Gate (novel series)

Gate: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri
Cover of the first edition of Gate volume 1 featuring the main characters (from left to right): Rory Mercury, Yōji Itami, Tuka Luna Marceau and Lelei La Lelena.
ゲート 自衛隊 彼の地にて、斯く戦えり
(Gēto Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri)
Genre Fantasy
Light novel
Written by Takumi Yanai
Illustrated by Daisuke Izuka
Kurojishi
Published by AlphaPolis
Demographic Male
Original run April 12, 2010 – July 3, 2015
Volumes 10 (original)
20 (reprint)
Manga
Written by Takumi Yanai
Illustrated by Satoru Sao
Published by AlphaPolis
English publisher
Demographic Male
Original run July 2011 – present
Volumes 13
Anime television series
Directed by Takahiko Kyōgoku
Produced by Nobuhiro Nakayama
Teppei Ōta
Nobuhiro Osawa
Written by Tatsuhiko Urahata
Music by Yoshiaki Fujisawa
Studio A-1 Pictures
Licensed by
Original network Tokyo MX, TVA, MBS, BS11, AT-X
Original run July 4, 2015 – March 26, 2016
Episodes 24

Gate: Jieitai Kano Chi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri (Japanese: ゲート 自衛隊 彼の地にて、斯く戦えり, lit. Gate: Thus the Japanese Self-Defense Force Fought There) is a Japanese fantasy novel series written by Takumi Yanai and illustrated by Daisuke Izuka and Kurojishi from 2006. A manga adaptation illustrated by Satoru Sao began in July 2011, and three spin-off manga began in 2015.[2] The first half of an anime television series adaptation aired from July to September 2015, and the second half aired from January to March 2016. The series has been licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America. A sequel novel series, Gate: Weigh Anchor, began publication in 2017.

Plot

One day in modern-day Ginza, Tokyo, a portal from another world suddenly appears and a legion of soldiers and monsters emerge to attack the city. Using more advanced weaponry and tactics, the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) easily repels the enemy and passes through the Gate to establish a forward operating base and initiate peace negotiations with the Empire of the other world. However, Japan's exclusive access to the Gate is envied by the other nations of the world, who wish to exploit the Special Region (特地, Tokuchi) (Japan's designation for the other world) for their own purposes. Also, the JSDF's activities are closely monitored by their government, who hesitate to involve themselves any further into the Special Region's affairs out of fear of public disapproval.

Yōji Itami is a JSDF officer sent to investigate the other world, where magic, dragons and elves are real, using his knowledge of fantasy stories to make his way in this new environment.[3] While exploring the Special Region, he ends up selflessly aiding its people - including Imperial Princess Piña Co Lada - against an ancient dragon and a band of marauders, thus paving the way for negotiations and saddling himself with a group of local girls who have developed feelings for him. However, when he humiliates Imperial crown prince Zorzal in order to rescue a Japanese prisoner from his clutches, the latter decides to make Japan pay in blood, seizing power as a dictator and preparing for an all-out war. Thus the JSDF is eventually forced to engage in aggressive combat action to maintain the status quo and bring negotiations with Zorzal's father, Molt Sol Augustus, to a peaceful conclusion.

Following the JSDF's liberation of Princess Piña, the Emperor and the anti-war senators from the Imperial capital, Zorzal goes into hiding and engages in a guerilla war, having his men conduct raids in imitation camouflage uniforms and using shape-shifting monsters to murder innocent civilians to draw the Japanese out; but the JSDF's allies and sympathizers rally to their side to defeat the rogue prince. However, as the goddess Hardy relates to Itami, the Gate itself poses another serious problem. Initially opened by Hardy, but enlarged and stabilized by the Empire's magicians, it begins to cause a series of devastating incidents as the Special Region and Earth begin to drift away from this mutual anchor point. Thus, the Japanese must struggle to both end the civil war and close the Gate in time before both worlds rip each other to pieces.

Characters

Main characters

Yōji Itami (伊丹 耀司, Itami Yōji)
Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe[4] (Japanese); David Wald (English)[5]
The protagonist of the series, Itami is a 33-year-old otaku and JSDF soldier. After successfully escorting hundreds of citizens to safety during the attack on Ginza, Itami is promoted to the rank of first lieutenant and tasked to investigate the world on the other side of the Gate. He is a certified JSDF Ranger and Special Forces trooper (although this only occurred due to his superiors' futile attempts to discipline him), and while he is notable for being a slacker and a fast runner from trouble, he is honest and compassionate and can be quite capable when under stress. He is also later rendered immune from bodily harm due to a contract Rory Mercury makes with him, in exchange for him becoming her servant upon his death.[6] With his heroic acts during the battle of Ginza and in the world beyond the gate, he also becomes a role model for his fellow JSDF soldiers and his friends in Alnus Town.
Piña Co Lada (ピニャ・コ・ラーダ, Pinya Ko Rāda)
Voiced by: Haruka Tomatsu[4] (Japanese); Jessica Boone (English)[5]
A 19-year-old princess from the Empire that rules the other world. Born to an Imperial concubine, and 10th (3rd in the anime) in the line of succession to the throne, Piña Co Lada is dedicated to the Empire's welfare. Idealistic but inexperienced, she has at first trouble reacting properly to the realities of political life, but matures quickly during the course of the series. After seeing the JSDF's military power in action, she wishes to establish peace with Japan, as she knows that a war with them will eventually lead to the Empire's ultimate destruction. During her visit to Japan to meet with several officials, Piña develops an obsession with yaoi dōjinshi and later has her Rose Knights translate more of them for her to read. After being rescued from Zorzal's clutches, Piña is appointed Crown Princess by Emperor Molt and ends up falling in love with Itami. Oddly, her name is taken from the rum-based cocktail Piña colada.
Tuka Luna Marceau (テュカ・ルナ・マルソー, Tyuka Runa Marusō)
Voiced by: Hisako Kanemoto[4] (Japanese); Juliet Simmons (English)[5]
A 165-year-old High Elf, though she is considered an adolescent by her race's standards. She loses her father who sacrifices himself to save her when her village is attacked by a flame dragon, and since then travels with Itami and co. However, she has a hard time coping with her father's death, and eventually begins to lapse into insanity, starting to view Itami as her lost father. But even after overcoming her loss with Itami's help, she keeps calling him "father"[6] both out of habit and out of bashfulness about her true feelings for him. She has also entertained a slight crush on Mari Kurokawa.
Lelei La Lelena (レレイ・ラ・レレーナ, Rerei Ra Rerēna)
Voiced by: Nao Tōyama[4] (Japanese); Brittney Karbowski (English)[5]
A 15-year-old witch from the other world, a former member of the Rurudo nomad tribe, and a student to an elderly sorcerer who is notable for her platinum-blonde hair and perpetually emotionless expression. She considers herself legally married to Itami after the latter unwittingly fulfilled an ancient wedding custom, which involves a couple spending three consecutive nights in the same room. Brilliant and inquisitive, Lelei quickly learns the Japanese language and becomes the interpreter/translator for Itami's party.[6] Thanks to the knowledge of physics acquired during her visits to Earth, combined with her natural magical abilities and a gift from the underworld goddess Hardy, she eventually becomes capable of opening a Gate between the Special Region and Japan at will.
Rory Mercury (ロゥリィ・マーキュリー, Rōri Mākyurī)
Voiced by: Risa Taneda[4] (Japanese); Molly Searcy (English)[5]
A 961-year-old demigoddess and the Apostle of the god Emroy. She's usually dressed in her formal apostle wear, which strongly resembles gothic lolita fashion. Rory's status as a demigoddess entails that she cannot die and can recover from any wound; upon her 1,000th birthday, she will ascend and become a full goddess. She's superhumanly strong, which allows her to wield her extremely heavy signature halberd with ease, and very fast and agile, with centuries of combat experience.[6] Her presence and status as an apostle are also a great help to Itami's group in establishing social relations within the Special Region. Her only major weakness is her fear of going underground, due to her dislike for Hardy, who desires Rory as her bride. After meeting Itami, she takes a particular interest in him and, owing to this affection, later elects to become the Goddess of Love upon her ascension.
Yao Haa Dushi (ヤオ・ハー・デュッシ, Yao Hā Dyusshi)
Voiced by: Yoko Hikasa[4] (Japanese); Rachel Landon (English)[5]
A Dark Elf who is over 300 years old; her middle name is a reference to the underworld goddess Hardy, who is worshipped by her people. She seeks the JSDF's aid when the same dragon that attacked Tuka's village moves to the forest where her tribe lives, becoming a threat to them. After the dragon is vanquished, and after learning that the Apostle of Hardy was responsible for its rampage, she renounces her faith in Hardy, changes her name to Yao Ro Dushi (ヤオ・ロゥ・デュッシ, Yao Rō Dusshi) (with "Ro" in reverence of Rory Mercury, who came to the aid of her people) and offers herself to Itami as a slave. Unlike the other three girls in Itami's company, she isn't as relentless in pursuing his affections, but she is just as perplexed about his seemingly indifferent attitude about their relationship, especially since her penchant for bad luck keeps her self-esteem low and she regards Itami as a pillar of support.

