When the Shadow Angels invade after 12,000 years of slumber, humanity is held captive by fear and sheer alien dominance. Eleven years after the Great Catastrophe decimated the world, most of those left alive are scavengers, dirty and starving in the streets. There is hope, however - Mechanical Angel Aquarion! Powered by three souls intertwined, a rare breed of pilot takes the controls. Known as Elements, one among them must rise if mankind is to survive. Prophecy is being fulfilled as the end of the world approaches… Through a swirling cloud of love, betrayal, loss and destiny, the last hope for the new century arrives and takes flight!
Episode 01 - Memories of Heavenly Wings
When the Shadow Angels invade after 12,000 years of slumber, humanity is held captive by fear and sheer alien dominance. Eleven years after the Great Catastrophe decimated the world, most of those left alive are scavengers, dirty and starving in the streets. There is hope, however - Mechanical Angel Aquarion: Three sleek war ships flown by touched souls known as Elements. Through the perfect joining of hearts, bodies and souls, the sum of the formidable parts can be unstoppable. One feral young man, Apollo, could be the prophesized missing piece that finally completes Aquarion. Ultimate strength through unity…
Episode 02 - Beast of Darkness
The enemy rises from slumber, only to learn that his greatest foe has been resurrected, the Solar Wing. Across the galaxy, Aquarion defends humanity from the merciless alien harvest. The Elements lose their edge and their souls unravel, opening the door to their own destruction. As Apollo joins the fight, so too does an interloper from across the stars. The light that comes from darkness, the light that created the universe is released by a voice from the ages. Aquarion is torn asunder, unified force ripped apart. When the smoke clears, a new era begins.
Episode 03 - Element School
The new class of Element recruits report for duty and Apollo is among them, making some of the more experienced pilots touchy. Apollo only wants access to Aquarion to save his best friend, but before he can take the controls again he’ll need a lesson in partnership and trust. The simulation training is rigid… But simulation and reality are two different things. When an alien harvesting team appears in the city, veteran and rookie alike are pushed to the limits. What at first is a grand victory can quickly transform into tragedy. Progress is made, but it’s too soon for celebration.
Episode 04 - Barefoot Warrior
Within his wild heart, Apollo feels the harsh separation from his best friend Baron, who has been harvested by the Shadow Angels. The winged aliens convene and one known as Toma announces his holy dream - A vision that foretells the Earth’s resurrection as a thing of beauty by utilizing the heralded Solar Wing. Back on the ruined planet, the recruits undergo a strange training exercise at the will of Gen Fudo, their new commander. Paying attention to the odd lesson might mean surviving or perishing. Another Aquarion sortie allows the pilots a chance to turn practice into practical strategy. Lessons are taught for a reason.
Episode 05 - King of the Underground Labyrinth
Apollo is lurking around the base looking for the Vectors and the commander has turned his AWOL status into a training exercise for the other recruits: Find Apollo! It won’t be as easy as it sounds to track this boy through the pits and mazes of the grounds; traps are plentiful and the prey is wily. His motivations for vanishing are personal, and his vendetta puts the whole team at risk. While humans are plucked from their beds as they sleep, new heroes vow to end the madness and bring the victims back to Earth. The goal is set, the target is Atlandia.
Episode 06 - To the Other Side of Emotions
The Elements continue with their training, faced with new and ever more difficult challenges. In order to truly be effective against the Shadow Angels, they must learn to harness their emotions, to attack without reservation. Apollo and the other recruits begin work on their telekinetic abilities, enhancing the powers of their imaginations and spirits. When perfected, these new techniques bind partners closer, an intimate connection easily transferred into fighting strategy. The fighters will have to overcome space and time, unchanging and mysterious both like the moon above, if they wish to defeat a treacherous foe.
Episode 07 - Knight of the Crimson Rose
As the pressure for perfect unity mounts, the recruits’ feelings are getting ragged. Everybody believes in their own legends and philosophies, but such disparate hearts will not combine to save the world. Memories of ancient loss tangle with fresh wounds and like a precious gem, jealousy and anger shine through eternity. With emotions running so hot, the Shadow Angels are able to use the negative energy against Aquarion. If victory is to be assured, the Vector pilots will have to embrace their darkness. Only in their weakness will true strength be found.
