Reign (anime)
Encyclopedia
, known in English as Reign: The Conqueror, is a Japanese anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....

 first released in 1999. A re-imagination of the life of Alexander the Great based on the novel of the same name by Hiroshi Aramata
Hiroshi Aramata
is a Japanese author, translator, and screenplay writer, as well as a specialist in natural history and cartography.His most popular novel was Teito Monogatari , which has sold over 3.5 million copies in Japan alone. He also wrote Alexander Senki, a novel which eventually evolved into the anime...

, the series was produced by international crew that drew from the resources of the worldwide animation community. Character
Character design
Character design may refer to:* Characterisation, the process of conveying information about characters* Character creation, the process of defining a game character...

 and setting design for the show was conceived by Peter Chung
Peter Chung
Peter Kunshik Chung Peter Kunshik Chung Peter Kunshik Chung (born April 19, 1961 in Seoul, South Korea, as 정건식 (Chung Geun-sik, or alternative spelling Jeong Geun-Sik) is a Korean American animator...

, the Korean-American animator who created Aeon Flux. Most of the production work was handled by Korean animators.

In the original attempt at American distribution, the producers created a dub
Dubbing (filmmaking)
Dubbing is the post-production process of recording and replacing voices on a motion picture or television soundtrack subsequent to the original shooting. The term most commonly refers to the substitution of the voices of the actors shown on the screen by those of different performers, who may be...

 under the direction of veteran voice director Jack Fletcher
Jack Fletcher
Jack Fletcher is a voice actor, casting director, and voice director. He has done voice casting and direction for many high-profile anime and video game projects. In addition, he is a well known and respected theatre director and teacher, having spent a number of years teaching and directing at the...

. However, when the anime was picked up by TOKYOPOP
Tokyopop
Tokyopop, styled TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa, and Western manga-style works. The existing German publishing division produces German translations of licensed Japanese properties and original English-language manga, as well...

 and prepared for its 2003 release as Reign: The Conqueror, another dub was created. Still, TOKYOPOP retained the rights to the first four episodes of the series containing Fletcher's original dub, and used them for the first four episodes of the American release. It used the second dub for the remaining episodes.

There is also theatrical version of Reign: The Conqueror that is, in some ways, artistically different from the series. One of those differences is in character design
Character design
Character design may refer to:* Characterisation, the process of conveying information about characters* Character creation, the process of defining a game character...

. For example, the design in the movie of the character, Cassandra, is the same as the design in the series of the character, Roxanne. And the design of Roxanne in the movie is the same as that of Cassandra in the series. In other words, the designs for these two characters from the series were swapped for the movie.

Synopsis

Alexander is son of Philip II, king of Macedonia and Olympias, a snake witch. Desiring to attain 'speed', Alexander heads to the woods with allies Philotas and Hephaestion, where he tames a wild man-eating horse. There he meets and befriends Cleitus and Ptolemy, recruiting them to join his cavalry. Macedonia heads to war with Athens, led by King Philip and his top advisers, Attalus, Parmenion (father of Philotas) and Antipater. Philip becomes concerned with Alexander's absence, but Alexander and his cavalry arrive at the last moment, exploiting a break in the Athenian lines and leading Macedonia to victory. After their defeat, Athens ambassadors head to Persia, where they hope to align with new king Darius III. Alexander and his friends however sneak in as Athens slaves then kill the guards, causing Persia to think that Athens is betraying them. While Ptolemy is caught and suspended in the air, Alexander is able to save him from execution at the last minute by releasing all the horses in the city from their stables. While in Persia Alexander also meets a woman named Roxanne.

Attalus tricks Philip into thinking that Olympias and Alexander are trying to betray him. Philip banishes Olympias and marries Attalus's daughter Eurydice, who gives birth to a son that Philip desires to become king instead of Alexander. Philip holds a great ceremony to present his new prince to the masses and also constructs a huge golden statue of himelf, declaring himself a God. During the ceremony however the statue crumbles and a guard hypnotized by Olympias assassinates Philip.

