[General Terminology] -Tion Energy: A mysterious force that reacts to the will and emotions of a certain percentage of Earth's population. Tion Energy is generally indetectible and harmless when dormant, though when utilized by a Grand it will take on a semitransparent bluish-green color, capable of being impressed into nearly any form depending on the desires of the user ranging from defensive barriers to enhanced strength to solid-state weaponry, though it tends to default to a flamelike aura when not actively focused. On rare occasions a "true" solid state of Tion Energy can also be found, always discovered as dark red crystals that, while unable to be used as normal Tion Energy can be, seem to absorb, amplify and even produce it; like many other mysteries surrounding Tion Energy, nobody is quite sure what causes this crystallization. The main drawback to Tion Energy seems to be that it can actually become too powerful if a Grand puts too much will and focus into it, effectively going "berserk" and lashing out against wielders, almost always seriously injuring or killing them from what appear to be multiple severe lacerations across the body. -Grand: The term for a human individual who is capable of manipulating Tion Energy, pluralized Grands. It is currently unknown precisely how or why Grands are able to harness Tion Energy; in every conceivable way they are precisely the same as normal humans, their extraordinary ability aside. Some stipulate that a Grand is simply someone with an exceptionally strong will or emotional pattern, as Tion Energy reacts strongly to extreme emotions, and even then often quite differently amongst different people, leading up to a study that concluded that each Grand has a unique sort of "wavelength" relating to their abilities, if only slightly. This is one of the few supposedly solved mysteries regarding Tion Energy, as there exist those who are not very adept at utilizing Tion Energy, and others who are much more talented with their gift. Thus far, humans are the only lifeforms capable of utilizing Tion Energy as they are. -Strei Empire: The name of the alien race led by Soale, as well as an individual or group therein, though the latter are often referred to as "Strei Empire invader/s" for the sake of clarity. While many of them seem to be unintelligent, animalistic aliens, there exist several examples of higher-"evolved" individuals capable of reason and speech, seen often as humans with minor differences, such as claws, fangs and vivid hair and eye colors. The other, most common form the Earth is confronted with is usually observed as an amorphous, chaotic mass of eyes, teeth, claws and flesh, rarely taking definite shape outside of their tough metal armors which usually take a humanoid appearance. The Strei Empire as a whole seems to have something of a telepathic connection with other members of their race, the "lower" invaders displaying impressive field tactics when confronted in a group and keeping an evident chain of command, hinting at an underlying social structure betraying far more intelligence than immediately gleaned. While it is unknown exactly what the Strei Empire demands in collecting Tion Energy, they are not capable of bending it to their will as humans are, instead displaying a great varying number of mutations when exposed to and agitating any large amount, absorbing it for their own ends. Reflecting this, Tion Energy's reaction color to the Strei Empire is a dark bluish-purple, as opposed to the near-cyan that is observed with humans. -Tion Research Institute (TRI): The forerunner of Tion Energy study, the Tion Research Institute was founded by six scientists who had worked together on military applications of Tion Energy during the infancy of Earth's knowledge of it. While its original front was simply a research laboratory specializing in Tion Energy, the true project that brought about the Institute was the secret construction of the Tion Engine, once thought shelved some time before the facility's construction. After the emergence of the Strei Empire and launch of Blacktion, however, the Institute's mission drastically changed to that of a "first line of defense" against the invaders, being the only place on Earth with the capability to effectively combat them, housing Blacktion and its allies, a diligent force of scientists and engineers working around the clock to research Tion Energy and generally assist in the defense of humanity. -Plasma Energy: The only real solution to powering a large-scale robot such as Blacktion without resorting to Tion Energy, Plasma Energy is a highly efficient electrical fuel source used in many military applications, popular for its desirable effect-to-consumption ratio. However, unlike the Tion Engine, it is a limited source and thus devices powered by it must be occasionally resupplied. -T-FUEL: A synthetically processed liquid form of Tion Energy that acts, as its name suggests, as a high-quality conventional fuel. While originally postulated to be a replacement energy source for fossil fuels, the process required to locate, transport and convert Tion Energy quickly proved too time- consuming, labor-intensive and costly to be practical, and thus only a relatively small amount was produced, now in the possession of the Tion Research Institute. While T-FUEL still responds in reaction to a Grand, it is on a much smaller scale, nearing a completely inert state, and with proper handling precautions can be entirely sealed away from their influence. [Characters] -Fleed Arsus (Age 20): Official pilot of GR-F01 "Grand Robo Blacktion". When placed into the robot's cockpit for the first