RahXephon - Setting

Setting

The backstory of RahXephon is a fight against multi-dimensional invaders known as the Mulians (known as Mu (ムー, Mū?)). The Mu are visually indistinguishable from humans, however they carry a genetic marker called the "Mu phase" which turns their blood blue and causes memory loss when they mature.

The story reveals two floating cities appearing above Tokyo and Sendai around the end of 2012. The ensuing conflict escalated into nuclear warfare, and the Mu envelop Tokyo and outlying suburbs within a spherical barrier resembling Jupiter, referred by outsiders as "Tokyo Jupiter" ("Tōkyō Jupita"). The barrier has a time dilating effect, which causes time inside Tokyo Jupiter to slow down to one-fifth compared to the outside time.

Although RahXephon is part of the mecha genre of anime, its "mechas" are not mechanical. The mechas used by the Mu, called Dolems, are made of clay, like golems. Each is bound to a certain Mulian, however some are also bound to human hosts, called "sub-Mulians".

The dominant theme of RahXephon is the music changing the world. The Dolems are animated by a mystical force connected to music; most of the controlling Mulians appear to be singing. A Dolem attacks while singing, and sometimes the attack is the song itself. The RahXephon can also attack by having its pilot — the "instrumentalist" — sing a note. This unleashes force waves that cause massive destruction. Each Mulian Dolem has an Italian name referring to musical notations, such as, Allegretto, Falsetto, or Vivace. The ultimate goal of the RahXephon is to "tune the world." Izubuchi says the name RahXephon lacked a real meaning, but that he now explains it as composed of Rah as the origin of Ra according to Churchward, X as the unknown variable or X factor, and -ephon as a suffix for instrument from "-phone".