Episode 08 - The First Merge
Recruits respond differently to their first union, ecstasy and agony wrapping around souls and bodies within the heart of a machine. New sensations dancing with the imminent threat of death, a rush that gets the heart pumping and straining. When you’re one of the few around that haven’t experienced a merge, it’s easy to get the wrong idea about it. And if you get too excited, things can get explosive. But the first time can’t be avoided, no matter how frightening it may seem. It’s a natural part of growing up an Element. When the time is right…
Episode 09 - The Path to Dreams
The Shadow Angels seem to be plucking children from their sleep, and it’s happening all over the world. A Harvest Beast has opened the door to human dreams behind the moon, and now in strange nightmares innocence is held captive. The fighters cross over to save those pure souls caught up in inescapable nocturnal visions the only way they know how: Sleep! But this is far from any afternoon nap as the Elements find themselves at risk, with a chance they may never return. The ocean of dreams is vast and rough, and it is all too easy to get lost in the depths.
Episode 10 - Stars in the Sky, Flowers on the Ground
The Shadow Angels unleash a dreadful new weapon, designed to be guided by their most powerful warrior. An unparalleled enemy, Aquarion is not up to the challenge as tension rises and conflict sours, and Apollo’s reckless nature ruins the union. Elements are seriously injured and must heal while the Vectors are repaired in the field. But ragged grudges cut deep and scores will be settled once and for all. Until those that control Aquarion can open their eyes wider to the battle at hand, they are doomed only to see themselves, and their undoing.
Episode 11 - Happiness is at the Bottom of the Lake
A less than perfect union can spell disaster for those that guide Aquarion, and sitting around moping about bad luck will only make the situation worse. An Element must be dedicated to the team and focus on unity when the action begins, but a crisis of confidence has shaken Reika to the core. The depressed pilot has struck out her own, leaving the program and her partners behind. Balance must be achieved and the weight of each individual is vitally important. Before it can be victorious, a soul must strike through the lowest depths and change its own luck.
Episode 12 - The Time of Amber
An arcane artifact from a holy scripture has surfaced, and it may be the key to turning the tide of the war between humanity and the Shadow Angels. The feathery relic unleashes a flood of recollection that fills the air, igniting the souls of Apollo and Silvia. Untold stories of slaughter and redemption, fate and feuding races. To claim this precious antiquity the aliens step up their assault, with Toma himself visiting the Earth in a war machine. Face to face with the past, Apollo is in the crosshairs, and Aquarion may be the last line of defense.
Episode 13 - A 12,000-Year-Old Love Letter
Allies from the days of old and adversaries under the current clouds, respect and love for what once was is now lost. A trap has been sprung and the wingless ones invite their own doom unto themselves. Blood and tears will be spilled, and secrets are compromised between comrades. Apollo may be a beast, but Toma knows his weakness, the soft underbelly of loyalty that will allow the Shadow Angel access to the relic and to the destruction of whatever stands in the alien’s way. Sacrifices are to be chosen, and for every bond that strengthens, one is severed.
Episode 14 - Shining Shadows
The Shadow Angels are depending on the Solar Wing to deliver them unto a new world… But who is the true Solar Wing? Silvia is reeling from odd dreams that beg the same question, and the death and destruction surrounding her are wearing her down. She struggles to make sense of the swirling consciousness of past lives and present frustrations. Even memory must not be trusted. Desperate hearts search for meaning, for unity. Across time and destiny, they reach out to be recognized. And from within the shadow of one, a light shines out to guide the way.
Episode 15 - Aquarion’s First Love
Pierre is acting very intense and strung out. The man seems to be even randier than usual and desperate for action, and not the guns and aliens kind. He has become addicted to Merging, and it’s putting his and his team-mates lives in jeopardy. If he continues to pilot the Vectors, there is a real chance that his mind will slip into madness. But if he doesn’t continue, his spirit might shatter. When the Shadow Angels attack his hometown, the choice will have to be made… And Pierre will have to stand on his own to discover the outcome.
Episode 16 - Black Mirror
As the Elements learn the roots of their unusual powers, one among them is suspected of being a vampire, perhaps even a descendant of the notorious Vlad the Impaler! The recruits are uneasy at best. As rumors of the undead float through the base, mysterious sicknesses and strange encounters within the team have Silvia intrigued. The princess looks deeper into the enigma; the ethereal blood-sucker is not the only one with secrets, it seems. As darkness falls over the fleet, an unsettling presence rises through the low clouds. Looks can be deceiving until exposed beneath the bright shining rays of the sun.
Episode 17 - Merge to Eat
To properly pilot the Vectors and achieve ultimate union, one must be of sound mind and body, rigidly disciplined. A handful of Elements have undertaken a rigid diet and it begins to affect their sleep… The war between cultures finds fuel as the Shadow Angels view the gluttonous dreams of humanity, disgusted by the will and desires of the wingless ones. Exploiting the ultimate weakness as punishment, the Earth’s food supply begins to vanish and the populace is soon starving. Perhaps the Shadow Angels have finally found a way to reclaim what they believe to be their own…
Episode 18 - Cosplay of the Soul
To become intimately familiar with their partners, the Aquarion recruits are commanded to dress and act like their counterparts. While imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, some of the outfits and portrayals are much less so. It’s parlor tricks and easy laughs until the Elements begin to fully capture the spirit of their fellow pilots. Soon enough, raw feelings are exposed. Having seen themselves through another’s eyes, the warriors can proceed to learn about themselves. In the end, one must defeat his shadow to have victory… Aquarion versus Aquarion, self versus self.
