Talk:LINK Twilight Knights

Canon?
Is LINK really canon? I mean, just the way the story is delivered just makes me feel like it isn't. Kulaguy 07:18, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
 * It's weird, but it's not non canon unless it contradicts the events of the canon or something. So far it builds on them, in addition to being called the "third major story" for the .hack series and being written by the people who make the root of all .hack canon: the games.  The irl part seems decent enough to me, more believable than Online Jack.  The weirdness lies with things like Tokio's access to the game, and Kite's mentioning of the Akashic Records, but these aren't too far off from the weird things that have happened in the past.  What in particular about the delivery don't you like? - Kuukai2 08:11, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Akashic Records? Is that what アカシャ盤 means? Because I had no clue...Rpg 19:55, 4 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Yes, and it's not the first time that term has been used in .hack. It was in one of the AI Buster books, though I'm fairly sure that bit was lost in translation. --Shinsou Wotan 00:17, 5 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Wow. I guess whatever was said probably isn't relevant to its role in LINK, but may I ask what was said? - Kuukai2 04:15, 5 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Actually, they did put it in the english adaption of AI Buster. The context comparing Za Warudo to "Maya", and the servers being the Akashic Records it was stored on. --AuraTwilight 08:03, 5 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Mostly how it looks like Tokio's actually entered the game physically. --CRtwenty 15:28, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
 * We don't actually know if that's the case, do we? He might feel that way, but it's possible that he's just Tsukasa-ing out. Even if he did enter physically, it's not like Za Warudo hasn't totally borked up physical law before.--AuraTwilight 18:00, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
 * The only law that I think The World has broken is the coma thing, and that's explained through suspension of disbelief and such. The thing about LINK I don't like is how it's being released. Right after GU is finished, boom, there's an announcement for LINK, a manga about a third version of The World? Don't you find that a little odd? You'd think that if they're gonna make a 3rd version of The World, it'd be something more big, like a movie, or a game. Heck, when LINK was announced, as far as I know, there really was no news about it afterwards. The LINK page on CC2 only has chapter 1's release date with no mention of later chapters. Add to the fact that the manga in .hack have mostly been used for side stories or non-canon ones. I mean, the only "dramatic" canon entry to the series, so to speak, would be Legend of the Twilight, and even then, it didn't do something so major as to introduce a new version of The World so casually. There aren't even any other media in this new version of The World. That's pretty much why I'm suspicious of LINK. Kulaguy 20:40, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
 * Perhaps the reason by announcements following the the manga is the idea that the story of .hack//LINK was already in progress long before the release of G.U. I stand by the arguement based on the the picture of Haseo shown in the first Chapter, noticed the cape and appearance, its seems similar to the prototype designed from the G.U. trailer. In addition the main character mentions, his other self, this might be a possible reference as to the direction of the story and the reason why Tokio was transported to "The World" under such an odd circumstance. - Outlaw630 December 30, 2007 C.E.
 * At least it'll tie up the whole Jyotaro Amagi subplot. --CRtwenty 23:22, 31 December 2007 (UTC)
 * We need to put a lot of information up on this manga: more pics, BlackRose and Haseo's involvement in the story, whether or not Aura's in it, Tokio's weapons, references to other .hack media (ex. SIGN)...Enzeru 00:07, 11 January 2008 (UTC)Enzeru
 * We will when we get more than like TWO OR THREE MANGA CHAPTER. It's barely been out yet, badger people for information later. --AuraTwilight 05:09, 11 January 2008 (UTC)

A .hack DS game?
I kind of doubt it, but according to the CyberConnection2 page, there's an unnamed DS game in the works, and The World R:X is for a portable computer/altimit. I hope I'm not the only one who sees a connection here... -Oh, and this is my first post ever, so I'm sorry if I messed something up.
 * I'm almost certain the game in question is a new Tail Concerto game. Kite was only placed on the cover as a cameo.--Biccy 16:48, 5 January 2008 (UTC)
 * IT IS a new Tail Concerto game --AuraTwilight 19:02, 5 January 2008 (UTC)

