Windchasers (Professor Sycamore) | Infinity Train (Denizens, Red Lotus Uprising [Chloe Cerise], White Gestalt (Specter), Elipzo) | Pokémon World (Goh Fujihachi, Professor Cerise, Sara Diktaylis) | Den City | The Multiverse
Specter's hometown, a city where people can play card games in cyberspace.
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In General
- Adapted Out:
- So far, Roboppi hasn't been seen throughout the story, despite them having gotten their own body at the same time Ai did. They finally make an appearance in the Horrorland Car.
- Emma's brother hasn't been seen at all, even during the meeting in VRAINS when Akira reveals that Queen has died.
- Ascended Extra: Den City barely played a part in the original Blossomverse with the Hanoi being there to listen to Specter's tale and Aoi to help explain Specter's desires to be friends with his Ignis. In this story, they're more involved with Specter's journey to go back on the Train and learning that Queen also died there.
- Everyone Can See It: Those currently in Den City, barring Ryoken, can somehow tell that Specter really wants to confess his love for Ryoken or at the very least he's learning to get out of the closet by noting his enthusiastic reactions to London.
- The Ghost: Takeru Homura/Soulburner is referenced this way since he's gone back to his hometown.
- History Repeats: The adult Knights of Hanoi watched as six children were tortured, one of them being Specter, and not giving them the help they needed. A decade later, the three are doing this again with Specter, who is now one of them.London: You three just let the Lost Incident happen and didn’t care to give the kids’ treatment, leaving them easy pickings for the Train if it weren’t for their parents and loved ones keeping an eye out for them...and here you are again, following a Kougami’s word to isolate someone and not give him any help. And what’s worse? Specter is one of your own! Shame on you three!
- Late-Arrival Spoiler: Spoilers from late Season 2 to 3 are revealed almost casually, ranging from Earth's death by Queen's hand (thanks to George Gore), to Ai obtaining a SOLtis body and trying to attack Queen.
The Hanoi
Ryoken Kougami
Ryoken Kougami
Appears in: Seeker of Crocus (First appearance: The Chocolate Car)
The leader of the Knights of Hanoi.
- Adaptational Jerkass: While he was smug at times, he was an Anti-Villain who was quite civil to his fellow Knights. This Ryoken is ready to put Specter in his room under constant surveillance and refuses to humor the idea that Specter can find growth on the Train or Specter's wish to have befriended his Ignis. This has been noted by other characters and it's stated that the change in personality came from Specter's disappearance from the Hanoi ship.
- Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: He saw Specter as a loyal soldier of the Hanoi but any other relationship they had was never shown. In the Crocusverse, their relationship is heavily strained due to the Train's interference and Specter is staying as far away as possible to heal.
- Ambiguously Gay: There are some hints that he crushes on Specter but his heavy denial makes it uncertain.
- Ambiguous Situation: When Yuri comments on how Ryoken is "Too Wimpod to see his beloved [emphasis included] Specter run away at midnight again", Ryoken states he doesn't see Specter in "that light". Was he mentioning how Specter was a runaway or highlighting that he doesn't see Specter in a romantic way (as the co-author confirmed that Specter crushes on Ryoken)? This continues in Act 2 as Ryoken insists he doesn't see Specter "in that way" and Pandor asks what he means by that and he refuses to answer and when Specter confesses his love for Ryoken, Ryoken coldly rebuffs him. However the stinger for Horrorland Car reveals he's crying in a pillow while holding a phone, implying he's either heartbroken that Specter does love him, or he's shoving Specter aside because he doesn't believe he's worthy of that sort of love.
- Animal Motifs: Axoltls (or Wooper for Pokémon) due to the light blue streaks in his hair looking similar to the axolotl/Wooper gills. Both Yuri and Amelia mock him for it through various nicknames like "Son of a Wooper"/"Wooper jerk" and "Axoltl head".
- Composite Character:
- His refusal to believe the Train and refusal to give Specter therapy by keeping them "caged" in a safe place comes from Blossoming Trail Professor Cerise.
- His jerk personality comes from his dub self even though the world specifically uses the Japanese names.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?:
- Ryoken immediately shoots Easter (confirmed non-binary) down by calling them "it" and seems to not notice or care that Specter openly has a crush on him, painting him as both homophobic and enbyphobic (the term of those who don't follow gender norms). This is also the case with the Ignis as he refuses to call them by their true names (Dark Ignis for Ai, Earth Ignis for Earth) so you can probably add transphobic to the list too.
- He acts like a jealous ex over how Specter has run away from home and feels more comfortable with London (nearing 40) akin to seeing Specter liking older men.
