OVA
Description
Haruyuki Arita, also known by his duel avatar Silver Crow, is a student at Umesato Junior High School in Tokyo in the year 2046. He is a short, overweight boy in the eighth grade who has extremely low self-confidence, largely due to being a constant target of bullying by his classmates. His physical appearance and shy, introverted nature make him an easy victim, and he often escapes from the hardship of his daily life by indulging in virtual games, at which he is exceptionally skilled. His high scores in the school's virtual squash program are what first attract the attention of the student council vice president, Kuroyukihime.
Despite his low self-esteem, Haruyuki has a strong and courageous heart that emerges when his friends are in danger. He views Kuroyukihime as a mentor and a beloved figure, feeling a deep sense of loyalty and devotion toward her. This relationship is a primary motivating force for him, as he fights to protect her and help her achieve her goal. He is also closely connected to his two childhood friends, the kind Chiyuri Kurashima and the intelligent Takumu Mayuzumi, with whom he forms a small but vital support network.
Haruyuki’s life changes completely when Kuroyukihime installs a secret program called Brain Burst into his neuro-linker. This program grants him the ability to accelerate his brainwaves, making the world around him appear frozen, and allows him to enter the Accelerated World, a virtual fighting arena where he takes on the role of his duel avatar, Silver Crow. Unlike his real-world appearance, Silver Crow is a tall, thin, and sleek silver robot with a visor-like face, representing Haruyuki’s desire to be thin and to fly away from his miserable reality. Silver Crow’s most significant and defining ability is flight; he is the first and for a time the only Burst Linker known to possess wings, which sprout from his back and allow him true, three-dimensional aerial combat. This ability is tied to his deepest longing for freedom.
Over the course of his journey, Haruyuki faces numerous life-threatening challenges that force him to grow. When his ability to fly is stolen by an enemy, he undergoes intense training and unlocks a deeper power known as the Incarnate System, which allows him to transform his willpower into weapons like a laser sword. At another point, he is consumed by rage and temporarily corrupted by the malicious Chrome Disaster armor, becoming a powerful but dangerous berserker before ultimately purifying himself and the armor through an act of will. Each trial forces him to confront his own weaknesses, heal past traumas, and become a more resilient and powerful Burst Linker, eventually rising to level six and solidifying his role as a key protector of his legion, Nega Nebulas.
His combat style relies almost entirely on his speed and aerial mobility, as his avatar has no built-in weapons and only a simple headbutt as a finishing move. He is dependent on his own honed reflexes from years of gaming to survive battles against stronger, more offensively equipped opponents. To compensate for this, he develops several Incarnate techniques. Laser Sword manifests a blade of light from his forearm, while Light Speed drastically boosts his flight velocity for short bursts. Another unique defensive ability is Optical Conduction, which uses the metallic properties of his avatar to bend and redirect beams of light-based attacks.
Despite his low self-esteem, Haruyuki has a strong and courageous heart that emerges when his friends are in danger. He views Kuroyukihime as a mentor and a beloved figure, feeling a deep sense of loyalty and devotion toward her. This relationship is a primary motivating force for him, as he fights to protect her and help her achieve her goal. He is also closely connected to his two childhood friends, the kind Chiyuri Kurashima and the intelligent Takumu Mayuzumi, with whom he forms a small but vital support network.
Haruyuki’s life changes completely when Kuroyukihime installs a secret program called Brain Burst into his neuro-linker. This program grants him the ability to accelerate his brainwaves, making the world around him appear frozen, and allows him to enter the Accelerated World, a virtual fighting arena where he takes on the role of his duel avatar, Silver Crow. Unlike his real-world appearance, Silver Crow is a tall, thin, and sleek silver robot with a visor-like face, representing Haruyuki’s desire to be thin and to fly away from his miserable reality. Silver Crow’s most significant and defining ability is flight; he is the first and for a time the only Burst Linker known to possess wings, which sprout from his back and allow him true, three-dimensional aerial combat. This ability is tied to his deepest longing for freedom.
Over the course of his journey, Haruyuki faces numerous life-threatening challenges that force him to grow. When his ability to fly is stolen by an enemy, he undergoes intense training and unlocks a deeper power known as the Incarnate System, which allows him to transform his willpower into weapons like a laser sword. At another point, he is consumed by rage and temporarily corrupted by the malicious Chrome Disaster armor, becoming a powerful but dangerous berserker before ultimately purifying himself and the armor through an act of will. Each trial forces him to confront his own weaknesses, heal past traumas, and become a more resilient and powerful Burst Linker, eventually rising to level six and solidifying his role as a key protector of his legion, Nega Nebulas.
His combat style relies almost entirely on his speed and aerial mobility, as his avatar has no built-in weapons and only a simple headbutt as a finishing move. He is dependent on his own honed reflexes from years of gaming to survive battles against stronger, more offensively equipped opponents. To compensate for this, he develops several Incarnate techniques. Laser Sword manifests a blade of light from his forearm, while Light Speed drastically boosts his flight velocity for short bursts. Another unique defensive ability is Optical Conduction, which uses the metallic properties of his avatar to bend and redirect beams of light-based attacks.