Click here for Part 1: History of the World

Click here for Part 2: Characters' Histories

Click here for Part 3: Conflicting Canon

Blazblue, if it isn't apparent by now, has one of the strangest plots of any game, mainly because of the way it’s told. Last time, I detailed the events that happened to each character and how wildly different they can be. What makes them even weirder is that all of these events are completely canon, even the ones where the character dies. This may seem impossible until it is revealed that the world of Blazblue has been repeating the last one hundred years of its history over and over again. Each time the new timeline begins with the arrival of the Black Beast and ends with Ragna, Jin, and Nu falling into the Cauldron. Only Rachel Alucard and a group of man-made creations known as the Takama-gahara are aware of this fact. For one reason or another, neither party has attempted to force time to continue instead preferring to wait for humans to create the continuum shift.

The reason the the world always resets with Ragna and Nu's fall is because Ragna is actually the body of the Black Beast while Nu is its heart. When they fall into the Cauldron their bodies are combined and they are sent a hundred years in the past by the Boundary. Jin always follows after them but is grievously injured in the process. Before he dies, the Rachel of the past offers him the chance to become a true hero, and he takes it. She gives him the Susanoo Sankishin Unit and the Nox Nyctores Ookami, allowing him to become the leader of the Six Heroes, Hakumen. As soon as the three characters disappear into the Cauldron, the Takama-gahara activate the Nox Nyctores Take-Mikazuchi (which takes the form of an orbiting attack satellite) and destroy that world. These events have taken place at least 724 times but for some reason the most recent occurrence, the True Ending of Calamity Trigger, goes differently.

Before Ragna enters Kagutsuchi he is met by Jubei who gives him a warning about a certain individual. Ragna is upset that Jubei doesn't come out and tell him who it is but thanks him anyway. As he gets closer to the city, a feeling of uneasiness begins to fill him. Some part of him is warning him that this branch will be much different from all the others he had destroyed before. Meanwhile, Noel and Hazama are exploring Noel's recent interactions with Jin before his desertion. She only notes his laughter and his repeating of the name Ragna which intrigues Hazama. Ragna arrives at the NOL branch that night and finds the place completely empty save for Jin. The two have a duel with Ragna emerging victorious. He leaves his brother's injured but still breathing body alone and heads toward the Cauldron.

Noel and Hazama discover Jin with Hazama noting the convenience of finding him in such a manner. Noel is horrified at the remark but instructs Hazama to stay with Jin as she goes after Ragna since that is the secondary aspect of her mission. Ragna finally arrives before the Cauldron but is met by Hakumen. He quickly realizes that this was the man Jubei was speaking of and is struck by an intense fear as Hakumen speaks of the evil that Ragna is meant to bring upon the world. Through sheer force of will Ragna makes himself move and duels with Hakumen. Their fight is interrupted by Kokonoe who tries to teleport Hakumen away but, unlike all previous times, he is able to resist the process. Kokonoe screams at Ragna to run away, but he refuses and instead activates the Blazblue.

Noel comes upon the destruction of the battle but finds no trace of either Hakumen or Ragna. Instead she is met by Nu and somehow loses control of her body. When Nu asks her to identify herself, she states that she is the 12th Anti-Sankishin Core Unit. Nu cannot accept that an earlier Murakumo Unit is in existence and the two fight. Noel strikes Nu down over and over, but she continually gets back up. She draws back for a final attack on Noel but the blow is stopped by an injured Ragna. Noel feels like she can almost remember him as tears stream down her face. Ragna and Nu fight again and the same outcome happens with the Murakumo Unit pulling Ragna into the Cauldron. However, this time Noel reaches out for Ragna and catches him, leaving Nu to fall into the Cauldron alone. Nu is destroyed in the Cauldron as Noel yells at Ragna for being so reckless. She then passes out from exhaustion as Rachel arrives.

Rachel explains to Ragna that Noel is the new Eye, the true successor of the Azure. In reality, the Blazblue in Ragna's possession is only an imitation. As Ragna tries to question her about it, she ignores him because she realizes what is coming next. Rachel teleports above Kagutsuchi as Nox Nyctores Take-Mikazuchi prepares to fire. She then uses the Sankishin unit Tsukuyomi to erect an impenetrable shield above the city and diverts the enormous blast away. The continuum shift has finally taken place and history will repeat no more. As she returns to Ragna's side, Noel awakens with no memory of what had just occurred. She tries to arrest him but is interrupted by the appearance of Hazama. Rachel begins to panic and commands Ragna and Noel to stay away from him as Hazama reveals himself to actually be Terumi, the one who drove Jin against Ragna, cut off his arm, and killed Saya. Hazama taunts Ragna and the others but does not attack. He leaves to begin the next stage of his plan now that the continuum shift has taken place. Rachel reveals that Kokonoe was listening in and that Terumi was her target all along.

The other characters not directly involved in the Hazama incident all continue their latest actions in the current continuum. Taokaka, having met Kokonoe, is blasted back to the Kaka village and creates a large hole that bathes the village in sunlight and drops food from the city above much to the delight of everyone. Bang discovers that his master's son is still alive but before he goes on his search he protects Litchi and Arakune from Hakumen's wrath. Bang survives the beating given to him mainly due to Hakumen's respect of his strong spirit. Litchi then battles with Arakune and defeats him, but she cannot bring herself to kill him, instead vowing to find a way to change him back to his original form. She decides that the only thing she can do is return to Kokonoe and ask for her help on the matter even though she knows it is selfish. After being defeated by Litchi, Arakune continues his search for Ragna but is once again stopped by Hakumen. Arakune is able to survive until Hakumen is teleported away and then comes upon Nu who he realizes also has an Azure Grimoire. Nu vows to kill Arakune, but his fate is left unknown. Sometime after that Litchi sees Carl confront Nu for her Blazblue, but he is unable to defeat her no matter what he tries. As Nu goes for the killing blow, Litchi leaps in front of Carl and protects him from death. The two are left injured on the floor as Nu leaves to find Ragna. Tager discovers Hakumen after his fight with Ragna and is able to defeat the Hero, sending him back to Kokonoe. She thanks him for all his hard work which confuses Tager as she has never shown gratitude before.

Hazama ends Calamity Trigger by summoning Tsubaki Yayoi, Noel and Jin's Military Academy friend, to his office at the NOL headquarters. He tells her that she's been given a top secret mission by the leader of the Novus Orbis Librarium, known as the Imperator, to assassinate her friends.

Blazblue: Calamity Trigger's plot may be so complex that many didn't fully understand what was going on, but it is also so unique that, when deciphered, it can't help but be incredibly interesting. Continuum Shift II promises to continue and expand these characters stories and introduce new ones in a tale that is looking equally as strong though far less confusing, as long as you are aware of many of the details outlined here. I understand that I have not explained every term such as Murakumo Unit, but the games themselves haven’t adequately explained them yet. Besides, I shouldn’t spoil everything about the game for newcomers. Believe me when I say that Coninuum Shift is much easier to understand, especially when equipped with the expanded knowledge of the first game that this article provides. It is my sincere hope that I have inspired some of you to check out this truly awesome series.