- Hypocrite: He mentioned in the anime that he wasn't big on using technology as a substitute for social interactions. Yet he is denying Specter that chance to give him emotional support by deriding the two people — London and Easter — that give a damn about him.
- In-Series Nickname: He gets called either a "Wooper jerk"/"Axoltl head" although Amelia also likes to call him "Roken" (which is the pronunciation of his name in the VRAINS dub).
- "It" Is Dehumanizing: Like in the show, he refuses to state the preferred names of the Ignisnote and is quick to call Easter an "it" (even though Easter specifically states to use "they") which irritates both London and Specter.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Ryoken is being abrasive, but he makes accurate points in regards to the Train.
- He has extreme methods, but no one can fault him for his paranoia considering the circumstances as to how Specter both disappeared and reappeared absolutely broken.
- Ryoken actually has valid reasons to not fully trust London to be Specter's therapy partner given how London had no idea that Yusaku had Ai on him on the Train, not to mention how London didn't inspire much confidence when he said he searched Specter's memories in an effort to explain himself. Not that Ryoken is much better, but London is absolutely not a licensed therapist.
- Ryoken has low esteem for Easter, but he's not wrong to fully trust an erratic lightning bolt who did take over Specter's body and torture him. Though Easter had a good reason to snap back at Specter — as Specter kicked him out of a window without giving them a chance to talk — Easter's past actions are not something Ryoken can forgive so easily.
- A Lighter Shade of Black: Subverted; while at first he acts much better than Grace and Simon, one must remember that his initial plan to destroy the Ignis was using the digitized minds of thousands of people, and allowed his right hand man to implant Blue Angel with a virus that caused her to go on a rampage. In contrast, the Apex only kills those they know they can fight (or in this case, Grace goes the Dirty Coward route of shanking someone when their defenses are down) and their kill count can probably be less than a hundred.
- Oblivious to Love: Has no idea that Specter crushes on him (the co-author reveals that he's gay/demiromantic), as his remark to Yuri in regards to being too cowardly to see his "beloved" Specter run away at midnight is that he doesn't see Specter in "that light". Albeit he probably was countering in that he doesn't see Specter as a damsel in distress, not a romantic partner.
- Transparent Closet: After everyone realizes that Specter is crushing on him, he seems to be the only one who can't see it for himself that he is also gay for his right-hand man.
Kyoko Taki
Kyoko Taki
One of the Knights of Hanoi and Ryoken and Specter's big sister figure.- Cool Big Sis: Technically counts as one for Specter and Ryoken, being the closest the two had to any type big-sister figure growing up. She's the one who kept an eye on Specter when he fell asleep and suggests he brings his heart pillow on the Train for comfort.
- Mirror Character: To Chryssa as they're the sole female assistant to their respective leaders. Main difference is that Kyoko tried to comfort Specter and showed concern while Chryssa admitted she procrastinated on trying to talk to Chloe (although Act 2 later reveals she did help Chloe when she broke her arm but then stayed back when Chloe showed she could do things on her own).
- The Smurfette Principle: Not counting Pandor, she's the sole female representative of the Knights of Hanoi.
Aso
Aso
- Cool Big Bro: Was one of these for Ryoken as he took care of the boy since he was a child.
- Grew a Spine: He's the first to tell Ryoken to step back when Specter wants to go on the Train, chewing out for how insensitive Ryoken is to Specter's need for help.
- Mirror Character: To Goh Fujihachi, amusingly, who decides to change themselves once they realize how their actions affect someone else (Chloe for Goh, Specter for Aso).
Dr. Genome
Dr. Genome
- Hidden Depths: He knows a bit of Greek Mythology as he was able to accurately explain the origins of the name "Lampetia".
- In-Series Nickname: Yuri is quick to call him "Dr. Green Mouth".
- Mad Scientist: Implied; he was quite interested at wanting to see these "superpowered creatures" (Mirage Pokémon) before Kyoko and Aso shoot it down.
- Mirror Character: To Renji, as they're both scientists with red square-frame glasses. While Renji is shown to be laidback and has a fear of horror, Dr. Genome is more smug and has a fascination with the "superpowered creatures" (Mirage Pokémon) that Chloe fought against.
- Smart People Wear Glasses: A brilliant hacker who happens to wear red square frame glasses.
Pandor
Pandor
An AI created by Ryoken to initially neutralize Ai but later acts as support for the Hanoi.
- The Caretaker: She was the only one in the Kougami manor who could tend to Specter when he returned from his Train trip.
- Mirror Character: She's a reflection of the korai, particularly Lampetia, as the caretaker who would stay by Specter's side during his lowest.
- True Blue Femininity: She's mostly colorized in blues and acts as a soft-spoken motherly figure.
