Wolf's Rain (Anime)

Wolf's Rain is a Japanese anime series created by writer, and story editor Keiko Nobumoto.

The anime series was produced by Bones Studio. 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 span 30 episodes, with each episode running approximately twenty-four minutes. The series aired in Japan on January 6, 2003 to July 29, 2003. The English version aired on April 24, 2004 to October 16, 2004. It focuses on the journey of Kiba, a lone white wolf following the scent of the Lunar Flower, and seek to find a place call Paradise. Along the way he meets three other wolves who want to join him on his quest. Including that he encounters a hunter who is after him, and that the Hunter has a half dog half wolf, and two scientists who learns of Kiba's extistance. The series was also adapted into a short two volume manga series written by Keiko Nobumoto and illustrated by Toshitsugu Iida. The manga, which was released while the anime series was airing, is a retelling of the story rather than a straight adaptation.

Plot

Kiba (though not formally introduced until later) is shown lying in the snow, presumed to be wounded or exhausted. Kiba, the narrator of the series, reveals to us his search for "Paradise". Elsewhere is a group of bandits led by Tsume was raiding a freight train for supplies. Despite the loss of a member or two through accident or other loss, the mission is considered a success.

In another scene, Quent Yaiden (also has yet to be formally introduced) walked into a bar, leaving his pet Blue outside. During his chat with the bartender, we are told that wolves were presumed to be extinct for 200 years during that time. It also seemed that Quent had some deep-set grudge against wolves and has sworn to hunt them down at all costs.

In the morning, some of Tsume's men gathered around a tree hole, where a wounded white wolf rests (Kiba). The men thought it is dead though when they tried to move it after being ordered by Tsume, Kiba attacks and kills two men. When Kiba was about to attack a young boy of the gang, named Gehl, Tsume defended the boy before he raced off, the wolf - Kiba - following behind him. Tsume and Kiba meet face to face on a rooftop. We were shown here that Tsume is actually a wolf wjho has adapted in human form to survivve in the city. The two wolves argue about what a human form means to them then continue their fight, in wolf form. Gehl, who happened to have followed the two, chased off Kiba after first he seeing Tsume in wolf form, shaking his head and once again seeing Tsume in human form again. He doesn't think anything of it, evidently.

Kiba then wandered in the streets. However he was spotted and shot by Quent after being rushed by Blue. Kiba was carried off and locked in a cage in a building by the authorities. Quent was questioned by authorities for his reason of the shooting. From this we learned Quent is the man's name. He believed that wolves have not gone extinct.

Somewhere in a research lab in the same building Kiba is being kept a woman named Cheza was shown immersed in some sort of liquid. It seemed she was the subject of research. According to the researchers, Cheza showed response to wolf's blood, and also has the name Flower Maiden. We are also introduced to Cher Degré, the lead scientist of the Cheza project.

Back at the cage, a new character came by and talked to the Kiba. He is momentraily interupted by Cher and Hubb Lebowski who asks what he is doing there and the new character explains that he was simply looking for cleaning supplies. Once he leaves, Cher and Hubb talk about how Kiba could be a wolf considering Cheza reacted to his appearence and his blood was involved. Hubb exclaims that she is the reason Cher and him got divorced and she denies. Hubb sneezes and reveals an allergy to dogs. They leave talking about about the possibility of their relationship being fated to fail.

The new character returns and stoops down before Kiba again. He introduced himself as Hige, and he is also a wolf. Kiba questions why he takes the form of a human. Hige explains that if he continues to wander around in this form, he'll be killed and/or brought back into the building for a cage. Kiba gets angered about this and asks why he would lower himself to the human's level and asks if he has abandoned his pride as a wolf. Hige laughs and says You're a strange one, alright. But having pride doesn't count for much if you're dead, you know?" Kiba told him about the "Paradise" he was seeking. Later, we were shown that the white wolf had transformed itself into human form, and escaped out of the building with Hige.

Elsewhere, Tsume's gang planned and is in the process of carrying out another raid. While fleeing, Gehl slips when a bullet hits the pipe by his foot and dropped the supplies, holding onto a breaking pipe to keep up. He calls for Tsume. Tsume runs back and tries to pull Gehl up with his arm, but by doing this he accidently slips into his wolf form and bites into Gehl's shoulder. Gehl screams and falls to his death when he felt the wolf's bite rather than a grab. Hige decided to join Kiba on his search for "Paradise". At the end Kiba, in his human form, introduced himself to Hige.

A servant girl reported to her master, Lord Darcia, about the presence of wolf in a city in the north, and also confirmed the Flower Maiden, Cheza, had awoken. Lying beside Darcia, was a woman who Darcia referred to as Lady Hamona. She looked unconscious and had tubes attached all over her. Darcia mentioned something about how Hamona might be awoken soon.

