.hack//SIGN
A young wavemaster, only known by the alias of Tsukasa, wakes up in an MMORPG called The World, with slight amnesia. He does not know what he has previously done before he woke up. In The World, he is suspected to be a hacker of the Crimson Knights, as he was seen accompanying a tweaked character in the form of a cat. Unable to log out from the game, he wanders around looking for answers, avoiding the knights and other players he meets along the way. As Tsukasa explores The World, he stumbles upon a magical item that takes the form of a 'guardian', which promises him protection from all harm. Subaru, the leader of the Crimson Knights, along with several other players who became acquainted with Tsukasa, set out to investigate why Tsukasa is unable to log out, and attempt to get to the bottom of the problem before it gets out of hand. [Written by MAL Rewrite]
Names
| Original | .hack//SIGN (latin) |
|---|---|
| Romaji | .hack//SIGN |
| English | .hack//SIGN |
Facts
| Format | TV series · 26 ep · 24 min · 10h total |
|---|---|
| Aired | 2002-04-04 → 2002-09-26 (Spring 2002) |
| Status | FINISHED |
| Studio | Bee Train |
| Source | Original work |
| Origin | Japan (Anime) |
| Genres | AdventureFantasyMysterySci-Fi |
| Themes | Virtual WorldVideo GamesAnti-HeroAmnesiaMagicEnsemble CastDenpa |
Reception
| Community score | 6.68 / 10 |
|---|---|
| Bayesian score | 6.79 / 10 |
| Composite | 48.1 |
| On lists | 35,646 |
| Favourited | 681 (1.9%) |
| Completion | 73.4% |
| Drop rate | 10.7% |
| In backlog | 38.7% |
| Score spread σ | 1.90 |
Score distribution
Where it places
| Cohort | Value | Tier | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Bee Train | C | 13 of 27 |
| Broadcast season | Spring 2002 | D | 25 of 43 |
| Year | 2002 | D | 74 of 142 |
| Era | Early 2000s | D | 367 of 687 |
| Genre | Mystery | D | 452 of 652 |
| Length | Two-cour | D | 488 of 699 |
| Genre | Sci-Fi | D | 776 of 1,409 |
| Source material | Original work | D | 896 of 1,732 |
| Genre | Adventure | D | 937 of 1,534 |
| Season (all years) | Spring | D | 1,060 of 1,868 |
| Genre | Fantasy | D | 1,240 of 2,142 |
| Format | TV series | D | 1,941 of 3,322 |
| Origin | Japan | D | 3,911 of 7,157 |
Key staff
| Director | Kouichi Mashimo |
|---|---|
| Series composition | Kazunori Itou |
| Character design | Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Satoshi Oosawa, Yukiko Ban, Yuuko Iwaoka, Minako Shiba |
| Original creator | Yoshiyuki Sadamoto |
Franchise — .hack//SIGN
D
D
E
E
E
E
D
D
D
E
D
D
Related
| Relation | Year | Title |
|---|---|---|
| sequel | 2006 | .hack//Roots |
| sequel | — | .hack//INTERMEZZO |
| sequel | 2003 | .hack//Unison |
| side story | 2003 | .hack//Gift |
| alternative | 2007 | .hack//G.U. Returner |
| summary | 2017 | Daitai 3-pun de Wakaru .hack History |
| sequel | 2002 | .hack//Liminality |
| other | 2011 | .hack//Quantum |
AniList id 48 · MAL id 48 · record updated 2026-08-27

