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Wolf's Rain
Wolf's Rain - Anime 2
Anime
Japanese: ウルフズ・レイン
Romaji: Urufuzu Rein
Genre(s): Dark fantasy, Dystopian, Post-apocalyptic
Director: Tensai Okamura
Producer(s): Masahiko Minami

Minoru Takanashi
Go Haruna

Writer(s): Keiko Nobumoto
Composer(s): Yoko Kanno
Studio: Bones Inc.
Licensor(s): Funimation(NA)

Madman Entertainment(AUS)
Anime Limited(UK)

Original Network: Fuji TV
English Network(s): Adult Swim(US)

Rapture TV(UK) AnimeCentral, Vice on TV
Animax(IN)
Animax(SEA)
Animax(ZA)

Original Run: April 23, 2003 — February, 2004
# of Episodes: 30
Manga
Japanese: ウルフズ・レイン
Romaji: Urufuzu Rein
Genre(s): Dark fantasy, Dystopian, Post-apocalyptic
Demographic: Seinen
Illustrator: Toshitsugu Iida
Publisher: Kodansha
Original Release: July 23, 2003 — February 23, 2004
English Publisher: Viz Media(NA)
English Release: May 3, 2005 — June 14, 2005
Magazine: Magazine Z
Original Run: April 23, 2003 — February, 2004

Wolf's Rain (ウルフズ・レイン, Urufuzu Rein) is an anime television series created by writer Keiko Nobumoto and produced by Bones. It was directed by Tensai Okamura and featured character designs by Toshihiro Kawamoto with a soundtrack produced and arranged by Yoko Kanno.

Wolf's Rain spans twenty-six television episodes and four OVA episodes, with each episode running approximately twenty-five minutes.

The series was originally broadcast in Japan on Fuji TV and the anime CS television network, Animax. The complete thirty episode series is licensed in North America, release by Funimation, in Europe by Beez Entertainment and in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment.

The series was adapted into a short two-volume manga series written by Keiko Nobumoto and illustrated by Toshitsugu Iida. The manga, which was released while the series was airing, is a retelling of the story rather than an adaptation. It was originally serialized in Magazine Z and has been released in North America by Viz Media.

Plot[]

According to an old legend, when the end of the world comes, a place known as Paradise will appear. However, only wolves will know how to find it. Although wolves are believed to have been hunted to extinction nearly two hundred years ago, they still exist, surviving by casting illusions over themselves to make them appear human. Freeze City is a northern human city in a world where the majority of people live in poverty and hardship.


Kiba, an injured lone white wolf, goes to Freeze City following the scent of the Lunar Flower, which is the key to opening Paradise. There he encounters Tsume, Hige and Toboe, three other wolves who were drawn to the city by the scent of the Lunar Flower and are now living in the city. The wolves encounter Quent Yaiden and his dog, Blue. Quent is a former Sheriff of the little northern village, Kyrios who is obsessed with hunting down wolves, and drinking his pains away. Cheza, the Flower Maiden who is destined to lead the wolves to Paradise, is being studied at a laboratory under the care of Cher Degré. She is awakened by the smell of wolf's blood. As Kiba and Hige approach the lab to find her, she is stolen away by Lord Darcia III, whose ancestors created Cheza.

With the Flower Maiden gone, the wolves have no reason to stay in the city. Despite some initial misgivings and suspicions, they decide to stay together and follow Kiba in his search for the Flower Maiden and Paradise. As they pursue Cheza, the wolves travel through various cities and the remnants of former habitations. Cher joins the city's army to try to recover Cheza, while Cher's ex-husband, Hubb Lebowski, searches desperately for Cher. Quent continues his relentless pursuit of the wolves. When Blue eventually encounters Cheza, the meeting awakens her wolf blood from dormancy and causes her to leave Quent and take on her own human form. She joins the wolves and travels with them for a while, developing an close relationship with Hige. Meanwhile Hubb finds himself traveling with Quent, who is now searching for Blue as well as the wolves. Hubb eventually finds Cher and from there they continue their pursuit of the wolves to find Cheza.

Together the wolves reach Darcia's Keep after Kiba goes off on his own. Hubb, Cher and Quent arrive at the Keep, and Tsume, Toboe, and Hige find the white wolf, Noble and Flower Maiden during a sword fight between Darcia and Kiba. The reunion is short-lived however, as Jaguara's troops attack, destroying the Keep in the process. The Noble's troops capture Cheza, Hubb, Cher and Blue during the raid, separating Kiba from the rest of the pack. After finding Kiba, the wolves continue their journey to rescue the Flower Maiden, while Cher rescues Blue and manages to find Cheza with help from Hubb. Jaguara's troops once again, capture Cheza, taking Hubb with them. Cher and Blue are then forced to find Cheza on their own.

