanagumi & the Groupe Fleur delaware Paris, celestial bodies in a Hoshigumi (the Up to date York Kagekidan as well utilizes celestial bodies). A appellative system is probably a act of Satoru Akahori, the scenario writer for the games [http://www.ex.org/2.4/40-sakura_taisen.html], world health organization utilizes such throughout virtually all of his creations (e.g., around Sorcerer Hunters and Saber Marionette J).

The Teito Hanagumi

Shinguji Sakura Floral Namesake: Cherry Blossom (Jpn.: "sakura") Place of Origin: Sendai, Miyagi, Japan Martial Talent: Hokushin Itto Ryu Kenjutsu Seiyuu: Yokoyama Chisa 'Koubu-Kai/Jinbu/Tenbu/Koubu Nishiki Unit: Color: Pink; Weapon: "Ootachi" (Medium-Length Japanese Sword) Kanzaki Sumire Floral Namesake: violet (Jpn.: "sumire"; specifically Viola mandshurica, the Manchurian violet) Place of Origin: Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan Martial Talent: Naginata (Japanese Polearm)Kanzaki Fujin Ryu Naginatajutsu Seiyuu: Tomizawa Michie "Koubu-Kai/Jinbu/Tenbu/Koubu Nishiki Unit": Color: Violet; Weapon: Naginata

Maria Tachibana Floral Namesake: Tachibana orange (Citrus tachibana) [http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/tropical/lecture_32/citrus_R.html] Place of Origin: Kiev, Ukraine, Russia, of mixed Japanese-Russian parentage Martial Talents: Marksmanship(Pistol) (Enfield Mark I* revolver) Seiyuu: Takano Urara 'Koubu-Kai/Jinbu/Tenbu/Koubu Nishiki Unit: Color: Dark purple; Weapon: Arm-Mounted Machine Cannon, Back-Mounted Sniper Cannon

Kirishima Kanna Flowered Namesake: Kirishima Azalea ("Kirishima") Place of Origin: Okinawa, Japan Martial Talents: Ryuukyuu Kirishima Ryu Karate-do; male roles (otokoyaku) Seiyuu: Tanaka Mayumi 'Koubu-Kai/Jinbu/Tenbu/Koubu Nishiki Unit: Color: Red; Weapons: Magnetized Hand-Claws

Iris Chateaubriand Flower associated with name: Iris Place of Origin: Champagne, France Martial art/talents: Psionics: teleportation and psychokinesis Seiyuu: Nishihara Kumiko 'Koubu-Kai/Jinbu/Tenbu/Koubu Nishiki Unit: Color: Yellow; Weapon: Psionic Energy Amplifiers Ri [Li] Kohran Floral Namesake: red orchid (Jpn.: "kōran") Place of Origin: Beijing, China Talents: Mechanical Engineering Seiyuu: Fuchizaki Yuriko 'Koubu-Kai/Jinbu/Tenbu/Koubu Nishiki Unit: Color: Green; Weapons: Back-, Arm- and Leg-Mounted Rocket Artillery Launchers, Remote-Controlled Mini-Robots

Ogami Ichiro Place of Origin: Tochigi, Japan Martial Talents: Kenjutsu, twin-sword-style Seiyuu: Suyama Akio Koubu-Kai/Jinbu/Tenbu/Koubu Nishiki Unit: Color: White; Weapons: "Ootachi" (Medium-length Japanese Sword) x2

Note: The names of the following two members (formerly of the disbanded Hoshigumi ("Star Section") are derived from celestial terms.

Reni [Leni] Milchstrasse Place of Origin: Germany Astronomical Namesake: Milky Way (German: "Milchstrasse") Martial Talents: Fencing, Battlefield Tactics Seiyuu: Ikura Kazue Koubu-Kai, Koubu Nishiki/Eisenkleid Unit: Color: Dark blue; Weapon: Lance

Orihime Soletta Place of Origin: Italy, of mixed Japanese-Italian parentage Astronomical Namesake: Vega (Jpn.: "Orihime"; see also Tanabata) Talents: Piano Seiyuu: Okamoto Maya Koubu-Kai/Koubu Nishiki/Eisenkleid Unit: Color: Magneta red; Weapons: Pychically-manipulated Fingertip-mounted Lasers

The Paris Hanagumi (Groupe Fleur de Paris)

(Note: The names of the Fleur de Paris, like those of the Hanagumi, are derived from flower and botanical names.)