Following Philip's death Alexander ascends to King and Attalus is executed. Athens plots to fight back against Macedonia, doubting Alexander's strength, but relents once Macedonia defeats Thebes in battle. Alexander places severe demands on Athens but relents on most of them after meeting with the philosopher Diogenes. Alexander next plots an attack on Persia and starts leading his troops there. Around this time Parmenion reveals to Philotas a secret about Alexander, that prior to his birth Olympias proclaimed that he would destroy the world. In addition, Aristotle sends his niece, Cassandra, to join Alexander's cavalry. Macedonia's forces continue to head through Persia's territories with multiple victories. Along the way Alexander recruits the doctor Phillipas to join him after undoing 'Gordian's Knot' which has been said can only be undone by the King. In their next battle with Persia, Macedonia's troops are hopelessly outnumbered by Persia's which are 10 times that of Macedonia's, but Darius tells his forces to retreat when members of the Pythagorean Cult intervene. During the battle Philotas falls off his horse and has a vision of Olympias summoning demons.

While in Egypt Alexander meets Dinocrates, a member of his army who tells him of the great city he'd prefer to create there, Alexandria. Alexander has a vision of himself being in Alexandria 100 years after his death where he visits the place where he was entombed by Ptolemy. Before leaving Egypt Alexander and his men visit the Temple of Ammon where they are told that Alexander will be killed by the one he trusts the most. Ptolemy witnesses a separate prophecy, that he will become Great King of the World. Plotting with Persia, Pythagorean cult members make another attempt on Alexander's life but he is able to fight them off. Darius leads Persia's armies against Macedonia's. Aristotle meanwhile meets with Diogenes, requesting the Plato-Hedron, the device which contains the knowledge of the entire world. Diogenes claims however that he tossed it aside. The two watch as the battle continues. The Macedonian army gains new strength when there is an eclipse of the moon, and the Plato-Hedron appears and ascends to the heavens. As the battle nears its conclusion, Alexander kills Darius, defeating the Persians once and for all.

With Persia now part of his empire, Alexander recruits Sagibarzanes, Darius's former adviser to become a top adviser of his. The Macedonian army becomes concerned that Alexander wants to continue heading east rather than return to Macedonia. Philotas dismisses their complaints but doesn't tell Alexander. Aristotle is also concerned with Alexander's actions and tells Cassandra that she will have to kill him should he continue to push eastward. Phillipas, secretly a member of the Pythagorean cult plots with them to kill Alexander during his wedding to Roxanne through the use of a dancer possessing poison. During the battle she poisons Alexander but is killed before finishing him off. Sagibarzanes, also a member of the Pythagorean cult frames Parmenion and Philotas for treason. Parmenion is killed and Philotas is tied up and stoned to death. While Alexander arrives during the stoning Philotas requests he let him die so as to not show weakness to the Persians. Phillipas, who treats Alexander has the opportunity to poison Alexander but instead reveals the truth to him, provides Alexander the means to heal himself, then poisons himself with the poison intended for Alexander.

After executing Sagibarzanes and the other Persian traitors, Alexander leads his forces towards India. Aristotle provides Cassandra with a parchment that she is instructed to read when they reach India. They reach India where they see a large number of horse-like men known as the Brahman priests. Cleitus, becoming increasingly suspicious of Alexander questions his motives however the Brahman attack. Alexander and Cleitus are able to finish them off. Cassandra reads the parchment, which puts her under a spell from Aristotle to kill Alexander. When she lunges towards him however, Cleitus steps in the way and takes the fatal stab himself. Alexander and the others continue through India where they encounter a massive army made up of all the soldiers they have killed over the years. During the battle Haphestian is killed when Alexander fights the ghost of Darius. Alexander takes on King Porus, who takes on his own appearance, then encounters Pythagoras at the end of the world. Alexander embraces his destiny as destroyer of the world and yet the world survives.