Japanese characters

Third Recon Unit

While the Recon Unit encompasses a total of twelve members, the characters listed here are those who gain special prominence in the story.

Shino Kuribayashi (栗林 志乃, Kuribayashi Shino)
Voiced by: Maaya Uchida[4] (Japanese); Stephanie Wittels (English)[5]
A petite but buxom Sergeant First Class of the Third Recon Unit under Itami, she does not hold him in high regard due to his otaku nature. She idolizes the Japanese Ranger and Special Forces; a perception which is somewhat disillusioned when she learns that Itami is a certified member of both. She excels in hand-to-hand combat and prefers charging head-first into a battle to take on her opponents with just her rifle-mounted bayonet. She remains in the Special Region after the Gate is closed, because the new world presents her with a chance to cut loose with her combative nature and because she has fallen in love with her teammate Tomita, despite him being already involved with Bozes of the Rose Knights.
Akira Tomita (富田 章, Tomita Akira)
Voiced by: Hiroki Yasumoto[4] (Japanese); Ty Mahany (English)[5]
Sergeant First Class Tomita, a trained Ranger, is the gentle giant of the unit who is a solemn but kind man and often acts as the voice of reason within the group. He and Bozes enter a relationship, and as a result he is one of the JSDF servicemen remaining in the Special Region when the Gate is closed.
Takeo Kurata (倉田 武雄, Kurata Takeo)
Voiced by: Kaito Ishikawa[4] (Japanese); Tyler Galindo (English)[5]
A 21-year-old sergeant in the JSDF and driver on the recon team, he is also an otaku like Itami, with a special fetish for catgirls. His geeky fantasy becomes reality when he meets Persia, a housemaid of the Formal Clan who happens to be half-cat. The two become close very quickly and are nearly inseparable whenever Kurata visits Italica. Owing to this affection, Kuruta is one of the JSDF servicemen who voluntarily stays in the Special Region when the original Gate is shut down.
Mari Kurokawa (黒川 茉莉, Kurokawa Mari)
Voiced by: Satomi Akesaka[6] (Japanese); Allison Sumrall (English)[5]
The medic of the Third Recon Team with the rank of Sergeant First Class, at 190cm she is an (for a Japanese) unusually tall woman. Her father is a submarine commander in the Japanese Navy force. She can be uncomfortably sharp-tongued in her opinions at times, especially to Itami if she suspects he has ulterior motives related to his otaku hobbies. While she cares for the well-being of those under her supervision, especially civilians, she can be very vicious with disobedient patients, often using sadistic-looking means of intimidation to discipline them. At the end of the series, she has returned to Earth and become head nurse of the JSDF Central Hospital.
Souichirou Kuwahara (桑原 惣一郎, Kuwahara Souichirou)
Voiced by: Kanehira Yamamoto (Japanese); Josh Morrison (English)[5]
A fifty-year-old Sergeant Major who serves as Itami's second in command. As the oldest member in the unit, he has experience and wisdom of training and leading recruits on the field. He replaces Itami as team leader after the latter runs off to kill the Fire Dragon on his own and is consequently relieved of his command. After the original Gate has closed, he retires from the SDF and works at a security firm while spending time with his newly-born grandchildren.
Furuta Hitoshi (古田 均, Hitoshi Furuta)
Voiced by: Daiki Hamano (Japanese); Adam Gibbs (English)[5]
A leading private in the Third Recon Team who used to work in his family's first-class restaurant until he got into an argument with the new management, and joined the JSDF to gather the funds to open his own restaurant. During the Team's mission in the Imperial Capital, he goes undercover as a chef after his cooking gets the interest of Prince Zorzal. There he falls in love with Tyuule, Zorzal's Warrior Bunny concubine and secret adversary; they end up aiding each other in thwarting the tyrannical prince, and after Tyuule's death and the closure of the Gate, he and Delilah open a restaurant in Tokyo in her memory.

JSDF Special Region Task Force

Kouichirou Hazama (狭間 浩一郎, Hazama Kouichirou)
Voiced by: Hiroshi Yanaka (Japanese); John Gremillion (English)[5]
A JSDF Lieutenant General in charge of the JSDF task force within the Special Region who holds Itami in high regard despite the latter's reckless attitude. As a responsible commander, he is one of the JSDF servicemen who stays behind when the Gate is shut down.
Akira Yanagida (柳田 明, Yanagida Akira)
Voiced by: Koji Yusa (Japanese); Chris Patton (English)[5]
A First Lieutenant who serves as General Hazama's aide. He dislikes Itami due to the latter gaining his rank due to the Ginza Incident, whereas he had to earn it by hard work himself. Unlike Itami, who cares about the people of the Special Region and wants to help them, Yanagida sees no problem in manipulating and exploiting the Special Region's people and resources for Japan's gain. He eventually develops a grudging respect for Itami despite the fact that the two seem to antagonize each other over minor details, especially regarding Itami's nonchalant attitude and his ability to gain allies so easily.
Osamu Higaki (檜垣 統, Higaki Osamu)
Voiced by: Ryunosuke Watanuki (Japanese); Adam Noble (English)
A Major in the Special Region Task Force and Itami's immediate superior, who is usually frustrated by Itami's charitable nature violating military protocol.

Japanese government and citizens

Tarō Kanō (嘉納 太郎, Kanou Tarou)
Voiced by: Tetsuo Kanao (Japanese); Steven Finely (English)[5]
The Japanese Minister of Defense and Itami's old friend. Like Itami, he is also an otaku. Strong-willed and patriotic, he succeeds Prime Minister Morita as an interim candidate after he and the other Cabinet members expose Morita's cowardice in intending to surrender administration of the Gate to a foreign international conspiracy instead of defending his nation's sovereignty. At the end of the series, he has retired from politics and thus become free to pursue his otaku passions once more.
Risa Aoi (葵 梨紗, Aoi Risa)
Voiced by: Yoshino Nanjō (Japanese); Chelsea McCurdy (English)[5]
Itami's ex-wife and a yaoi doujin artist whose hobby of collecting dolls leave her broke quite frequently. Having been former classmates in college, she and Itami married for convenience: Itami provided money for Risa's hobby and Risa looked after the household for Itami. Risa divorced Itami after she tried to convince Itami not to go to the Special Region and realized that he never really loved her. Nevertheless, they still care about each other, with Itami still providing financial support to Risa. Risa still loves Itami, even though she knows he'll never realize it on his own. After encountering Piña, she becomes the princess' main source for doujin mangas.
Noriko Mochizuki (望月 紀子, Mochizuki Noriko)
Voiced by: Hibiku Yamamura
One of several Japanese civilians who were captured by Imperial Scouts prior to the Ginza Incident. She was taken to the Empire where she was sold as Prince Zorzal's sex slave. When the Japanese learns of Noriko's existence, the JSDF rescues her and warns the Empire there will be consequences if all other Japanese slaves are not repatriated. Despite her traumatic experience and the loss of her entire family during the Ginza Incident, she returns to Alnus to act as a liaison between the locals and the Japanese media. After witnessing the callous sensationalist pursuits of the Japanese media in the Special Region (especially as personified by Kazunari Komurazaki), she begins to crusade against this bias, determined to serve only the truth to the Japanese public.
Nanami Kuribayashi (栗林 菜々美, Kuribayashi Nanami)
Voiced by: Yurika Kubo
Shino's younger sister and a rookie newscaster. After she finds out that the news concerning the Special Region are censored by elements in the Japanese government looking out for their own interests instead of the nation's, she dedicates herself to relaying tellings of the true events in the other world to the public and root out the corruption in the Japanese media. After the closure of the Gate, she establishes a popular online news studio.
Kouji Sugawara (菅原 浩治, Sugawara Kouji)
Voiced by: Kazuyuki Okitsu (Japanese); Jay Hickman (English)[5]
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official who is sent to the Special Region as an ambassador to the Empire as part of a delegation to convince the Empire to seek peace with Japan. When he meets Sherry Tyueri and she falls in love with him, he is quite awkward about her affection for him considering her tender age, but genuinely cares about her. When Zorzal takes over the throne and his Oprichnina arrests members of the nobility who seek peace with Japan, he saves Sherry by declaring that she is his fiancé. Before the Gate is closed, he decides to remain in the Special Region to maintain the diplomatic ties between Japan and the Empire.
Reiko Shirayuri (白百合 玲子, Shirayuri Reiko)
Voiced by: Risa Hayamizu (Japanese); Carolyn Medrano (English)[5]
The Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs in charge of the Special Region.
Hideyo Komakado (駒門 英世, Komakado Hideyo)
Voiced by: Takuya Kirimoto
A leading member of the Japanese Defense Intelligence Headquarters and later of the Public Security Division, who acts as a guide and head of personal security during the official visits of Itami's troupe in Japan. Later he proves instrumental in deposing Prime Minister Morita for conspiracy against Japan's national interests and installing Minister Kanō as an interim candidate in his place.
Kazunari Komurazaki (古村崎 一也, Komurazaki Kazunari)
Voiced by: Ozamu Sakuta
An extremely superficial and biased Japanese journalist who constantly tries to score negative press about the JSDF in the Special Region solely for publicity's sake. His stubbornness and recklessness endanger and even cause the death of some of his support personnel in his sensationalist pursuits, making him very unpopular with the Japanese on-site.

