Garo: Honoo no Kokuin

**Garo: Honoo no Kokuin** (牙狼〈GARO〉 -炎の刻印-, *Garo Honō no Kokuin*?) is the first animated installment of the *Garo* franchise. Produced by Tohokushinsha Film and MAPPA, it was broadcast from October 3, 2014 to March 27, 2015 on TV Tokyo, with a total of 25 episodes (26, if counting the special episode that aired on September 16, 2015).

The catchphrase for the series is "I'll Take Over the Fate of the Golden Fang that Cuts Down Darkness!" (闇を切り裂く金色の牙 炎の運命は俺が継ぐ！, *Yami o Kirisaku Konjiki no Kiba no Unmei wa Ore ga Tsugu!*?).

## Production

The series was produced after the finale of *Garo: Makai no Hana*. The events of the series occur in Spain during the period of the Spanish Inquisition. The series was created by Keita Amemiya, directed by Yuichiro Hayashi and written by Yasuko Kobayashi.

## Plot

"Where there is cause, Horrors appear and consume humans. But since ancient times, there have been hunters of such creatures. Men donned in armor, the Makai Knights!"
―Narrator**[src]**
After the king of the Valiante Kingdom, under the influence of his advisor, Mendoza, launches a witch hunt that endangers both Makai Knights and Makai Alchemists, a Makai Alchemist named Anna is burned at the stake while giving birth to Leon Luis, who is spirited off by his Makai Knight father, German Luis, to be trained to inherit the title of Golden Knight Garo.

Years later, after Valiante is now plagued with Horrors as Mendoza, revealed to be an excommunicated Makai Alchemist, uses them to assert his authority after usurping the throne, the king's son, Prince Alfonso seeks out the assistance of Garo to reclaim the throne, but also trains as a Makai Knight to become Gaia the Knight of Defense. The fully grown Leon returns to the land of his birth at this time to avenge his mother. Both he and Alfonso meet and learn that they are in fact maternal cousins whose grandfather was the previous Garo.

Though Leon was relieved of the Garo title after Mendoza's assumed death for misconduct, Alfonso contends with the surviving Horrors in his kingdom. After casting away his drive for revenge and deciding to become a protector instead, Leon reclaims his armor and title, and joins forces with his friends to search after Mendoza once it is confirmed that he is still alive.

## Characters

### Allies

* Zaruba
* Jiruba
* Ema Guzman
* Ximena Coronado
* Lara
* Fernando San Valiante
* Esmeralda
* Garm
* Anna Luis
* Gael
* Garcia
* Previous Golden Knight

### Villains & Horrors

* Anima (22-24)
* Mendoza
* Octavia

* Hanamushi (1)
* Metaclim (1)
* Ezol (2)
* Onbla (3)
* Banbora (4)
* Jemitre (5)
* Almar (6)
* Despera (7)
* Moneta (8)
* Anfel (9)
* Blood Moon (11, 12)
* Aboradura (14)
* Convexo (14)
* Medicruz (16)
* Grand Magus (17)
* Mandura (18)
* Arabel (19)
* Resume (20)
* Gemellus (21)

## Episodes

*Main article: Garo: Honoo no Kokuin Episodes*
1. Hell Fire (業火 HELL FIRE, *Gōka*?)
2. Divine Flame (刻印 DIVINE FLAME, *Kokuin*?)
3. Zaruba (契約 ZARUBA, *Keiyaku*?)
4. Bloodville (儀式 BLOODVILLE, *Gishiki*?)
5. Gaia (堅陣 GAIA, *Kenjin*?)
6. Black Knight (騎士 BLACK KNIGHT, *Kishi*?)
7. Sorrow Beast (人狼 SORROW BEAST, *Jinrō*?)
8. Full Monty (全裸 FULL MONTY, *Zenra*?)
9. New Hope (師弟 NEW HOPE, *Shitei*?)
10. Fallen Blood (破戒 FALLEN BLOOD, *Hakai*?)
11. Shadow Slasher (絶影 SHADOW SLASHER, *Zetsuei*?)
12. Blood Moon (暁月 BLOOD MOON, *Gyōgetsu*?)
13. Daybreak (饗応 DAYBREAK, *Kyōō*?)
14. Burning Ashes (彷徨 BURNING ASHES, *Hōkō*?)
15. Geste (武勲 GESTE, *Bukun*?)
16. Project G (職人 PROJECT G, *Shokunin*?)
17. Cure (医術 CURE, *Ijutsu*?)
18. Snow Fall (雪夜 SNOW FALL, *Yukiyo*?)
19. Scar Flame (幻炎 SCAR FLAME, *Gen'en*?)
20. Tempest (黒翼 TEMPEST, *Kokuyoku*?)
21. Double Dealer (侍女 DOUBLE DEALER, *Jijo*?)
22. Knights (父子 KNIGHTS, *Fushi*?)
23. Dreadly Focus (結界 DREADLY FOCUS, *Kekkai*?)
24. Doom (月食 DOOM, *Gesshoku*?)
25. Chiastolite (光芒 CHIASTOLITE, *Kōbō*?)
26. Home (糸車 HOME, *Itoguruma*?)

**Movies**

1. *Garo: Divine Flame* (牙狼〈GARO〉-DIVINE FLAME-, *Garo Dibainu Furēmu*?)

## Cast

* Leon Luis (レオン・ルイス, *Reon Ruisu*?): Daisuke Namikawa (浪川大輔, *Namikawa Daisuke*?)
	+ Leon Luis (child): Chisa Horii (堀井千砂, *Horii Chisa*?)
* German Luis (ヘルマン・ルイス, *Heruman Ruisu*?): Kenyu Horiuchi (堀内賢雄, *Horiuchi Ken'yū*?)
* Alfonso San Valiante (アルフォンソ・サン・ヴァリアンテ, *Arufonso San Variante*?): Katsuhito Nomura (野村勝人, *Nomura Katsuhito*?)
* Madou Ring Zaruba (魔導輪ザルバ, *Madōrin Zaruba*?): Hironobu Kageyama (影山ヒロノブ, *Kageyama Hironobu*?)
* Jiruba (ジルバ, *Jiruba*?): Aya Endo (遠藤綾, *Endō Aya*?)
* Ema Guzman (エマ・グスマン, *Ema Gusuman*?): Romi Park (朴璐美, *Paku Romi*?)
* Ximena Coronado (ヒメナ・コロナード, *Himena Koronādo*?): Yumi Sudo (須藤祐実, *Sudō Yumi*?)
* Lara (ララ, *Rara*?): Madoka Aiba (逢葉まどか, *Aiba Madoka*?)
* Fernando San Valiante (フェルナンド・サン・ヴァリアンテ, *Ferunando San Variante*?): Mitsuhiro Goto (後藤光祐, *Gotō Mitsuhiro*?)
* Esmeralda (エスメラルダ, *Esumeraruda*?): Natsumi Tada (多田なつみ, *Tada Natsumi*?)
* Garm (ガルム, *Garumu*?): Mayu Udono (鵜殿麻由, *Udono Mayu*?)
* Anna Luis (アンナ・ルイス, *Anna Ruisu*?): Eri Ozeki (大関英里, *Ōzeki Eri*?)
* Gael (ガエル, *Gaeru*?): Chafurin (茶風林, *Chafūrin*?)
* Garcia (ガルシア, *Garushia*?): Katsuhisa Houki (宝亀克寿, *Hōki Katsuhisa*?)
* Rafael Banderas (ラファエロ・ヴァンデラス, *Rafaero Banderasu*?): Hidetaka Tenjin (天神英貴, *Tenjin Hidetaka*?)
* Previous Golden Knight (先代黄金騎士, *Sendai Ōgon Kishi*?): Kazuhiro Yamaji (山路和弘, *Yamaji Kazuhiro*?)
* Mendoza (メンドーサ, *Mendōsa*?): Takaya Hashi (土師孝也, *Hashi Takaya*?)
* Octavia (オクタビア, *Okutabia*?): Mari Doi (土井真理, *Doi Mari*?)
* Bernando Dion (ベルナルド・ディオン, *Berunarudo Dion*?): Hiroshi Yanaka (家中宏, *Yanaka Hiroshi*?)

## Songs

Opening theme
* "Honoo no Kokuin -DIVINE FLAME-"
	+ Lyrics: Masami Okui
	+ Composition: Hiroshi Kitadani
	+ Arrangement: Kenichi Sudo
	+ Artist: JAM Project
	+ Episodes: 1-12
* "B.B."
	+ Lyrics: Hironobu Kageyama
	+ Composition: Yoshiki Fukuyama, Hironobu Kageyama
	+ Arrangement: Hirofumi Miyake, Kenichi Sudo
	+ Artist: JAM Project
	+ Episodes: 13-24

Ending theme
* "CHIASTOLITE"
	+ Lyrics & Artist: Sayaka Sasaki
	+ Composition & Arrangement: Tahaka Tachibana, Yosei Teikoku
	+ Episodes: 1-12
* "FOCUS"
	+ Lyrics & Artist: Showtaro Morikubo
	+ Composition & Arrangement: R・O・N
	+ Episodes: 13-24

## Notes

* "Honoo no Kokuin" can be translated as "The Carved Seal of Flames".
* The series was licensed for streaming in North America by Funimation.
* *Garo* is one of the few tokusatsu shows to make the leap into an anime series. Most tokusatsu shows try to avoid going into anime spinoffs due to licensing problems or just general corporate hostility from the creators.
	+ A notable example of this is the manga, *Kamen Rider Spirits*, despite many fans wanting it to be an anime, Toei forced the artists and authors to sign a contract not to license it to any animation studio as the Ishinomori estate would not authorize it.

## References

1. ↑ "「牙狼＜GARO＞」アニメ化決定 劇場映画、TVシリーズなど新作企画続々発表 | アニメ！アニメ！". Animeanime.jp. 2013-11-24. http://animeanime.jp/article/2013/11/24/16444.html. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
2. ↑ "人気特撮シリーズ『牙狼＜GARO＞』2014年以降の新ラインアップ発表！ - CNET Japan". Japan.cnet.com. 2013-11-25. http://japan.cnet.com/release/30058319/. Retrieved 2013-11-25.
3. ↑ "Garo Anime's Main Cast Announced". Anime News Network. 2014-08-13. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-08-12/garo-anime-main-cast-announced/.77536. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
4. ↑ "2014年秋放送予定のTVアニメ『牙狼〈GARO〉-炎の刻印-』、メインキャストが浪川大輔・堀内賢雄らに決定。9月18日... | moca". Moca-news.net. http://moca-news.net/article/20140810/201408100000a/01/. Retrieved 2014-08-16.
5. ↑ http://tokusatsunetwork.com/2014/08/08/characters-crew-revealed-for-garo-anime/
6. ↑ "Funimation Streams Gonna be the Twin-Tails!!, Ushinawareta Mirai o Motomete, Daitoshokan no Hitsujikai, Garo, Bahamut, Donten ni Warau, Lord Marksman & Vanadis". Anime News Network. 2014-10-03. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-10-03/funimation-streams-gonna-be-the-twin-tails-ushinawareta-mirai-o-motomete-daitoshokan-no-hitsujikai-garo-bahamut-donten-ni-warau-lord-marksman-and-vanadis/.79536.

## External links

* Official website
* *Garo: Honoo no Kokuin* at TV Tokyo
* *Garo: The Animation* at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
* *Garo: Divine Flame*

 Films/Spin-offs
 Anime
 Other media