Anime
Fafner in the Azure: Dead Aggressor aired on TV Tokyo from July 4, 2004, to December 26, 2004. It features two pieces of theme music and one insert theme. angela performed the opening theme entitled "Shangri-La", the insert theme "Proof" in episode 15, and the ending theme "Separation". Fafner in the Azure: Right of Left, a 50-minute prequel special to the television series, aired on December 29, 2005. The ending theme "Peace of Mind" for the special was also performed by angela. The TV series was originally licensed by Geneon under the shortened title, Fafner, but has since been out of print.[2] Two OVAs named Fafner in the Azure: Arcadian Memory released in 2005 and 2006 that summarize the series.
A film, titled Fafner in the Azure: Dead Aggressor: Heaven and Earth premiered in Japan on December 25, 2010. Once again, angela performed all theme songs (image, opening and insert) for the film. "FORTUNES" and "Rikai to Hakai e no Prelude (Prelude to Comprehension and Destruction)" are used as the image theme songs for the movie. "Sōkyū (Azure)" is used as ending theme and "Sayonara no Toki Kurai Hohoen de (At Least, Smile When We Are Saying Goodbye)" is used as insert theme for the movie.
A twitvideo post from lead vocalist Atsuko announced that a sequel to the Fafner in the Azure series has been green-lit for production. The announcement was originally made at the live streaming event, Soukyuu Sakusen, which was for the film. The sequel, titled, Fafner in the Azure: Dead Aggressor -EXODUS-, aired on MBS and several other stations from January 8, 2015, to December 26, 2015.[3][4] It takes place two and a half years after Heaven and Earth. The first episode is extended by 10 minutes on home media.
A sequel, titled Fafner in the Azure: The Beyond, was announced at the Sōkyū no Fafner Soshi Minashiro Birthday Festival in Yokohama on December 29, 2016.[5] A teaser trailer of the sequel was officially streamed on January 6, 2017.[6] A teaser trailer of the sequel was officially streamed on January 6, 2017.[7] Staff from the previous series worked on the production. The series was later confirmed to be a 12-episode anime series, with the first three episodes premiering in theaters on May 17, 2019.[8][9] Episodes four to six premiered on November 8, 2019.[10] Episodes seven to nine premiered on November 13, 2020.[11] Episodes ten to twelve premiered on November 5, 2021.[12]
On December 27, 2021, a 53-minute spinoff episode titled Fafner in the Azure: Behind the Line was announced, featuring the returning staff and cast.[14] It premiered in theaters on January 20, 2023.[15][16] It is set between the Heaven and Earth film and Exodus.
At New York Anime Festival/New York Comic Con 2011, Funimation Entertainment had announced that both the original TV series and the Heaven and Earth film were licensed, and they were released on DVD and Blu-ray in 2012.[17] The series made its North American television debut on the Funimation Channel on October 29, 2012.[18]
Light novel
A novelization of the Dead Agressor series written by Tow Ubukata and featuring illustrations by Hisashi Hirai was published on January 10, 2005. It was published in English by Digital Manga Publishing on July 22, 2008.
Manga
Two manga adaptations of the Dead Aggressor story have been released and they both share the same title as the first TV series.
The first one is illustrated by Mikami Akitsu. It ran in Dengeki Daioh magazine from July 4, 2004, to December 26, 2004, and was collected into two tankōbon volumes by MediaWorks. Digital Manga Publishing licensed this manga for release in North America and published the volumes on July 7, 2010, and April 30, 2011.
The second one is illustrated by Tomomi Matsushita. It was serialized in Kodansha's Monthly Shōnen Sirius magazine from September 26, 2014, to February 26, 2018, and transferred to Kodansha and pixiv's Palcy manga app in 2018, where it ended on August 25, 2021. It was collected into nine tankōbon volumes. A "complete version" of the story, adapted from the original anime, its light novel, drama CDs, and stage play. Tow Ubukata supervised the manga, and XEBEC is credited with the original work.[19]
Music and Drama CD
Numerous soundtracks, drama CDs and character CDs have been released for the series.
Fafner features music composed by Tsuneyoshi Saito and performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.
Japanese band angela consistently write and perform all of Fafner's opening, insert and ending theme songs that achieve strong sales and popularity. They also released a Fafner tribute album titled "Yakusoku" (約束, lit. "Promise") on December 25, 2008, celebrating the series' fifth anniversary.
Video games
Fafner in the Azure: Dead Aggressor was adapted by Bandai into a video game released for the PlayStation Portable in Japan on January 27, 2005, being one of the first releases for the platform. It follows the storyline of the first season almost directly with two bonus missions and also features new weapons such as the dimension gun.
In 2009, the series made its debut in the long-running Super Robot Wars series as a part of Super Robot Wars K for the Nintendo DS. It returned in 2013 in Super Robot Wars UX for the Nintendo 3DS, which also marks the debut of the series' movie sequel, Heaven and Earth.
