text:
What happened in the fight between Zoro and Monet?
In the Punk Hazard Arc, Zoro has a fight with a logia named Monet. She had the snow snow no mi power. In that fight Zoro defeated Monet not using haki but using some form of fear relating to an animal.
How exactly did zoro defeat Monet using this new ability of his? What this ability of his do? Have we seen the same ability like this being used by someone else?

If you look at the wiki page of Monet, the fight is very clearly explained in there (emphasis mine).

Sanji, Tashigi, and the G-5 Marines suddenly arrive at the Biscuits Room while Monet and Zoro are dueling. The Marines compliment on Monet's beauty, causing her to blush, and hiding her blush with her wings, and buckling her legs, despite the serious situation. After realizing that they are also attempting to get the children, Monet transforms into her demonic body again and attacks the Marines out of fury, biting off a Marine's shoulder. Tashigi then slices her with a Haki-imbued attack, injuring her. She then declares that she will stay and fight Monet.
While Tashigi and Zoro argue, Monet tries to use a sneak attack on Tashigi and gets the upper hand due to her speed. After Tashigi easily dodges her "Snow Rabbits" attack using Soru, Monet opts to blind her with her blizzard and then sinks her teeth into Tashigi's shoulder, trying to tear it off as she did to one of the Marines. However, Tashigi gets a hold of her, making her unable to tear her shoulder off. As Monet starts to bite harder on Tashigi's shoulder, Zoro cuts the harpy in the cheek, making her let go of Tashigi. She is surprised at first because she assumed Zoro would never attack women, but gets outright frozen in fear as she sees the swordsman rush towards her. Monet is then sliced vertically in half by Zoro.
However, Zoro did not imbue Haki into his attack, allowing Monet to survive. Due to realizing what would have happened had he used Haki however, she is left terrified to the point where she can hardly put her body back together. As Zoro walks away, Monet manages to partially reform and attempts to stab him in the back with her ice picks, but Tashigi quickly deals the finishing blow. Monet then falls to the ground, defeated.

Thus to answer your question, How exactly did Zoro defeat Monet using this new ability of his?, there is no new ability/technique which Zoro used against Monet. It was just that Monet was under the belief that Zoro would not attack women (as he was just defending against her and not attacking when trying to save Nami, Robin, and Chopper). But suddenly, when she sees him attack, she's stunned that she was wrong and what would have happened had Zoro used Haki in that attack. That leaves her in a terrified state so much so that she is not able to get a grip of herself for a while.

have anyone else used this fear thing till now?

@Sreepati - Not as I know of. I don't follow the manga actually. I watch the anime and so far, there haven't been any such incidents in them.

when luffy made the bull of duvval run away, will that qualify as this type. although that was haki, but the animal did fear that he was not going to win over him.

@Sreepati - No that doesn't come under this category. Motobaro wasn't thinking that Luffy won't attack it and all. Luffy unconsciously used his Haoshoku Haki which terrified Motobaro.

Zoro did not defeat Monet. The attack involved no haki.
Acoording to the story, Monet is first sliced vertically in half by Zoro. However, Zoro did not imbue Haki into his attack, allowing Monet to survive. Realizing what would have happened had Zoro used Haki, she is left terrified to the point where she could hardly put her body back together.
As Zoro walks away, Monet manages to partially reform and attempts to stab him in the back with her ice picks, but Tashigi quickly deals the finishing blow. Monet then falls to the ground, defeated. When the poisonous gas starts flowing into the Biscuits Room, Zoro and Tashigi flee and Monet is left behind.
Later we see that she manages to escape to a different section of the facility. While amongst the crumbling rubble of the lab, she contacts Joker and apologizes for her failure and came to the decision to set off the remaining weapon to destroy the entire island and kill everyone on it.


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Is an uncensored release of "Dakara, Boku wa H! ga Dekinai" released yet
Due to the extreme amount of unclothed female chests in Dakara, Boku wa H! ga Dekinai, those black stripes almost killed the fun of watching the series.
I would rather have the godiva hair (they did it in some shots), or the lens flare/mist of the first episodes, or even the barbie doll treatment, but those black strips were too much in the last episodes.
I am aware that probably the DVD are uncensored, if that is the case, I just want to confirm it.

There is already a DVD release in the US, as far as I'm aware all western releases are Uncensored.

@Tsugumori-704 if you are answering, do not do it in the comments.

I didn't feel that my reply was useful enough to be an 'answer'.

All six BD/DVD volumes of Dakara, Boku wa H ga Dekinai have been released in Japan, and Volume 6 was released on February 20th, 2013. The BD version is uncensored as far as it is allowed for a non R18+ work.
Here are a few comparison screenshots from Kira Reviews. TV version on the left, uncensored BD version on the right. Both images are from volume 1 (episode 1 and 2).

source: Stack Exchange

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Is it possible for Gohan to transform into a super saiyan while in his ultimate form at the same time?
Please I would like to know if it is possible or stated in any official resource.

When the Old Kai used his Unlock Ability to released Gohan ultimate form, he actually released his full potential.
Meaning, this is the best that Gohan could get at this time been.
Although it's only my opinion and not an official resource, Gohan could not transform into super saiyan not only because it's a weaker form, also it's because a new individual form entirely.
And that's why he didn't transform into a super saiyan when he reached this level at the first place.

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What is the music that plays in episode 46 of Shippuden
What is the music that plays in episode 46 of Shippuden?

Found it.
Sai theme Naruto Shippuden - Sai theme song


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Which episodes of the Naruto anime are core plot and which are filler?
For both the original Naruto series and Shippuuden, which episodes should I watch if I want to avoid the filler? I'm only interested in core plot and character developments.
To make this question a bit more concrete: Which episodes are directly based off the manga, and which were produced with unique content for only the anime? At what points did the anime "catch up" to the manga and require non-manga-related content to continue airing episodes while the manga produced new content?

