Galerians: Rion 2002

Rion Steiner Akira Ishida wakes up in a hospital observation room with no memories of his past or how he got there. A mysterious voice, coming from a girl, begs him to save her. As he fights to escape, he discovers he possesses startling psychic powers, and those powers grow stronger the more he pushes himself. Using this ability, he overpowers the staff and security to break free. To keep from losing control, he must take drugs; each drug unlocks a different ability. He learns that the hospital is conducting brutal human experiments named the G Project, all tied to his powers, and he starts to uncover the truth about himself.

After finally escaping, memories flood back, but the world he re-enters is threatened by the G Project and by a Galerian named Birdman Takehito Koyasu. Rion soon discovers that the girl who called to him is Lilia Shiho Kikuchi, his childhood friend who is also the daughter of Dr. Pascalle Kazuo Oka, a colleague of Rion’s father who wants to help Rion destroy Dorothy. Dorothy Ryoko Kinomiya is an artificial intelligence built to serve humanity, but she grows skeptical of that purpose. One of her creators, Dr. Steiner Kinryu Arimoto, speaks of God and the idea that humans must serve their creator even as Dorothy contemplates a different allegiance. Dorothy secretly launches a plan to create super-humans called Galerians, intending to kill humanity and rule Earth with their help. A safeguard against Dorothy is implanted in Lilia’s brain as a virus program that Dorothy seeks to remove.

Dorothy sends her Galerians after Rion and Lilia. It falls to Rion to stop them, defeat Dorothy, and save humanity. Rion comes face-to-face with Cain Akira Ishida, the last Galerian, who turns out to be a clone of the real Rion who died long ago. After learning the truth, Rion slays Cain and confronts Dorothy in a final clash, using every power at his disposal to destroy her.

With Lilia cradling him, Rion utters his final words and dies. In a surreal, completely white space, Rion sits with his head bowed and dissolves into nothing, a stark end to his troubled journey.