The team of researchers, led by Dr. Cher Degré, was monitoring Cheza's awakening. Cher then met up with Detective Hubb Lebowski, who happened to be her ex-husband. Hubb showed her the body of Gehl. He was curious about the teeth marks on Gehl's shoulder and asked for Cher's comment of that. Both of them seemed to have thoughts about the teeth marks being the doing of the white wolf (Kiba), who escaped from the cage earlier. Cher found some fur stuck onto Gehl's belongings. She glanced at the cage that held Kiba.

A wolf tried to chase off some crows that gathered at some trash for food, and was attacked by them. While a girl was passing by, a potato dropped off of her groceries. The wolf ran to the potato, but backed away once it noticed the girl was standing in front. The girl fed it some sausages. When the girl, Leara, was leaving after her dad called for her, the wolf followed her. Leara said that she could not keep it even if it followed her home. The wolf stayed, which surprised Leara, as if it understood what she was saying.

We saw that the police were rounding up some gangsters. Hige and Kiba were walking through the city, and Hige managed to snatch some food for both of them. Kiba told Hige his plan of being captured in order to get into the building (where he was at). He said he sensed something within the walls of that. When asked, Hige told him that all he knew was that Cheza, the Flower Maiden was in that building.

Tsume's gang suggested leaving the city, in light of the rounding up of gangs by the Nobles. Tsume ignored their suggestions, and said their next raid would be that night. One of the gangsters noted that he had decided not to work with Tsume anymore. Tsume walked away, without commenting much on that.

Cher's lab did an analysis on the hairs that were found at the cage and on Gehl's clothing. Cher told Hubb about the hairs being from different sources, and that there were two different sets of hair even at the cage.

A young boy tried to get the attention of Leara. He told her that he's the owner of the "dog" she met, and both of their names being Toboe. Toboe, while walking rather joyfully through the alleys, bumped into Tsume. They were both spotted by Quent. Quent saw Toboe as a wolf. When Toboe was about to be shot, Tsume pulled a arial attack on Quent, which bought enough time for both of them to escape. After, Toboe wanted to follow Tsume, but Tsume refused.

We were cut to a scene which showed Kiba being in jail again. A new batch of people were captured and being locked up in the cell; within them is Hige.

Toboe was near Leara's residence. When he saw her bird flew off, he tried to capture it; which ultimately killed the bird. When he brought back the bird to Leara, he noticed he had killed it. He began to cry; but soon from Leara's perspective, she sees he's a wolf howling. Tsume passed by and grabbed Toboe by the neck and ran. While at Tsume's hiding place, Toboe said something about him used to being some old woman's "pet". Even blaming himself for causing her death.

All of the wolves sensed something was approaching. At the lab, Cher was about to call it a night, when a blackout occured. A masked man had broken into where Cheza was being held. He made everyone passed out and escaped with Cheza. Hige and Kiba broke out of their cell. Just when they got out of the building, they encountered the masked stranger, carrying Cheza. The masked stranger comments on them being wolves, and states that if they meet again, they will meet in paradise.

The masked stranger can see through the wolves' (Kiba and Hige) human form. Cheza, still being held by the stranger, let out a squeaky cry, which is heard by all the wolves. The person says something to Kiba and Hige, who are at the scene, about meeting again in Paradise. He then vanishes in a flash of bright light along with Cheza.

Quent shows Hubb the bite marks on his arm, saying it was the work of a wolf. Hubb doesn't seem to believe him and suggests that it might be some other animal that did that. Quent tells him that he's certain he saw a wolf (Toboe) transformed into a young kid. Noticing that liquor bottles are scattered all over the table, Hubb figures Quent's likely saying those because he's drunk. Quent talks about how wolves are still around, posing as humans.

While feeding on some rats in a sewer, Hige says the masked stranger he and Kiba encountered is a Noble. Hige suggests not getting involved in anything with the Nobles.

Toboe's at Tsume's hideout. He questions Tsume about why he saved him from Quent earlier on. During an argument, Toboe says how Tsume only befriends humans because they are weaker. Tsume lectures Toboe about how he's ignorant about how to survive in the city, and yells at him to go and try surviving on his own.

Cher's resting on a bed. Hubb comes to visit her, and tell her about what Quent said. He asks her if she's heard of the Book of the Moon. Cher suddenly has flashback of the night when she came face to face with the masked stranger. While wandering through the back alleys, Tsume was spotted and chased by the authority. Apparently, it was one of his underlings who sold him out. He knocks out all the police and flees.