I usually go to this site, but I am sure there are several others. I am not sure if this question should be allowed here or not...

There's a resume up top and a case by case list below Naruto; http://www.animefillerlist.com/shows/naruto Naruto: Shippuden ; http://www.animefillerlist.com/shows/naruto-shippuden

The Naruto anime is broken up into two "Series". The first is Naruto, which covers events up until the 3 year time jump in the manga. The second is Naruto: Shippūden, which starts after that jump and continues onwards. Both series have a fair share of anime exclusive plots, so here's the breakdown of Anime exclusive plots:
Naruto

Ep 26: "Special Report: Live From the Forest of Death" - Summary Episode
Ep 102 - 106: "Land of Tea" Arc
Ep 136 - 219-ish (This is where they let the Manga truck along a lot)

Ep 136 - 141: "Land of Rice Fields" Arc
Ep 142 - 147: "Mizuki Strikes Back" Arc
Ep 148 - 151: "Search for the Bikōchū" Arc
Ep 152 - 157: "Curry of Life" Arc
Ep 158: "Follow My Lead! The Great Survival Challenge"
Ep 159 & 160: "Bounty Hunter" Arc
Ep 161: "The Appearance of Strange Visitors"
Ep 162 - 167: "Land of Birds" Arc
Ep 168: "Remembrance: The Lost Page"
Ep 169 - 173: "Land of Sea" Arc
Ep 174: "Impossible! Celebrity Ninja Art: Money Style Jutsu!"
Ep 175 & 176: "Imposter" Arc
Ep 177: "Please, Mr. Postman!"
Ep 178 - 183: "Hoshigakure" Arc
Ep 184: "Kiba's Long Day"
Ep 185: "A Legend from the Hidden Leaf: The Onbaa!"
Ep 186: "Laughing Shino"
Ep 187 - 191: "Land of Vegetables" Arc
Ep 192: "Ino Screams! Chubby Paradise!"
Ep 193: "Viva Dojo Challenge! Youth is All About Passion!"
Ep 194: "The Mysterious Curse of the Haunted Castle"
Ep 195 & 196: "Third Giant Beast" Arc
Ep 197 - 201: "Trap Master" Arc
Ep 202: "The Top 5 Ninja Battles!" Recap Episode
Ep 203 - 207: "Kurama Clan" Arc
Ep 208: "The Supposed Sealed Ability"
Ep 209 - 212: "Shinobazu" Arc
Ep 213 - 215: "Menma" Arc
Ep 216 - 219/20: "Ultimate Weapon" Arc - Note that 220 is part of this arc, but also includes some canon when

 Naruto and Jiraiya leave the village for training, and others begin training as well

Naruto: Shippūden

Ep 54 - 71: "Twelve Guardians Ninja" Arc
Ep 90 - 112: "Three Tails" Arc
Ep 144 - 151: "Tsuchigumo Kinjutsu" Arc
Ep 176 - 196: "Konoha History" Arc
Ep 222 - 242: "Adventures at Sea" Arc
Ep 290 - 295: "Chikara" Arc 500 Episodes (total) celebration
Ep 303 - 320: From the "Shinobi World War" Arc
Ep 327: "Nine-Tails"
Ep 347-361: "Shadow of the ANBU" arc
Ep 376 - 377: "Mecha Naruto" arc
Ep 386: "I'm Always Watching"
Ep 388: "My First Friend"
Ep 389-390: "Hanabi Flashback"
Ep 394-423: "Chunin Exam" arc
Ep 416: "The Formation of Team Minato"
Ep 417: "You’ll Be My Backup"
Ep 419: "Papa's Youth"
Ep 422-423: "Konohamaru's training" arc

Also of note is the Kakashi backstory "Kakashi Gaiden" is shown in the Shippūden (Ep 119 - 120), which is out of order as to how it appeared in the Manga (Chp 239 - 244). In the manga, it was between what became the first and second series (the time jump).
Additionally, none of the movies are based on Manga plots.
Source for most of this information was the Naruto Wiki. "Shadow of ANBU" info from Naruto HQ

Naruto Shippuden's story has progressed a lot since from the last answer. The current filler episodes are:
57-71, 90-112, 127-128, 144-151, 170-171, 176-196, 223-242, 257-260, 271, 279-281, 284-295, 303-320, 347-361, 376-377, 388-390, 394-413, 416-417, 419, 422-423, 427-442
Source: http://www.animesays.com/list/naruto-shippuden/

TL;DR there's no one filler list that 100% agrees with each other, viewer discretion is advised.

Combining known sites for their list of filler episodes:

Wikia: filler episodes with at least 2 continous episodes, categorized by arcs (Naruto, Naruto Shippuden)
Anime Filler List: includes "mostly canon" and "mostly filler" episodes (Naruto, Naruto Shippuden)
AnimeSays: includes "mostly canon" and "mostly filler" episodes (Naruto, Naruto Shippuden)
Naruto HQ: a simple list of filler episodes for both Naruto and Naruto Shippuden

here are the greediest/most filler episodes: ("plain" means "totally filler" | "italics" means "mostly filler", prioritized)
Naruto

Episode 26: Special Report: Live from the Forest of Death!
Episode 97: Kidnapped! Naruto's Hot Spring Adventure!
Episode 99: The Will of Fire Still Burns!
Episode 101: Gotta See! Gotta Know! Kakashi-Sensei's True Face!
Episode 102-106: "Land of Tea Escort Mission" arc
Episode 136-220

Episode 136-141: "Land of Rice Fields Investigation Mission" arc

Episode 136: Deep Cover!? A Super S-Ranked Mission!
Episode 141: Sakura's Determination

