Human civilization no longer revolves around fire, but is instead now driven by fear of it. Repeated wars have changed human biology, and people now spontaneously combust when they get close to natural flame. However, a new source of energy prevents society from complete collapse: a stone-shaped material used to produce light and steam lies within the bodies of monsters that infest numerous forests. Those tasked with collecting this precious resource are called fire hunters. Touko, a young village girl, is saved from a forest monster by a fire hunter who perishes during his heroic action. After the hunter's dog, Kanata, heals from his own injury, the girl's family sends her to the capital in order to return Kanata and the hunter's fire sickle to his relatives. Elsewhere, the fire hunter's son, Koushi, and his sister are adopted by a wealthy family. Koushi learns some troubling facts related to the country's ruling royal family. He conducts secret research on a special fire stone found by his late father, kickstarting a race against time between the country's leaders and those trying to save mankind from its ultimate demise.

The world has been engulfed in a desperate, three-decade-long war against the BETA—an alien species that invaded the planet in 1973. Amid this chaos, a high school student named Takeru Shirogane suddenly wakes up from a terrifying nightmare where he sees mankind in utter defeat. Soon after, he realizes that his dream was nothing more than the recollections of his life in an alternative universe. In those memories, the Alternative V project is implemented, sending hundreds of thousands of people into space as a last resort to preserve humanity, while leaving the remaining billion on Earth to suffer a cruel fate. Yearning to change this grim future, Takeru joins a military base in Yokohama, which happens to be his former high school. There, he manages to convince the base's vice-commander and leader of the Alternative IV project, Professor Yuuko Kouzuki, to prevent Alternative V from happening. To ensure the success of Alternative IV, Takeru must pilot the gigantic humanoid machines Tactical Surface Fighters (TSF) alongside his fellow cadets. However, he has only two months to complete his training and exploit his partial knowledge of the future—lest the ensuing tragedy take place.

Richard Plantagenet has dedicated his whole life to becoming strong enough to fight alongside his father, the Duke of York. Together they have waged war to reclaim the right to the throne of England from King Henry VI and the House of Lancaster. However, the young Richard hides a secret—one that his mother scorns him for, which the cruel voices in his head never fail to remind him of. Even amid his personal turmoil, he is fortunate to find solace in the light of his father's love. But when the War of the Roses takes a turn for the bloodier, the fervent ambitions of Richard grow while his old loyalties splinter, threatening to taint his family's path to glory.

In a future-based disaster-ridden city with an enormous gap between the rich and the poor, it is hard to tell which humans are walking around with cybernetic body parts. This makes Roy Revant's job as a renegade bounty hunter/bodyguard-for-hire even more difficult. When a young girl with unbeliveable strength rescues him from a particularly dangerous criminal, Roy realizes that perhaps help can be found in the strangest of places. Joining together with a few others, they engage in a battle to find out the truth behind the giant conglomerates that are supposedly serving mankind and making life better. Solty, an android who has lost her memory, has escaped and is being hunted by the RUC Security Bureau. She encounters the bounty hunter Roy and he adopts her as his daughter after being hired as a bodygaurd for Miranda. (Source: ANN)