The wolves and the humans eventually come together in Jaguara's city, Lost City, where Cheza is being held. In an attempt to rescue Cheza, Kiba, Tsume and Toboe are captured. Tsume and Toboe are thrown into a dungeon with Hubb while Jaguara attempts to use Kiba's blood to force Paradise to open. Meanwhile, Hige and Blue are reunited outside the Keep, where Hige remembers that he had once worked for Jaguara and decides to go rescue his friends, but not before telling Blue to stay outside. While waiting for Hige, Blue is reunited with her master, Quent.

Else where is Darcia, having survived the attack on his Keep, interrupts Jaguara's ceremony as Kiba and the other wolves break free and rush to free the Flower Maiden. Hige is wounded during the fight against Jaguara and Kiba arrives after Darcia is poisoned by the Noble. Darcia battles Jaguara along with Kiba and finally slays her as the Keep begins to collapse; ending the anime's original 26-episode run.

As the OVA episodes begin, the wolves and the humans escape Lost City, which has fallen into chaos. Quent is gravely wounded saving Blue from an oncoming vehicle, but the two are found by Hubb and Cher, and subsequently by the wolves and Cheza. Together, they all continue making their way to Paradise, pursued by the now insane Darcia. As the Earth begins to fall into destruction, Cher dies when the car falls off a cliff. Soon after, Toboe is accidentally shot by Quent when he tries to shoot Darcia who in turn kills Quent. Hubb tries to keep up with the remaining wolves, climbing up the side of a mountain face, but slips and falls to his death. Darcia attacks the remaining wolves, killing Hige, Blue, and Tsume. With all comrades dead, only Kiba, Cheza and Darcia are alive at the place where Paradise can be opened. Darcia and Kiba battle over who will open Paradise, in which Kiba is fatally wounded. Darcia dies when he attempts to enter Paradise and is subsequent rejected, due to not being a true wolf. Kiba finds Cheza as she dies and disintegrates into seeds. On the brink of his own death, Kiba concludes that his quest has failed. Rain then begins to fall and Cheza's seeds grow into thousands of lunar flowers. As he dies, Kiba falls into the water's depths but sees the blood red moon turning back to its normal color. Cheza's death causes Paradise, as well as the world, to be reborn. However, Darcia's corruption can be seen taking root in this the opened Paradise.

The final scenes take place in what appears to be a 21st-century city. Kiba, seemingly reincarnated as a human, passes other humans who resemble Tsume, Hige and Toboe; a lunar flower is seen blooming in an alleyway.


Manga adaptation changes[]

The two-volume manga adaptation includes some of the core events of the anime series with few changes, but as a whole, the manga veers greatly from its anime origins. Many events from the anime do not occur in the manga, and some of the events from the anime that are presented in the manga are completely different in terms of dialogue, chronological sequence, and final outcomes.

In particular, the second volume tells an almost completely different story, with Darcia recruiting Blue to help him open the door to Paradise with her blood. The wolves must go to Darcia's Keep, rather than Jaguara's, in order to free Cheza, with Kiba missing but appearing at the end to make the final rescue effort. At the end of the manga, the four wolves and Cheza are sitting on a rock as the clouds break and sunlight streams through for the first time. The world rejoices the end of the Ice Age and rumors that Paradise has been found abound. In the manga most of the characters are similar in appearance and personality to their anime counterparts, but some characters seen in the anime do not appear in the manga, including the Noble, Lord Orkham.

