450 years prior to the present, an extraterrestrial force called Efy Dolgh invades Earth; the people of Sengoku era Japan dub their mecha and robotic drones as oni. The Washiba Clan falls victim to them, but clan heir Yukihime and her samurai retainer Kennosuke Tokisada Ouma fight back with a stolen Efy Dolgh mecha, which they dub the "Black Relic" (黒骸, Kuromukuro). They succeed in vanquishing their foes, but when the Black Relic is caught in an enemy explosion, Yukihime disappears.
60 years ago, the Black Relic is unearthed during the construction of the Kurobe Dam. In the present day, the United Nations is researching it when the Efy Dolgh return. Yukina Shirahane, daughter of the UN facility director, accidentally triggers a cube component of Kuromukuro, releasing Kennosuke from cryostasis. Aided by Yukina's family and the UN in adjusting to life in the 21st century, he stands against Efy Dolgh's invasion of Earth just as he did in his home era. As the Black Relic is the most effective weapon the UN has against Efy Dolgh technology, Kennosuke becomes one of their most valuable assets. Due to an accident, Yukina is biometrically synchronized with the Black Relic, and as it requires two pilots, Yukina thus becomes Ouma's combat partner.
Main characters
Kennosuke Tokisada Ouma (青馬 剣之介 時貞, Ouma Kennosuke Tokisada)
Voiced by: Yōhei Azakami (Japanese); Bryce Papenbrook (English)
Kennosuke is the main protagonist of
Kuromukuro. He is a young man born in the Sengoku period and awoke in the present day from the "Cube", the control unit of the "Black Relic" found in the Kurobe Dam construction site. In order to protect Yukihime, he fought demons using a stolen alien robot he calls Black Relic, that only he and Yukina can pilot. He is the same age as Yukina and despite his initial confusion with the modern world, he befriends Yukina's family.
Yukina Shirahane (白羽 由希奈, Shirahane Yukina)
Voiced by: Mao Ichimichi (Japanese); Cherami Leigh (English)
Yukina is the main heroine of
Kuromukuro. She is a second-year high school student of Tateyama International High School, and her mother is the head of Kurobe U.N. Research Institute. She dreams of going to Mars. Because of the disappearance of her father, she feels insecure about her future and dislikes the idea of having to fight, especially if the enemy looks human.
Muetta (ムエッタ)
Voiced by: Aki Toyosaki (Japanese); Kira Buckland (English)
Muetta (Yukihime) is one of the main heroines of
Kuromukuro. Another Efy Dolgh pilot who is a clone of Yukihime, grown using her DNA aboard an Efy Dolgh ship according to Efy Dolgh's attitude to create on-site its own troops by cloning conquered foes. Her Geoframe is designated "Medusa"
(メドゥーサ, Medūsa) by the U.N. She is stabbed by Mirasa and barely survives. She eventually helps Kennosuke save Yukina from Efy Dolgh.
Sophie Noel (ソフィー・ノエル, Sofī Noeru)
Voiced by: Reina Ueda (Japanese); Melissa Fahn (English)
Sophie is one of the main heroines of
Kuromukuro. She is a French exchange student who is an Iaido-practicing samurai-otaku and a member of France's elite forces, the GIGN. Despite her petite frame, she’s a master of judo. Sophie is a prodigy with operating robots and is even a test pilot at the UN Kurobe Laboratory.
Hiromi Shirahane (白羽 洋海, Shirahane Hiromi)
Voiced by: Kanako Tōjō (Japanese); Anne Yatco (English)
Yukina’s mother and the Chief Researcher at the UN Kurobe Laboratory. She was lead designer of the currently under development “GAUS (Gravity Attenuated Upright Shell)”. She’s quite the overbearing mother type, but lacking in motherly qualities.
