Sumeragi Group

For Sumeragi's iX counterpart, see Sumeragi Institute of Human Evolution.

Sumeragi Group
Leadership	Unnamed Executives Nova (Defense Unit head and Diva Project team leader) Kirin (Dragon Saviors chief)
Status	Active
Debut	Azure Striker Gunvolt

"Brainwashing isn't really all that uncommon nowadays, you know. But it's something we need to keep our fair nation safe. Not that a terrorist like you would understand such things..."
—Nova, Azure Striker Gunvolt

The Sumeragi Group (皇神（スメラギ）グループ, written as Heavenly Emperor but read as Emperor), often shortened to just Sumeragi, is an enormous Japanese conglomerate with a power company at its center that deals in many industries, including advanced military technology, national defense, communications, bioengineering, and even space development. They are at the forefront of Adept and Septimal ability harnessing and control research, having a near monopoly on technology like Glaives and being far ahead of both domestic and overseas powers in the field. With their technological and economic might, oversight of national defense and border control, and influence over the media, they possess enough political power to be called the de facto ruling body of Japan. Due to Sumeragi's control, Japan is one of the few countries in the world to remain relatively peaceful after the emergence of Adepts.

Behind the scenes, Sumeragi has abused its power and engaged in large scale human experimentation as part of Adept research, drawing the ire of both activist groups and extremists. The resistance group QUILL was founded in part to oppose them.

There is a secret sister organization of the Sumeragi Group known as Shadow Yakumo (裏八雲) which has existed for as long as Sumeragi itself, focuses on the supernatural, is responsible for creating Glaives, and gained friction with Sumeragi in recent times due to Sumeragi's blunders.

The Sumeragi Group serves as the main antagonist faction of Azure Striker Gunvolt, a minor antagonist faction in Azure Striker Gunvolt 2, and the protagonist faction in Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 via the Dragon Saviors division.

History

Sumeragi has existed since Japan's Heian period (794-1185), having originally been a group of onmyōji, practitioners of onmyōdō. During that time period, Sumeragi was involved with people who possess supernatural abilities, like the mystics and shamans attached to the Tetrad and Quinary waves of the Lifewave who were quite prevalent during that era.

In the modern day, Sumeragi evolved into a powerful corporation that would come to dominate virtually everything about Japan, with the legitimate government becoming little more than a mere puppet. During this time period, Adepts would come into existence. Whereas many other countries waged war against Adepts, seeing only a threat, Sumeragi saw an opportunity. As much Septima manifested as a kind of energy, Sumeragi publicly touted an extreme anti-Adept agenda, whilst privately performing experiments on captured Adepts, trying to exploit Septima as an alternative energy source. At some point, they attempted to recreate the Septima of the first known Adept: Azure Thunderclap, the power to control electrons. This project resulted in three noteworthy individuals. First Asimov, a subject who accepted the Septima, but later broke out, forming the anti-Sumeragi group QUILL. Then Nova Tsukuyomi, a young boy who, whilst unable to bond with Azure Thunderclap, did go on to match with Psychokinesis, another powerful Septima, and would eventually become one of Sumeragi's highest ranked officers. Finally, "Gunvolt", an unnamed child who would be the only "true" success, yet would be broken out by Asimov.

Soon after, Sumeragi would come to know of a unique Septima known as The Muse, which would cause Adepts to resonate and become stronger, making them easier to track. Originally belonging to the daughter of Dr. Kamizono, the Septima was implemented into an artificial girl named Joule, who's power manifested into a woman called Lumen, who was marketed as a virtual pop idol. Overseeing the entirety of "Project Muse" was none other than Nova, now one of Sumeragi's highest-ranking officers, who's ultimate goal was to use Lumen to control Adepts worldwide, and bring about world peace.

One year prior to the events of ASG1, the barrier was briefly compromised by a cyber attack and assault by Eden. The assault was a cover for their true motivation, slipping Zonda into the country to act as a spy, which succeeded. Asimov also took advantage of the situation to bring in Zeno and Moniqa.

Plot Role

Azure Striker Gunvolt

At the beginning of the game, Joule is freed by QUILL Agent Gunvolt, prompting Sumeragi to begin looking for her. During this time, Gunvolt manages to kill most of the Sumeragi Seven.

Eventually, Sumeragi manages to track down the muse and recapture her, allowing Project Muse to continue. Unfortunately, Gunvolt heads to the orbital station Firmament and once again frees her, resulting in the deaths of the newly revived Sumeragi Seven, as well as Nova himself, and the failure of Project Muse, sending the Sumeragi Group into a chaotic state.

Azure Striker Gunvolt 2

As a result of the catastrophic failure of Project Muse, the Sumeragi Group found itself losing a massive amount of money, due to all the resources poured into the project. In addition to this, Nova's death crippled the nation's defense system, allowing the Adept supremacist group Eden to enter the country and wreak complete havoc.

