is a 2013 anime television series produced by Tatsunoko Production and directed by Kenji Nakamura. It is a part of the Gatchaman franchise. The first season aired between July 12 and September 27, 2013, and the second season, titled Gatchaman Crowds Insight, started with a prologue episode streamed on Hulu on June 20 before first airing on July 4 and finishing on September 26, 2015.
Premise Crowds Early summer of 2015 in the city of Tachikawa, Japan. A "second metropolis" of Tokyo, Tachikawa is protected by the Gatchaman, warriors who fight in special reinforced suits called NOTE powered by the manifestation of their spiritual powers. After the introduction of their newest member, the energetic and cheerful Hajime Ichinose, the Gatchaman is tasked with fighting against a mysterious alien life form known as MESS and deal with Berg Katze, an enigmatic alien creature who, having destroyed several planets, has turned his attention to Earth.
Insight A year has passed since the "Tachikawa Incident" in summer 2015. CROWDS, the system that turns the mentality of humans into physical form that Berg Katze gave to Rui Ninomiya after extracting his NOTE, has spread among the public. Prime Minister Sugayama backs up the plan, but not everyone agrees with his policy. However, A mysterious organization known as VAPE attacks Sugayama's vehicle, marking the start of a series of new conflicts.
Characters Gatchaman /(G-101)
A 16-year-old high school girl living in Tachikawa City, who is a new member of the G-Crew. She is lively and energetic, has an artistic spirit and a peculiar way of talking as well as an inventive point of view. She is an avid collector of stationery and usually gets overly excited when she finds an item that piques her interest. She is put under the responsibility of Sugane, but usually disobeys his orders and acts on her own. Her actions, despite seeming irresponsible at first, usually bring positive and unexpected results never before seen in Gatchaman activity as shown when she manages to communicate with the MESS and free all the humans it had previously absorbed. After learning about Berg Katze, she attempts to understand the alien while simultaneously opposing its plan to make the world burn by revealing to the public that the Gatchaman exist and supporting Rui in his attempt to retake control over the CROWDS and X from the alien. Mysteriously, however, she is last shown merged with Berg Katze in the ending of the first season with no explanation provided until the director's cut was released, showing how she was able to catch the alien off guard by finally seeing that it was actually inside everyone the whole time, shearing his long hair with her scissors and then shoving his NOTE into her chest after kissing him. In Insight she becomes responsible for mentoring Tsubasa as a new Gatchaman. Curiously one of the rare ones (besides Yuruji) to produce a white speech balloon upon Gelsadra using his powers, Hajime shows serious doubts upon learning of Tsubasa and Gelsadra's plan to unite everybody as one mind in order to avoid any form of conflict, eventually teaching them that having individuality and the occasional conflicts that come from it is what makes people human. In order to defeat the seemlingly endless army of Kuu-samas and save Gelsadra, she devises a plan to give the public a live broadcast of Gelsadra being executed by the Gatchaman, as they desired, but in actuality the Gelsadra they witnessed was actually her under a disguise created using Berg Katze's powers, falling into a coma from the serious injuries she sustained. As a result the public realises how drastic their desires have become, killing off the mood, which eliminates most of the Kuu-sama along with it. After a month-long election to allow the public to rethink their views on Gelsadra, which concludes in him being allowed to stay, she wakes up to everyone's happiness.
Hajime's Gatchaman form has the appearance of girl with pink pigtails and fights with large scissors and other stationery-based tools. She possesses the white , and gains Berg Katze's Schadenfreude NOTE after fusing herself with them. Her original NOTE and Gatchaman form takes on red accents after fusing with Katze, and her Gatchaman form's face switches from blue eyes to a red smile when Katze is in command. (G-96)
A serious, dutiful young man with a bearing like that of a samurai. He has a strong sense of justice and is devoted to doing his job as a Gatchaman properly at the expense of enjoying his life as much as he could. He always carries his katana. He has been with the G-Crew for five years and is baffled by Hajime when she first joins, leaving him to think of things he had never thought were possible. Initially, he finds Hajime annoying and inconsiderate, but over time he begins to understand her more and become influenced by her behavior to the extent that he later approaches J.J. to tell him they no longer need his predictions as they can handle the situation involving Berg Katze by themselves. Among the members of the G-Crew, he respects Joe greatly and several flashbacks reveal that Joe had saved him from the MESS as a child. The incident left a strong, lasting impression on Sugane when Joe told him to one day save someone like he had done, which led up to Sugane becoming a member of the G-Crew afterward. In the second season, Sugane starts wearing glasses and attends the local university where he has gained a number of female fans, but he later gets disappointed on them upon knowing that they were not their true friends and were just hanging out with him because he was a Gatchaman. Sugane's Gatchaman form is modeled after a swan and relies on Iaijutsu techniques. His Gatchaman form also displays incredible agility and the ability to stand on walls and ceilings. He possesses the black .
