Question Corner/Databook

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Q1: Please tell us Yūma's birthday. A: Going by the calendar of the world on this side, he was born on July 18th, his Zodiac Sign is Gladius.

Q2: Out of all the Japanese food Yūma has eaten up until now, which is his favorite? A: The chicken curry Konami made.

Q3: Will Yūma die if he take off the Black Trigger Ring? A: He won’t die immediately. He can move for a while even if he takes off the Ring; like running out of battery he will eventually run out of Trion, stop moving and fall into sleep mode. If he is supplied with Trion he will start moving again. But without the ring he can’t send nutrients to his flesh body, so he might die if he is left like that.

Q4: Can Yūma ride a bike now? A: He can ride a bike quite a lot now. Today too he is roaring noisily along the riverside in full spirits, and then falling into the river.

Q5: How heavy is Replica? A: About the weight of an empty 3-cup rice cooker.

Q6: In Chapter 16, Replica said he was intending to cope with Miwa Squad's Snipers (Shōhei Kodera, and Tōru Narasaka), but what specifically was he intending to do? A: It seems he was going to wrap them up with the Chain seal.

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Q7: Was Replica travelling with Yūgo before Yūma was born? Or was he built as a chaperone after Yūma was born? A: He was built after Yūma was born to be his chaperone and friend.

Q8: What is that protrusion on the left shoulder of Osamu's uniform? A: It’s a ‘Captain Shoulder’. It calls attention to the fact that he is a captain.

Q9: How does Osamu feel always being called ‘Four-eyes’ by the people around him? A: He thinks it is only natural.

Q10: How old was Osamu when he started wearing glasses? A: There is the rumor that it was from birth, but according to what is in the official records it was from his 2nd year of primary school.

Q11: Why did Osamu move from Hasunobe City to Mikado City? A: He didn’t move. Osamu's house is right on the borderline between Hasunobe City and Mikado City; since the elementary school on the Hasunobe side was closer and the middle school on the Mikado side was closer, they had a discussion with the local government and he attended one from each.

Q12: If Chika could activate Fūjin, how many strands of light can she manifest? About 50~60 strands it seems. It probably won’t look like a sword anymore.

Q13: Did the Amatori family not oppose Chika's enlistment? A: With what happened to Rinji, they naturally opposed it, but Chika's will was firm, and with Branch Chief Rindō and Usami’s persuading that she would be relatively safer with Border, her parents folded in the end.

Q14: Does Jin eat anything besides rice crackers? A: Jin is an omnivorous animal, so besides rice crackers he eats: the flesh of animals, the leaves and roots of plants, grains, fruit etc. skillfully with his forelimbs.

Q15: Is Jin unemployed? He didn’t have the title college student… A: After graduating high school, he kept on working behind the scenes and didn’t go on to college. Unemployed with talent.

Q16: Jin's clothes are always the same, is he always in his Trion Body? A: To impress on everyone the character of a Talented Elite he is usually in his Trion Body, but his clothes in his flesh body isn’t all that different.

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Q17: Please tell us more instances of Konami being tricked. A: Being told if you turn a dry battery round and round it will recharge and doing so for 30 minutes, being told a kappa appeared in the river and lying in wait with a camera for a whole day, being told if you swallow gum your stomach will explode and going to the hospital crying, etc.

Q18: Konami's favorite color is red, so why is her uniform lime green? A: So that her acquaintances outside of Border won’t find out. Konami plays the innocent at school, and pretends her role in Border is ‘an operator’. Half the reason why she has a different hairstyle is because of that too.

Q19: Why doesn’t Konami use honorifics for Tachikawa? A: It seems that one way or another they are good friends. They both say the other is lower than themselves.

Q20: It was written that ‘Torimaru-sempai’s jacket is Jin's hand-me-down’, but was there some kind of occasion for him to receive Jin's hand-me-downs? A: Because Torimaru’s height caught up with Jin's.

Q21: How many minutes at most can Karasuma maintain Geist? A: With Trion at full capacity he can maintain 284 seconds, so slightly less than 5 minutes.

Q22: Perfect All-rounder Reiji gives the impression that he can do anything, from fighting to cooking and handicraft (Yōtarō's helmet), but is there anything he’s not good at (with)? A: It seems he is bad at showing off in front of the girl he likes.

Q23: What does glasses-lover Usami think of wearing glasses for show? A: She thinks that ‘glasses being incorporated as a fashion item is an inevitability of history and the providence of nature’.

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Q24: After seeing Usami in her swimsuit in the participation prize illustration for the 2014 NicoNico Static Image POP & Fanart Contest, I can’t help but wonder what her cup size is. What is Usami’s cup size? A: Seems more than Ayatsuji-san but less than Kunichika so it is estimated to be D cup.

Q25: How many different pairs of glasses are in Usami’s collection? A: For normal use, for work, for reading, for going out, for retiring to bed, and a back-up; there are altogether 6 pairs.

Q26: Is Yōtarō a C-rank agent (trainee)? A: He is Tamakoma Branch's Exclusive S-rank Child Agent. He is not allowed to participate in battles, but he can give orders to Tamakoma agents, and Tamakoma agents can refuse his orders.

Q27: How strong is Yōtarō if he were to fight? What would his position be?

He himself says ‘if I partner with Raijinmaru, I can take them if they’re Rabbits.’ Position is Capybarider.

Q28: How does Yōtarō talk to animals?

It depends on the animal’s level of intelligence. He can get ‘Yes’, ‘No’, ‘Okay’, ‘No way’ from any animal. Basically it’s Yōtarō speaking to them and then getting a response.

Q29: Please tell us the details of Arashiyama squad’s PR activities.

Appearing on PR websites, PR magazines and PR programs (TV, radio etc.), guiding enlistment familiarization courses, orientation responsibilities during the enlistment ceremony etc., and appearing in various events. Basically their activities are within Mikado City, but they sometimes appear in other prefectural or national networks too. (Their schedules are tight, so they don’t usually take on work)

Q30: I want to know the breed and name of Arashiyama family’s dog!

The name is Koro. A mongrel shiba inu type.

Q31: For once and for all! I ask…I want to know what Kitora's three sizes and cup size are! Please!

The same reason as Usami, it seems to be about D cup. Three sizes change easily so I don’t know.

Q32: During ROUND 2 of the B-rank rank wars, why was only Satori not in the audience with the other Arashiyama Squad combatants?

He had work piling up because he commentated on ROUND 1, so he was finishing off odd jobs with Ayatsuji-san’s help.

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Q33: When Arashiyama Squad makes their entrance, Satori is often not there; where is he?

He is usually in the cutout.

Q34: Satori put ‘girls’ in the things he likes, but does he have a type or any hang-ups?

He doesn’t. He falls in love with all types of girls equally.

Q35: Miwa-kun used Fūjin in the Large Scale Invasion arc, but since when did he have possession of it?

After talking to Jin on the roof, he was summoned by Kido-san and reluctantly received Fūjin. It seems he had no intention of using it.

Q36: What food does Miwa-kun like?

Zaru soba, sashimi, and cookies.

Q37: Why didn’t Miwa-kun go to prep school when he’s so smart?

Likely because it seems he has no intention of going on to college.

Q38: What will happen if Yōsuke takes off his headband?

His field of vision will become bad, and his hotness level will go up.

Q39: What is Yōsuke's favorite drink out of them all?

The cold drink after eating curry or ramen.

Q40: Why is only Yōsuke's uniform in a different arrangement?

Some way or other it was hard to move in, and because he wanted to add his favorite badges, he rearranged it himself.

Q41: Are Kodera's strategies (his personal opinion on terrain battles etc.) from self-study? Or does he have a mentor?

Half from self-study, half from Tsukimi-san’s guidance. You can say he is Tachikawa’s sibling disciple.

Q42: What is Kodera's eyesight?

Both eyes are 0.1. His glasses level is above Osamu's.

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Q43: Is the can of coffee Kazama was drinking in Chapter 32 black coffee? Or café au lait?

Because Kazama likes milk, it seems to be café au lait.

Q44: How is Kazama so overflowing with manliness?

Because he has a track record of having overcome numerous obstacles with wisdom and discipline.

Q45: Please tell us instances that shows Kazama's carelessness.

He didn’t realise for years he was riding the city bus on child prices, he fought a postbox after Suwa got him drunk, he tried to ride Raijinmaru when no one was watching but got caught on security camera etc.

Q46: What is Kazama's brother’s name?

According to the data given to the anime staff, it is "Shin Kazama’.

Q47: Is there any chance of Kazama growing any taller?

Unless he undergoes surgery, no there isn’t.

Q48: Kazama squad’s operator went from Usami to Kaho-chan, was she referred by Usami?

That’s right. Usami recommended her as replacement with complete confidence.

Q49: Does Kikuchihara growing out his hair have anything to do with his Side Effect?

It does. He grows out his hair because he gets the impression that he isn’t picking up unnecessary sounds this way.

Q50: Does Kikuchihara have any friends besides Utagawa? Pretty much everyone he’s talked to are his friends.

Q51: Kikuchihara is an arts-type and seems pretty weak, so why did he become an Attacker?

Because being close to the target to a certain extent makes better use of the Enhanced Hearing Side Effect.

Q52: Tachikawa called Kumagai ‘Kuma’, but what relationship do they have?

The relationship of a college student who read the kanji for ‘Kumagai’ wrong 6 times in a row, and a broad-minded female high schooler who tolerates that.

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Q53: Tachikawa called Suzunari First's Betsuyaku ‘Taichi’, could this be because he can’t read the kanji ‘Betsuyaku’…?

‘It’s not that I can’t read it, I’m just not sure’ is how it is.

Q54: Why did Tachikawa grow a beard?

‘Because I was told having a beard make you look smart!’, because of a dumb reason like that.

Q55: What can Tachikawa do besides fighting?

He can grill mochi nicely on an earthen charcoal brazier.

Q56: Did Tachikawa’s eyes become grid-shaped because he burned the mesh for grilling his beloved mochi into his eyes?

That’s it. That’s probably why.

Q57: What ploy did Tachikawa use to get into College?

He used the cunning ploy of ‘Border’s Recommendation’ to just barely get in Mikado Public College which is affiliated with Border. His parents were super happy.

Q58: What flavor of mochi does Tachikawa like?

He likes kinako mochi, but because he spills kinako all over the place, kinako mochi was banned in Border facilities.

Q59: Is Izumi’s ‘A Hundred Hits in a Thousand Shots’ t-shirt handmade? Or did he receive it from someone who screen printed it or something?

