Believe it or not, constellations are a thing in the Pokémon universe.  Well, sort of; they don't really have any lore behind them at all.

  Pokémon constellations appear multiple times in the Pokémon games and anime. Currently, no star charts or lore exist for constellations in the Pokémon world.

This brings me to your image; with the exception of Milotic and Gardevoir, none of those constellations exist in any media related to Pokémon, according to Bulbapedia.  Pokemon Channel is the only media in which both Milotic and Gardevoir appear as far as games, and in the movie Jirachi:  Wish Maker, they are seen as well.

...Also, your particular picture is unofficial art work, so the likelihood of it being canon at all is pretty much nil.


would devil fruit users be affected in fresh water

According to wiki there is a nice explanation about weakness of Devil fruit. I would like to highlight few points which might help you.

Oda stated in an SBS that Devil Fruit users are susceptible to all
types of water, not just seawater.
This includes the white sea surrounding Skypiea. He elaborated on
this, saying that "moving" water, like rain or waves, does not weaken
Devil Fruit users, while standing water does. This was also shown
first when Monkey D. Luffy was in the Dance-Powder induced rain and
did not feel his power slipping away, and again when on Zou, the sea
water that Zunisha used to shower did not affect him despite being sea
water as it was "moving" water.

So the main conclusion which is given in wiki that:
Devil Fruit user will not be restricted in the water if he or she is not physically touching the water.
So according to me it might affect as long as devil fruit users are physically touching them.
Photo
Luffy and Brook losing strength as a result of being submerged in water.


Does the Spice and Wolf anime follow the same events as the manga

Both manga and anime generally follow the novels well, but there are differences between them:

The two seasons of the anime adapt volumes 1,2,3 and 5 of the novels, skipping volume 4.
The manga does not skip volume 4, but has yet to catch up with the anime.

Personally, I would suggest you to take a look at everything, it's all awesome :P


Akito doesn't have a Geass, but he is under a Geass.

  Akito is under the effects of a Geass that he appears to control at
  will, allowing him to savagely kill his enemies in the battlefield. - Codegeass.wikia.com

His eyes also don't have the Geass Sigil inside, but his pupil is encircled red like a Geass has been casted on him.

For the ability to talk to dead, I think it has something to do with him coming back from dead, maybe he defeated death somehow.


Can you manipulate someone with the Death Note, so that the person kills himself with the Death Note?

Can you manipulate someone with the Death Note, so that the person writes his own name in the Death Note?
Yes, you could and that person will do so if he is physically capable of writing a name in a Death Note, but it wouldn't really matter what kind of notebook it would be. Nothing would really happen when he writes his own name, because of How to Use: XV

When the same name is written on more than two Death Notes, the note which was first filled in will take effect, regardless of the time of death.

Can you manipulate John Zeürtö to kill himself by writing his name in the Death Note, by using a Death Note?
No you can't. If you do so, his name would already have been written in the Death Note, so any further name writing, would have no effect, as mentioned earlier. Therefore he wouldn't be able to kill himself. This would lead to How to Use: VI and he would die of a heart attack, since no other cause was specified.

The conditions for death will not be realized unless it is physically possible for that human or it is reasonably assumed to be carried out by that human.


When they form Project D what does the D stands for?

I haven't watched the anime, but I read the manga. What 'D' stands for has not been explained explicity, but in the last chapter, Ryosuke Takahashi mentions three words that start with the letter 'D' when he prays to his girl friend. (mouse over to see the spoiler):

   dream, driver, diamond (in the rough).


Up to what Episode/Chapter of One Piece should i see before playing each of Bandai Namco's PC Games?

I doubt if you can keep off from watching the series as the requirement for the first game itself makes you curious for the following arcs. Yet, here is my answer based on the character list seen on wiki/google of games you've mentioned. All the arcs I've mentioned are till the end(inclusive).

Pirate Warriors 3 - Marineford arc.
(2016) Burning Blood - Return to Sabaody Arc.
(2017) Ultimate World Red - Dressrosa arc (could be an overestimate)
(2019) World Seeker - Wholecake Island arc.
(2020) Pirate Warriors 4 - Wholecake Island arc.


Do all the snacks featured have real world counterparts?

All of the products featured in the show are at least representative of real-life product that have existed, in Japan.

The products featured in the titles of the first two episodes are:

Episode 1:

Umaibo
Potato Fry
Coffee Milk Candy
Young Donuts

Episode 2:

Kinako-bou
Namaiki Beer
Flute Ramune
Menko, a game akin to Pogs.

Much of the culture and novelty of Dagashi is rooted in Japanese culture, making it very hard for those out of Japan to appreciate.


In the Johto-based movie Pokémon Heroes, why do Latias/Latios appear?

In the Pokemon movie series, there's been always a group of films by the order of the Pokemon anime series, which will go by that - Original Series (Indigo, Orange and Johto League), Advance, Diamond and Pearl and so on by the anime series have a number of films for each season, so the original series goes by 5 seasons, so it has 5 films, and so on. the usual thing of the OLM studio in the last films upon a pokemon season film is to feature pokemon from the Next Gen. (with few exceptions), by this list here:

Original series films

Orange season - "Pokémon: The Movie 2000 - The Power of One", features Lugia which is a 2nd gen legendary pokemon. (while the anime season is still about the 1st gen)

Johto season - "Pokémon Heroes: Latios and Latias" feature Latios and Latia from the 3rd gen.

Advanced Generation films

"Lucario and the Mystery of Mew" and "Pokémon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea" featuring 4th gen pokemon: Lucario and Menaphy

Diamond & Pearl films

"Zoroark—Master of Illusions" - featuring Zoroark and Zorua from the 5th gen.

soucre: Wiki

Ass Turamarth commented this q&a answers much as I did: Apart from Togepi and Ho-oH, What out-of-season pokemon have there been?

And you also might want to see this: When do the Pokemon Movies occur chronologically to the plot?

PS. in the movie you mentioned, there's also a racer with a Wailmer, which is to from the 3rd gen, but it has nothing to do with the answer just a side note.


What happened to Captain Yamato by the end of Naruto story?

He survived. In 699 you see him emerge from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Spiral zetsu is near him and tries to grab him again, but the zetsu quickly falls apart (presumably it died).

You don't see him anywhere in 700, though. So it's unknown if he lived to that point or what he did after the IT was dispelled.


I suspect there is more than one place such images are drawn from. Most anime series come from some source -- manga, visual novel, video game, etc. So if the team building the OP sees something they think will fit well, it is already there, and just needs to be redrawn in anime form.

The YouTube channel Mother's Basement has an ongoing series called What's in an OP (and What's in an ED) where he analyzes the OP or ED of a given series. In his OP analysis of Mob Psycho 100, he mentions several scenes that were from the manga and never even appeared in the anime. The images were just colored a bit with minimal artistic changes.

Other series are anime originals; the anime is the source material.  The team may have the plot written out and story-boarded. A scene from a story board might be redrawn and added to the OP just as if it had come from a manga.

At least recently, some series have their episodes broadcast almost as soon as they are done, or even before.  For example, I read on various boards that episodes of Yuri on Ice were being aired so quickly that what Crunchyroll got was not even the final episode version. So for that series at least, the animators would not have been able to access scenes from future episodes to throw into the OP. (Of course, its OP and ED were such that they did not need those kinds of scenes.)


Why are post offices always a target for robbers in anime?

Japan's post offices are banks. And the Japanese postal banking system is nothing to sneeze at. In fact, in 2008, Japan Post Bank held more deposits than any other bank in the whole world!

It is hence unsurprising that shows set in Japan, like Index and Sword Art Online, might feature robberies on post offices. There's a lot of money to be had there!


Who would obtain Coordinate's ability if Historia was killed by the MP?

The MP had no plans. However Rod Reiss, Historia's father, was still alive at the time and could theoretically have taken the coordinate himself or fathered more children to do so. Provided he could consume Grisha (or later Eren). Also, when Karl Fritz and family moved and changed their name to Reiss, some of the family stayed in what became Marleyan territory. They are not mentioned thereafter, but some could have survived.


What is "the pose" Eren did in chapter 89?

I figure out the meaning of this, after reading the next manga chapters.

If you are not up to date with the manga, please do not read below.

   The 'pose' Eren made is the posture of the Attack Titan, one of the 9 original Titans. Eren is lost in this time-crossing memory line of all the previous Attack Titan vessels. His memories sometimes are corrupted by interfering with the memory-line of the Attack Titan former vessels, and this pose is a signature posture of the Attack Titan.


Where do the remains of the Sage of the Six Paths lie?

The Sage of Six Paths has passed away and the whereabouts of the remains are unknown. There is actually no substantiating proof that he actually existed, which is why a lot of people also think it is just a myth.

And you can't revive him with Edo Tensei unless you have his DNA.

Of course, it is pretty safe to assume he did exist though. While the shinobi might not believe of his existence, the people reading/watching Naruto have more insight about the history of shinobi.

As for why his remains are unknown, he probably made this intentional so he wouldn't be revived in the future.


How many chapters does ''Yona of the Dawn" volume 15 have, and what are they?

From here, Volume 15 only has 6 chapters. (The page also lists chapters for other volumes)

The Sound of Invisible Tears

We Part Here

To Sensui

Meetings Which Create People

Pursuit

Those Eyes are the Same Color as the Sea

I'm not sure if the latest is Chapter 168, but if you say that you've already read it, then it is still not yet released in Japan as a volume because the latest released in Japan is Volume 28, which is only until Chapter 162. As far as I know, English volume releases always follow the Japanese volume releases, so you would have to wait longer. Since it looks like they release 3-4 volumes each year, that is quite a long wait (maybe 3-4 years) before they release the volume containing Chapter 168.


Naruto's father was Namikaze Minato, who had been Jiraiya's pupil.
As we know, Jiraiya wrote, and the main character of his first book was named Naruto.

  Because he enjoyed the book so much, Minato chose to name his then-unborn son after the character of Naruto in the story, in the hopes that his son would too grow up to be just like the protagonist. Even though Naruto was not aware of this until sixteen years after his birth, he nevertheless is just like the protagonist.

From Naruto Wikia.

So Naruto got his name from a character Jiraiya created in one of his books.


Zellogi was only seen in that one scene and wasn't mentioned after. It is safe to say that he didn't really enter the human world and just checked on Light through one of the many orbs Shinigami use to check on the human world. Such an orb can be seen when Gelus was watching Misa in chapter 27.

From the Wikia article on Human World:

  Shinigami however can travel to the Human World, and watch Humans by using large spherical orbs found throughout the Shinigami Realm...


There was a population bottleneck due to an ecological crisis in Namek's history, so most remaining Namekians originate from a single Namekian, Grand Elder Guru. So most Namekians are brothers.

