Synopsis:
Ganta Igarashi has been convicted of a crime that he hasn’t committed, and sent to a new, privately owned and operated prison, where the inmates are the main attraction in a modern day twist to the gladiatorial coliseums of ancient times. Throw in a healthy dose of weird little girl, some new-found super powers, and a little conspiracy theory, and you have Deadman Wonderland.
Story:
A massive earthquake ravaged Japan’s mainland and destroyed most of Tokyo, sinking three-quarters of it into the ocean. Ten years later, the story shifts to Igarashi Ganta, a seemingly ordinary student attending Nagano Prefecture’s middle school. An escapee, a survivor of the great earthquake, Ganta has no memories of the tragedy and has lived a normal life. This all changes when a strange man covered in blood and crimson armour floats through his classroom windows. Grinning madly, the Red Man massacres Ganta’s entire class but instead of killing him, embeds a red crystal shard in Ganta’s chest. Within days of the massacre, Ganta is declared the sole suspect and, following a quick trial, is sentenced to life imprisonment in Deadman Wonderland, a massive theme park like prison.
Arriving at the prison, Ganta is fitted with a special collar which monitors his location and life signs. Due to the heinous nature of Ganta’s ‘crime’, he has to live out his imprisonment under Deadman Wonderland’s ‘Death Sentence’. A lethal poison is constantly injected into his bloodstream through the collar, but it can be neutralized by consuming a peculiar candy-like medicine every three days. Additional candy can be earned through hard work or by purchasing it. In order to gather Cast Points, the prison’s currency, an inmate has to perform in the facility’s lethal games and survive. Fortunately for Ganta, he is aided by a mysterious girl named Shiro, who apparently knows Ganta, and is known by other prisoners as well.
While trying to survive as an inmate on death row, Ganta becomes increasingly obsessed with the ‘Red Man’ and tries to find him so he could clear his name. In a bizarre twist, Ganta begins to develop the ability to manipulate his own blood, to the point of turning it into a weapon. Unbeknownst to him, Ganta has become one of the prison’s ‘Deadmen’, a segregated group of prisoners possessing the Branches of Sin which makes them capable of controlling their blood. After his ability is discovered, Ganta is forced to participate in brutal gladiatorial death matches, known as Carnival Corpse, whose anonymous spectators pay large amounts of money to watch. In his struggle he manages to befriend some of those he fought off in the arena, and with their help Ganta continues his quest to uncover the identity of the Red Man, why he turned into a Deadman and the dark secrets the prison authorities are hiding.
Characters:
Ganta Igarashi aka Woodpecker – Voiced by: Romi Park
The main protagonist of the story, is a seemingly harmless, ordinary middle school boy who is framed for the slaughter of his entire class, perpetrated by the mysterious Red Man. Sentenced to ‘death’ after a phony trial, he is sent to Deadman Wonderland, where he is initially confused and frightened by the brutality of the prison.
Shiro – Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa
A mysterious albino girl that Ganta encountered during his first days as an inmate. Clothed only in a skin-tight bodysuit and muffly gloves, which help conceal her heavily scarred skin, Shiro stands out among the other prisoners due to her bizarre appearance and mannerisms. To Ganta, Shiro’s manner of speaking and acting remind him of a small child, even though Shiro is the same age as him.
Yō Takami – Voiced by: Yūki Kaji
A kleptomaniac and an informant to Assistant Warden Tamaki, Yō was hired to watch over Ganta in return of large amounts for Cast Points. Though apparently friendly and polite, in truth he is ruthless, scheming and somehow paranoid, given his position as a spy for the prison’s staff. A rarity among the prison population, Yō willingly made himself captured and sent to Deadman Wonderland in hopes to find his sister Minatsuki and buy her freedom with the accumulated Cast Points he got from Tamaki.
Tsunenaga Tamaki – Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe
A major antagonist, Tamaki is the Assistant Warden and de facto tyrant of Deadman Wonderland. Under his calm, almost idiotic attitude, he is something of a sadist, caring nothing about the fact that he butchers dozens of prisoners every day for the sole purpose of gathering money or experimenting on them, or simply, and mainly, for his own twisted amusement.
Chief Guard Makina – Voiced by: Takako Honda
Senior leader of the prison’s guard staff, Makina is a harsh and cold enforcer which does not hesitate in punishing, often brutally, the prison’s population. Known for her demeanor and her large breasts (G cup), she is infamous for carrying a decorated sword with herself at all times, and also for using it to cut whoever breaks the prison’s rules, acts that almost always result in bloodshed.
Kiyomasa Senji aka Crow – Voiced by: Masayuki Katou
Senji, nicknamed Crow, is the first Deadman Ganta encounters while held as an inmate in Deadman Wonderland. Confined in Level G for his ferocity, he is depicted as a tall, powerfully built man which revels in bloodshed and battle, a fact which helps him enjoy his life in prison and the Carnival Corpse matches.
Minatsuki Takami aka Hummingbird – Voiced by: Iori Nomizu
Minatsuki is Yō Takami’s younger sister, and a Deadman secluded in Level G. When Ganta encounters her for the first time, she appears as an extremely shy and gentle girl who stands at odds with the place she is held in. In truth, this reserved and quiet personality is just a ruse that she uses to make those around her feel secure and to mask her true nature, that of a sadistic psychopath so twisted that she becomes sexually aroused by witnessing others suffering.
