Sakubo in .hack//G.U. Returner at PopRot
Spoiler note: this guide discusses Sakubo as they appear around .hack//G.U. Returner and the wider .hack//G.U. continuity.
Who is Sakubo?
Sakubo is the dual-personality Shadow Warlock/Gorre user whose appearance continues the G.U. party roll call. In Returner, the character functions less like a brand-new introduction and more like a continuity reward for viewers who already know the .hack//G.U. games or .hack//Roots.
Role in .hack//G.U. Returner
The OVA gathers familiar players at Δ Hidden Forbidden Festival after Ovan’s message pulls everyone toward a strange but celebratory in-game event. Sakubo helps make the special feel like a reunion episode: short, nostalgic, and focused on letting the cast react to an AIDA oddity that is not simply another enemy to erase.
Personality and abilities
Class: Shadow Warlock Real Name: Iori Nakanishi Avatar: The Machinator, Gorre Supposedly a PC played by two people; Saku, who speaks in Kansai-ben, and Bo; a shy and quiet player. Saku is an alternate personality of Bo (albeit the much more forward of the pair), and is obsessed with Endrance. Saku is very aggressive and holds grudges. Thinking of herself before others, she'll often do things like spend money painstakenly gathered by her brother without permission. Bo is very passive and affectionate, and looks up to Haseo as kind of a big brother. The opposite of his sister, he puts others before himself. Contrary to Sakubo's claim of being siblings, both Saku and Bo are controlled by an ele
For PopRot readers, the key point is that Returner leans on already-established game roles: classes, Avatars, G.U. investigators, Twilight Brigade relationships, and Ovan’s long shadow over Haseo’s story.
Key things to know
- Appears in the single-episode .hack//G.U. Returner OVA.
- Connects the special back to the .hack//G.U. games and/or .hack//Roots.
- Best understood after the main G.U. story, because the OVA assumes viewers know why Ovan, Aina, Haseo, G.U., and AIDA matter.
Related PopRot links
- .hack//G.U. Returner at PopRot
- Episode 1: Returner
- Hidden Forbidden Festival arc
- AIDA Chim Chim and Avatars explained