(G-89)
A Tokyo University graduate who has been on the G-Crew for 10 years. He is aloof, cynical, has low self-esteem and seemingly little interest in doing his job as a Gatchaman. He is revealed to have saved Sugane from the MESS and mentoring him when he first joined. After encountering Berg Katze some time after Hajime joins the G-Crew, he realizes the danger the alien poses to humanity and sets out to defeat it. However, he ends up losing badly to Berg Katze in the ensuing fight, and gives up on trying again until Sugane eventually reaches out to him, thanking Joe for saving him and reviving his enthusiasm and passion for work by reminding him of what it means to be a hero. He works for the town hall's "Living Safety Department" during the day, while wearing glasses and maintaining a clean, handsome appearance. However, at night, he lets his hair down (revealing some inner orange hair), removes his glasses, and becomes a heavy drinker and smoker, though he gives up smoking and starts consuming lollipops during Insight. He also plays darts regularly and has stated his dream is world peace. In Insight he has become the mayor's secretary and opposes Rui in allowing the public to use the CROWDS after seeing the harm they are capable of when Rizumu's red CROWDS terrorize a city. As a result, he assists Gelsadra in his run for prime minister in order to abolish them. Joe's Gatchaman form is modeled after an oni and can manipulate flames, fly using jet propulsion, and launch its forearms. He possesses the red
/(G-12)
A half-alien who runs the CAGE — the Gatchaman base of operations — in addition to being a part of the G-Crew. O.D. usually displays a flamboyant, playful personality when around others, but possesses a grim, serious demeanor that is shown upon discovering Berg Katze has arrived to spread chaos among the human race. O.D. is often accompanied by a cat named , called "Al" for short. O.D. also gets along very well with Utsutsu, who at first opens up only when the two of them are together. They are roommates and seem close like a family. O.D. has the self-appointed title of "a sad Gatchaman who can't transform", thus rendering the half-alien unable to participate in missions. Later, it is revealed that O.D's Gatchaman powers are so strong, the entire world could be destroyed when they are activated, and those powers were in fact responsible for destroying O.D's parent's planet in the past. O.D. eventually confronts Berg Katze after the alien wreaks havoc in Tachikawa City and uses those powers in the fight against Katze. Despite sustaining heavy injuries in the battle O.D. manages to subdue Berg Katze for a while and retrieve Rui's NOTE in order to return it to Rui and resolve the conflict. O.D. possesses the green . In Insight O.D. has become a regular guest of the popular Millione Show and provides commentary on ongoing issues such as the CROWDS.
/(G-99)
A first-year student attending the Tachikawa Private Academy for the Gifted. She has been part of the G-Crew for two years. She works as a volunteer taking care of the flowers at the Tachikawa City International Greenery Garden. She does not have a very positive image of herself, and fears getting closer to others because she thinks her powers would scare them away. The only one she can initially speak to normally is O.D., with whom she lives, though she eventually warms up to others after Hajime approaches her and encourages her to accept herself. She appears to be fond of making origami, as she is shown happily folding a red piece of paper that Hajime gives her into the shape of a frog. Her catchphrase, and just about the only thing she would originally say to anyone is "", which is a pun on her name. She usually wears a bikini while in the Gatchaman's base, the CAGE, and tends to the plants inside. In Insight she assists Paiman in taking care of the children in his new daycare and later goes out to help his political campaign when he tries running for prime minister. Utsutsu has the ability to create perfect, independent copies of herself, which are connected to her by a mild mental link, effectively allowing her to be in multiple places at once. She also exhibits an ability to drain life energy from living things with her right hand and give it to others with her left, though overusing the latter puts her life at risk unless she takes life force from something else. This trait also carries over to her Gatchaman form, modeled after a girl wearing a hooded outfit, which possesses two extendable arms ending in large, clawed hands. She possesses the chartreuse .
/(G-3)
The team leader, a choleric alien Gatchaman dispatched on Earth by J.J., and the longest running member of the G-Crew, going back hundreds of years. Paiman has complete trust and respect for J.J. and his prophecies and gives the team orders largely based on those prophecies. Paiman demands respect, tact, and obedience from its fellow Gatchaman, but its outbursts of anger are often ignored, especially by Hajime. A heavy drinker, Paiman often drowns its sorrows and confides about its worries to fellow alien and good friend O.D. Paiman has a similar appearance to a panda, but dislikes being referred to as one. Despite this, it has a large collection of panda merchandise stashed in its room.