Chaika: The Coffin Princess
Chaika: The Coffin Princess is a Japanese light novel series written by Ichirō Sakaki and illustrated by Namaniku ATK. Twelve volumes of the series have been published by Fujimi Shobo under their Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint. It has been adapted into three manga series. An anime adaptation was announced in July 2013 and aired from April 9, 2014, to June 25, 2014. A second season titled Chaika The Coffin Princess: Avenging Battle aired from October 8, 2014, to December 10, 2014.
Plot
Five years ago, the 300-year-long war between the Alliance of Six Nations and the Gaz Empire finally came to an end when Emperor Arthur Gaz was killed by the Eight Heroes. The Empire's lands were then divided by the alliance, who later formed the Council of Six Nations to bring peace and order to the land. In addition, Gaz's remains, which possessed incredible magical energy, were divided up and granted to each of the Eight Heroes, who used their shares for various reasons.In the present, Toru Acura is an unemployed Saboteur who is unable to settle in this peaceful era as there is no demand for his Saboteur skills, and thus he sees no meaning in his life. While out foraging in the forest, Toru encounters Chaika Trabant, a white-haired Wizard who travels with a coffin. After saving her from a man-eating unicorn, Toru, along with his sister Akari, are hired by Chaika to gather the scattered remains of Arthur Gaz. It is revealed that Chaika is the former Emperor's daughter, who managed to escape in the chaos following her father's death and wishes to find her father's remains so that she can give him a proper burial. Over the course of the series, the group faces difficulties while facing against each of the Eight Heroes. Frederika, a shape-shifting dragoon who belonged to one of the heroes, joins their party. Meanwhile, the six nations sends the Kleeman Agency's Gillette Corps to hunt down Chaika to obstruct their quest in order to prevent another war. Other groups led by girls claiming to be Chaika Gaz also pursue them to take the parts.
Characters
Secondary characters and groups
Chaika Bohdan
Chaika Bohdan, known as Red Chaika, is a silver-haired girl who is very similar in appearance to Chaika Trabant, but wears a red frilled headband, has shorter hair, and a more developed chest. Like Trabant, she speaks in the broken and disjointed form of the common language. Her weapon is a snake blade. While Trabant wishes to collect the remains of her father to give them a proper burial, Bohdan intends to enact revenge upon the Eight Heroes by killing them. After seeing that Toru is a capable fighter, she tries to have him and his sister join her cause, but they turn her down after she reveals she intends to kill the Chaika in their company as she claims there can only be one Chaika Gaz in this world. Another thing she seems to have in common with Trabant is her attraction to Toru.Bohdan has two companions:
- David has brown hair and wears a metal plate covering his forehead. He fights with a spear. He prefers big-breasted girls.
- Selma Kenworth is a Wizard with long red-braided hair. She uses a Gundo Sniper Rifle in the anime. She is named after Kenworth, an American truck manufacturer.
Kleemann Agency
The Postwar Reconstruction Implementation Agency, or more commonly called Kleemann Agency, is a multinational organization tasked with supporting the postwar reconstruction. The organization also includes a number of small field units such as the Gillette Corps and the Campagna Corps whose duty is the capture of bandits and other criminals.;Konrad Steinmetz
;Karen Bombardier
Gillette Corps
A division of the Kleemann Agency who have been tasked with capturing Chaika. In season 2 their task switches to gathering the emperor's remains.;Matheus Callaway
;Leonardo Stola
Soara
Soara is a sky fortress that was knocked down in the war with Gaz. It had since been repaired and was active in the final storyline of the first anime season.The group attempts to start a war by destroying Cadwell, the capital of the Wiemac kingdom but the plans are foiled by Toru's group and the Gillette Corps.
;Ricardo Gavarni
;Grato Lancia
;Layla
Eight Heroes
The eight warriors who killed Emperor Arthur Gaz and split his body among them. Many of them serve as episodic antagonists in the anime series.;Roberto Abarth
;Dominica Skoda
;Simon Scania
;Claudia Dodge
;Glen Donkervoort
;Clay Morgan
;Alan Tramontana
Secret Island Complex
;Viktor Izhmash;Kiril Tatra 47
;Ursula Tatra 12
;Niva Lada
Principality of Hartgen
;Stephan Hartgen;Alina and Irina Hartgen
;Chaika Kamaz
;Shin Acura
Other characters
;Arthur Gaz;Guy
;Jasmine Orlo
Media
Manga
Shinta Sakayama launched a manga adaptation of the light novels in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Shōnen Ace magazine in 2011, and the series ran until December 2014. The series was licensed in English by Yen Press.Two other manga have also been published: a four-panel manga Hitsugi no Chaikakka, by Kanikama in Kadokawa Shoten's 4-Koma Nano Ace magazine in 2011–2013 and then in Monthly Shōnen Ace in 2014, and Gakuen Chaika! by Seri Minase that ran in Kadokawa's Age Premium magazine in 2014.
Anime
A two-season anime adaptation was produced by Bones. The first season aired in Japan from April 9, 2014, to June 25, 2014. For the first season, the opening theme song was "Darakena" by Iori Nomizu and the ending theme song was "Kairaku Genri" by Coffin Princess, consisting of Chika Anzai, Saeko Zōgō, and Yui Makino.The second season titled Chaika The Coffin Princess: Avenging Battle aired from October 8, 2014, to December 10, 2014. For the second season, the opening theme song was "Shikkoku o Nuritsubuse" by Iori Nomizu and the ending theme song was "Watashi wa Omae no Naka ni Iru" by Coffin Princess, consisting of Chika Anzai, Saeko Zōgō, and Iori Nomizu.
An OVA was bundled with the limited edition of the twelfth and final volume of the original novels, released on March 1, 2015.
The first season has been licensed for digital and home video release by Sentai Filmworks. Sentai licensed the second season in May 2016.