Special Region characters

The Empire

The Empire has at the time of the JSDF's arrival remained the dominant political domain in the Special Region for over 687 years. Its political, cultural and military systems are patterned after those of the ancient Roman Empire. Humans form the primary social class; demihumans are by Imperial law considered non-citizens.

Zorzal El Caesar (ゾルザル・エル・カエサル, Zoruzaru Eru Kaesaru)
Voiced by: Katsuyuki Konishi (Japanese); Kregg Daily (English)[5]
First Prince of the Empire, Piña's eldest half-brother, and the main antagonist of the series. Mentally unstable, arrogant and vain, yet cunning enough to play the role of a foolish upstart (for his father to believe that he could be easily used as a proxy once he retires), Zorzal is a sadist who enjoys committing rape, murder and genocide, and owns a number of sex slaves. After Itami frees his Japanese prisoner Noriko from his clutches, Zorzal swears revenge, installs himself as the new Emperor, and attempts to wage a new war against Japan, heedless of the JSDF's technological superiority. In the end, after a reckless all-out attack on Piña before the gates of Italica, he loses all and is killed by Tyuule, although he succeeds in taking her with him.
Tyuule (テューレ, Tyūre)
Voiced by: Ami Koshimizu (Japanese); Maggie Flecknoe (English)[5]
Zorzal's sex slave and the former Queen of the Warrior Bunny Tribe. Her tribe was at war with the Empire, but realizing they could not win, she gave herself up to Prince Zorzal as his slave in exchange for him sparing her tribe. However, Zorzal did not keep his word and brutally slaughtered and enslaved her people while lying to the survivors that Tyuule sold them out to save herself, which gained her her tribe's hatred. Upon learning the truth, Tyuule swore revenge to bring down the Empire by appearing submissive to Zorzal while secretly manipulating him into waging a suicidal war with Japan that would bring the Empire to complete ruin. She falls in love with Furuta Hitoshi, but in the end cannot let go of her vengeance against Zorzal, and when she is found out, she and the prince end up killing each other.
Molt Sol Augustus (モルト・ソル・アウグスタス, Moruto Soru Augusutasu)
Voiced by: Atsushi Ono (Japanese); Jason Douglas (English)[5]
The Special Region's Emperor and Piña's father. Despite knowing that the Japanese forces far outclass the Empire's, he is initially reluctant to seek peace with them, fearing that they might be truly unstoppable should he give them time to establish a foothold. After being rescued from Zorzal's clutches, and after realizing that the JSDF are his best hope for preserving the Empire, he allies himself with them and appoints Piña as his rightful successor.
Duran (デュラン, Dyuran)
Voiced by: Masao Amada (Japanese); Marty Fleck (English)[5]
The king of Elbe, Duran was part of the second wave of forces sent by the Empire to recapture Alnus hill from the JSDF "invaders". His forces were annihilated, and when Princess Piña found him, he was a crippled shell of a man waiting for his death, either from the Empire or his own people. Later on, he secretly poses as a disabled refugee at Alnus and is rehabilitated by the JSDF with prosthetic limbs and medical treatment. He later serves as a pivotal person in allowing the JSDF to cross the Elbe kingdom and help Itami defeat the Fire Dragon, and later as a member of the pro-Imperial coalition against Zorzal.
Helm Fule Maio (ヘルム・フレ・マイオ, Herumu Fure Maio)
Voiced by: Yusuke Kobayashi (Japanese); Blake Shepard (English)
A former founding member of the Order of the Rose Knights, who after leaving the group became a viscount. He participated in and was captured during the Imperial attack on Ginza, and seeking to repay Japan for his humiliation, he becomes one of Zorzal's military advisors during the Imperial civil war. His main ambition is to prove himself Piña's better; a prospect in which he miserably fails at the end.
Diabo Sol Caesar (ディアボ・ソル・カエサル, Diabo Soru Kaesaru)
Voiced by: Yuichiro Umehara
The ambitious but cowardly younger brother of Zorzal who seeks the throne despite not being next in the line of succession. When Zorzal takes over, he flees to Alnus in order to enlist a foreign power in aiding his ambitions, resulting in him entering a deal with the Chinese government to make him the Emperor in return for delivering Lelei to them. However, after the Chinese betray him, Rory Mercury instead installs him as the "puppet" governor of the Alnus Living Community to satisfy his ambitions.
Sherry Tyueri (シェリー・テュエリ, Sherī Tyueri)
Voiced by: Rina Hidaka (Japanese); Luci Christian (English)[5]
Sherry is the 12-year-old daughter of the Tyueri family, a noble family related to Marquess Casel, an influential senator. Wanting to improve his connections to Casel, Sugawara offered to have a pearl necklace delivered to Sherry following their meeting at a party. Following this, Sherry fell in love with Sugawara, and attempted to pursue him whenever he was near. She quickly demonstrates a wisdom and maturity beyond her years, showing a keen understanding of the awkward interactions between Japan and the people of the Empire, as well as the problems this would pose to Japan and her "future husband"; for this reason, she eagerly offers to aid Sugawara and help bridge the gap between their nations. After her parents' death, Marquess Casel adopts Sherry as his ward, and Emperor Molt later appoints her as his emissary in Japan, a role which she fulfills with uncanny capability. When the Gate is closed, she moves in with Sugawara's family to await the reunion of the two worlds.
Marx (マルクス, Marukusu)
Voiced by: Ryou Sugisaki
The Empire's Minister of Internal Affairs, and chief adviser and right hand of Emperor Molt Augustus.

Order of the Rose Knights

The Order of the Rose Knights, founded and led by Imperial Princess Piña Co Lada, consists of a predominantly female group of noble women from the Empire. Originally, they served as color guard and "decorative" pieces for the Empire's Army and were never used in battle. Their first actual battle came at the Siege of Italica, where rogue Allied Soldiers became marauders and attacked the merchant city, an event where the Knights demonstrated their skills and loyalty to the Empire and their princess.

Grey Co Aldo (グレイ・コ・アルド, Gurei Ko Arudo)
Voiced by: Itaru Yamamoto (Japanese); Rob Mungle (English)[5]
A commoner by birth and a veteran Imperial knight assigned under Princess Piña who also served as the Rose Knights' mentor and combat instructor.
Hamilton Uno Law (ハミルトン・ウノ・ロー, Hamiruton Uno Roru)
Voiced by: Ikumi Hayama[6] (Japanese); Shanae'a Moore (English)[5]
Princess Piña's page, who is two years her junior. She was part of Princess Pina's group during the Siege of Italica and assisted Piña in making a treaty with the JDSF. After her own interaction with the JDSF, she feels reliable, dependable, and trustful towards the actions and words of Itami and his 3rd Recon Team.
Bozes Co Palesti (ボーゼス・コ・パレスティー, Bōzesu Ko Paresutī)
Voiced by: Yumi Uchiyama[6] (Japanese); Patricia Duran (English)[5]
Second daughter of Marquis Palesti, and second in command of Princess Piña's order of Knights; given the title of the Gold Rose. She develops mutually shared feelings for Tomita, formalizes a forbidden relationship with him and becomes pregnant with his child, Mai.
Panache Fure Kalgi (パナシュ・フレ・カルギー, Panashu Fure Karugī)
Voiced by: Azuki Shibuya (Japanese); Kira Vincent-Davis (English)[5]
A member of the Order, as well as a close friend of Princess Piña. However, her love affair with Piña's brother Diabo makes her both his reluctant accomplice and a moderating influence in his own ascension plans.
Beefeater E Caty (ビーフィーター・E・カティー, Bīfuītā I Katī)
Voiced by: Mutsumi Tamura
A captain of the Rose Knights and one of Princess Piña's oldest acquaintances. She later enters into a relationship with Colonel Kengun of the 401st Company, who led the Jade Palace rescue. It wasn't clear if author Takumi Yanai based her character name "Beefeater" on the Yeoman Warders, who are also called "Beefeaters", or on a popular Gin brand that also goes by the same name.
Shandy Graff Marea (シャンディー・ガフ・マレア, Shandī Gafu Marea)
Voiced by: Rumi Ōkubo (Japanese); Shelby Blocker (English)[5]
A young Imperial noble who is part of the Order of the Rose Knights. Shandy has a weakness for famous people, and tends to romanticize owing to her enthusiasm. She is the one who originally reports the Flame Dragon's defeat to the Empire, and later assists Itami and his group guarding Leilei from assassins during her Master Exam. During the Imperial civil war, she is killed in the Second Battle of Italica after being overwhelmed by the Haryo tribe members while defending Emperor Molt.

