.hackers

"The .hackers, the only players to clear the final mystery of The World. They became so famous that they became part of the very mythology of The World."

— Rena —

The .hackers is the name given to the group who, according to the legend created by the game’s players, solved the final mystery of The World.

Unknown to the majority of players the .hackers were actually noted as one of the most active in-game groups involved in the revival of the comatose victims and responsible for combating the viral infection that would later be known as the “Twilight Incident”. As a result the group saved The World and the internet from destruction and resurrected the comatose victims who had succumbed to viral attacks.
The legend of the .hackers were initially spread amongst the player populace by those who witnessed the battle between the group and Corbenik, the final wave, in the Ω Server. Some of the groups’ members, namely Orca of the Azure Sea, made sure that these rumours became legend amongst the players.

The legends and rumours about the .hackers continued to be talked about by the players of The World four years after the Twilight Incident, effectively replacing the legend of the Descendants of Fianna, who had been all but forgotten by that time. The identities of the group’s various members also became that of legend as the only two widely known members were Kite and Blackrose.
To be considered part of the .hackers legend was considered a great honour in The World.

Members

Kite's party, the .hackers.

Kite's party members.
Balmung	BlackRose	Elk	Gardenia	Helba
Marlo	Mia	Mistral	Moonstone	Natsume
Nuke Usagimaru	Orca	Piros	Rachel	Sanjuro
Sora	Subaru	Tsukasa	Terajima Ryoko	Wiseman

Originally the group was formed when the first two members, Kite and Blackrose, met during their individual inquisitions into the reason behind the coma victims. The pair was quickly joined by Mistral, Piros, Sanjuro, Gardenia and Natsume for varying reasons to fight Phase 1 of the Wave; Skeith. Wiseman, Elk and Mia also became affiliated with the group at this time.
Marlo, Rachel, Nuke Usagimaru and Moonstone joined the group during the fights against the 2nd and 3rd Phases.
After Mistral’s withdrawal from the group due to personal concerns the others were allowed to also spend some time to think about their reasons for joining; Blackrose returned almost immediately. The other members also returned after the server reconnected, bar Mistral, Elk and Mia.
Terajima Ryoko, Wiseman and, after initially combating against the group, Balmung of the Azure Sky joined the group as they fight Phases 4 and 5 and Mistral rejoins the group to fight Phase 6 and 7. During the battle against Phase 6 the group was forced to fight against and destroy Mia when it was revealed that she was the phase. It is at this point that the System Administrator Lios begins assisting the group in defeating the waves.
During the battle against the final phase, Phase 8, the majority of the party are rendered comatose by Corbenik, however Elk arrives and sacrifices himself to allow Kite the time to defeat the Wave.
Coma victims Kazu, Orca of the Azure Sea and legendary hacker Helba join the group after the Twilight incident.

Heirs to the .hackers Legend

Four years after the Twilight Incident a new party of players, known as the “Heirs to the .hackers Legend”, was formed in response to Aura’s will. Initially the group began with the winners of the Official Limited Edition Character Avatars, Shugo and Rena. Mireille, Ouka, Hotaru and Komiyan 3rd all joined the ranks when Shugo obtained his Twilight Bracelet from Aura and during the pair’s involvement with the stray AI, Zelfi.
Now System Admin Balmung of the Azure Sky secretly oversees the group during these events.

Trivia

• Due to his involvement in saving The World, the leader of the .hackers, Kite, is inducted into the Descendants of Fianna and is knighted “Kite of the Azure Flame”.
• Some of the primary members of the .hackers group would later meet with those who had been involved with the birth of Aura, in a celebration over the victory against the Twilight Incident.
• The mysterious internet poet W.B. Yates made a short poem about the adventures of the Heirs to the .hackers Legend shortly after their adventure’s completion.
• In the non-canon anime series .hack//Legend of the Twilight, the Heirs to the .hackers Legend group are formed due to and become involved with the incident with the stray AI, Morte.
• Kite, Shugo and Rena possess a digital connection to Aura due to their avatars and/or abilities.
• Some members of the .hackers group appear in a flashback when Haseo and Yata find Cubia at the Morrigu Barrow Wall in The World 2.