Main characters[]

Kiba (キバ, lit. "Fang") is a white wolf who is dedicated solely to finding the Lunar Flower and opening the way to Paradise. He will protect Cheza with his life. Kiba primarily acts on his instincts, which sometimes lead him to behave rashly. Full of wolf-pride, Kiba initially expresses disgust at wolves who use human disguises, but eventually realizes that it is necessary to survive.
Voiced by: Mamoru Miyano (Japanese); Johnny Yong Bosch (English, Bandai Visual dub)


Tsume (ツメ, lit. "Claw") is a gray wolf with a large X-shaped scar across his chest, not counting many others. Rough and self-reliant, Tsume is a strong fighter who keeps his true feelings to himself. He joins the others after his human gang in Freeze City betrays him. He does not initially believe in Paradise, but eventually starts to believe in their goal after seeing the great sacrifices his new pack was making in order to open Paradise. Though he frequently quarrels with Kiba over their journey, he eventually accepts his leadership and comes to trust in him, also growing protective of Toboe and eventually forming a brotherly relationship with him.
Voiced by: Kenta Miyake (Japanese); Crispin Freeman (English, Bandai Visual dub)

Hige (ヒゲ, lit. "Whiskers") is a brown wolf with a carefree attitude, who seems quite comfortable living in human society. Hige likes to chase after girls and eat, and due to the former, he is a bit chubby. After meeting Kiba, he goes along with the idea of searching for Paradise without much argument. Hige wears a collar around his neck, that seems to attract soldiers of the Noble, Lady Jaguara, leading him to put his newly formed wolf pack in danger and himself in pain.
Voiced by: Akio Suyama (Japanese); Joshua Seth (English, Bandai Visual dub)

Toboe (トオボエ, Tōboe, lit. "Howling") is a red/brown wolf and the youngest of the group. He is considered as "the runt" by the others, but after he desperately fights and fends off a huge walrus during the journey to rescue Cheza from Jaguara; afterwhich, the other wolves change their mind about him. He was raised by an old woman who found him outside the city, and still wears the bracelets she gave him. Due to his upbringing, Toboe is friendly and protective towards most humans. He forms a brotherly relationship with Tsume, following him like a younger brother would.
Voiced by: Hiroki Shimowada (Japanese); Mona Marshall (English, Bandai Visual dub)

Cheza (チェザ, Cheza) is also called the "Flower Maiden". The wolves need Cheza to find and open the gateway to Paradise. She was created via the alchemy of a Lunar Flower, and as such, needs water and sunlight to survive. Originally asleep and under study in a lab in Freeze City, Cheza is eventually able to join the wolves and travels with them. She refers to herself in the third person, usually adapted to "this one". The spilling of wolf's blood makes Cheza scream. She also has the ability to heal the wolves or put them at ease or to sleep through her song and touch.
Voiced by: Arisa Ogasawara (Japanese); Sherry Lynn (English, Bandai Visual dub)

Blue (ブルー, Burū) is a blue wolf-dog hybrid. At first, she travels along with Quent Yaiden, hunting wolves. But after Blue finds out that she is actually half-wolf, and unwilling to hunt her own kind, Blue leaves Quent to join the four wolves, eventually developing a close bond with Hige. She is strong, fearless and independent.
Voiced by: Mayumi Asano (Japanese); Jessica Strauss (English, Bandai Visual dub)

Lord Darcia III (ダルシア卿, Darushia-kyō) The third generation of the Darcia family of Nobles, who were said to be cursed after Darcia the First disappeared after attempting to open Paradise. Due to his grandfather's curse, Darcia is now plagued with the eye of a wolf. He seeks to use Cheza to somehow revive his lover Harmona, who has been stricken with "Paradise sickness", causing her to fall into a comatose-like state. But Harmona's death changes that plan, driving Darcia insane.
Voiced by: Takaya Kuroda (Japanese); Steve Blum (English, Bandai Visual dub)

Lady Jaguara (ジャガラ卿, Jagara-kyō) Part of one of the three feuding Noble Families, Jaguara fell in love with Darcia to the point of obsession but was rejected by him for her younger sister, something which she never forgave Harmona for. She began to set up an ancient spell used by Lord Darcia the First to create a 'Noble's Paradise' to please and lure Darcia to her, abducting Cheza from Darcia's Keep. She serves as a secondary antagonist.
Voiced by: Atsuko Tanaka (Japanese); Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (English, Bandai Visual dub)

Hubb Lebowski (ハブ・リボウスキー, Habu Ribōsukī) is a police detective and ex-husband of Cher Degré. He is still very much in love with Cher and seeks to protect her, often half-jokingly asking if they still have a chance together. After Quent shot Kiba, he was detained and questioned by the police, including Hubb, at which point Quent said that the animal he had shot was no mere dog, but a wolf. After hearing this Hubb begins to obsess over the matter. He finds a copy of the banned Book of the Moon in Cher's apartment after she leaves to hunt Cheza with a commander of the army employed by Lord Orkam. Reading through the book, Hubb becomes completely and utterly enthralled with wolves and teams up with Quent as he continues his search for Cher.
Voiced by: Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese); Bob Buchholz (English, Bandai Visual dub)