Leara wants to go and check out Toboe. Her dad tells her to stop it, saying people will think she's crazy. She ignores him and runs off. Meanwhile, Quent passes by and heard what Leara said about the wolf. Toboe's picking out food from a pile of trash when the manhole cover beside him opens up and out come Hige and Kiba. At that moment, Toboe notices Leara is there watching. She panics and screams for her dad, but the three wolves escape right before Quent and her father arrive. While running after wolves, Quent's accompanying canine, Blue, separates from him and finds Tsume, who's still being tracked by the authorities and the two battle it out on some bridge and both fall. Blue is knocked unconscious, while Tsume flees just before the authorities arrives at the scene. When Quent sees Blue, he notices the hairs that are stuck to her.

The three wolves, Kiba, Hige, and Toboe are walking in the sewer. Hige tells Toboe how he and Kiba are heading out of the city. Toboe asks where they will go after that. Kiba says they are going to Paradise. Toboe pauses, and asks if any of them know Tsume; saying he might also want to come with them to Paradise. Just then, Kiba spots some blood on the ground, apparently coming from the drain opening above.

Hubb is searching a database for the Book of the Moon, and comes back with no match. A policeman tells him about what happened during their earlier pursue of the young leader of a gang (Tsume). He says they lost track of Tsume, but another dog came out of nowhere. At that moment, Quent bursts into Hubb's office.

The three wolves track Tsume down at his hideout. Kiba says he could smell Tsume's blood. Toboe suggests Tsume to join the group and leave the city to search for Paradise. Tsume mocks Toboe for believing in such things. Hige notices that the hideout is being surrounded by police. Kiba then tells the others that the lunar flower is no longer in the city, and therefore they no longer have the need to linger in the city. The police begin their raid and during their escape, Toboe slips and falls while running on some tubes. Tsume manages to pull him up, unlike previously with Gehl, whome Tsume couldn't save. Tsume decides to join the team on the journey. In a soliloquy, however, he says the reason he joined the other wolves is because he's fed up with the city.

The four wolves are traversing through different landscapes, from snowy lands, to desert. They take a rest in a shallow cave to wait out a snowstorm. Toboe and Hige are whining about being hungry. Hige smells food, and exits the cave. All of them feed on the dead deer Hige found, except for Tsume; who later states his doubt on the existence of such place as Paradise. He thinks it is just some nonsense inside Kiba's head, and goes off on his own. Toboe tries to get Tsume to come back with the group, but is knocked to the ground by Tsume, and is told not to follow.

Instead of listening, Toboe continues to track down Tsume, and that leads him to a battlefield. While wandering in the battlefield, Toboe triggers something that was buried in the ground. Tsume sees that Toboe is near him, and decides to ignore Toboe, until he notices a machine gun from a robot is pointed in the direction of Toboe, and is ready to fire. He rushes out and pushes Toboe out of the way, right before we hear the firing noises of a machine gun.

Cher and Hubb are having dinner, and Hubb is telling her about the incident the other day (of Quent trying to shoot Tsume on the rooftop). Cher changes the subject and asks if Hubb could do her a favor by watering the plants in her apartment. She says she is taking a vacation and therefore will be gone for awhile. Hubb tells Cher that he believes there could still be wolves that exist, but Cher says to him not to continue with that and leaves. Hubb chases after Cher. When he gets out of the restaurant, Cher has already whizzed away in a car.

It seems Tsume was wounded earlier on, while pushing Toboe out of the machine gun's fire. The two continue to flee from the robot that keeps firing shots at them. The battlefield they are in is littered with bones, buildings, machine pieces, and weapons.

Kiba and Hige are lying in the moonlight, apparently still waiting for Toboe and Tsume to return. Hige asks about Kiba's past. Kiba has some flashbacks; which we see are scenes of a native sitting beside a glowing fire, on the other side, is a wolf, and a shot of the lunar flower blossoming.

The robot continues to track down Tsume and Toboe. It fires a rocket at the ice arch they are walking on; causing it to collapse and the wolves falling into the canyon below.

Kiba senses something, while Hige smells something as well. Kiba has the flashbacks again, this time we also see the image of the masked stranger in his flashbacks. He notices some sort of sticker sign on the ground, which has a white skull and crossbones on a red background. Hige comments the place might have once been a military installation, which Kiba responds by walking away. Not knowing where Kiba is going, Hige follows.

Tsume wakes from the fall, and reacts coldly when Toboe licks his wounds. They are hiding out in a cave from the robot. Tsume states that he does not trust anyone, and therefore no one has to trust him. Toboe responds by saying that he doesn't care about that. Just then, they sense the robot is approaching. Toboe decides to act as a decoy to distract the robot away from the cave. Tsume also comes out of the cave. The robot switches target and starts going after Tsume instead. It fires a rocket near Tsume and which knocks him out temporary. When he awakes, the robot is already in front of him, ready to terminate the wolf. Kiba, in his wolf form, comes out of nowhere and attacks the robot. Eventually, Kiba manages to jam a rock column into the robot, causing it severe damage. The wolves all escaped, just as the robot's being washed away by a sudden flash flood.