There were a few Namekians who were sent away from the planet prior to the climate shift though, and so these Namekians would be further apart on the family tree. Among those who survived, there was most notably the child of Katas, the Namekian who later split himself into King Piccolo and Earth's Kami.

Some highlights of the Namekian family tree are as follows:

Katas had the Nameless Namekian.

The Nameless Namekian split into King Piccolo and Kami.

Kami created Shenlong, the dragon for the Earth Dragon Balls.
King Piccolo had Drum, Tambourine, Cymbal, Piano, Piccolo Jr, and a bunch of other offspring.

Piccolo Jr fused with Nail, and then after that, Kami.

Grand Elder Guru had Nail, Moori, Dende, Cargo, and 105 other Namekians. He also created Porunga, the dragon for the Namekian Dragon Balls.

Nail fused with Piccolo Jr.
Dende resurrected Shenlong.


Can you conditionally kill someone with the death note?

If you write someone's name in the Death Note, they die.  You can write the conditions of their death if they are possible and if they are not possible they die the default way (heart attack).  If you could do this, it would mean you wrote his name in the Notebook and he could survive. That is impossible.

There may, however, be a way to do a conditional statement in a limited way to get information.  "Bob dies of a heart attack at 12:00 PST if he cheated on Kimmy.  He dies of a heart attack at 1:00 PST if he did not."  It is not clear if this would work or not. You clearly can do "Bob writes L's real name on the wall and then chokes" which would have him die of a heart attack if he doesn't know.  In any of the possible cases though, Bob would die and probably is dependent only on what Bob knows or observes.


What happens to Merihim/Shiro after Shana becomes Flame Haze?

This is explained in more detail the prequel, Shakugan no Shana X: Eternal_Song.

Before their final battle with one another, Merihim and Mathilde gambled that winner may request of the loser, which Merihim enthusiastically favored (since he was in love with her).

In the end, Merihim defeated by Mathilde's hand.

Before using Tenpa Jousai (which will ultimately result in her death), Mathilde made him promise three things:

He shall not consume humans again
He shall not wreak havoc on Earth again
He shall train the next successor of "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter" title after her death.

Because he could no longer replenish his Power of Existence by consuming humans, he took the form of Shiro to conserve it. During the final battle at the Tendoukyuu, Merihim used up almost all of his existence to regain his appearance as the Rainbow Swordman and defeat Orgon in one stroke.

He used the last of his existence to give one final test to Shana, to see if she could properly become the wielder of the title "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter," thus fulfilling his promise to Mathilde.


Is the golden armor (Garo) the only one that must be passed from ancestor to descendant?

According to my understanding, the Silver Knight's armor follows similar rules to the Golden Knight's. Note: I've heard it said a couple times that the third series Yami wo Terasu Mono was retroactively declared non-canon, which would get rid of the sole instance in which a Golden Armor was inherited by a random. Further note: YWTM was utterly disappointing making it the sole entry into the franchise I didn't watch completely.


This isn't a Bleach character. This is, as you guessed, Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII, at least according to this page on TheAnimeGallery.


No, it is not explained.

The novels leave many of these up to the reader's interpretation. It is the same as Hideaki Anno leaving the meaning of the ending of Evangelion open (see Q#6) to the viewer's own thoughts, or in Code Geass, where a shot of the cart rider smiling (displaying some features of Lelouch) was cut out in order to make the ending more open.

Kino's Journey is in a fantasy world where science has taken some leaps and bounds in some directions (and became twisted), with some moments that poke your disbelief to see if its suspended or not (like the "Are you a Knife Merchant" moment with the slavers in [episode not remembered]).

It may be somewhat magical (and TVTropes indeed lists it as "magical realism") but not in the usual sense (no mages or spellcasting), with their larger-than-life characters (like when Shizu uses his sword to block bullets).

Some speculate that they do not talk at all, and that it all happens in Kino's mind (and she could indeed be crazy enough under the nogging). That is a possible interpretion. The series is one of self-discovery after all. Or the suggestion in the Land of Books (that Kino is in a VR simulation) is actually true.

I think there are similarities in the universe of Kino and the Petit Prince. Kino's is grittier, but the mixing of subtle fantasy and realism is there.


Are Vegeta and Goku of the same age, or do they have several years of difference?

There is no doubt that Vegeta is older as Goku was only an infant (about 0-1 yr old) when he was sent to Earth, while Vegeta was already fighting in another planet (about 5 yrs old), so Vegeta is about 5 yrs older than Goku.

Note however, that both Goku and Vegeta have died several times (both twice I think) and both have trained in the "Spirit and Time Room"* where staying 1 day is equal to 1 year in the outside/real world. So their physical bodies are several years younger than their actual ages.

*I don't know how they translate this in the English dub/sub, but this is how I would based on the original Japanese 精神と時の部屋.

Sources (Japanese):

https://matome.naver.jp/odai/2141825142662556801
https://unotarou.com/anime/33645/


Why would 《 and 》 be used in a translation?

It's the same way in the original. The line about "Metacreatures" is:

  黒い塊は、それら《怪異》と同じように思えた。

So in this case, it's probably just a matter of the translators using the original punctuation (you will notice that they do the same thing with dialogue, using 「」 as in the original rather than “”, which is standard in English).

As for why the original itself uses 《》: Logan is right that these are not typically used in Japanese:

  These are Guillemet marks, which are used as quotation marks in some languages like French and Greek (notably not typically in Japanese though, which uses 「．．．」, though they can be used sometimes and are referred to as either 二重山がた [ni-juu-yama-gata "double mountain-shaped [brackets]"] or 二重ギュメ [ni-juu-gyume "double guillemet"]).

《》 are basically used however the author wishes to use them (e.g. this answer on Japanese.SE shows one way that 《》 is used in a Japanese dictionary). I'm not familiar with Shikkoku no Sharnoth, but a quick skim of the web novel suggests that the author is using 《》 to surround proper nouns with a specific in-universe meaning, like 怪異 ("Metacreature"?) and 大消失 ("Vanishing"). Kind of like how we would (and the translators do) use capital letters to identify proper nouns in English. Japanese doesn't have capital letters, so the 《》 is an alternate way of achieving the same effect.


Considering the vast possibility of Goku eating a sensu bean after that, we can assume he regrew anything that was damaged. We also know that Goku is an alien. Although he looks human, he might not have balls there. Or balls at all. But if he does, like young Goku sometimes shown, he doesn't really use them that much :D


What does the "S" stand for in s-rank or s-class?

There's really no mention about what it stands, as far as I can recall. In fact, S-rank is not only used in One Punch Man. Reading around some articles, it seems like most of them attribute the S-rank as having originated in Japan. The meaning of 'S', however, is still unknown and is subject to speculation.

From what I've read, however, it seems like there are two possibilities as to where it originated:

Japanese video games - there is a question about that in Arqade, with articles saying that it originated from Japanese videogames but it lacks citation, or rather, the sources the answer linked has no citations or references. A Reddit thread from a Japanese, however, provide games and manga from the 90's which uses S-rank. There is even mention of how concert seating ticket uses S-rank, too.

  Now (2017), in Japan concert tickets are normally classified into "S席(=seat)" > "A席" > "B席". I googled and at least it had been used in 1972.

Japanese grading system - from the Reddit thread linked above, it was also mentioned that it's possible that it came from an early class ranking system in the 1910's. To quote:

  I think "S席" may mean "Special Seat". In Japan at least 1910, "特等" grade was used for the top grade seats (http://parasiteeve2.blog65.fc2.com/blog-entry-1135.html). "特等" > "一等(first grade)" > "ニ等(second grade)", or "特等" > "普通(normal or basic)" were used past (these are also commonly used for seats grades even now). "特等" is abbreviation for "特別等級" = "Special Grade". So S may mean Special.

Other board discussions links school websites and other forums with users going to universities or schools which uses up to the S-rank grading systems (Source 1, Source 2) There is also a Wikipedia article that shows that S-rank is used, although rarely, in schools.

Most discussion about what the 'S' means are speculations, and they seem to center on the fact it could mean 'special' or 'super'.

As for One Punch Man, there is no official information as to what it means in Saitama's world, either. Based on what I was able to find, though, I think it does originate in the ranking system present in Japan and the mangaka might have based this one on that.


How was it possible to summon Sasori with Edo Tensei?

Although the Wiki does says that

  the reincarnated seem to retain any permanent body damage and physical limitations they received during their lifetime1

it also says that

  Kabuto can also modify his summoned fighters (...). While the technique usually reincarnates the deceased at the exact state they were in at the time of their deaths, Kabuto noted that he brought Madara back in a state that was "beyond his prime" and was reincarnated much younger than when he died an old man as well as instilling him with abilities he had acquired in his old age.

The best explanation (I can come up with) for this is that he was reincarnated into an earlier body, maintaining the abilities and memories acquired until the time of his death, much like Madara's reincarnation 2. Although I don't think he needs to re-make the bodies of the summoned, if it meant that, it was already proven that he could do it (it was made with Madara), so it would also be possible to make it with Sasori.

1 This piece of data is stated in the Wiki, but I do not recall if it was referenced in any manga chapter, so bear that in mind.
2 Naruto chapter 560, page 3. Kabuto explains Madara that he brought him beyond his prime.


Who is the silver-haired girl from this picture?

Here's all I found.

Nakano Otoha (中野乙羽) first appears in the anime in episode 12 as part of the audience.

She is one of the credited characters in the PSP/Vita game (presumably with a bigger role). Her seiyū is Yuka Ōtsubo (大坪 由佳).

Translation of her profile:

  Suimei Art University Associated High School (a.k.a. Suikou) first year student. Although she is not a resident of Sakurasou, impressed by Sorata and co. performance, she told Sorata "I want to help". She is also the one who invites everyone to participate in "Super Creator Scouting Contest" this time around. Her favorite are vinegar kelp, which she always brings along and according to her would "blow away any fatigue", and making snacks for members of Sakurasou who are tired from making game from time to time.

Wikia says about her personality:

  Nakano is an optimistic girl, her hair is tied into two ponytails. She was born in Montreal, Quebec. She moveｄ to Japan when she was 8. She stops　going to school at the age of 12 because an incident occurred where she was stabbed by a guy. She goes back to her school at the age of 17, starts her 5th year of junior high school. She finishes and graduates her junior high school at the age of 18. After she graduates, she goes to Suimei and she starts her 1st year of senior high school at the age of 19. 3 year later when the story is started, she is twenty-two years old now and she is a 1st year student.

She doesn't seem to be on any of the drama CDs. At least, her seiyū isn't credited on any of them.


What is the symbol in Maris the Chojo's hair?

That's the currency symbol for the Yen, the Japanese currency.

The Wikipedia article you have linked to in your question has this to say:

  Maris' obsession with money is demonstrated by her hair ornaments, in the shape of the symbol for Yen (Japanese money).