Episode 142-147: "Mizuki Tracking Mission" arc

Episode 142: The Three Villains from the Maximum Security Prison

Episode 148-151: "Bikōchū Search Mission" arc
Episode 152-157: "Kurosuki Family Removal Mission" arc
Episode 158: Follow My Lead! The Great Survival Challenge
Episode 159-160: "Gosunkugi Capture Mission" arc
Episode 161: The Appearance of Strange Visitors
Episode 162-167: "Cursed Warrior Extermination Mission" arc
Episode 168: Mix It, Stretch It, Boil It Up! Burn, Copper Pot, Burn!
Episode 169-173: "Kaima Capture Mission" arc
Episode 174: Impossible! Celebrity Ninja Art - Money Style Jutsu!
Episode 175-176: "Buried Gold Excavation Mission" arc
Episode 178-183: "Star Guard Mission" arc
Episode 184: Kiba's Long Day!
Episode 185: A Legend from the Hidden Leaf: The Onbaa!
Episode 186: Laughing Shino
Episode 187-191: "Peddlers Escort Mission" arc
Episode 192: Ino Screams! Chubby Paradise!
Episode 193: Viva Dojo Challenge! Youth Is All About Passion!
Episode 194: The Mysterious Curse of the Haunted Castle
Episode 195-196: "Third Great Beast Arc" arc
Episode 197-201: "Konoha Plans Recapture Mission" arc
Episode 202: The Top 5 Ninja Battles
Episode 203-207: "Yakumo Kurama Rescue Mission" arc
Episode 208: The Weight of the Prized Artifact!
Episode 209-212: "Gantetsu Escort Mission" arc
Episode 213-215: "Menma Memory Search Mission" arc
Episode 216-220: "Sunagakure Support Mission"

Episode 220: Departure

Naruto Shippuden

Episode 6: Mission Cleared
Episode 7: Run, Kankuro
Episode 54-71: "Twelve Guardian Ninja" arc

Episode 54 (mostly canon): Nightmare
Episode 55 (mostly canon): Wind
Episode 56 (mostly canon): Squirming
Episode 71: My Friend

Episode 89-112: "Three-Tails' Appearance" arc

Episode 89 (mostly canon): The Price of Power
Episode 90: A Shinobi's Determination
Episode 92: Encounter
Episode 93: Connecting Hearts
Episode 112: A Place to Return To

Episode 127-128: Tales of a Gutsy Ninja ~Jiraiya Ninja Scroll~
Episode 144-151: "Six-Tails Unleashed" arc
Episode 170-171: Big Adventure! The Quest for the Fourth Hokage's Legacy
Episode 176-196: "Past Arc: The Locus of Konoha" arc

Episode 176: Rookie Instructor Iruka
Episode 178: Iruka's Decision
Episode 179: Kakashi Hatake, The Jonin in Charge
Episode 180: Inari's Courage Put to the Test
Episode 181: Naruto's School of Revenge

Episode 223-242: "Paradise Life on a Boat" arc
Episode 257-260

Episode 257: Meeting
Episode 258: Rivals
Episode 259: Rift
Episode 260: Parting

Episode 271: Road to Sakura
Episode 279-281

Episode 279: White Zetsu's Trap
Episode 280: Aesthetics of an Artist
Episode 281: The Allied Mom Force!!

Episode 284-289

Episode 284: The Helmet Splitter: Jinin Akebino!
Episode 285: User of the Scorch Style: Pakura of the Sand!
Episode 286: Things You Can't Get Back
Episode 287: One Worth Betting On
Episode 288: Danger: Jinpachi and Kushimaru!
Episode 289: The Lightning Blade: Ameyuri Ringo!

Episode 290-295: "Power" arc
Episode 303-320

Episode 303: Ghosts from the Past
Episode 304: The Underworld Transfer Jutsu
Episode 305: The Vengeful
Episode 306: The Heart's Eye
Episode 307: Fade into the Moonlight
Episode 308: Night of the Crescent Moon
Episode 309: An A-Rank Mission: The Contest
Episode 310: The Fallen Castle
Episode 311: Prologue of Road to Ninja
Episode 312: The Old Master and the Dragon's Eye
Episode 313: Rain Followed by Snow, with Some Lightning
Episode 314: The Sad Sun Shower
Episode 315: Lingering Snow
Episode 316: The Reanimated Allied Forces
Episode 317: Shino vs. Torune!
Episode 318: A Hole in the Heart: The Other Jinchuriki
Episode 319: The Living Soul Inside the Puppet
Episode 320: Run, Omoi!

Episode 347: Creeping Shadow
Episode 348: The New Akatsuki
Episode 349-361: "Kakashi's Anbu Arc: The Shinobi That Lives in the Darkness" arc

Episode 350: Minato's Death
Episode 351: Hashirama's Cells
Episode 360: Jonin Leader

Episode 376: The Directive to Take the Nine Tails
Episode 377: Naruto vs. Mecha Naruto
Episode 388-390

Episode 388: My First Friend
Episode 389: The Adored Elder Sister
Episode 390: Hanabi's Decision

Episode 394-413: "In Naruto's Footsteps: The Friends' Paths" arc
Episode 416: The Formation of Team Minato
Episode 417: You'll Be My Backup
Episode 419: Papa's Youth
Episode 422: The Ones Who Will Inherit
Episode 423: Naruto's Rival
Episode 427-431

Episode 427: To the Dreamworld
Episode 428: Where Tenten Belongs
Episode 429-430: Killer Bee Rappuden
Episode 431: To See That Smile, Just One More Time

Episode 432-450: "Jiraiya Shinobi Handbook: The Tale of Naruto the Hero" arc
Episode 451-458: "Itachi Shinden Book: Light and Darkness" arc