After their return to Macedonia we learn that Aristotle can no longer even remember who Cassandra was. Later Alexander is asked to get out of the light by a child drawing geometric shapes and writing formulas on the ground. After being told Roxanne is pregnant with his child, foiling Ptolemy's assassination attempt (but telling him that he will still be king of the world), and planning a new conquest in Arabia, Alexander looks at the child's work and is asked what he is looking at. Alexander replies, "The creation of the world. I am looking at the scene where the world I destroyed is created anew." At the very end we learn that the child's name is Euclid
Euclid
Euclid , fl. 300 BC, also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I...

 and he pulls out a small version of the platohedron showing that the destruction of the world was metaphysical in nature and that the new world of Euclid
Euclid
Euclid , fl. 300 BC, also known as Euclid of Alexandria, was a Greek mathematician, often referred to as the "Father of Geometry". He was active in Alexandria during the reign of Ptolemy I...

 and Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter I , also known as Ptolemy Lagides, c. 367 BC – c. 283 BC, was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great, who became ruler of Egypt and founder of both the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Ptolemaic Dynasty...

 has replaced the old world of Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...

 and Plato
Plato
Plato , was a Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, student of Socrates, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. Along with his mentor, Socrates, and his student, Aristotle, Plato helped to lay the...

.

Cast

Character Japanese Actor English Actor (1-4) English Actor (5-13)
Alexander  Toshihiko Seki
Toshihiko Seki
is a Japanese voice actor and member of 81 Produce. Apart from voice actor work, Seki sometimes does live action drama stage work. He is sometimes mistaken for another voice actor, Tomokazu Seki, sharing the same last name but are unrelated.-Person/Career:...

 
Andrew Philpot  Will Barrett
Philotas
Philotas
Philotas was the eldest son of Parmenion, Alexander's most experienced and talented general. When Alexander became king of Macedonia with Parmenion's support Philotas (in Greek, Φιλώτας, died October 330 BC) was the eldest son of Parmenion, Alexander's most experienced and talented general. When...

 
Kousuke Meguro  Alex Fernandez
Alex Fernandez
Alex Fernandez may refer to:*Alex Fernandez *Alex Fernandez , played for Chicago White Sox and Florida Marlins*Álex Fernandez, football player for Real Madrid*Alex Fernandez, a member of a young detective club from the PBS show Ghostwriter...

 
George Lennon
George Lennon
George Lennon was an Irish Republican Army leader during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. In later years he became a dedicated pacifist.IRA career=...

Cleitus
Clitus the Black
Cleitus the Black was an officer of the Macedonian army led by Alexander the Great. He saved Alexander's life at the Battle of the Granicus and was killed by him in a drunken quarrel several years later...

 
Houchu Ohtsuka  John DeMita
John DeMita
John DeMita is a California based Voice, Television and Film Actor. He is married to Julia Fletcher. He is most recognized as the voice of Dosu Kinuta on the hit anime series Naruto. He can also be recognized in the many films he has done...

 
Will Barrett
Haphaestion
Hephaestion
Hephaestion , son of Amyntor, was a Macedonian nobleman and a general in the army of Alexander the Great...

 
Kouji Tsujitani  John DeMita
John DeMita
John DeMita is a California based Voice, Television and Film Actor. He is married to Julia Fletcher. He is most recognized as the voice of Dosu Kinuta on the hit anime series Naruto. He can also be recognized in the many films he has done...

 
Will Barrett
Ptolemy
Ptolemy I Soter
Ptolemy I Soter I , also known as Ptolemy Lagides, c. 367 BC – c. 283 BC, was a Macedonian general under Alexander the Great, who became ruler of Egypt and founder of both the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Ptolemaic Dynasty...