How is Johnny Joestar walking at the end of Jojo part 7 Steel Ball Run?

It's in D4C at the end of that arc, when Gyro uses Scan to find where in the sewer Johnny was hiding after being shot. He tells Gyro he was able to move his legs but didn't have the strength to stand yet, and Gyro then tells him how to use the stirrups on a horse to further enhance the spin since it doesn't take much strength to do, he just needs control.

He then admits when he's about to board the ship that he'd been building his leg strength up ever since discovering Act 3, and had just barely gotten to the point where he could and walk with some difficulty by the time he was boarding the ship at the end. And was somewhat disappointed that it was so slow and mundane, rather then a suddenly miracle.

As for the mechanics of how. He learned how to use the Spin to transfer nerve signals around the damage in his spine and into his legs, by-passing the issue, though it took time to build his leg strength back up to take advantage of it.


Imawa no Kuni no Alice
I haven't seen the anime, but what you describe is more or less the same as the first chapters of the manga going by the same name.
Synopsis from MyAnimeList:

The story follows a high school boy named Arisu and other youths who are transported to a devastated alternate world. Trapped, they are forced to play a deadly game of survival.


An old anime/cartoon set in prehistoric time where the main character dresses like Tarzan and lives in a jungle

Isn't it Rahan? I know it's a pretty old french comic, even the animation adaptation made out of it is quite old (1986).

It's a blond guy with a loin cloth, the action is set in prehistoric times.


How to refer to the two states of Umaru?

うまるーん is not the name of either form, it is the sound effect of Umaru shifting into her grown-up/outside form.

It's not 100% set in stone, but she often uses the name 「こまる」 ("Komaru") when she's smaller, typically when one of her classmates meets her in that state. Otherwise, the common names for the two states are outside and inside, since she typically changes when she crosses the threshold of their apartment.

There is, also, her third persona, "UMR", which is grown-up like her outside form, but wearing a costume to hide her identity so that she can go to arcades without being spotted. It's also the form in which she becomes friends with Sylphynford Tachibana.


Can we say the human race won The Great War in No Game No Life: Zero or Tet won?

The main aim of Riku was to end the Great War so that they can live in peace. So basically the win condition is achieved at the end of the movie. Thus we can say that the human race won the war because:

Peace achieved.
Human race recognized (as exceed) and given the name Imanity by Tet.

Bonus:

There is a very hot debate about how Riku died and it's not %100 clear. Some even say "Riku actually become Deus before dying and created Tet unconsciously". However, it's pretty obvious that Riku didn't plan anything related to Tet. That's is why there is no clear answer to the question "who".


I think it's mainly to incorporate humor into the plot. This is not the first time we have seen characters like this. We've seen Majin Buu back in the Buu saga who acted like a child despite being insanely powerful. Toriyama is known for creating characters of this manner. The fact that we get to see the strongest beings in the universe, the gods of destruction be terrified of these kids, incorporates a lot of humor into the storyline


A traditional 'trap' is a boy disguised as a female. Note that this is not simply boys who look feminine, but characters who are pretending to be the opposite sex or who are presumed to be by the narrative of the medium.

Example 'traditional' trap:

Maria from Maria✝Holic

& Steins;Gate's Ruka Urushibara (as you mentioned earlier)

Not a trap: Ryuunosuke Akasaka (The Pet Girl of Sakurasou)

A 'reverse trap' is simply the opposite - A female character pretending to be a male one. This is why Charlotte falls under this category. (Until she is outed to be a female). Similar to above, characters who are masculine are not strictly reverse traps.

Example 'reverse' trap:

Haruhi Fujioka - Ouran Highschool Host Club

Not a reverse trap: Yū Kashima from Nozaki-Kun


What is this symbol used in Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress?

According to this post on the official website, this is the 浄化マーク, meaning "purification mark". It is derived from / inspired by older variants of the character 六, which is the "Rok-" in the phrase "Rokkon Shōjō" and means "six". This symbol is written on things to indicate that the things in question are "pure" (free of kabane, presumably).

I don't recall this being mentioned in the anime.


Obi has told Zen in the manga that he "likes" Shirayuki. Combine this with all the moments they have together and all the hints we've been getting over the anime and manga (they end up living with just one another and other herbalists for like 2+ years straight), and it's pretty clear that he's in love with her.


Did the following characters of Gotei 13 make it alive?

Urahara's status is unknown; however it is safe to presume he is dead. During his fight with Askin, although he defeats Askin (with a little help from Grimmjow), he collapses at the end and says that he apologizes for leaving. everything to Ichigo and Rukia.

Yoruichi is also unknown; after Askin activates his Vollstandig and approaches both of them, she does not appear after that. Her drug was wearing off, but Kubo did not reference back to her after that. With her, it isn't safe to assume her death or survival.


Rating starts from C and goes on to SSS. However, classes not only meant to show how powerful the ghoul is but it's more like a "how many and which class investigator we must send" measurement.

If you want to see who fall into what classes you can visit here.


What was the first anime to feature an OP/ED that was not performed by a Japanese group/artist?

In your eyes by Samantha Newark in Project A-Ko (1986)

The earliest use of an English song as an opening in the Japanese version of an anime I can find is In your eyes by Samantha Newark in Project A-Ko (1986), however, English songs were fairly common in versions dubbed for North America and Europe, often getting complete song rewrites instead of translations.

See the differences between Dragonball Z's English and Japanese openings for a good example of this.

Later on, however, when they stopped shipping new openings with anime (around 2000, for memory), English songs became more common, sporting names like Radiohead (Ergo Proxy, 2006) and Oasis (Eden of the East, 2009). An early and particular favourite of mine is Serial Experiments Lain's opening, Duvet by Boa (1998).


Why doesn't the Byakugan have a second stage?

There is a "second stage" of the Byakugan, called Tenseigan. And it has its own Chakra Mode, which is said to be on par with the Naruto's Nine-Tails Chakra Mode.
When the Byakugan is combined with the chakra of an Ōtsutsuki clan member, it evolves into the Tenseigan. The only known wielders are:

Hamura Ōtsutsuki
Toneri Ōtsutsuki

The Tenseigan has abilities similar to the Rinnegan.

The Tenseigan allows the user to control both attractive and repulsive forces, similar to the Rinnegan. Additionally, it also grants the wielder Tenseigan Chakra Mode, which in turn gives the user an increase in speed, power, strength, durability, and reflexes. It also grants its user Truth-Seeking Balls, thus granting the user all five nature transformations and Yin–Yang Release.
source: Naruto Wikia


Couldn't Misa have told Kira L's life span?

L was killed by a Death Note (Rem's). When someone is killed by a Shinigami's Death Note, the remaining life span is added to the Shinigami's life. This means the life span seen using the Shinigami eyes doesn't account for deaths caused by the Death Note (since that difference is added to their life). The important part of what the Shinigami eyes does for Misa is that she can see L's real name.


What's the last episode of Carnival Phantasm about?

Fate/Prototype is the original story created by Kinoko Nasu which would later after many changes be published as Fate/stay night. It can be considered as an alternate universe to the world of Fate/stay night, in a similar way to the other Fate spinoffs like Fate/Apocrypha and Fate/Extra.

  Based around the Second Tokyo Holy Grail War, it is the original concept of Kinoko Nasu's for Fate/stay night. It has yet to be adapted as a full series, with only a short animated feature and production notes detailing the story.
  ...
  The original version of Fate/stay night, now called Old Fate (旧Fate, Kyū Fate?) and Fate Origin, was a novel that Nasu wrote during high school, eventually being vastly redesigned as a visual novel to suit the target audience. They were reluctant to completely abandon many of the "original charms" that were discarded, and they had wished to utilize them somehow with each passing year. Twenty years after originally being penned, they decided to make use of the release of Carnival Phantasm, discarding other proposals like Princess Arcueid VS Saber Lily or a scene from Tsukihime 2, to "just once, return to the original" for the company's belated tenth anniversary.

See the Wiki for more information.
A good article about Fate/Prototype.


Why does Miki keep pulling out a stopwatch?

Yes, it is a stopwatch. Ikuhara Kunihiko (Director/Producer, Storyboards, Original Concept) answered this question in an Animage interview with Be-Papas, the animation studio that created Utena:
Translation by a fan:

Animage magazine: The next question came up most often.
Question: What does Miki measure with his stopwatch? (reader from Hokkaido)
Ikuhara: Let’s just say that it’s connected with the structure of the world.
All: (laugh).
Enokido Yoji (Animation Composition, Chief Screenwriter): That’s a really hard-to-understand answer.


Did Vegeta SSJ2 against Beerus surpassed Gohan's mystic form?

Well, Gohan was the strongest unfused character at the end of the Dragon Ball Z saga. Also, 6 months after the Buu saga, the memories of Majin Buu was erased using the dragon balls. The Battle of Gods arc was 4 years after. We know there was a massive time jump because Gohan and Videl were just classmates at the end of the Buu saga but Gohan was married with Videl and also was a (Going to be father), at the start of Super. Let us assume the mystic gohan multiplier is an immense multiplier > than the SSJ3 multiplier. Base Gohan wouldn't have trained during the 4 year period up until the battle of gods and obviously Goku and Vegeta would've trained a lot during that period. So I'd say at that point in time, SSJ3 Goku was possibly as strong as Mystic Gohan or at least stronger than Super Buu and almost as strong as Mystic Gohan. Vegeta on the other hand, might've been as strong as Kid Buu in his SSJ2 form or maybe slightly stronger. Unfortunately, when Gotenks fought Beerus, he was in his base form so we cannot use Beerus fight with Gotenks and Vegeta's initial fight with Beerus to gauge Vegeta's power level. I believe during the battle of gods arc, Ultimate Gohan (Dragon Ball Z) > SSJ3 Goku > Super Buu > Vegeta SSJ2 > Ultimate Gohan (Dragon Ball Super)> Kid Buu. I believe Gohan became didn't train and was a lot weaker than he was in Z.

This brings us back to your question as to whether Vegeta's rage SSJ2 transformation surpassed Gohan's mystic form in Z and my answer to the same would be a yes! I believe SSJ3 Goku wasn't as far behind Mystic Gohan(Dragon Ball Z) during the battle of gods arc. Goku definitely wouldn't go four years without trying to surpass or at least approach  the power level of someone stronger. So it's very likely SSJ3 Goku might've even been stronger than Mystic Gohan , however for argument sake lets say he was slightly weaker. Vegeta in his rage transformation was a lot stronger than Goku in his SSJ3 form and I'd say very likely surpassed Gohan's Mystic form in Dragon Ball Z.