Episode 451: Birth and Death

Episode 460-462

Episode 460: Kaguya Ōtsutsuki
Episode 461: Hagoromo and Hamura
Episode 462: A Fabricated Past

Episode 464-469

Episode 464: Ninshū: The Ninja Creed
Episode 465: Ashura and Indra
Episode 466: The Tumultuous Journey
Episode 467: Ashura's Decision
Episode 468: The Successor
Episode 469: A Special Mission

Episode 480-483: "Childhood" arc
Episode 484-488: "Sasuke Shinden: Book of Sunrise" arc
Episode 489-493: "Shikamaru Hiden: A Cloud Drifting in Silent Darkness" arc
Episode 494-500: "Konoha Hiden: The Perfect Day for a Wedding" arc

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What's the job or purpose of the family of The BaskerVilles in Pandora Hearts?
I have read the manga and I know that the Baskervilles are the supporters of Glen Baskerville,  but what is their real job? Is it to protect the abyss or to make the abyss come to the earth and destroy it so they can find the core of the abyss?

The Baskervilles hold chains and one of the doors to the Abyss. According to the Pandora Hearts wikia:

It is implied that the Abyss surrounds the world, as if the chains holding the world together are destroyed, the world will fall into the Abyss.

Additionally:

Chains can leave the Abyss by contracting with humans and Baskervilles

Lastly:

[Levi] continued to explain that among the Baskervilles' many duties to maintain a harmony within the Abyss, was protecting the Chains to prevent their destruction.

finally the answer i was expecting :)


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How did Menma fulfill her wish?
In Ano Hana, if I understood correctly, Menma's wish was to help Jinta's dying mother fulfill her wish, and that was to make Jinta cry. If it was, then why did Menma start to vanish on the last episode when Jinta cried again for the first time after Menma appeared before him in the episode when he joked that he remembered something (a movie perhaps) to hide the real reason he was crying from Menma?
Would the wish just take effect if Menma clearly remembered what it is? Or making Jinta cry was just put in that way by his mother for the young Menma to understand and what it really meant was for Jinta to generally open himself up again to different emotions like enjoying himself with his friends, to laugh when he's happy, to get angry when he is, to cry when he's lonely, etc?
And the day Menma died, Menma called for the Super Peace Buster to fulfill that wish but unfortunately, due to Yukiatsu and Anaru's plan to tell everyone what Jinta feels about Menma, (which apparently Menma and Tsuruko knew about) it failed and led to Menma's death. How did she plan to fulfill that promise that day?
Was it explained or not? Or is it overlooking on my part?

I don't think it was explained in the series but one of the things most people assume is that Menma returns because she wants her wish fulfilled. This, in turn, could mean that once her wish is fulfilled, she leaves. So the assumption is that she disappears because her wish was fulfilled, but what if her return didn't have anything to do with her wish (or specifically here, the "make Jinta cry since his mother thinks he shouldn’t hold back anymore"). So it's possible either she has returned for some reason unrelated to her wish or she lied about what her wish actually was. Note that these two things are not mutually exclusive.
So the scenarios here are:

Menma lied about her wish, and she returned to have her wish fulfilled and at the end, it was fulfilled and she disappeared. All this time, the audience (and the rest of the cast) doesn't know what the wish is and thus don't know why she returned and why she disappeared.
Menma's wish was actually to make Jintan cry, but that's not why she returned. Thus perhaps even fulfilling the Jintan-cry-wish, she doesn't disappear because the reason for her return is something else, which was completed at the end of the series.
Menma's lied about her wish, but her return was irrelevant to that wish to begin with, leaving her disappearance a mystery. It's possible in this scenario, that the wish facilitated whatever it was that allowed her to leave.

As for what the wish was and why she left, it's probably all speculation. There's a blogpost that speculates about the possibilities of Menma's wish and her reasons for returning. Note that this was written before the ending of the series, but if we are to assume that the final wish (or the reason she came back) isn't what she claims, then a lot of it is still applicable.
It's completely reasonable to assume that the extension of her wish was meant for "Jintan to generally open himself up again to different emotions like enjoying himself with his friends, to laugh when he's happy, to get angry when he is, to cry when he's lonely", and the entire journey of finding what it was the Menma had originally wished for accomplished this. And that sort of mean her original wish wasn't what brought her back and not why she left at the end.
As for how she planned on accomplishing her original wish if she had not died, I don't know.

You deserve + upvote! But I used the daily limit so I'll be voting up later. :) They will be releasing Ano Hana the movie based on Menma's point-of-view so I guess, hopefully, the clear answer about her wish, appearance and disappearance will be known from there. For now, I'll take this as the answer (unless someone came up with a better explanation). Thanks!

It's easy, her wish was to spend more time with the Super Peace Busters.
She reunited them and made them honest to each other that's why in the very last episode she was slowly disappearing, because all of them knew what everyone was hiding from each other.
Menma's wish was to reunite the Super Peace Busters, to really hear what Jinta has to say, before she died to grant the wish of Jinta's mother and to have proper goodbyes. It said that they won't have proper goodbyes if they don't find Menma, thats why Menma appeared again to properly say goodbye.
If you watch the series more than once you would know. I watched it 33 times, then just now it hit me.

From what I understand, Menma did come back in order to fulfill the wish of Jinta's mom, but it's not specifically about "crying". It's about being honest with one's emotions and the first time Jinta cried, he's still in conflict about what he felt about letting Menma go, that's why it didn't work.
Plus, Menma said that it can only be fulfilled with all of the Peace Busters together. So aside from Jinta's mom's wish, Menma also has a wish of her own, that all of the Peace Busters would finally be able to let their true feelings out, not just Jinta.