Hubb arrives at Cher's apartment. He notices there aren't any plants, but does see the scarf he gave to Cher as present slipped out of some drawer. He opens the drawer, and found a book wrapped inside the scarf.

The robot emerges from the ice sheet, and has a view of Kiba in its viewfinder. Then its power goes out. Tsume asks why the two would go through such lengths to rescue him. Kiba says it was just instinct. The four wolves continue their journey.

On a train, a little girl is looking out the window. She spots four wolves running in the snow, which she points them out to her mom as "doggies". Toboe tells the other wolves his dream of reaching Paradise, and describes what he saw in the dream. The four wolves continue travelling in the snow until they have finally reached an ocean's edge. There, a railway bridge extends onto the ocean, going far into the horizon. Kiba says he could smell the faint scent of the lunar flower. They all run on the bridge, towards the other end. At the other end of the bridge, is a somewhat rundown looking city.

The wolves wander in the city's lifeless streets. We see the citizens are hiding in their dwellings, and peeping out their windows at the four. At some back alley, they come across some wolves sitting around a fire. When asked by them of where the four are heading, Toboe bursts out saying they are going to Paradise. The wolves laughs, all except for a woman among them. One of them says there is no such thing as Paradise, stating it is only a legend. The four of them walks away. While walking along the waterfront, Toboe comments on how cold the city is, even with the relatively large presence of wolves. Tsume suggests that maybe it is the reason why they should leave the city. However, saying the all of wolves in the city must be there for some reason, Kiba says they should stay instead.

One of the wolves from the pack, assumably the leader, is dealing with an employer. It seems the wolves in the city are getting "jobs" for living. The woman from the pack, a female wolf, asks the leader, whose name is Zali, if he is satisfied with the way they (the pack) are living. He responds by saying it suits them just fine. Another wolf, also in human form, comes and tells Zali of the four wolves' whereabouts, reporting they have gone towards the graveyard. When he asks if Zali wants to train them to work as well, Zali says no; explaining that they only take care of their own pack's business.

Kiba, Tsume, Hige and Toboe are sitting along the seashore, starving. Tsume walks away, and the others follow. They eventually reach a cemetery, which Tsume suggests would be a good place to sleep. An old wolf named gramps suddenly pops out from a hole on the ground, scaring both Toboe and Hige. The wolves ask him about the lunar flower and Paradise. He shows them the "entrance" to Paradise. It looks like some hole leading into a tunnel. Gramps suggests to Kiba for them to not pursue into it. He says he and many other wolves had tried, but they all failed to find Paradise, and ended up back in the city, just like him. Just then, Zali appears, once again stating there is no such place as Paradise, and orders the four to leave the city before morning. He and Gramps walk away, leaving the four behind.

The wolves are at some abandoned building. Tsume questions Kiba how he gets all the confidence of finding Paradise. Kiba responds by saying it's not confidence just something inside him that keeps calling to him, driving him towards paradise. Tsume says they should just heed what the old wolf said and abandon their journey. Hige smells something. The woman from the pack, named Cole, brings food to the boys. Hige immediately goes out, grabs a loaf of bread and starts eating. Kiba walks away, Toboe follows him. Toboe comes back, just when Tsume also walks away. Kiba is at the place where Zali was talking to the employer earlier. Hige asks Cole where she got all the food.

She tells him if he wants to know, to head to the station the next morning to see something facinating and then she leaves. Toboe is now following Tsume. Both of them end up at a train station, and Tsume decides to rest there. Kiba goes past the place where the wolf pack(Zali is not there) is gathering around a fire. He gets into a quarrel, and starts fighting with them. Toboe is howling and his howls are heard by both Hige and Tsume. Kiba gets beaten up and sleeps at some back alley.

A train is seen going along the railway bridge we've seen earlier. Back at the train station, Hige meets up with Toboe and Tsume. When asked, Hige tells them Kiba hasn't returned yet. Then they see a pack of wolves being used as dogs to pull some cargo up a ramp. Zali is also there watching. Tsume demands from him an explanation. He says that is the way the wolves there make a living. Gramps from the cemetary is also among the pack of wolves pulling on the cargo. He collapses on the ground. Kiba appears, seeing the scene, gets all angry and runs up the ramp, in his wolf form. Zali quickly rushes down and knocks Kiba to the ground.

Gramps is buried the next day. During that, Zali warns Kiba not to interfere with their way of living. Kiba tells Zali and his pack are acting like dogs, being used by humans. Zali, in response, says that Kiba and the other three are still young.