 Note: The list I made with the power difference was with the worst case scenarios. Vegeta and Goku might be a lot stronger than where I placed them on the list. It might even be possible that SSJ3 Goku was at the level of Mystic Gohan during the battle of gods arc and Vegeta might've been on the same level as Super Buu or possibly even stronger. Vegeta and Goku would've definitely gotten a Zenkai boost after their fight with Kid Buu and the two of them would've obviously trained and gotten a lot stronger post Buu saga.


Do Shanks or Buggy know the location of the One Piece?

As stated on the wiki

  Aside from the Roger Pirates and Whitebeard, before their death, no one actually knows where the great treasure is. source

This would mean both Shanks and Buggy would know the location of the One Piece. According to the information the most likely also know what the one piece is  Sort of a spoiler

  Given the recurring theme of treasure being something of great personal value (for example Luffy's hat), One Piece may simply be an item that Gol D. Roger valued. In Buggy's flashback to his days as a member of the Roger Pirates, he discussed with Shanks the meaning of a treasure, and he found that all the crew shared the same views regarding personal value  Vol. 3 Chapter 19 (p. 8)

As to the location they described

  It is said that it was hidden somewhere deep in the Grand Line, presumably in the last island, Raftel, by its deceased owner, the Pirate King Gol D. Roger


What is this 'Japanese Secret Police' Furuya Rei is in? Are they a real police division?

Furuya Rei is a member of 「黒の組織」(kuro no soshiki = the black organization). I don't know what chapter or episode you are referring to, so I cannot verify the original Japanese for "Japanese secret police" used there, but:

Yes, in real life there was a Japanese secret police along the same lines of Nazi Germany's Gestapo and the Soviet Union's KGB. It likewise carried out human rights abuses and crimes against humanity, such as experimentation on live prisoners of war and other individuals, and biological warfare (see also Japan’s Gestapo: Murder, Mayhem And Torture In Wartime Asia by Mark Felton).

It was called the Kempeitai. There was also a navy branch called the Tokubetsu Keisatsutai. In addition, the Tokubetsu Koutou Keisatsu conducted domestic criminal investigation of civilians suspected of being anti-war or dangerous and counter-espionage functions, and punished perceived offenders with torture.

However, all three were abolished by the Allied Powers in 1945, so it is not possible that Furuya Rei was a member, since he is only 29 years old in the Meitantei Conan series. Japan does not have a post-WWII secret service. It is likely that what is being translated as "Japanese secret police" is either 1) the Kouanchousachou a.k.a. the Public Security Intelligence Agency established under the Ministry of Justice in 1952, which "is tasked with internal security and espionage against threats to Japanese national security" and "has ties to several foreign intelligence as security agencies, including the CIA, FBI, MI6, and Mossad, with several PSIA agents having been invited to train with the CIA under its Intelligence Analysis Course," or 2) one of the types of special police in Japan.


What is the card that other Yugi draw in the end of the Yu-Gi-Oh movie?

The only card he appears to draw is Palladium Oracle Mahad. As this portion of the duel is not narrated, nor is the 'card's' effects described in any way, there is no guarantee the in-movie card matches its real-life counterpart exactly, but the real card's effects suggest they are played similarly.

Picture taken from Deviant art
Updated answer based on wikia summary
It's all explained in this wiki, see the summary section on that link.
Below is the recap when Yugi fainted on turn 4, until he summoned Mahaad.

Turn 4:
face-down "Metalhold the Moving Blockade", letting him target any
number of Level 4 Machine-Type monsters he controls and Special Summon
"Metalhold" as a monster (0/0) in Attack Position, then equip those
monsters to it to increase its ATK by the combined ATK of the equipped
monsters. "Silver Gadget" and "Gold Gadget" are equipped to
"Metalhold" (0 → 3200).
"Metalhold" prevents other monsters from being
targeted for attacks, so the attack is redirected to "Metalhold". As a
monster he controls would be destroyed by battle, Aigami activates his
face-down "Cubic Defense", preventing its destruction and letting him
Special Summon two monsters from his hand with the same name.
He Special Summons two more "Crimson Novas" (3000/0) in Attack Position.
The second "Crimson Nova" attacks and destroys "Pandemic Dragon"
(Kaiba: 4500 → 2000). As it was destroyed, the effect of "Pandemic
Dragon" activates, reducing the ATK of all monsters on the field by
1000, but the "Crimson Novas" are unaffected as "Pandemic Dragon" had
less than 3000 ATK ("Metalhold": 3200 → 2200). The third "Crimson
Nova" attacks and destroys "Metalhold" (Yugi: 5000 → 2800).
As two of his "Crimson Novas" destroyed monsters by battle this turn,
they may both attack again via their effects. They attack directly,
but Yugi activates his face-down Continuous Trap Card "Spiritual
Swords of Revealing Light", letting him pay 1000 LP to negate an
attack. He pays 2000 to negate both attacks (Yugi: 2800 → 800).
Aigami activates his face-down "Unification of the Cubic Lords", letting him
Fusion Summon a "Cubic" Fusion Monster using monsters from his hand
and field as Materials. He fuses his three "Crimson Novas" to Fusion
Summon "Crimson Nova Trinity the Dark Cubic Lord" (4500/3000) in
Attack Position. "Crimson Nova Trinity" attacks Yugi directly, with
its effect activating as it attacked, halving his opponent's LP (Yugi:
800 → 400; Kaiba: 2000 → 1000). As an opponent's monster declared a
direct attack with a monster whose ATK is greater than or equal to his
LP, Kaiba activates his face-down "Krystal Avatar", Special Summoning
it as a monster with ATK equal to his LP (1000/0), then changing the
attack target to it. "Krystal Avatar" is destroyed (Kaiba: 1000 → 0).
The effect of "Krystal Avatar" activates as it was destroyed by
battle, inflicting its ATK as damage to the opponent. (Aigami: 5000 →
4000). Aigami activates the effect of "Crimson Nova Trinity" to
inflict damage to Yugi equal to the damage he took, but Yugi activates
the effect of "Clear Kuriboh", sending it from his hand to the
Graveyard to reduce the damage to 0. Since it destroyed a monster by
battle this turn, the effect of "Crimson Nova Trinity" lets it attack
again. "Crimson Nova Trinity" attacks directly, with its effect
activating, halving Yugi's LP (Yugi: 400 → 200). The attack continues,
but Yugi activates the effect of the "Clear Kuriboh" in his Graveyard
as an opponent's monster is attacking directly, banishing it from his
Graveyard to draw a card. If it is a monster, he can Special Summon
it, then the opponent's monster will be forced to attack it.
At this point, Yugi cannot continue, but Atem returns to the world and takes over.
Atem draws "Palladium Oracle Mahad", then Special Summons it (2500/2100) in Attack Position via the effect of "Clear Kuriboh",
redirecting the attack to it. "Crimson Nova Trinity" attacks "Mahad",
with the effect of "Mahad" activating as it battling a DARK monster,
doubling its ATK (2500 → 5000). "Crimson Nova Trinity" is destroyed
(Aigami: 4000 → 0).


Just what does the word "canon" mean when referring to anime?

Something being canon essentially means it's true to the primary1 storyline. A good example of this would be when talking about fanfiction - if a fanfiction has two people dating in it, it would be canon if those two characters are actually dating in the storyline of whatever the fan-made work is based on. It would be non-canon if that's not true.
This isn't just limited to anime or manga; this refers to any fictional story when talking about artwork, literature, discussions, etc produced by fans or non-official sources.
For example, when talking about "ships" between characters, it's canon if they are actually in a relationship. If they aren't and it's just what fans like to speculate about, it's non-canonical. Of course, it's not always this binary; some things are heavily based on real parts of the story but the speculation itself is either false or might be unconfirmed.
1As Pablo pointed out in the comments, I originally had "official" here, but there is an important distinction to make - a company that owns the rights to this media may produce official additional media that may not canon because the author of the original work didn't have any contribution or say in it, but it is still official because it is produced by the company with the copyright.


How did the society where the story of Shin Sekai Yori takes place come to be?

It's actually explained a bit at one point, though I can't remember the episode exactly.

Essentially, humanity got really violent and started destroying each other, probably via nuclear warfare or maybe previous people with supernatural powers. Shin Sekai Yori takes place on one of the remaining human colonies, where the elders are the only ones that know of the leftover science, knowledge from the previous era.

This explains why they're super paranoid about these kids with powers, because they're afraid that everyone will get destroyed again.


Aizawa-sensei's quirk is Erasure:

Shota's Quirk gives him the ability to nullify anyone's Quirk by looking at them.

The cloth like material is not a quirk nor is it quirk controlled. It is called the Capturing Weapon:

The Capturing Weapon is a cloth-like equipment made from carbon fibers and a special metal alloy. Shota Aizawa wears it around his neck at all times.
He is able to manipulate the weapon to ensnare his targets and immobilize them. He uses the weapon as a powerful combo with his Erasure Quirk and as a precaution for Mutant-type Quirk users who are immune to his nullification power.


Why did the Sound and Sand villages want to destroy the Leaf Village?

It's been a while since I watched Naruto. But I believe it was because of the following reasons. If you haven't already gone through the whole arc, then these might be spoilers for you up ahead.

   Orochimaru obviously had a personal grudge against the Hidden Leaf village and the Third Hokage who was also his former mentor. And it was him who put an end to his secret experiments back when he was still a leaf shinobi. He continues his quest for immortality and wanted to destroy the village for his personal reasons. He managed to compel the Fourth Kazekage for assistance in destroying the hidden leaf. The Sand village was suffering badly economically and the Fourth Kazekage saw it as an opportunity to improve their economic condition by taking over the Hidden Leaf and also severely weakening the Leaf Shnobi forces, thereby naturally creating more opportunities for the Sand shinobi to get hired for missions. Orochimaru however, betrayed the fourth Kazekage and killed him. He himself then posed as the Kazekage at the Chunin exams to successfully infiltrate the Leaf village.

For the next part of the question:

   The sand village's already financially weak state got worse when they realized that the Kazekage had been murdered and their team including their trump card, Gaara had been defeated. Although they emerged victoriuos after a great loss, the Leaf village still let the Sand village off even after they had tried to destroy them, mostly because it had been Orochimaru who had been pulling the strings. Gaara was brought back to his senses after going on a rampage. The Sand village owed the Leaf. And Gaara himself owed a personal debt to Naruto for stopping him and making him see things clearly. When they heard about the Leaf crisis when Sasuke abandoned the village and there were no Jounin level ninjas available, the Sand village dispatched Gaara's squad to assist to settle their debt and also extend a hand for a Sand-Leaf alliance. I am not entirely sure about this but I think it was Tsunade who managed to get the Sand village to assist in the situation.


What is the origin of the trope where a person says "I can't eat anymore" 「もう食べられないよ…」 in their sleep?