Sumeragi would continue to face losses thanks to Eden, including having several weapons and robots like the Plasma Legion stolen and their reputation being completely destroyed due to Teseo leaking videos of their human experiments.

Azure Striker Gunvolt 3

Some time after the events of ASG2, Gunvolt willingly surrendered to Sumeragi's custody, as the "Next Level" he achieved after defeating Eden caused his Azure Striker to go out of control, even turning him into a monster known as a "Primal Dragon." To counter this, Sumeragi sealed Gunvolt using 1000 Glaives, and began siphoning his Azure Striker's electricity to use as a power source. The "Gunvolt Electric" division formed to draw and transmit this energy managed an output so high that the country was able to completely discard fossil fuels as a power source.

Sumeragi attempted to keep their custody of Gunvolt a secret, but it was eventually discovered by their sister organization, Shadow Yakumo. Suspicious of this resource expenditure after Sumeragi's previous missteps, Shadow Yakumo sent Kirin, their Battle Priestess, to investigate. She would eventually discover Gunvolt and the old-style Glaives keeping him sealed (incensing both Kirin and Shadow Yakumo as a whole, as Glaives, especially old-style ones, are expensive to create). Gunvolt eventually broke free anyways, his power building up over decades of dormancy until even the Glaives couldn't contain it. Kirin successfully sealed Gunvolt's power using her Radiant Fetters, returning him to his senses and stopping his impending rampage as a Primal Dragon.

As later revealed, one unfortunate side-effect of using Azure Striker to power all of Japan was the dispersion of an emission known as "Dragon Radiation." While initially benign at low levels, the decades of Gunvolt Electric's operations allowed the Radiation to reach severe concentrations, turning any Adepts exposed by it into Primal Dragons that would rampage with abandon. In response to this (and the latest kerfuffle with Shadow Yakumo), Sumeragi formed the Bureau of Dragon Saviors, a department dedicated to tracking and sealing Primal Dragon outbreaks.

Sumeragi's Peacekeepers and security robots would assist the Dragon Saviors in civilian evacuation and quarantining Primal Dragons, though more often than not they would succumb to secondary infection from Dragon Radiation exposure and go out of control themselves.

Assets

Kamishiro

The Final National Defense Boundary "Kamishiro" (God's Incarnation) (最終国防結界"神代") is a forcefield used to seal off Japan from the outside world. A ship graveyard exists off the coast due to planes and ships colliding with it. At one point the UTU Media Tower hosted its generator, the "Ame no Uzume", but it's unknown if that is still the case.

Following the group's losses in ASG1, the barrier was heavily strengthened and counted on as Sumeragi's last great defense against overseas powers. This would prove for naught, as Zonda deactivated it from within to enable an invasion by Eden.

Lumen

Main articles: Joule, Lumen
Additional information: Sumeragi Group#Diva Project

A virtual idol that served as the company's mascot. In truth, Lumen was the manifestation of The Muse, the septima of Joule, an Adept girl held captive her entire life by Sumeragi. Her virtual idol power possesses a very useful factor; the septima of any Adept who listens to her song resonates, allowing their location to be detected. Like this, Lumen was used as an Adept detecting radar. It is said that many Adepts were identified and captured thanks to this. After Gunvolt freed Joule, Sumeragi was only able to broadcast harmless, mundane repeats of the songs they had already composed and had her sing before.

Once Joule was captured, Sumeragi was ready to use her for something much bigger than Adept radar: The Diva Project.

September Record

Main article: September Record

September Record (セプテンベル・レコード), or Ber-Rec for short, was an MMORPG developed and run by one of Sumeragi's subsidies at Merak's request, and he can exercise control over the game's world. The game's servers were directly tied to Lumen, and the game served as a platform to disseminate her songs to Adepts. When Gunvolt freed Joule, the servers instantly crashed. Sumeragi blamed the outage on a hacking attack.

Although the game made some money from advert deals and such, because its primary purpose was to be a trap for Adepts, it was actually operating at a financial loss. In an attempt to recoup the costs, a mundane successor named September Historia (セプテンベル・ヒストリア), aka Ber-Sto, was developed and released in the months following the original going offline.

Many characters have played it or its successor, namely Merak, Elise, Zeno, and Joule. It is mentioned in ASGV3 by Shiron.

Septima technology

Main article: Glaives
Additional information: Sumeragi Group#Project Gunvolt

Sumeragi is far ahead of the rest of the world in the development of technology that interacts with Adepts and their powers. They have identified a key bodily factor responsible for power type and control known as the Septimosome, the means to extract it, and can store it within external devices called Glaives. By performing this procedure, an Adept's powers are usually sealed and can only be returned when an unlock signal is given. This release triggers an unintentional side effect: The Adept's body is warped into a temporary armored form that boosts their physical and Septimal power beyond what it originally was. The Glaives, and other devices capable of restraining or controlling Adepts, are highly desired by foreign companies and governments.