Toboe treats Kiba's wounds while Tsume sends Hige to look for food since he was the only one to eat. Zali remembers when he led a group of wolves through the tunnel to seek out Paradise, only to find the tunnel filled with toxic gases that killed most of them. Cole tries to convince him to try again since the machines on the island are dead and the gas gone, but Zali refuses to consider it. Tsume asks Kiba where he got the other wounds from, but instead of answering, Kiba tells him about seeing the Lunar Flowers when he was a cub. They were all burned in a fire that also killed all of Kiba's pack but himself, and he wonders why he alone lived. Caught in a trap set by the humans for stray dogs, Hige is knocked out by Moss so they will see him as a dog. Toboe sees it and runs to tell Tsume and Kiba. The three seek out Zali, who demands to know why Moss did it. However, Moss and two other wolves turn on him. Zali refuses to let Kiba and the others help him, and after the three finish beating him, Zali helps them rescue Hige and make their way into the tunnel. He refuses to go with them, though, saying that he is certain there are some wolves who can get into Paradise and some who can't and he is one of the ones who can't.

Back in the city, Hubb reads the Book of the Moon at Cher's apartment. Quent plans to leave the city, realizing that the wolves are gone. Hubb finds Quent at the bar before he goes and shows him the Book of the Moon, but Quent gives only half answers to his questions before leaving.

As Darcia takes Cheza back to the mountain stronghold where she was born, he comes under attack from Orkham's soldiers, accompanied by Cher, who have come to retrieve Cheza. While watching the battle from the woods below, Kiba senses Cheza's presence and vice versa. Cheza jumps from the airship just before Orkham's men bring it down. She floats down to a pond at the top of the mountain. The wolves quickly climb up to find her while the soldiers land the airship to look for her as well. Though she can't see, Cheza knows when the wolves arrive and embraces Kiba while saying "we meet at last." Cheza's reaction at meeting Kiba breaks Cher's instruments, but she is able to tell the soldiers that she is in the stronghold's garden area. The soldiers surround the garden, but Cheza leads Kiba off. Toboe follows them, while Tsume and Hige try to fight through the soldiers, so they turn back and join the others. After breaking through another line of soldiers, they run past where Cher is standing with the soldier's commander, Cheza smiling happily as they run. The soldiers follow, but Cheza opens a door in the roots of a plant and they quickly escape through it and the soldiers arrive to find a dead end.

The wolves and Cheza make their way back down from the mountain. Tsume and Kiba start arguing again, so Cheza sings and puts them all to sleep. The next day, Toboe and Hige go into town for food, and are followed by a strange old woman. They also acquire some boots for Cheza. They rejoin the others, but the old woman appears and removes her sunglasses, showing that she has the same red eyes as Cheza. She explains that she is a Hanabito, an imperfect form of Flower Maiden. She escaped from Darcia's castle after the other Hanabito started withering and dying, though she could still feel their deaths. She warns Cheza not go with the wolves because it will led to destruction, but Cheza says they are going to Paradise, even though the wolves hadn't mentioned it to her yet. Cher locates the tree using her radar, but the wolves surround her. Kiba drops his disguise for a moment showing her that she was correct in believing they are wolves. They escape into the city and Cheza confirms that the wolves want her to stay with them. They later return to the tree so Cheza can extend the Hanabito's life, but the Hanabito stops her and says she's satisfied with having finally met a true Flower Maiden. Cheza cries for the Hanabito when she dies. As the episode ends, Quent and Blue arrive at the aerial city.

Cher and Quent end up at the same bar drinking side by side. When Quent asks the barkeeper about the old castle at the top, Cher says there are wolves wandering around. Outside the bar, the wolves pass by and Cheza approaches Blue, calling her a friend and telling her that she has wolf in her too. The wolves leave Toboe and Cheza in a bus at a junkyard while they search for a way escape the city. One of the soldiers injured by the wolves in the earlier fight attacks a small boy, thinking he too is a wolf in disguise. Blue hears him beating the kid and drives off the soldiers. Quent mistakenly believes Blue was the one who hurt the boy and shoots above her head, yelling at her to get away from the boy. While Quent is in the boy's home treating the boy's wounds, the soldier from before spots Blue tied up outside and begins beating her with his gun.

When she gets back up, he freaks out and fires at her. Quent goes back outside to find the dead soldiers body, Blue's broken collar, and a blood stain where Blue had been tied up. Cher goes to the Darcia family cemetery and encounters Darcia, who puts her to sleep. The wolves decide to escape the city through the "Forest of Death", a place where with a strange electro-magnetic field that renders computers and machines useless and that causes humans to get hopelessly lost. Quent spots Toboe in the city, but when he gives chase Blue appears, badly wounded, and collapses in front of him. Quent leaves her to go after the wolves, despite her grabbing his coat to stop him. Quent finds the four wolves at the edge of the city. Kiba gets shot protecting Cheza, but then Quent runs out of bullets and they escape before he can reload. When he goes back to the spot where he left the wounded Blue, she is gone.