According to Chiebukuro, an early source is a 落語 (rakugo) performance act titled 「品川心中」 (Shinagawa Shinjuu, meaning "Lovers' Suicide in Shinagawa" [Shinagawa is a ward of Tokyo]) written in the Edo era (between 1603 and 1868) (unsurprisingly, the tale revolves around a double lovers' suicide). Rakugo is a form of Japanese verbal stage entertainment. A single storyteller sits in seiza position and tells a long and complicated comical story which involves dialogue of two or more characters. The art was invented by Buddhist monks in the 9th and 10th centuries to make their sermons more interesting.

Because the work was a live performance so long ago, conclusive historical evidence does not exist, but it is generally believed that the story included the following lines of dialogue:

  「ほら、あんた、起きとくれよ！」(Hora, anta, oki to kure yo!)

  「ふぇぇー？ もう食えねぇ～．．．」 (Fuee~? Mou kuenee~...)

  「何言ってんだい、お前さん、時間だよ．．．」 (Nani itten dai, omae-san, jikan da yo...)

meaning

  A: Hey, you, wake up!

  B: Huhhhh? I can't eat anymooore...

  A: What're you talking about, hey you, it's time [to get up]...

「食えねぇ」(kuenee)　and「食べない」(tabenai) both have the same meaning: "can't eat." The "kuu" pronunciation is used by men and has a rougher sound, and is also used to refer to animals consuming their food.

The inclusion of this line in various manga indicates that even to the present day, dreaming of eating so much food that you couldn't possibly eat any more is considered a good dream: such a good dream that you don't want to wake up from it.


When does Hina learn that her parents died?

At episode 12, since her performance at the Daycare approached, Hina began asking again when her parents will be coming, prompting the others to reveal the truth.


This is all explained by King Kai during the Freeza Saga in chapter 321.

King Kai asks Kami whether people that had died from old age could be revived, to which the answer was negative. So then he asks whether people that had indirectly died by an evil person could be revived, to which the answer was positive.

Kami replied positive, saying that even though it'd be a first-time case, he'd believe it would be possible to revive those that indirectly died. They would then remain alive for the duration of time their life was shortened by.

  King Kai: What if they were confronted by an evil person, and, indirectly though it may be, their death was hastened, even a little bit...?
  Kami: I believe they would remain alive for the duration of time their life was shortened by...

Knowing this, King Kai asked not only to bring back those killed by Freeza himself, but also by his henchman (Eg: which would include Vegeta).


Was the first time Zoro experienced haki in Alabasta?

It's not Haki, but it's similar to Haki. When he heard the rock falling, he did not dodge them, but instead he knew where the rock were gonna fall. Kenbunshoku Haki has something similar, but the user predicts an opponent's moves which makes it much easier for them to evade the attack given enough skill. Zorro was also able to sense where his sword was, while no Haki users are known to have this ability.

Zorro didn't move and he said he was not evading those rock

Haki users can evade attacks.

  Though the power allows the user to predict most attacks, it can be circumvented by various means. It cannot predict inherently random attacks; for example, Luffy managed to bypass Enel's Mantra by bouncing his fists off a nearby wall, to prevent himself and thus Enel from knowing where they would land. (source)

So it was clear that Haki users can't use their Haki power to predict a movement that was not intended. Therefore, Zorro's ability to sense those rocks was not Haki.

Another proof that Zorro couldn't use Haki at that time is that he was able to cut through Daz Bone's metal (which is actually possible with enough skill), but he couldn't cut through Enel's lighting (impossible without using Busoshoku Haki).


Can kamui be used inside kamui timespace?

Inshort technically it is possible (see 3rd point for exact process)

As I mentioned in my comment not enough information is available as limited use of Kamui was seen only towards the end of the series however following conclusions can be drawn-

Using Kamui is the only way to travel to and from its dimension. This means that targets transferred there are trapped, forced to stay until Kamui's user lets them leave; Obito sometimes uses genjutsu on those he imprisons to keep them subdued.
Obito's two Mangekyō Sharingan spend years with different users – Obito himself and Kakashi Hatake – this makes Obito and Kakashi essentially immune to each other's Kamui:although one of them can use Kamui on the other, the other can just use Kamui on themselves to escape.This also means they can block or counter each other's attempts to use Kamui on others
Kamui ordinarily only connects its dimension with the Earth. If a user synchronises Kamui with another space–time ninjutsu, Kamui can travel to the other ninjutsu's target dimension.(Proof-Naruto chapter 683, pages 14-15)
Some technique's similar to Kamui are-

In the anime, the Hizashi Hyūga of Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook: The Tale of Naruto the Hero uses a technique similar to Kamui.

The space-time ninjutsu of Shin Uchiha, Nue, and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki are similar in function to Kamui.

But if the user doesn't have the original ninjutsu to piggyback off of, travelling between dimensions becomes extremely difficult since Kamui doesn't naturally connect to them. Users can manually generate portals to these other dimensions with Kamui, but this requires a great deal of chakra, so much that users will likely need another person's assistance.
Proof-Naruto chapter 685, pages 3-8
Additionally, Obito in the Purgatory is able to use Kamui to temporarily return his soul to Earth to continue assisting Kakashi by granting him the use of his Sharingan for a short time.
Source-https://naruto.fandom.com/wiki/Kamui


About the physics of transmutation in FMA:B

You can find a lot of explanations about the energy in Fma wikia.

  In the 2003 anime, though it is never outright explained from where
  the energy in transmutation comes, alchemists who attempt to create
  objects outside their range of skill are left exhausted, suggesting
  that at least some of the energy comes directly from their bodies. At
  the end of the anime series, it is explained that the energy powering
  transmutation is actually the energy of departed human souls passing
  through The Gate to the alchemical world from our world, negating the
  concept of Equivalent Exchange altogether.

That's one of the reasons some alchemists want the philosopher's stone, since it contains a lot of human souls, it can generate a lot of energy that one alchemist can't generate on his own.


Why does master Roshi want the plane to stop before the second Tenkaichi tournament?

If you're talking about the manga, Master Roshi indeed wants the plane to stop, but the reason is quite obvious to the reader: he wants to poop real bad (Chapter 113). This is so clearly stated that I am not sure this is what you were asking about. Maybe it is not so clear in the anime?


Why do characters in some art styles have a broken line for mouths?

I think the explanation given in moegamisama's answer is a step in the right direction; however, an argument purely from high-level principles about moe/cuteness lacks sufficient explanatory power to explain why this particular style ("broken line" mouths) is often seen. I think a more mechanistic explanation for why mouths are drawn this way is also necessary.

Taking for granted that the minimization of some facial features (a small nose, compensated by large eyes, say) is a common feature in "moe" character design today, and observing that the mouth is an oft-minimized feature, the mechanistic explanation, then, is as follows.

Take a close look at the way Madoka's mouth is drawn in the picture you posted. You will notice that the thickness of the line that represents her mouth is not constant. Rather, it is thickest near the edges and becomes thinner as we approach the center of her face. The line "breaking" at the center of her face strikes me as an artistic convenience: rather than drawing a super-thin line there, the artist simply omits the line altogether, and the viewer's mind merely fills it in (this is the so-called "principle of closure" of gestalt psychology). You see the same thing (albeit less delicately) in the picture of Azusa.


Is there any hint or official data on how powerful Roshi is after the Saiyan Saga?

Master Roshi's power level was 139 back in the Saiyan arc, and also 180 when getting serious as it is stated in the 31th issue of Weekly Jump in 1991.

[Bottom middle]

A slight increase of power level of Master Roshi was stated in the movie pamphlet of the The Tree of Might, which is 350.

[Bottom middle]

In episode 89 of Dragon Ball Super, Goku is impressed that Roshi has been hiding his power for so long. Even Tien with his Four Witches Technique wasn't enough to stop Roshi. He might been using all of his power due to the effect of Yurin's withcraft. In conclusion, Roshi is indeed getting stronger, he is capable of fighting Frieza's soldiers but he will wear out faster compared to other earthling fighters.


Which end of a chocolate cornet is the head?

According to Konata, about 2 years later:

The head is the big end.


Does anyone know about the photo on Lis's wall?

It's supposed to be her old crew where she worked as a blacksmith. However, as the series went on, a lot of people died, so I suppose those 4 or 5 people were the ones who died.


Why didn't Itachi tell Hiruzen (the 3rd Hokage) that Danzo attacked Shisui?

This is a speculation, but given that Danzo was the head of ANBU Black ops, it is most likely that they don't leave any trace whatsoever that can be tracked back to Danzo. Thus the only "proof" of Danzo attacking Shisui would be Shisui's own testament and Itachi's second hand testament. And given that Shishui's genjutsu, "koto amatsukami" is a complete hypnosis, who would believe Itachi?

Danzo can just claim that Itachi is under Shisui's genjutsu and that Shisui did that to blacksheep him. Danzo is a high official. Accussations towards him without any proof would result in heavy retaliation. Especially since by that time the Uchiha clan is already suspected of planning a coup.

This, I think, is why Itachi cannot tell Hiruzen. It would not solve anything. It will only smear Shisui's good name.


Seemingly that particular scene is referring to Mara Mite, or Maria-sama ga Miteru as Konata was parodying one of the main characters - Sachiko Ogasawara.

Reference

But in general, Sebastian is a stereotypical name for a butler in anime, and this fact is often used in comedic scenes involving them:

In Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei Fukka insists on calling the Itoshiki families' butler Sebastian, even though that's not his name. Similar scenes occur in Junjou Romantica, Paradise Kiss and Mayoi Neko Overrun where butlers have the name forced upon them

It occurs in western media too, although Jeeves tends to be the name of choice, and appears in media over here in a similar sense. This first occurred in P.G. Woodhouses' short stories and novels and inspired similar characters. Presumably the anime trope surfaced in a similar fashion.

In P.G. Woodhouses' stories, there is also a butler called Sebastian Beach, this could be just a coincidence though.

When I was looking information up on this, Black Butler and its Sebastian Michaelis kept cropping up, the name Sebastian here serves two purposes - the stereotypical butler and also sharing the name with a historic figure http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sebastian_Michaeli


Where might I buy/stream "Cyber City Oedo 808"?

Haven't seen that in ages! Because it's a little older you'll probably have a hard time finding a place to buy or stream it these days. In the US it is indeed distributed by US Manga Corps. However, their parent, Central Park Media, filed for bankruptcy in 2009. Some of their licenses were sold off to other distributors, but this one has expired and has not been picked up again so far as I can find.

I don't think I have my DVD any more to give you a product number but an eBay search might net you someone looking to offload their copy. Of course, be careful where you buy from as with anything on eBay. The usual places I would go to buy (Right Stuf, CDJapan) did not have it.


What was the concert program for Symphogear Live 2012?