Tom Borden (トム・ボーデン, Tomu Bōden)
Voiced by: Ryohei Kimura (Japanese); Todd Haberkorn (English)
The 31-year old pilot of GAUS 1 and a member of the U.S. Army. Though he has a rough personality, Tom is the combat leader of the GAUS pilots. During the counterattack against Efy Dolg he becomes the pilot of Long Arm.
Liu Shenmei (劉 神美, Ryū Shenmii)
Voiced by: Hikaru Ueda (Japanese); Reba Buhr (English)
The 27-year old navigator GAUS 1. A very reserved person, Shenmei speaks little and helps to balance Tom's headstrong nature. She later becomes the pilot of GAUS 3.
Toshiyuki Mozumi (Sebastian) (茂住 敏幸 (セバスチャン), Mozumi Toshiyuki (Sebasuchan))
Voiced by: Taiten Kusunoki (Japanese); Tony Azzolino (English)
The 38-year old navigator of GAUS 2. A captain in the JSDF, Sebastian is Sophie's butler. During Efy Dolg's largest assault, he sacrifices himself to try to kill Mirasa and prevent her from attack Muetta and Sophie, but despite being able to stop her the woman manages to survive. It is later revealed he also survived as well.
Minoru Aramata (荒俣 稔, Aramata Minoru)
Voiced by: Kōichi Makishima (Japanese); Michael McConnohie (English)
Chief Engineer at the UN Kurobe Laboratory. He is an expert on solid state physics and geology, and was in charge of excavating the artifact.
Arthur Graham (アーサー・グラハム, Āsā Gurahamu)
Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese); Jamieson Price (English)
Commander of the defense forces at UN Kurobe Laboratory. A Major in the British Army and former member of SAS, Graham is earnest in his work and not just out for promotions.
Rita Ferreira Mendes (リタ・フェレイラ・メンデス, Rita Fereira Mendesu)
Voiced by: Lynn (Japanese); Christine Marie Cabanos (English)
Operator in the defense control room. Rita wears glasses and has a positive demeanor. After having been possessed by an electronic parasite, she cooperates with other controlled humans in activate the Hinge Stone; she's freed when the UN forces manage to retake the Kurobe Research Facility, but since the humans do not have the necessary technology to reverse the parasites' influence she remains in a vegetative state till 2021, when she seems return to herself much to the surprise of her friend Beth.
Elizabeth "Beth" Butler (エリザベス・バトラー (ベス), Erisabesu Batorā (Besu))
Voiced by: Juri Kimura (Japanese); Julie Maddalena (English)
Operator in the defense control room. She’s big in height and heart.
Paula Kowalczyk (ポーラ・コヴァルチック, Pōra Kovaruchikku)
Voiced by: Rina Satō (Japanese); Laura Post (English)
A researcher in the development division at the UN Kurobe Laboratory. She has a PhD in material engineering and makes use of technology reverse-engineered from the Black Relic.
Girolamo "Giro" Casiraghi (ジローラモ・カシラギ (ジロー), Jirōramo Kashiragi (Jirō))
Voiced by: Hiromichi Tezuka (Japanese); Keith Silverstein (English)
A researcher in the examination division at the UN Kurobe Laboratory. He has a PhD in electrical engineering and analyzes the Black Relic.
Jules Hausen (ジュール・ハウゼン, Jūru Hauzen)
Voiced by: Yuya Uchida (Japanese); Dave Mallow (English)
An expert on anatomy and biochemistry. He’s bizarrely obsessed with his research subjects.
Marina Unami (宇波 茉莉奈, Unami Marina)
Voiced by: Manami Sugihira (Japanese); Dorothy Fahn (English)
A 23-year old counselor at Yukina’s high school. She is dedicated to the well-being of her charges.
Naoki Takekuma (武隈 直樹, Takekuma Naoki)
Voiced by: Hidenobu Kiuchi (Japanese); Kyle McCarley (English)
Yukina’s homeroom teacher. Takekuma is a stick in the mud who doesn’t mince words.