The wolves enter the "Forest of Death" and find it full of dead trees and no animal life except for giant bugs. Sunlight can't break through either. Cheza collapses from being without sun and water too long. Hige hears an owl and goes to hunt it, followed by Tsume. When they find it, it has no scent and it taunts them before flying off. Toboe howls for them to come back and they return to find Cheza is starting to wither. Kiba carries her as they hurry to try to find an exit. The owl returns them to taunt them with riddles before flying off. They follow and end up at a cave which the owl says has the answer. Inside the cave, they find the owl's dead skeleton before being attacked by hundreds of giant pill bugs. The wolves try to fight the bugs, but are vastly outnumbered. Cheza suddenly runs through the bugs and leads them to a group of venus fly traps. The bugs stop following to avoid the plants. Nearby they find the exit to the cave and the forest, emerging under a full moon by a pond.

Back at the city, Quent is beaten and questioned repeatedly by the soldiers about his encounter with the wolves. The Commander asks about the bites on his men and Quent says they were from wolves. Cher wakes up in Darcia's keep, and he tells her that Lord Orkham stole Cheza from them without knowing what she was and shares more information about Cheza and the Book of the Moon with her. He also tells her Cheza will only live a short life and won't survive more than a few more full moons.

Orkham is assassinated by Lady Jaguara's black armored soldiers, along with his royal guard and all of his assistants. Hubb learns that Cheza was stolen and that Cher went with the search team. He is then arrested under a warrant issued earlier by Orkham. Though he takes a beating, he is able to learn more about what has been going on and where Cher is by tricking his interrogator. He is then able to escape after the city comes under attack from Jaguara's troops and leaves the city to go to the aerial city. Orkham's soldiers stationed there learn of his assassination and go back to defend the city

Meanwhile, Darcia tells Cher more about what Paradise is and about Hamona's illness, before using his eye to put her to sleep. He leaves her hooked up to a machine while he goes to retrieve Cheza. That night, Cheza and the wolves are excited by the full moon and dance around in a fountain before the wolves stop and howl. As they stand there, a vast field of Lunar Flowers appears, forming a road to Paradise. Cheza and the wolves run down the road, but Darcia arrives and the flowers vanish. Using a laser fired from his airship, he badly wounds the four wolves, until only Kiba is left. He refuses to stay down and keeps getting up to try to protect Cheza until she finally tells him that he's done enough and sings him to sleep. To protect the wolves from further harm, she leaves with Darcia.

Jaguara's troops attack Darcia's keep. Cher is able to escape, but Darcia returns to find Hamona dead. Cheza starts singing and touches Hamona, but Darcia yells at her to stop it and throws her aside. He cries and screams in agony and beats his head against the wall. Back in the city, the wolves run into Blue and save her from some men wanting to force her to work as a prostitute. Hige wants to let her stay with them, but Tsume and Toboe object because she hunted them with Quent. When Blue leaves, Hige follows. She tells him that Quent believes his family was killed by wolves during a fire that hit their town, though she herself isn't sure it was the wolves. Now that she knows she's half-wolf, she feels she can't be with Quent because she couldn't hunt her own kind. While they talk, Toboe finds them, but the three quickly rush back to find Kiba and Tsume when they hear gunfire coming from that direction. They are being hunted by the men they saved Blue from earlier, who want to sell them to Jaguara. While they run, they come across an old couple who help them escape from the men and feed them.

Meanwhile, Hubb reaches the aerial city and begins looking for Cher. He ends up at the bar where she was drinking and finds Quent there. Quent tells Hubb he suspected Blue was part wolf and that's why she could find them. Hubb ends up drinking with him at the bar and after a while, Quent suggests they search the next town, since Hubb would have found her already if she was still there.

Hubb and Quent buy a beat up car to take them to the next city. They take turns with one driving while the others drink. Though hesitant at first, Blue joins the wolves as they head to Darcia's keep to rescue Cheza. That night as snow falls, Quent thinks he sees Blue in front of the car's headlights. He stops and calls out but she doesn't answer. As they continue on, Hubb remembers his and Cher's wedding day, scenes of their life before they were divorced and how Cher's research work with Cheza destroyed their marriage. When they finally reach the city, they split up. Hubb searches for Cher in the town, but no one has seen her. Quent meets the old couple and helps them get their RV unstuck from the sand. While sharing a drink with them, they tell him about the wolves they met. When the old man mentions a black wolf, Quent realizes he is talking about Blue. As the sun sets, Hubb is happily reunited with Cher at a fountain. She tells him she is going to Darcia's keep to get to Cheza and tries to get Hubb to go back without her. He refuses to be left behind again, so Cher relents and goes with him to the car where Quent is waiting.