The merchandise department made it for Izumi. There are 8 different color variations.

Q60: Tachikawa squad’s uniform looks like the captain’s aesthetic, please tell us how Izumi-kun felt the first time he put on that black long coat.

‘Seriously? Awesome!’

Q61: How long does it take for Tōma-san to style his hair into a pompadour?

About 2 seconds with a trigger on.

Q62: I can’t tell if the cat that was riding on Tōma-san’s head was having fun, or happy, or what. How did it feel?

It thinks it’s ‘not bad’.

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Q63: It seems Fuyushima was scouted by the operator Maki Risa and got his front-lines job, but how did Tōma-san join?

As he was idling around with no intention of forming a team, he was scolded by the then middle schooler Maki Risa to ‘do some work’, started enjoying himself somehow and formed a team. Fuyushima joined after that.

Q64: Why is Fuyushima weak to high school girls?

Because he wasn’t popular in high school.

Q65: Please tell me Midorikawa-kun’s profile!

14 years old born October 20th (middle school student), Zodiac of the Crescent Moon, blood type O, 157cm tall, likes BBQ, winning rank wars, and Jin.

Q66: Is the white tracksuit Midorikawa wore in those rank wars not a uniform?

It’s a tracksuit and goggles set that focuses on a ‘sense of wind’, based on Jin's. Something like practice gear.

Q67: Please tell me Natsume Izuho-chan’s profile!

14 years old born April 12th (middle school student), Zodiac of the Falcon, blood type B, 157cm tall, likes Hamburg steaks, tempura, and karate. Her family runs a karate dojo.

Q68: It seems to me that Izuho-chan uses Ibis a lot, is she fixated on it?

It seems the impact of Chika's Ibis punching through the wall of the base was very strong.

Q69: Did Izuho-chan’s family taken in her kitty?

No, they didn’t. While looking for an owner, HQ’s engineers took it in and it became the HQ cat. Nominally, Izuho is the owner.

Q70: Does Izuho-chan attract animals or something?

She attracts animals and children, but doesn’t seem very happy about it.

Q71: Who is the strongest when it comes to the mahjong that takes place in Suwa Squad's Strategy Room? A: Fuyushima and Azuma are strong, but when Osano joins in Fuyushima become the weakest.

Q72: Trion cubes were called ‘Suwa’, but what does Suwa think of this?

He’d feel bad for Kitora or Chika if they were to be teased for it, so it doesn’t really matter if it’s happening to him. But Kazama’s getting a beating. Is what he’s thinking.

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Q73: What will happen if Tsutsumi-san opens his eyes?

Border’s Hottest Man Ranking will change.

Q74: Arafune-san calls Murakami ‘Kō’, so why does Murakami call Arafune-san by his last name ‘Arafune’?

Because Murakami thinks the last name ‘Arafune’ sound cool.

Q75: Arafune-san’s name is ‘Tetsuji’, does he have an older brother?

He doesn’t. It’s because his father’s name is ‘Tetsuya’.

Q76: Did Arafune-kun establish Attacker/Sniper methodology through self-study? Or did he have a mentor for each of them?

It seems he studied the logs, constructed his own theories, tried them out in rank wars, and then after multiple trial and error, only the bits he couldn’t understand himself he sought teaching for from those more experienced.

Q77: Arafune-san’s weakness had ‘can’t swim’, but what is his limit?

At the point of putting his face in the water, he is breaking through his limits.

Q78: Did Arafune transfer to Sniper after Arafune squad was formed? Or was Arafune squad formed after he transferred to Sniper?

Forming the team came first. Just after the team formed, they were Attacker, Sniper, Sniper; a concept (two Sniper composition) similar to Miwa squad.

Q79: What is the reason behind Arafune Tetsuji disliking dogs?

Because he was bitten by a small dog on his right butt cheek for no reason when he was young. The scar still remains even now.

Q80: Hokari likes ‘festivals’, but does he just go to them? Does he participate in them? My friend and I have said that he probably shoulders the portable festival shrines.

He has ridden on top of a portable festival shrine before. It seems he likes both participating and watching.

Q81: Is Hokari’s anastrophe a habit since he was small?

In the summer of his 3rd year of primary school, he ran away from home for a night and when he was found the next day he said cheerfully, ‘I met inside a UFO. With the aliens.’ From that day he spoke in anastrophe. It is unknown what had happened.

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Q82: Hanzaki is a ‘master of precision sniping’, but is he able to participate in the ‘evade the fish and hit the main body game’?

I think he can even as he finds it tiresome.

Q83: Why is Hanzaki so dull?

Because he continues to challenge stages that exceed his ability.

Q84: Please tell us how Murakami Kō came to be assigned to Suzunari Branch.

He was scouted from outside the prefecture, and wrote ‘anywhere is fine’ on his Assignment Request (agent, engineer, other). As a result of that, he was assigned as one of the starting members of the newly created Suzunari Branch.

Q85: Is Murakami Kō’s style, ‘Kogetsu in the right hand, Raygust in the left hand’? Or ‘Raygust in the right hand, Kogetsu in the left hand’?

When he is focusing on attacking it’s ‘Kogetsu in the right hand’, when he is focusing on defending it’s ‘Raygust in the right hand’.

Q86: How rich is Kuruma-sempai’s family?

Rich enough to give the building for Suzunari Branch’s base without batting an eye.

Q87: What is Kuruma-sempai’s favorite instant noodles flavor?

It is Tomato flavor, but since Taichi loves that he doesn’t eat it himself.

Q88: Is Kuruma-sempai’s first person pronoun ‘ore’? Or ‘boku’?

It seems to be ‘boku’.

Q89: Does Suzunari Branch have aquariums Kuruma-sempai made?

Because of a sad event, there are no aquariums right now. Tragedy must not be allowed to repeat.

Q90: Why is the genuine evil Taichi always wearing a hat? Is there any meaning to the fact that it has ears? Seeing Yōtarō's helmet, Kuruma-sempai bought it for Taichi as he worries over Taichi’s clumsiness. Taichi cherishes and wears it all the time.

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Q91: Kon Yuka-chan of Suzunari First, has ‘calligraphy’ in her likes, but does she hold a ranking or a pen name? (a postcard written with beautiful brushstrokes)

It seems to be ‘4th Dan of the Adult Division’. The author isn’t very well informed and doesn’t know if it’s amazing or not.

Q92: Please tell us Kon Yuka-chan’s best dish.

Simmered flatfish, mapo eggplant, and fried chicken in nanban sauce.

Q93: What is Azuma-san studying in graduate school?

In the affiliated college there are secret trion research facilities, and he does experiments that aren’t done in HQ’s labs (experiments that don’t have immediate applications but are necessary in clarifying the composition of trion) there with a group. And history (military history).

Q94: Just where did Azuma-san learn a Sniper’s skills and mindset?

Azuma-san likes learning from experience, so it’s mostly from training or rank wars, learning through implementation and failure. He also dabbled a bit in military books and so on, but real guns and trigger weapons are quite different so it was just for reference.

Q95: Branch Chief Rindō likes fishing (can’t catch anything), but what is the skill level of Azuma-san who also likes fishing?

To the point that he can live with fish as the main meal when camping.

Q96: Does Kako-san have no sense of taste? Or does she have a normal sense of taste but end up creating weapons of slaughter?

Her sense of taste is normal. It is curiosity that kills the Tsutsumi.

Q97: Does Kako-san’s fried rice have any (delicious) successes?

It does. 8 times out of 10 she treats people to masterpieces of delicious fried rice.

Q98: Has Kuruma-san or Ninomiya-san died from Kako-san’s fried rice?

Kuruma-sempai has good luck so he’s never been out, Ninomiya doesn’t want to die so he never takes the challenge.

Q99: Why does Nasu-san’s eyes change a little between her Trion Body and flesh body?

It seems it is because she is more energetic in her Trion Body.

Q100: What is Commander Kido’s favorite movie?

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Q101: Commander Kido called Chief of HQ Shinoda ‘mischievous brat’; if there were any instances of mischievousness when he was young, please tell us.

He inadvertently sliced Kido-san’s car in half while doing blade practice, he tried to see if he could run on water on the river and got the police called on him, he left through the 2nd floor window and returned through the 3rd floor window, etc.

Q102: What was Sawamura's position when she was an agent? Charging Attacker in love.

Q103: Are the bags under Kinuta-san’s eyes from lack of sleep? The bags are from lack of sleep, eyestrain, and bad blood flow. He should rest more.

Q104: It’s really none of my business, but why is Kinuta-san separated from his wife? Because Kinuta-san forced his wife and daughter back to her parents’ home without consulting her.

Q105: Please tell us about the Border merchandise Netsuki-san has!

It’s not very different from idol, pro athlete, or anime merchandise. Badges of Arashiyama squad’s emblem and clothes with the emblem attached are what sells well. There is a life-sized Arashiyama doll that is not for sale in the PR department, it’s pretty creepy. There is currently a plan to make trading cards of Border agents and a mascot for Border.

Q106: Whose clothes was that hoodie with the horn mark Hyuse was wearing in Tamakoma Branch?

It is from Border’s supplies that Usami added a needlepoint design to on Yōtarō's orders.

Q107: Does Hyuse think Raijinmaru is a dog?

He thinks ‘Meeden’s dogs have large faces, but that’s what’s so good about it’.

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Q108: What food does Hyuse like?

Chicken stew, cutlet don, and taiyaki. He isn’t good with raw fish or shrimp that still have their heads

Q109: What food does Hyrein like?

Grapes and fried dough. He doesn’t like fish with a lot of bones.

Q110: Why are Enedra’s bangs slanted?

It seems the instability in his mental state is being represented in the cut of his bangs.

Q111: Please tell us how Enedra feels now that he has become a rad.

‘Oh? I have a another chance?’

Q112: Is Enedrad kind of black because Enedra was a black trigger? Or is it the R&D department’s aesthetic?

It is because Enedrad said, ‘Make the body black. Then we’ll talk.’

Q113: Please tell us the New 3 Idiots’ full names!

Kōda Teruteru, Saotome Fumifumi, Hinoe Hidehide.

Q. 114: The C-rank 3 Idiots haven’t shown up recently, were they kidnapped by Aftokrator?

That’s not in their character. They are more energetic than necessary as they continue to steadily improve. The forecast says they will rise to B-rank next season.

Q115: Osamu's classmate Miyoshi-kun said, ‘How do you join Border?’, but has he taken the enlistment exam?

