Anime Profile: Gantz

Kei Kurono is an average and selfish High School student who has no regard for anyone other than himself. One day, he dies while reluctantly trying to help a childhood friend rescue a stranger from a train track. Instead of perishing, he ends up in an enclosed apartment along with various other people who just recently died.

All of them encounter a mysterious black sphere named GANTZ. The ball orders the group of people to partake in a deadly game to combat a mysterious alien force. According to the Black Sphere, those who cooperate and win get to keep their lives. However, the game yields unimaginable consequences and horrors.

But what is GANTZ? And why and how is it manipulating their lives? Can they fully trust the mysterious sphere and will winning truly mean a second chance at life? The mysteries grow more and more complicated in this dark thriller.

Kei Kurono's life ended when he and his childhood friend Kato Masaru rescued a homeless man from a speeding train, the train hitting both Kei and Kato... or did it? The next thing the two knew, they were placed in a hotel room, along with others who had a near-death experience.

The reason soon becomes clear. The group was the prisoners of a black ball named GANTZ. In exchange for reincarnating them, GANTZ forces the group to participate in missions involving aliens walking Earth. If they are successful, they can often benefit with wishes granted by GANTZ. And if they refuse, the consequences can be more horrible than dying.

It seems like a hopeless situation. The missions are often very deadly and take a horrifying toll on the group... but then more people are brought in by GANTZ to replace them. Can Kei ever escape this... before he dies again?

Note: The American release of "Gantz" includes graphic violence and nudity that was edited out of the Japanese release.