Clan Formal

Clan Formal is a neutral clan that resides in the city of Italica, an important trading center. The former patriarch was Colt Formal, a nobleman, who took in many poor residents and humanoids as servants and as a personal "hobby". It is implied that his maids are also combat capable, should the household be threatened. With the founding of the Alnus settlement, several of the Formal household servants move there to aid the JSDF as public workers (shopkeepers, barmaids, etc.). After the failure of Zorzal's coup d'etat and the rescue of Princess Piña and Emperor Molt, Italica and the House Formal become the temporary seat of the legitimate Imperial government.

Countess Myui Formal
The third and (at 11 years) youngest daughter of Colt Formal and his wife, who perished in an accident, and his heir and nominal leader of the Formal household.
Kaine (カイネ, Kaine)
Voiced by: Mabuki Andou
The de facto guardian of Countess Myui and head of the female household servants. While she dislikes the Empire because it subjugated her homeland by force, she is a gracious host and trustworthy ally. Her primary interest is the protection of the Countess, though, which initially drives her into employing her household servants as spies against the JSDF in order to discern their ultimate motives.
Delilah (デリラ, Derira)
Voiced by: Aina Kusuda
A Warrior Bunny, as well as a maid and spy for Clan Formal at the Alnus Community. A proud warrior of her people, she refused to subjugate herself to slavery after Zorzal captured her queen Tyuule, whom she wants to kill due to Zorzal's lies. She and other fugitives from her people were eventually taken in by Count Formal. After she is tricked by Tyuule, Bouro and a traitor within House Formal into attempting to murder Noriko, she opens a relationship with Akira Yanagida and joins the Japanese Special Forces in their forays against Zorzal's forces during the Imperial civil war. After the war's conclusion, she moves to Japan before the Gate's closure and together with Furuta opens a restaurant dedicated to Tyuule's memory.
Meia (メイア, Meia)
Voiced by: Asuka Nishi
A young catgirl maid from House Formal who has taken up work at the Alnus settlement's PX shop.
Persia (ペルシア, Perushia)
Voiced by: Megumi Han
A pince-nez-wearing catgirl maid who becomes romantically involved with Kurata.
Mamina (マミーナ, Mamīna)
Voiced by: Saori Ōnishi
A Warrior Bunny maid.
Aurea (アウレア, Aurea)
Voiced by: Momo Asakura
A Medusa maid at House Formal. Unlike her mythological template, she is very pretty and does not turn people to stone, but rather drains their life energy and memories. She was hired by the late Count to ease the passing of dying house members into the afterlife.

Deities

The Special Region is home to several deities - both full-fledged gods and demigods - who act as guardians against undesired developments amongst the other world's people, either by sponsoring those who promote the natural balance or by eradicating any elements which threaten it. Demigods, also called Apostles, are first selected from among mortal beings with great potential; they maintain a physical form, but remain eternally young and alive even after suffering dismemberment, until they become spiritual beings and ascend to godhood upon their 1,000th year. These newly ascended gods are free to claim one of the domains held by the deity they served, or any aspect not yet claimed by another deity. Many denizens of the Special Region base their middle names on the name of the deity they personally worship.

Hardy (ハーディー, Hādī)
The Goddess of the Underworld in the Special Region, whose main temple is located in the city of Belnago. The uniforms of her priestesses are similar to Rory Mercury's clothes in a lolita-type fashion, except that they are colored white. Hardy is very whimsical and likes to act upon her own desires; she is also a lesbian, and would like to claim Rory as her bride. As an incorporeal being, she can only directly interact with the mortal world if she takes possession of someone's body. She is also responsible for opening the original gateway to Earth in order to see the Empire plunged into chaos and enable a new beginning, and for awakening the Flame Dragon to destroy the Gate; a plan which was foiled when Itami killed the monster.
Giselle (ジゼル, Jizeru)
Voiced by: Ayane Sakura
Giselle is a member of the dragon folk, the youngest of the Twelve Apostles in the Special Region (at an age of just over 400 years), and Hardy's personal servant. She considers herself a rival to Rory Mercury and is responsible for waking the Flame Dragon in Hardy's name. Upon her mistress' orders, she later ends up aiding the JSDF against Zorzal's forces and the cataclysmic effects of the Gate's continued existence.
Emroy (エムロイ, Emuroi)
Mentioned often but never seen, the God of Darkness, War, Violence, and Death is commonly represented by his Apostle, Rory Mercury. Under his doctrine, killing is not considered a sin, though the reason behind any killing determines the judgement which the perpetrators receive from Emroy. The souls of those who fall bravely in battle are drawn into Emroy's domain to serve him; most other souls are instead left for Hardy to claim.

Sages of Rondel

Rondel is a university city for studies in magic, natural science and history. It was founded by two demigods over 3,000 years ago, and has produced a great number of renowned magicians and sages since that time. Next to Italica and the settlement at Arnus, it is also one of the few places within the Empire where demihumans enjoy the same basic rights as human beings.

Kato El Altestan (カト・エル・アルテスタン, Kato Eru Arutesutan)
Voiced by: Chō (Japanese); John Swasey (English)[5]
A magician who took in Lelei as his second disciple in magic. A slightly eccentric character, he moved away from Rondel to settle at the outskirts of Coda village, where he and Lelei first met the JSDF. In spite of his lecherous sense of humour, he plays a fatherly role for the refugees evacuated to Alnus by Itami; many in Rondel regard him as one of the strongest mages. In the anime series, however, he is reduced to the role of an oddball side character.
Arpeggio El Lalena (アルペジオ・エル・ラレーナ, Arupejio Eru Rarēna)
Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki (Japanese); Emily Neves (English)[5]
Lelei's 24-year-old stepsister. She mainly focuses on alchemy and more specifically the study of minerals. This field is quite expensive in her world and receives little funding, causing her to live a life of poverty. To compensate for this, she works to create copies of books by hand (as the printing press wasn't invented in the Special Region), but the stress of her current lifestyle leaves her prone to violent fits of hysteria. And while she deeply cares about Lelei, Arpeggio feels jealous about how Lelei continually outachieves her and thus puts her authority as older sibling in question, and as a result of that the two sisters oftentimes end up quarreling. Owing to this volatile temper, Arpeggio is commonly nicknamed "Iron Alfie".
Mimoza La Mer (ミモザ・ラ・メール, Mimoza Ra Mēru)
Voiced by: Fumi Hirano (Japanese); Marcy Bannor (English)
An elderly human sage specializing in natural history, and Arpeggio's mentor, who upon an assignment by Rory Mercury discovered the importance of the Gate to all of the Special Region races' collective history. She is very friendly and a happy-to-go personage, but unappropiately girlish for her age and quite accident-prone.
Flat El Coda (フラット・エル・コーダ, Furatto Eru Kōda)
A young Elven research sage (sages not using arcane magic) specializing in astronomy, and the only one of his kind pursuing an academic career. He has a crush on Arpeggio, who is both flattered and embarrassed by his attentions and gentle manner. He does not appear in the anime.

Other residents

Hodor Ray Marceau (ホドリュー・レイ・マルソー, Hodoryū Rei Marusō)
Voiced by: Junichi Yanagita
A male High Elf and Tuka's father, who was apparently killed by the Flame Dragon destroying their village while saving his daughter's life. However, it is later found out that he is still alive, if amnesic, and under the care of the Rurudo nomads, Lelei's ethnic tribe, where he has built up a harem and sired a half-blood daughter.
Misery (ミザリィ, Mizarei)
Voiced by: Yuka Saitou
A female avian (Winged Woman) who works as a prostitute in the Imperial capital's red light district. After the JSDF establishes a secret base in that area, she becomes the spokeswoman of the local demihuman prostitutes and their liaison with the SDF, particularly Mari Kurokawa, for medical treatment. In the novel and manga series, she builds up a relationship with Lt. Kenzaki, a Special Forces soldier stationed at the Imperial Capital outpost.
Bouro (ボウロ, Bouro)
Voiced by: Tsuyoshi Koyama
A devious, selfish beast-man who is the leader of the Haryo, a tribe consisting of demihuman mixed-bloods who consider themselves the true rulers of the Special Region. In his ambition to infiltrate and eventually gain control of the Empire for his tribe, he allies himself with Tyuule, who he lusts after, but later betrays her to Zorzal and is killed by Tyuule for his treachery.
Norra
Voiced by: Rina Satō
Norra, also known as The Piper, is a vicious shape-shifter assassin. Her natural form is that of a beast-woman, but she is able to radically change her appearance, sex and voice. While she is a capable fighter, she prefers to kill her victims through proxies, whom she influences psychologically until they are "convinced" that Norra's targets need to die for some "transgression". She dies during the second battle of Italica when she is shot by Kōji Sugawara before she can assassinate Emperor Molt.
Myuute Luna Sires (ミューティ・ルナ・サイレス, Myūti Runa Sairesu)
Voiced by: Lynn
A Siren, she was once a member of the bandit army that attacked Italica before being captured by the JSDF. After her discharge from prison, she became a member of the local military police at the Alnus Living Community, usually as Rory Mercury's partner.
Wolf (ウォルフ, U~orufu)
Wolf, a guard working at the Alnus Living Community, is a member of the Volralden, a wolfman tribe originating from beyond the Ice and Snow Mountains northeast of Alnus who traditionally hire themselves out as mercenaries. A background character in the novel series, he chiefly appears in humorous side stories within the manga.

