Robin Sena - Novice witch featured in the dark gothic-styled Japanese animated ("anime") series WITCH HUNTER ROBIN/CAR//2004.

Born in Japan and raised in a monastery in Toscano, Italy, 15-year-old Robin Sena was recalled to Japan to work for a covert operation called STN-J, a division of Solomon (STN), based in Europe whose mission is to monitor, track and capture (or kill) anyone exhibiting dangerous powers of witchcraft - those born with the witch gene. Robin Sena was identified at an early age a being the carrier of the witch gene, but she was raised in seclusion and trained to work with STN as a "Craft-User."

"Three hundred and twenty years have passed
since the coven sank in the dark.
I am a Hunter. Those who are witches are my prey.
I have trained since a young age to hunt them.
Now, I have been given a new hunting ground.
They use strange technology here, but I shall not.
I shall remain faithful to the old ways."

Robin's special genetic skill is that of a "fire-starter" (someone who creates and manipulates flames at will) and she employs her pyrotechnic skills in the field when chasing allegedly sinister beings. Each time Robin exerts her power, her vision dims. Consequently, she was given a pair of glasses by Amon which helped her improve her aim. When she truly learned to control her powers the glasses were no longer needed. Eventually, Robin realizes that she can control any of the elements, not just fire.

Some persona notes: Robin is cautious and reserved. She likes to drink coffee (Espresso) and gets her daily order of caffeine from Harry's, a local cafe across the street from STN HQ. To get around, she drives a Vespa. For fashion, she chooses to wear a long length Victorian skirts, and pulls her hair into taut wrapped sticks on both side of head.

Robin rooms with a girl named Touko (Zaizen's daughter), who was placed as Robin's roommate to spy on her. When their apartment was raided by Zaizen's followers Robin was shot with an Anti-Witch bullet (no longer standard issue). She recuperated in hiding by staying with Amon's lawyer brother. While undercover she worked as a bike messenger and babysitter. With the help of Amon, she continued to investigate Zaizen's operation ("The Factory") and starts to worry that Amon might one day come to hunt her. Eventually, she discovers the truth about herself and Zaizen's "Final Solution" for all witches.

In reality, Robin is a mole. She was sent by Solomon (STN) to investigate their STN-J branch in Japan. STN-J keeps a database of all known witches and their lineage. Families that are likely candidates, called SEEDS, are watched closely for any kind of abnormal power. After Robin was attacked, Father Juliano Colegui arrives from Europe and reveals that he is her grandfather. His daughter Maria - a witch - was married to Toudou, an STN researcher who was investigating the witch genome: code-named Project Robin. Using Maria, Toudou, created a designer witch (nicknamed Project Devil's Child) to create the ultimate Witch through genetic engineering. Robin Sena was that child. When her parents died in an accident when Robin was four, Father Juliano who was supposed to kill her, instead he raised her as a witch hunter in Italy to be used in the services of SOLOMON at a later time.

Meanwhile, Zaizen had created "The Factory" were the witches he captured were used in experiments which extracted substances from their body to manufacture a green substance called Orbo that diminished or eliminated a witch's power.

In a final battle, the Factory is destroyed, Zaizen is killed and Robin hearing the screams of the many witches imprisoned in the building used her fire-starter ability to mercifully kill them all and put them out of their misery. Later, Robin and Amon were reported missing from the explosion, but are suspected to be alive.

Robin's coworkers at STN-J consist of:

• Amon (25) Hunter Class S, the leader of STN-J. His brother is Nagira Shunji, a lawyer who later hides Robin when she is attacked. robin works as a bike messenger and babysitter while in hiding.
• Miko Karasuma (19), Class Hunter S. Her psychometric abilities let her gain information from the thoughts and feeling of the things that she touches. Her partner is Haruto Sakaki.
• Yurika Doujima (18), Hunter Class D. She comes from a wealthy family and got her job through influence. Later, we discover that her lazy and apathetic person was just a cover. She turns out to be a "mole" from main headquarters assigned to assist Robin Sena and discover more information about a substance called Orbo, which dampened a witch's ability so STN-J agents could subdue and incarcerate them in a experimental facility called The factory. Dojima's code name is "Worm". Orbo is later found to made from the "essence" of other witches housed at the factory.
• Michael Lee (16), Hunter Class: 1337 H4X0R, a talented computer hacker. He broke into STN-J system. Unfortunately, STN-J tracked him down and offered him a deal. Work for them or die. He now is under house arrest and working or STN-J headquarters in Japan. He can never leave the STN-J building without permission.
• Chief Kosaka (45), strict, overbearing supervisor of STN-J who oversees the day-to-day operations. If necessary he administers discipline to agents gone astray.
• Haruto Sakaki (18), Class Hunter B. He is a rookie and a thrill seeker in the bunch, He loves action and often destroys company equipment in the pursuit of the bad guys. Miko Karasuma is his partner.
• Takuma Zaizen (52), Administrator for all STN operations in Japan. He equipped the team member with a Orbo guns and Orbo amulets which dampen a witches powers. Orbo was
  developed at a new division of STN-J called "The Factory." Zaizen's later died in an elevator shaft fire. He had betrayed SJN-J and was fleeing form capture when he met his demise. He viewed Witches as the mistakes of humanity, and his final solution was kill the all to save humanity. The fact that witches exhibited superior powers to humans was also an issue with Takuma who could handle the fact that humans might be inferior to witches.

TRIVIA NOTE: WITCH HUNTER ROBIN is a 26 episode series that aired in Japan from July through December 2002. It was written by Yadate Hajime and produced by Sunrise Studios and Bandai Visuals. It first aired on the Cartoon Network from February to June in 2004. YTV in Canada began showing Witch Hunter Robin weekly on September 10m 2004. Reportedly, the Sci-Fi Channel signed a deal with for the rights to a live-action remake of Witch Hunter Robin. At the very beginning of the ending sequence of WHR, you see a dimly lit page of writing in the background - it's the title page of the Malleus Maleficarum, The Hammer of Witches - the most famous medieval witch-hunting textbook.

The powers exhibited by the witches that were hunted by STN-J were many. They included the ability to control insects; control minds; extracting the life-energy of those "unworthy" to save the lives of others; create microwaves, manipulate emotions, electricity, psycho-kinesis, and even the ability to jump tall buildings in a single bound.

External Links

• Witch Hunter Robin (IMDb)

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