time, he ends up destroying the enemy Strei Empire invader purely by lucky accident, and continues to have no idea how to properly pilot Blacktion for much of the series, though he quickly gets used to this and does what he can. Despite eventually becoming close with Rai, he holds a great fear of her strict training to the point where he will actively hide from her if he catches wind of it. Often quoted as one of the strongest Grands ever reported, and in his bouts of confidence reflects this by taunting Soale with his self-made title of Grand Battler, though it takes relatively little to visibly unnerve him: Rai frequently teases and flirts with him for her personal amusement at his reactions, and at one point he fades into a severely depressed, near-broken state in response to one of the Strei Empire's more extreme plans. Nonetheless, in spite of all his flaws he is rarely if ever seen giving up when he sets his mind to something, and his near-boundless energy serves him well in manipulating the complex robot that "chose" him. -Maeda Raiko (Age 21): TRI's head engineer and eventually the pilot of GRS-003 "Variable Knight Altorius". Initially acts rather severe towards Fleed and projects this through harsh, almost cruel training, but eventually warms up to and becomes good friends with him, though continues with her "training sessions" almost strictly out of tradition in addition to messing with his head for her own amusement. She is, however, rather protective of him, and will often come to his defense when confronted. For some time she projects the feeling that she resents the fact that she is not a Grand, becoming noticably agitated when Fleed is designated Blacktion's pilot in face of his inexperience, though by the time she is named the pilot of Altorius she seems to have gotten over this. Much like Fleed, she does not hesitate to spring into action, but tends to think things through a bit more then he does. A severely heavy at-home drinker. One particular note is that she actually has entirely different kanji for her "real" name, yet instead plays off of it somewhat and writes it as the kanji for "lightning"; she feels much more comfortable shortening it down to simply "Rai" however. -Prof.Sato (Age 51): One of two surviving founders of the Tion Research Institute, and de facto "leader". Often regards Fleed simply as a means to an end and does not hesitate to justify treating Blacktion's pilot badly as a way to keep him emotionally strong and thus his abilities as a Grand at their peak, but does mean well. He rarely shows any attachment to those he works with, viewing them more as associates and employees rather than friends, with Professor Richen as one of the very few exceptions. -Prof.Richen (Age 60): The other surviving founder of the Tion Research Institute, though he acts much like an assistant-subordinate to Professor Sato rather than a colleague. The designer of both Blacktion's and Vantruck's AI programs, but otherwise keeps himself in the background as much as possible. Regardless of his shy demeanor around the Institute, he is a very close friend of Professor Sato, one of the few who Sato allows himself to feel comfortable around. -Soale (Age Unknown): The ruler of the Strei Empire, often taking the form of a pale-skinned human in elegant armored robes, a "Ruling-Class" invader who holds overall control of the much less intelligent, armor-clad barbarics that make up Fleed's primary opposition throughout the series. Personally led the initial strike on Earth, believing that the constantly-warring humans were not fit to receive the gift of Tion Energy from the gods of the universe. Underneath his near-emotionless exterior he takes great pride in his race, his army and his goals, though he does not himself become active against Fleed and Blacktion until near the end of the series, preferring to allow his subordinates carry out his will. Although he is considered the highest form of command in the Strei Empire, he does not actually refer to himself as their complete ruler, possibly hinting at an even higher power above him. -Eiren Rywind (Age 26): A human who allied himself with the Strei Empire and gained favor with Soale, becoming one of his closest subordinates. After some time, it is revealed that he is the one who leads many of the attacks against Earth in the first half of the series, directing the fielded invaders from safely behind the scenes. It is also discovered that he is a Grand, and eventually pilots the reverse-engineered Grand Robo Ralzenflare against Fleed on the one occasion before it is destroyed, taking Eiren himself with it. A very powerful Grand indeed, but often has troubles with overconfidence when he feels he has the upper hand. -Endra (Age Unknown): A second Ruling-Class Strei Empire member who acts as Soale's right hand, and in Eiren's absence serves as the Empire's field commander. She has much the same cold, calculating personality as her superior and utterly despises Eiren, both for his reckless personality and his near- inexplicable rise in the ranks of the Empire, causing the two to become embroiled in frequent arguments. She does not herself fight Blacktion directly, instead giving her life for Soale's cause when Strei Ralzenflare is awakened, willingly becoming absorbed into the new consciousness of the warship itself. [Tion Research Institute Robots and Devices] -Grand Robo Blacktion: The titular robot of the series, Blacktion is piloted by Fleed against the Strei Empire threat, powered by the unique Tion Engine that absorbs, produces and amplifies Tion Energy for a myriad of functions. As such, the robot can only be piloted by