Other characters from Earth

Dirrel (ディレル, Direru)
Voiced by: Mitsuaki Hoshino
The President of the United States. An opportunist, he seeks to lay claim to and strip the Special Region of its natural resources, comparing it with the frontier of old. He becomes a member of an international coalition to deprive Japan of its monopoly to the Gate, but after the Chinese betray them, he restores his good standing with the Japanese by sending commandos to snatch Lelei from their clutches.
Dong Dechou (董 徳愁, Dechou Dong)
Voiced by: Naomi Kusumi
The President of the People's Republic of China. His main intention is to use the Special Region as a colony to relieve his country's population problem. When he is contacted by Diabo and offered Lelei in return for making him Emperor, he turns against the secret coalition which has formed to deny Japan the monopolization of the Gate, and later against Diabo as well, to secure the exclusive access to the Special Region for his own.
Zyuganov (ジェガノフ, Jeganofu)
Voiced by: Shigeru Ushiyama
The President of the Russian Federation. Although he would like to profit from being able to tap into the Special Region, he is mainly concerned with the result the continued existence of the Gate could have on his country's economy, as the resources claimed from there would impair Russia's export revenues.

Media

Novels

Takumi Yanai, a former member of the JSDF,[7] initially published the work on the user-generated content site Arcadia from April 2006 until June 2009 under the pseudonym Todoku Takusan (とどく＝たくさん). In 2010, AlphaPolis made an arrangement with him to publish his work in print. The first two web-novel volumes were slightly altered to make them less nationalistic whereas the third, and final, web-novel volume was rewritten and expanded into three volumes.[8] These five volumes were published from April 12, 2010 to December 22, 2011 with cover illustrations by Daisuke Izuka. Since then, the series has continued with five volumes of side stories as of July 2015. In December 2012, AlphaPolis began a reprint of the series as a light novel, where each novel volume was split into two small-sized light novel volumes in bunkobon format, as well as new cover and inside illustrations by Kurojishi.

A sequel novel series, Gate: Weigh Anchor, centers on a new set of characters from the Maritime Self-Defense Force.[9]

Manga

There are five manga series based on Gate, all published by AlphaPolis. The first manga, drawn by Satoru Sao, began publishing in July 2011 and as of June 2018, has 13 volumes. This manga is licensed in English by Sekai Publishing, but only the first two volumes have been translated,[10] with Sekai (as of August 2018) stating quality problems with the volume 2 copies.[11]

The second manga, which is a four-panel comic strip comedy drawn by Kuinji 51-gou, began in December 2014. The third manga, drawn by Yukie Shiren and titled 14 year old Pina Co Lada and The Rose Knights of the Gate Empire, which is a prequel story with Pina as the main protagonist, began in March 2015. A fourth manga, drawn by Abeno Chako and titled Gate: Featuring the Starry Heavens', which depicts the three main female characters becoming music idols, began in March 2015. A spin-off manga, drawn by Chi and titled Mei Company, is based on the in-universe manga in the Gate series, and was published in March 2015.

Gate by Satoru Sao
No.Japanese release dateJapanese ISBNEnglish release dateEnglish ISBN
1 June 15, 2012[12] ISBN 978-4-43-416703-4May 2016[13] ISBN 978-0-997-61860-0
2 January 25, 2013[14] ISBN 978-4-43-417468-1——
3 July 18, 2013[15] ISBN 978-4-43-418048-4——
4 April 20, 2014[16] ISBN 978-4-43-419017-9——
5 September 22, 2014[17] ISBN 978-4-43-419601-0——
6 March 30, 2015[18] ISBN 978-4-43-420299-5——
7 June 23, 2015[19] ISBN 978-4-43-420675-7——
8 December 1, 2015[20] ISBN 978-4-43-421300-7——
9 June 1, 2016[21] ISBN 978-4-43-421993-1——
10 December 1, 2016[22] ISBN 978-4-43-422649-6——
11 April 1, 2017[23] ISBN 978-4-43-423144-5——
12 December 1, 2017[24] ISBN 978-4-43-423969-4——
13 June 1, 2018[25] ISBN 978-4-43-4246760——

Anime

An anime television series adaptation was produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Takahiko Kyōgoku.[26] The series’ character designs are based on the light novel illustrations. The first 12 episodes aired in Japan between July 4 and September 18, 2015.[27] The second half aired on Tokyo MX from January 9 to March 26, 2016.[28] It was streamed online by Crunchyroll and is licensed by Sentai Filmworks in North America.[29] From episode 1 to 12, the opening theme song is "Gate (Sore wa Akatsuki no You ni)" (GATE～それは暁のように～) by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets and the ending theme song is "Prism Communicate" (ぷりずむコミュニケート, Purizumu Komyunikēto) by Hisako Kanemoto, Nao Tōyama, and Risa Taneda. Sentai Filmworks released a complete collection of the series on Blu-ray and DVD on July 11, 2017.[30] For the second half, the opening theme is "Gate II (Sekai o Koete)" (GATE Ⅱ ～世界を超えて～) by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets,[31] and the ending theme is "Itsudatte Communication" (いつだってコミュニケーション) by Kanemoto, Tōyama, and Taneda.[32]

