For the GV1 opening stage, see Anthem (1st Sumeragi).
Anthem (
When the player's health reaches 0, there is a chance a Muse character (
- A skill-cut by the Muse occurs and she begins singing a certain song.
- Game over is averted and the player is revived at full health.
- The player gains a visible aura effect and their abilities are enhanced in certain ways.
- Kudos can no longer be gained.
- A special C rank is given at the end of the mission.
This state typically lasts until the end of a level. If the player is defeated while in an Anthem state, a second Anthem will not occur. Depending on the game, Anthem may not be available in the intro mission due to the protagonist not yet having a Muse.
In all games, the chance of Anthem activating can be increased by viewing at least one base conversation (select the Talk menu option) before a mission, and in some games there are Equipment items (or Image Pulses in the case of Azure Striker Gunvolt 3) that can increase the odds or prevent Anthem from occurring. Anthem will not activate in Special/Secret Missions, Score Attack/Trial mode, or speedrun modes.
In all three main games, there are story points where Anthem is scripted to happen, although the specifics differ. There are also occasions where a boss may be revived by an enemy Muse's Anthem.
In Gunvolt 3, Luxia's very similar revival skill is named Djinn's Wish instead of Anthem. While in the English version she is known as The Djinn, in the Japanese version it is Cybernetic Dancing Fairy (Cyber Jinn) (
Lumen/Joule's Anthem[]
Azure Striker Gunvolt[]
Song: Reincarnation
- Gunvolt is granted infinite EP, and can use Prevasion and infinite Air Jumps and Air Dashes regardless of the equipment he is wearing. He also recovers faster from attacks that inflict Overheat.
- Anthem is not available in the intro mission Anthem (1st Sumeragi).
- In the battle with Nova in Idolatry (Firmament), despite Nova asserting that he has full control over Lumen's powers, GV can still receive Anthem and Kudos songs.
- In the true final mission Azure (Firmament), GV is always in the Anthem state (and thus cannot receive Anthem as an on-the-spot revive).
- Anthem can activate if GV dies by drowning. While in the Anthem state, he cannot drown.
- Anthem will not activate if GV dies by falling into a bottomless pit (unless playing on Easy Mode).
- Being killed by Stratos' fully charged Nemesis Fang or Nova's Clamator Aethereus will prevent Anthem from activating (unless playing on Easy Mode).
- If playing on Easy Mode, Anthem's activation chance is 100%, and it will activate even if GV is already under Anthem when he dies; thus, game over is impossible.
- In the "Anthem" speedrun mode, GV is always in the Anthem state.
- The player can view the number of times they have received Anthem or a Kudos song in the "Anthems" entry of the playlog.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 2[]
Song: Reincarnation Alternative
- Functionally identical to the GV1 version.
- In a segment of Infiltrator (Seraph Interior), Joule grants the Anthem state to GV without him suffering a defeat, and without penalizing the player's Kudos or rank. This is the only place in the game where Joule's Anthem will trigger with her still in her full form. However, Anthem will not activate normally upon death at any point in this stage.
- Anthem is disabled in Aggressor (Downtown), and later in the battle with Reverie Zonda and the final battle with Copen.
- In Savior (The Garden 3), being hit by Tenjian's Seven Slashes will automatically trigger an Anthem revive with special dialogue. If Anthem is already active when Tenjian would normally use Seven Slashes, he will not use it.
- The Sealing Pendant disables Anthem (including the Seven Slashes activation) along with Kudos songs.
- The Memento Pendant increases Anthem's activation chance, but reduces HP to 100 and disables Prevasion.
- The equipment items Lover's Lens and Admirer's Eye activate during Anthem, just as they do during Kudos songs.
Azure Striker Gunvolt 3[]
Song: Reincarnation Fateful
- When Kirin is defeated and Anthem is triggered, rather than her being revived, GV will come out in a near-berserk state with extreme power.
- Using too much power or taking too many hits in this state will result in GV reverting to his Primal Dragon state, triggering the "skill" Vanishing World as a special game over.