Well, I'm gonna put it up in three points of view. Menma's wish was:

God's point of view: to make up among the rest of six friends, to rebuild the old peace busters. That's why in the 11th episode you would see that just after the friends started revealing what was on their mind,  Menma's hand got a little ash in color meaning her journey to heaven, her peace in mind was already on act.

Menma's point of view: As Menma herself mentioned in the anime, she wanted to keep the promise with Jintan's mother to make junta wide open in mind once again and she also wanted to see the Peace Busters for one last time together to say a proper goodbye, to erase the self-made sins in their mind from which they were hiding since Menma's death.

My point of view: including the two opinions given up here, I'd add that she just wanted to bring herself inner peace from her sudden death via bringing peace to her friends, especially Jintan who was totally uprooted after two sudden deaths, one of his mother and the other of Menma's.


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Why are romantic events sometimes called "flags"?
Anyone familiar with dating sims and romance visual novels will recognize the term "flag" in that context. In these games, when you are presented with choices which affect how the other characters view you and potentially change which route you go on, it's called a flag. "Raising a character's flags" essentially means that you make choices that improve your standing with that character and which are more likely to put you on his/her route.
This terminology is quite common even outside of visual novels in anime. For instance, the manga The World God Only Knows (a parody of the dating sim genre of games) uses the term frequently, and the manga chapters are numbered as flags (e.g "flag 53"). I've seen it in many other anime and manga as well, both in Japanese and translated into English. I was not able to find any reference for the term used in this way in either English or Japanese.
The term "flag" doesn't seem particularly romantic or descriptive in this context. There are other terms, like "affection points" (a slightly different system) which are easy to understand, but "flags" is at least as common as any of those. What is the reasoning behind the terminology "flag" in this context and where does it originate?

Aside from romantic event, another common reference of flag is "death flag".

Actually a flag can be used for every event. They just mark whether the event happened or not. (See the answers, both are correct.)

@looper you're correct, but I've heard it used far more often with regard to romantic events than other events. I agree that both answers are probably correct and I'll accept one in the near future, but I'm leaving this open in case someone can find an official source for the claim. Being a VN developer, if you know of such a source feel free to add your own answer to that effect.

@LoganM: I can't give you an official source. It's like something you just learn by the way ^^'.

Since Kami nomi zo shiru sekai parodies dating sims so explicitly, it doesn't make sense to use any other term considering flag is already a common usage.

it's like if elseif else in programming language. . . .

The terminology probably comes from programming. With most visual novel games the terminology "flag" and "counter" go hand-in-hand.
In the background of a game, there are various variables, the most notable ones are the "global" and "local" variables. These variables usually what counters and flags consists of.
Local variables are usually a point counter that resets every time you start a new game. So let's say you have this character, Y. If you give Y a present, Y's  "affection" counter will increase with 2 points. By the end of the game, if this counter totals 12 points or more point, you will get that character's "good" end.
Global variable are typically flags created by the game to remember certain things. So if in a game if you chose to leave your house without checking the stove, you active the "unchecked stove" flag. Later in the game, the flag is checked and if has been activated, if will trigger the event where your house has burns down and you have to move in with a friend.
A global variable flags are persistent, so when you start a new game they are not reset like local variables. They typically are used as bookmarks to mark progress and be used as save points, so you don't have to replay though everything again.
Let's say that there is this other character named Z. If you get one of Y's good end, you'll active the Y's good end global variable flag. During your next playthrough at some point dring the game, the game checks for this flag has been activated and if has, you get a new choice that allows you to access Z's route. This is typically done to control player progress in the game as Z's route might spoil story elements in Y's route.

The example for "global" var (burned house) sounds more like a "local" var instead (element of story, rather than persistent across different replays). There are also (many) instances where global var is a counter - the player keeps all the stats from previous play and bring over to the new replay.

I support this. As a VN-developer, I can say that the answer is correct :).

This is purely conjecture.
I suspect that flags are effectively the same as booleans in computer programming which can have values of either true or false. In vexillological terminology, flags would either be raised or lowered. This makes things easier to understand and visualise when used in dating sim software. Furthermore, the existence of a number of dating sim software engines which abstract a lot of the code into a more accessible format also probably helped make such terminology mainstream.
I can imagine that walkthroughs and the like which were created by people in the business regularly used phrases such as trigger the flag which hastened matters.
Excellent question.

In the visual novel/RPG Megadimension Neptunia VII, the in-game codex, Nepedia has the following entries:
1

Flag (Programming Term)
The term "Flags," from their use as landmarks, is used in programming to mean a requirement to process an action. If the requirement's cleared, one says "the flag is true" or "the flag's been raised." When it's not met, one says "a false flag falls."

2

Flag (Derivative) 1
Originally a programming term, it's come to be used to mean "progress in a relationship," "omen of disaster," and other divergent meanings. A famous flag is "speaking optimistically and holding onto hope when things are dire." Since most die after this, it's known as a "death flag."

3

Flag (Derivative) 2
When a flag doesn't go as expected, or when a person stops the outcome themselves or ignores it, it's known as "breaking the flag." Those who do this excesivelly are called "Flag Crushers." The usage has diverged from the meaning, and programmers in nations outside Japan say using the word breaking isn't right.

4

Flag Item
In Gamindustri, once in a great while, the usually intangible concept of "flag" materializes into an item. The item is categorized as a "Flag Item", and one receives beneficial functions by obtaining one. Previously, adventurers and scouts raised and lowered it within dungeons to their benefit. However, as it's much more convenient as an item, most people pull it out and carry it away now, so you rarely see one in the wild.

I think the last entry refers only to this game specifically, but the first three entries are more generally. Still, it is a in-game encyclopedia, and in a game that's overflowing with satire so take it with a grain of salt.