No. Title Original air date
1 "The Self-Defence Force Goes to Another World"
"Jieitai, Isekai e Iku" (自衛隊、異世界へ行く) 		July 4, 2015
A mysterious gate suddenly appears in Ginza, Tokyo, through which mythological creatures led by men in Roman armor emerge and attack the people. Yōji Itami, a JSDF reservist who is attending a nearby doujin convention, helps organize the police to evacuate the civilians to the Imperial Palace before the JSDF arrives to stop the invaders. For his actions, Itami is promoted to First Lieutenant and celebrated as a national hero. The appearance of the Gate and attack on Japanese civilians, dubbed the Ginza Incident, prompts the incumbent Prime Minister to take action by proclaiming that Japan will send a JSDF task force backed by the US to the "Special Region", the world beyond the Gate, to not only explore the new world but also capture and demand reparations from those responsible for the attack. After three months of preparation, the new Prime Minister sends off the JSDF task force, including itami, on their mission to the Special Region. Upon arriving, the task force encounters an army waiting for them, and prepares for battle. 
2 "Two Military Forces"
"Futatsu no Gunzei" (二つの軍勢) 		July 11, 2015
The army sent by the Empire to deal with the Japanese forces stationed at Alnus Hill, where the Gate is located, is obliterated. Emperor Molt calls for the armies of the Empire's vassal states to attack, only for them to be defeated with massive casualties as well; a move planned by the Emperor to prevent the vassal states from taking advantage of the Empire's depleted military. While Emperor Molt decides to delay a possible advance from the JSDF, Itami is assigned to lead the 3rd Recon Unit, created to survey the nearby cities and points of interest. After passing by the village of Coda, the 3rd Unit observes a massive Fire Dragon burning and destroying a settlement within the nearby forest. While looking for survivors, Itami finds an unconscious Elf woman inside a well. 
3 "Fire Dragon"
"Enryū" (炎龍) 		July 18, 2015
Taking the Elf with them, the 3rd Unit return to the village of Coda, and upon learning of the Fire Dragon, the villagers decide to evacuate, assisted by the Japanese soldiers. The group, now including all the villagers, are later joined by two mages, Lelei la Lalena and her master Kato El Altestan. Hoping to take advantage of the situation, a group of bandits decide to attack the villagers, only to be slaughtered by Rory Mercury, an apostle of the Dark God Emroy. While escorting the refugees, Itami's party encounter Rory, who decides to accompany them as well. However, the Fire Dragon appears and attacks the convoy, killing numerous villagers until the 3rd Unit blows off one of its front legs with an anti-tank rocket, forcing it to retreat. After the 3rd Unit parts ways with the villagers, Itami decides to take the remaining refugees, as well as Rory, the Elf woman, and Lelei, back to Alnus Hill. 
4 "To Unknown Lands"
"Mishiranu Chi e" (見知らぬ地へ) 		July 25, 2015
The 3rd Recon Unit returns to Alnus Hill, now converted into an advanced JSDF base, and Itami obtains authorization to provide shelter to the refugees. Meanwhile, Princess Piña Co Lada from the Empire learns more about the JSDF's exploits and decides to investigate them personally. Back at Alnus, the refugees get used to their new lives among the Japanese soldiers, but for some reason Tuka Luna Marceau, the Elf girl, keeps requesting supplies not only for herself, but for another, unknown male not listed among the guests. Knowing that they cannot depend on the JSDF's charity forever, Lelei points out that they can collect scales from the corpses of dragons killed by JSDF, which will fetch a good price in the local markets. Meanwhile, on the other side of the gate, the Japanese Diet requests Itami for an audience regarding the battle against the Fire Dragon. However, by the time the summons for Itami arrives, he has already left with Rory, Lelei, Tuka and the rest of the 3rd Unit to trade the collected dragon scales at the city of Italica, where Piña and her Knights are also headed in search of further information about the JSDF. 
5 "The Battle of Italica"
"Itarika Kōbōsen" (イタリカ攻防戦) 		August 1, 2015
Itami's party arrives at Italica, just as the city's forces, led by Princess Piña, repel an assault by an invading bandit force made up of deserters from the armies defeated at Alnus. Knowing that her knights and the local militia lack the strength to keep holding off the bandits until help arrives, Piña finds herself in a predicament until she meets the 3rd Recon Unit. Upon being informed of the situation, Itami decides to help defend the city and agrees with Piña's plan of positioning himself and his soldiers on the least guarded side of the walls (the South Gate) to act as a decoy. However, the enemy does not fall for their trap and launches an attack on the main force at the East Gate instead. As the city's defenses are broken, the Princess finds herself on the verge of despair. 
6 "Ride of the Valkyries"
"Ikusa Megami no Kikō" (戦女神の騎行) 		August 8, 2015
Rory, Itami and two of his subordinates, Akira Tomita and Shino Kuribayashi, head to Piña's location to help her men. Meanwhile, the JSDF sends a helicopter unit to assist the 3rd Recon Unit in defending Italica, which arrives just in time, blasting Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries from loudspeakers and annihilating the invaders with ease. After Lelei sells the dragon scales and Itami has negotiated with Piña and the Italicans for rather trivial compensation terms in exchange for their retaining their sovereignty, the 3rd Recon Unit departs back to Alnus Hill, only to encounter Piña's Order of the Rose Knights on their way. Upon discovering their identities as JSDF members, the knights take Itami captive, unaware of the peace treaty he and Piña just established. In order to avoid further conflict, Itami orders his unit to leave without him instead of fighting, leaving himself at the knights' mercy. 
7 "The Princess's Decision"
"Kōjo no Ketsudan" (皇女の決断) 		August 15, 2015
Back in Italica, Piña reprimands her knights Bozes and Panache for capturing Itami, fearing that the JSDF will use the incident as an excuse to retaliate for breaking the treaty. As the Formal family staff treat Itami's wounds, Rory, Lelei, Tuka and some of the 3rd Unit sneak back to Italica to rescue Itami, but find themselves welcomed by the Formal maids and join Itami for a small socializing party. Meanwhile, Piña orders Bozes to sleep with Itami in the hopes of earning his forgiveness, but Bozes becomes angry and assaults Itami after seeing him enjoying himself and seemingly ignoring her. Appalled that Bozes might have antagonized Itami further, Piña and Bozes join the 3rd Recon Unit's trip back to Alnus Hill to personally apologize to Itami's superiors for Bozes' actions. While Piña and Bozes meet with Itami's commanding officer Lieutenant General Hazama with Lelei as an interpreter, Itami invites Tuka to come with him to Japan to meet the Japanese Diet as a representative of the Special Region. The next day, Itami, Shino and Akira accompany Rory, Lelei, Tuka, Piña and Bozes through the Gate to Japan. 
8 "Japan, Beyond the Gate"
"Mon no Mukō no Nihon" (門の向こうのニホン) 		August 22, 2015
Itami and his group arrive in Tokyo, where Lelei, Piña, and the others are awed by the city and its people. After meeting a Public Security agent by the name of Komakado, Itami, Rory, Lelei, and Tuka head to the Japanese Diet while Piña and Bozes meet with members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss the details for the upcoming peace talks. At the Japanese Diet, Itami, Rory, Lelei, and Tuka are questioned by the chairwoman of the Investigation Committee on the Fire Dragon attack, who accuses the JSDF of failing to protect the refugees killed by the Fire Dragon. Rory, Lelei, and Tuka defend the JSDF, telling of how the Japanese soldiers helped save many lives from the monster. Afterwards, both Itami's and Piña's groups reunite in the subway to escape from the press as well as a mysterious group which seems to be targeting the Special Region girls. Due to a mole leaking their itinerary, Itami makes a change of plans and brings the group to stay with his ex-wife. 
9 "The Hakone Mountain Night Battle"
"Hakonesanchū Yasen" (箱根山中夜戦) 		August 29, 2015
Itami explains everything to his ex-wife Risa, who agrees to help him by taking Rory, Lelei and Tuka on a shopping trip the next day, while Akira accompanies Piña and Bozes to the library after both of them take an interest in boys-love manga from Risa. Meanwhile, Itami meets with his old friend, Defense Minister Kanou Tarou, who instructs him to bring the Special Region guests to a hot spring inn guarded by the Japanese SFG. As Itami's group stays at the inn for some relaxation, three different Black Ops teams enter the area and battle with the SFG. While the SFG identifies two of the Black Ops operatives as Americans, the Japanese Prime Minister is blackmailed by the US President, who wants the SFG to stop attacking his Black Ops team so they can take the Special Region guests with them. The Prime Minister orders Tarou to tell his men to stand down, but not before revealing that he will be resigning to void the Preisdent's leverage. As the three Ops teams head to the Inn, Itami encounters a drunken and aroused Rory. 
10 "Despair and Hope"
"Zetsubō to Kibō" (絶望と希望) 		September 5, 2015
Rory's attempts to seduce Itami are interrupted by a phone call from Tarou. The US Black Ops team arrives at the Inn, only to encounter the two rival teams from Russia and China, leading to a three-way firefight which Rory soon joins, ending with everyone besides Rory dead. After taking a van from the Russians, Itami's group heads back to Ginza, but, worried that the foreign agents will attack again, Risa posts a message on the internet that the Special Region girls will be visiting the Ginza memorial. As a result, a large crowd gathers at Ginza to meet the girls, hindering the foreign agents' plans to kidnap them. Public Security is able to inconspicuously arrest all foreign agents on the scene, and after Shino publicizes the previous kidnapping attempts on live TV through her news reporter sister Nanami, the US, Chinese, and Russian leaders cancel the kidnapping operation. After saying goodbye to Risa and paying their respects at the Ginza memorial, the Special Region girls return to the Gate. Realizing the Empire's war with Japan will lead to its destruction, Piña makes plans to head back to the Capital to arrange peace talks between both sides. 
11 "Visitor"
"Raihō-sha" (来訪者) 		September 12, 2015
Five months since the Gate's opening, the Alnus refugee camp has developed into a town and trading center for goods from Earth. At the Imperial capital, Piña introduces Kouji Sugawara, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs' new ambassador to the Empire, to Lord Cicero, one of the most important nobles within the Empire's pro-war faction, and obtains his cooperation with the peace talks in exchange for the release of his nephew, who is currently in Japan's custody as a POW. Back in Alnus, Tuka keeps wandering the city looking for her father and refusing to accept the fact that he is already dead. As Itami and his friends discuss their concern for Tuka in a tavern, Mari claims that they must make her face the truth, but Itami objects, certain that they can not be responsible for Tuka forever. Left alone with Rory, Itami keeps drinking with her until a Dark Elf woman by the name of Yao Haa Dushi appears and, mistaking Rory for a child, reprimands Itami for giving her alcohol. With her plans to spend the night with Itami ruined, an annoyed Rory mischievously plays along with the Dark Elf's misunderstanding, forcing Itami to flee, with the Elf unaware Itami was one of the "Men in Green" she was looking for, whom she wants to ask for aid for her people, who are attacked by the Fire Dragon. The next day, as she prepares to visit the JSDF's base at Alnus, Itami heads towards the Imperial capital. 
12 "What Would Itami Do"
"Itami nara" (伊丹なら) 		September 19, 2015
Yao's initial attempts to ask the JSDF for help fail, as most of the soldiers know little of the local language, and she is arrested by the Military Police after attacking several thugs who mistake her for a prostitute. Lelei, having improved her magic thanks to Earth's advanced scientific knowledge, is called by the JSDF to serve as Yao's interpreter. After learning her story, General Hazama tells Yao that he cannot help her, as her home, Schwartz Forest, is located in the Elbe Kingdom, which is outside the borders of the Empire. As the Japanese are currently in peace talks with the Empire, sending troops over their border would mean a declaration of war and reignite conflict. With Yao devastated at the news, some soldiers sympathize with her, and Lieutenant Akira Yanagida suggests that Yao should ask Itami for help. Elsewhere, Itami and his men deliver goods from Earth to Piña and Hamilton, as part of their plan to win over more nobles to seek peace with Japan. Before leaving, Itami gives Piña a Yaoi doujin translated by Bozes and Panache, which, unknown to him, contains newspaper clippings of his previous heroic actions. As Itami heads back to base hoping to achieve peace between both sides, Lelei narrates that the war is far from over. 
13 "The Banquet Begins"
"Kaien" (開宴) 		January 9, 2016