There is an official report of the concert (in Japanese), but post no.706 on 2chan listed the program compactly (added summary from official report):

  Synchrogazer (OP theme, sung by Nana Mizuki)
  1st talk session

  Character introduction:

  Tsubasa Kazanari (Nana Mizuki)
  Hibiki Tachibana (Aoi Yuuki)
  Chris Yukine (Ayahi Takagaki)
  Miku Kohinata (Yuka Iguchi)
  Genjuurou Kazanari (Hideo Ishikawa)

  Opening talk

  Three-song relay sung by each character

  撃槍・ガングニール - Gekisou Gungnir (Hibiki Tachibana)
  絶刀・天羽々斬 - Zettou Amenohabakiri (Tsubasa Kazanari)
  魔弓・イチイバル - Mayumi Ichiibaru (Chris Yukine)

  2nd talk session: live impression by Yuuki, Mizuki, and Takagaki
  戦姫絶妙ジェスチャークイズ - Senki Zetsumyou Gesture Quiz

  2 teams, Nakayoshi team (Hibiki &  Miku) and Elite team (Tsubasa & Chris)
  The topic is four-character idiom
  Nakayoshi team went first. Yuuki was imitating a boar and attacked Iguchi. Iguchi answered correctly with 猪突猛進 (headlong)
  Elite team next. Takagaki flinched as if she was receiving an attack, then kneeled with 1 leg. Mizuki answered with 猪突猛進 (tired and exhausted), but the correct answer was 満身創痍 (full of wounds)
  Nakayoshi team's turn again. This time, Iguchi acted as if there were 2 people enjoying something (kya! kya!). Yuki answered with 共同作業 (work together) confusedly, but the correct answer was 和気藹々 (warm heartedly)
  Elite team again, with Mizuki performed each letter of 風林火山 (wind, forest, fire, mountain) and Takagaki answered correctly with ease
  Because of the tie, the game was continued
  Nakayoshi team with Yuki acted and Iguchi answered correctly with 一攫千金(get rich quick)
  Elite team with Takagaki acted and Mizuki answered correctly with 優柔不断 (indecision)
  Sudden death with Ishikawa as the actor and free-for-all style, Takagaki answered correctly with 右往左往 (going right and left, confused)
  Elite team was given ブドウノイズ印桐箱高級ブドウ (something related to Grape Noise?) for the prize.

  ↑ live's first-half ↑

  ↓ live's second-half ↓

  FLIGHT FEATHERS (Tsubasa Kazanari)
  恋の桶狭間 - Koi no Okehazama (Tsubasa Kazanari sang to a magnolia tree)
  私ト云ウ 音響キ ソノ先ニ - Watashi to Iu Otohibiki sono Saki ni (Hibiki Tachibana)
  陽だまりメモリア - Hidamari Memoria (Miku Kohinata)
  繋いだ手だけが紡ぐもの - Tsunaida Te Dake ga Tsumugu Mono (Chris Yukine)
  Meteor Light (ED theme, sung by Ayahi Takagaki)

  ↑ live's second-half ↑

  ↓ encore ↓

  TV Anime 2nd-season announcement
  FIRST LOVE SONG (Hibiki, Tsubasa, and Chris)
  3rd talk session: closing message


An unfamiliar logo "uap" on the DVD label

I believe VAP is what that actually is. Their website is here: Vap, according to animenewsnetwork:

  VAP is a subsidiary of the NTV (Nippon Television Network) Group.

Here is the animenewsnetwork page that lists all of the anime's Vap has been involved with.


Which music plays in episode 126 on Android 17 vs Toopo?

After a bit more search I found it. Its the "Theme of Gohan" by Norihito Sumitomo.
Can't find the original OST but there is a recreation which is quite close to it by a guy named "PokeMixr92"on Youtube.
Here is the link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guuVnTQavSc


Where does this picture of Goku possible new form/transformation comes from?

Producer Hiroyuki Sakurada released a statement about Dragon Ball Super's new key visual for the "Universal Survival" saga: [From Toei Animation]

  The curtain finally rises on the Tournament of Power, where the strongest warriors in the history of Dragon Ball Super are gathering! The new key visual for the Tournament of Power is finally finished! It depicts Goku as he tries to break new ground in order to face off against the mightiest of foes in the midst of the fierce battle that is the Tournament of Power! What sort of formidable foes are in store?! How will Goku battle them? And what new ground will he break?! Don't miss Dragon Ball Super as the hype ramps up for the unprecedented battle that will unfold at the Tournament of Power!!


Can more than one person use the same type of Take Over magic?

Take Over is an advanced Caster-Type Transformation Magic. The different type of take overs shown in the Manga/Anime are Beast Soul, Animal Soul, Machina Soul, God Soul and Finally the takeover done by animals such as the Vulcan.

The description that we receive is that one can only take over the forms of "things" that you "know". In addition to these there may be other requirements for this magic. Most of the times its the defeat of the target is necessary.

In the canon ALL the Take Over Magic have been shown by unique users. The exact way to obtain any of the transformations is currently unknown. Thus it is unconfirmed if multiple users can use the same Take Over Magic.

However, from the nature of the transformations I personally classify them into the following. Thus it would be speculation to say if any of them are unique, I consider them to be of either kind. However, I consider the Lost Magics to be most unique. The answer below follows mostly my logic and speculation.

Beast Soul: Known User Elfman; Not Unique
Animal Soul: Known User Lisanna; Not Unique
Machina Soul: Known User Jenny; Not Unique
Satan Soul: Known User Mirajane; Unique
In the battle against Tartarus we learned a bit about Mirajane's abilities. It seems that she has some form of "Demon Factor" that allows her to use this powerful take over. She is immune to the Demon control techniques even opposing them. Thus it seems to be a unique transformation for her.
God Soul: Known user Dimaria (Spriggan 12); Unique
In this case we have a clear source of the unique nature of her takeover.

  As the Valkyrie summons the ancient God of Time into her own body, Chronos explains to their audience that he has chosen her as his host as she is a descendant of the people of Mildian, an ancient city that worshiped him, also claiming that he and his host are a single being in this form. Source: Chapter 475

Thus the god Chronos chose Dimaria as the Vessel.


What are the animation studios outside the Tokyo area and why the majority is concentrated in Tokyo?

What animation studios are located outside the Tokyo area?

Japanese Wikipedia's article on アニメ制作会社 (Animation studios) says:

  92%[1]の制作会社が東京都内、特に大手制作会社の所在地付近に集中しており、地方には少ない。

Translated,

  92%[1] of studios are located in Tokyo Metropolis. In particular, most of them cluster around larger studios. Few are found in rural areas.

Looking through the list given further down on the Wikipedia page, we find that the following studios are not located in Tokyo Metropolis (東京都):

Aomori

Igel-Nest

Fukuoka

Kyushu Animation

Fukushima

Studio Odabu

Kanagawa

Anime ToroToro

Kobe

Anitas-Kobe

Kyoto

Kyoto Animation

Nagano

Sakuraku Create

Okinawa

Jinbun

Osaka

Animation Studio ingres
GoHands
StudioMAT
Studio Muu

Saitama

Ajiado
Mugenkan
studio add Co
Studio Cosmos
Studio Kelmadick

Toyama

P.A.Works

Studios included in the "foreign" and "inactive/bankrupt/etc" sections of the Wikipedia article at the time of writing are not included in the above list. Note also that I generated this list semi-programmatically - I guarantee that every entry on the list above is a non-Tokyo studio, but it is possible there are some other non-Tokyo studios I missed. The report cited for the 92% figure on Wikipedia identifies 14 non-Tokyo studios at the time of its writing (2010), so the 18 I have listed above probably cover those studios fairly well.

Why is the majority concentrated in Tokyo?

The report cited in the Wikipedia article does not, unfortunately, speculate as to why there are so many studios in Tokyo. I would imagine that it is mostly a simple matter of Tokyo being the economic center of Japan, but this is mere speculation on my part, and I have no sources to support this.

Aside: the report mentions a trend of studios moving into more-rural areas as a result of advances in technology, making digital animation and data exchange simpler.


What does "W.C" on Izumi Curtis's slippers mean?

The user Tombow on http://www.fullmetal-alchemist.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t12824-450.html stated:

  W.C. = Water Closet. = toilet.

  In Japan, in Inns and other places like that sometimes they have public bathrooms (toilet) and some of them have slippers to be used inside that bathroom, often with W.C. written like that, and, yes, some of these bathroom slippers are exactly like what Izumi is wearing. (I saw them in some other anime and manga, too, but I got these pics form Google. XDD)


In Law vs Doflamingo, why didn't Law use ROOM?

Law did use his Ope Ope no Mi. In chapter 729, Law has his room up and tries to slash Doflamingo, but unless he can actually get a hit in, the room isn't going to do him much good.

The second time (chapter 724) that Law used his ability on Doflamingo, he could have tried to get a sneak attack in, but that would have been insane. If he would have slashed at this point, it would probably have been a suicide. He would potentially hit Sanji since he couldn't move anymore, he could end up falling in the ocean and Doflamingo would still have been able to attack Sanji with his whip because the slash wouldn't have stopped him from doing so.

So, Law basically didn't have a good opportunity to set up his room and have time to get a clean slash in with his sword. Also, don't forget that Law's slash would only slice the body, but not actually damage it and since Doflamingo uses strings, he could just get his body part back to re-attach it.

   With the upcoming fight from next week or the week after, he might still end up slicing Doflamingo.


What really happened at the end of Stone Ocean?

Some years ago I shared your confusion, and I kept thinking and thinking until I found an answer I was satisfied with.
I also wrote this "answer" in an italian forum I was part of at that time.
To be fair, it did not receive very much attention, but I want to translate it because I think it could be of some help (I doubt it to be correct because I believe H. Araki's brain creations are too much for anyone to understand).

Here I go:

Father Pucci makes the universe collapse by means of the powers of his Made in Heaven.
Then, the universe rises again for another cycle of life.
The interesting fact, which H. Araki himself explains to us, is that this new cycle will be exactly the same as the one before except for the fact that all the living beings that are actually alive when the collapse takes place will return in the second cycle of life with full knowledge of their future.
This consciousness of the future is how Father Pucci believes happiness will be achieved by mankind.

The new history of the universe will be written in such a way as to preserve the faith of who was alive before the first collapse operated by Father Pucci through Made in Heaven.
Details will obviusly change, but the main part of their faiths will be unaltered.
As for the deads, something similar happens in the sense that their new lives will be somehow "connected" with the lives of those with whom they were connected in the first cycle, but there will be no clear knowledge of their faith for them.

It is clear that Father Pucci is the only living being which is outside of the "written faith", and he can move arbitrarily in the cycle of the new universe because of the gravitational powers of Made in Heaven.
Since Father Pucci knows that Emporio is alive before the collapse, he decided to close the  situation once and for all, and goes back to the prison (during the second cycle of the universe) in order to kill the little guy.....and this is where Father Pucci makes his big mistake.