The company has even developed the means to create artificial Adepts out of normal humans. They can detect humans with latent Septimal potential, draw up a list of Septimas likely to be compatible with the subject based on certain factors, and implant the corresponding Septimosome into the subject, granting them the power. This has varying success, and potentially lethal consequences for a mismatch.

They have also created a drug called S.E.E.D, which increases the user's Septimal power but is highly addictive.

• One of the known users is Stratos.
  • Nova Tsuykomi (jp. Shiden) despised this way of controlling Adepts, wishing that Sumeragi would never control Adepts in a such fashion.

Due to Zonda's espionage, Sumeragi has lost its monopoly on such technology as Eden pilfered many of their secrets. Eden was able to create Grimoires, a Glaive derivative designed solely to provide their strongest members with the power boost of a transformation.

Star Dragon

The Special Attack Satellite "Star Dragon" (特攻衛星 [星辰]) is a weaponized artificial satellite possessing a powerful laser gun capable of striking specific targets on the Earth's surface. Originally presented to the public as an unarmed satellite meant for the peaceful observations and transmissions, Nova was forced to reveal its true nature and use it as an anti-personnel weapon to stop Gibril from reaching Kamishiro's generator during the Eden raid incident. Originally not under his jurisdiction, a Nova faction member modified the satellite in top secrecy so that Nova could directly control it via telepathic waves produced by his septima power Psychokinesis.

Gunvolt Electric

Sometime after Gunvolt defeated Eden, his power went out of control and he surrendered himself willingly to Sumeragi on the condition that they seal his power. With Gunvolt in their custody, Sumeragi created a new energy division called Gunvolt Electric (no official name given in the Japanese version) to keep Gunvolt sealed with countless Glaives in the basement of S-FIT and sell the electricity he created while keeping its true origin secret. The electricity was great enough in quantity to power all of Japan, but was laced with Dragon Radiation leaking from Gunvolt which gradually built up in the environment.

Eventually, the seal on Gunvolt failed completely, after which Kirin sealed him with her own power and released him from S-FIT, rendering Sumeragi no longer able to exploit him for electricity. A spate of Adepts and machines going berserk due to Dragon Radiation followed soon afterward.

Private Army

See also: Common Enemies

The Sumeragi Group possesses an enormous and heavily armed private army composed of a multitude of human soldiers and robotic infantry. In addition to their security roles, they are deployed on the front lines in order to neutralize threats caused by QUILL, Eden, or non-Sumeragi Adepts.

The human soldiers in Gunvolt 1 and Gunvolt 2 are divided into five types: Standard Gunners, Flame Gunners, Homing Launcher Infantry, Grenadiers or Squad Leaders, and Assassins who wield blades.

In Gunvolt 3, several decades after the previous two games, Sumeragi's army has overhauled its assortment of robot types as well as the armor and weapons used by human soldiers. Standard Gunners and Homing Launcher Infantries return from past games, but joining their ranks are Rocket Barrage Infantries, Rocket Fist Infantries, and Anti-Adept Ninjas.

The Peacekeepers (保安部隊 Safety Forces) are a division of Sumeragi's forces in Gunvolt 3. Many of them are Adepts, though none have been seen using their Septimas in combat.

Unmanned tanks and aircraft

Main articles: Medium Bosses, Plasma Legion

In order to face the increasing rampages by violent Adepts, the Sumeragi Group has developed many types of unmanned tanks and at least one unmanned aircraft.

Name	Info	Image
Michi Mk 17 Type 3 "Mantis" ミチ一七式丙 “マンティス”	Sumeragi's main battle tank. A quadrupedal 9th generation tank equipped with machine guns, rocket pods, and a high power laser cannon. Its legs possess powerful hydraulics allowing for small jumps, and have retractable wheels for high speed movement. There are some concerns about its core's cooling system.
Michi Mk 17 Type S "Mantis Legion" ミチ一七式Ｓ “マンティスレギオン”	An upgraded, newly deployed red variant of the Mantis featuring some technology from the in-development Plasma Legion. Created due to delays in 10th gen tank development, in construction and function this model is mostly the same as the original. Its performance is overall much higher, its leg hydraulics have been upgraded to perform enormous leaps (baffling onlookers), and its rockets are now loaded with energy shots released upon explosion for extra penetrating power.
Mantis Delta マンティス・デルタ	An unused variant of the Mantis Legion. Its body structure has an improvement, and the golden paintjob is also a beam-resistant coating. (Only seen in the Armed Blue Gunvolt: Sou Soundtrack booklet, but is briefly mentioned in a conversation in ASGV3)
Miha Mk X19 "Spyder" ミハＸ一九式 “スパイダー”	A prototype 10th gen spider-like tank. Its main armament is a high power, high precision laser turret atop its abdomen capable of aiming in almost any direction. The ends of its legs possess a propulsion system the Spyder uses to continuously glide across any surfaces at high speeds, and somehow enables it to defy gravity and cling to ceilings without any reduction in movement. Due to cost and maintenance issues, there are doubts about whether it can really be called a 10th gen tank.
Michi Mk X18 "Plasma Legion" ミチＸ一八式 “プラズマレギオン”	Another in-development 10th gen model, being created by a different team and in collaboration with overseas company Eunos Inc. A bipedal bird-like machine, it was initially set to be equipped with an ultra high power plasma cannon, missile pods, and a detachment transformation function allowing its head to act as an aircraft and its lower half to act as a tank. Unlike the Spyder, no functional prototypes had been constructed due to development problems.
Fazent フェイザント	An in-development bulky drone. It was set to be equipped with a machine gun, rocket pods, and ground-penetrating, terrain destroying mines. It was considered not yet flight-worthy due to engine problems.

