.hack//SIGN - The People Behind The Avatars

[Artemis]

Perhaps this is a little early, but I felt like putting it up anyway. :P

Has anyone created any theories on who the main characters are in real life? So far the only concrete evidence we have is Bear is an old man and Mimiru is a young girl. But what about:


Tsukasa: Is he a boy or is he a girl? Could that girl at the end of ep. 1 be Tsukasa or was it Silver Knight? Yes, even he could be a girl!

Subaru - how old is she? College-age? Adult? Or perhaps, maybe even very young?

Sora - Is he a child? An adult? Crippled? What do you think?

Kurim - he said he was on a business trip in ep.5. Could this mean he's a successful businessman who spends his free time playing MMORPGs?

And everyone else! Who do you think could possibly be the people behind the avatars?

On a special note: This Friday will be the day I will see the last two episodes of .hack//SIGN. And then I will know EVERYTHING! MWAHAHAHAHA! :D

[Conekiller]

Well, we know Bear is Middle aged or so ("old man") along with the quick shot of him

I remember reading somewhere that BT was a model in RL

we know Mimiru is younger than most of the main characters, based on BT's reaction to her when she was going on about "younger" players

Crim :adult, he was away on a buisness trip

Sora: I picture him as some manic 12 year old

Subaru: it would be so funny if Subaru was some fat guy the whole time who is REALLY into character

Tsukasa: isn't this the point of the show?

Ginkan/SlverKnight: I remember getting the impression from the show that he was a girl. but this just might be the show purposefully throwing us off

[.hack//Tsukasa]

all reviled in ep 26
Tsukasa: Is a ---. and IMO is the ---.
Subaru - a teenager stuck in a wheel chair.
Sora - is a young child in 4th grade. :tom:

remeber the anime ends before the game beguns.

[Sketch]

Well that's not what I expected... well maybe it was. I didn't expect that for Tsukasa though...

[Romanesque]

all reviled in ep 26Correct me if I'm mistaken, but I think this thread was meant to inspire some speculation, not to solicit actual answers. People are tempted, more often than not, to read spoilers against their own interests, so... that probably wasn't a great idea. I'm not asking this as a mod or admin, but in the interest of the rest of the people watching .hack//SIGN for the first time, would you consider removing the spoiler? =x

Just a word of warning folks, do NOT read that spoiler if you have any desire to enjoy the rest of the show to the fullest... or even if you want to enjoy the rest of the show at all, considering that the mystery is nearly the entire point of the show...Well that's not what I expected... well maybe it was. I didn't expect that for Tsukasa though...Too late. -_-

--Romey

[Sketch]

Too late indeed... Well I enjoyed Dragonball Z even though I knew it's ending long before it was finished. I think I'll be okay. I still don't know about many of the characters. I plan to watch some of the Japanese episodes eventually as well.

[Romanesque]

Too late indeed... Well I enjoyed Dragonball Z even though I knew it's ending long before it was finished. I think I'll be okay. I still don't know about many of the characters. I plan to watch some of the Japanese episodes eventually as well.Methinks the nature of this may be a wee bit different from DBZ, but... what's done is done. G'luck, with the rest, anyway.

May this be a lesson to everyone else... hopefully. =x

--Romey

[Amano Ginji]

*Still sad that part of it was spoiled on a different board*

;_;

[Sketch]

Heh I'll be okay... I've spoiled many an anime/manga and still enjoyed it.

[Sketch]

I watched the DVD that comes with the first game. I'm wondering if Bear is Mr. Tokonawa (I think that's how you spell it). The VA sounds similar and the character looks similar, but that could be decieving.

[Hades]

Bear: middle aged. could he be a detective IRL?

BT: not sure. she kind of strikes me as the single mom type. maybe early 30s.

Mimiru: i would say that she is in high school. 17 maybe.

Crim: a young but successful business man. maybe late 20s.

Sora: prolly same as Mimiru. a year or two younger perhaps. he was made to log out and go to bed in one ep. maybe has strict parents.