 
Shuichi Ikeda
Shuichi Ikeda
is a veteran seiyū born on December 2, 1949 in Tokyo, Japan. Ikeda is married to Sakiko Tamagawa, although he was once married to Keiko Toda. He currently works for Tokyo Actor's Consumer's Cooperative Society...

 
Matt McKenzie
Matt McKenzie
Matt McKenzie is an actor best known for his voicework in games and movies. He is the voice of Auron in the RPG games Final Fantasy X, Final Fantasy X-2, and Kingdom Hearts II...

 
Marvin Lee
Olympias
Olympias
Olympias was a Greek princess of Epirus, daughter of king Neoptolemus I of Epirus, the fourth wife of the king of Macedonia, Philip II, and mother of Alexander the Great...

 
Junko Mashina  Julia Fletcher
Julia Fletcher
Julia Fletcher , sometimes credited as Julia DeMita, is a voice actress whose throaty, articulate vocals have graced many popular animated works and video games...

 
Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee
Wendee Lee is an American voice actress. While she has done voice work for many video games as well as several episodes in the Power Rangers franchise, she is particularly prolific in the dubbing of anime. As of April 2009, with 223 credits to her name, she has more credits in this medium than any...

Philip
Philip II of Macedon
Philip II of Macedon "friend" + ἵππος "horse" — transliterated ; 382 – 336 BC), was a king of Macedon from 359 BC until his assassination in 336 BC. He was the father of Alexander the Great and Philip III.-Biography:...

 
Yoshisada Sakaguchi
Yoshisada Sakaguchi
is a Japanese actor and voice actor from Tokyo. He is a professor at Obirin University, and is affiliated with Bungakuza.-Television drama:*Aoi Tokugawa Sandai *Katsu Kaishū *Kōmyō Gatsuji...

 
John DiMaggio
John DiMaggio
John William DiMaggio is an American voice actor. A native of North Plainfield, New Jersey, he is known for his gruff, deep voice and New Jersey accent, which he uses to voice mainly villains and anti-heroes.-Filmography:...

 
Bob Papenbrook
Bob Papenbrook
Robert DeWayne "Bob" Papenbrook was an American voice actor. Fellow voice actors often nicknamed him "Pappy". He was very well known in the worlds of anime and video game voice-overs for his voice acting of "gruff" characters...

Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...

 
Nachi Nozawa
Nachi Nozawa
was a Japanese seiyū, actor, and theatre director from Tokyo. He was affiliated with Office PAC at the time of his death. His real name was...

 
John Rafter Lee
John Rafter Lee
John Rafter Lee is a British actor, voice actor, professional narrator, and playwright who is best known for his portrayal of the mysterious Trevor Goodchild in Peter Chung's Æon Flux...

 
John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...

Cassandra Atsuko Tanaka
Atsuko Tanaka
is a Japanese voice actress who works for Ezaki Productions. Her deep and sultry voice is often used to portray villainesses and mature female characters.-TV anime:*Angel Links *Black Cat *Berserk *Cowboy Bebop...

 
Denise Poirier
Denise Poirier
Denise Poirier is an American voice actress best known for playing the character of Æon Flux in the MTV animated series of the same name.She also had prominent roles in Reign: The Conqueror, HBO's Spawn, and the English version of Golgo 13: Queen Bee, the Vampire Hunter D video game, as well as...

 
Melissa Williamson
Parmenion
Parmenion
Parmenion was a Macedonian general in the service of Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great, murdered on a suspected false charge of treason....

 
Tadashi Nakamura
Tadashi Nakamura
is the founder of Seidō juku karatedo.-Early years:Tadashi Nakamura was born on the February 22, 1942 in the town of Maoka on the island of Karafuto. Nakamura trained in various martial arts including Goju-Ryu, Kendo, and Kyokushin...

 
Michael Scott Ryan
Michael Scott Ryan
Michael Scott Ryan is an American voice actor. He is best known for his voice-work as the villain Kagato in the Tenchi Muyo! animated series, for which Ryan was once credited as "Weston Peese".-Notable roles:*Ackdam in Dragon Slayer...