He has. He didn’t have enough trion and failed while not really knowing what’s going on. Do your best.

Q116: How did Osamu's mother set up attacks on her current husband?

She intruded on him every day and they ate obentou together. To shoot the commander, go through the stomach.

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Q117: After the end of the Large Scale Invasion, did Sawamura manage to confess her love to Chief Shinoda? Chief Shinoda was too manly and she couldn’t. It’s fine, it’s not the time to panic yet.

Q118: What are romantic relationships like in Border? They’re not banned from dating, are they?

They are not banned, but it doesn’t feel like there are a lot of couples. There might have been trouble caused by romantic relationships before in the past. It is more secure to find a lover outside of Border perhaps.

Q119: Are Torimaru and Konami dating?

I think they probably aren’t dating.

Q120: Speaking frankly, are Arafune and Kagami dating?

Speaking frankly, I think they aren’t.

Q121: What is the relationship between Kako-san and Tsutsumi-san?

‘Suspect’ and ‘victim’.

Q122: Azuma-san has an excessively large number of disciples, but is Satori’s mentor Azuma-san too?

Satori is an intuitive type so he’s not Azuma-san’s disciple, but he often gets treated to meals by Azuma-san.

Q123: Kikuchihara was scouted by Kazama, but was Utagawa scouted by him too?

Usami valued Utagawa’s athletic ability and personality, and invited him.

Q124: Rindō called Kazama ‘Sōya’, are they mentor and disciple?

Kazama's older brother was Branch Chief Rindō's disciple. It seems that he calls him by his first name because they would overlap if he used ‘Kazama’.

Q125: Tachikawa squad’s uniform looks like the long coat Shinoda had on in his combat body, was it deliberately made to look similar? t seems likely. Respecting the mentor.

Q126: How much is the difference in power between Tachikawa and Shinoda?

It seems to be as much as the difference between Yūma and Konami right now.

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Q127: How and when did Hiura become Narasaka’s disciple? Does Narasaka have any other disciples?

When Akane was invited to join Nasu squad (when Kuma brought her along), Nasu-san asked her cousin Narasaka to make her his disciple. By the way, his other disciple besides Akane is the Four-Eyes with a promising future, Kodera Shouhei.

Q128: Arafune called Kizaki by his last name 8 months ago but now calls him by first name, did he seek teaching from him or became his disciple for his goal of becoming a Perfect All-Rounder?

It seems likely. At that point, Arafune started emulating Hokari and started weight training, so there was the rumor within Border that he ‘received a muscle baptism’.

Q129: Kageura is called by the nickname Kage by Murakami and Arafune-kun, but how and through what common ground did these three people with such different personalities become friends?

Murakami and Arafune are swordsmanship mentor and disciple, Kage and Murakami are in the same class in school, Kage and Arafune are the second son of an okonomiyaki restaurant and its regular customer.

Q130: Who are the main agents who were scouted from out of the prefecture?

Suzunari First's Murakami, Taichi, Kon-san, Tachikawa squad’s Kunichika, Ikoma squad’s members etc.

Q131: It seems Jin arranged Osamu's uniform, but did he also arrange Yūma and Chika's?

The current uniform is a result of scrupulous discussion between Jin, Konami, and Usami.

Q132: Who was the person Jin was talking to in the end of Chapter 37?

From the way he spoke, it seems to be Arashiyama.

Q133: Are there other cousins in Border like Arashiyama & Konami, and Usami & Yoneya?

Agents with similar faces might be pretty suspicious. Mikado City is very nice to live in, and there are many families who have lived there for generations, so there are many people related by blood.

Q134: Are there any mingling between Border agents of the same age? For instance, the 21 year old group (Reiji-san, Kazama, Suwa) going out drinking together or something.

Since the times for going up a grade and graduating and so on overlap, the connections between those of the same age are actually quite strong. Reiji, Kazama, Suwa, and Raizō often hang out eating and drinking together.

Q135: Do Border agents visit and play with their friends on their squad outside of missions?

There are squads that do, and squads that don’t. Kako Squad, Suzunari First, and Suwa Squad look like they would all go out together.

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Q136: The Shield Kitora used in chapter 8 to surround herself, was that a normal Shield?

It was a normal Shield that she used in ‘fixed mode’. It cannot be moved from where it sprouts from, but in return the durability is enhanced.

Q137: Is the extension and contraction of Yōsuke's spear shaft a function of Gen'yō? A: It is not Gen'yō, but an ability unique to Yōsuke's spear. Finding it inconvenient in narrow places, Yōsuke requested the engineers to modify it for him.

Q138: During the Large Scale Invasion, Reiji-san gripped a trigger holder in his fist and punched the enemy, was that a Raygust punch? Or just a muscle punch?

Reiji is a smart muscle head so it is a boosted muscle punch accelerated with Raygust & Thruster.

Q139: Is there any meaning to the hats that snipers like Arafune-san, Taichi, and Akane-chan wear?

It seems the purpose is to block out the sun from getting in the way when sniping.

Q140: In chapter 30, Arashiyama-san instructed Satori to ‘raise Radar’s precision by just 10 seconds’, does this mean Satori has some kind of option trigger equipped?

Precision adjustment is one of Radar’s customary functions. Like Bailout, Radar is a ‘ standard trigger’, and anyone can use it at any time, but while in use trion is used up little by little (and by raising the precision more trion is used up too), so the outcome is that members with a surplus of trion use it. In this case, Satori was in charge of Radar.

Q. 141: How many of Grasshopper’s sheet-like things can be generated at once? And can (one of) the sheet-like thing be used over and over?

Like Asteroid and so on, by splitting them several can be generated at once, but the more generated the lower the power output will be for each one. The jump board disappears after one use.

Q. 142: What abilities does the ‘Gimlet’ that Izumi-kun used in volume 8 have?

By doubling the structure of the bullet, penetration power is increased; it is used to breach Shield or firm armor and cause damage.

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Q143: Please tell us if there are any other composite bullets besides Tomahawk and Gimlet.

There are ones like Meteora + Hound’s ‘Salamander’, Asteroid + Viper’s ‘Cobra’, Hound + Hound’s ‘Hornet’ etc.

Q. 144: Can bullets generated by different people be joined together into one composite bullet?

It seems to be impossible at this point. If it was possible you can probably make a Spirit Bomb or something.

Q. 145: Is Ninomiya-san the one who created composite bullets? Is it Izumi? Or an engineer?

Izumi tried it out on some kind of impulse and it worked. That is why he is called ‘genius-like’ and ‘bullet idiot’.

Q. 146: Can Gunners use composite bullets?

If they set it in the gun trigger they can, but that gun then becomes ‘a gun that can only shoot the composite bullet’.

Q. 147: How many types of gun triggers are there? Can they make new types themselves?

There are a variety of types, and they’re always going through minor changes. New designs can be proposed too.

Q. 148: What kind of skills are needed to set Viper’s trajectory in real time?

The imagination to visualise something that isn’t actually there as if it is, an objective viewpoint that grasps the state of the surroundings including yourself, the spatial awareness to correctly perceive the distance to the target and any obstacles, and so on.

Q. 149: Is there a reason why there are different shapes for Scorpion?

Jin and Yūma's single edge Scorpion is the standard type that stresses balance. Kazama squad’s hollowed out Scorpion is a type specializing in attack and stresses the reach when expanding and contracting. Kitora's double-edged Scorption is a modded type that has been equipped with the function to rotate it like a pinwheel around the grip.

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Q150: The shape or length of Scorpion can be changed, but can it be thrown?

It can be, but the moment it leaves the hand its transformation function can no longer be used.

Q151: Can Raygust’s Thruster be activated remotely?

According to the setting of the story, it can’t be, but it seems like it’d be interesting if it could be!

Q152: Like the Scorpion that Jin proposed, are there any weapons thought up by agents that started being used part way through?

Almost all of the triggers are developed by the engineers according to the demands of the front-lines agents.

Q153: Kuma’s Kogetsu has a guard, can the design of any part that isn’t the blade be freely changed?

Consult with the engineers, and it can be freely changed to an extent. Kuma blocks with her sword a lot, so a guard was attached to protect her hands.

Q154: Who made Kogetsu (Spear) and when did it happen?

Yōsuke made it with one of the Chief Engineers. Due to the idea that ‘because the trion cost to construct the handle of a Kogetsu is lower than the cost to construct the blade, if the blade is shortened and the handle lengthened then even people without a high trion ability can have a long reach’, it became a spear shape.

Q. 155: Please tell us when Raygust was developed as well as the story behind its development.

Terashima Raizō (18), a top class Kogetsu wielder at the time, got pissed off at the enhancing and popularity of bullet triggers and transferred to Engineer, where he made Raygust as an anti-bullet trigger blade with Shield and Scorpion as the base. This was when Raizō gained weight.

Q156: Are Shooters derived from Gunners? Who created the Shooter position and how did it happen?

The order is that Shooter came first. There are those suited for handling cube bullets and those who aren’t, so gun triggers were developed so that anyone can use bullets with a high degree of accuracy, and Gunners were derived.

Q157: Who comes up with the name of Border’s triggers?

There are five Chief Engineers who names the triggers developed by the section they each lead.

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Q. 158: What happens if you get attacked in the middle of bailing out?

The trigger holder with the flesh body inside is still in the space on ‘the other side’ until you return to base and fall on the mat, so it cannot be attacked. What looks like flying away is the ‘path’ that follows the coordinates to bailout’s destination.

Q. 159:  Is there a limit to how far you can be from the base and still bailout?

There is. Right now activating bailout is only guaranteed ‘within Mikado City’.

Q. 160: Can bailout be used while on an expedition? And where do you go if you bailout?

The expedition vessel is equipped with a bailout antenna, so you can return to the expedition vessel. But the current technology only allows activation ‘within 3km of the expedition vessel’.

Q. 161: Is the Trion Body's ‘internal comms’ a communication channel? Or a function of the Trion Body?

It’s part of the Trion Body's standard functions. Communication is between people in normal earshot and can be limited to the target. You can also whisper jokes to someone while they’re drinking.

Q. 162: What were the self-defense triggers the base engineers used during the Large Scale Invasion arc?

A trigger that has no weapons or bailout and only transforms into a Trion Body. Even someone with low trion ability can use it, and can survive once after being attacked.

Q. 163: Are there any cases of different people with the same Side Effect?

It is possible, but people with Side Effects are rare in general, so you don’t really meet people with the same ability.