Subaru: not sure about her. her PC looks 14. but then its sometimes hard to guess the age of anime characters.

Tsukasa: i'm leaning towards a 15 or 16 yr old male. haven't read any spoliers.

[Romanesque]

Heh I'll be okay... I've spoiled many an anime/manga and still enjoyed it.The other problem I've seen with these spoilers (particular to .hack) is that they all too frequently lead to false conclusions, jumped to while trying to resolve contradictory information between what you're seeing in the show and what you've been told is supposed to happen. This then gets compounded when the source you got your spoilers from already had things mixed up. I've seen my share of such cases, and it gets annoying after a while... -_-

Maybe I'm hoping for too much, but it'd be nice to avoid that, here...

Now, for all those who asked in the latest .hack//SIGN talkback, the thoughts running through my head back when I was watching this for the first time, up to the most recent episode! :D

Bear: Early 40's / middle aged, as seen from the clips of RL. No guesses about his occupation.

BT: Getting the impression that she and Bear might know each other in RL and that they're fairly close in age. So probably mid to late 30's...

Mimiru: From both her personality and the RL clip, somewhere between 14 and 17.

Crim: With no reason to doubt his statements in the show, some sort of business person, early 20's.

Sora: Even though I didn't think it likely, I thought it would be interesting if he were a CC System Admin in disguise. :D Say, late 20's or early 30's with a frustratingly childish personality. Hey, there *are* people like that...

Subaru: Roughly the same as both Mimiru and Tsukasa, but possibly as old as early 20's.

Tsukasa: Obviously male, as seen in his flashbacks. You won't notice this in the dub, but in japanese, he refers to himself with "boku", which is a much more masculine (boy-ish) way of refering to oneself than something like "watashi". He even uses "boku" when thinking to himself, so it's not like he's merely role-playing with a male identity, either. Same age range as Mimiru and Subaru.

Ginkan: Probably female, early 20's.

Also, as we know there *is* a comatose female out there somewhere (other than the one who could have been Ginkan or Tsukasa at the beginning), I was thinking that was either the RL identity of Aura (the floating girl) or Maha.

--Romey

[Conekiller]

I love how you're trying to direct our way of thinking there Romey ^__^ but your comments on spoilers is correct, I've avoided readin as many .hack spoilers as possible

I think Subaru works for a car company ^_____^ (that was bad, I know)

[Artemis]

I'M A DOT HACK MASTER NOW!!!!!

I've seen the entire series as of now. I can finally join the ranks of Romey and Fatal (which is unfair considering I was with the show before Fatal saw it. I was even one of the people who told him to check it out when he made a thread asking if he should watch it. And he finished before me! What's up with that? -_- But I digress)

Guess I'm free to bother with the games and .hack//DUSK, finally.

As for my thoughts on who they were after the latest episode they aired on CN:

Bear - Definite old guy. Between 30's and 40's. I was guessing he was some sort of detective, too, but then I remembered: why would a detective or law enforcer play MMORPGs? :p

BT - She and Bear seemed to have history so I figured around the same age. Then her interactions with Sora made me decide maybe she was a college student.

Sora - Probably a college kid who liked to play the jackass in video games. He acted too childish to be older than 20.

Kurim/Crim - Businessman, mid-to-late 20s.

Mimiru - I got the feeling that she was the only one whose online personality was the same offline. 15-17 yr old school girl.

Tsukasa - I was guessing a high school boy, maybe a freshman, who was anti-social. His only solace was online gaming, but he got into it a little too much.

Ginkan/Silver Knight - a girl who was probably in love with Subaru. :p I'm guessing college-age, possibly older.

Subaru - Originally thought it somebody who worked in the game, late 20s.

[Sketch]

Interesting ideas. I can't wait till tonights episode... blast it all 1 hour left! I watched .hack//Liminality and it didn't spoil anything it was all about something in RL. Another comotose kid... Which may lead to Tsukasa, but probably not. I'll just have to wait and see because I don't really believe the spoilers. I'm pretty sure Tsukasa is a boy... I think Bear is Mr. Tokomono on .hack//Liminality... I'll have to see tonight. If it is then I think I know what his occupation is... was.