a Grand, and even then only by those designated to be its pilot, as determined by its artificial intelligence program capable of linking both pilot and robot together. Unfortunately, for much of the series Fleed is still discovering how to properly pilot the robot, and this often limits Blacktion's abilities for quite some time. The AI itself is somewhat quiet, far more advanced than Vantruck (even though Vantruck came later) but rarely talking unless it must so to provide the least distraction in battle. -Variable Knight Altorius: Rai's eventual robot, and only surviving machine of the Grand Robo Supplementals line after Eiren leads an attack directly against the Tion Research Institute. Altorius is equipped with the Plasma Speed System which allows it to achieve extremely high speeds with very little effort, as well as a multitude of weapons, most prominently a large drill mounted on its left shoulder. On occasion when Blacktion is incapacitated, Fleed has piloted this machine to great effect. -Vantruck: The eventual answer to one of Blacktion's major weaknesses in that the robot cannot fly. Originally conceived as a simple flying wing or even a plane which Blacktion would combine with, the design was scrapped as it would be much too large to launch straight from the Institute. Instead, a transforming design was implemented, the wing capable of converting into a black and gold semi-trailer truck complete with trailer. Additionally, an onboard AI was designed for it so that the truck can deploy, transform and dock with Blacktion autonomously; Richen based the intelligence on Rai, though it tends to be a lot more brash and excitable than its human counterpart, often getting into arguments with her as a result. One of the few things that can actually hold what could be termed a "spirited conversation" with Blacktion's AI. -Tion Engine: The original "pet project" of the Tion Research Institute, and the drive system of the giant robot Blacktion. The Tion Engine is a large machine capable of processing and distributing Tion Energy across linked systems both in its dormant and active states, assisted by a set of five Tion Energy crystals to act as regulators, keeping both Energy and Engine in check so neither overloads by absorbing excess, and resupplying the Engine's stores as they are depleted in battle. Factoring in the crystals' unique ability to generate additional energy as time went on, this system could theoretically allow Blacktion infinite power and operational time. Because of the danger presented to the world at large if placed into the wrong hands, it was deigned that a physical link between the pilot and Tion Engine itself was to occur in order for it to be used: some of the many designs these links took ranged from specially-designed pilot suits to helmets to being directly hardwired into the machine, though the "final" version that is installed in Blacktion is in the form of the robot's AI program, singling out a particular Grand's unique wavelength in response to Tion Energy and registering it so that only that one person can use Blacktion, lest the Tion Engine shut off entirely and render the robot completely unresponsive. -Plasma Catapult Rail: A large launching platform apparatus created originally to sortie Blacktion across large distances in a short amount of time, created after an unfortunate incident in which a Strei Empire invader destroyed much of a heavily-populated area while the Grand Robo was en route by foot. The Plasma Catapult Rail is stored within a mountainside near the Tion Research Institute, though when in active use it can be quickly transported along Japan's railroad systems; this ability was most often used in retrieving Blacktion, acting as a flatbed for the robot. After the construction of Vantruck this device grew out of use, though it found a new purpose as a long-range artillery weapon on occasion, providing assisting fire to Blacktion and Altorius whenever necessary. [Strei Empire Robots and Devices] -Grand Robo Ralzenflare: A Strei Empire machine created from attempting to replicate Blacktion's Tion Engine, resulting in a large, apparently semi-organic robot that encompassed both known aspects of Tion Energy, the humans' capability of adapting it to their ends and the Strei Empire's observed self-evolution. In addition, the Empire's Tion Engine was not "locked down" as Blacktion's is, allowing excess Tion Energy to permeate the area for consumption by any nearby allies. However, as no member of the Strei Empire can manipulate a device like the Tion Engine, the role of Ralzenflare's pilot was handed to human ally Eiren Rywind, leading a battalion of invaders against Blacktion. Unfortunately, Eiren's brash nature turned against him in this battle, causing Ralzenflare's Tion Energy to overload and go berserk, leading to the robot's destruction and his own death. -Warship Robo Strei Ralzenflare: Soale's personal ark, the flagship of the Strei Empire, absorbed alongside the Tion Energy-induced mass mutation of Soale himself and transformed into a massive semi-organic robot, assimilating the minds and souls of all present on the ship at the time to create an almost entirely new single being, intended to be the Strei Empire's last stand against Blacktion and the Earth itself. Whether Soale still retained his consciousness and simply went insane following this amazing transformation or the multitude of aliens absorbed within him created a new sentience is unknown, as Strei Ralzenflare's personality seems to know only pure hatred for humans, Fleed and Blacktion in particular, throwing itself at the Grand with horrifying, single-minded power.