Spring.
Two girls meet under a cherry blossom tree
that has just begun to shed its blossoms.

One is Mato Kuroi, a girl with an innocent smile
but a “certain feeling” buried deep inside,
which even she doesn’t realize herself.
The other is Yomi Takanashi,
a girl with an intense, mature demeanor
who trusts no one with her hidden “secret”.
For some reason, Mato can’t get the occasionally
lonely-looking Yomi out of her mind.
Yomi, for her part, is attracted to Mato’s
ever-changing facial expressions.
In fact, the two of them are drawn to one another,
as if they’ve found something in each other that they themselves lack.
At first, they’re reserved together,
but before long,
they walk along firmly holding hands.
As if guided by the thread of destiny,
Mato and Yomi are linked together with a “bond”.

However, Yomi’s “secret” is finally revealed.
And the “feeling” Mato keeps buried deep within comes to the fore.
The time comes when their hearts clash
and voices are raised to shouts.
This is when the world begins to change
and along with it comes pain as sharp
as a stab to the chest.
Everything transforms in a way that
no one could have ever expected…

An imaginary world.Two girls battle amid collapsed ruins.

One of them is Black★Rock Shooter,
possessing an eye that shoots out blue flames
while hiding its intentions.
The other is Deadmaster,
a girl who gives off a bright green glow and manipulates chains.
These two fly through the air, sprinting at speeds beyond human comprehension.
While they unleash a barrage of attacks on one another,
the ground splits and smoke rises up,
as if the earth itself is no longer willing to tolerate their presence.
When the two girls clash,
it’s as if their own hidden “feelings” collide.
And when they become immersed in the battle,
it’s almost as if they’re being guided by the thread of destiny.

Up above, a mysterious girl known as Black Gold Saw
gazes at the two with an eerie grin. The end of an endless battle,
the beginning of a world with no beginning…
Fireworks glitter, then fade,
like a riddle without an answer.
And, in this world trapped in eternity,
with a muffled sadness that rocks her entire body,
the girl puts these words to her lips:
“I am Black★Rock Shooter.”

It began in 2007 with one illustration posted on the Internet, depicting a young woman clad in black holding a huge gun… But the detail that made the biggest impression was the trail of blue light coming off of her eye like a flame… After resigning from a video game company, huke was active as an illustrator when the release of this drawing created a ripple effect that at first flew below everyone’s radar.

　The first breakthrough happened in June of the following year. Inspired by the illustration, ryo of supercell posted the original song “Black Rock Shooter”, with vocals from Hatsune Miku, on the video sharing website Nico Nico Douga. In the twinkling of an eye, this impressive video, with its ryo-like polish and dramatic feel, gathered a lot of attention and indeed created a record at the time with over 3 million views. The video showcases a sensitive girl with a gothic, heavy-hitting worldview and a somehow cold-hearted rigidity… This new character, born on the Internet, attracted a multitude of avid fans and soon began to spread across other forms of media as well.

　In December of 2009, a 1/8 scale figure of “Black Rock Shooter” was released from Good Smile Company. In August, 2010, Good Smile followed that up with figurines of the character from their Nendoroid and figma lines. A wide variety of “Black Rock Shooter” merchandise was released, which in turn generated a lot of buzz.

　But among all the reverberations, the biggest shockwave had to be the announcement in 2010 of an animated version of “Black Rock Shooter”. The up-and-coming studio Ordet was responsible for producing the original video animation (OVA), which was streamed over the Internet for free. The promotion of the video was quite different from regular animation, including the distribution system. The OVA was available over-the-counter, at events, and included as a “free extra” in magazines (total count of DVDs distributed: 600,000). In terms of content, the focus is on main character Mato Kuroi, a girl whose normal life is upended by the world of Black Rock Shooter. By featuring everyday life intermingled with powerful battle scenes, and interweaving everything with the theme of “truth or falsehood”, the OVA served to push the world of “Black Rock Shooter” even more into the limelight. (When figures based on the animation version of the character were produced, over 160,000 were by pre-order alone, making them a huge record-breaking hit.)

　And in January of 2012, the long-awaited TV series will begin. The anime series is based on the OVA version, but the “friendship” and “bond” between Mato Kuroi/Black Rock Shooter and her friend Yomi Takanashi/Dead Master will be explored more sensitively and dynamically. This huge project began on the Internet and continues to exert a pull us toward a new generation. With the upcoming TV series, “Black Rock Shooter” breaks through into a new dimension.