# Kiznaiver (2016)

> Five strangers are bound together by a system that shares their wounds, in a dying Japanese city where a peace experiment is being tested on teenagers.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/58213

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 12
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, science fiction, drama
- Created by: Mari Okada
- Network: Gunma TV, TOKYO MX, BS11, Tochigi TV
- Cast: Yuki Kaji, Koutaro Nishiyama, Rina Sato, Misaki Kuno, Hibiku Yamamura, Yuka Terasaki, Tomoaki Maeno, Nobunaga Shimazaki
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5225712/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: mild
- Tone: angsty, wistful, melancholic, surreal, tense

## What critics say

Audience reception is mixed, with a solid audience score for its single season and praise for its emotional story and striking visuals.

## Synopsis

Kiznaiver (2016) is a Japanese seinen anime series created by Mari Okada and produced by TRIGGER for a network run that aired on Gunma TV, TOKYO MX, BS11 and Tochigi TV. Its protagonist, Katsuhira Agata (voice of Yuki Kaji), is chosen by the enigmatic Noriko Sonozaki (voice of Hibiku Yamamura) to join the Kizuna System, a experimental device meant to advance world peace by linking the wounds of its wearers. Katsuhira is connected to classmates whose temperaments clash with his, including Hisomu Yoshiharu (voiced by Koutaro Nishiyama) and Honoka Maki (voiced by Rina Sato). The engine of the twelve-episode run is the friction of bodies and feelings: every injury one of them suffers is divided among the rest, so each episode turns on confrontation, reluctant trust and the slow discovery of what the group has in common. Told in a single continuous arc, the series moves between school life and the hushed, half-deserted streets of Sugomori City, a town built on reclaimed land and losing residents year by year. Its tone is angsty and wistful, mixing romance and melancholy with sharp, sometimes violent moments and a surreal sci-fi undercurrent. Fans of Serial Experiments Lain, Angel Beats! and Psycho-Pass will find resonance in its blend of cryptic technology and teenage emotional turmoil.

## Shows like Kiznaiver

- [From the New World (2012)](https://ember.film/tv/47544)
- [A.I.C.O. -Incarnation- (2018)](https://ember.film/tv/67225)
- [Brynhildr in the Darkness (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54250)
- [Charlotte (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/56085)
- [Guilty Crown (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/39348)
- [Black Bullet (2014)](https://ember.film/tv/54277)
- [No. 6 (2011)](https://ember.film/tv/38825)
- [Night Head 2041 (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/93895)
- [The Summer Hikaru Died (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/184737)
- [Sonny Boy (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/103292)

---

Site overview: https://ember.film/llms.txt