Emporio manages to survive Father Pucci's threat precisely because Father Pucci is immune to Made in Heaven powers.
Indeed, we know that the details of the lives of who was alive before the first collapse may change, and this clearly allows Emporio to have some kind of mental and physical freedom with which he is able to think to a plan to kill Father Pucci.
Furthermore, we know that Father Pucci's faith is completely open, there is no predestination for him because it is his will to actively keep using his powers the reason of everyone else's fixed faith.
This means that, even if Father Pucci can litterally decide the faith of the universe, nothing prevents him from dying like the idiot he surely does not want to be.

Then, he dies, of course.

Before dying, Father Pucci decides to accelerate Time again hoping to prevent the result of Emporio's plan (his death) before it actually realizes.
All he succeds to do is to set a third cycle of the universe, a cycle of which he will no longer be part of.
However, Emporio was alive at the time of the second collapse, hence, he will be fully conscious in the third cycle, and thus he tries to reconnect with the group.
He finds Irene and Anakis, the "alter-ego" of Jolyne and Anasui, who, however, do not have Emporio's knowledge of their faith and are not able to remember him (they were dead before the first collapse).

In this third cycle, Father Pucci is no longer there because he died in the end of the second cycle, and thus we may safely assume that there will be again a lot of freedom for everyone.
Accordingly, I believe that SBR takes place in this third cycle, because, if it had took place during the second cycle, there would have been Father Pucci somewhere in the universe, and this would have made the plot of SBR meaningless with respect to the "fixed faith" imposed by Made in Heaven.

Now that I wrote it again, I feel better.
Please, forgive my english and let me know what you think.

Remark
At the time of my writing now (26 January 2019), I have not yet started reading JoJolion (part 8), hence, I do not know what happens there.
The following edit has been suggested by someone who is reading JoJolion, and I thought it could be meaningful to add it because it seems to disprove my "theory" on the end of Stone Ocean.
However, I reserve my right to re-edit this answer once I read JoJolion and I have thought about it, and I warn people who have not read JoJolion that the following suggested edit contains information that may be perceived as spoiler.
End Remark

Peer edit:
In JoJolion (part 8), the theory that the Steel Ball Run universe takes place in a cycle of Made in Heaven was disproven, as the complete Joestar family tree is shown, and there is no Jotaro nor Irene.

This is because the Steel Ball Run universe is a completely different universe. The third cycle of Made in Heaven is its own universe.
The SBR-verse and Ireneverse have no correlation whatsoever.


What song is playing in Naruto Shippuden episode 114 at 06:37 on Orochimaru's flashback?

It appears an unreleased track (it's not in Shippuden Original Soundtrack 1, 2, or 3). There's an unofficial imperfect spliced version though, titled "Six paths of pain / Given Judgment".

Additional notes:

This also plays in Shippuden episode 79 (starting at 13:56), when Hidan stabs Asuma.
This also plays in Shippuden episode 117 (starting at 11:42), when they're going to the Northen hideout to fetch Juufo and they're fighting against all the Stage 2 curse mark prisoners running amok.
This also plays in Shippuden episode 211 (starting at ~8:01), near the end of the Danzo vs. Sasuke fight, when Danzo finally unwraps the bandages on his face and reveals his hidden eye.
This also plays in Shippuden episode 251 (starting at 1:02), after the third Gai vs. Kisame fight at Island Turtle, when Gai says "Don't move" while standing above Kisame.


Firstly liebe didnt had any magic not even anti magic so he couldn't do anything. He got anti magic after lictha (Asta Mom) sealed him in the five leaf grimoire
(https://i.stack.imgur.com/0S5Ti.jpg)
he cursed the other devils until he got his anti magic (https://i.stack.imgur.com/PtQXT.png)
(https://i.stack.imgur.com/j4ipM.png)
I think since he has anti magic lucefero couldn't posses him.since he was canceling all magic around him
(https://i.stack.imgur.com/cA3KD.png)


Straw Hat Luffy gonna destroy the Fishman Island?

Strictly speaking there are at least 4 possibilities which are all possible:

Luffy's actions could bring about the destruction of Fishman Island due to his risky behavior.  For instance: he claimed it as his own and challenged Big Mom for it so she could destroy it and it would be Luffy's fault.
Someone could destroy it impersonating Luffy in order to turn his rapidly growing group of allies against him.
Luffy could change the island so much that it could seem like destruction. He could, for instance, bring it to the surface or promote desegragation of the world so an island inhabited by just Fishmen/Merfolk is no longer a thing.
Finally, Luffy could be forced to destroy it for strategic reasons such as might be required in the "alter the Red Line so there is just one Giant Ocean and the world can be easily transversed" fan theories.

Ulitmately though, we don't know what will happened and any theories are speculation.  The residents of Fishman Island have been convinced that Luffy will do them no harm, even though that is foolish, as Shyarly's prediction are reportedly never wrong.  We can assume from his character, however, that he will not intentionally do anything to harm Fishman Island without suitable recompense. We can also assume, however, that this important plot point will not be forgotten and Oda will provide an explanation in the plot at a later date.


Sasuke did not awaken his Rinnegan himself.It was given to him by Hagoromo,he had no such "choice" of awakening only one Rinnegan.It was Hagoromo's decision to give him only one Rinnegan to avoid it's misuse which Madara had done.

Coming to Boruto's Jougan,it's just a very rare case of Byakugan that was triggered probably because of Naruto's enormous chakra.He awakened it only in one eye,not two,the explanation for which is not very clear.


Is Rurouni Kenshin going to start back up now that Nobuhiro Watsuki has been fined?

Rurouni Kenshin: The Hokkaido Arc will continue in July issue of Jump Square, which will be published on June 4, 2018.

[...] This June, it will resume serialization in Japan.
[...]
Starting June 4, however, Rurouni Kenshin's "Hokkaido Arc" will return to print. [...]
Continuing, it added, "The author spends his days reflecting and with remorse, and think as though it's our obligation as a publisher as well as his as an author make a way for us to reply through the work to the various opinions we've been getting, and so, from the July issue, which goes on sale June 4, serialization will resume.”

Source: Kotaku


Why did the stand "Notorious B.I.G" change to "Notorius Chase" in the anime?

I haven't gotten to that part of JJBA yet, so this is an educated guess.

Like a number of other characters in the franchise, such as ACDC, Pet Shop, and Jean Pierre Polnareff, Notorious B.I.G. is named after a real-life musician. In a number of cases, these character names are modified in localizations presumably to avoid potential trademark issues. For instance, Steely Dan becomes Dan of Steel, Terence D'Arby is D'Arby the Younger, Kenny G is Billie Jean, etc.

I can only assume that something similar happened here. I don't have access to the episode right now, but this Reddit user suggests the same thing and reports that some of the animation was changed.


Why are Son Gohan and Son Goten so strong?

Not sure which episodes, but it is explained a few times that each generation of saiyans grows stronger than the previous generation. This is the reason why Frieza feared them as they will eventually get stronger than him. This means if both Goku and Gohan didn't train and were the same age, Gohan would be naturally stronger.  It's the reason Gohan tends to catch up quicker in power levels since he is more naturally gifted.

It is also interesting to note Vegeta is from a more genetically gifted line (royalty was the strongest saiyans) so he would be naturally more powerful than Goku if all conditions were same.  Vegeta also points out to Gohan in buu saga that he has been neglecting his training so he was able to catch up to Gohan's power level when he defeated cell. Goku like you pointed out just trains like a beast even when he is dead so he tends to eventually surpass everyone.


How was the Dai-Gurren improved in episode 12?

The pre-episode 12 Dai-Gurren:

In addition to the paddle, the Dai-Gurren was equipped with flippers on its "feet" which can be seen in the original image.

Reference Link

When Adiane attacks with the Dai-Gunkai, Kittan tries to fight back and dives into the water, but realizes that his Gunman isn't suited for underwater combat, as the cockpit starts letting water in.

Assuming that the machines are similar, there must have been some adjustments made to the Dai-Gurren's hull to make sure that it wouldn't let in water. Perhaps it drew from the regenerative abilities of Gurren Lagann, allowing it to seal itself.


What are the governmental structures of the countries in FMA?

Short answer: Amestris is a military state which has a parliamentary republic form of government. Xing is a monarchy which has a clan structure beneath the monarch (emperor). Ishval, when it was a country of its own, had an unknown government structure but was probably split into communes; it is now under Amestris's government.

There is a long answer, too, of course...
Amestris

Amestris is a Unitary State, with a population of about 50 million and a Parliamentary Republic type of Government. The Head of State is the Commander-in-Chief of the Military who holds the title of "Führer" (大総統, Daisōtō in Japanese, a form of "Generalissimo") and who concentrates the ranks of Head of State and Head of Government. — Amestris, Fullmetal Alchemist Wiki

Amestris is a military state ruled by Führer King Bradley. As mentioned above, it is a unitary state (one in which there is one central government which decides what smaller branches handle) with a parliamentary republic government. So, yes; there is a parliament, but it is more-or-less just a cover for the central military control body that we see running the country for the entirety of the show.
It is mentioned that Amestris did not used to be a military state; it is not mentioned what type of government it had prior to becoming one.
Ishval
Ishval is implied to have once been a country, but is no longer a sovereign nation. Following the fall of Xerxes, many countries were assimilated into what is seen as Amestris in 1914 and onward. There is no given record of the government in Ishval at the time, though it is implied that it was a tribal land, not so much run by a government, but more likely small communes that worked on their own and were united by connections between them.
The man pictured below is a high-ranking monk, and who is most likely important in uniting the Ishval community (even prior to the War of Extermination).

Xing

Xing is a Monarchy, whose monarch holds the title of Emperor. It's composed by fifty hereditary clans all under the rule of a single Emperor, who cements his rule by taking the daughter of each clan's chief to be his concubine and bear him a single heir for each clan. — Xing, Fullmetal Alchemist Wiki

The country of Xing is, as stated above, a monarchy ruled by an emperor (part of which makes it an empire). Beneath the (unnamed) emperor are approximately fifty clans, most of which have an heir (about forty-three have heirs, the others do not). Two of the clans we are briefly told about are the Yao and Chang clans.

When Ling says he is a prince, this is basically a technicality; he is the leader of the Yao clan and an heir to the emperor's throne (the twelfth heir, I think). He has no special privileges above being the leader of his clan, so his rank as "prince" solely has to do with his position as heir.
Others
Drachma, the large and arctic country to the north, is not told to have any specific kind of government. However, given how it is the largest country around and is an arctic country, as well as the types of wars it fights, it is implied that it is an equivalent of Russia. Russia was, at the time, the Russian Empire, which I believe was also ruled by an emperor or tsar. Further reading: (Russian Empire: Government and administration, Wikipedia)
Creta, to the southwest, is a smaller country which is composed of tribes in a federation-like manner. (Further reading: Creta, Fullmetal Alchemist Wiki)


Is Mirakurun based off any particular anime/manga?

