Can two teenage terrorists expose a secret experiment by solving riddles across Tokyo?

Entertainment · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: In the anime Terror in Resonance, two boys known as Nine and Twelve threaten to destroy Tokyo unless the police can solve their cryptic riddles. These masterminds are survivors of a clandestine project designed to turn orphans into human weapons, leading to a high-stakes game of cat and mouse.

Created and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, Terror in Resonance is an eleven-episode series that aired on Fuji TV's Noitamina block from July to September 2014. The story follows Nine and Twelve, two teenagers who call themselves Sphinx. They steal a prototype atomic bomb and upload videos to the internet, forcing the Tokyo Metropolitan Police to engage with their complex puzzles. Their ultimate goal is to expose the Rising Peace Academy, an organization that subjected 26 orphaned children to experiments intended to cultivate savant syndrome and create human weapons.

The investigation is led by Kenjirō Shibazaki, a highly intelligent detective previously demoted to the records division for his unauthorized work. As Shibazaki attempts to decode the riddles, the narrative expands to include Five, a third survivor of the academy who works as an FBI operative. Her obsession with Nine drives her to endanger innocent lives, highlighting the show's exploration of systemic corruption and the tragic cycles of violence. The series also features Lisa, a lonely high school student who becomes an unlikely companion to the boys, providing a human anchor amidst the chaos.

The show is noted for its atmospheric direction and its integration of music, which was composed by Yoko Kanno. Watanabe drew inspiration from the Icelandic post-rock band Sigur Rós, even traveling to Iceland to record the soundtrack. Critics have praised the series as a gorgeous meditation on modern society, noting that its semi-realistic art design and flawless direction ground its larger-than-life premise. While the boys operate with a cold, calculated intelligence, the series is frequently cited for its ability to find moments of precious human connection within a cynical, high-stakes environment.

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