GetBackers story arcs

This article lists the story arcs of the manga version of GetBackers. Unlike many other manga, in GetBackers, the chapters are grouped into explicitly defined story arcs normally called "Acts", although there are some shorter arcs which are described as "Interludes", with each chapter being a "part" of an act. Each story arc is usually involved with a specific recovery assignment. The Toykopop English translation of the manga is currently at Act 10, The Eternal Bond.

More information can be found in the characters' descriptions. Also, after their debut, the GB duo and the Honky Tonk crew are not listed in the returning characters' section.

Act 1. Enter The GetBackers
The GetBackers Recovery Service has fallen on hard times. Even more so when almost all their money has to be used to release Ban's impounded car. The pair are almost starving when an old homeless man takes pity on them and gives them something to eat. Ginji persuades Ban to accept the old man's request to get back his daughter.


 * Contained in Volumes: 1 (anime episode 2)
 * New Characters: Ban Mido, Ginji Amano, Gabriel
 * Note: There is no mention of Ban's 'snakebite' force grip at this point in the manga series.

Act 2. The Case of the Unlucky Cat
A young lady hires the GetBackers to recover a stolen 'beckoning cat' statue telling them it is an heirloom of her grandfather. The statue is damaged during the recovery and the real item required by their client, who lied to them, is lost...


 * Contained in Volumes: 1 & 2
 * New Characters: Hevn, Paul Wan, Natsumi Mizuki, Ryuudo Hishiki
 * Notes
 * The Honky Tonk cafe first appears in this act.
 * Ginji's former connection with Volts is first revealed.
 * This is the only story arc, excluding the interludes, in neither the anime nor the drama CDs.

Act 3. Givers and Takers
The GetBackers are hired by a politician to recover a stolen box containing a precious object. This job requires Ban and Ginji to confront a gang of Transporters moving the box. The Transporters include a former associate of Ban, Himiko Kudou, who now bears a grudge against him, and Kuroudo Akabane, the charming, but deadly, Dr Jackal.


 * Contained in Volumes: 2 & 3 (anime episodes 3-5)
 * New Characters: Himiko Kudo ('Lady Poison'), Kuroudou Akabane ('Dr. Jackal'), Gouzou Maguruma ('Mr Unstoppable')

Act 4. (Get Back) The Sound of Life
Despite being blind, Madoka Otowa is a violin virtuoso referred to as the Ear of God. When her Stradivarius violin is stolen by a jealous rival who wants Madoka dead, the GetBackers are hired to retrieve the violin before a concert that could determine the future of Madoka's career.


 * Contained in Volumes: 3 & 4 (anime episodes 6-8)
 * New characters: Madoka Otowa, Shido Fuyuki, Kazuki Fuuchouin, Kazuma Kurobe, Tsuguma Kurobe
 * Returning Characters: Ryuudo Hishiki

Act 5. Phantom Sunflower
In this arc, the GB duo find themselves confronting a mysterious art thief named "Clayman". Their client is an art museum curator who wants them to get back a painting rumored to be Vincent Van Gogh's "13th Sunflower". But is the art thief really the bad guy, or have the duo been fooled by their client instead? Also, an old friend of Ban returns for some twists...


 * Contained in volumes: 5 (anime episodes 9-10)
 * New characters: Clayman
 * Returning ones: Himiko Kudo, Shido Fuyuki, Kazuki Fuuchouin

Act 6. Return to the Infinity Fortress
The first major arc of the series, this story sees the Get Backers and their allies battling old friends and new enemies in Infinity Fortress for the device known only as IL. But what are MakubeX's true plans, and can the GB duo stop him in time?


 * Contained in volumes: 5 to 11 (anime episodes 11-25)
 * New characters: MakubeX, Juubei Kakei, Kyoji Kagami, Haruki Emishi, Takuma Fudou, Sakura Kakei, Takeru Teshimine, Gen (Gensui) Radou, Ren Radou, Kumon Horii, Ryouma Magami, Ayame Magami, Kogenta Akame, The Lucifer Brothers
 * Returning ones: Kuroudou Akabane, Himiko Kudo, Shido Fuyuki, Kazuki Fuuchouin

Interlude I. Recover the Recovery Fee
Ban and Ginji try various schemes to recover the fee for their last job.