Q. 164: Are the trion cubes produced by Shooters before they shoot always at its maximum size according to trion ability? Or can it be adjusted each time?

It is always at its maximum size. Trion ability is exposed for the most part.

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Q. 165: What happens to the bullets that miss their mark when they exceed their maximum range?

The bullet reacts to the atmosphere and extinguishes.

Q. 166: While using the stealth trigger (Chameleon), can you fight with martial arts?

Since Sasamori grappled Yūma, it seems you can.

Q. 167: Does ‘exclusive options’ not count in the only two triggers at a time limit?

They don’t. Exclusive options, like Kogetsu’s exclusive ‘Senkū’, are equipped on the same side of the slots as Kogetsu, and only switched ON when in use (the trion consumed is only what the exclusive option used). Dual-wielding Kogetsu + (Senkū x 2) for a ‘Double Senkū Kogetsu’ is also possible.

Q. 168: Kogetsu can be turned OFF without being put back in its sheath, but is it possible, for instance, to use a feint like holding a gun in one hand with it OFF while attacking with a Scorpion from the elbow?

It is possible. ‘Pretending with Shield + Gun but actually Scorpion’ is one of the feints that All-Rounders equipped with Scorpion (like Arashiyama squad) use a lot.

Q. 169: Are the food eaten in trion bodies digested?

The rate of digestion is even better than flesh bodies, and almost 100% is reduced into nutrients (to the point that you don’t have to go to the bathroom), but since the satiety centre isn’t very stimulated, there isn’t much sense of fullness, and there is the fear of eating too much and the flesh body gaining more and more weight. Raizō gained weight because of this.

Q. 170: Kitora was coughing when she got out of the river in Chapter 9, but does trion bodies need to breathe too?

The consumption of oxygen in trion bodies is extremely low, and can last without breathing for several hundred times longer than flesh bodies (if it really seems like oxygen is about to run out, the Trion Body goes into sleep mode, so you won’t die). It seems that Kitora was coughing out the water that had gotten inside the Trion Body through her mouth.

Q. 171: Captain Fuyushima was sea-sick on his way back from the expedition, but do you get sick or out of breath even in trion bodies?

You get sea-sick, lose consciousness, yawn and even cry. You won’t get out of breath from running, but you can feel palpations and get agitated breathing from nervousness.

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Q. 172: How much of a Trion Body's structure is based on the human body? Does sweating or crying happen?

Cold sweat, goosebumps, etc. most things that occur to the flesh body can be reproduced. There was a time when experiments were done on removing fear or nervousness when transformed into a Trion Body, but results from missions and rank wars visibly deteriorated, so right now they do their best to reproduce it so it is as similar to the state of the flesh body as possible.

Q. 173: Trion bodies are sturdy, but can the feel of it or its temperature be differentiated from flesh bodies’?

So that the one transformed doesn’t feel any wrongness, the feel and temperature is reproduced too.

Q. 174: How much can the outer appearance of combat bodies be changed? Can height, body type, sex be changed, or even become a complete different person?

Some fiddling is possible, but if the height and so on is changed too much it becomes difficult to operate the Trion Body due to the feeling of wrongness with the flesh body. You get used to it after a while, but then when you return to your flesh body you get that feeling of wrongness again, so people don’t really tamper with the outer appearance of combat bodies anymore.

Q. 175: How long can you spend in a Trion Body?

If you don’t use trion, and try to stay as still as possible, you can stay in a Trion Body basically for forever. (You will get hungry so you will need to eat).

Q. 176: Does trion or trion organs exist in living beings other than humans?

It might, but to use triggers, ‘clearly radiating the will to activate the trigger’ is necessary, so it seems difficult to make a dog or cat use a trigger.

Q. 177: Why was Osamu able to escape from Moira’s skewers when he went trigger off in volume 9?

Because there was the worry that if someone undid the transformation while they were stuck under debris from buildings or something they would be crushed the moment they returned to their flesh body, so Border’s triggers are constructed so that the flesh body is transmitted to coordinates that don’t interfere with anything in the surroundings.

Q. 178: Chapter 1 said that tanks and fighter aircrafts’ attacks didn’t work on trion bodies, but can agents in trion bodies not be damaged too? Or are they not durable enough and will bailout?

I think a Trion Body for combat use will be totally fine against the gun of a tank or a missile.

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Q. 179: Is there any way to plug trion leakage when trion bodies are damaged?

Trion bodies have a function that automatically closes the wound (stops the bleeding), so unless it’s a very big wound the trion leakage will stop in 1 minute even if it is left alone. If it is plugged with hands or something, I think there can be even less leakage.

Q. 180: Do the squads wearing uniforms that look very warm in the current midwinter setting change clothes in summer? Tachikawa squad and Chano squad especially look too warm.

Trion bodies can be adjusted for the heat and the cold too, so there are no problems with long coats in midsummer, but to the townspeople looking on from the side there is nothing that looks more sweltering, so there are also squads that change clothes. There are also agents who overhaul their uniform regularly, or have multiple uniforms they change into depending on the mood.

Q. 181: Do the agents who were made into cubes during the Large Scale Invasion have any memories of that time?

It’s close to being in a comatose state so there are almost no memories of it.

Q. 182: Do Gunners with gun triggers lose the ability to attack if both arms are wounded? Or can they attack with cubes like Shooters?

Gunners cannot fight without guns. So targeting the Gunner’s arm is a valid strategy. It is one of the drawbacks to Gunners compared to Shooters.

Q. 183: Does Yūma's Black Trigger have a name?

Because neither Yūma nor Replica tried to give it a name, it doesn’t have one. They call it ‘dad’s trigger’ or ‘Yūgo’s Black Trigger’.

Q. 184: Is Yūma unable to use the Black Trigger now that Replica isn’t here?

He can, but he has to set it himself when using Overlap Seals or Composite Seals, so it takes time.

Q. 185: Is there any difference between Yūma's ‘Bound’ Seal and Grasshopper’s abilities?

The ‘Bound’ Seal has far more power output, but only one can be generated at a time.

Q. 186: Please tell us ‘Echo’ Seal’s effect.

It emits a faint wave of trion through which you can learn the terrain of the surroundings and any living beings, and the position, distance, and state of trion constructs.

Q. 187: Is Replica's Trion created from Replica himself? Or is it borrowed somehow from Yūma or the surroundings?

Replica's Trion was supplied from Yūma's black trigger. If a supply cord is used, anyone can supply Replica with Trion.

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Q. 188: When Jin wasn’t setting off Fūjin, he fought with something like a Kogetsu, what is Fūjin's performance like when it isn’t setting off remote slash attacks?

A super-efficient blade lighter than Scorpion, and cuts better and is more durable than Kogetsu.

Q. 189: When Miwa used Fūjin during the Large Scale Invasion, why was he able to attack ‘somewhere he couldn’t see’?

It was a combination technique with Replica determining the position.

Q. 190: Did Miwa-kun activate Fūjin in his flesh body? Or did he re-transform?

He released Border’s trigger and re-transformed with Fūjin.

Q. 191: What will happen if you liquefy or gasify with ‘Vorvoros’ in the middle of a rainstorm?

You can hide in the surrounding rainwater or puddles if you liquefy so you are super strong, but you will probably lose to the wind and be blown away if you gasify so you are super weak.

Q. 192: What are those spikes when ‘Speiraskia’ attacks?

‘Nail-like things’ (there are flat ones too) added to ‘Speiraskia’ as a bonus.

Q. 193: It seems that Black Triggers are left by users with superior trion abilities, but how many of the current agents might be able to leave one?

Even for superior users luck is involved a little in whether they can leave behind a Black Trigger or not (so there aren’t many people willing to become Black Triggers voluntarily), but it is said that if it’s people with Side Effects creating Black Triggers the success rate rises quite a lot.

Q. 194: Why was the uniform Yūgo had set in the past applied to yūma?

In Border’s database there remained something like an account of Yūgo's living body; it seems it reacted to some component that made up Yūgo in Yūma's Black Trigger.

Q. 195: The Trion Body's uniform or hairstyle can be set as anything, can a trigger (weapon)’s color or ornaments be set?

If the request is given to an engineer, it can be. A black Kogetsu or something seems like it’d be pretty cool.

Q. 196: What is the difference between combat bodies that have headphones (communicators?) and those that don’t?

The communication function is one of the Trion Body's standard equipment, but because it looks like you’re talking to yourself if you don’t have a communicator, squads that are bothered by that set their trion bodies to have headphones or headsets. The only difference is in the appearance.

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Q197: Are there any organizations like Border outside of Mikado City?

There aren’t. Right now there is probably only Border on this earth.

Q198: Border is a private organisation, but do they receive support from the government?

They don’t. All funds are raised by Karasawa-san. For the sake of getting accommodated by the schools, establishing the base, dealing with the aftermath of battles and so on, they coordinate closely with Mikado City.

Q199: Narasaka and Kodera had their houses destroyed, but did Border or the government provide them with money to build new homes?

Narasaka and Kodera are living in temporary residences constructed by Border and Mikado City. There is also an accommodation area within the HQ base that agents and employees can lodge in whenever they want, as well as other measures such as the city buying up houses of the townspeople who have moved from Mikado City and empty apartment rooms and then renting them out cheaply to the townspeople who have lost their houses.

Q200: Is the place that is now the Hazard Zone completely forbidden to enter? Is even going back for a short time just to retrieve belongings not allowed?

If there are any interested, they are allowed to return to their home for a time under the supervision of Mikado City and Border.

Q201: There are smartphone and tablet-like things being used in the story, are they provided by Border?

They are supplied by Border, and official agents are allowed to have them. They can access things that require a low level of authorisation on Border’s internal network. It is equipped with a trion conversion device, so it can be charged even without a source of electricity.

Q202: Is there a restriction that Border agents can’t leave Mikado City?

There isn’t really a restriction, but HQ can check a trigger holder’s travel log, so if the trigger holder is taken along then where you went will be exposed.

Q203: Is the concept of Trion not made public?

It is only made known to those who are B-rank or above, but even C-rank agents seem to hear about it somehow or other. There are also many corporations within Border’s sponsors who are interested in Trion technology, so people like those and officials of Mikado City that Border coordinates with receive an explanation to some extent.

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Q204: Is there any difference in treatment between those who are affiliated with HQ and branch members?

There is no difference except the one between A-rank, B-rank, and C-rank. The extent is that it’s a bit troublesome to go for rank wars from one of the branches.