Divisions

A nation-spanning body, the Sumeragi Group is comprised of an extraordinary complex, multilayered chain of command, featuring multiple separate groups that serve many different functions.

Dragon Saviors

Main articles: Dragon Saviors

The Dragon Saviors (龍治局, Healing Dragon Bureau) is a group chiefed by Kirin which is seemingly responsible for handling the Berserk Adept aka Primal Dragon incidents.

Peacekeepers

The Peacekeepers (保安部隊) are a group deployed ahead of Kirin and Gunvolt in response to the emergence of the Berserk Adepts, handling the evacuation of citizens. It seems the Peacekeepers have many low level Adepts among them.

Defense Unit

The Defense Unit (防衛部隊) is responsible for matters of national defense, such as defending the Kamishiro barrier. Nova is its head, and he was promoted to the position at some point prior to Justice Rage. As Jota and Merak are his direct subordinates and their actions against Eden in Armed Blue Gunvolt are credited to the Defense Unit, it can be inferred that they are part of this division.

Adept Hunter Unit

The Adept Hunters (能力者狩り（ハンター）部隊), also referred to as just Hunters, are the force responsible for actively seeking out and suppressing and/or capturing Adepts of interest through force. They are also known to kidnap normal humans for use in experiments.

Hunters wear a modified version of the Sumeragi uniform with the company's logo on their shoulders.

Known members are Carrera and Zonda.

Security Department

The Security Department (警備部) is tasked with the general defense of Sumeragi assets. Viper is a member. In Admiration to Peace, Asimov describes the ninja-like assassins as being part of the security soldiers.

Combat Unit

Various forces have been referred to as Combat Unit (戦闘部隊). Merak is a commander. In the Japanese script, the officer in the first Subaquatic Base wormhole trap addresses his men as Combat Unit. Viper volunteered to join it. Zonda's subordinates are described as joining the Combat Unit. This seems to be a generic term given that Viper is part of the Security Department and Zonda is an Adept Hunter.

Deployment Unit

The Deployment Unit (実行部隊) was responsible for investigating and seizing adepts whose locations were detected via Lumen's song.

Adept Unit

The Adept Unit (能力者部隊) was deployed to counter adept terrorism which the state army couldn't handle. Nova was part of it.

Scientific Departments

There are various teams dedicated to different fields of research and development, ranging from tank development to adept research, based out of facilities such as the Futures Institute of Technology, Pharmacology Lab, and Stratacombs. They appear to be outside of Nova's jurisdiction.

The Sumeragi Seven

The Sumeragi Seven

The Sumeragi Seven is an informal designation for seven high-rank adepts--Zonda, Carrera, Stratos, Elise, Viper, Merak, and Jota--who serve as the main boss group of Azure Striker Gunvolt under Nova.

Strictly speaking, they are not actually a group. They belong to a variety of different units, Carrera and Zonda seem fairly distant, and Stratos and Elise were prisoners not even under Nova's jurisdiction at first. The circumstances of Stratos and Elise eventually being placed under Nova's command are unknown, since Elise refused to divulge how he got her on his side, and it's unclear if Stratos was even aware of Nova's new custody of him.

Nova personally recruited some of them--namely Jota, Merak, and Viper--and those three, especially Jota and Merak, serve as his closest subordinates, often taking orders directly from him.

Thematically, the Sumeragi Seven are based on the seven deadly sins and matching animals, and most of their powers relate to those sins. Below is a table organizing these traits.