 * Contained in volumes: 11

Interlude II. Shido and Madoka
Shido is persuaded to attend one of Madoka's public violin recitals but is attacked on the way by a group of people hunting down Maryuudo survivors. Shido, with the unwanted help of the GetBackers, must save himself and Hevn from the assassins in time to see Madoka's performance.


 * Contained in volumes: 11 (anime episode 38)
 * New characters: Kirihito
 * Returning characters: Madoka Otowa, Shido Fuyuki, Himiko Kudou

Act 7. The Lost Arms of the Goddess
The GB duo's old friend, Clayman, gives them their new job of getting back the arms of the Venus de Milo statue, before they are re-attached to the statue in front of a worldwide live audience. But, this means that they will have to forgo Hevn's offer. Being a professional, Hevn finds her substitutes (in the form of Shido and Emishi). The 2 teams are destined to cross each other's paths. However, they will need all the help they can get, for their opponents this time possess skills which they have never seen before...


 * Contained in volumes: 11 to 14 (anime episodes 29-33)
 * New characters: Miroku 7, the Professor, Hera, Liu Mengyan (Mouuen Ryu in anime), Kaito, Zhuolong, Binghu
 * Returning ones: Clayman, Kuroudo Akabane, Shido Fuyuki, Haruki Emishi

Interlude III: Let's Go to the Hot Springs!
The Getbackers got themselves a job at (and thus, a free trip to) the hot springs. But, who's that mysterious lady bathing in a nearby spring in the middle of the night? And how did threads and needles figure in all this?
 * Contained in volumes: 14 (anime episode 26)
 * Returning characters: Kazuki Fuchouin, Juubei Kakei, The Professor (not actively involved in this interlude)

Act 8. The Divine Design
When tasked to get back some wayward children, the GB duo gets involved in "Divine Design" (or Kami no Kijitsu), a card game from hell...literally! When Kazuki gets captured and their opponent turns out to be a disciple of the Witch Queen, Ban decides to look up an old lady from his past for help. But even with her assistance, can they succeed in their task of getting back the children, whom apparently have no intention of going home? Also, will the former partner of Kazuki and Juubei return to his senses, or will he perish in the battle to come?


 * Contained in volumes: 14 to 18
 * New characters: Maria Noches, Toshiki Uryuu, Lucifer, Rena Sendo, Yamato Kudo, Sariel, Byakko, Suzaku, Quinglong
 * Returning ones: Kazuki Fuchouin, Himiko Kudo, Juubei Kakei, Kuroudo Akabane, Shido Fuyuki, Haruki Emishi, Sakura Kakei, MakubeX

Act 9. Marine Red!
The GB duo gets to brush up their history in this arc, when their client wants them to retrieve a case of red wine known as "Marine Red" from a sunken World War II U-boat. But why will a simple case of red wine interest the yakuza? Also, an old friend of their client, together with a mysterious lady, is eyeing the case...


 * Contained in volumes: 18 and 19
 * New characters: Dokubachi, Captain Blood
 * Returning ones: Gouzou Maguruma, Ryuudou Hishiki, Shido Fuyuki, Kazuki Fuuchouin,

Act 10. The Eternal Bond!
The second major arc of the series, this story sees the GB duo and their allies taking sides in the war between the Maryuudo and the Kiryuudo. Shido Fuyuki had hired them in case Madoka is taken away from him. True enough, the Kiryuudo make off with the blind violinist; what plans do they have in store for her and Shido? Also, can the GB duo and their gang prevail against the 7 Champions of the Kiryuudo?


 * Contained in volumes: 19 to 25 (This is the current arc in the English version of the manga)
 * New characters: Amon Natsuki, Kaoru Haruki, Ryuuhou Agi
 * Returning characters: Dokubachi, Kirihito, Kyoji Kagami, Kuroudou Akabane, Himiko Kudo, Shido Fuyuki

Interlude IV. It's the GetBackers' Second Anniversary!
Just as the title suggests, it's been two years since Ban and Ginji worked together as a team. Initially, they were looking forward to a break, but when Rena was cheated by some swindlers, the duo swung into action to help a friend...