Q205: Does Suzunari Branch have a branch chief? They don’t seem to be called to meetings though.

The branch chief of all the branches except Tamakoma Branch are normal employees whose roles are to act as a point of contact with the locals, and have no Trion ability. Branch Chief Rindō is called to executive meetings because he is one of Border’s first members.

Q206: What are the infrastructures and essential utilities needed for everyday life, such as the replenishment of vending machine drinks, water and sewage services and so on, like for Border HQ?

There are delivery tunnels that run from downtown, quite far from the base, right to the base’s underground area, and goods are carried in from there. Water and sewage systems, electricity, gas, and so on are drawn from the lines that were used in what is now the Hazard Zone in coordination with Mikado City.

Q207: Are there any staff canteens or cafeterias that agents can use too in Border HQ? If there are I am curious what the popular menus are.

There is a big cafeteria with cheap prices. Popular menus are: A-rank set (a mystery set of toasted mochi udon and croquettes), A-rank set meal (a mystery set meal of sashimi rice and mapo tofu), A-rank capricious fried rice (fried rice with different ingredients depending on the day) etc.

Q208: Arashiyama-san said ‘there is no running out of trion in the training rooms’, but what is going on with the trion in training rooms?

The ‘Virtual Battle Mode’ of places like training rooms reproduce the movement of trion into computer data, in short it is like fighting inside a game and actual trion is not used up. It is also possible to fiddle with the variables of the data and reproduce experimental conditions. With this technology, the efficiency of Border’s battle training increased rapidly. In conclusion, Kinuta-san is amazing.

Q209: Somehow or other all the upper management seem like workaholics, but do they get regular breaks? Or are they living in the base?

Two days of the week are actually established as breaks, but there seems to be many from the upper management who give up their breaks for work. The ones who work the most are Kinuta-san and Commander Kido, the one who takes breaks the most is Branch Chief Rindō.

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Q210: Is the person who talked with Osamu about Border’s exam in Chapter 82 one of Border’s executives? I’m curious to know who they are.

It is the HR department’s Chief, Seiji Mizunuma. The father of Osamu's homeroom teacher, Mizunuma. (Osamu doesn’t know about this)

Q211: When do Border’s new enlistees choose their position and weapon? Which is given priority, what they want or what suits them?

Border judges their aptitude from the results of the enlistment exam, and decides the trigger they use and position. Agents start with that trigger, but can change to a different trigger or position whenever they like.

Q212: Please tell us the details of an Engineer's job. A: Analyze Neighborhood technology and adding it to the database, developing new triggers, improving and modifying triggers, modelling uniforms, developing, expanding and maintaining the base’s systems (the rank war system and others).

Q213: What do you need to do to become an Engineer? A: There are two ways: request to become an Engineer when enlisting, or request to transfer after enlisting.

Q214: Are there no research being done on creating trion soldiers in the world on this side?

There are, actually. But if restricted to just defending Mikado City, it is judged more logical to make use of human agents whose trion replenishes with food and rest compared to one-use trion soldiers. Also, when taking into consideration the impression given to civilians, there are no plans currently to deploy trion soldiers with the defense squads.

Q215: What happens to the remains of the defeated Trion Soldiers? A: After they are retrieved and made into samples for examining the structure, they are turned back into Trion and stored inside the base.

Q216: Do they patrol the Hazard Zone during defense duty? Or are they on standby somewhere like a guardroom and are dispatched when Neighbors appear? A: Basically, they patrol near the boundary line that surrounds the Hazard Zone which has the bases of the five branches (excluding Tamakoma) as points. When the opening of the Gates are very active, the squads on standby in HQ base are deployed as reinforcements.

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Q217: During the Large Scale Invasion, the initial response was 8 squads, but are the same numbers used for normal defense duty too?

Regular defense duty has 1 squad deployed to each of the 5 branches, so 5 squads altogether.

Q218: Is defense duty done on shifts?

Basically it is a 3 shift system with 5 squads each. defense duty comes about once every 2 days, but frequently there are ‘mixed squads’ being made up of agents who have free time or want more wages, so the actual frequency of work is about once every 3 days. Also, Reiji, Konami, Jin, and HQ Chief Shinoda each count as 1 squad.

Q219: Are everyone basically in their trion bodies when in Border’s base? A: There are the ‘always in Trion Body faction’, and the ‘usually more flesh body faction’. Being in a Trion Body is less tiring, but there is the rumor that people start having trouble sleeping because of that.

Q220: How much awareness is there in Border that yūma is a Neighbor? A: At this point, excluding Tamakoma Branch, it seems the only ones who know are Border’s upper management and those who participated in the fight over the Black Trigger (volume 3 & 4). People like Chano squad are also pretty suspicious.

Q221: Triggers are needed to enter and leave the base, but do they never get lost or stolen? A: Very rarely there are uproars over triggers being lost or stolen, but all trigger holders’ current location can be tracked by HQ’s system, so besides the case of Hatohara – which was judged as her having gone to the Neighborhood – there aren’t any actual examples of triggers being lost.

Q222: How are the people (squads) in charge of enlistment guidance decided? A: Taking into consideration the impression given to the newly enlisted agents, the accomplishments in their position, and personality, they are chosen from agents who are free at the time. Enlistment guidance is one of Arashiyama squad’s jobs, so they are chosen pretty much every single time.

Q223: Please tell us the names of the schools affiliated with Border. A: According to the data passed on to the anime staff, the normal school: ‘First Mikado City High School’, prep school: ‘Rokueikan High School’. Also, Border isn’t affiliated with it, but the posh girl’s school that people like Konami attend seems to be called ‘Seirin Girl’s Academy’.

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Q224: Border has many students, but can they participate in school events? A: Shifts are managed so they can accommodate the participation of school trips or cultural festivals and so on. Compared to long ago, the number of college agents or older have increased, so it seems easier to adjust the shifts now.

Q225: Do the children who don’t go to college (don’t enter higher-level education) find employment with Border? Or is it possible to get a normal job while acting as Border? A: Depending on the person’s ability and wishes, it is possible to get a job in Border HQ. To get a normal job while still acting as Border will mean it is impossible to regularly participate in rank wars or defense duty, so they will be transferred to one of the branches.

Q226: Is the name ‘Meeden’ that the Neighbor gave to the world on this side (Earth) standard everywhere? It seems to have become the standard everywhere since quite a long time ago.

Q227: From the viewpoint of the nations of Neighborhood is Meeden (Earth) special? Or do they see it as one of the other nations? A: With the two points ‘a different civilization that isn’t a trigger civilization’, and ‘a population fairly larger than the Neighborhood’s’, it seems to be treated as a ‘special nation/world’.

Q228: Are the sun and moon of the Neighborhood different for each nation? Are those suns and moons based on the same logic as Meeden’s? A: They are of a different logic from Meeden’s. The Neighborhood’s suns are artificial miniature heavenly bodies created and managed by the god of each planetary nation. The moons and stars visible at night are the other planetary nations floating in the Neighborhood sky.

Q229: What do Neighbors call themselves or their own world? Do they use Neighbor or Neighborhood? A: They usually see themselves as citizens of their nation (citizen of Aftokrator etc.) and calls themselves that, there is no word that includes all them like ‘earthling’ at this point.

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Q230: How are squads formed?

There are cases where B-rank agents with more than 4,000 points come together and form a squad, or cases where the squad breaks up and the now free B-rank or higher agents find members and re-form a squad. In either case, if the signatures of all the members are gathered on the regulation paperwork and handed in, they are accepted on that very day. It’s the same when agents withdraw from a squad or gets added to one.

Q231: Are there any two person teams with captain + operator or captain (operator) + agent? There are. B-rank Urushima Squad is a two person team with that configuration.

Q232: Why are there more 4 people composition squads including the operator than 5? Because increasing combatants from 3 people to 4 people adds to the operator’s burden by a lot, and, unable to provide sufficient information support, agents actually get taken down more easily. It can be said that teams that win with four agents is a testament to the skills of their operator.

Q. 233: What exactly do the Operators do? They project various information in the field of view of the agents in battles in real time. Tags for enemies displayed on Radar, routes for the squad to regroup or escape paths, warnings for enemies coming from the side or back and for snipers, predictions of enemy movements, development diagrams for strategies, etc. etc. The more skilled the operator, the better they can narrow down the displayed information to only what’s important, and make it so that agents can take it in naturally.

Q234: Are Operators in flesh bodies? Or trion bodies? They are in trion bodies, but because there are many people with low trion ability who become Operators, basically they have no weapons or bailout function.

Q235: What kind of training do the people who enlist as an operator do until they join a team?

New Operators first work as ‘central Operators’ who process work for the base as a whole. After learning the basics and how to operate the equipment there, if they want to transfer to squad operator they can hand in their notice, and if they are chosen for a newly formed squad or a squad that has lost an operator, then they openly become one of the team.

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Q236: Can B-rank agents not belonging to a squad rise to A-rank on their own?

It is basically impossible to rise to A-rank on your own. At the very least you need to form a 2 person team with an operator and win through the rank wars. If you rise to A-rank and the squad breaks up then you are treated as an A-rank solo agent until you form a new team. In this case you can’t participate in the team rank wars. Right now, Jin is in this position.

Q237: Back in the age of the old-timer members, did they become official agents or A-ranks without combined training or rank wars? Or was there a special exam or something they took for it?

The A-rank squad framework was created after HQ base was created and agents had increased to a certain amount, so there was no A-rank before that. Team rank wars started after the overall number of agents had reached 3 digits, and at the time there was an advancement exam too, so it seems it was more trouble for the initial A-rank agents than it is now.

Q238: If an A-rank squad adds a B-rank agent, does their team rank have to start again from B-rank? Or do they stay A-rank?

If they only add one person in 1 season then they stay A-rank. But newly added agents have more openings and are targeted a lot, so there is a so-so chance of being demoted as a result of the rank wars. In cases where a second or third person is added in the same season then there are cases where the squad is demoted to match the rank of those members.

Q239: In cases where A-rank agents want to separate from their current team and create a new one, do they start again from B-rank? And is that possible?

It is possible. The rank of the new squad is ‘the rank of the lowest ranking member in the new squad’. If a team is made with just A-rank agents, then they start from A-rank (with the rank of the lowest ranking member), if even one B-rank agent is added then they start from B-rank (with the rank of the lowest ranking member).

Q240: Exactly what numbers are used to decide the Separate Position ranking and the Solo Overall ranking? Is it the highest solo points? Or the total points of all the weapons?

