Date A Live IV
Movies
Alternate Title
デート・ア・ライブIV
Synopsis
Shido Itsuka’s life has been a whirlwind as of late. Or more precisely, a spatial quake. Several of them, in fact. Powerful “Spirits” from other dimensions that take the form of girls are unintentionally causing these spatial quakes in his reality. Seen as a threat to humanity, the only means of stopping them seems to be through military force. But there happens to be another way to stop them, and it lies with Shido. All he has to do is make them fall in love with him and kiss them to seal away their destructive powers! With his newfound unique gift, Shido begins dating each of the Spirits he meets in the hopes of being able to save them and humanity.
Background
Date A Live began as a Japanese light novel series written by Koshi Tachibana and illustrated by Tsunako that was serialized in Fujimi Shobo’s Dragon Magazine from March 2011 to March 2020. It has been published in 32 volumes total including 10 short stories under the Fujimi Fantasia Bunko imprint. The series has been licensed for English release in North America by
Yen Press. A sequel titled Date A Live Encore was serialized in the same magazine from May 2013 to August 2020 and has been published in 10 volumes. The series has also been adapted into a range of other media including five manga adaptations, a TV anime, a theatrical film, and several video games.
Date A Live IV is the fourth season of the TV anime adaptation and was announced in March 2020. It is being produced by Geek Toys and features Jun Nakagawa as director, with Fumihiko Shimo handling series composition, Naoto Nakamura handling character designs, and Go Sakabe composing the music. The anime’s opening theme song is "OveR" by Miyu Tomita, and the ending theme song is "S.O.S." by sweet ARMS. The anime was originally scheduled to air beginning in October 2021 but was postponed. It will now premiere in Japan on April 8, 2022 on AT-X and Tokyo MX.
Characters
Shido Itsuka (Japanese: Nobunaga Shimazaki / English: Josh Grelle)
The main protagonist of the story. He has the unique ability to seal away the disastrous powers of Spirits with a kiss. He is the object of affection for every Spirit introduced thus far.
Tohka Yatogami (Japanese: Marina Inoue / English: Michelle Rojas)
Tohka is the first Spirit saved by Shido Itsuka. Her primary weapon is the Sandalphon. If she loses control from anger, her destructive Inverse Form, Dark Tohka, takes over. Her codename is Princess.
Origami Tobiichi (Japanese: Misuzu Togashi / English: Michelle Lee)
A brilliant and skilled fighter from AST. While she is the AST’s ace Wizard, she still pales in comparison to the powers of Spirits. Her parents were killed by a Spirit years ago. She often competes with Tohka for Shido’s affections. She’s not usually sociable with others. Her codename is Angel.
Kotori Itsuka (Japanese: Ayana Taketatsu / English: Bryn Apprill)
Shido’s adopted sister. It was revealed early on in the series that she was the leader of the secret group called Ratatoskr, tasked with sealing Spirits peacefully. Years ago, she was also turned into a Spirit. Her Spirit powers include incredible defensive and healing abilities. Her codename is Efreet.
Yoshino Himekawa (Japanese: Iori Nomizu / English: Tia Ballard)
A young girl and the second Spirit that Shido saves. She has trouble speaking. She possesses a second personality named Yoshinon, which manifests as a white rabbit puppet on Yoshino’s left hand. Her Angel is a giant monster that looks like Yoshinon. Her codename is Hermit.
Kurumi Tokisaki (Japanese: Asami Sanada / English: Alexis Tipton)
A dangerous Spirit that hopes to consume the mana stored in Shido after he seals several spirits. She was an ordinary human before being turned into a Spirit. She wields multiple guns with bullets of different effects. She can also create an almost countless number of clones of herself. Her codename is Nightmare.
Kaguya Yamai (Japanese: Maaya Uchida / English: Brittney Karbowski)
An identical twin to Yuzuru, Kaguya is outgoing and outspoken, which can make her seem immature or childish at times. She was originally one Spirit with Yuzuru but with Shido’s help, their powers were sealed and they remained as two separate Spirits. Her main weapon is El Re’em and she can manipulate the wind. Her codename is Berserk.
Yuzuru Yamai (Japanese: Sarah Emi Bridcutt / English: Megan Shipman)
An identical twin to Kaguya, Yuzuru is reserved and speaks to the point in an almost robotic way. Her main weapon is El Nahash, and like her sister she can manipulate the wind. Her codename is also Berserk.
Miku Izayoi (Japanese: Minori Chihara / English: Jad Saxton)
An idol and a Spirit who can’t stand males. She can control females’ minds with her Angel. She eventually falls for Shido after he demonstrates that men can be selfless. Her codename is Diva.
Natsumi Kyouno (Japanese: Ayumi Namo / English: Katelyn Barr)
A Spirit who can take on any form. She has a negative personality and hates herself, and is able to use her abilities by amplifying negative emotions. Although Shido and the others accept her as she is, she is unable to be honest with them. Her codename is Witch.
Nia Honjo (Japanese: Hitomi Nabatame)
The Second Spirit who is also a popular manga artist who pens works under the name Soji Honjo. She has a chance encounter with Shido and somehow is able to ascertain his true identity. She seems to have a connection to DEM. Her codename is Sister.
Mukuro Hoshimiya (Japanese: Akari Kageyama)
A Spirit girl who drifts through space. She has golden eyes and long blonde hair. Much about her is shrouded in mystery, but her exceptional abilities are unquestionable. Her codename is Zodiac.
Music
- Opening Theme Song: "OveR" by Miyu Tomita
- Ending Theme Song: "S.O.S." by sweet ARMS
Official Links
Staff
- Original Creator: Koushi Tachibana
- Original Character Design: Tsunako
- Director: Jun Nakagawa
- Series Composition: Fumihiko Shimo
- Character Design: Naoto Nakamura
- Sub-Character Design: Shiori Tanaka
- Mechanical Design: Mika Akitaka, Yasuhiro Moriki
- Art Director: Junki Nakata
- Color Design: Hitomi Ikeda
- 3D Director: Kenichi Shirai
- 2D Work: Noriko Masuko
- Director of Photography: Keisuke Nozawa
- Editing: Masato Yoshitake
- Special Effects: Noriko Masuko
- Sound Director: Yasunori Ebina
- Music: Go Sakabe
- Music Production: Nippon Columbia
- Animation Production: Geek Toys