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Will Recca become the 9th flame dragon?
Resshin, the 8th flame dragon was revealed as Recca's & Kurei's father, Oka. Does that mean that all flame masters will eventually become a flame dragon after they die? Or does this only apply when a flame master died with regret like stated here?

When Oka died with regret in his heart, he became the eighth dragon,
  and took the name of Resshin. Because his flame had an inner shape, he
  was able to retain his natural power and did not become a useless
  dragon.

Was there any official explanation about this? I haven't read the manga so I don't know if the answer was explained there.

It was revealed later that Recca was not a flame master like the others, he had inherited the former flame dragons, but he himself had no unique flame ability. Therefore, when he dies, he might become a flame dragon, but he'd be a useless one.
From Volume 16 - Chapter 153:

Revealed later where? Can you provide a reliable source (eg. links, etc.) where your answer came from?

To answer the original question: https://i.sstatic.net/Qk5Uv.jpg


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Are all of the Holy Grail War servants based on real heroes?
Saber's character in Fate/stay night and Fate/zero is based on the real-life hero King Arthur. Are the other Holy Grail War servants also based on real-life heroes? And if they are, who are those heroes?

you might call some heroes, but most were simply tyrants ;p or mythological.

For the most part, yes, but there are some exceptions. I assume you haven't read the Fate/stay night visual novel, which answers your question. As such, spoilers for that below.

 Some of the heroes are basically just reinterpretations of people known to have actually existed in the historical record. These are F/z's Rider (Alexander the Great), Caster (Gilles de Rais), Archer (Gilgamesh), Assassin (Hassan-i Sabbah); and F/sn's Assassin (Sasaki Kojirou; or at least, I think the consensus is that he was real) and True Assassin (Hassan-i Sabbah).

 Other heroes are reinterpretations of fictional heroes, or of people of dubious historicity. In the world of Fate, these people are treated as having been actual historical figures who just happen to be known in the modern day through fictional writings. These include F/z's Saber (King Arthur), Lancer (Diarmuid Ua Duibhne), Berserker (Lancelot); and F/sn's Rider (Medusa), Saber (King Arthur again), Lancer (Cú Chulainn), Caster (Medea), and Berserker (Heracles)

 And then you have the one huge exception, which is F/sn's Archer (that is, Rin's servant, not Gilgamesh). F/sn's Archer is actually Emiya Shirou, who is fictional.

 There's also a delicate issue surrounding the various Hassans who are summoned as Assassins - the idea there is that all ordinary Assassins (not including weird exceptions like Sasaki Kojirou) correspond to a leader of the historical Assassin cult. The issue there is that there are basically no records (in the real world) of what the leaders of the cult were like, so their personalities and abilities in the world of Fate are entirely an invention of the authors (Urobuchi Gen and Nasu Kinoko for F/z and F/sn respectively).

The Tohsaka Family in the beginning provided the necessary land and called forth the Servants. The original design was to summon only heroes from history and legend. In the Nasuverse, there are a lot of our legends of heroes such as Hercules, King Arthur and Siegfried which actually did happen. However, their legends are changed in parts, such as King Arthur having actually been a woman who was made into a pseudo-male by Merlin (considering that Guinevere knew Arturia was a woman, Merlin's actions may have been on his own whims as a prankster).
Real life "heroes" such as Alexander the Great, Jeanne d'Arc and Gilles de Rais have their histories change to suit the fact that magic exists. Their Nobel Phantasms, the symbols of their heroic deeds, are also more magically based.
Servants such as Medea and Medusa should not have been able to be summoned as they aren't heroes. However, during the 3rd Holy Grail War, the Einzbern, having lost the first 2 wanted to win at all costs and created a new Servant Avenger who was Angra Mainyu. However, this Avenger class was very weak and was killed early in the war. However, Avenger was accepted into the grail and corrupted it. This allowed almost anything to be summoned, as the original rules of the Holy Grail had become distorted by Angra Mainyu's corruption. This may have happened before Saber was summoned during the third war as the Edelfelt sister's sorcery trait allowed 2 Sabers to be summoned, one aligned to good and one aligned to evil as in the fake Holy Grail War in Fate/Hollow Ataraxia. Arturia summoned with her Alter from as a second personality to duplicate the Edelfelt sister's Saber (the fake 5th war was based off of the 3rd war).
Originally, the Holy Grail required that those summoned under the Assassin class had to be one of the nineteen individuals known as Hassan-i Sabbah, the pseudonym for the leaders of a medial Islamic sect called  Hashshashin. Hashshashin is the etymological root of the word "assassin". However, due to the corruption of the grail, Sasaki Kojirou could be summoned. Sasaki Kojirou does not actually exists in the Nasuverse at all. He was a nameless martial artist with some relation to the Ryuudouji Temple, and Medea used the temple grounds itself as catalyst to summon him. Of course, when Zouken got involved he was able to turn Sasaki into one of the Hassan-i Sabbah.
With King Arthur, King Arthur is a real hero. However, the commonly known Arthurian legend is mainly fiction based on Arthur's legend. However, in the Nasuverse, they did actually happen, i.e. Merlin, Morgan Le Fay, Arthur's Fate.
Now that's just the Fuyuki Holy Grail War. There are other Holy Grail Wars that occur outside Fuyuki and have different rules, like the case with the Moon Cell Holy Grail War. Because the Moon Cell have observed all of human history, any hero is summoned as their true self and not affected by how their legends/history has been perceived over time. This is why Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus is summoned as a woman and looking a lot like Arturia because King Arthur was said to be a fusion between two individuals, one of whom was a Roman general. Vlad III is different from his Great Holy Grail War counterpart. The one summoned in the Moon Cell is more blood thirsty and mad in relation to who he was (in the Nasuverse), while the Great Holy Grail War version of him gives off a more of a vampire feel as due to how Dracula's legend was born from Vlad's actions.
The Great Holy Grail War occurs after the Greater Grail had been stolen after the 3rd Holy Grail War. It's not known if the 3rd war is the same as the one Avenger was summoned in or a different one in a parallel universe where he is not summoned. However, much like the Fuyuki Holy Grail Wars, the Great Holy Grail War summons heroes from both real history and from legends that occur in the Nasuverse such as Siegfried and Mordred. However, other Servants who wouldn't normally be classified as heroes are summoned such as Frankenstein's monster, Shakespeare and Jack the Ripper. Also, it seems Assassin doesn't have to be Hassan-i Sabbah.
On the this Type-Moon Wikia page, you can see a list of every known servant summoned in all the different wars, their know heroes and links to Wikipedia articles for most. Links in the Servant column go to that Servant's profile within the Nasuverse while the Identity Column normally goes to the Wikipedia articles if they have a known history/legend (one exception is of course EMYIA).