It is the highest of the solo points. The Solo Overall ranking is decided from all the weapon points of all the agents based on who has the highest. From all of the Shooters, Ninomiya’s Asteroid points are the highest -> Shooter ranking no.1. From all weapons of all of the agents, Tachikawa’s Kogetsu points are the highest -> Solo Overall no.1, like that. If there was a total point ranking then Reiji would probably be no.1.

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Q241: After Attackers or Gunners amassed 4,000 points and rose to B-rank, are they demoted back to C-rank if they fall below 4,000 points in rank wars?

They aren’t demoted if they fall below 4,000, but regulations say if any of their triggers ever fall below 1,500 they will be demoted and removed from their team. But there has yet to be an agent who was demoted to C-rank due to this regulation.

Q242: After rising to B-rank, how many points do you start with when you start using a new trigger?

Basically you start from 3,000 points. If you’re already at Master Class (8,000 points) with a weapon, then you start from 4,000 points.

Q243: When using offense triggers in both the main and sub sides, how are solo points allotted in rank wars?

The trigger that dealt the final blow (did more damage) gets 70%, the trigger on the other side gets 30%.

Q244: Are there any requirements to become a captain? What kind of duties does a captain have?

There aren’t any requirements to become a captain, but if I have to say it’s ‘being able to assemble the squad’s members’. A captain’s duties is preparing reports once a month, and being responsible for attending the captain’s meeting that is held after the end of every rank war season.

Q245: Can official agents only receive solo points from rank wars and rewards for services? And are the rewards for services conferred on a team basis awarded to each member?

Besides rank wars and rewards for services, solo points can be earned from defense duty and events set up by Border employees (1-on-1 One Day Tournaments and so on). Points and reward money passed to the whole team is awarded to each member. If someone also received the reward as a single person, they get it duplicated.

Q246: Where can you practice for team play and how do you do it? Can you have mock battles for team competitions?

If you fiddle with the setting of the solo rank war booths then team battles are also possible. Competing in mixed squads instead of your normal team happens quite often too.

Q247: Can Trappers like Fuyushima participate in solo rank wars? Due to the nature of the Trapper position, they cannot participate in solo rank wars or combined training. There are still only a small number of Trappers, so they exchange information and research within themselves.

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Q248: How are uniform designs decided?

By consulting with the designers in the R&D department and having them design it for you. Generally, it’s just rearranging the tracksuit type that makes up the base, but it is possible to leave it to the designer and get something flashy made or bring your own design to have made.

Q249: How are the Play-by-play and the commentary for Rank Wars decided? Sakurako finds Operators and agents that look free and sound them out.

Q250: Can conversations inside training rooms and rank wars be heard from the outside?

Basically it can’t be heard, but it seems you can change the setting so it can be.

Q251: Does A-rank and B-rank Attackers or Gunners not have combined training?

For Attackers and Gunners (Shooters), rank wars are their combined training. The cycle goes: practicing in rank wars -> reviewing what needs to be done better alone or with the team and improving on it -> practicing again in the rank wars.

Q252: Why couldn’t upper B-ranks like Ninomiya squad or Kageura squad participate in the Large Scale Invasion? Did they travel far away on their time off?

It seems I lost the chance to draw it in the story itself so I’ll write it here: ‘HQ Chief Shinoda gave the order that B-rank and lower agents are not allowed to participate in the fight until all members of the team are present’. It seems he was worried about agents acting on their own and getting captured by Rabbits. Of course, there are also teams like Kako squad who was late to the fight because their captain went out on a drive on her time off.

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Q253: What happens to trion bodies if they’re tossed into outer space?

I think they will probably go into sleep mode and float in satellite orbit. If they plunge into the atmosphere of a planet, they will land on the surface of the land (or sea) without burning up.

Q254: Why is the emblem color of the Tamakoma members different for everyone?

Because they’re using that to show off their stylishness.

Q255: If a cockroach shows up in Tamakoma Branch who takes the initiative to kill it first?

Yōtarō-san. Next is yūma or Reiji.

Q256: Why do the clothes of the Aftokrator group in their flesh bodies have such wide necks?

It is because it would catch on their horns if the necks are narrow.

Q257: Tamakoma has their own mark, but does Suzunari Branch not have a Suzunari mark even though they’re also a branch?

They don’t have one yet right now. It seems that if Suzunari First rises to A-rank, that A-rank emblem will become Suzunari’s mark.

Q258: Is the ‘BLACK USAGI’ (trans: rabbit) that 3 Idiots #1 wore the same brand of shirts as the ‘BLACK WOLF’ that Murakami wore?

According to Manager who designed it, they seem to both be from the brand ‘BLACK series’. It seems there are also others like ‘BLACK MONKEY’, ‘BLACK KIRIN’ (trans: giraffe), and ‘BLACK SHIMAUMA’ (trans: zebra).

Q259: Does Mikado City have any famous products or local specialties? The most famous is the ‘Mikado Mikan’. It is sweet and delicious.

Q260: There are a lot of snacks being eaten in Tamakoma Branch, but who prepares them? Mostly Usami, sometimes Konami, and very rarely Branch Chief Rindō.

Q261: How many hours was it from the start of the Large Scale Invasion to the end?

It started at lunchtime, and ended while the sun was still high in the sky, so it seems to be about 2 hours.

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Q262: Does Suzunari Branch have a mascot like how Tamakoma has Raijinmaru? They have Taichi Betsuyaku, a mascot who spreads destruction.

Q263: It seems a popular menu in Tamakoma Branch is Reiji-san’s meat meat meat veggie stirfry, what is Suzunari branch’s popular menu?

Kon-san is good at cooking so they are happy with anything. In the current timeframe in the story (February) crab zosui gruel and sukiyaki hotpot are popular too. Also chicken cutlets with cheese.

Q264: Is Tamakoma's cooking on a shift system? I want to know what everyone’s special dish is. It is on a shift system, and Tamakoma Second counts as one group with the 3 of them. They don’t have a special dish yet. Jin's special dish is hotpot, Karasuma’s is the Italian food he cooks at his part-time job, Reiji’s is anything, Branch Chief Rindō's is Hamburg steaks, Usami’s is tempura and karaage chicken. Konami can only make curry.

Q265: What is the difference between writing ‘Tamakoma Second’ (trans: kanji) and ‘Tamakoma 2nd’ (arabic numerals)?

When writing vertically it is ‘Tamakoma Second’, when writing horizontally it is ‘Tamakoma 2nd’, when it isn’t like that it’s a mistake or typo. ‘Suzunari First’ is written in kanji both vertically and horizontally, when it isn’t it’s a mistake.

Q266: Are there any agents other than Arashiyama squad who are well-known to the townspeople or popular with them?

People like Nasu-san who had a special feature on TV, A-rank No.1’s Tachikawa, ex-model Osano, and Osamu who became famous with the press conference are well-known to the townspeople.

Q267: Tamakoma First is called the strongest squad, but frankly speaking are they stronger than Tachikawa squad?

Thanks to the existence of the keyperson Takeru Yuiga, I can state conclusively that Tamakoma First is definitely stronger.

Q268: Are there any characters who wear contact lenses?

Fuyushima, Kunichika, Hitomi-san, Kon-san, and Kagami.

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Q269: Do agents over the age of majority drink alcohol? If they do, I want to know the order of who can hold their drinks.

From the order of who can hold their drinks the most, it is: Branch Chief Rindō, Netsuki-san, Tsutsumi, Kido-san, Azuma-san, Kako-san, Fuyushima, Suwa, Raizō, Ninomiya, Sawamura, Reiji, Tachikawa, Shinoda, Kazama, Karasawa-san. Kinuta-san is a non-drinker.

Q270: When someone new is introduced and in characters’ profiles in the manga volumes their ages are recorded, but is this calculated from their first appearance?

Just think of it as from the point of time when the profile was published and you won’t go wrong.

Q271: The bodies the members of Old Border transform into have changed a lot between 4 and a half years ago and now, when was the design altered?

Around the time when the HQ base was completed and the number of engineers increased, they realized that ‘hey now we can change the design of the clothes too’ and redid the designs.

Q272: Please tell us what the agents who received rewards of service used their reward money on.

Put it into savings, gave it to their parents, ate an expensive meal with the team, bought clothes, paid their tab, changed their mobile phone, donated it, got their license, bought a new air conditioner, bought games, went to the hotsprings with their family, started living on their own, bought a bicycle, left it in their desk and forgot about it, and so on.

Q273: Why is the cross-section of Reiji-san’s stomach when he was sliced by Organon in Chapter 62 different from Tsutsumi-san’s cross-section in Chapter 89? I couldn’t help but wonder so I had to ask.

Basically there is no difference, but in rank wars the Trion smoke is drawn white, so it seems Tsutsumi’s cross-section in Chapter 89 look white because of the trion smoke covering it.

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Q274: I want to know how Sensei makes manga.

When it comes to drawing the pictures I don’t really do anything different, so is OK if I talk about how I storyboard?

When I’m making storyboards for a week’s worth of serialization, I first write out everything I want to do, then cut it down until it fits into 19 pages. I don’t really have much trouble thinking up ideas, what takes time is crying as I cut out scenes. I do the beginning and the end first, so I also worry how best to connect them. More and more changes are added as I cut, so I write them out in words in a word processor first (because redrawing pictures is a lot of work). Once 19 pages have been settled, then I start breaking down the panels, like that.

When I’m told to draw a one-shot, I first decide what I want to draw (what I want to do in that one-shot), then I make the characters with that as the focal point, then I try putting them in a setting and find which arrangement makes the story go the most smoothly. Characters that are hard to move or ones that don’t really show up are cut out at this point. When the story doesn’t go well I fiddle with the setting and background. I don’t really fiddle with protagonists. When I fiddle with the protagonist, if I don’t do it with the intention of making a different character, the original image sticks with me and I don’t think that’s good. After that, I make the characters interact with each other, connect the scenes that look like they’ll turn interesting, redo the composition so I don’t divert from what I want to draw, add a bit of ingenuity and then the end, is how I do it I think. This probably also has to be written out in words first before drawing so it can fit inside the stipulated number of pages.

The ‘Elite with Talent Jin’ that is published in this book was also created this way more or less. What I wanted to draw in ‘Jin’ was ‘the awesomeness of the elite with talent I thought up’. From experience, I get the feeling that the more difficult it is to make the storyboard the more doubtful the reception from readers, storyboards that came about quite smoothly get better reception. It might mean that the smoother it is to draw the smoother it is to read.