Mika Ogino (荻布 美夏, Ogino Mika)
Voiced by: Asami Seto (Japanese); Cristina Vee (English)
Mika is Yukina’s classmate and childhood friend. A consistently upbeat person, her hobby is cosplay.
Jundai Kayahara (茅原 純大, Kayahara Jundai)
Voiced by: Yūsuke Kobayashi (Japanese); Griffin Burns (English)
Yukina’s classmate who always carrying a camera around. He often tries to get into the heart of action, disregarding his own safety.
José Carlos Takasuka (ホセ・カルロス・高須賀, Hose Karurosu Takasuka)
Voiced by: Shunsuke Takeuchi (Japanese); Grant George (English)
Yukina’s classmate who dislikes the chaos brought on by the arrival of Efy Dolgh and the Black Relic. He is half Spanish and half Japanese, but he only speaks Japanese.
Ryoto Akagi (赤城 涼斗, Akagi Ryōto)
Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (English)
A classmate of Yukina with a reputation as a delinquent. His father is head of maintenance at the UN Kurobe Laboratory.
Takehito Shirahane (白羽 岳人, Shirahane Takehito)
Voiced by: Tōru Ōkawa (Japanese); Doug Erholtz (English)
Yukina’s father. He correctly deduced that the ogres of legend were in fact extraterrestrial beings, but he mysteriously disappeared 8 years ago. Zeru revealed that they became friends and bowed to work together to stop Efy Dolg, but tragically he died in a snowstorm before Zeru could help him.
Koharu Shirahane (白羽 小春, Shirahane Koharu)
Voiced by: Momo Asakura (Japanese); Cassandra Lee Morris (English)
Yukina’s younger sister and a third-year in elementary school. She lives with Yukina at their uncle’s temple. Koharu likes watching historical dramas on TV and looks up to Kennosuke.
Yakushi (薬師)
Voiced by: Tetsuo Gotō (Japanese); Josiah Wills (English)
Hiromi's older brother. He's a Buddhist monk and looks after his nieces while his sister is constantly at work.
Efy Dolgh (エフィドルグ, Efidorugu) An extraterrestrial organization which invaded Earth 450 years ago, and in the present day, its Gezon-Reco Squad arrives to follow up on the scout force's progress. With the self-proclaimed mission of "civilizing the galaxy", Gezon-Reco Squad's members call themselves "frontier reform officers". When asked by a U.N. official if Efy Dolgh conquered, Fusnani considered it an acceptable description on the basis of reality operating on the principle of survival of the fittest, with the weak serving the strong.
Lefil (レフィル, Refiru)
Voiced by: Atsushi Ono (Japanese); Michael McConnohie (English)
The leader of Efy Dolgh's Gezon-Reco Squad. He's revealed to be a clone of the same species as Zell. He's stabbed and brainwashed by Zell into stopping the Kururu from activating, but informs that if the Kururu isn't stopped, a new, larger Gezon-Reco Squad will arrive.
Mirasa (ミラーサ, Mirāsa)
Voiced by: Yuina Yamada (Japanese); Julie Ann Taylor (English)
An ambitious Efy Dolgh soldier who prioritizes personal achievement over the welfare of her comrades and Efy Dolgh's combat principles. Her Geoframe is designated "Spider"
(スパイダー, Supaidā) by the U.N. She tries to kill Muetta to get the glory only for herself. During Efy Dolgh's largest assault, she tries to finish Muetta, only for Sebastian to sacrifice himself to stop her. She's killed during the counterattack by Muetta.
Yoruba (ヨルバ)
Voiced by: Kishō Taniyama (Japanese); Doug Erholtz (English)
An aggressive pilot of Efy Dolgh. His Geoframe is designated Blue Bird by the U.N. He is defeated by Kennosuke in the finale battle with help from Zell and Sophie, and is taken prisoner afterward. Muetta asks for his help in defeating Efy Dolgh, but he calls her a traitor and turns her down, and it is unknown what happened to him after that.