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How did Nunnally and Sayoko survive the FLEIJA?
The sheer action of the FLEIJA leaves behind a very neat crater and turns matter in its radius into a vacuum (airborne units tend to get blown into the blast center). How did Nunnally and Sayoko survive that?

Are you referring to the last usage of FLEIJA (during the final episodes of Code Geass R2? If not, what exact event are you referring to?

The one Suzaku fired aboard his mecha, destroying the Governors residence and the built-up settlement.

compare http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NotQuiteDead

@aitchnyu, was that the episode when Lelouch used his geass on Suzaku to command him to live? I just need to confirm.

@xjshiya no. its a tad later. some 2 or 3 episodes before S1 final

This blogpost adequately explains how she could have survived.
I also do not believe there was as much of a vacuum because at that point in time the FLEIJAs still had a limiter. It was not until the destruction of the Capital city of Pendragon that the limiters were removed.
This is the summary of the link:

After Sayoko rescued Kallen she went on ahead to find Nunnally and to try and Rendevouz with Rolo and found the ship Nunally was on. Around the same time the Gefjun disturbers were disabled and Nunnally’s ship left with Sayoko and her men aboard.  She never passed Rolo because he hadn’t even reached the hangar yet.
Eight minutes later Rohmeyer is on a decoy ship with KF’s to make it look like the governor general is aboard and Rolo walks in to find the ship, assuming reasonably that Nunally is on it he commandeers a KF to try and blow up the ship and kill her.  Meanwhile Sayoko barges in on Nunnally in the ship she’s really on and Rohmeyer doesn’t respond at all because she’s actually on the decoy back in the hangar.  Nunnally’s ship is probably just outside the area by this point.  When the bomb goes off Rohmeyer is caught in it in her decoy ship and goes up in a ball of flames.  Rolo has run away once he thinks he knows what’s going on with Fleija (whatever it’s called) and somehow made it to safety.
How? I’m not sure as that thing had a pretty big blast radius.  So when he reports to Rolo he talks about the ship Rohmeyer is on and really isn’t lying when he says Nunnally is dead, because he honestly thinks she is.  In reality I think she’s okay and with Sayoko elsewhere.  Though that elsewhere might be in Schneizel’s clutches.

I believe that the FLEIJA that was used by Suzaku was not as powerful as the ones used by Prince Shnizle because Shnizle removed the limiter. Now if I can remember correctly Nunnally and Sayoko were underground and just out of the blast radius. Now how Nunnally, Sayoko and Gilford disappeared is uncertain. Without the power I believe that the outer blast radius is just a light show, and pulls then pushes out. I believe it threw them in some random direction out of sight. Stupid I know, but that's all I can think of.

Do you have anything to back this up from Code Geass (or any related materials) itself?

Remember the scene where Suzaku laughs like a maniac in the middle of the massive blast crater? One that resulted from irrecoverable loss of matter within it? How do you imply its not powerful enough?

Do you have anything to back this up from Code Geass (or any related materials) itself? –  Maroon 2 days ago
As a matter of fact I do. In Season 2 Episode 23 Floyd, Miss Cecile, and Nina talk about the FLEIJA that destroyed the Capital Pendragon, and Miss Cecile points out that the FLEIJA that Shnizal used that destroyed the Capital Pendragon was more 10x the destruction range than the one Suzaku use. Nina realized that he removed both the effect range and detination time limiter. These FLEIJA's Shnizle uses go critical when they are fired as he mentions when Lelouch orders his men to charge at the FLEIJA's. Now the FLEIJA's do pull things into the center of the blast because in the battle of Lelouch and Shnizal, Shnizal fired a FLEIJA and everything was pulled into the center. You may say that it was Lelouches order to charge at the FLEIJA and he did but if you see the environment like the oceans this shows things get pulled into the center of the blast. I believe FLEIJA's do not explode, but implode.
If you want to watch the final episodes of Code Geass Lelouch of the Rebelion R2 go to animefreak.tv and watch Episodes 23-25
P.S this does not explain everything about the FLEIJA's but it gave me enough to reach my conclusions

If you're Lorenzo (from the earlier post) and you were trying to add information to it, you should edit it in instead of making a new post.

I believe that stuff is pulled in because of air rushing to fill in a vacuum. link. And it does not answer the question: the explosion event was big enough to apparently consume Nunnaly and a massive amount of matter and remove it without a trace.

A user tried to add this: "The Fleija not only implodes but destroyed everything in the radius. The first stage is an explosion that destroys all of the matter and replaces it with a vacuum. The second stage happens when all of the air surrounding that area rushes into the vacuum pulling everything with it. It is seen very clearly that the entirely of the governors building including the underground area and most of area 11 was caught in the blast including the area Nunnelley was in. by all rights she should've been disintegrated."