Den City Residents
Emma Besho
Emma Besho/Ghost Girl
A well-known hacker.- Alliterative Name: Her online name is Ghost Girl.
- Everyone Has Standards: She doesn't have fond memories of the Hanoi, but she is horrified of Ryoken's decision to shut Specter in the manor and refusing to believe in the notion of the Train. This has her decide to help him out in anyway he can.
- A Friend in Need: Somewhat. She and the Hanoi do not see eye-to-eye and she has no benefit to help Specter in his predicament. Yet she tells Aoi that if she doesn't do it, then no one else will.
- Small Role, Big Impact: She's the one who brings up the Train to everyone in Den City, which helps guide Specter to get back onto the Train.
Aoi Zaisen
Aoi Zaisen (Blue Angel/Blue Girl/Blue Maiden)
Sister of Akira Zaisen and a well-known Celebrity Duelist.- All-Loving Heroine: She slowly shapes up into one of these as she decides to follow an email to the Ignis, pondering over how she wants the Ignis and their partners to reunite once more.
- Color Motifs: Blue. Her first name translates to "Blue", her online aliases (Blue Angel/Girl/Maiden) start with the word "Blue" and her ringtone is a song from Perfect Blue.
- A Day in the Limelight: The VRAINS arc in Horrorland Car is focused on her going to pursue what could be the locations of the Ignis reborn.
- Everyone Has Standards: She harbors hatred towards Specter for good reason — implanting a virus in her that put her in a coma and how he crushed her in a duel they had that involved him burning a copy of her childhood book that kept her from falling into despair — but she finds Ryoken not letting Specter go back on the Train as plain cruel.
- Foil: To Ryoken, oddly enough. While she has beef with Specter over what he did to her, she shows pity for him all the same, compared to Ryoken refusing to let him go to the Train to heal himself. And while Ryoken wants to continue his quest to kill the Ignis, Aoi decides to follow a email left by Bohman that would presumably lead to the revived Ignis. Bonus points in that she wants Specter to see Earth whereas Ryoken shows no pity towards the poor ignis or his subordinate.
- In-Series Nickname: Ryu (an alternate one) calls her "Evil Tray Lady" because of how she threw trays at his Digimon partner.
- Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Light to the Dark of Emma. Emma is a teasing Cool Big Sis figure with a shapely body and a hacker while Aoi is the gentle younger sister figure still in high school. Emma uses Altergheist, a Dark Attribute archetype, compared to Aoi's initial Trickstars, which are Light.
- Mirror Character: To Chloe Cerise as they are both girls who had sheltered lives but later learn to be more cheerful. They also have contrasting nicknames and colors — Aoi is Blue Angel and Chloe is Demon Lord of the Vermillion — and have fondness for books. Their attitudes towards Specter are different — Aoi has every right to not like Specter but admits that he doesn't deserve to be isolated while Chloe sees him as a partner and has no comment for all of the atrocities he committed. Lastly, Aoi is a teenager whereas Chloe is only ten.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten:
- Alternate Ryu will not let Aoi forget how she menacingly attacked his Digimon pal with trays.
- Trolls online never made her forget her face-plant after she lost to Specter (which is actually a reference to her real-life reputation tanking as well thanks to that scene).
- Running Gag: Screaming at Daten and their digivolutions before smacking them.
- Shipper on Deck: She doesn't admit it, but she ships her brother with Emma.
Shoichi and Jin Kusanagi
A proprietor of a food truck and his little brother.
- Get a Room!: Jin tells London and Specter to "just kiss already" when they confess their feelings to see each other again.
- Pass the Popcorn: Lampshaded as the Café Nagi foodtruck just happens to have a new popcorn machine that they test out while watching Ryoken and Specter's bickering.
- Those Two Guys: They're mostly observing the conversation at Café Nagi, knowing that they shouldn't interfere.
George Gore
George Gore/The Gore
A famous Celebrity duelist and wrestler, who donates his wins to an orphanage he was raised in. However, there's a dark part of him that some people just don't want to him forget.- Alliterative Name: George Gore.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: He's unknowingly a sleeper agent of Elipzo.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: George is a wrestler and Ai states that the Data Chip (which was based on Earth's Data) was something akin to a performance drug, a parallel to some athletes using steroids to give them an edge.
- Dub Name Change: He's using his dub name, mostly so readers won't confuse him with the Trainer Goh.
- Easily Forgiven: Despite what he did to Earth, he woke up cheered up by his loved ones and the orphans who looked up to him. Then again, they probably didn't know the extents of his actions...
- Friend to All Children: He has a soft spot for the orphans in a local orphanage, and makes a plan to buy some gifts for them for the next time he visits.