Imusa (イムサ)
Voiced by: Tooru Sakurai (Japanese); Keith Silverstein (English)
A bald-headed pilot of Efy Dolgh. His Geoframe is designated Lock Head by the U.N. During the counterattack Refil combines his Geoframe with his, but both are defeated by the teamwork of Kennosuke, Yukina, Sophie, Tom and Muetta and while Refil manages to escape, he dies in the destruction of the Geoframe.
Fusunani (フスナーニ, Fusunāni)
Voiced by: Kōji Yusa (Japanese); Christopher Corey Smith (English)
The second seen Efy Dolgh pilot. His Geoframe is designated "Longarm"
(ロングアーム, Ronguāmu) by the U.N. After being defeated by Ouma he is taken prisoner by the U.N., but this is a ruse for him to escape custody in search of a hinge stone underneath the Kurobe Dam facility. Ouma realizes that he looks identical to a Washiba Clan samurai captain whom he once met, but when confronted, Fusnani denies any notion of being from Earth. After Fusnani is cornered by U.N. forces, he tries to kill Yukina to render the Black Relic useless, but he is then killed by Kennosuke. Like Muetta, he too is probably a clone created by the Washiba samurai's DNA to serve in the Efy Dolgh invasion force.
Hedo (ヒドゥ, Hidu)
Voiced by: Hideki Nakanishi (Japanese); Grant George (English)
The first seen Efy Dolgh pilot. His Geoframe is designated "Yellow Crab"
(イエロークラブ, Ierōkurabu) by the U.N. Ouma uses the Black Relic to defeat him once, severing Yellow Crab's right arm, but Hedo returns with a replacement arm for his mecha. After being defeated a second time, Hedo emerges from his mecha to acknowledge the prowess of the Black Relic's operator and to ask why they betrayed Efy Dolgh. Receiving no answer due to Ouma's shock at his human appearance, Hedo proceeds to commit suicide by detonating Yellow Crab.
Yukihime (雪姫)
Voiced by: Aki Toyosaki (Japanese); Kira Buckland (English)
The final heiress of the Washiba Clan. When Efy Dolgh invaded Sengoku era Japan, Yukihime enlisted Ouma to operate Black Relic with her to stand against the invaders. However, Black Relic was eventually caught in an explosion, during which Yukihime died and Ouma lost his memory.
Zelleager "Zell" Myundef Vishrai (ゼルイーガー・ミュンデフ・ビシュライ (ゼル), Zeruigā Myundefu Bishurai (Zeru)) / Demon (鬼, Oni)
Voiced by: Shigenori Sōya (Japanese); Christopher Corey Smith (English)
Zell is an alien from a planet located 220 years light away from the Earth in the Sagittarius constellation. His species is red-skinned, horned, and has centuries-long lifespans. Zell's planet was conquered by the Efy Dolgh, and he wanted to prevent the Earth from facing the same fate. Arriving in Japan 450 years ago, he attempted to stop the Efy Dolgh force which massacred the Washiba Clan, but the humans believed he was a demon and attacked him. In the recent past, Yukina's father Takehito Shirahane met him and attempted to assist his cause. Takehito also gave him the name Zell as a shortened form of his full name. In the present day, he has come to the aid of UN forces in order to counter Efy Dolgh's invasion.
Broadcast and distribution
Kuromukuro is directed by Tensai Okamura and produced by P.A.Works, spanning 26 episodes. It began airing on April 7, 2016. The series is written by Ryō Higaki, with character designs by Yuriko Ishii and music by Hiroaki Tsutsumi. For the first 13 episodes, the opening theme is "Deathtopia" (デストピア, Desutopia) by Glay, and the ending theme is "Reali.stic" (リアリ・スティック, Riari Stikku) by Michi. For the remaining 13 episodes, the opening theme is "Chō Onsoku Destiny" (超音速デスティニー, lit. Supersonic Destiny) by Glay, and the ending theme is "Eien Loop" (永遠ループ, lit. Eternal Loop) by Ami Wajima.