Nagi Kengamine aka Owl – Voiced by: Daisuke Ono
Kengamine is the leader of the Deadman rebellion group Scar Chain. Before he formed Scar Chain he had a relationship with a female Deadman while in Sector G. They eventually were parents-to-be before being put into a Carnival Corpse against each other where Kengamine intentionally lost due to his lover being pregnant at the time.
Karako Koshio aka Game Fowl – Voiced by: Itō Kumiko
The second-in-command of Scar Chain who secretly loves Owl and fights for his sake. She is able to use her Branch of Sin to coat part or all of her body in blood, reinforcing her natural strength and durability.
Bundō Rokuro – Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama
A former chief of intelligence of Scar Chain and also a Deadman. He was a spy of the Undertakers and revealed his betrayal during the Scar Chain’s plan to escape Deadman Wonderland.
Azuma Genkaku – Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa
The leader of the 1st Undertaker Platoon. A self-proclaimed “Super Monk” who dresses in the garb of a Japanese monk. He wields an electric guitar that can split into two machine guns.
Hibana Daid – Voiced by: Takamori Natsumi
The leader of the 3rd Undertaker Platoon, a polite and well-mannered young girl who was warped considerably by the abuse heaped upon her by her late mother, such as suspending her in the air with hooks embedded in her skin and making her solve complex math theories that probably don’t even exist for minor things such as bed wetting and vomiting.
Toto Sakigami aka Mockingbird – Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro
A mysterious Deadman feared even by Senji, Toto is a mysterious boy dressed in a way reminiscent of Shiro, and appears not only to be one of the strongest Deadmen introduced so far, but also to know in great detail about the true nature and purpose of Deadman Wonderland.
His power, Love Labyrinth, allows him to copy the abilities of other Deadmen.
Masaru “Chaplin” Sukegawa aka Peacock
Masaru is a transsexual woman who sees herself as a bright figure in Sector G and is also an announcer for most of the “Carnival Corpse” duels. She is often around Minatsuki, Itadaki “Masu” Kazuya, and Hitara.
Idaki Hitara aka Condor
An old man who always claims to be talking to his daughter through his distinctive headset. As we learn through a flashback, Hitara was a teacher whose daughter Yuki, once a beautiful tv starlet, was horribly disfigured during the Great Tokyo Earthquake, and committed suicide by setting herself on fire. Hirata claimed responsibility for the fact, and was thus imprisoned.
Azami Midõ
Azami Midō is one of the first inmates that Ganta meets. She later becomes a friend of Ganta. Her residence is within the Human quarters, so she is not a Deadman. Although she came off as rude in her first appearance, she was still very kind when she gave Ganta half of her sandwhich after teaching him about Cast Points, scolding him because he didn’t read the rule book.
Mitsuzaki Yosuga
A mysterious girl who claims to have known and loved Toto before he ‘changed’, and while not actually seen in DW before, is presumed to be a Deadman. She seems to doubt herself repeatedly and speaks in third person.
Terminology
Undertakers
The Undertakers are Tamaki’s special enforcement group, specifically trained as anti-Deadman soldiers. The group is composed of some of the worst criminals in Deadman Wonderland, individuals who could not be rehabilitated but succeeded in passing a grueling selection to become counter-Deadmen. They possess technology that allows them to nullify a Deadman’s Branch of Sin ability, such that any blood constructs created by Deadmen will revert back to normal blood upon contact with their weapons and armour. Other prominent members of the Undertakers include Gazuchi Mōzuri, the leader of the 2nd Undertaker Platoon who was abandoned by his mother and raised by bears; and Dōkoku Shinagawa, the second-in-command of the 2nd Undertaker Platoon, a serial killer who skinned women and made dresses out of their hair and scalps. There are also various foot soldiers armed with anti-Deadman mundane weaponry such as blades and firearms.
Scar Chain
Scar Chain is a group of Deadmen that opposes the prison and plan to leak the truth to the rest of the world. They believe in each individual’s own personal definition of freedom. They are led by the Deadman Owl.
Forgeries
The Forgeries were created by Tamaki in order to inspire fear in the people outside of Deadman Wonderland. At the time, Deadman Wonderland’s Carnival Corpse was seen as inhumane, but by putting his Forgeries into the ring, he starts to convince people that Deadmen are monsters that deserve to be treated the way they currently are, if not worse. These man-made Deadmen have the unique ability to create large snake-like tendrils out of their blood, to be forced out of their arms. Any bodily contact with the snakes will cause one’s muscles to swell up to the point where, if touched or left for a long period of time, they will burst. It has been seen that the swelling can be cut off at early stages, thus preventing more fatal injuries. All Forgeries wear special masks that keep them hypnotized in a state of euphoria, allowing them to withstand even the most grievous injuries or obey the most irrational orders without a thought.
Complete Forgeries
They are Forgeries who have poison that has evolved. They are supposed to be stronger than even the Deadmen. But that is proven wrong when they are defeated by Ganta, Senji, Minatsuki, Chaplin, and Hitara.
Episode List:
| 01 | Death row | |
| 02 | Antidote (Candy) | |
| 03 | G Block | |
| 04 | Crow Crow | |
| 05 | Carrion Festival (Corpse Carnival) | |
| 06 | Hummingbird | |
| 07 | Original Sin (Wretched Egg) | |
| 08 | Chains of Freedom (Scar Chain) | |
| 09 | Pro-oxidant (Worm Eater) | |
| 10 | Caretaker (Undertaker) | |
| 11 | GIG of Despair | |
| 12 | Relief (Grateful Dead) |