In the Imperial Capital, a private party hosted by Piña is attended by a group of Senators and their families led by Lord Cicero, who, after seeing the 3rd Recon's weapons demonstrations, realizes the futility of fighting the Japanese and seeks to negotiate for peace. However, Crown Prince Zorzal, Piña's elder brother, learns of the meeting and rides with his entourage to confront the senators for treason. Itami's scouts spot the prince approaching, and the 3rd Recon helps the senators escape undetected before he arrives. At Akusho, the capital's red light district, Mari joins the JSDF team stationed there, using her training as a nurse to aid the locals who show up at the outpost. Meanwhile, Yao tries to learn about the people that are important to Itami from a local, while Itami, Shino and Akira stay at Pina's palace. Back at the Akusho outpost, the demi-human prostitutes warn Mari that they feel an "Earth-Shake" is coming. Recognizing it as a sign similar to how animals on Earth can detect earthquakes before they occur, Nyuutabaru, the commanding officer at the outpost, warns the soldiers in the Special Region to evacuate the civilians before the earthquake begins. 
14 "The Imperial Capital Quake"
"Teito Gekishin" (帝都激震) 		January 16, 2016
Piña invites Sugawara, Itami, Shino and Akira to meet with her father the Emperor in the Imperial Palace to advise them how to handle with earthquakes. However, Zorzal also arrives to warn his father of another earthquake foretold by his slave Noriko, who is to Piña and the Japanese delegates' shock revealed as a Japanese citizen. Angered with Zorzal's cruel treatment of Noriko, Itami punches him and rescues the girl. Zorzal's men tries to attack, only to be gunned down by Shino, and Itami and Shino torture Zorzal for information about other Japanese captives, only to be stopped by Tyuule, Zorzal's other slave. Sugawara warns the Emperor there will be repercussions if the kidnapped Japanese citizens are not returned to the Japanese before leaving, and the Japanese launch an air strike at the Imperial Senate building as a further message to make peace. While Tyuule heals Zorzal wounds, Zorzal younger brother, Diabo, learns their father wants to make Zorzal his heir, as he believes that he can easily control Zorzal from the shadows once he abdicates. Meanwhile, Noriko arrives at the JSDF Alnus base, hoping to return to Japan, unaware that her parents were killed during the Ginza incident. Elsewhere, Tuka continues to fruitlessly search for her father. 
15 "Tuka Luna Marceau"
"Tyuka Runa Marusō" (テュカ・ルナ・マルソー) 		January 23, 2016
At the Imperial capital, Diabo and Piña learn that Zorzal has been officially made heir to the throne and, aware of his father's plans, won't become his father's puppet. Unknown to them, Zorzal is being manipulated by Tyuule, who seeks revenge against the Empire and plans its destruction by the JSDF by having Noriko killed and Piña framed for it. At Alnus, Yanagida asks Itami to head to the Elbe Kingdom to kill the Fire Dragon, but Itami refuses as he won't endanger his soldier's lives. However, Tuka has gone insane and now believes Itami is her father after Yao forced her to accept that her father was killed by the Fire Dragon. Confronted, Yao reveals that she is desperate for Itami's help to save her people, even if it means hurting those close to him. Itami pretends to be Tuka's father for the time being, but Tuka still continues to slip further into madness. After having a talk with the disguised King Duran of Elbe, who is recuperating at Alnus, Itami finally decides to help Tuka confront and take revenge against the Fire Dragon, which will end her delusions. Rather than going to the Imperial capital with his men, Itami departs with Tuka, Rory, Lelei and Yao in a Humvee with supplies provided by Yanagida. 
16 "The Fire Dragon, Once More"
"Enryū Futatabi" (炎龍再び) 		January 30, 2016
Delilah, the Warrior Bunny who works at the bar at Alnus refugee town, receives orders from her masters, the Formal Clan, that she is to assassinate Noriko, which, unknown to her, were actually forged by Tyuule, the former Queen of her tribe. When General Hazama learns of Itami's quest to Elbe, he forms a task force to help him fight the Fire Dragon, and Yanagida and King Duran make a deal to allow the JSDF to cross the Elbe Kingdom. Delilah attempts to kill Noriko fails when Yanagida discovers them, which ends with both of them injured fighting each other. The JSDF investigates the assassination attempt and, with help from the Formal Clan, learns the Formal Clan butler forged the letter under orders from Zorzal's faction, and to gain more information, one of Itami's soldiers, Furuta Hitoshi, goes undercover as a chef in the Capital, where gains Zorzal's favor. Meanwhile, Itami's party finally reaches Yao's village. While Yao goes to greet her people, Itami and the others are surrounded by a group of Dark Elf guards, only for the Fire Dragon to appear. 
17 "Decisive Battle"
"Kessen" (決戦) 		February 6, 2016
After driving the Fire Dragon off and meeting the elders of the Dark Elves, Itami and his group heads to the Fire Dragon's nest in the mountains with a group of Dark Elf volunteers. With Rory guarding the entrance of the nest, Itami and his group install a fragmentation bomb beneath the Fire Dragon's nest using C4 and magic weapons lying around to kill the Fire Dragon by surprise. However, the Fire Dragon arrives and kills most of the Dark Elves, except Yao. As the battle rages, Tuka finally accepts that her father is dead, and uses lighting magic, which ignites the C4, killing the Fire Dragon. As the survivors escape from the mountain, they find Rory heavily injured after fighting Giselle, a rival apostle. Giselle reveals she was the one that woke the Fire Dragon, which led to its rampage, as she was using the Fire Dragon's two hatchling as help to capture Rory for her patron, the underworld goddess Hardy. Giselle's dragons chase after Itami and his group, only for the JSDF task force to arrive and kill the dragons, forcing Giselle to retreat. 
18 "The Magic City of Rondel"
"Mahō Toshi Ronderu" (魔法都市ロンデル) 		February 13, 2016
Itami is punished for going AWOL fighting the Fire Dragon, but is right afterwards rewarded by various people for his heroic actions and given a new mission to scout for resources with Lelei, Rory, Tuka and Yao. The group heads to the Magic City of Rondel, where Lelei plans to hold a presentation to her fellow mages which, if successful, will gain her the rank of Master, and where they encounter Lelei's older sister Arpeggio and her mentor Mimoza La Mer. Meanwhile in the Imperial Capital, peace talks between Japan and the Empire officially begins, much to Zorzal's anger since the assassination attempt on Noriko and framing it on Pina have failed to derail it. As everyone celebrates the Fire Dragon's death, the Emperor is pleased to learn that Lelei, an Imperial citizen, was also involved in helping defeat the dragon. However, the Emperor suddenly falls ill after drinking wine, secretly poisoned under Tyuule's orders. 
19 "Dangerous Sisters"
"Kiken na Shimai" (危険な姉妹) 		February 20, 2016
With the Emperor bedridden, Zorzal takes over the throne and declares his intent to avenge the Empire's humiliation from the Japanese. With the Imperial capital in curfew, the JSDF forces in Akusho are trapped and the Japanese Ambassadors put under house arrest. To Piña's anger, Zorzal has the pro-peace faction arrested and has his loyal followers planning to attack the Japanese with unconventional and unethical tactics, and her other brother Diabo has run away to seek help from other, superior forces to overthrow Zorzal. Meanwhile in Rondel, Mimoza reveals something interesting to Itami and the others about the Gate: Every few centuries or millenniums, the Gods of the Special Region would open a portal (the Gate) to another world at Alnus, through which the races of those worlds would come and settle in, explaining why they are many different types of races living here. When Arpeggio angrily learns that Lelei has outachieved her in any conceivable field (including finding a romantic interest with Itami), the sisters have a magic duel to settle their dispute. An assassin tries to kill Lelei at the end of the match but is eliminated by Grey. Grey and another Rose Knight, Shandy, reveal to Itami and his group that the assassin was sent by Zorzal due to his jealousy of Lelei's fame of defeating the Flame Dragon, and the two of them came to protect them under Piña's orders. Rather than stay and fight, however, Itami decides that it's best they run away from the assassins. 
20 "Lover"
"Koibito" (こいびと) 		February 27, 2016
As Itami and his group continue to evade Zorzal's killers, Zorzal's secret police continue to arrest the pro-peace faction for treason throughout the capital. Despite this, the Japanese are ordered by their government to not get involved, including refusing sanctuary for the pro-peace faction. Marquess Casel seeks refuge with the Thierry Family, only for the Oprichnina to attack their home, forcing their daughter Sherry to help Casel escape while her parents sacrifice themselves to stop them. Sherry and Casel head to the Jade Palace, which has become the Japanese embassy, to seek asylum, as the palace is under the Rose Knights' protection and a treaty prevents the Empire from setting foot there. Despite Sherry hoping Sugawara, whom she sees as her future husband, to help them, Sugawara sticks to his country's orders to not get involved. However, when the Oprichnina arrive and arrest Casel and Sherry, Sugawara changes his mind and takes Sherry under his custody, thus starting a brutal battle between the Rose Knights and the Oprichnina. Despite what happened, Vice-Minister Shirayuri allows it and contacts her government. 
21 "Deadline"
"Deddorain" (デッドライン) 		March 5, 2016
The Rose Knights manage to repel the Oprichnina and free Senator Casel, but this leads to an escalation of tension between Japan and the Empire. Minister Kanou and other members of the government suggest to evacuate the Japanese delegation from the Jade Palace, but Prime Minister Morita refuses to give the green light, since representatives from other nations and the media are currently visiting the Special Region and the Alnus camp, so a demonstration of force or having no control of the situation could have bad diplomatic consequences for Japan. However, things turn bad rapidly when Zorzal has Piña under arrest for her refusal to order the Rose Knights to let his soldiers enter the palace and orders his army to put the embassy under siege, which finally drives Morita into authorizing the JSDF's deployment to evacuate the embassadors and political refugees. Meanwhile in Rondel, Itami and the others manage to neutralize another assassination attempt against them, and prepare a plan to capture the Piper, the leader of the assassins sent to kill them. 
22 "The Empress in Slave's Clothing"
"Dorei-fuku o kita kōjo" (奴隷服を着た皇女) 		March 12, 2016
The Imperial Army attempts to break through the embassy are repelled by the Rose Knights, but with the massive difference in numbers it's just a matter of time until the Jade Palace's falls. Meanwhile, in Rondel, Shandy discovers that the Piper is planning another assassination attempt against Lelei, so Itami and the others prepare themselves to stop him. As expected, during Lelei's presentation, two more assassins try to kill her, but they're both thwarted by Itami and the spectators. However, at the final moment Shandy tries to stab Lelei, but is saved thanks to the armor under her dress. Interrogated about her betrayal, Shandy reveals that the Piper forced her to kill Lelei in order to save Piña, who has been formally accused of high treason. As a result, Itami and the others decide to turn back to the Imperial capital, while the JSDF prepare themselves to launch a massive operation against the capital to break the Jade Palace's siege. 
23 "Paradrop"
"Kūtei kōka" (空挺降下) 		March 19, 2016
The JSDF begins their assault at the Imperial Capital, rescuing the Pro-Peace faction from prison and the Rose Knights and embassadors from the Jade Palace. As the JSDF evacuate the refugees, Bozes and Beefeater attempt to rescue Pina from the Imperial Palace, but are forced to retreat with the evacuating JSDF due to the Imperial Army's numbers. As Itami and his group attempt to reach the capital quickly, Tyuule goads Zorzal to continue fighting as he can still employ Piña as a hostage. 
24 "Thus, They Fought There"
"Kaku tatakaeri" (斯く戦えり) 		March 26, 2016
Itami and the others reach the Imperial capital, where they receive help from the rest of the 3rd Recon to rescue and escape with Piña, Hamilton and the Emperor. Meanwhile, Pina is dragged into the throne room to be judged by Zorzal for being a traitor, only to be stopped by the arrival of Itami, Lelei und Rory. Despite Zorzal having a giant Ogre fight them, the Ogre is easily killed and Zorzal is forced to give up Piña after Itami threatens to kill Zorzal if he continues harming his friends. With their targets rescued, Itami and the rest escapes from the Imperial capital; and after recovering and realizing that Zorzal will never make peace with Japan, the Emperor decides to make Piña his heir, even though it will lead to a civil war between his children. Zorzal and his supporters are forced to leave the Imperial capital, with Zorzal vowing revenge against the Japanese. Ten days later in Italica, Piña is crowned as Crown Princess of the Empire, vowing to bring peace between the Empire and Japan. Itami skips Piña's coronation to attend a doujin convention, but much to his frustration Lelei, Tuka and Rory have followed him, causing a ruckus with the crowd and them being taken into protective custody by the police. 

