BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger

BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger is a two-dimensional fighting arcade game by Arc System Works, the staff behind the Guilty Gear series. The arcade version was released on November 19, 2008 in Japan and November 20, 2008 in the United States and is currently released for the Taito Type X2 arcade system board, with a 16:9 ratio and 768p resolution. The game was later released on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 on June 25, 2009 in Japan and June 30, 2009 in the United States. It is a spiritual successor to Guilty Gear.

Plot
Before the events of BlazBlue, humanity was on the verge of extinction from the "Black Beast", a creature of Darkness. Hope came in the form of six heroes who wielded the power of magic. Together, the six heroes & humanity created "Armagus" a combination of Magic & Technology to defeat the Beast, which would be known as The First War of Magic.

After the war, the Novus Orbis Librarium Armagus (the Library for short) (the New World Void Space Cue Administration Bureau in Japan) was created to govern the new world which has discovered the use of Armagus. Under the Library, Humanity began reconstructing & the world was under their dictatorship. However this caused much dissent for the people due to fact Armagus was used in every issue & the widening socioeconomic gap between those who could use & cannot use Armagus. This dissent would eventually form years later into The Ikaruga Civil War or The Second War of Magic, when the Ikaruga Union openly rebelled against the Library. After the war, the Library imposed a harsher rule on the world declaring anyone that defies them will be killed.

On December A.D. 2199, several years after the Second War, a branch of the Library was utterly destroyed by an SS-class traitor named "Ragna the Bloodedge" also known as "The God of Death." His quest was to destroy the Library. The Novus Orbis Librarium Armagus, hoping to stop him, immediately put the largest bounty ever for anyone who could capture him. Interestingly, Ragna possessed a powerful form of Armagus known as the "Azure Grimoire" (Grimoire of the Blue in Japan), also known as the BlazBlue. This led to the Librarium, as well as the Ikaruga Union and other fighters, to be after not just his bounty, but also his grimoire as well.

Ragna the Bloodedge

 * Character voice: Tomokazu SugitaRagna-full.jpg
 * Height: 185 cm
 * Weight: 78 kg
 * Blood type: B
 * Gender: Male
 * Origin: America
 * Hobby: Cooking
 * Dislikes: Jin, NOL, Haku-Men
 * Dislikes: Jin, NOL, Haku-Men

The almighty force managing the "Operation", in order to obtain absolute power over the world, is this man who has rebelled against the "Novus Orbis Librarium Armagus". Known as the "God of Death", a bounty for his elimination has been placed in all the regions populated with branches of the Librarium. Ragna is said to be a reincarnation of the Black Beast, and also possesses the Azure Grimoire, a powerful form of Armagus, thus leading others to be after not just his bounty, but his grimoire as well. Ragna's heterochromia is revealed in Rachel's ending, which suggests that both of his eyes were green until Rachel bit him, causing one of them to turn red. He is also said to be "blood brothers" with Jin, although he refuses to forgive him for the way he made the inside of his left arm, which currently appears to be mechanical instead of having the usual bones inside it. In game, his tactics revolve around using his power and large sword to keep pressure on his opponents. His Drive Ability is known as Soul Eater, which is used to absorb the opponents life.

Jin Kisaragi

 * Bb-jin-kisaragi.jpg
 * Character voice: Tetsuya Kakihara
 * Height: 178 cm
 * Weight: 61 kg
 * Blood type: A
 * Gender: Male
 * Origin: England
 * Hobby: Vintage Motorcycles

From a prestigious family, this man is a retainer of the Librarium's Kisaragi house. His class is Major. In the past, he had a distinguished military record during the "Ikaruga Civil War" that broke out, and was promoted to the position of Division Commander at an exceptionally young age. He is always cool and calm, though he is a deeply jealous, ambitious, and possessive person, with little care for others. He treats other people like a nuisance, with the exception of Ragna, who is said to be his "blood brother". His Drive Ability is known as Frost Bite, which specializes in freezing opponents.

Noel Vermillion

 * 402947.jpg
 * Character voice: Kanako Kondou
 * Height: 157 cm
 * Weight: 48 kg
 * Blood type: A
 * Gender: Female
 * Origin: England
 * Hobby: Writing Poems

Because of her outstanding combat ability and suitable operation evaluations, she was selected to be Jin Kisaragi's direct subordinate in her youth. The two were acquaintances in the Military Academy, though Noel thought Jin was extremely weak. However, on a certain mission handed down from the Librarium, her preconceptions were changed. She is actually μ -12-, the predecessor of v -13- (both of them are Ark-Enemy units), although she doesn't remember it. During the Ikaruga Civil War, she was found amidst the burning fields of Ikaruga, where she was rescued, after which she was adopted by her parents of the Vermillion family. Her Drive Ability is known as Chain Revolver, which specializes in chain linking her combos together.