 
George Lennon
George Lennon
George Lennon was an Irish Republican Army leader during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. In later years he became a dedicated pacifist.IRA career=...

Attalos
Attalus (general)
Attalus , important courtier of Macedonian king Philip II of Macedonia.In 339 BC, Attalus' niece Cleopatra Eurydice married king Philip II of Macedonia. In spring of 336 BC, Philip II appointed Attalus and Parmenion as commanders of the advance force that would invade the Persian Empire in Asia Minor...

 
Takeshi Aono
Takeshi Aono
is a Japanese voice actor and actor from Asahikawa, Hokkaidō affiliated with Aoni Production. He graduated from Hokkaidō Asahikawa Higashi High School....

 
Dwight Schultz
Dwight Schultz
William Dwight Schultz is an American stage, television, film actor, and voice artist. He is best known for his roles as Captain "Howling Mad" Murdock on the 1980s action show The A-Team, and as Reginald Barclay in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and the film Star Trek: First...

 
N/A
Darius
Darius III of Persia
Darius III , also known by his given name of Codomannus, was the last king of the Achaemenid Empire of Persia from 336 BC to 330 BC....

 
Kouichi Yamadera  Carlos Ferro
Carlos Ferro
Carlos Ferro is an American actor, writer, director, and producer.-Early life:Carlos’ first career in the entertainment industry was as a DJ. Spinning records in San Francisco’s nightclubs, he quickly became one of the city’s prominent DJs, befriending musical acts such as Grace Jones and the...

 
George Lennon
George Lennon
George Lennon was an Irish Republican Army leader during the Irish War of Independence and the Irish Civil War. In later years he became a dedicated pacifist.IRA career=...

Roxanne Yuko Minaguchi
Yuko Minaguchi
is a Japanese seiyū from Tokyo who is affiliated with Aoni Production.-Notable voice roles:* Princess Apricot in Bosco Adventure * Yumi in Blue Sonnet * Yawara Inokuma and Kaneko Inokuma in Yawara!...

 
N/A Cindy Robinson
Cindy Robinson
Cindy Robinson is an American stage actress and voice actress. Cindy has performed on Broadway as Hannah Bentley and covering Julie Jordan in Carousel; Wendy and covering Peter Pan in Peter Pan; Snow White, while covering Little Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel and Cinderella in Into the Woods.She is...

Antipater
Antipater
Antipater was a Macedonian general and a supporter of kings Philip II of Macedon and Alexander the Great. In 320 BC, he became Regent of all of Alexander's Empire. Antipater was one of the sons of a Macedonian nobleman called Iollas or Iolaus and his family were distant collateral relatives to the...

 
Tamio Ōki
Tamio Oki
is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. He is currently attached to Mausu Promotion.-Television animation:*Appleseed *Astro Boy *Cat's Eye *El-Hazard is a Japanese voice actor and narrator from Tokyo. He is currently attached to Mausu Promotion.-Television animation:*Appleseed...

 
John DiMaggio
John DiMaggio
John William DiMaggio is an American voice actor. A native of North Plainfield, New Jersey, he is known for his gruff, deep voice and New Jersey accent, which he uses to voice mainly villains and anti-heroes.-Filmography:...

 
John Wesley
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...

Narrator Shinji Ogawa
Shinji Ogawa
is a Japanese voice actor and actor from Setagaya, Tokyo. He is affiliated with Office Osawa.He is best known as the dubover artist for Michael Douglas and Timothy Dalton, and for voicing Hyō in Fist of the North Star.-Television animation:...

 
Jimmy Silver  Ralph Votrian

External links

Alexander (Arekusandaa Senki - Yoshinori Kanemori, Hiroshi Aramata, 1999) (Anime Mundi), detailed production information
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