- Anthem will stop at the end of the level segment, rather than only at the end of the level, with control returning to Kirin at the start of the next segment.
- In D-nizer Mode, Anthem can be manually activated and deactivated at the player's discretion.
- Anthem is not available in the intro mission Dragon Slayer (Futures Institute), or in the battle with Moebius-Gunvolt.
- The Passive Image Pulse "The Djinn" gives Anthem a 100% activation chance.
Lola's Anthem[]
Azure Striker Gunvolt 2[]
Song: Igniter
- Copen's equipped Overdrive subroutines are enabled.
- Anthem is not available in the intro mission Chimera (Downtown), in the battle with Reverie Zonda, or in the final battle with Gunvolt.
- Anthem can activate if Copen dies by drowning. While in the Anthem state, he cannot drown.
- Anthem will not activate if Copen dies by falling into a bottomless pit.
- The Mute subroutine disables Anthem along with Kudos songs.
Luminous Avenger iX[]
Song: Igniter
- Copen's Bullit Dashes do not consume Bullits, allowing them to be used infinitely.
- Equipped Overdrive abilities are enabled.
- Unlike in GV2, Lola has a distinct form for Anthem, called Awakening Mode.
- The potential for Anthem to activate is an equippable ability that is on by default.
- Anthem can activate if Copen dies by falling into a bottomless pit.
- Darkness Trigger cannot be used while Anthem is active.
Luminous Avenger iX 2[]
Song: Purification
- Functionally identical to the iX1 version.
- Copen can perform consecutive Bullit Dashes in the air like in Overdrive mode, but with no time-limiting meter.
- Anthem is disabled in Hard Mode.
Mytyl's Anthem[]
Song: Indigo Destiny (Duet)
- A boss-exclusive Anthem that occurs for the true end final boss of Azure Striker Gunvolt 2: Copen when playing as GV, and vice versa. Mytyl floats into the air while unconscious with an ethereal blue butterfly on her forehead, and Joule and Lola's Muse forms appear at her side to sing a duet Anthem, with Lola losing control of herself when invoking it on GV. Shortly after the boss is defeated, Mytyl regains consciousness with an altered appearance, showing that she has fused with Joule's spirit.
- For Copen, his laser shots are replaced with Greed Snatcher bullets and his special skill becomes Doppler Destroyer.
- For GV, his special skills Astrasphere, Luxcalibur, and Voltaic Chains become regular attacks, and his special skill becomes Septimal Surge.
- In EX Frozen City, the boss GV/Copen possesses the Anthem aura and a further enhanced moveset, although Mytyl is not present.
Luxia's Djinn's Wish[]
Song: Boundless Myth
- In Azure Striker Gunvolt 3, most bosses have a chance to be revived at reduced health by Luxia when defeated. This is scripted to occur in the first playthrough of Holy Night XIII (Downtown Christmas).
- In the final boss battle with Moebius-Gunvolt, Luxia revives and enhances Kirin after Astral Order is activated. This state grants the player infinite talismans, and there is no Kudos or rank penalty.
- In Epilogue ATEMS, Luxia can revive ZedΩ with Djinn's Wish if he is defeated. In this state he has:
- Doubled normal attack power.
- A barrier similar to GV and Copen's Flashfields.
- Infinite air hops and dashes (which means he can no longer perform wall jumps).
- Passive health regeneration.
- 1/3rd cooldown time on special skills.
Japanese Cut-in Images[]
Trivia[]
- Anthem was inspired by scenes in anime where the hero is in a pinch, the heroine sweeps in, and the tables are turned back in their favor with her awesome power.[1]
- In GV1 and GV2, the Anthem aura is brighter and more colorful than usual in Azure (Firmament), Infiltrator (Seraph Interior), and the start of Aggressor (Downtown) (when Joule is fused with GV and she is at full power), and when the boss receives Anthem from Mytyl in Prayer (The Garden 4). However, this altered Anthem is identical in gameplay effects to the normal Anthem when the player receives it.