Cher Degré (シェール・ドゥグレ, Shēru Dugure) is a scientist involved in studying Cheza. She is fascinated by Cheza and desires to understand her and her purpose. She and Hubb were once married, but divorced after her work with Cheza became more important than their marriage. She spends time for a while with Lord Darcia who divulges in her the history of his family and his motives surrounding Cheza.
Voiced by: Kaho Koda (Japanese); Kari Wahlgren (English, Bandai Visual dub)

Quent Yaiden (クエント・ヤイデン, Kuento Yaiden) is an ex-sheriff from the town of Kyrios. The destruction of his village and the killing of his wife and son Ruus by what he thought was a pack of wolves led to his deep and abiding hatred for wolves, which is rivalled only by his perpetual desire for a stiff drink. He lives a life on the go with only his dog, Blue, to keep him company and aid him in his pursuit of wolves to kill. Quent's suspicions of the existence of wolves is always scoffed at by those who believe wolves are extinct, but when he meets Toboe for the first time in Freeze City, his purpose is refueled. After Blue discovers her relations to the wolves, Quent struggles between his hatred for wolves and the newfound knowledge that they weren't responsible for the death of his family.
Voiced by: Unsho Ishizuka (Japanese); Tom Wyner (English, Bandai Visual dub)


Theme Songs[]

Opening theme "stray"
Lyrics: tim jensen, Composition/Arrangement: Yoko Kanno, Singer: Steve Conte
Ending theme "Gravity"
Lyrics: troy, Composition/Arrangement: Yoko Kanno, Singer: Maaya Sakamoto
Ending theme "Tell Me What the Rain Knows" (Episode 26)
Lyrics: Chris Mosdell Composition/Arrangement: Yoko Kanno, Singer: Maaya Sakamoto

Reception[]

Anime[]

In Japan, Wolf's Rain ranked third among anime series airing in the same time slot behind Air Master and Dear Boys. The series was considered "a big hit in 2004" for the North American market; selling well in mass markets as well as online markets and at independent retailers. ICv2 notes that it has "a strong appeal to the growing teen and older anime audience." The series was selected as one of the top ten anime properties of 2005 for the ICv2 Retailers Guide to Anime/Manga. Its release was also a central reason Bandai Entertainment earned the ICv2 Anime Company of the Year award for 2004.

Tasha Robinson of SciFi Weekly praised the series for its unusual focus on non-human characters and the interesting dynamic of wolves behaving like wolves as they interact with the human characters and environments in the series. Carlo Santos of Anime News Network praised the visuals of the series, noting that they "showcase Studio BONES at their most imaginative, with beautiful backgrounds that depict settings from high-tech mysticism to urban decay to open wilderness. The character designs are equally striking: in their human form, the wolves wear contemporary outfits, making them the most accessible of all characters." Both Santos and Chris Beveridge of Mania.com noted that the Region 1 DVD volume containing the four recapitulation episodes should be left unbought and skipped as a waste of money; however, they praised Bandai's release of the episodes for putting the episodes on a single volume, unlike in the Japanese release where they were spread over two DVDs requiring them to be bought to get the new episodes on the same volumes. Other critics have complained that while the show had an original and innovative storyline with beautiful visuals and appealing characters, the episodes themselves were poorly paced, undeveloped, and plagued with plot holes.

In The Anime Encyclopedia, Jonathan Clements and Helen McCarthy criticized the production delays and the hiatuses that led to the creation of the four recap episodes, stating that "if the makers had spent less time recounting the story so far, they might have had more than enough space to finish the entire run within the requisite 26 episodes". They praised the series' soundtrack, feeling it supported "the atmosphere and character development", and felt the "moody, dark, and understated" art was attractive.

Yoko Kanno's soundtrack for the series has also been hailed for its beauty and the way it adds to the series' emotional impact. The instrumental tracks were found to mirror the show's tone perfectly, evoking feelings of sorrow and loss. According to one reviewer, the soundtrack "...shows [Kanno's] skills as both composer and pianist..." and is "...a treat to hear." Kanno's work in the series was nominated for an Annie Award in the "Music in an Animated Television Production" category in 2006.

