| Darker than Black: Gaiden | |
 Promotional illustration featuring Yin and Hei | |
| Darker than Black 黒の契約者 外伝 (Dākā Zan Burakku Gaiden) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Created by | |
| Original video animation | |
| Directed by | Tensai Okamura |
| Produced by |
|
| Written by | Shōtarō Suga |
| Music by | Yasushi Ishii |
| Studio | Bones |
| Licensed by | |
| Released | January 27, 2010 – June 21, 2010 |
| Episodes | 4 |
Darker than Black: Gaiden (Japanese: Darker than Black ー黒の契約者ー 外伝, Hepburn: Dākā Zan Burakku ーKuro no Keiyakushaー Gaiden, lit. "Darker than Black The Black Contractor Sidestory") is a Japanese original video animation (OVA) series created by studio Bones and directed by Tensai Okamura. It is a sidesequel to the anime television series Darker than Black and a prequel to Darker than Black: Gemini of the Meteor. It consists of four episodes about the main character Hei and his partner Yin, with the events taking place between both seasons. After betraying the Syndicate organization, Hei and Yin escape from Japan to live a peaceful life, but Yin later develops a god-like alter ego that causes mayhem.
The individual episodes were released in Japan by Aniplex on certain DVD and Blu-ray home media releases of Gemini of the Meteor between January and July 2010. The OVA was licensed in English by Funimation in North America, Madman Entertainment in Australia and New Zealand, and by Manga Entertainment in the United Kingdom, and was included on the respective home media releases of Gemini of the Meteor in 2011.
Bones first announced the series in November 2009; it was created by Okamura, who wanted to tell Yin's backstory from Gemini of the Meteor to the audience. Darker than Black: Gaiden had a mostly positive critical reception for explaining the events that occur between both Darker than Black series and for dealing with the relationship between Hei and Yin; critics also praised the animation of the fight scenes.
- ^ a b Einenkel, Sylvia (May 13, 2011). "Darker than Black Gaiden". animepro.de (in German). Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved August 22, 2021.
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