 * Contained in volume: 25

Early Days: Birth 1 - Get Back the Last Piece of the Jigsaw!
A prelude going all the way back to the GB duo's first job together, this story has them trying to break a prisoner out of jail upon the "request" of their client. However, as the duo would find out, the jigsaw's not complete until the last piece's in place. Oh, and Fudou's hot on Ban's trail as well...
 * Contained in volume: 26
 * Notes
 * A young Liu Mengyan (Mouuen Ryu), together with his two henchmen, has a cameo appearance here.

Early Days: Birth 2 - Get Back the Genius Dog
After their first job together, Ban and Ginji still had misgivings about each other. These doubts would be dispelled as they went about their second job. Natsumi Mizuki, the daughter of a scientist, has entrusted them to recover her lost dog. Little did they know that there were others who are after the dog, or more specifically, the secrets within it...
 * Contained in volume: 26 to 27
 * Notes
 * This story marks the GB duo's first encounter with Hevn, as well as Natsumi.

Act 11. The Voodoo Children
The most emotional of the arcs before the last arc, and a sort of "prelude" to the "Get Back the Lost Time" arc. The arc starts with the GB duo receiving an assignment from the most unlikely of customers: the malicious Kuroudo Akabane! Meanwhile, Kazuki is on the trail on the mysterious Ura Fuuchouin, who massacred his entire clan. Ban reveals that it was truly him who killed Himiko's brother Yamato, due to a mysterious curse called the Voodoo Child. They then set out to recover Himiko's mirror self with the help of the ancient buxom witch, Maria Noches, Dr. Jackal himself, and —surprise!— Himiko. After obtaining the relevant information, Kazuki then resurrects the most powerful gang in the Lower City before VOLTS- Fuuga - to challenge the Queen's Cup Championship and solve the one mystery that keeps taunting him: the secret of Babylon City.


 * Contained in volumes: 27 to 30
 * New characters: Saizou Toufuuin, "Queen" Himiko, Der Kaiser

Interlude V. On the Path to the Final Battle - Take an Oath
In this interlude, the GB duo and Kazuki tries to get over their setbacks at the end of the Voodoo Children arc. At last, Paul reveals his secret identity to Ban and Ginji. Somewhat encouraged by their mentor, the duo then makes an oath: to get back Himiko, and the lost time of the people of Shinjuku. Meanwhile, Kazuki meets up with Shido and after a badly-needed rest, the former VOLT Kings set out for the Infinity Fortress as well. For Shido, this trip was to repay the debt he owed his friends for their assistance to him in the Kiryuudo arc. But, he promises Madoka that he would return safely; that's his oath to her.


 * Contained in volume: 30

Act 12. Get Back the Lost Time
The third and last major arc of the story. The Get Backers and company head to Infinity Fortress one last time to fight their way to Babylon City. Standing in their way, is the Voodoo King and his minions. What would happen to all of them this time? Would lovers be reunited, and feuds resolved?


 * Contained in volumes: 30 to 39
 * Characters: All who are still alive

Anime only arcs
There is only one real anime-only story arc. Although the second half of the anime strongly diverges from the manga, most anime-only material are single episode stories except for the final storyline.

Return to the Limitless Fortress
Sakura leaves the Limitless (Infinity) Fortress to seek Ginji's help when MakubeX is kidnapped. While searching for MakubeX, Juubei and Emishi discover that "he", Masaki Kurusu, the fourth of the Kings of Volts, has returned and is responsible. The GetBackers, Himiko, Kazuki and Shido return to the Limitless Fortress to get back MakubeX.
 * episodes 43-49
 * Returning characters: All who appeared in the first Limitless Fortress story.
 * New characters: Masaki Kurusu, Toshiki Uryuu, Kaoru Ujiie, Jouya Kanou, Sarai Kagenuma.