Reception

In June 2017, it was reported that the novels have sold over 4.2 million copies in Japan.[9] Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network reviewed the first twelve episodes of Gate where she praised the anime's unique premise of a modern military fighting against fantasy races in another world, having its main protagonist being an older man rather than a teenager and its unique cast of characters, but also criticized the anime for being too political and glorifying the Japanese military.[33] Theron Martin of Anime News Network also praises the anime for a being the opposite of Outbreak Company, another anime with a similar premise about modern Japan discovering a fantasy world. While he found the story and some of the characters entertaining and praised some of the English voice actors, he also criticized how some character stories were much weaker than others, the English script was changed from the original Japanese, and found Gate's political views in the anime were "graceless and heavy-handed".[34]

The general positive response to Gate prompted the Japanese military to start a recruitment campaign using the main characters as mascots.[35] A pachislot game based on the anime was released in February 2018.[36]

References

  1. ↑ "Otakon Announcements!". Sekai Project. July 26, 2015. Archived from the original on September 12, 2015. Retrieved August 25, 2015.
  2. ↑ コミカライズ. アルファポリス『ゲート　自衛隊　彼の地にて、斯く戦えり』公式サイト (in Japanese). AlphaPolis. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  3. ↑ "ストーリー STORY - TVアニメ『 GATE(ゲート) 自衛隊 彼の地にて、斯く戦えり 』公式サイト". gate-anime.com (in Japanese). Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "A-1 Pictures' Gate Anime Casts Haruka Tomatsu, Yōko Hikasa, Maaya Uchida". Anime News Network. June 12, 2015. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 "GATE English Dub Cast List". Sentai Filmworks. June 9, 2017. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "キャラクター CHARACTER - TVアニメ『 GATE(ゲート) 自衛隊 彼の地にて、斯く戦えり 』公式サイト". gate-anime.com (in Japanese). Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ アルファポリス - 電網浮遊都市 - (in Japanese). AlphaPolis. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  8. ↑ Todoku Takusan (Takumi Yanai) (May 7, 2010). 自衛隊　彼の地にて、斯く戦えり. Arcadia (in Japanese). Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  9. 1 2 ""GATE" Novels Begin Second Season Focused On Maritime Defense Force". Crunchyroll. June 30, 2017. Retrieved July 22, 2017.
  10. ↑ "Gate - Where the JSDF Fought manga preorders". Sekai Project. Retrieved February 23, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Gate Vol 2, The Delays and an Apology". Sekai Project. Retrieved August 5, 2018.
  12. ↑ ゲート 1―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 1]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  13. ↑ "GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 1". Sekai Project. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  14. ↑ ゲート 2―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 2]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  15. ↑ ゲート 3―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 3]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  16. ↑ ゲート 4―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 4]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  17. ↑ ゲート 5―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 5]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  18. ↑ ゲート 6―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 6]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  19. ↑ ゲート 7―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 7]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  20. ↑ ゲート 8―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 8]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  21. ↑ ゲート 9―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 9]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  22. ↑ ゲート 10―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 10]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  23. ↑ ゲート 11―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 11]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  24. ↑ ゲート 12―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 12]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  25. ↑ ゲート 13―自衛隊彼の地にて、斯く戦えり [GATE: Where the JSDF Fought - Volume 13]. AlphaPolis (in Japanese). Retrieved June 26, 2018.
  26. ↑ "スタッフ＆キャスト - STAFF ＆ CAST - TVアニメ『 GATE(ゲート) 自衛隊 彼の地にて、斯く戦えり 』公式サイト". gate-anime.com (in Japanese). Retrieved July 30, 2015.
  27. ↑ "A-1 Pictures' Gate Anime Casts Haruka Tomatsu, Yōko Hikasa, Maaya Uchida". Anime News Network. June 12, 2015. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  28. ↑ "GATE Anime Reveals Key Visual, Premiere Date for Show's 2nd Half". Anime News Network. December 5, 2015. Retrieved December 5, 2015.
  29. ↑ "Sentai Filmworks Acquires Ushio & Tora, Gate, School Live, Wakaba Girl, Aoharu X Machinegun Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
  30. ↑ "GATE Complete Collection". Sentai Filmworks. Retrieved March 22, 2017.
  31. ↑ "GATE Anime Theme Song Artists Return for 2nd Season". Anime News Network. November 18, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  32. ↑ "GATE BD+DVD - Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved February 15, 2018.
  33. ↑ "GATE Episodes 1-12 Streaming". Anime News Network. December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  34. ↑ "GATE BD+DVD - Complete Collection [Limited Edition]". Anime News Network. August 2, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  35. ↑ "New anime Gate entertains, tries to recruit you to the Japan Self-Defense Forces at the same time". Rocket News 24. July 24, 2015. Retrieved December 14, 2017.
  36. ↑ "GATE(ゲート) スロット新台｜スペック・打ち方・技術介入・設定判別・評価". Chonborista. December 5, 2017. Retrieved December 24, 2017.
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