Name	Sin	Animal	Septimal power	Color
Zonda	Lust	Scorpion	Mirrors and illusions	Pink
Carrera	Greed	Hedgehog	Magnetism	Orange
Stratos	Gluttony	Flies	Devouring energy flies	Yellow
Elise	Envy	Snake	Necromancy	Purple
Viper	Wrath	Unicorn	Fire and explosions	Red
Merak	Sloth	Bear	Wormholes	Blue
Jota	Pride	Peacock	Light	Green

Projects

Project Gunvolt

Project Gunvolt (プロジェクト・ガンヴォルト) is Sumeragi's attempt to mass-produce artificial lightning-wielding Adepts, Azure Strikers, as an energy resource.

This is attempted by using kidnapped orphans and clones as lab rats, implanting them with Azure Striker Septimosome extracted and cultivated from the corpse of the first Adept. This has an extremely high failure rate; almost all subjects have only electrocuted themselves to death when attempting to wield the implanted Azure Striker. For a long time the only partial success was Asimov, with his catastrophic escape and the death of lead researcher Dr. Kamizono being a great setback for the project.

Many years later a fully successful subject would emerge, whom Asimov - now an adult and a leader of QUILL - rescued and named "Gunvolt" after the project when the boy could not remember his original name.

The project may still be ongoing, as it has been said that there have been no further successes after Gunvolt.

The goal of using Azure Strikers for reliable power generation was achieved when Gunvolt surrendered himself to Sumeragi after the awakening of his Primal Dragon powers, after which Sumeragi sealed him in S-FIT's basement and began selling the electricity leaking from him. However, this service became unavailable after Kirin freed Gunvolt from S-FIT.

Diva Project

The Diva Project (歌姫 (ディーヴァ）プロジェクト), also known as Project Muse, was an attempt by Sumeragi to exploit and amplify the consciousness influencing effect of Joule's septima, The Muse, to subjugate all Adepts across the nation.

Having previously only used her ability as a company mascot and Adept detecting radar, this ambitious scheme aimed to squash the internal threat of Adepts and deter foreign powers by fielding them as an army.

Nova hoped this plan's success would lead to Glaives being discarded as an Adept controlling method, granting himself and other trusted Adepts the privilege of freely using their septima without having to transform.

Gunvolt ended the project by wiping out most of Sumeragi's top Adepts and freeing Joule, putting the company in a dire state due to how much was invested in the project.

Multinational Adept supremacist group Eden would take heavy inspiration from this plan, with Zonda mockingly still calling it the Diva Project to Sumeragi's executives, but with a very different aim: Using one of The Muse's other prized abilities, septima enhancing, to empower Adepts across the world and overthrow humanity.

Facilities

Headquarters

Sumeragi's headquarters is a massive skyscraper that towers over neighboring buildings. When holographic wings are projected around it, it bears a strong resemblance to the company logo. Sumeragi HQ is visible in the distance from Gunvolt and Joule's apartment.

Sumeragi Futures Institute of Technology

The Sumeragi Futures Institute of Technology (皇神未来技術研究所), or just S-FIT (未来技研) for short, is a research facility where Sumeragi's cutting-edge research is conducted, especially when regarding Septimas. The lab is protected by powerful barrier technology thought to be impenetrable. S-FIT has at least eight divisions, with the 8th division being responsible for the development of the Mantis and co-development of the Mantis Legion and Plasma Legion. Based on model numbers, the Spyder tank was also likely developed by the 3rd division.

Originally described as focusing on new age energy research, in secret S-FIT was the site of unethical human experimentation as part of Project Gunvolt, the attempted conversion of normal humans into artificial Azure Striker Adepts for use as an energy resource, and is implied to have been involved in the development of the Glaives and Sumeragi's other Adept controlling technology. The leading scientist at S-FIT involved in both the creation of artificial Adepts and Glaives was Dr. Kamizono, the father of Copen and Mytyl. Dr. Kamizono's prominence was such that Nova claimed Sumeragi became what it is thanks to him.

In the past S-FIT was burned to the ground and all personnel were killed when the Project Gunvolt test subject Asimov, codenamed then "Takefutsu", broke free from his restraints and his power went out of control at the start of an experiment headed by Dr. Kamizono and his assistant. At some point the facility was rebuilt, and would continue tank development and later be the site of the gathering of 1000 glaives and Gunvolt's sealing.

Pharmacology Lab

Stage article: Pharma Lab

The Sumeragi Pharmacology Lab (皇神薬理研究所) is a greenhouse facility dedicated to the cultivation of genetically engineered experimental plants and their byproducts, and serves as a research center where drug experiments on Adepts are conducted.

The 1st Biotope (第一ビオトープ) is encased within what is presumed to be a dome, creating a massive interior space. A lake filled with either water or some other liquid takes up much of the area, with ring devices enclosing trees dotting the fluid's surface. Many large pipes branch out above the liquid and connect to an interior building. The dome is equipped with powerful artificial sunlight producing fixtures to facilitate plant growth at any time, being capable of creating the illusion that it's midday when it's really 1AM outside. Many bizarre and aggressive plants can be found openly growing throughout the lab.

