Tokyo Underground is a manga series by Akinobu Uraka, which was serialized in Square Enix's Monthly Shonen Gangan magazine from 1997 to 2005 and compiled into 14 volumes. It was adapted to a 26-episode anime series, produced by Studio Pierrot and airing on the TV Tokyo Network from April 2 to September 24, 2002. The TV series was released on DVD by Geneon Entertainment in the US and Canada, released as a boxset by Manga Entertainment in the UK and by Tokyo Night Train in Australia.
Under Tokyo's underground railway system is a world called Underground, populated by Elemental Users, people who can manipulate various elements. When the Maiden of Life, Ruri Sarasa, and her bodyguard, Gravity User Chelsea Rorec escape to the surface, they take refuge with swordsman Rumina Asagi and his bespectacled best friend Ginnosuke Isuzu. During a battle with the flame-using Seki, Rumina is killed and then resurrected by Ruri.
The revived Rumina finds he now has the power to manipulate air, a rare talent amongst the Underground people. Realizing Ruri is in danger, Rumina vows to protect her, even if it means going to the Underground to rescue her from her eventual captors before she gets sacrificed.
Rumina eventually goes to the Underground with Chelsea and Ginosuke after Ruri is kidnapped. As soon as they arrive they encounter a genetic experiment from The Company but manage to escape.
Tropes:
- Action Girl: All female characters with the exception of Ruri.
- Damselin Distress: Ruri becomes one after being recaptured.
- Elemental Powers: Almost everyone of significance possesses some manner of elemental power, including Earth, Water, Fire, Electricity, Magnetism, Gravity, Life, and the all-but-legendary element of Wind.
- Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: The elemental effectivity chart is actually based on conventional physics and common sense: thus, for example, a water mage was easily able to win against a lightning mage due to the fact that pure water is a poor conductor of electricity.
- Everyone Is a Super: The entire Underground is a world of psychics.
- First-Episode Resurrection: Rumina
- Gravity Master: Chelsea Rorec is apparently the only gravity Elemental User.
- Non-Action Guy: Ginnosuke, initially. He grows out of this when he obtains a Spirit Gun so he can join the fight.
- Opaque Nerd Glasses: Ginnosuke has thick glasses complete with spirals. When he loses them for a short time, Rumina (his longtime friend) doesn't even recognize him, and a few girls find him quite attractive. Chelsea, one of the other main characters, can never remember his name and defaults to "Megane-kun".
- Rescue Arc: The entire plot is pretty much just one long rescue arc.
- Touched by Vorlons: Rumina gains the ability to manipulate air, after dying, and being brought back to life from a kiss by Ruri, the "Maiden of Life".
- V-Formation Team Shot: The second opening of the anime features this setup.
- Would Hit a Girl: Other than hero vs. villain match ups, Chelsea and Rumina a scrimmage during Chelesa's off days.
