Project ARMS

Project ARMS, simply known in Japan as ARMS, is a Japanese manga series written by Kyoichi Nanatsuki and illustrated by Ryoji Minagawa. It was serialized in Shogakukan's Weekly Shōnen Sunday from March 1997 to April 2002, with its chapters collected in 22 tankōbon volumes. The story follows Ryo Takatsuki, Hayato Shingu, Takeshi Tomoe and Kei Kuruma, four teens who discover that their bodies have been genetically engineered. Despite their differences, they team up and search for answers, leading them to confront an organization called the Egrigori, responsible for the nanomachine technology implanted in their bodies.

It was adapted into a 52-episode anime television series produced by TMS Entertainment and broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 2001 to March 2002. In North America, both the manga and the anime series were licensed by Viz Media. The anime was re-licensed by Discotek Media in 2017.

The manga has had over 15 million copies in circulation. In 1999, Project ARMS received the 44th Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen category.

The story follows a young man named Ryo Takatsuki, who at the beginning of the series believes that he was in an accident causing his right arm to be severed from his body. However, as the story progresses, it is revealed that he was actually a test subject for experiments involving genetics and an "ARMS" nanomachine implant, along with three other youths: Hayato Shingu, Takeshi Tomoe and Kei Kuruma. They all meet under strange circumstances and after many battles they set off on a journey to rescue Ryo's girlfriend Katsumi Akagi, who is kidnapped by the Egrigori, an immense organization founded by Keith White and Doctor Samuel Tillinghast, that operates in the shadows and has bases, research facilities, and agents all over the world, and are the creators of the ARMS technology.

Ryo Takatsuki (高槻 涼, Takatsuki Ryō)

Voiced by: Nobutoshi Kanna (Japanese); Kirby Morrow (English)

Ryo is a polite yet exceptionally capable teenager trained covertly by his mercenary parents, Iwao and Misa Takatsuki, to combat Egrigori. A skilled strategist and martial artist, he demonstrates calm analytical thinking in combat situations while valuing human life above all. Though reluctant to kill, he will do so when necessary. He maintains a deep bond with childhood friend Katsumi, whom he eventually marries; their child appears to be the reincarnation of the redeemed Black Alice.

Hayato Shingu (新宮 隼人, Shingū Hayato)

Voiced by: Shin-ichiro Miki (Japanese); Brian Drummond (English)

Hayato is an impulsive yet justice-driven individual whose traumatic childhood shapes his worldview. At age seven, he witnesses Egrigori destroy his village and Keith Black murder his parents while severing his left arm, later replaced by the White Knight ARMS unit. Raised by grandfather Juzo, he masters Shingu martial arts while obsessively pursuing vengeance against Egrigori. Through his alliance with Ryo's team, he develops emotional control and compassion, unlocking the 'Heart of Water' technique to defeat opponents like Kou Karunagi. This transformation culminates in abandoning revenge to become a protector, accessing his ARMS' ultimate form. His relationship with Kei evolves throughout these events, continuing into the epilogue.

Takeshi Tomoe (巴 武士, Tomoe Takeshi)

Voiced by: Yūji Ueda (Japanese); Brad Swaile (English)

Takeshi initially appears as an unlikely ARMS subject—an intelligent but timid teenager frequently bullied at school. His social isolation and self-loathing trigger his ARMS activation. Through joining Ryo's team, he develops courage and loyalty, fighting to protect his newfound friends and family. His exceptional reflexes complement his ARMS abilities. After sustaining severe injuries from Kou Karunagi, Takeshi enters a dormant state within White Rabbit, communicating with Alice during the Carillon Tower conflict. When offered enhanced power by White Alice, he instead chooses to free her from isolation. Their combined forces merge with Jabberwock, enabling White Alice to confront her darker half directly.

Kei Kuruma (久留間 恵, Kuruma Kei)

Voiced by: Minami Takayama (Japanese); Nicole Oliver (English)

Kei is the sole female ARMS team member, having been raised since childhood by the Bluemen organization as a genetically-enhanced soldier. Unlike other subjects, she possesses full awareness of her ARMS abilities from inception. The Bluemen's dehumanizing treatment fosters profound isolation and aggression, traits that gradually soften through her bond with Ryo's team. These relationships teach her genuine camaraderie, while her growing connection with Hayato develops into a lasting romantic partnership by the series' conclusion.

Katsumi Akagi (赤木 カツミ, Katsumi Akagi)

Voiced by: Tomoko Miura (Japanese); Venus Terzo (English)

Katsumi, Ryo's childhood friend and neighbor, possesses strong compassion and willpower. An unactivated ARMS-compatible embryo created by Egrigori, she shares physical resemblance with Kei. After Ryo's ARMS activation, she provides emotional support until Egrigori captures her. Though apparently killed when Keith White manipulates events to intercept Ryo's attack, she revives following Alice's demise. The epilogue reveals her marriage to Ryo and their child, who may be Black Alice's reincarnation.

Alice (アリス, Arisu)

Voiced by: Aya Hisakawa (Japanese); Tabitha St. Germain (English)

Alice is Egrigori's supreme power and creator of the ARMS system. A child prodigy who communicated with the entity Azazel, she sympathized with Egrigori's child test subjects. After a failed escape attempt at age ten, she witnesses their massacre and merges with Azazel while mortally wounded, forming the Alice supercomputer and the four ARMS cores. This fusion splits her psyche into "White Alice" (her compassion) and "Black Alice" (her rage). While White Alice self-destructs, Black Alice survives through contact with Katsumi, later manifesting as the Bandersnatch before Ryo defeats her. Redeemed by human kindness, she is reborn as Ryo and Katsumi's fully human daughter.

