History Franchise / DotHack

* AIIsACrapshoot: The good or otherwise nonevil AI are obscured by the many many obvious evil ones.
** The best example of the evil ones are the 8 Phases Of The Cursed Wave.

* ArtMajorBiology: Some dungeons in the first games are Flesh-type WombLevel dungeons. Of course, don't expect them to follow any kind of sensible anatomy.

* BlindIdiotTranslation: The manga and novels, as published by Tokyopop, as the translators didn't stay true to canon. (And the soundtrack CD published by Pioneer.) Things got better starting with volumes 2 and 3 of Another Birth.

** There are quite a few to another one of Creator/CyberConnect2's games, TailConcerto. Various "other players" are named after the charaters in TailConcerto (Waffle, Cyan, etc.). There are even ads on your desktop about the game.

As of 2017 (.hack's 15th anniversary) it has been confirmed that a remake of the .hack//G.U. trilogy is underway and set for release later the same year, coined '.hack//G.U. Last Recode', for both PS4 and PC (via steam). [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljiWOrULppk NA Trailer]]

* SelfFulfillingProphecy: Emma Weilant's Epitaph of Twilight. Harald Hoerwick used her poem as the setting for frägment, the beta version of the The World, both of which which are actually an attempt to [[spoiler:create a true [=AI=] by studying the millions of players]]. But part of his program ends up becoming intelligent on its own and rebels against its purpose, resulting in the rebel [=AI=] and a handful of players actually ''reenacting'' the story of the Epitaph in ways Harald never anticipated. And considering Emma's rather mysterious inspiration for the poem...

** On a more conventional sense, the gender of Hotaru's real-world player, one of the characters of .hack//Legend of The Twilight Bracelet, is ''very'' fiercely debated due to several conflicting informations across the medium. Specifically, while many has said that Hotaru is a female, she is revealed to be male in the non-canon Let's Meet Offline, and in a throwaway, hard-to-translate line in A.I. Buster 2, which ''is'' canon. It doesn't help that real-world Hotaru is shown at the end of Volume 3 (along with the other real-world versions of the cast), and looks VERY [[AmbiguousGender genderly-ambiguous.]]

The first series of [=PS2=] games (''.hack//Infection'', ''.hack//Mutation'', ''.hack//Outbreak'' and ''.hack//Quarantine''), the ''Anime/DotHackLiminality'' [[{{OVA}} OVAs]] and the ''.hack//Another Birth'' novels chronicle the following adventure, where another band of players - later known as the legendary "dot hackers" - challenge Morganna, the evil AI lurking within ''The World''. Using a [[GameBreaker game-breaking]] power given to him by Aura before her destruction, the newbie Kite and his partner [=BlackRose=] lead the fight against Morganna in the hopes of restoring Aura and the many coma victims that have resulted from Morganna's attacks. A set of Novels known as .hack//Another Birth retell this story from Blackrose's point of view, tells us about her offline and some of the things she does when not with Kite.

* {{Retcon}}: ".hack//Link", ".hack//Quantum", and "The Thanatos Report" make it so that everything that has happened in the franchise was not the result of big business abusing technologies that have advanced past the point of their understanding as the world reached the technological event horizon and true A.I. began to develop, but a deeply-entrenched conspiracy concerning an Ecological terrorist organizations' efforts to trap the entirety of humanity in a video game so as to keep the world from being destroyed due to human abuse. This contradicts several significant past plot points and expositionary Lore; the least of which being the nature of how Aura --who this plan all hinged upon to work-- was created to be a testament of the love her programmer held for a woman he never got to be with...that those entry's retcon as being one of the inner-circle.

* RoadCone: If you went through ''.hack//G.U.'' with anyone other than Atoli as Haseo's love interest, you're gonna be disappointed when you watch the movie.

The Franchise survives in the form of the Cyberconnect2 Mobile games "Guilty Dragon: the Sin Dragon and the 8 Curses", and "new world".

** There are quite a few to another one of CyberConnect2's games, TailConcerto. Various "other players" are named after the charaters in TailConcerto (Waffle, Cyan, etc.). There are even ads on your desktop about the game.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything: Mistral's "confession" in Vol. 3/Outbreak sounds exactly like ''another'' [[LoveConfession kind of confession]]. She acts like a teenager in-game but betrays that she's older than she acts in e-mails (by mentioning cooking, going to store and haggling, for example), which gives an interesting possibility: "Is she an older woman into {{shotacon}}?" Nah, [[spoiler: she's an expecting housewife that will soon give birth to Mirei who will inherit her Player Character later in Legend of Twilight Bracelet]].

The setting for the series is TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, diverging from the real-world timeline beginning in October of 2002. On December 24, 2005, a supervirus codenamed "Pluto's Kiss" destroyed all of the world's computer operating systems. MS Windows, Mac OS, Linux... all gone. All except for one, [[strike: [=OpenBSD=]]] ALTIMIT, which seems to be immune to all computer viruses. In response, hacking becomes a capital crime worldwide, and the internet returns to its roots as a communication network for government and military use for the next several years.