Q275: When making characters, where do you start, the appearance, personality, profile or something else?

For characters in serialised works, the first thing I decide is the ‘name’. If I decide on a realistic and fitting name then the image wells up in me on its own, and since I start making them interact with other characters in my head, it’s pretty much more than half done. For one-shots, there’s like a ‘component required of that character’, so once I’ve got that down, I decide what kind of name would suit that. And then it’s the same as serialised works.

Q276: Of the characters from World Trigger, which names do Sensei like?

I like Kuga yūma, Replica, Jin Yūichi, Usami Shiori, Kitora Ai, Miwa Shūji, Mikami Kaho, Utagawa Ryō, Tachikawa Kei, Izumi Kōhei, Kunichika Yuu, Tōma Isami, Satori Ken, Tokieda Mitsuru, Arafune Tetsuji, Inukai Sumiharu, Nasu Rei, Kon Yuka, Chano Makoto, Terashima Raizō, Lamvanein, Enedra, Marmod, Rabbit.

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Q277: What do you do when you are stuck on a storyboard or when making the story isn’t going well?

I change the characters’ arrangements and try fiddling with various things. If even that doesn’t go well, I write out the problems in the part where I’m stuck and summarize them, then do something else. If I get all the problems down, the brain gathers information on its own to solve the problems, so just by talking to people or taking a bath the solution will come to me.

Q278: Is World Trigger drawn digitally? Or analog?

The characters up until the draft are done analog, inking and the finishing touches are done digitally. Backgrounds are analog up to the inking, and only the finishing touches are done digitally.

Q279: Why isn’t the weight in characters’ profiles?

Because compared to the height the weight changes day by day.

Q280: How are the characters on the cover of the manga volumes decided?

I draw the character that showed up in that volume, that played an active role in that volume, that I wanted to draw at that time.

Q281: Why and how did you come up with your own zodiac?

It was something I thought up as a game when I was about 20, I like it so I used it. At the time it was 14 signs of the zodiac along with the Otter and the Tiger.

Q282: How many hours a day on average does Ashihara-sensei sleep? And is that in a bed? Or a futon?

Before, the cycle used to be sleeping 3~4 hours a day and pulling all-nighters before the deadline, then sleeping 8 hours once the manuscript was done. After I hurt my neck I started sleeping 6 hours a day. Even nowadays I sometimes pull all-nighters before the deadline depending on the circumstances. When I sleep it’s in a futon on the floor.

Q283: What does Sensei pay attention to/keep in mind when making characters?

It’s just normal, but I take care not to run away and use ‘manga character stereotypes’ (like how the villain is like this, the rival is like this). I think about how I’d like the characters’ each and every action and speech to convey a sense of humanity when I draw.

Q284: World Trigger is rare for a shounen battle manga and depicts ‘group battles’, why did you think of drawing group battles? Please tell us if you have any hangups on this.

It is because it is easier to write developments for group battles compared to 1-on-1. There are a lot of components, so I can create or change the course of events without forcing it. Drawing it becomes very difficult though…. In 1-on-1 the protagonist must do his best with his own power, there aren’t that many factors that can tip the scales of victory and defeat, and it is very difficult to draw the battle itself so that it is interesting and satisfying. (That’s why I think many works rely on drama or a sense of exhilaration)

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Q285: How do you think up the World Trigger’s story with all that minute foreshadowing?

Are they at the point of being called foreshadowing…. I just let out beforehand a little of the contents that I will draw one day, so it’s more like a lead-up than foreshadowing. It’s important to think of future developments up to a point beforehand?

Q286: How do you think of the strategies and techniques for battle scenes?

If the situation and characters are decided properly, in general the characters think them up themselves. I just fiddle with the situation. So I think the circumstances before the battle and the characters’ arrangements are important.

Q287: When it comes to the contents of the battle/depicting tactics, what do you refer to and take heed of?

Maybe how it’s easier when there are weak characters. Strong and composed characters cannot become effective surprise roles, and the story has a tendency of becoming matter-of-fact, so I think it’s really great that Osamu is weak. Also, making sure it doesn’t become technical. I’ve read some books on military strategy and so on, but I don’t use any ideas that look like they won’t be conveyed well in a manga. If it’s too professional the readers can’t understand it, and I think it will lose a sense of reality.

Q288: Not restricted to World Trigger, what does Ashihara-sensei think is the most important thing when it comes to drawing manga or art?

I think, as expected, the most important thing is ‘what is interesting’ (drawing while considering how to convey interest), but my personal theme is ‘stimulating the imagination of readers’.

Q289: Are there any hangups on the differences in first person pronouns (hiragana ore, katakana ore, kanji ore)?

‘Hiragana ore’ has a sociable image, ‘katakana ore’ has a youthful image, ‘kanji ore’ has an adult image. This kind of difference in writing is a kind of expression that is in manga but not anime or other things, so I end up wanting to use them. The difference in speech bubbles is like that too.

Q290: Which chapter does Sensei like the best/has the most emotional attachment to?

There are two, ‘Chapter 79’ and ‘Chapter 85’. For ‘Chapter 79’, I had decided from the beginning that I would do this for the climax of the Large Scale Invasion, so even though I went down a different route from what I had planned, I’m glad I was able to reach it naturally. ‘Chapter 85’ is what I had thought up as the last chapter of the series when I hurt my body and couldn’t move at all, so even now when I read it I feel deeply moved.

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Q291: What lines from the story does Sensei like? I like Usami: ‘Let’s increase the glasses population!’, Suwa: ‘Come on, Mister Black Trigger’, Izumi: ‘Exciting animal bastard’, Miwa: ‘Drop dead’, Osano: ‘Don’t know any of them’, Hokari: ‘Has it come? A new wave in the world of snipers’. As expected, I like the dialogue that characters came up with on their own.

Q292: Which Triggers do Sensei want to use? A: Vorvoros, Viper, Lead Bullet, Escudo. For now, I just want to use a Trion Body and try jumping around.

Q293: Please tell us Sensei’s favorite female character!

Hmmmm, as expected it’s Kitora. Outstanding but awkward, that is she has some immature areas and I like that. Next by a slim margin is Usami maybe.

Q294: Who is Sensei most similar to in World Trigger?

I’m sorry to say there aren’t any….

Q295: Please tell us which characters you view as a hot man, handsome man, beautiful woman, or beautiful girl when you draw them.

People like Torimaru, Narasaka, Arashiyama, Kitora, Ayatsuji-san, Nasu-san, and Ninomiya.

Q296: Is Sensei’s taste in women with short hair?

It seems so. It’s not that I don’t like long hair, but I think I like faces that look good with short hair.

Q297: What food does Ashihara-sensei like?

Pork cutlet. The loin faction.

Q298: Is Sensei a cat person? Or a dog person?

I have owned both dogs and cats at home, but I am overwhelmingly a cat person.

Q299: When Sensei started World Trigger, how much did you research on SF? Did you like SF from the start?

Only to the extent of reading the old SF novels I’ve liked from before, I didn’t really do any research. My awareness of SF as a genre is that it is ‘works where the world in the story is affected by a single technology or system/idea that doesn’t exist in real life’, so stories like ‘Death Note’ count as SF to me. If I have to say, what I like might be closer to what Fujiko F Fujio-sensei called SF (Sukoshi Fushigi/A little peculiar). Because I like Doraemon.

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Q300: Please tell us the books that Ashihara-sensei likes/those that have left a deep impression on you.

There are a lot, but one is Shincho Bunko’s ‘Riryō Sangetsuki’. My friend gave it to me when graduating high school, it feels like I learned the foundations of what makes a character from the protagonist of the middle part ‘Disciple’, Shiro. ‘Riryō’ is interesting too.

Q301: What movies does Sensei like?

There are a lot for this one too, it’s difficult. If I choose something other people might not nominate, it’s Chaplin’s ‘The Kid’. The characters’ relationships and the way it was depicted left a deep impression on me. I also like ‘Back to the Future’ and ‘How to Train Your Dragon’ for the same reasons.

Q302: What sports does Sensei like?

I don’t really like exercising…. For watching, maybe tennis. I watched Wimbledon late at night a lot. I didn’t believe in the existence of a ‘flow’ of the match at all until then, but for the first time I felt that personally and became aware of it. A special sport.

Q303: I want to know who this manager, Koma-san, is, who has been around since the one-shot, and what jobs they do.

They do everything Ashihara doesn’t do. Checking the plot, all the finishing touches on characters, adding in sound effects on Ashihara’s specifications, inking the speech bubbles, uploading the manuscript data to the publishers, thinking up ideas for the bonus pages in the manga volumes and the layout, checking the color manuscripts and so on in the production side. They are also a capable manager who manages the calculating of the staff’s salaries, corresponding with the accountant, buying lunch, ordering consumable goods, simple cleaning of the workplace, gossiping with the editor, and even reviewing soap operas. Favorite food is gyouza, favorite meat is beef skirt steak, favorite paper product is the 10,00yen note, favorite Nanto General (trans: from Fist of the North Star) is Suichouken’s Rei. Their shortcoming is that they are noisy about the bust of female characters.

= World Wide Interview =

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Q1: How did you come up with the story?

A1: Before I consider the story, first I think about the characters and the world of the story.

I put the characters in there and move them around a bit, cutting out the bits that look like they’ll be interesting, so it’s not so much that I come up with a story but more like the characters are there first and then I pursue the actions they take.

Q2: Why did you want to draw a science fiction story, Ashihara-sensei?

A2: It’s not so much that I ‘wanted to draw SF’, it’s more correct to say ‘it became SF in the end’.

After my previous work “Super Dog Rilienthal” ended, I thought of drawing a manga that is Shounen Jump-like, with competition as the main theme. So at first I was going to draw a sports manga, but when I discussed it with my editor, he said ‘No, it’s better if you can do as you please. Isn’t it more interesting to make something new?’, so I said ‘then I guess I’ll think about it’.

On another occasion, I had thought of a story about alien technology coming to earth and everyone using it. In Jump, even if the protagonist has a strange power, it’s usually a case of ‘that power belongs only to that person’, but if everyone can use it to the same extent I feel like some interesting things could be done with it, and the sports manga components that I had thought up might be able to be included as well. By adding in that idea, it turned into SF.

Q3: It has been conjectured that you were influenced by some sort of SF story, so please tell us if there are any movies, TV series, novels and so on that you particularly like.