I'm pretty sure Majokko Mirakurun is just a parody of the magical girl genre altogether.

There's often jokes where Mirakurun acts very atypically of a magical-girl as presented in the genre:

Mirakurun blasts Rivalrun into the distance with her 10T "Mirakurun Super Hammer". Which is a trope more commonly seen in shonen anime - a high contrast with shoujo works.

As for gags that may be referencing shows, there's one about the lengthy transformation sequences that we would see in many magical girl shows such as Sailor Moon or Puella Magi Madoka Magica:

Mirakurun also says various lines mid battle that are very typical of these type of shows. This one is remarkably similar to sailor moon's phrase:

It's possible that the writer was inspired by Sailor Moon or similar series, but the gags are too generic to say for certain, and I'm of the opinion that it's just of the genre in general


Does Overhaul need to touch wih his hands to activate his quirk?

Yes, he needs his hands to perform his Quirk.

You are probably refering to the part when he makes his arms/feet big with the help of the other bodies that he absorbed. If you watch close, you can see him performing some moves before - like clenching his fists or other hand movement - which indicates that when used on himself, he can touch any part of his body with his hands for the Quirk to activate.

   That is why after the battle both his hands are cuffed and Shigaraki
 cuts off both to prevent him for using his powers ever again


How come the events of Rebellion are possible, with Madoka's wish?

Madoka only had 1 wish, to erase all witches no matter where they are. 1 and 2 are the extent of the wish, 3 is her reason for her wish, 4 is her determination and 5 is just her telling the Incubator to grant her wish.

in the new universe, witches still exists, they will always exists so long as there are magical Girls, however thanks to the Law of Cycles Madoka will arrive and save the Magical Girl before they transform so on the outside it looks like they don't exists and all that happens is the Magical Girl is claimed by the Law of Cycles.

As for your comment about the Magical Girls not smiling:

  as we later clearly see that magical girls are not constantly smiling

this is because they know they'll become witches but after Madoka assures them they won't, that she'll stop it before it happens, they begin to smile.

With Homura, she didn't become a witch when the Incubators first kidnapped her. Her Soul Gem was progressing to that point and the Incubators would have observed and theorized at what point the Law of Cycles will occur and thanks to Homura explaining the original system, know there's a stage after this. They created the Isolation Field that blocks out all external influence.

  Kyubey places Homura's Soul Gem in an Isolation Field - a space that blocks out all external influence, including the Law of Cycles. However, the Isolation Field prevents Homura from being born as a witch, meaning that Madoka's wish is not invalidated. (Although not directly stated, it's implied that by creating a space where the Law of Cycles cannot enter, Kyubey blocks Madoka's omniscience.) Ultimately, a witch barrier forms inside Homura's Soul Gem. Kyubey allows the barrier to draw in victims, including Mami, Kyoko, and Madoka's family. Kyubey believes that this will eventually cause the Law of Cycles to materialize in the barrier. Kyubey's goal is to observe the Law of Cycles, which would ultimately allow him to interfere with and control it.

Source - Madoka Kaname - Madoka in The Rebellion Story

Now remember the Incubators are incredibly advanced and through Homura they are aware of the existence of the Law of Cycles but just don't understand it, just like how they don't understand how Magical Girls exist in the first place (yet can still create them).

Now when Homura transforms into Homulily the Law of Cycles (Madoka) has already been trapped in the Isolation Field but the Incubators are unable to do anything in terms of manipulating Madoka as she gave up her memories and powers to Sayaka and Nagisa. For the time Madoka, Sayaka, and Nagisa were in Homura's Labyrinth, the law of Cycles was missing from the universe.

  However, Madoka is aware of Kyubey's plan. She enters Homura's barrier with Sayaka and Nagisa Momoe (the magical girl who became Charlotte) ... Madoka entrusts them with her memories and powers in order to fool Kyubey, and allows Homura's barrier to alter her memories and suppress her powers.

and it's only after the field is destroyed does the Law of Cycles return and Madoka descends down to claim Homura.

Now for Homura splitting Madoka, after being released from the Isolation Field Madoka is still in her human form (though she looks like her goddess form). This is demonstrated by the fact Mami and Kyoko can see her when in the past when Sayaka was claimed by the Madoka, Mami only assumed she was taken and they didn't even know about her. This is most likely due to the fact she is still just recovering her original form, having given up all her powers to Nagisa and Sayaka. In this form Homura could interfere with the Law of Cycles and stop her from purifying her soul gem which now fills with something else.

  As she comes down to take Homura's Soul Gem into the Law of Cycles, Homura grabs Madoka's hands before her Soul Gem can be purified. Homura's Soul Gem turns black, and then fills with a new color. (It's unclear if this color was something that had already existed in Homura's Soul Gem, or if it is the result of Homura grabbing Madoka and interfering with the Law of Cycles). Homura's actions causes reality to crack. Madoka is then separated from Ultimate Madoka (it is unclear if Homura deliberately caused this, or if it is the result of Homura's interference). The colors inside Homura's Soul Gem explode outward. The cracks perpetuate throughout reality, followed by the colors of Homura's Soul Gem, which engulfs the universe.

Homura then ascends to becomes a new goddess/demon and rewrites the universe with new laws to facilitate her existence and how own control over the universe (as we see where she can suppress Sayaka's powers and memories), particularity allowing Madoka's existence as a person before she became the Law of Cycles. It's not made clear how the Law of Cycles is working now but we can assume it's fundamentally broken as Sayaka asks Homura if she is planning on destroying the universe. We know that if Madoka remembers who she is she'll return to be the Law of Cycles (which Homura actively tries to stop) but regardless Homura is not a witch so even if the Law of Cycles was working she would be immune.

Now I should point out that we don't know the full extent of Homura's actions as one of the things Homura did was force the Incubators to manage all the curses. We can not be sure if they have the opportunity or were even able to create new magical girls. Since witches come from Magical Girls, if the Incubators can not make any more then there's no more witches thus leading the Law of Cycles to no longer be needed.


Why does Lupin have both prowess and infantile behavior when it comes to women?

Lupin is a globe-trotting thief which makes it rather difficult to build meaningful relationships with women. You can perhaps relate his situation to that of another philandering gallivanter in James Bond. Bond is another who is skilled when it comes to women (no doubt through years of experience) and flits from one to the next at the drop of a hat. When Bond did try to create a stable relationship with a woman, it ended in disaster. The same sentiment could well apply to Lupin who is happy to have dalliance after dalliance, but never commits to a relationship. The only notable exception is his, well, sadomasochistic affection for the well-apportioned Mine Fujiko who is part of the same world as he is.

The goofy character is just something that makes the anime entertaining. FWIW, neither is he all that goofy in the manga nor is he particularly chivalrous. His WP page elaborates thus:

  In Monkey Punch's original manga, Lupin is cocky, quite crude, and for the most part remorseless. He is very much the ladies' man, often using them for his own gains, but is not beyond forcing himself upon women who resist him. This is in stark contrast to his better-known anime self (excluding the fourth series), who despite being a skilled thief, comes off as a goofball that will go to great lengths to right injustice, who also shows a chivalrous streak that compels him to help those less fortunate than he.

The goofy, lecherous persona is also a very 70s/80s thing and can also be seen in some of Lupin Sansei's contemporaries such as City Hunter.


What are the meaning behind the operation names in Steins;Gate?

According to Episode Glossary article on Steins;Gate Wiki, there are 5 operation names coined throughout the series:

Operation Urd (Episode 6)
Operation Eldhrimnir (Episode 10)
Operation Verthandi (Episode 11)
Operation Valkyria (Episode 18)
Operation Skuld (Episode 23)

Operation Eldhrímnir is coined by Okabe in episode 10 for the plan to invite Suzuha to a party on the following day regardless whether she meets her father or not. The party is meant to be a celebration party in case Suzuha meets her father, and in case she doesn't, it is a farewell party for her.
According to Wikipedia entry on Eldhrímnir:

In Norse mythology, Eldhrímnir (Old Norse "fire-sooty") is the cauldron in which the cook of the gods, Andhrímnir, prepares Sæhrímnir every evening.

The name is probably chosen due to the similarity in the meal theme.
Looking at the entry for Einherjar:

In Norse mythology, the einherjar (Old Norse "single (or once) fighters") are those that have died in battle and are brought to Valhalla by valkyries. In Valhalla, the einherjar eat their fill of the nightly-resurrecting beast Sæhrímnir, and are brought their fill of mead (from the udder of the goat Heiðrún) by valkyries.

And Sæhrímnir:

In Norse mythology, Sæhrímnir is the creature killed and eaten every night by the Æsir and einherjar. The cook of the gods, Andhrímnir, is responsible for the slaughter of Sæhrímnir and its preparation in the cauldron Eldhrímnir. After Sæhrímnir is eaten, the beast is brought back to life again to provide sustenance for the following day.

I hope I am not reading too far into this, but since Eldhrímnir is the cauldron which is used to cook food for the einherjar who died in battle, it bears resemblance to the fact that Suzuha introduce herself as a "soldier", and how she fails to meet up with her father the next day. Or maybe the name just simply refers to the party with all the food and drinks, which relates to the fact that the cauldron is the cook for preparing a feast.

Operation Valkyria is coined by Kurisu in episode 18, before the date between Okabe and Ruka (this occurs in the world line where Ruka is an actual girl).
As for the meaning of Valkyria/Valkyrie, citing from Wikipedia:

In Norse mythology, a valkyrie (from Old Norse valkyrja "chooser of the slain") is one of a host of female figures who decide which soldiers die in battle and which live. Selecting among half of those who die in battle (the other half go to the goddess Freyja's afterlife field Fólkvangr), the valkyries bring their chosen to the afterlife hall of the slain, Valhalla, ruled over by the god Odin. There, the deceased warriors become einherjar. When the einherjar are not preparing for the events of Ragnarök, the valkyries bear them mead.
The word valkyrie derives from Old Norse valkyrja (plural valkyrjur), which is composed of two words; the noun valr (referring to the slain on the battlefield) and the verb kjósa (meaning "to choose"). Together, they mean "chooser of the slain".

Putting the context and story behind the name Valkyria together, it probably refers to the role of Kurisu as she tails Okabe and Ruka during their date. The date can also be thought of as a battlefield for Okabe, since this is his first time going on a date. And the fact that Okabe keeps screwing up during the date can also be thought of as "die in battle". (This is the best I can come up with to connect the name and the context of the story).