Within the interior building is the Eidolon, an enormous cyborg artificial plant. A material produced by it is a key ingredient in the production of a drug called S.E.E.D. While normally only a stress-relief medication, a modified version of it can be produced that powers up septimas and is highly addictive. Addiction to this drug is said to be one method of controlling Adepts that Sumeragi uses behind closed doors, although the only known example is Stratos.

The lab houses Stratos, who was taken there and kept as a prisoner and guinea pig for drug experiments. Repeated experiments caused him to lose his mind--gaining a ravenous hunger that can only be temporarily sated with drugs--and his septima to go out of control, forcing the lab to rely on the S.E.E.D. drug addiction to keep him in line. Shortly after Gunvolt destroyed the Eidolon, Stratos escaped from containment. To the lab personnel's horror, they were out of stock of the drug and could not rush to produce more with the Eidolon gone, resulting in Stratos going on a rampage and devouring everyone and everything in sight with his swarms before being killed by Gunvolt.

Onogoro Float/Babel/Firmament

Stage articles: Eridu, Babel (ASG1), Firmament, Babel (ASG2)

Onogoro Float (オノゴロフロート), Babel (アメノサカホコ), and Firmament (アメノウキハシ), are an artificial island located off the coast, an orbital elevator, and a geosynchronous space station in low Earth orbit at its top, respectively. The orbital elevator Babel is a technological marvel hailed as something only the Sumeragi Group was able to construct, and is said to be visible on the horizon from Gunvolt and Joule's apartment.

These facilities were a key part of the Diva Project. Joule was to be secured on Firmament and have her power broadcast all over the nation from it. QUILL's Team Sheeps seized the elevator control tower as Gunvolt tore through Onogoro Float's defenses. On the way up Babel, he encountered and slew three revived Adepts back to back. On Firmament itself, many important events transpired. Copen was nearly killed by Asimov and lost his gun, Gunvolt killed Nova, and Asimov revealed his true goals and shot Gunvolt and Joule when they refused to support him.

In Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 a fanatical squad of Eden soldiers led by Desna invaded the complex looking for leftover information on the Diva Project. Parts of Babel's bottom had suffered significant damage during or prior to this event, blocking the first elevator access point and forcing Copen to scale the tower's exterior to find an upper one.

Building 1

Stage article: 1st Sumeragi

Building 1 (皇神第一ビル) is a small skyscraper where Joule was originally held captive. A train platform is presumably nearby, as she had just transferred to a train when Gunvolt infiltrated the building. The building's upper floors are filled with armed shutters ready to deploy in an emergency.

Romeo is stationed here, and his hobby room and tool set are located in the basement.

UTU Media Tower

Stage article: Media Tower

UTU Media Tower (大電波塔アマテラス Great Radio Tower Amaterasu) is an enormous media broadcasting tower whose security is overseen by Jota. The tower was where the national defense barrier Kamishiro's generator was located, and was also where Joule's septimally charged songs were broadcast from.

Eden once attacked the tower's generator as a diversion for Zonda's infiltration, with Gibril engaging Jota and Teseo engaging Merak.

It is unknown if the tower still hosts Kamishiro's generator; no mention of it was made when Gunvolt and Asimov raided the building, and their mission briefing only discussed its media broadcasting function.

Seraph

Stage article: Seraph Interior

The Seraph (飛天 Apsara) is a massive, solid airship. It was the site of the fighter drone Fazent development.

It was hijacked by Eden and taken for a joyride above a city to attract Gunvolt. Due to Teseo using his cyber septima Hack the Planet to pilot the ship, Gunvolt could not use his electric septima to override the controls when Teseo set it on a collision course with a skyscraper. Gunvolt attempted to divert its flight path by sheer force, but even while partially enhanced by Joule he couldn't overpower its propulsion system. It took a hit from Copen's Heart Blazer attack to the ship to weaken it enough for Gunvolt to succeed.

The several prototype Fazents onboard were activated and stolen by Asroc, and distributed throughout Eden for their own use.

Subaquatic Base

Stage article: Subaquatic Base

The Subaquatic Base (第三海底基地 3rd Seafloor Base) is a seafloor base originally constructed for mining operations, later converted into a next gen power generation facility, and then used as a lab for shady experiments. Publicly, it is still known as a power facility.

Motivated by the prospect of a 3 year paid vacation for eliminating Gunvolt, Merak came up with a plan: Feed bogus intel about the construction of an armed submarine to QUILL, lay wormhole traps to send Gunvolt into ambushes by his soldiers, and if that fails just flood the base with seawater to drown him. The flooding plan was commenced with Sumeragi's own personnel still in the base, and was aborted when a soldier operating the pumps was convinced by another to defy Merak's orders and stop the flow. Thanks to this, Gunvolt was able to escape and kill Merak.