While traveling through a blizzard, Blue and Toboe struggle to keep up. Hige and Tsume are able to convince Kiba to stop to rest and wait out the storm in a nearby shelter. The others want to rest till morning, but Kiba refuses to stop any longer and goes ahead on his own. While they drive through the blizzard, Cher tells Hubb how Cheza was created, what her purpose is, and how Orkham acquired her. At Darcia's keep, Cheza is still lying on the floor where Darcia threw her and Darcia is still mourning Hamona's death. Cheza awakens when Kiba enters the keep. The rest arrive not to far behind him to find that Cher and the others are also there. Kiba reaches the room where Cheza is, while Hige leads the others after Cheza's scent and Hubb's allergies help the humans figure out which direction to go. When Cheza tries to go to Kiba, Darcia throws her aside. Kiba and Darcia fight briefly as Darcia asks what Kiba expects to find in Paradise. Kiba tells him he simply wants to find a future. Quent arrives and tries to shoot Kiba, but Blue jumps in front of his gun. Dozens of Jaguara's airships arrive and bombard the keep with laser fire. Cher and Hubb are able to get Cheza out, but they are captured outside by the black armored troops along with Blue, who tried to help them. The other wolves get out, but Kiba runs back for Cheza, chasing after the airships. Darcia stands on the edge of his keep with Hamona in his arms, smiling at her as the keep is destroyed in a final burst of light, leaving nothing but a mound behind. The other wolves find no sign of Kiba.

A recap episode told from Tsume's perspective using footage and dialog primarily from the first three episodes. In a few scenes towards the beginning, voice overs from Tsume are added giving his thoughts about Freeze City and his life before he met Kiba. Towards the end, it uses flashes of scenes from other episodes with Kiba's story from episode 6 when he told Tsume of seeing the Lunar Flowers and his pack's death.

A recap episode told from Toboe's perspective, mostly using footage and dialog from the episodes two, three, five, and six. In a few scenes, a voice over is added with Toboe talking about being alone in the city, his thoughts about his first meeting with Leara and his thoughts on the start of their journey. It ends with the meeting with Cheza in episode seven.

A recap episode told from Hige's perspective again using footage from the first three episodes and episodes seven through eleven. Some scenes add a voice over from Hige sharing his thoughts on his life in Freeze City, meeting Kiba, and their time with Cheza. It ends with the meeting with Blue in episode twelve.

A recap episode told mostly from Hubb's perspective, though the opening before the opening sequence is told from Quent's. The episode opening has new footage showing that Quent was the one who had shot Kiba before Kiba had entered Freeze City. The rest uses footage from the first four episodes and episodes eleven through fourteen. It adds some voice overs by Hubb giving his thoughts on his life being changed by his getting involved with the Book of the Moon, wolves, and his search for Cher. It ends with the opening scene from episode one with Kiba lying in the snow saying there is nothing at the end of the road, no Paradise, yet he is still driven to find it by a voice that calls him.

Hige, Tsume, and Toboe consider giving up the search for Kiba and for Paradise when Toboe finds Quent lying half-frozen in the snow. As Hige and Tsume leave to search for Kiba, Toboe stays and lays down beside Quent to warm him up. In his sleep, Quent thinks he is holding Blue. After leaving Quent, Toboe is attacked by Iyek, a member of the Hmong tribe. Hige and Tsume hear him howl and rush back to help. When Iyek realizes they are wolves, he apologizes and leads them to his village. The Hmong tribe consider wolves their friends and are on edge because Jaguara's troops have been attacking their tribe's dogs. In the morning the decide to search for Kiba at the Desert's Bones, a place people are rumored to find eternal happiness and never return. As they prepare to leave, Toboe decides he wants to stay in the village with Iyek and his people.

Meanwhile, Kiba finds himself in a lush area full of vibrant green grass, plenty of water, and a variety of wildlife. There he meets Mew, a female caracal, who tells him they are in a place where everyone can be free and they don't have to worry about being different species. Kiba believes he has found Paradise as he feels so at peace and everyone is living together. They play in the grass and she asks him to stay with her forever.

Toboe explains that living with Iyek and his people seems like Paradise to him. Tsume and Hige reluctantly accept his choice and go on to look for Kiba. Kiba tells Mew he is hearing people calling him, but can't remember who they are, but she tells him it will be okay, as he'll get used to forgetting. Hige and Tsume find the plant in the desert Iyek told them about just as Jaguara's troops arrive and find Kiba there. Hige and Tsume attack them, joined by Iyek and Toboe. Not realizing the dangerous nature of the plant, the troops stand around it while fighting and it paralyzes them. The wolves and Iyek take Kiba's body to the village elder, who performs a ceremony to call Kiba's spirit back to his body. When the ceremony starts, a fierce wind blows over Kiba and Mew. Mew explains that someone is calling him back and that he should go because this is not the real Paradise. Kiba hears Cheza calling him and asking him to remember. When he calls out her name, the false Paradise fades and he returns. In the back of a transport truck with Blue, Cheza cries. After sleeping naturally and regaining his strength, Kiba goes to talk to his pack. When they prepare to leave again, Toboe decides he won't whine or run away anymore. As they are leaving, Toboe asks Iyek to go find and help Quent.