[Jaguar]

That's the last time that I purposely look for spoilers!
Anyway, about SIGN and Liminality...I was thinking Mimiru would be Mai Minase...ahh I'm prolly just nuts.

[Mackenzie Rainelle]

Having not read the spoilers, here's my take on Sora. When he finally said he had to log out or he'd be scolded, it would have been pretty damn late at night in the real world, so his bedtime/curfew isn't early enough for him to be younger than 10-11 at the most. Based on the curfew, and adding in his personaliy, which I can attach to some teenage guys I know, I figure his age to be somewhere between 12-15.

[Hades]

well last nights ep shot down my theory about Bear. still, his job has to be something that involves research or creative thinking.

[Zechs]

all reviled in ep 26
Tsukasa: Is a ---. and IMO is the ---.
Subaru - a teenager stuck in a wheel chair.
Sora - is a young child in 4th grade. :tom:

remeber the anime ends before the game beguns.
I thought as much in the real world sences that what I thougt character was. ( I'm talking about Tsukasa)

[The_Dominion]

So what is Bear's job? If I had to guess it would be a doctor

[The_Dominion]

I found a site that seems to tell about the characters and the person behind them, go here to learn all, but there are lots and lots of spoliers

http://blackwings.net/hack/sign_char.asp (http://blackwings.net/hack/sign_char.asp)

[Sketch]

That's the last time that I purposely look for spoilers!
Anyway, about SIGN and Liminality...I was thinking Mimiru would be Mai Minase...ahh I'm prolly just nuts.

I thought about that too, but Liminality takes place durring the games arc for one thing and Mai only went into the game twice so far in the OVA. So it couldn't be her. Bear and the guy who asked her about her friends coma sure seem similar. They have very similar sounding voices as well. They may be the same VA which could be missleading. I was begining to think her friend was Tsukasa, but that couldn't be right either. He may have a similar case though.

I think Tsukasa somehow got into a coma and his brain functions were all transfered into "The World" and somewhere his body is there lifeless and no one knows what is wrong or how to bring him back.

[Romanesque]

I thought as much in the real world sences that what I thougt character was. ( I'm talking about Tsukasa)Excuse me while I go throw myself off a bridge with a big rock tied to my neck...

--Romey

[Conekiller]

I thought as much in the real world sences that what I thougt character was. ( I'm talking about Tsukasa)

dood, try that again, in engrish this time. I CAN'T understand what you're trying to say


and you made Romey commit suicide

[Jude Santos]

hyper luigi: im sorry you got spoiled...the whole story is practicaly ruined now. unlike other series', theres an 'emotional baggage' that comes along with it when they reveal it...(you'll know what im talking about)

and please, to people who have seen the entire series, please refrain from putting any spoilers...(copies and pastes romey's sig into mine)

anyhow, here's what i thought before i saw all eps:

Tsukasa: depressed teenage male that does nothing but play

Mimiru, Subaru, and Sora: geeks that dont do nothing but play

Bear: laid-off middle age man

[Disco Pete]

I think that Bear would have to be a doctor, scientist, or engineer. Some kind of work that really makes you think in a logical way. He always has an intelligent response to questions, even if he doesn't know the answer. Definately someone who thinks for a living. Probably has a stressful job, like an emergency room physician or a surgeon, which is why he escapes to The World to let the pressure off.

IMO, BT is older than most of the .hackers, except Bear and (maybe) Crim. I'm gonna have to go with the college student answer, or possibly somewhere in her early/mid twenties.

Crim, definately an adult, but young. He mentioned a business trip, so he must be at least high up enough on the coporate ladder to be sent to other cities (like to meet a customer or supplier, or supervise operations at another facility). Therefore, he must be out of college for a few years, possibly with a bachlors degree. mid/late twenties.