The Jabberwock (ジャバウォック, Jabauokku)

Voiced by: Shūichi Ikeda (Japanese); Paul Dobson (English)

Jabberwock represents the most formidable original ARMS, characterized by rapid adaptive evolution and an unstable, violent artificial intelligence embodying Black Alice's hatred. Initially manifesting as Ryo's enhanced right arm with autonomous defensive capabilities, it later achieves complete synchronization through their mutual anger. The unit grants accelerated healing and transforms into its ultimate state—a rage-fueled crimson humanoid—when activated by extreme hostility.

The White Knight (ナイト, Naito)

Voiced by: Jūrōta Kosugi (Japanese); Michael Dobson (English)

White Knight, Hayato's ARMS unit, manifests in his left arm as White Alice's protective will. It generates hardened combat blades and projectile launchers, with effectiveness tied to Hayato's emotional state. The unit grants accelerated healing and features multiple transformations: a half-transformed state enhancing all physical attributes, and an ultimate armored knight form activated by protective instincts. This final wields the "Lance of Mistilteinn", an anti-ARMS weapon projecting a disabling energy field. Designed as a failsafe against Jabberwock, White Knight's destructive potential creates moral conflict for Hayato regarding Ryo.

The White Rabbit (ホワイトラビット, Howaito Rabitto)

Voiced by: Kōji Nakata (Japanese); Brian Dobson (English)

White Rabbit, Takeshi's ARMS unit, manifests in his legs as White Alice's innocence. It grants superhuman speed, agility, and reflexes, enabling supersonic flight and devastating kinetic attacks. The unit's nano-machines accelerate healing and allow mid-air maneuvers surpassing Egrigori's advanced cyborgs. Its ultimate winged form achieves near-light speeds, generating destructive shockwaves and energy pulses. Like White Knight, White Rabbit serves as a contingency against Jabberwock's rampages. The ARMS' capabilities scale with Takeshi's selflessness and belief in his potential.

The Queen of Hearts (クイーン・オブ・ハート, Kuīn obu Hāto)

Voiced by: Nana Yamaguchi (Japanese); Alison Matthews (English)

Queen of Hearts, Kei's ARMS unit, manifests in her eyes as Alice's scientific objectivity. Unlike other ARMS, it remains unaligned with either Alice persona, functioning instead as an impartial judge. The unit provides advanced sensory capabilities including predictive analysis of attacks and control over teammates' ARMS activation. Its nano-machines accelerate healing, which Kei affectionately calls her "nano-babies". The ultimate form appears as a luminous feminine figure, unlocked by answering "Do you want Light?" rather than seeking power. This form demonstrates undefined but formidable abilities including: neutralizing rogue ARMS units, generating the impenetrable 'Mirror of Aegis' defense, and theoretically destroying all ARMS systems at the cost of their hosts' lives. During the Bandersnatch confrontation, the unit reveals White Alice's visage, likely resulting from Jabberwock's prior activation.

The Bandersnatch (バンダースナッチ, Bandāsunatchi)

Bandersnatch emerges when a dying Black Alice implants an ARMS core in Katsumi during their brief contact. This manifests through disturbing nightmares and behavioral instability, culminating in violent outbursts and eventual possession. Its ultimate form mirrors Jabberwock's appearance in white, wielding nitrogen-based cryokinetic abilities rather than anti-matter manipulation. The unit achieves absolute zero temperatures across urban-scale areas, with the freezing effects dynamically responding to its movements and intentions. The cold manifests as a living extension of the ARMS unit, concentrating its most severe effects around the host.

Project ARMS, written by Kyoichi Nanatsuki and illustrated by Ryōji Minagawa, was serialized in Shogakukan's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Sunday from March 16, 1997, to April 17, 2002. Shogakukan collected its chapters in 22 tankōbon volumes, published between October 18, 1997, and June 18, 2002.

In North America, Viz Media licensed the manga in 2002, and published the 22 volumes from May 1, 2003, to May 12, 2009.

A 52-episode anime television series adaptation produced by TMS Entertainment was broadcast on TV Tokyo. The first season was broadcast from April 7 to September 29, 2001; the second season, known as The 2nd Chapter, was broadcast from October 6, 2001, to March 30, 2002. The first two opening themes are "FreeBird" and "Breath on Me" performed by New Cinema Tokage, and the two ending themes "Just Wanna Be" by Wag and "Call my Name" by Garnet Crow. The second season opening theme is "Time Waits for No One" by Wag, while the first ending theme is "Timeless Sleep" by Garnet Crow, and the second ending theme is "Owaranai Yume no Nakade" (終わらない夢の中で, lit. "The Never Ending Dream") by Project Arms.

In North American Viz Media licensed the series in 2002. The first season was released on nine DVD volumes from October 8, 2002, to May 4, 2004; The 2nd Chapter was released on seven DVD volumes from August 24, 2004, to November 15, 2005. Discotek Media announced during their Otakon 2017 panel that they had acquired the series.

The manga has had over 15 million copies in circulation. Project ARMS won the 44th Shogakukan Manga Award for the shōnen category in 1999.

• Area D, another manga series written by Nanatsuki
• Tantei Xeno to Nanatsu no Satsujin Misshitsu, another manga series written by Nanatsuki
• Sunday vs Magazine: Shūketsu! Chōjō Daikessen, a video game including characters from the series

• Project ARMS official anime website at TMS Entertainment at the Wayback Machine (archived 2020-03-23) (in Japanese)
• Project ARMS at IMDb
• Project ARMS (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia