Mojibake

**Mojibake** (文字化け, *character transformation*) is text that is garbled as a result of encoding and decoding protocols not matching each other. This results in symbols being replaced with completely different ones, often from different languages. It appears in *AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative*, and is closely associated with the character Kuruto Ryuki and the 閭｡陜ｶ荵句､｢邱ｨ Route.

The mojibake that appears in *nirvanA Initiative* is a mishmash of Japanese characters, Chinese characters, and the occasional symbol or English character. It can be translated into something parsable by decoding x-mac-Japanese with utf-8.

## Story

Mojibake first appeared in the fifth scene of "2/10 Chapter Converge - A Strange Tale". While investigating the half body of Jin Furue, Ryuki opened up a QR code embedded in the body that took him to the Fray to Free video. After the video finished, Ryuki entered a silent, dead-eyed state. This concerned Tama, who asked him if he was okay. Suddenly, the world around Ryuki broke down into gibberish, with all the people around him transforming into featureless blue figures. Ryuki opened his mouth to speak and loud, distorted mojibake came out. After three lines of mojibake text, the world returned to normal, with Ryuki brushing it off despite Tama's obvious concern.

***WARNING!!***
***This article contains spoilers for*AI: THE SOMNIUM FILES - nirvanA Initiative *from this point on.Proceed with caution!***

Ryuki's mojibake breakdowns would become a recurring problem throughout the case:

* In "2/12 Chapter Ryuki - Go", Ryuki watched the sequel video to Fray to Free, the Nirvana Trial, and experienced a breakdown almost identical to the one he experienced after watching Fray to Free. After recovering, Ryuki discovered that he had been standing in Yoyagi Park for hours while he'd been trapped in his episode.
* In "2/14 Chapter Ryuki R1 - Well Known", Ryuki was greatly disturbed and disorientated when Shoma Enda appeared to disappear from the Ferris wheel at Misetan, prompting him to enter another mojibake breakdown as he considered the possibility that the world, as Tokiko Shigure had told him, was all just a simulation.
* In "2/15 Chapter Ryuki R1 - Not All A Dream", Ryuki was in Tokiko's office when he turned around and was surprised by the arrival of the woman herself. Whether it was the shock of her appearance, her information that Kizuna Chieda had been kidnapped by Tearer, or a combination of both on top of his lack of sleep and general stress, Ryuki was triggered into another episode, with Tokiko transforming into a blue figure while Ryuki spouted mojibake. When Ryuki returned to the real world, he once again brushed off Tama's concern and continued his investigation elsewhere.
* In New Investigation, Ryuki was prompted by a mysterious voice as to whether he knew the true name of the culprit. Ryuki knew the culprit's full name, which caused him a great deal of stress, as he had learned one part of the name in an alternate, non-canon timeline. This prompted another mojibake breakdown, this one intense enough that even Tama seemed to speak in mojibake when she tried to calm Ryuki down. The guide for this section of the Somnium was also rendered in mojibake.
* In "2/11 Chapter Ryuki - Ought to Know", the Frayer gave Tokiko the Nil Number they had been given six years in the future. This caused Ryuki to experience a breakdown as the time paradox caused a rip in the seam of the simulated world, and Ryuki, Tokiko, and Mamoru Bodai found themselves able to clip through the borders of the office and escape into the black void beyond.

After entering the Nil number in Ought to Know, the game branched into "2/11 Chapter Diverge - 遐ｴ邯ｻ逋ｾ蜃ｺ"- as can be guessed from the title, mojibake featured prominently in this chapter. The title, summary, location, and ending name for the chapter were all rendered in mojibake, as was the dialogue for the glitching Mamoru and Tokiko. This represented the seam in the simulated world that had been torn open by the Frayer's actions, with the "code" to the world ending up distorted as Tokiko and Ryuki glitched out of the game's bounds.

## Gallery

Title card for 2/11 Chapter Diverge - 遐ｴ邯ｻ逋ｾ蜃ｺThe summary for 2/11 Chapter Diverge - 遐ｴ邯ｻ逋ｾ蜃ｺThe scene selection for 2/11 Chapter Diverge - 遐ｴ邯ｻ逋ｾ蜃ｺRyuki speaking mojibakeTokiko speaking mojibakeTama speaking mojibakeMamoru speaking mojibakeThe achievement for clearing 閭｡陜ｶ荵句､｢邱ｨ Route, rendered in mojibake
## Navigation

 Locations | **Tokyo**
*Chiyoda District*: Police Headquarters (Boss's Office, Psync Room, Interrogation Room) • Sunfish Pocket • Sekiba High
*Chuo District*: Horadori Institute of Genetics (Underground, Hostage Room) • Naixatloz Japan Branch (President's Office, Cathedral)
*Koto District*: Harbor Warehouse District • Date Residence
*Minato District*: Studio Dvaita • Aioen Orphanage • Ikume Shrine • Kumakura Office • Sejima Residence • Central Hospital
*Shibuya District*: Lemniscate Entertainment Offices • Yoyagi Park
*Shinagawa/Kabasaki District*: Matsushita Diner • Sagan Residence • Enda Residence • Kabasaki Chemical Plant
*Shinjuku District*: Golden Yokocho (Marble, Brahman World Cuisine) • Misetan Department Store • Tokyo National Stadium
**Side Ryuki:**
Dispossessed • Anyone Imagines • Ought to Know • Nothing to Be Done • Go • Farewell
**Komeji and Shoma Route:** Joy for Anguish • I Found Me • Past Its Ken
**Explosion Route:** Smiles for Tears • Well-Known • The Mind of God • Not All A Dream • She Was the Universe
**閭｡陜ｶ荵句､｢邱ｨ Route:** 遐ｴ邯ｻ逋ｾ蜃ｺ • All This Happened, More or Less
**Side Mizuki:**
Alone • Pass Mildly Away • End Where I Begun • Traveler • Left Behind • The Expense of Spirit
**Gen and Amame Route:** All Living Things • Of Arms and Of Man • Who's There • All That We Are
**Kizuna and Lien Route:** Bid the Soldiers Shoot • Sweet Silent Thought
**Resolution Route:** Hell • Visions • In Truth • Births • The End of Craving • Braver Than All Flowers