I think Sora is a bit more quiet and reserved in real life that in The World; in fact, that's why he is a jerk in The World. He explores that which he can't express in real life. I think that's why he's my favorite right now, he's kinda like me... I have an inner jackass, but most people see me as this quiet, almost shy guy. Probably in his early/mid teens, close in age to Mimiru.

I've never really though about the other characters, except Tsukasa, and I don't think I'll discuss him. :p

[Sketch]

hyper luigi: im sorry you got spoiled...the whole story is practicaly ruined now. unlike other series', theres an 'emotional baggage' that comes along with it when they reveal it...(you'll know what im talking about)

and please, to people who have seen the entire series, please refrain from putting any spoilers...(copies and pastes romey's sig into mine)

anyhow, here's what i thought before i saw all eps:

Tsukasa: depressed teenage male that does nothing but play

Mimiru, Subaru, and Sora: geeks that dont do nothing but play

Bear: laid-off middle age man

Don't worry about it I'll be okay. I don't even quite believe the spoilers, but I guess now I can play the games and/or look more into .hack//DUSK. It's all good, but people shouldn't use spoilers in a thread about predictions and thoughts.

[Conekiller]

Upon thinking about it I'm starting to think that Bear is a Writer, or a Librarian

[Romanesque]

Don't worry about it I'll be okay. I don't even quite believe the spoilers, but I guess now I can play the games and/or look more into .hack//DUSK. It's all good, but people shouldn't use spoilers in a thread about predictions and thoughts.For those who liked 'The Sixth Sense', it's a good analogy for how .hack//SIGN goes. If you had the ending spoiled ahead of time, there's nothing stopping you from still enjoying the movie, but there's simply no way you'll ever experience it as those who saw it unspoiled. There will always be another half of the experience that you'll never have.

I honestly do hate to burst your bubble, but you haven't gained anything by now being able to play the games or watch .hack//DUSK, because they don't spoil the ending of .hack//SIGN in the first place.

Obviously, I agree with your last statement... but everyone needs to know just how serious this is, so we can hopefully avoid any more cases. =x

--Romey

[Conekiller]

I know who Bear is in Real Life!!!!
the dancing Girl from the opening!!!! :p

(don't worry it's not a real spoiler)

[Romanesque]

I know who Bear is in Real Life!!!!
the dancing Girl from the opening!!!! :p

(don't worry it's not a real spoiler)Or is it...? :D
::evil laughter::

--Romey

[Sketch]

For those who liked 'The Sixth Sense', it's a good analogy for how .hack//SIGN goes. If you had the ending spoiled ahead of time, there's nothing stopping you from still enjoying the movie, but there's simply no way you'll ever experience it as those who saw it unspoiled. There will always be another half of the experience that you'll never have.

I honestly do hate to burst your bubble, but you haven't gained anything by now being able to play the games or watch .hack//DUSK, because they don't spoil the ending of .hack//SIGN in the first place.

Obviously, I agree with your last statement... but everyone needs to know just how serious this is, so we can hopefully avoid any more cases. =x

--Romey

Well gee thanks for rubbing it in...

[Jude Santos]

well, here's a clue to what Bear's occupation, honestly, i dont think its a spoiler and dont play a major role in the series his occupation, as i recall, dont get revealed in the series anyway, here's a clue from last episode that played (or is it the next?) from BT:

"Are you worried about the deadline?"

and another clue, he has the same occupation as one of the main Sohma guys in Fruits Basket.

and as i said above, dont wory, its really not a spoiler

Well gee thanks for rubbing it in...

thats what you get for reading spoilers lol

[Sketch]

Yeah yeah, but you guys don't have to keep bringing it up...

[The Detective]

May spoilers forever be cursed! I hate spoilers! I didn't want to highlight that box, I wasn't going to highlight that box but before I knw it by hand had moved the mouse and hightlighted that box. Thank goodness somebody blanked out the parts about Tsokosa. And thanks to my selective memory which I now love I forgot what the box said about Sora. Too bad I can't forget about Souburo. Shoot. Oh well my thoughts:

Tsoukosa: Not quite sure, probably a high schooler who does nothing but play the World.