Manga series[]

The Wolf's Rain manga adaptation has also enjoyed success in the North American market, with the second volume being the ninth best-selling graphic novel on the Nielsen BookScan list for February 13, 2007. It was considered a "major manga hit" among manga series adapted from an anime series. Anime News Network's Liann Cooper praised its artwork, but also felt its short length and rushed storyline made it hard to connect to the characters. He also felt the supporting characters, Cher, Hubb and Quent, were only included "just to have them included". Carlo Santos, also of Anime News Network, praised the "snappy pacing" while also considering it the primary downfall of the series. In reviewing the series for Manga: The Complete Guide, Rebecca Brown felt the series was a "transparent grab for cash" and criticized its extreme brevity and the art, which she felt was "barely adequate and at times not even that."

Media releases[]

Broadcast[]

The Wolf's Rain anime series was produced by BONES and directed by Tensai Okamura. Keiko Nobumoto was the writer and story editor, while Toshihiro Kawamoto created the character designs. The series premiered in Japan on Fuji TV on January 6, 2003 and ran for a full season of twenty-six episodes, with the final episode airing on July 29, 2003. A four-episode OVA was later created and released to DVD to provide a fuller conclusion to the story than the original television run did, and to make up for the four recapitulation episodes that were originally broadcast in the middle of the series. The first two OVA episodes were released on January 23, 2004, with the final two released a month later on February 25, 2004. Animax also aired the series on its respective networks worldwide, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, South Asia, Latin America, Germany and Brazil.

Except for the four recap episodes, the entire Wolf's Rain anime series aired in the United States as part of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim lineup in 2004. It was broadcast on Europe's digital specialty station Rapture TV from November 14, 2005 to July 6, 2006. It also aired in the UK on AnimeCentral starting November 4, 2007, with only the first 26 episodes airing.

For other broadcast channels and airdates, see Wolf's Rain (anime).


Home release[]

Wolf's Rain was licensed for Region 1 DVD release by Bandai Entertainment. The entire series, including the four OVAs, were released in seven individual volumes that contained four episodes, except for the first two volumes, which had five episodes. With the first volume, Bandai offered a stand-alone version and a limited edition version, which included an art box, Kiba plushie, and the first CD soundtrack. Bandai also released the thirty episodes in a complete series box set and in a two-part "Anime Legends" collection. Funimation has since licensed the series following the closure of Bandai Entertainment and released the series on a Blu-ray and DVD combo pack on February 7, 2017.

For home releases in other regions, see Home Release.


Original Soundtrack[]

All of the music for the Wolf's Rain soundtrack was composed and arranged by Yoko Kanno. The vocal songs are performed by various artists, including Maaya Sakamoto, Raj Ramayya, Ilaria Graziano, Steve Conte and Joyce, and they were recorded around the world, including Japan, Poland, Brazil, the United States, and Italy to offer a diverse range of music and give the soundtrack an international flavor. Two CD soundtracks, produced by Yoko Kanno, Toshiaki Ota, and Shiro Sasaki, were released in Japan by Victor Entertainment.

Wolf's Rain Original Soundtrack, Volume 1 was released in Japan March 29, 2003. It contains twenty-one tracks, including the opening and closing themes throughout most of the series and many of the background songs used during key points. The soundtrack was released in the United States by Bandai Entertainment on May 11, 2004 under the title of Wolf's Rain Original Soundtrack.

Wolf's Rain Original Soundtrack, Volume 2 was released on in Japan January 21, 2004. It contains an additional 23 tracks, including the closing theme for the final episode of the main series "Tell Me What the Rain Knows". It also includes background music from the final episode not included in the broadcast version, and music from the four OVA episodes. The second CD has not been licensed for release outside Japan.

Manga series[]

The two-volume manga series was originally serialized in Monthly Magazine Z, a monthly seinen magazine published by Kodansha, with the first chapter premiering in the April 2003 issue. The manga, which was written by Nobumoto and illustrated by Toshitsugu Iida, is an almost complete retelling of the anime story. Each chapter of the manga series is called a "grope", which is a reference to a Japanese phrase for arriving somewhere after enduring hardships.

The two volumes were released in North America by VIZ Media as individual volumes in 2004 and 2005. An exclusive edition of the first volume was released on November 5, 2004 in Borders and Waldenbooks stores that included a collectible box to hold both volumes and a 3D lenticular card. The Viz English release was adapted by David Ury —who also acted as translator— and Egan Loo. The series has also been released in German by Heyne, in Italian by Shin Vision and in Polish by Japonica Polonica Fantastica.

For publications in other countries and languages, see Wolf's Rain (manga).

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