Biochemical Plant

Stage article: Biochem Plant

A Biochemical Plant (化学工場 Chemical Plant) that automated freight trains make regular supply drops at. Viper was assigned as a security guard here. Gunvolt infiltrated by train, destroying a prototype Spyder unit deployed to stop him en route, and took out Viper, proceeding to destroy the plant by placing a bomb at its heart.

Stratacombs

Stage article: Stratacombs

The Stratacombs (地下施設 Underground Facility) are a top secret underground facility hidden beneath a fairly nondescript warehouse. Elise was brought here to have a cooperative personality planted in her, but ended up repeatedly rampaging and turned all personnel into zombies.

Datastore

Stage article: Datastore

The Datastore (データバンク施設 Databank Facility) is a secure databank facility where clinical data on Adepts is gathered and stored. The facility is rife with built-in defenses such as spiked floors, security blocks, magnetic fields, and auto-turrets. All data is stored in an advanced media format that is not vulnerable to being damaged by magnets. The Adept Hunter Carrera was assigned as a security guard here, but his careless fight with Gunvolt only helped destroy the main server that was Gunvolt's target.

Data Facility

Stage article: Data Facility

The Data Facility (データ施設) is an old complex housing information on Sumeragi's human experiments. Teseo invaded, converted large portions of the buildings to cyberspace, and uploaded videos of the experiments online to present himself as "a hero" and get tons of views, reveling in the attention he got. After Gunvolt dealt with him, he destroyed the main server.

Known Members

Name	Profile	Image
Nova Tsukuyomi	Defense Unit manager Diva Project leader [Psychokinesis] Adept Former Project Gunvolt test subject
Jota	Defense Unit officer (?) UTU Media Tower guardian [Lightspeed] Adept
Merak	Defense Unit officer (?) Combat unit commander Cyber security expert [Wormhole] Adept
Viper	Security Department officer Assigned to Biochemical Plant [Explosion] Adept
Magnetic Field Fist (Carrera)	Adept Hunter officer Assigned as Datastore guard [Magnetic Arts] Adept Signed his name as "Magnetic Field Fist" when joining
Elise	Prisoner [Rebirth] Adept Modification attempts resulted in three distinct and tangible personalities
Stratos	Prisoner Pharmacology Lab test subject [The Fly] Adept
Zonda	Adept Hunter officer [Phantasm Mirror] Adept Alternates between being a man one day and a woman the next with Phantasm Mirror In truth, is a spy from Eden and both personas are false
Romeo	Executive Involved in oversight of Joule/Lumen
Executives	Executives who discussed the losses resulting from the Diva Project's failure and Nova's death
Corvette	Executive Had some involvement with the oversight of Primal Dragon Gunvolt at the Futures Institute
Dr. Kamizono	Scientist	N/A

Dragon Saviors

Name	Positions	Image
Kirin	Bureau of Dragon Saviors chief and founding member Battle Priestess Field agent [Radiant Fetters] Adept Liaison with Shadow Yakumo
Gunvolt	Bureau of Dragon Saviors founding member Field agent [Azure Striker] Adept
Lumen	Gunvolt's Image Pulse Primal Dragon detector Anthem support Sumeragi "virtual idol"
BB	Bureau of Dragon Saviors member Former Primal Dragon Field agent [Geist] Adept
Shiron	Bureau of Dragon Saviors member Former Primal Dragon Analyst Tactical support [Overclock] Adept
Apollo	Bureau of Dragon Saviors member Former Primal Dragon Field agent Administrative support [Pendulum] Adept
Cayman	Bureau of Dragon Saviors member Former Primal Dragon Field agent [Duelist] Adept

Gallery

Shadow Yakumo

Loading screen profile in ASG1

Transparent logo

Boss symbol in ASG1

Steam Badge - Level 1 Abyss

Steam Badge - Level 2 Minaret

Steam Badge - Level 3 Conflagration

Steam Badge - Level 4 Underworld.

Steam Badge - Level 5 Garden

Headquarters concept art

Lab concept art

Executive concept art, including unused designs

Loading screen with three diamond rank ID card.

Loading screen with zero diamond rank ID card.

Guest room for foreign dignitaries

Trivia

• Like other characters in the first Azure Striker Gunvolt, all Sumeragi officials are named after supercars to invoke a sense of luxury and wealth. The motif is continued in GV3 with several of the Dragon Saviors, as well as Corvette and some ATEMS characters.
  • Originally, the Sumeragi bosses were to be named after musical instruments, but this was changed due to it not being "stylish". During early phases of development, characters were also in a more cartoonish art style.
• The Sumeragi Seven can be seen as a villainous counterpart to the common motif of the Seven Samurai, being seven powerful Adepts with tangibly-related abilities that the hero does battle against.