- In-Series Nickname: He's constantly called an "ogre" due to his Gouki deck (and its strongest monster at the time being "Thunder Ogre") and his Japanese name (Go Onizuka) having a relation to "oni", something akin to demons/ogres.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Downplayed as this is his Season 3 characterization but Gore is not wrong to point out that Specter is angry over the death of one Ignis whereas he didn't give a single ounce of pity on what he did throughout VRAINS Season 1 which includes: a plan that would've killed all 6 Ignis and the thousands of minds who were deleted to power the Tower of Hanoi, putting a virus in Blue Angel, breaking her spirit by tearing up the book that meant so much for her and spitefully got her brother becoming part of the Deleted and he willngly followed through Ryoken's orders without a second glance, not to mention that Ryoken still wants to eradicate Ai. Specter internally admits that Gore is right about everything.
- Karma Houdini: He essentially gets away with destroying Earth, having a Duel Chip with Earth's data planted in his head and his nastiness towards Playmaker solely on the basis that Playmaker became the #1 Celebrity Duelist (even after Playmaker saved his ass by stopping Ryoken from activating the Tower of Hanoi) with the only punishment he gets was being sent into a hospital to a recover. Although he also wonders the fact that Specter also gets away with his own list of atrocities. The fact that he got away with his crimes is what gets him under Elipzo's radar.
- Kick the Dog: Did not give any fucks over defeating Earth except it was an AI that had to be killed. And then he used a Duel Chip based on Earth's data without an ounce of pity except that it would make him able to defeat Playmaker.
- Lack of Empathy: Never cared for Earth's well-being and he never apologized or showed remorse for what he did to him.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: His period of being a bounty hunter working for Queen that culminated in the death of Earth still hangs over him. To the point that Elipzo is using that against him for their uses.
- Pet the Dog: His sole trait that keeps him from being a complete bad guy is that his soft spot for children is absolutely genuine.
- The Unapologetic: He never apologizes for what he did to Earth nor does he even consider how the Ignis was alive in the first place.note
SOLTech
Akira Zaisen
The current president of SOLTech and older brother of Aoi Zaisen.
- Honest Corporate Executive: In contrast to Queen, and is considered the closest to a Big Good in Den City. When he learns that his sister is searching for the Ignis, he gives her his blessing.
- Oblivious to Love: Does not realize that his secretary crushes on him hard. Nor does he see him and Emma ever becoming a couple.
- Spit Take: Does this with some coffee after seeing Daten swallow two AI programs.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: The narration claims that he does not crush on Emma.
Risa Hayami
Akira's secretary who has a crush on him.
- Adaptation Personality Change: Her personality was a quirky romantic secretary who crushed on Akira with a bit of Yandere in her. In the fanfic, she expresses glee that people like Leo Akaba and Queen deserved their fates to die.
- Ambiguously Evil: She smirks when she hears news over Queen kicking the bucket.
- Disproportionate Retribution: As Akira noted, she tried to set off traps when Soulburner dueled Gore because she didn't want Akira demoted.
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: Akira is quick to remind her how she was ready to set off traps during Soulburner's duel against Gore under the sole reason that he doesn't get demoted again.
Other
Earth
An Ignis based off of Specter. While he didn't last long, his death lead to a significant impact for much of the characters in Den City.
- Posthumous Character: He was killed off mid-season 2 of VRAINS.
- Sacrificial Lion: His death kicked off the lows Queen would go for power and that George couldn't give two fucks about what he was doing, especially since George would be implanted with a data chip with Earth's AI.
- Small Role, Big Impact: His death had a huge impact for practically everyone in the anime that still lingers in Seeker of Crocus. It showed how much SOLtech and Queen could give a damn about the Ignis, Emma and Aoi were horrified at how cruel the action was, Akira realized how he had been working for the bad guys all along, and the rest of Café Nagi (particularly Ai and Flame) were shocked at the death of their kind. But the one most affected by this was Specter, who sensed Earth's death and realized later on that he could never get that type of companionship that the other Lost children could. Moreover, Elipzo has brainwashed George Gore as vengeance for being the one tho defeat Earth which lead to his death, not to mention having implanted himself with a Data Chip based on Earth's data in order to get a victory against Playmaker.
- What Measure Is a Non-Human?: He was just an Ignis who waned to live, fall in love with Aqua and protect his precious crystal heart...but George destroyed said heart, gave him to Queen and she watched him be vivisected as he lost his memories one by one, his data then placed into an AI Chip implanted into the brain of the one who killed him. Emma and Aoi were horrified, Akira stunned, Specter teared up and neither Queen nor George gave a rat's ass about him, George especially since he decided to be implanted with a data chip based on Earth himself, thus seeing the Ignis as nothing more than a performance drug that he could use to get at least one victory over Playmaker.