The story continued three years later with ''.hack//Link'', where yet another new version of The World has been created. The World R:X. 14-year old Tokio Kuryuu gets sucked into this new game (apparently ''[[TrappedInTVLand physically]]'') by a mysterious new classmate, Saika Amagi, via her [=PSP=]. This new series combines elements from both the ''R:1'' and ''R:2'' eras. An organization of illegally modified characters is going after {{MacGuffin}}s called "chrono cores" located within certain previous main characters. These cores connect to the AkashicRecords of ''The World'', and with Saika Amagi acting as MissionControl, Tokio has to repair them by actually traveling between all of the .hack series: the R:1 and R:2 games, ''SIGN'', the novels, and the different manga. While the Manga adaptation of the game was imported, the game itself was not due to highly negative feedback and critical reception, alongside horrible sales in Japan. Several fan translations have been in the works since it's release in 2010.

The ''.hack'' (pronounced "dot hack") series is a conglomeration of {{Light Novel}}s, {{video games}}, {{manga}}, {{OVA}}, and {{anime}} TV series that started with the games by Creator/CyberConnect2. Most of these are character dramas told from the perspective of online gamers playing an {{MMORPG}} called "The World," which displays the disturbing tendency to affect the minds of its players, calling into question the nature of human consciousness.

The ''.hack'' (pronounced "dot hack") series is a conglomeration of [[LightNovel books]], {{video games}}, {{manga}}, {{OVA}}, and {{anime}} TV series that started with the games by CyberConnect2. Most of these are character dramas told from the perspective of online gamers playing an {{MMORPG}} called "The World," which displays the disturbing tendency to affect the minds of its players, calling into question the nature of human consciousness.

* CharacterDerailment: .Hack//Link. To almost everyone from the entries that precede it. Link's depiction of Haseo is a confirmed case; Tokio actually causing the entire situation and his abuse his powers long past the point he'd learned of their danger and their cost. It culminates in Haseo Trying to Kill Atoli for daring to Look Like Shino. Fans Were NOT happy.

The first series of [=PS2=] games (''.hack//Infection'', ''.hack//Mutation'', ''.hack//Outbreak'' and ''.hack//Quarantine''), the ''Anime/DotHackLiminality'' [[{{OVA}} OVAs]] and the ''.hack//Another Birth'' novels chronicle the following adventure, where another band of players - later known as the legendary "dot hackers" - challenge Morganna, the evil AI lurking within ''TheWorld''. Using a [[GameBreaker game-breaking]] power given to him by Aura before her destruction, the newbie Kite and his partner [=BlackRose=] lead the fight against Morganna in the hopes of restoring Aura and the many coma victims that have resulted from Morganna's attacks. A set of Novels known as .hack//Another Birth retell this story from Blackrose's point of view, tells us about her offline and some of the things she does when not with Kite.

The first series of PS2 games (''.hack//Infection'', ''.hack//Mutation'', ''.hack//Outbreak'' and ''.hack//Quarantine''), the ''Anime/DotHackLiminality'' [[{{OVA}} OVAs]] and the ''.hack//Another Birth'' novels chronicle the following adventure, where another band of players - later known as the legendary "dot hackers" - challenge Morganna, the evil AI lurking within ''TheWorld''. Using a [[GameBreaker game-breaking]] power given to him by Aura before her destruction, the newbie Kite and his partner [=BlackRose=] lead the fight against Morganna in the hopes of restoring Aura and the many coma victims that have resulted from Morganna's attacks. A set of Novels known as .hack//Another Birth retell this story from Blackrose's point of view, tells us about her offline and some of the things she does when not with Kite.

The story immediately continues with the second series of PS2 games, ''.hack//G.U.'' (''Vol.1:Rebirth'', ''Vol.2:Reminisce'', and ''Vol.3:Redemption''). Haseo is back at level 1 after a losing battle with Tri-Edge, and finds himself embroiled in a complex plot involving the use of his newfound Avatar power (his character data possessing one of Morganna's eight Phases), warring guilds, rampant player-killing, a malicious AI phenomenon called [=AIDA=], and the truth behind Tri-Edge. The .hack//CELL light novels are a side-story set between Roots and G.U.

** In G.U. you can read a message board poster saying he/she is reminded of a story about [[WolfsRain wolves searching for paradise]].

** Gaspard sends you an e-mail saying "[[Film/{{Ghostbusters}} I aint afraid of no ghost"]]."

** Inversion? Starting a new game of .hack G.U. volume 1 with volume 2 clear data starts Haseo at level 35 with better weapons and armor.