A3: I don’t usually read or watch things focusing on SF…but during the break after my previous serialisation had ended and I was reading various books, I read the classic Robert A. Heinlein and so on. “Starship Troopers” for instance…also I read “Tunnel in the Sky” once when I was in middle school and it left a deep impression on me. I think I received quite a lot of influence from the premise of ‘a teleportation device with another world on the other side’.

With Japanese works, I have liked ‘Doraemon’ for a long time. I really liked strange technology that no one has seen before, in the real world, and then using them to do something.

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Q4: Continuing from “Super Dog Rilienthal”, “World Trigger” is your second serialisation with “Weekly Shounen Jump”, Ashihara-sensei, what kind of similarities and differences are there?

A4: I think the similarities are that both works have ‘the characters driving the story’. First came the characters, and as the characters come together something happens, and chasing that becomes the story…that process might be similar.

What’s different is that the characters in ‘Rilienthal’ don’t really act in terms of winning or losing.

It has a sense of ‘it’s fine if I lose, someone else capable will probably save me’, so by everyone saving each other, things turn out alright in the end…is the kind of relationship in there. But with “World Trigger”, like I said before, I wanted to draw a story about competition, so even weak people must fight with their own power.

That is a big difference, and I think a harsh story for the characters too.

Q5: When you first thought of “World Trigger”, how did it change from the current developments? And are there any potential new developments that you hadn’t thought of when the story started?

A5: The biggest change from the premise I thought of at first are yūma and Osamu's roles.

With yūma and Osamu's characters, their personalities were in place from the beginning. yūma is very capable, doesn’t really consider difficult stuff and just jumps straight in.

In comparison, Osamu wants to do the right thing but doesn’t really have the strength for it…something like that.

And at first yūma was the Border agent. And Osamu was a normal child who hadn’t enlisted in Border yet.

The two of them meet, and Osamu joins Border…is the story I had thought up…. yūma and Osamu are the complete opposite of each other the way I saw it, so might as well just make everything the opposite I thought, and made yūma a character on the enemy Neighbor side. That was the biggest change.

Thanks to that, the story could go down a slightly unusual path too. Osamu is an underling on the Border side, so it’s a position with quite a bit of hardship though (lol).

Q6: Can you explain Osamu and Yūma's relationship?

From the beginning, I had imagined them working together. I thought it’s more fun to make them the complete opposite if I’m partnering them up, so I made them characters the opposite of each other.

yūma and Osamu's difference is that Osamu is a child that endures quite a lot. Even if he’s bullied, he thinks it’s better to endure it. But yūma is a child who came from somewhere completely different, he’s a child who pays back anything done to him.

A character who thinks, if he doesn’t pay them back for what’s done to him, he’ll be pushed all the way to the bottom. Because that’s the kind of life he’d lead…so I think that is where the biggest gap between these characters is.

I was very conscious of ch1~3 as where that gap between the two of them is steadily revealed when I drew them.

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Q7: If you were to enlist in Border, Ashihara-sensei, what would your position be?

A7: I wonder…I think a Gunner seems fun. But I’m very bad at athletics (lol), maybe Operator (lol).

They haven’t really shown up in the story much, but there’s a department of engineers, and they make and adjust triggers. I think I might have fun there too.

Q8: Who is the character most similar to you, Ashihara-sensei?

A8: Who is most similar to me…? This is really troubling me…I don’t really put myself into my works. I wonder who? When I was young, around primary school age, I was like Osamu (lol).

What about now…There’s a child with glasses in Miwa Squad, that child hasn’t done anything yet, but he’s a whiz at analyzing.

Since he analyses and uses that in his fighting, that child contributes to his team. I like analyzing too, so I quite like Kodera. I want to give him an active role in the future.

Q9: “World Trigger” is quite a serious story, but the pictures and so on under the cover are very funny.

It seems you are quite good at comedy, but that is not really shown in “World Trigger”, so is that why you put it into the extras?

A9: I have liked for a long time how, when it comes to manga, ‘in the extras a totally different side from the main story can be seen’. In the main story of “World Trigger”, I also want to do some comedic bits, but, well, it’s a serious story in general, what should I do…. But if it’s too serious won’t it be tiring to read (lol)?

Q10: There are a lot of characters, but did you want to have a great number of characters like a sports manga from the beginning?

A10: When I decide on a character, I start from just the name. Once I decide on a name, I get a feeling of: ah, this is the kind of guy they are.

So like that I made about 100 people for the time being. In the case of “World Trigger”, it was decided when it began that an organisation called Border was going to show up, so I thought up the characters squad by squad. And in that team, the captain has this kind of personality, the two people under them are characters who look after that person…that’s the kind of stuff I thought about. Then I introduce them in order, from the ones I thought were interesting, so there’s certainly a lot of them, and more to come, probably (lol).

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Q11: What is the most fun thing about a weekly serialisation?

A11: As expected, it’s really fun when readers react to the story. Shounen Jump has a survey system, and becoming more popular bit by bit as the serialisation went on made me really happy.

Especially when I have an aim: ‘if I do this they might find it interesting’, and it hits its mark and the survey results were good.

Next is when readers send in fanletters. I really like reading their impressions and seeing the story from a different angle than what I had assumed.

Q12: In Jump’s ending comments you have stuff like ‘Volume 2 is out!’, acting very happy over the publication, but do you actually go to bookstores to see the comics on the shelves?

A12: I didn’t really go to see them myself. In my place, all the staff go for me, and send me reports by text like: ‘it’s there~’. That is enough to satisfy me (lol).

Q13: I think there’s an official twitter for “World Trigger”, but was that your idea or the editing department’s suggestion?

A13: My editor said ‘I want to do one’, so I just said sure.

Right now, there’s a corner where questions from letters from the fans are answered on twitter, that was something I suggested we could do.

Q14: Please tell us about your hobbies.

A14: There isn’t any time to spend on hobbies while in the middle of a weekly serialization.

But thinking about manga was my hobby from the beginning…when I was between serializations, I watched movies, read books, played games and so on, but in the end it all came back to making manga. Well, that is my biggest hobby I think (lol).

I play games quite a lot, and I’ve played American games that were localized in Japanese.

One I liked a lot recently was “Skyrim”. The worldbuilding was very solid, and all the characters felt like they really exist, that’s the kind of thing I like.

Another thing I found distinctive was how foreign games like “Skyrim” have mods. It’s okay for fans to modify it. That was really shocking! Fans steadily making new weapons and characters, or buildings. That was really fun, and I thought it’d be nice if Japanese games did this too (lol).

Stuff like that, the fun of everyone changing and creating, in “World Trigger” that would be the triggers.

They are technology from another world, but everyone on this side is modifying them and they’re changing steadily. Also, in the world on the other side, there are many nations, but each nation is created and managed by its own people.

I really like that feeling of things being made by people’s hands, so I think that influences me quite a lot.

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Q15: What currently serializing works in ‘Jump’ (besides “World Trigger”) do you like? Do you have the time to read them?

A15: I don’t really have the time, and I’m sorry to say that I haven’t read them all properly. Before, I was just a reader and just enjoyed them, but once I become one of the artists I start analyzing them with a creator’s eyes, so it might be quite difficult to read them purely like before…but there are quite a lot of times when I feel ‘I really like this chapter’.

Recently, ones like “Haikyuu!!”, or “Saiki Kusuo no Sainan”, it feels like they’re already doing the stuff I wanted to do (lol).

“Haikyuu!!” is a sports manga, and sports have a bit of a strange feel to me. Even the opponents share the same skills, so you can teach each other, can’t you. So the relationship is a bit different from a normal war, and I wanted to draw that too, so right now I’m learning from “Haikyuu!!” (lol).

Next, in “Saiki Kusuo no Sainan”, the protagonist doesn’t really think approvingly of superpowers.

In “World Trigger” too there is the ‘Side Effect’ element, but while they are very useful abilities, how do I say it, they are also quite inconvenient, i.e. maybe because of that ability the person’s life becomes a little more tiring, and “Saiki Kusuo no Sainan” did that first, so I think ‘yeah, that’s right’ as I read it.

Questions Regarding Art
Q16: From all of your ‘experiences’ until now, which one is the most useful for a manga artist?

A16: After I graduated high school, I had a part-time job at the front desk of a business hotel, that really comes in handy.

I hadn’t really communicated with people properly until then; I hadn’t needed an ability to communicate beyond what was necessary when playing with friends.

But during that period, at the part-time job I was communicating with guests and my bosses, and I think it really comes in handy now. Even when I’m talking with my editor, I think my experiences from that time really come into play. So it’s not so much with manga, but these experiences are useful when it comes to working a job.

Q17: Which character is the most fun to draw, and which is the hardest? Also, if there is a reason please tell us.

A17: The characters who’re fun to draw are Kitora and Usami from Tamakoma Branch. With male characters, ones like Yōsuke are fun to draw. Kitora's personality is quite two-faced. She is a harsh child, but, how should I say it, is actually quite dumb. I like that kind of character, so she’s fun to draw.

With Usami and Yōsuke, the fact that they’re having fun with life comes through even to me as I draw them.

There’s a feeling that ‘this guy is really living freely as they want’ and ‘living life as they like’. I like characters who feel like they’re enjoying life. Maybe that’s why they’re fun to draw.

Difficult is…maybe Jin. Jin is hard to draw too, because he has a weird hairstyle (lol). But what’s inside is difficult too, and you might think he’s very cheerful but he has quite a lot of darkness. Because he has the power to see the future, I think there are a lot of things he is seeing.

That part shows on his face occasionally, so I’m thinking ‘I wonder what this guy is thinking’ as I draw him (lol). So he’s probably a guy with more going on than what Jin himself thinks there is.

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Q18: Replica tells Yūma ‘to use your black trigger or not, the one who decides that is you’, but does that have a special meaning?

A18: I think that is probably the theme for the story as a whole.

There is a line of thought that, when something happens, the one who makes the final decision is you yourself. So it’s probably not just Yūma, but Osamu for instance, or for the other characters, there is probably a ‘turning point’.

Going down this path is a good thing for Border, but going down that path would break Border’s rules.

But when you really want to do something, the one who decides that is you yourself, and that theme is expressed by Replica saying it.

Various characters stand in front of similar turning points, and, even if not Replica, other people might say something similar to them.

Closing Message
Q19: Please say something to the overseas fans.

A19: I didn’t think about people from overseas reading at all when I started, so I am very happy.

I will draw so that the people overseas too will enjoy this from now on as well, so please keep reading (lol). Thank you!