Black★Rock Shooter (original concept)

Black★Rock Shooter (ブラック★ロックシューター, Burakku Rokku Shuutaa) is the titular character and main protagonist of many different projects, including the anime OVA Black★Rock Shooter, the RPG of the same name, the anime series and the manga Black★Rock Shooter ~Innocent Soul~. She was an original concept created by huke who participated in the release of the song "Black★Rock Shooter" by supercell. (Note: do not mistake her name for Black Rock Shooting Star or Black Rocket Shooter. This is a common fan mistake.)

She is voiced by Kana Hanazawa in the OVA and anime and by Maaya Sakamoto in the PSP game.

Black Rock Shooter is also a popular Miku Miku Dance, aka MMD, model.

Original Concept
Black★Rock Shooter's original design is of a short,skinny, pale-skinned, blue-eyed girl, with black hair in uneven twintails; the right lock of her hair is shorter than her left. She bears two scars on her midriff. A blue flame shoots out from her left eye.

Her clothes consist of a string bikini top under a black jacket. The jacket has a white stripe running along the length of each of her sleeves and has a white star design on the front (left side) and back. She also wears a pair of tight-fitting shorts, gloves, and black knee-high boots.

Her weapons consist of a black-hilted katana later named as Black Blade and a large gun called ★rock Cannon. Although some fans by mistake call her cannon the Black rock cannon, that is incorrect.

Black★Rock Shooter (OVA)
The OVA adaptation added some details to Black★Rock Shooter. Unlike in her original design, her eyes have a concentric circle pattern, a trait she shares with other characters in the OVA. She is depicted as being about 156-161cm tall, while her "other self", Mato Kuroi, is 155cm.

Black★Rock Shooter is also given a personality in the OVA. She is depicted as a calm and collected girl, not speaking at all until her confrontation with Mato, near the end of the OVA. She also does not focus on anything except the most important thing she has to do at the moment.

She is shown to be very skilled in fighting, despite being quickly taken down by Black★Gold Saw in her first shown battle. Black★Rock Shooter is able to fight evenly with Dead Master, despite appearing to try not to hurt her.

Black★Rock Shooter ~Innocent Soul~
The manga Black★Rock Shooter ~Innocent Soul~ depicts the titular character with a poncho instead of a jacket to cover her upper body. Also, her ★rock Cannon and Black Blade are merged to form her constant companion, Ron, which comes in the form of a shapeshifting snake around her right arm. When she wears her other counterparts' clothing (jacket, bikini top and shorts) she lacks scars unlike her OVA counterpart.

Black★Rock Shooter THE GAME
Black★Rock Shooter (referred to in the game as "Stella") undergoes another change of design at the release of the PSP game Black★Rock Shooter THE GAME. One noticeable change is that she now has a pair of metallic wings and a jet engine on her back portion, which allows her to maneuver through the air and cushion landings easily. Her hairstyle is more apparent to Mato Kuroi, with a more spikier look. Her skin color in game is less pale than her original design and she has two barcodes on her midriff reminiscing the scars of her OVA counterpart. Also, she experiences a wider range of emotion than her OVA counterpart.

Black★Rock Shooter (2012)
Black★Rock Shooter has been redesigned for the anime, with some new elements possibly inspired by the designs of White Rock Shooter and Black★Rock Shooter Beast, as her new jacket and boots (which are now more blue than black) have similarities to both WRS' and B★RSB's clothing. Her sleeves are now double layered, like WRS. She has also been given a double belt similar to Insane Black★Rock Shooter. Like her hairstyle in the PSP game, her hairstyle is more spikier compared to her OVA appearance. like her Manga counterpart she no longer has any scars on her midriff. She wears her trademark hood more often than she does in other media.

Black★Rock Shooter OVA
Black★Rock Shooter is the "other self" counterpart to Mato, who she reconciles with and helps to save Yomi from Dead Master.

Black★Rock Shooter ~Innocent Soul~
Black★Rock Shooter is tasked with the duty of maintaining the peace within a world between Heaven and Earth called the Threshold.

Black★Rock Shooter THE GAME
Black★Rock Shooter is one of the last residents on a dead Earth, joining the last stand of the remaining forces of Earth to fight against beings called the Seven Apostles. She is considered to be the ultimate weapon, whose abilities are the only hope to save Earth from utter destruction.

Prior to or during the beginning of the game, she seems to be in a tube of some sort, and in a state of stasis.

Black★Rock Shooter (2012)


Like in the OVA, her role as an "other self" returns and now serves as the anime's protagonist and main antagonist. As she transforms into Insane Black★Rock Shooter, her role as the main antagonist rises.

Trivia

 * B★RS is often mistaken as Hatsune Miku due to the fact that both have similar hairstyles and that it is common for the latter to have different costumes in many songs.
 * In some illustrations, B★RS has been shown without gloves and a different kind of choker.
 * The event exclusive RAH figure of B★RS seems to be based on an illustration of B★RS wherein she dons the same white attire used in that particular figure.
 * She has appeared in four different games; Puchitto Rock Shooter, Black★Rock Shooter THE GAME, Nendoroid Generation, and Lord Of Vermillion Re:2. The latter two feature her in her OVA design and TV anime design respectively.
 * In post-OVA media, B★RS's hair has been depicted as being shorter and spikier. The Innocent Soul manga, PSP game and TV anime also followed in depicting her hair this way, and even some of huke's recent artworks do so as well.
 * In the 8-piece anime, B★RS's signature blue flame appears over her eye when she defeats an enemy.
 * However, after BRS transformed into Insane Black Rock Shooter, her purple flame seems to be more active than her regular blue flame.

Gallery
Images/Screenshots=

Official Sites

 * Supercell: Black★Rock Shooter
 * Official Site: Black★Rock Shooter Animation
 * Nico Video: Black★Rock Shooter Channel
 * Twitter: Black★Rock Shooter Project