Released in 2002, the .hack series took a bold move regarding world-building in the Isekai genre. Long before Sword Art Online and Re:Zero, this anime, heavily inspired by video game mechanics, acted as a foundation for modern Isekai anime.
.hack is probably one of the most realistic Isekai out there. It’s a shame that it got lost in the ocean of seasonal anime. The protagonists of .hack are flawed and genuine.
The soundtrack is beautiful and has whispers of dissonance and a constant yearning, outlining the dark tones of anime quite exquisitely. The animation is fairly good and contains engaging boss battles.
Even if the story might seem cliched initially, .hack is a must-watch!
The best way to watch .hack anime is by following the chronological order. None of the media acts as a recap, so you can watch’em all and enjoy the complete storyline, including the original 2002 anime, two sequel seasons (2003 & 2006), movies, specials, and OVA episodes.
1. Recommended: .hack Chronological Order
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.hack//Sign
Dvd Link for .hack//Sign -
.hack//Liminality
Dvd Link for .hack//Liminality -
.hack//Gift
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.hack//Intermezzo
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.hack//Legend Of The Twilight
Dvd Link for .hack//Legend Of The Twilight -
.hack//Unison
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.hack//G.U. Returner
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.hack//Quantum
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.hack//The Movie: Sekai no Mukou ni
Dvd Link for .hack//The Movie: Sekai no Mukou ni -
.hack//Verus: The Thanatos Report
Disclaimer: You don’t need to purchase The Thanatos Report special episode separately. When you purchase the movie (Sekai no Mukou ni) hybrid pack on Amazon, you can also access the .hack//Versus game. The Thanatos Report is a special episode / video that’s accessible upon completing the game.
2. .hack Complete Release Order
.hack anime franchise spans 10 years, from 2002 to 2012, with three anime seasons, four OVAs, two special episodes, and two movies.
| # | Title | Type | Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | .hack//Sign | Season | 04/02/2002 |
| 2 | .hack//Liminality | OVA | 06/20/2002 |
| 3 | .hack//Gift | OVA | 01/01/2003 |
| 4 | .hack//Intermezzo | Special | 03/27/2003 |
| 5 | .hack//Legend Of The Twilight | Season | 06/01/2003 |
| 6 | .hack//Unison | Special | 10/23/2003 |
| 7 | .hack//Roots | Season | 04/03/2006 |
| 8 | .hack//G.U. Returner | OVA | 01/18/2007 |
| 9 | .hack//G.U. Trilogy | Movie | 03/25/2008 |
| 10 | .hack//Quantum | OVA | 01/26/2011 |
| 11 | .hack//The Movie: Sekai no Mukou ni | Movie | 01/21/2012 |
3. Where to watch .hack with English subs and dub?
Unfortunately, everything related to anime isn’t readily available for streaming since it’s not mainstream. I know, bummer. You can find the full streaming list here:
| Title | Where to stream with Eng subs? | Where to stream with Eng dub? |
|---|---|---|
| .hack//Sign | Funimation, Tubi TV, Apple TV | Funimation, Tubi TV, Apple TV |
| .hack//Liminality | N/A | N/A |
| .hack//Gift | N/A | N/A |
| .hack//Intermezzo | N/A | N/A |
| .hack//Legend Of The Twilight | Funimation, Tubi TV, Apple TV | Funimation, Tubi TV, Apple TV |
| .hack//Unison | N/A | N/A |
| .hack//Roots | Funimation, Tubi TV, Apple TV, PrimeVideo | Funimation, Tubi TV, Apple TV, PrimeVideo |
| .hack//G.U. Returner | N/A | N/A |
| .hack//G.U. Trilogy | Funimation, Apple TV | Funimation, Apple TV |
| .hack//Quantum | Funimation | Funimation |
| .hack//The Movie: Sekai no Mukou ni | N/A | N/A |
4. Where to Watch .hack Outside US?
| List | Canada | UK | Japan | Australia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| .hack//Sign | No | No | Hulu, PrimeVideo, YouTube | No |
| .hack//Liminality | No | No | PrimeVideo, YouTube | No |
| .hack//Gift | No | No | No | No |
| .hack//Intermezzo | No | No | No | No |
| .hack//Legend Of The Twilight | No | No | No | No |
| .hack//Unison | No | No | No | No |
| .hack//Roots | No | No | Hulu, PrimeVideo, YouTube | No |
| .hack//G.U. Returner | No | No | No | No |
| .hack//G.U. Trilogy | No | No | Hulu, PrimeVideo | No |
| .hack//Quantum | No | No | No | No |
| .hack//The Movie: Sekai no Mukou ni | No | No | Hulu, PrimeVideo | No |
5. Can you download and watch .hack offline?
You can download and watch episodes of .hack on Tubi and Funimation, listed below, along with their packages that support the download feature.
| Website | Subscription Packages | Offline Viewing |
|---|---|---|
| Funimation | Premium: $5.99 a month / $59.99 per year | No |
| Premium Plus: $7.99 a month / $79.99 per year | Yes | |
| Premium Plus Ultra: $99.99 per year | Yes | |
| Tubi | Free | No |
If .hack anime isn’t available on any streaming website in your area, you can use a VPN to bypass the geo-block. Some of the top VPN service providers in the game are ExpressVPN, Nord VPN, Proton VPN, Cyberghost, and Private Internet Access, to name a few.
All you have to do is connect to a country where your preferred anime is streaming, and voila, you can now watch the anime even if it is unavailable in your region.
There are many unpaid VPN services at hand or free browser extensions. However, low-tier VPN providers might decrease your speed and block you from streaming services. Connection drops and unsecured encryption are also other disadvantages.
The important thing is that .hack is on Funimation and Tubi, so set your VPN to a suitable location to access the anime from anywhere.
7. How much time will it take to complete .hack?
Ideally, it’ll take 34 hours and 19 minutes to watch the .hack franchise, including all episodes from the three seasons of the .hack anime and the subsequent movies, OVAs, and special episodes.
Here is the runtime of each installment of .hack:
- .hack//Sign – 10 hours and 24 minutes (24 mins per episode)
- .hack//Liminality – 2 hours and 12 minutes (4 episodes of unequal runtime)
- .hack//Intermezzo – 24 minutes
- .hack//Unison – 24 minutes
- .hack//Legend of Twilight – 4 hours and 36 minutes (23 mins per episode)
- .hack//Gift – 26 minutes
- .hack//Roots – 10 hours and 24 (24 minutes per episode)
- .hack//G.U. Trilogy – 1 hour and 33 minutes
- .hack//G.U. Returner – 24 minutes
- .hack//Quantum – 1 hour and 18 minutes (26 mins per episode)
- .hack//Sekai no Mukou ni – 1 hour and 50 minutes
8. About .hack (Series)
.hack is set in the fictional game world of “The World” and the real world. Players use special virtual reality headsets to immerse themselves in the game’s virtual environment. However, as the series progresses, mysterious events unfold within the game, and players face dangerous and sometimes life-threatening situations.
The anime series often follows characters who find themselves entangled in various incidents within “The World.” One of the well-known anime series from the “.hack” franchise is “.hack//Sign,” which revolves around Tsukasa, a player who cannot log out of the game and is trying to unravel the mysteries of his predicament.