The "Sumeragi Eight".

Alternate design lineup.

• Originally, there were going to be eight Sumeragi Adept bosses instead of seven. This was changed because Inti Creates felt it would be too reminiscent of the Mega Man series. The original design themes had eight sins, which included melancholy and vainglory but not envy, and concepts from those two bosses were merged to create Elise.
  • The "melancholy" boss's design themes are ninja and earth, his Armed form was to be a sort of armored ninja and fingers like drills. His untransformed design is somewhat reminiscent of Asroc's, except taller, with a trench coat, and the scarf and hat are colored differently and concealing most of his face, although another concept for this character's human form wore a full mask and did not resemble anyone else in the series.
  • The "vainglory" boss's design themes are sacred and hypnosis, her (or his?) Armed form is like a bishop and has piano keys, and had an ability that creates phantoms. The untransformed design wears glasses and an oversized coat.
• The name "Sumeragi" comes from the old Japanese word for "emperor", and may also be a subtle reference to Inti Creates, who once used 印帝 (Intei, "Stamp/Seal Emperor") for the logo test animation in their first game. 印帝 is actually included in the games as a sign in Sinner's Row, and is revealed (localized as Interior Creators) in Azure Striker Gunvolt 3 to be a front company for Shadow Yakumo.
  • Inti's sound team is credited as Sumeragi Electric Symphony Orchestra (皇神電子交響楽団) on official Lumen albums released by the company and at concerts.
• The Sumeragi Group features several noticeable Christian and demonic motifs, in contrast with QUILL which has an angelic motif:
  • In English, Sumeragi's space elevator is named "Babel" after the biblical tower of the same name. Part of Nova's Japanese title is "Babel Master" (although this was likely derived from the name of the manga that inspired his design). In the original Japanese version, the elevator is Ame no Sakahoko ("Heaven's Inverted Spear"), an alternate name of Ame-no-Nuboko from the Japanese creation myth.
  • Sumeragi's file number in the QUILL database (itself named Rasiel) is 666, the number of the beast.
  • Sumeragi's logo, when flipped upside down, resembles a goat, an animal often used in Satanic imagery.
  • The seven Sumeragi Swordsmen each represent one of the seven deadly sins, as well as an animal associated with the sins which is incorporated into their design. Some also have references to the Seven Princes of Hell associated with each sin.
    • Viper - Wrath and unicorns.
    • Elise - Envy and snakes. Leviathan is also depicted as a serpent, and some early designs for Elise were aquatic.
    • Stratos - Gluttony, flies, and Beelzebub.
    • Merak - Sloth, bears, and Belphegor.
    • Jota - Pride, peacocks, and Lucifer.
    • Carrera - Greed and hedgehogs.
    • Zonda - Lust and scorpions. The image of a card dealer is also similar to depictions of Asmodeus as an inciter of gambling.
    • While Nova is not part of this theme (his design motifs are instead the manga Babel II and a Buddha statue, and when transformed is meant to evoke a feeling of divinity; an ultimate existence with light and dark in harmony), one early concept for his transformed state had goat horns.

• Nightmare Mode in Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon ends with Zangetsu on a rooftop with the Sumeragi Group building in the distance, and the scene is reminiscent of the opening of Mega Man 2.
  • In Gunvolt 3, GV mentions fighting an opponent in the past who is all but stated to be Zangetsu. Given that signs point to Zangetsu once being intended as a collab boss in Luminous Avenger iX 2, and how Kohaku Otori was originally meant to be a GV3 collab boss before being switched to iX2, it is speculated by fans that this ending was once intended to be followed up with an actual boss fight in GV3.

• In the Gal*Gun series, Sakurazaki Academy school nurse Kirara Kurashiki is very heavily implied to be a time machine-using Sumeragi agent from the future who worked at the Futures Institute. In an unsubtitled voice clip, she states in Japanese "Sumeragi Future... No, that's not it... I am the infirmary teacher of the Sakurazaki 3rd high school... Kurashiki Kirara! / Yup! Thought as much! If we get in a relationship, we should be able to avoid the future of despair! Houdai-kun, date me!". In her ending for the Unseen Destiny route in Gal*Gun: Double Peace, she calls it a "hopeless future." Her Card-en-Ciel profile outright states that she is a time traveler sent to the past on a mission, with the Japanese version saying she works for a "certain organization", but that she is neglecting her duties to enjoy life in the past.
• There exists concept art for several Sumeragi executives that didn't appear in Azure Striker Gunvolt 2.
• The Sumeragi Group has the most named members of any group in the series, with a total of 16, not including Lumen.
• Considering the mission loading screen theme in GV3 is named "ATEMS", and the unnamed one in GV2 has similarities to the Eden fortress stage The Garden 3's theme, it is possible the unnamed mission loading screen in GV1 is meant to reference Sumeragi in some way.