Erica Fontaine Seiyuu: Hidaka Noriko Flower associated with name: heather (Latin feminine form: "Erica") Place of Origin: France Martial Talents: Marksmanship (Automatic Weapons) Koubu: Colour: Red; Weapons: Cross-shaped Machine-Cannon "Gabrielle"

Glycine Bleumer Seiyuu: Shimazu Saeko Floral Namesake: Wistaria (formerly genus Glycine [http://www.issg.org/database/species/ecology.asp?si=287&fr=1&sts=]; soybeans are now part of that modern genus (species names: G. soja and G. max)) Place of Origin: France (of Northern European ancestry) Martial Talents: Use of the Halberd, a medieval polearm. Koubu-F Unit: Colour: Sea Blue; Weapons: Axe

Lobelia Carlini Seiyuu: Inoue Kikuko Floral Namesake: The genus Lobelia Place of origin: Romania Talents: Thievery; Pyrokinetic Koubu-F Unit: Colour: Swamp Green; Weapons: Extendable claws

Kitaohji Hanabi Seiyuu: Takamori Yoshino Floral Namesake: Fireworks (Jpn.: hana + hi (= Eng.: "flower" + "fire"), with the hi changed to bi for euphony. "Hanabi" is the name of a variety of hydrangea [http://www.plants-magazine.com/plants/plantsnewindividual.asp?id=174])) Place of Origin: Japan, of mixed Japanese-French descent Talents: Kyudo (archery) Koubu-F Unit: Colour: Black; Weapons: Bow and Arrows

Coquelicot Seiyuu: Kozakura Etsuko Floral Namesake: corn poppy (French: "Coquelicot") Place of Origin: Viet Nam Talents: Stage Magic Koubu-F Unit: Colour: Baby Pink; Weapons: Magical Baton and Horn Missle Launchers

The New York Fighting Troupe (New York Kagekidan)

Taiga Shinjiro Place of Origin: Tochigi, Japan Seiyuu: Suganuma Hisayoshi Star Unit: Fujiyama-Star: Color: White; Weapons: Ootachi (medium-length Samurai Sword) x 2, Kodachi (Samurai Short Sword) x 1

Gemini Sunrise Astronomical Namesake: Gemini Place of Origin: Texas, USA Seiyuu: Kobayashi Sanae Star Unit: Rodeo-Star: Color: Orange; Weapon: Gun Barrel Sword

Sagitta Weinberg Astronomical Namesake: Sagitta/Sagittarius Place of Origin: Harlem, Mahattan, New York, USA Seiyuu: Minagawa Junko Star Unit: Highway-Star: Color: Black; Weapon: Scissors Chain

Diana Caprice Astronomical Namesake: Capricorn Place of Origin: Boston, Massachusetts, USA Seiyuu: Matsutani Kaya Star Unit: Silent-Star: Color: Blue; Weapon: Chemical Launcher

Rikaritta Aries Astronomical Namesake: Aries Place of Origin: Mexico Seiyuu: Saitou Ayaka Star Unit: Shooting-Star: Color: Green; Weapon: Gun Master

Kujou Subaru Astronomical Namesake: The Pleiades (Jpn.: "Subaru") Place of Origin: Kyoto, Japan Seiyuu: Sonozaki Mie Star Unit: Random-Star: Color: Purple; Weapon: Zantetsusen ("Iron-cutter fan")

Ratchet Altair Astronomical Namesake: Altair Place of Origin: Washington, DC, United States Martial Talent: Knife throwing Seiyuu: Kuno Akiko Star Unit: Star: Color: Light Blue; Weapons: Throwing knives

Supporting Characters
Teikoku Kagekidan

Lt. General Yoneda Ikki Seiyuu: Ikeda Masaru

Fujieda Ayame Seiyuu: Orikasa Ai Floral Namesake: Iris (Jpn.: "ayame"; specifically: Iris sanguinea)

Fujieda Kaede Seiyuu: Orikasa Ai Floral Namesake: Maple (Jpn.: "kaede")

Count Hanakoji Aritsune Seiyuu: Kitamura Koichi

Kayama Yuichi (commander of the Tsukigumi, or "Moon Section": the reconnaissance and intelligence unit for the Hanagumi) Seiyuu: Koyasu Takehito

'The Kazegumi ("Wind Section": the support unit for the Hanagumi; the members assist in the running of the Imperial Theater, and act as bridge bunnies during combat operations, also piloting the "Shougei-Maru" airship and "Gourai-Gou" undeground transport train.): Fujii Kasumi; seiyuu: Okamura Akemi Sakakibara Yuri'; seiyuu: Masuda Yuki; Floral Namesake: lily (Jpn.: "yuri") Takamura Tsubaki; seiyuu: Hikami Kyoko; Floral Namesake: camellia (Jpn.: "tsubaki")

Groupe Fleur de Paris Isabel "Grand Mere" Lilac Seiyuu: Aizawa Keiko

Norimichi Sakomizu Seiyuu: Nakamaru Shinshou

Ci Caprice Seiyuu: Kanai Mika

Mell Raison Seiyuu: Kojima Sachiko

Jean Leo Seiyuu: Saitou Shiroh

New York Fighting Troupe Michael Sunnyside Seiyuu: Uchida Naoya

Oh Gyouchi Seiyuu: Goto Tetsuo

'The Mijigumi ("Rainbow Section'''": the New York Fighting Troupe's analog to the Kazegumi) Plum Spaniel; seiyuu: Asou Kaori Yoshino Anri; seiyuu: Honna Youko