Iron Tager (TR-0009)

 * Character voice: Kenji Nomura
 * Height: 240 cm
 * Weight: 550 kg
 * Blood type: Natural oil
 * Gender: Male
 * Origin: Soviet Russia
 * Hobby: Bottle-ships

Originally the leader of a battle unit which revolved around physical combat, he was forced to withdraw from the front lines after sustaining a mortal wound in the Ikaruga Civil War. He was brought back from the brink of death at the hands of the scientist "Kokonoe" and revived as a cyborg, and is currently assigned to a combat unit under the direct control of Kokonoe. He seems to be pursuing Ragna, though his goals are entirely unclear. He is also shown to be working with Litchi Faye Ling, and apparently also knows about Arakune. His Drive Ability is Volttech Battler, which specializes in using electricity and magnetism so he can grab his enemies.

Rachel Alucard

 * Character voice: Kana Ueda
 * Height: 145 cm
 * Weight: 31 kg
 * Blood type: Unknown
 * Gender: Female
 * Origin: Transylvania
 * Hobby: Tea
 * Hobby: Tea

A blood-sucking vampire who is the head of the Alucard family, as the head of the family an enormous castle and a servant have been handed down to her from previous generations. She carries a cat-shaped umbrella called Nago and fights using a chubby, red bat familiar called Gii. She slipped out of her castle in search of fun because she hates to be bored. She also seems to be constantly following Ragna around, which irritates him and causes him to tell her to go home. Her Drive Ability is Sylphide, which allows her to manipulate wind.

Taokaka

 * Character voice: Chiwa Saitō
 * Height: 165 cm
 * Weight: 42 kg
 * Blood type: O
 * Gender: Female
 * Origin: Kaka Village
 * Hobby: Naps, Food

A young Grimalkin of the Kaka tribe who live in the lower class part of Kagutsuchi. Her coat is equipped with massive paw-like hands that include long, retractable claws. She wants to get back the sky above her village that was sealed off with an enormous plate by humans who came to the land and started building a big city. She left her village in search of someone called Ragna after she heard that you could gain a lot of money for defeating him. She doesn't know it, but she is a descendant of bio-weapons created from one of the six heroes, Jubei. Her Drive Ability is known as Dancing Edge: Reckless Kitty, which specializes at dashing at high speeds with a slash attack.

Litchi Faye Ling

 * Character voice: Chiaki Takahashi
 * Height: 170 cm
 * Weight: 58 kg
 * Blood type: AB
 * Gender: Female
 * Origin: Shanghai, China
 * Hobby: Mahjong
 * Hobby: Mahjong

A doctor in the oriental part of Kagutsuchi. Apparently, she is vital to the town because of her profession and her knack for sensing others' needs. She is a subordinate of the scientist Kokonoe alongside Tager, and is currently chasing after Arakune, determined to put an end to his life if neither she nor her fellow subordinates of Kokonoe can change him back to normal. Her Drive Ability is Mantenbou, which manipulates her staff into attacking opponents by itself.

Arakune

 * Character voice: Takashi Hikida
 * Height: 20-200 cm
 * Weight: 5-1000 kg
 * Blood type: Unknown
 * Gender: Male (formerly)
 * Origin: Unknown
 * Hobby: Lurking around in Kaka Village, Eating other lifeforms

Arakune is an occult being that is constantly seeking knowledge. Its body consists of a mask-like face and an amorphous black and red body, which houses innumerable insects. Currently, it lives under the streets of Kagutsuchi. Because it needs to absorb large amounts of life force to continue its existence, it frequently attacks those of the Kaka tribe and humans alike. It also keeps a diary that it writes what has gone on during its life. Recently, it has sensed the presence of a being with unheard levels of life force, which has caused it to stir - namely, a certain "God of Death" possessing the Azure Grimoire. Its Drive Ability is Crimson, which curses the opponent to where several flying insects will attack him/her.