Difference Between Anime and Manga

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 inspiration. 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 us an almost completely different story, with Darcia recruiting Blue to help him open up 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 in the anime, some characters do not appear in the manga, including the Noble Lord Orkham.

Episodes

30 (total)

Theme Songs

Opening

• "Stray" (Ep. 1 – 30)

Closing

• "Gravity" (Ep. 1 – 25)
• "Tell Me What the Rain Knows" (Ep. 26 only)
• "Stray" (Ep. 30)

Note: These songs are sung in Japanese and in English. Mostly memorably is the opening song, that is completely heard in English in both versions.

Voice Cast

Japanese

• Mamoru Miyano as Kiba
• Kenta Miyake as Tsume
• Akio Suyama as Hige
• Hiroki Shimowada as Toboe
• Mayumi Asano as Blue
• the late Unsho Ishizuka as Quent Yaiden
• Mitsuru Miyamoto as Hubb Lebowski
• Kaho Koda as Cher Degre
• Arisa Ogasawara as Cheza
• Maaya Sakamoto as Lady Hamona
• Takaya Kuroda as Lord Darcia III
• Masaya Onosaka as Ihk
• Yuna Inamura as Mew
• Atsuko Tanaka as Lady Jaguara
• Kan Tokumaru as the Retrieval Squad Commander
• Taeko Kawata as Neige
• Atsuko Yuya as Cole
• Eri Sendai as Leara
• Atsushi Goto as Moss
• Minoru Hirano as Gramps aka the Old Wolf
• Naomi Kusumi as Zali

English

• Johnny Yong Bosch as Kiba
• Crispin Freeman as Tsume
• Joshua Seth as Hige
• Mona Marshall as Toboe
• Jessica Straus as Blue
• Tom Wyner as Quent Yaiden
• Robert Buchholz as Hubb Lebowski
• Kari Wahlgren as Cher Degre
• Sherry Lynn as Cheza
• Peggy O'Neal as Harmona
• Steve Blum as Darcia
• Steve Staley as Iyek
• Julie Maddalena as Myu
• Mary Elizabeth McGlynn as Jagara
• Bob Papenbrook as the Retrieval Squad Commander
• Lia Sargent as Neige
• Bridget Hoffman as Cole
• Michelle Ruff as Leara (Ep. 2)
• Steve Kramer as Moss
• William Frederick Knight as the Old Wolf
• Skip Stellrecht as Zali

Trivia

• Wolves are described as "big dogs" because they really are actually related to dogs in real life.
• The name Kiba means "Fang".
• The name Tsume means "Claw".
• The name Hige means "Whiskers".
• The name Toboe means "Howling".
• In the first episode, when one of the auto defense mecha is disabled, the sound it makes is that of the Millennium Falcon's hyperdrive failing to work from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back.
• The episode titles appear at the end of each episode instead of at the beginning of the episode.
• In Episode 1 when Tsume first fights Kiba, he doesn't have his pocket knife before Kiba wakes up. After Kiba wakes up, though his knife is out.
• In Episode 11, "Vanishing Point", Julius from Cowboy Bebop makes an appearance.
• As of now in 2018, this Anime will be forbidden to watch on YouTube because Funimation the company that owns the Anime in English has blocked anyone on YouTube from uploading full episodes and the movie on their own YouTube account without the company's permission. Therefore this Anime will be blocked if you try to watch an episode in Japanese or in English. Other animes that share this issue on YouTube are Trigun, Sailor Moon, Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters, the Dragon Ball franchise, Eureka Seven, Code Geass, Mars Daybreak, Digimon Adventure 02, Claymore, Deadman Wonderland, Fruits Basket, YuYu Hakusho, Soul Eater and Sengoku Basara. Therefore you would have to either buy all these anime on DVD, or watch all these anime on the Funimation website instead of YouTube.
• Johnny Yong Bosch had dress up as Kiba while recording his lines for one of the episodes. As he says that it felt very weird cosplaying as human Kiba.
• Fans also hope that Japan makes this anime series into a live action movie.
• This anime isn't on Hulu or Netflix as of yet.
• The manga is completely different from the anime.

All information on the Wolf's Rain (Anime) came from https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf%27s_Rain