The story continued three years later with ''.hack//Link'', where yet another new version of The World has been created. The World R:X. 14-year old Tokio Kuryuu gets sucked into this new game (apparently ''[[TrappedInTVLand physically]]'') by a mysterious new classmate, Saika Amagi, via her [=PSP=]. This new series combines elements from both the ''R:1'' and ''R:2'' eras. An organization of illegally modified characters is going after {{MacGuffin}}s called "chrono cores" located within certain previous main characters. These cores connect to the AkashicRecords of ''The World'', and with Saika Amagi acting as MissionControl, Tokio has to repair them by actually traveling between all of the .hack series: the R:1 and R:2 games, ''SIGN'', the novels, and the different manga. While the Manga adaptation of the game was imported, the Game itself was not due to highly negative feedback and critical reception, alongside horrible sales in Japan. Several fan translations have been in the works since it's release in 2010.

* CharacterDerailment: .Hack//Link. To almost EVERYONE from the entries that precede it. Though your Mileage may vary, as the past-series characters are AI recreations made from Aura's memories. But as the game is focused around re-enacting abridged versions of the previous Anime/Games/Manga/Novels...
** Link's depiction of Haseo is a confirmed case; Tokio actually causing the entire situation and his abuse his powers long past the point he'd learned of their danger and their cost. It culminates in Haseo Trying to Kill Atoli for daring to Look Like Shino. Fans Were NOT happy.

* Retcon: ".hack//Link", ".hack//Quantum", and "The Thanatos Report" make it so that Everything that has happened in the franchise was not the result of big business abusing technologies that have advanced past the point of their understanding as the world reached the technological event horizon and true A.I. began to develop, but a Deeply-entrenched conspiracy concerning an Ecological terrorist organizations' efforts to trap the entirety of humanity in a video game so as to keep the world from being destroyed due to human abuse. This contradicts Several significant past plot points and exposition-ary Lore; the least of which being the nature of How Aura--who this plan all hinged upon to work--was created to be a testament of the love her programmer held for a woman he never got to be with...that those entry's retcon as being one of the inner-circle.

** But those other sources are non-canon so they don't really matter.

** On the other hand, actually killing The Bracelet nets you ''huge'' amounts of experience points (far more than any other enemy in the game), so if you're capable of it, it saves a lot of time on level grinding.

* CharacterDerailment: .Hack//Link. TO Literally *EVERYONE* from the entries that precede it.

* CrisisCrossover: ''.hack//Link'' [[NoExportForYou which sadly isn't coming to the West so far.]]

The latest story continues three years later with ''.hack//Link'', where yet another new version of The World has been created. The World R:X. 14-year old Tokio Kuryuu gets sucked into this new game (apparently ''[[TrappedInTVLand physically]]'') by a mysterious new classmate, Saika Amagi, via her [=PSP=]. Currently a manga and [=PSP=] game in Japan (the American release is forthcoming), this new series combines elements from both the ''R:1'' and ''R:2'' eras. An organization of illegally modified characters is going after {{MacGuffin}}s called "chrono cores" located within certain previous main characters. These cores connect to the AkashicRecords of ''The World'', and with Saika Amagi acting as MissionControl, Tokio has to repair them by actually traveling between all of the .hack series: the R:1 and R:2 games, ''SIGN'', the novels, and the different manga.

An OVA called ''Anime/DotHackQuantum'', which also sets in The World R:X in 2022, was released in 2011.

Originally stated that LINK and the R:X were to be the last of the .hack series, this does not seem to be the case, as a full-length CGI movie set in the The World FORCE:ERA was released in January 2012 titled ''.hack//Beyond The World'', set in 2024 centering around a girl named Sora and her friends Balder and Gondo as they try to save the world from destruction. A new video game by the name of ''.hack//Versus'', set in 2025, was released on June 28, 2012 on the Blu-ray disc with the movie. This new arc, the World FORCE:ERA arc, focuses much more on the backstory and deeper workings of forces behind the scenes of .hack's universe, and most particularly on Emma Wielant, ALTIMIT, both of their associations with the environmental awareness and protection group mama, and their own ultimate desires intended with The World, and in extension, the Ultimate AI, Aura.

''.hack'' is not for everyone, as it is mostly dialog and artistic character pieces, despite being about a video game. (Some have said that it's a good simulation of what playing an MMORPG is really like.)

* SeriousBusiness: Much like in real life, people take The World way too seriously and [=PKing=] has the same status as murder. Justified with those [[TrappedInAnotherWorld trapped inside the game]], since it becomes a question of [[YourMindMakesItReal what would happen to them in the real world if they died.]]

There is also a card game called ".hack//ENEMY" (previously distributed stateside by Decipher, but now no longer in print), online/offline RPG (not an MMO, and service has since ended) called ".hack//frägment" named after the prototype of The World, and a short ".hack//GIFT" which is a parody of SIGN and the games, available only on DVD; none are {{canon}}.