Bang Shishigami

 * Character voice: Tsuyoshi Koyama
 * Height: 192 cm
 * Weight: 105 kg
 * Blood type: B
 * Gender: Male
 * Origin: The Far East
 * Hobby: Justice, Fighting crime

A ninja-turned superhero, Bang has dedicated his life to exterminating evil and overturning injustice wherever he goes. The scar on his face was given to him by Jin, whom he would like to get back at for that exact fact. His Drive Ability is Burning Heart, which places emblems for every fire punch he lands on his opponent. When four of them are replaced, he can then use his Distortion Drive, "Fuurinkazan", which gives him enhanced speed and strength, although he cannot block.

Carl Clover

 * Character voice: Miyuki Sawashiro
 * Height: 144 cm
 * Weight: 35 kg
 * Blood type: AB
 * Gender: Male
 * Origin: Austria
 * Hobby: Reading
 * Hobby: Reading

A young boy wearing a top hat who fights using a large mechanical maid puppet named Nirvana, an Ark-Enemy unit whom he refers to as his sister. He was once a student at the Military Academy alongside Jin and Noel, but he mysteriously dropped out while the other two graduated. Then, having heard of the bounty on Ragna's head, Carl decided to become a vigilante and go after his bounty on his own, with help from Nirvana. His Drive Ability is Auto Maton, which controls Nirvana.

Haku-Men
A samurai-like cyborg/robot who resembles Justice from Guilty Gear. Haku-Men was one of the six heroes who battled against and defeated the Black Beast. Afterwards, he was locked away in the area where the Sheol Gate was located beneath the grounds of the area. Haku-Men follows a code of honor, and says that his sword will purify the world of sin and vanquish that which is evil. Haku-Men is also regarded by ν -13- as a SUSANOOH unit. When defeated as the sub-boss in Arcade Mode, he is suddenly called back by his master, Kokonoe, all the while being angry with his master for interrupting him in the middle of his battle. Unlike every other character, Haku-Men does not possess a standard Heat Gauge. It is instead replaced by a unique gauge that gradually stores up to eight orbs, which are then used in varying amounts for his specials and Distortion Drives. His Drive ability, Zanshin, involves counterattacks.

ν -13-


A Mecha Musume who lives at the Sheol Gate. Her name is pronounced as "Nu". She is an Ark-Enemy unit with a personality that is split between a stoic battle android programmed to terminate hostile subjects and a sweet, pure, and innocent girl (the latter of which takes over when she's around Ragna). v -13- also seems to have a crush on Ragna the Bloodedge - which explains why she acts so strange when she's around him (as said before). She even tries to merge with him in his ending, and says that if Ragna dies, then so will she, and says that she wants for her and Ragna to be together forever, and destroy "this terrible, awful excuse for a world" as she calls Earth together with him. Noel Vermillion's story also reveals that Noel herself is μ -12-, v -13-'s predecessor, which explains why they look very much alike, although Noel forgets who she is by the time she gets to her successor. In Haku-Men's story, he fights v -13- as the sub-boss before fighting Ragna; it is there that she is unable to scan him and recognizes him as a SUSANOOH unit. Her story mainly revolves around beating up and terminating all hostile subjects in her way, where she faces Taokaka as the sub-boss and then Rachel as the final boss, after which her ending shows her consciousness wondering where Ragna is. Her Drive ability, Sword Summoner, revolves around attacking opponents with sword-like projectiles.

Ragna
Upon clearing Stage 10 in Arcade Mode (the boss of which being v -13- for all default characters, Ragna for Haku-Men, and Rachel for v -13-), provided that the player has yet to lose a round and has gotten enough Distortion Finishes, a bonus fight against Boss Ragna occurs. This version of Ragna is permanently in Blood Kain mode (without the energy loss) and has enhanced damage and a slowly refilling Heat Gauge. If the player loses the fight, he/she cannot retry it without playing through all of Arcade Mode again.

It is interesting to note that the boss versions of Haku-Men, v -13-, and Rachel are stronger than their playable versions, though not quite to the extent of Boss Ragna.

Home version features
Not only will the conversion to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 be arcade perfect, but Arc System Works/Aksys Games will also include console-exclusive content not found in the arcades:


 * Console-Exclusive Content! Brand new music, animations, backgrounds, and a fully fleshed-out 30+ hour story mode have been made exclusively for the console release.
 * Dual Language Support! Experience the fully realized BlazBlue saga with fully-voiced dialogue in English or Japanese.
 * Online Battle! Train your skills online through ranked and player battles. Create online lobbies where up to six players can battle each other or spectate from the sidelines to gauge their opponents!
 * Remote Play Support! Owners of a PSP system can Remote Play the game on the go!