I removed what was needed, however as stated it is game for the new Tail Concerto, Cyber Connections 2 already confirmed this. If your seeking more information search wikipedia there is a page on it somewhere. As for the game its not a sequel of the original yet it dose take place on the same content or world.
 * I haven't found confirmation anywhere, and confirmation doesn't even show up in Wikipedia (which isn't a reliable source for information anyway unless it cites a true information source).--OtakuD50 21:36, 5 January 2008 (UTC)
 * That's true. The only "confirmation" I know of is Yahoo!'s summary.  Since someone at either CC2 or Yahoo! had to write it though, it's probably true.  It almost certainly takes place in the same world at least, just look at it... - Kuukai2 05:26, 6 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I thought the only confirmation we had was some sort of update to the Tail Concerto official page, but it said nothing about DS or anything... I don't quite remember, though. EmiHinata 02:06, 7 January 2008 (UTC)

Its more likely that it would be on a PSP system if they do devlop a game out of this, what with all the mention of portable throughout the explanation of link, like the admit portable, and P-Com (if the PS2 is the 'computer' The world R:1-2 is played on, than the portable version the world would be played on the portable computer, or portable playstation)

"Hidden poem"?
It has also been revealed from a hidden poem on CyberConnect2's website that Kite from the original four .hack games and Haseo from .hack//G.U. will be returning. And where exactly is this supposed poem? --Shinsou Wotan 14:46, 17 January 2008 (UTC)
 * Click the picture of Kite and BlackRose. Don't know why they started calling it a "poem", and most of that summary is wrong, it doesn't specifically say that.  My translation is on dothackers. - Kuukai2 16:12, 17 January 2008 (UTC)

Click the picture of Kite and BlackRose, you said. I JUST clicked the link and Internet Explorer (updated) says no such page exists. Enzeru 00:10, 27 August 2008 (UTC)

That happens sometimes. lol. I hate when links or whatever malfunction. It could have existed before, you never know.

Akuma Uchitoru 09:51, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

When does .hack// link come to america
Please tell me
 * ^^; Dude, it JUST started in Japan. It's way too early for it to be licensed. XXXX and G.U.+ should be out soon, though.--Biccy 01:08, 22 January 2008 (UTC)
 * It can't be licensed until sometime after the first volume comes out in Japan, and then it probably wouldn't come out in the U.S. until at least a year after that. —Peter Ahlstrom (TOKYOPOP) 22:36, 16 May 2008 (UTC)

Heh heh, don't blame him. ^^ I would love to read this book myself, especially since canon or non-canon, it came AFTER G.U., so it's the amazing .Hack sequel! :D Yay! ^^ More then anything though I LOVE video games. I want a THIRD .Hack game series!!! :D

Akuma Uchitoru 09:53, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

Project .hack, .hack Conglomerate, or Other?
Does LINK fall under either Project .hack or .hack Conglomerate? If not have they named what it does fall under yet?
 * Conglomerate. Project .hack and .hack Conglomerate aren't actual project names, they're names for developer teams, "Project .hack" being defunct. --AuraTwilight 19:41, 21 May 2008 (UTC)
 * And they're not even teams, really, the name really just refers to the organization of companies. I suspect it will probably stay .hack Conglomerate forever, much like The Pokemon Company, and we'll have to come up with another system to keep the generations separate... - Kuukai2 05:02, 22 May 2008 (UTC)

Months later
So what is everyone's opinion about //Link now that it's some 10 chapters in? To be honest though I've only checked out the 3 translated chapters, some pictures of the RAWs and info posted by other users, I'm really disappointed with this //Link business. What has me even more worried is the fact that this could very well become the next generation of .hack//.

I can't help but feel like they're just packing in as many fan favorites as they possibly can for sheer sales purposes. It feels cheap, rushed, it feels like a fan stiffy pleaser. I don't like that. Online Jack was really silly but it was easy to overlook. Now Link.. It's hard to overlook it at this moment since it was announced pretty much right after G.U. and it was called the next big thing or something along those lines.