Episode 19 - Mischief Without Malice
Elements are missing in action after an ominous break in contact while the rest of the team struggles in the midst of a heated battle. The vanished pilots wander in a strange land of twisted dreams, and the darkness contained in each soul soon swells up to challenge deeply held convictions within. In the play of a child’s cruel game, the losses and pain of 12,000 years become clear and understood. Betrayal and treason temper black moments of doubt, and bloodlines are questioned along with identity. Aquarion lays broken as Apollo and the others struggle to stay sane.
Episode 20 - Sound of an Angel’s Feather
Apollo is as driven as ever, determined to free his friends from the clutches of the Shadow Angels. Lately, the winged ones are attacking more brutally than ever, with no apparent pattern linking the massive destruction. During one such attack, a young Shadow Angel, no more than a child, is somehow captured; the creature poked and prodded in a cold laboratory - Some might call it torture. When death visits the innocent, the foundation of reason is ripped apart and two species boil in anger. When the feather stops singing, hell is unleashed.
Episode 21 - Crimson Path
The Shadow Angels lust for revenge, a fair trade of misery after the loss of one of their cherished own. Disturbing dreams and the escalating war are fraying the edges of Aquarion’s pilots, worn worthless from sleepless nights of perilous visions. Within the dreams, Sirius sees a road which could lead to his ideal haven; a path of purpose paved with blood and longing. Loyalty is stretched thin and the lines between good and evil are blurred with the deaths of those that only want the same thing… Peace. From deep within Atlandia and high over the Earth, secrets are revealed and bonds are tested.
Episode 22 - Wings Unseen
The future of Aquarion is in danger unless the commander can reclaim what has been lost… One of the Vectors, swept away across dimensions in a flood of passion. The recruit squad is already in shambles after the desertion of an admired team-mate, an apparent turn-coat called from Atlandia to join those that share his feathered blood. Toma tightens his grip on this new pupil, with a few paternal words putting the young prince at his beck and call. Ex-comrades will meet again on the battlegrounds of a new war. Element will fight Element, the dead will rise to fight their own and the true Solar Wing will be revealed!
Episode 23 - Fleeting Wings
Shock and madness are the only constants as both Shadow Warrior and human blood mingle in the veins of a beloved heart and familiar face. Good and evil are surgically enhanced, sewn together in dubious lab experiments that threaten the sanctity of life. Two of the Elements’ own have changed radically and loyalties lie now divided and raw. A next generation Aquarion appears to join the fight, and the pilot is a real victim of the unending war. As tradition and dreams clash, one girl takes a stand. Will sister follow sibling into the dark realm of the Shadow Angels?
Episode 24 - Heaven’s Gate
The harvest of the wingless ones escalates and the Shadow Angels have gained the upper hand, now that Sirius has joined them. A desperate Element undertakes a risky mission that could end in tragedy, and everybody watching is uncertain of the outcome. Final fate is looming and it must be accepted or fought. An all out assault on Atlandia is in the works, everyone preparing for a major battle. Only Apollo and his team can stave off the carnage. They must open the gates to Heaven and undertake a dangerous rescue mission. But it might already be too late…
Episode 25 - Final Battle! Atlandia
The remaining members of the Aquarion team have broken through to Atlandia and prophecy is leaning towards the end of the world. Souls are stirred awake as guns blaze across dimensions, and betrayal awaits. Silvia watches from captivity and a cloud of torn love as Sirius and Apollo meet in combat, heading once and for all toward their final destiny. The secrets of the Solar Wing are cast into the sun as revenge and fate mingle in a crimson haze. The real meaning of unity is exposed in two halves of the same heart, darkness and light that together make a whole.
Episode 26 - The Day the World Begins
The secrets of the Solar Wing have been revealed, with much blood lost in the battle between the Shadow Angels and their wingless rivals. As Sirius rejoins his friends in the fight against their true enemy, the end of the world is rumbling, shaking the union of peace and sanity. The smoldering debris from the collision of two hearts over 12,000 years ago has rained destruction throughout the ages. Was the carnage worth it? Perhaps the ultimate hero Aquarion will be forced to make the final sacrifice and save the souls of every sentient being. The war ends now.