Bear-Obviously an older man probably early 40's and up. As for his occupation, I'm still drawing a blank.

Mimirou-I figure a teenage girl, probably 14-17.

Sora-Based on the line "I'll get scolded if I stay up any later" I'm guessing he 14-17. He's proabaly shy and reserved in real life too and acts like a jerk in the world.

[GameBrain]

Lemme tell you folks something. I've watched every episode of .hack//SIGN up to 27 and I'm still drawing blanks on some areas. While we've seen some spoilers in this thread, I believe the characters are only half the mystery. While most of these characters will be tied up rather nicely in the last two episodes (yes, even Ginkan), the same two episodes will open up new questions and make earlier issues even more complex. Those will be the things that really eat you up.

But I digress...

The two question marks I'm still having trouble with are Bear and to a lesser extent BT. Though I don't who exactly BT is, nor do I know what she does for a living, I know enough about her personality that my curiosity is satisfied for now. Bear on the other hand is very interesting. Seeing "Compensation" in English really helped understand some things.

This is merely my speculation, so I hope spoilers aren't necessary.
Based on RL sequence at the end, I'm confident that the guy is Bear's son. Based on the dialog I'd wager that either Bear had the boy in a previous marriage and later divorced, fathered the kid illegitimately and ran off, or put the kid up for adoption. I was sorta sleepy at the beginning of the episode, so I'm not sure about the last two possibilities (I might have misheard somthing the boy said). Whatever the case, it would seem that Bear wasn't around much and that his son sees him as merely an easy source of income, like a distant older relative you don't see often. Remember at the end: "You choose now to get all fatherly on me?! If you don't wanna do it just say so!"

Now, to ask for $5000 is a pretty tall order. The kid wouldn't even have bothered if he didn't Bear had that kinda cash. This could give credibility to the doctor theory, especially considering the time demand that job has, and how little time it would leave for family life. Unfortunately, the "deadlines" don't fit into that field, nor does Bear's ability to access such a wide array of information. I would be more prone to believe that he is a successful writer, as has been postulated on other boards. It fits with everything else in the series so far. If he is indeed a writer, he'd probably be novelist. Journalism doesn't exactly have the best pay and writting for screen or stage doens't garner a steady paycheck, plus it doesn't seem to fit his personality (well, I suppose he could be a playwright, but it seems a stretch to me).

Now that I think about it, he could just as easily be a researcher with some company, perhaps even for a politician. That would give him the most access to all the information he has.

Conclusion: He's smart, no doubt about that. However, he's strikes me more as philosophical than analytical. This leads me to believe that Bear is a novelist. BT seems to be an ex-girlfriend if not an affair that could have broken up Bear's marriage (the latter is pure unsupported speculation).

Wow that was a long one. Anyhoo, in the series, Bear gives Mimiru three chances to guess his job. She's already made one guess (anyone remember it? I forgot), and she'll make at least one more guess before the end of the series.

Romey,

I haven't seen the series since November. Does Mimiru make one final guess at the end of ep 23/24 or is the count left at two?

[The Detective]

Her first gues was a detective. Anyway I think Bear must have money. HIs kid wouldn't have even asked if he didn't think he would. I'm thinking that Bear is a writer of some kind, probably a novelist. And BT and him must be VERY close or related somehow. I mean in COMPENSATION he has his head in her lap and she's stroking it.

[Edward the IV]

really, i think bt and bear we're old boyfriend or girlfriend.^_^;; of course, i'm probably wrong. bear is somewhat of a journalist or novelist i think. I know who Bear is in Real Life!!!! LOL! That made my day.:'D

[Conekiller]

Tsoukosa: Not quite sure, probably a high schooler who does nothing but play the World.


No, he is always online, becuase he CAN'T log out, he entire consciousness lies within the game. he can't do anything about it. in the most recent ep (Compensation) he said "you adults" to Bear, so he's obviuosly younger.