I guess this is what watching your favorite series/franchise go down the shitter must feel like, can't say I like this feeling heh --AiG 09:59, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

Tell me about it. I feel like I should give up on this series seeing it as if it is ending the way the Sonic the Hedgehog game series has been, same with Avatar and Kingdom Hearts. Everything so slow it is being abandoned.

Probably, it's because of the way the creators handled it, much like with Sonic's problems. If they wanted to, the story of the first four games could've been crammed into one. All that time to be dumped for R2 where almost no favs came back. Despite the animation, music, and only several great characters, all the anime sucked (the only one that betrayed that was LotT, and it didn't even contribute to the canon). .hack fans wanted fragment. The manga always comes too late. When does Trilogy arrive (only thing missing in it is subbing)? Roots voices were the only ones that didn't match. No multiplayer. Crimson VS was sh**. Need I go on?

Well, I guess it'll be burned into my memory, but that doesn't mean I'll always be here for it, so this where we all might have to say goodbye. I'll still be part of this Wiki, though.

Oh, and IT NEVER GOT A GAME ON ANOTHER CONSOLE. :( Enzeru 12:12, 30 September 2008 (UTC)
 * You guys think .hack is NOW turning into shit? It was shit since GU fucked with the canon. Making Sora Haseo was an obvious last minute decision to connect the new characters with the old one. Right now, I like LINK, just because it lets me see the old and new characters interact. It's looking to be non-canon anyways so I don't really care.


 * BTW, Avatar just finished like last month and it was fucking amazing. Kingdom Hearts will probably still be good if Squenix wasn't such greedy asses and keep making a damn Final Mix version. Kulaguy 13:17, 30 September 2008 (UTC)
 * Someone called .hack//Sign BAD? How the hell did you get into the series? You know what, nevermind. You don't get to be part of the fandom anymore, GTFO my internet. AuraTwilight 18:00, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

I think the way they handled the come back characters in G.U. was rather well done. I certainly didn't mind the whole Haseo being Sora thing, it really isn't that "out there" I think. And anyway that didn't really have that big of an impact on me, or the overall story. G.U. was a coming of age story of a troubled boy called Haseo, not Sora, the pking kid. Also, someone said SIGN was shit? SIGN as a stand alone anime, was very stale I'll give you that, but if you're a fan of .hack it's the best in the series no doubt.

Crimson VS, I'm pretty sure that was just a means of giving us more goodies, I loved the art for a lot of the cards, I thought it was a great touch. It sucks that now, when next gen has finally arrived, .hack seems to be going down the way a lot of other franchises have. If they really plan on making R:X/LINK the new project, I'd much rather they remake IMOQ for the ps3 with added online play, and end the .hack// franchise there. That would be perfect. I guess there still isn't much info out there so it looks like we'll have to wait some more, maybe TGS?. I'm just getting ready to bail out on this series as a whole and appreciate all that it's offered so far. It certainly was/is my favorite gaming franchise. --AiG 19:47, 30 September 2008 (UTC)

I don't think there is anything wrong with LINK. One of the reason there are even issues with it was because it presented ideas people weren't ready to accept. Other than that its pretty basic, lots of characters still play The World, nothing wrong with that three years isn't long. The game was down for some time, that just builds up excitment eh? Outlaw630 18:40, 1 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Agreed. I think LINK is better than Udeden in terms of story and epicness. People are just looking at it differently. Possibly because CELL and and Epitaph of the Twilight, with their equally outrageous premises, aren't out here yet, or maybe it's because there isn't even a tankobon-worth of material yet, so it seems like the story is going nowhere fast. Regardless, I have faith the next game will be awesome, I just hope Matsuyama doesn't forget what he once said about their audience aging. Maybe a middle school student isn't such a great choice for a main character anymore. Who am I kidding, this is Japan we're talking about... - Kuukai2 02:41, 1 October 2008 (UTC)


 * Sign was not stale. That's a idiot comment. As for LINK, it's not the ideas that put me off (though it'sa big part), but it's just so. badly. written. As a writer, I can't even bring myself to respect it. It's such blatant fanservice it makes FF7's supplementary bullshit look entertaining. --AuraTwilight 20:22, 1 October 2008 (UTC)

You're a "writer" and you really think there is nothing wrong with Sign? ha ha ha I don't think I care much for your opinion as a "writer", much less, your opinions on directing. As anything you might have written or god forbid, directed, is bound to be shitty fanfic quality drivel. --AiG 20:50, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
 * SIGN may have had its problems, but they weren't really that bad if you used suspension of disbelief and tuned out the constant face closeups. There's definitely nothing wrong with having no problems with SIGN as a fan, and saying someone would be a horrible writer because of their tastes is just a rude comment.--OtakuD50 00:23, 2 October 2008 (UTC)

SIGN's problems go beyond the usual "required suspension of disbelief" and weird shots. The show is awfully redundant(dialog wise and visually) very slow paced, doesn't help that SIGN could rival some of the most dialog heavy space operas. You don't bore your viewers with hours upon hours of bare non-eventful dialog which at the same time, can be hard to follow due to the non-chronological nature of the show. But that is exactly what they did for a good portion of the show (the first half is like this, and maybe some). When it finally gets going, viewers are treated to a rather monotonous, vague ending.

Those are sure ways to turn thousands of people away from your show. SIGN is hard on the random viewer, and I can understand why someone randomly watching SIGN would shut it off after some time and be left with a sour taste in his mouth. SIGN works best as what it is, a piece, an advertisement, a starting point of a huge franchise. This is where .hack//SIGN shines. Of course that's not to say the show is all stale to the non-fan, the animation is rather well done(very smooth transitions in facial expressions), beautiful art and the amazing score(one of the best ever seen in an anime, and certainly the best of Yuki Kajiura IMO) I am a huge fan of .hack// music and I think SIGN wouldn't be sign without it's music.

Anyway enough about SIGN, Bandai Namco's Tokyo Game Show lineup has been revealed and there is no .hack anywhere on it. I don't really know how these announcements at the conferences work, but as of now no .hack//. Even though I am not liking where LINK is going, I was thinking a bit and to be honest.. I am still excited about this new game due to the sheer possibilities available with this gen. I will wait for the manga to get even further, and be more open minded. I just hope I was wrong before about it feeling like/being a quick fan pleaser. --AiG 05:29, 2 October 2008 (UTC)


 * @AiG: No need to fucking insult me; especially since I'm a published author. At the very least, better than fanfic drivvel. Also, .hack//Sign was never aimed at the random viewer, so any comments from the viewpoint don't mean anything. I, personally, see Sign as nothing short of art, and probably one of the best anime ever created. That's my opinion of course, but saying it's just a badly-directed piece of advertisement is just wrong. AuraTwilight 19:44, 2 October 2008 (UTC)


 * .hack//SIGN is slow, but it's not an action show as much as it is mystery and character drama. It's more about mood and atmosphere than it is plot progression and hot-blooded shonen action.  Different tastes for different people, it may not be universally appealing, but it definitely, DEFINITELY has a much larger audience than you would give credit for.  And there's nothing monotonous or vague about the ending.  You know what happened to Tsukasa, and nothing in the last episode gives the impression of "oh, this is just the same thing we've seen over and over again."  There's good, solid character development in there.  You know, CHANGE.  A lot of things change in those last episodes, and that's the exact opposite of monotony.  In my opinion, SIGN is probably the strongest piece of the .hack universe in terms of character development and drama while maintaining a certain balance of reality and techno-mysticism (G.U. got ridiculous all over the place), maybe just about equal to or slightly worse than Another Birth.

But the cool thing about .hack is that there's something for everyone, with a lot of different genres available in the same metaseries. LINK is more on the lighthearted side like Udeden. Tokio is essentially Shugo without a party and constant openings to incest tease, which is why I like him. He's the kid that's in over his head, thinking he can be a true hero, and LINK is so far constantly averting the trope by not allowing him to get stronger or even make up for his lack of strength with ingenious tactics in the heat of battle. EVERYONE is stronger than him. I think I like LINK because it's basically building up an epic story that should lead to Tokio's well-deserved moment of awesome and turning into a hero, and I wouldn't be surprised if he never actually reaches that moment. It's more than just Kingdom Hearts, .hack style.--OtakuD50 20:52, 2 October 2008 (UTC)

The only "end" they closed up in SIGN was TSUKASA's. We have no idea what happened to any of the other players after Tsukasa logged out right in the middle of the battle against Skeith/Morganna. The one thing we do know at the very end is that Morganna is alive and well within The World, back to square one. The only change was Tsukasa's logging out, things happened in the episodes leading to the end, I know that, but the climax was a rather dull open ended "closure", if you even want to call it that. The last episode played almost exactly like the many cliff-hanger episodes that came before it.

You generally don't do this unless you plan to follow up with something, You don't do this unless your show transcends simplistic story telling. When your show is 11 hours of pure slow paced character drama, you wont want to have an ending like this. I'm pretty sure the director and CC2 people involved in SIGN knew this, because Sign is, as I said, a starting point. There is more for you to look forward to. Now for people who watched SIGN as a stand alone, what for them? Sign was made with clear intentions of wanting to get people involved in the franchise that is .hack//. It works best as what it is. It was wrong of me to call it a mere advertisement. But my point still stands.

You might think there was nothing wrong with that ending but I know many people who did and never bothered with the .hack// franchise again. Sign is one of the best pieces of .hack// multimedia, there is no doubt about that. That does not, in any way, mean the show is without it's shortcomings. Now this SIGN discussion is getting nowhere really.

Now LINK, right now I'm wondering if Tokio's story will be the one we'll go through in the new game. Maybe it'll take place a couple of years after LINK, or maybe it'll be a whole new story with a new main char(s). I hope it's not just a retelling of the manga. Though I doubt that's the case. Then there's also the anime.. pretty sure there will be an anime or OVA at least. At this point I doubt we'll know anything until spring 09 at earliest. I think I'll go into lurking mode again heh.--AiG 23:51, 2 October 2008 (UTC)

How many chapters are there out of Link in Japan? No volume has been released yet? its kinda hard to follow this manga when the only info comes from scanlations. - RyougaZell

There are thirteen chapters. Next time check the the official website. With info even though you think its comes from one place there are actually several.

Game and Manga, canon issues.
I know it's too soon to have these questions answered, but something I think should be paid attention to as more information comes out is how both the game and manga tie to the official .hack canon. GU Trilogy's little reference to Schicksal at the end makes me wonder if either is canon or if it's just to generate interest in LINK. Does the manga follow GU Trilogy and the game follow the canon storyline? I just want to bring it up so we can be on the lookout for the answers. --Rpg 18:32, 15 January 2009 (UTC)
 * From what I've heard, the game is supposed to be on a completely different storyline from the manga. Maggosh 19:28, 15 January 2009 (UTC)


 * Personally, I think that the non-cannon media provides more than just fan-service. Almost all of the non-cannon's have revealed part of the back story that is indeed cannon, it's just differentiating between the two that is difficult. The incident with Pi and the mysterious man would have probably happened in both the cannon and non-cannon story. My guess is that Schicksal had something to do with the AIDA incident and possibly the issues before, but it clearly states that a new operations team must be formed to deal with their next moves. Us2rugrats 03:12, 30 January 2009 (UTC)

Image placement & spelling
The images on this article are just... Well, aesthetically it displeases me. It all just seems thrown together. All three of the images look good enough to be the main image of the article, probably, so I guess I'll leave it up to discussion. Also, it seems that the first tankoubon decided to "retcon" the title into "Link" instead of LINK, to match the game. Is this official? Chapter 10 keeps LINK & the old logo, does anyone know if they changed it in Ch. 11?--OtakuD50 04:28, 30 March 2009 (UTC)

Quality writing?
The story section needs a complete rewrite as it is now read like poorly constructed middle school level writing describing a confused fighting scene. 67.9.158.10 04:28, March 20, 2011 (UTC)

Timeline
So far l've been watching a playthough of Link on Youtube and it just goes over the events of previous media, but with Tokio being there to witness some as they happened(e.g. Macha being data drained).Daipenmon 20:53, June 20, 2012 (UTC)