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How real were the dreams in Paprika?
I really loved Paprika, but I ended up sort of confused by it.
During the course of the film,

 the dreams break through into reality.

My question is, was it just a mass hallucination, or was it real?

It was real. We don't get to see exactly when the dreams and reality are merging, at the end of the movie:

 Dreams and reality are one and the same because the DC minis have broken down the barrier (and is missing user control interfaces) between the worlds. Therefore everything that exists in the dreamsphere co-exists in the real world, and vice-versa. This is proven by the fact that the buildings all take permanent damage by the dream-creatures.


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What happened to the Kyuubi's chakra after Orochimaru releases the Dead Demon Consuming Seal?
We know that when the Kyuubi attacked Konoha, the 4th Hokage sealed half of the Kyuubi's chakra using the Dead Demon Consuming Seal and half within Naruto.
When Orochimaru sliced the stomach of the Dead Demon Consuming Seal "Reaper"/Shinigami (Chapter 618), all things that was sealed in it was freed.
So what happened to the half of the Kyuubi's chakra that was sealed? Why didn't it return?

What makes you think it didn't return? The manga has not gone back to the Kyuubi and Naruto since Orochimaru did that. I suspect we will find out almost as soon as the arc returns to them.

@Oded The manga has returned to them already, Minato arriving to the battlefield and all (chapter 630). No changes seem to have happened, but we'll need to wait a little longer to find that out.

@JNat - Sure, though he just arrived with the others. We didn't have time to find out if anything changed...

As of the current chapter (630), it is still not known if the Kyuubi's chakra was released from the Shinigami's stomach. It is possible that it is the gift that Minato is referring to when the kages and Sasuke's group are about to go to the battlefield.

From chapter 627, page 16

when you mention that gift from Minato to his son Naruto, it makes sense if this will be the half of the kyuubi's chakra. We only have speculations but i think this is the nearest answer.

Chapter 631 seems to refute this speculation - I would say the big present is Sasuke.

This answer may need an update due to the recent developments in the plot.

The latest chapter (631) shows:

 Minato cloaked in the Kyuubi chakra, in the same manner that Naruto is when using it.
 This suggests that the half he has sealed away in himself is still there, in him and he has full use of it.

We don't know what happened to it. It might be possible that it was released, and it might also be possible that it's sealed within Minato (if you remember, he sealed it within himself before he died).
I'm guessing that it won't go unnoticed, but I'm guessing we'll just have to wait and see.


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Why can't Inuzuka clan's dogs use human language?
Why can't Inuzuka clan's dogs use human language when Kakashi's dogs can? Also, how does Kiba and Akamaru understand each other?

Well the difference is quite simple.
the Inuzuka clan's dogs are simple dogs. They can understand human language very well and are the "sidekicks" of the Inuzuka. Kiba and Akamaru understand each other by "Hand Wave".
This is not explained any further as it is prescriptive.
Kakashi's dogs on the other hand are Summoned. They are not "real" dogs  but spirits, comparable to Gamabunta, Gamakichi and the other Kuchiose No Jutsu summoned animals.

Thanks @vogel612. Do you know where Kakashi's dogs reside? I know that toads reside in Mount Myōboku.

@PraveenSharath sorry, no idea :(, but i guess they have some similar hideout restricted to their species.

Like how Vogel612 stated the reason why Kakashi's ninken can speak is cause they are summoned creatures. However, the only ninken part of the Inuzuka clan that can actually speak is Kuromaru, at least as of right now.
Also, the Inuzuka all understand their ninken because of their bonds with them.


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Why is Naruto allowed to teach Rasengan to Konohamaru?
Kakashi tells Jiraiya that Rasengan is a dangerous technique after he stopped Naruto and Sasuke who fought for the first time. If it is that dangerous, then why was Naruto allowed to teach Rasengan to Konohamaru?

Rasengan isn't a Kinjutsu,
Rasengan is just a powerful A-Rank Jutsu.
Kakashi mentioned that Rasengan is dangerous because if Naruto's Rasengan clashed with Sasuke's Chidori ( in their battle in the hospital only ) Sasuke would Die.
Rasengan is an Technique developed by the Fourth Hokage in 3 Years, while Chidori is a technique developed by Kakashi when he was 6 years old only.

Since it's not a forbidden jutsu, I do not see a reason why he shouldn't be teaching it to Konohamaru. How else do you expect the jutsu to be passed over to the next generations? It's a powerful technique and deserves to be passed along, just like the Sexy-justu :D

Although Rasengan may be a very dangerous technique, it's not a forbidden technique, so anybody can teach it to everybody.
The Naruto wiki has the categories for forbidden Jutsus:

Techniques that cause harm to the user themselves, such as opening the Eight Gates, which the mere use of is both highly useful as well as detrimental to the user.

Techniques that violate the laws of nature (e.g. the Summoning: Impure World Reincarnation, which reincarnates the dead with a human sacrifice).

Certain techniques that are known to cause massive collateral damage, such as the total destruction of a village and end with the death of everyone in it, thus the great moral ramifications of its potential lead many to labelling it as a forbidden technique.

Rasengan does not fit in any of these categories, so it's most likely not a forbidden Jutsu ;).

But Naruto is not a chunnin or Jounnin to teach a Genin. Is a genin allowed to teach jutsus?

@PraveenSharath Everyone is allowed to teach someone, why should it be forbidden^^. And even though Naruto is still a Genin, he is possibly one of the most experienced ninjas in konoha.

I don't think experienced is the right word (as he is still quite young) the strongest would be more accurate imo.

As an important side-note. If anyone should be allowed to teach anyone Rasengan it is Naruto. It is his father's jutsu afterall.


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Why do anime discs cost so much in Japan compared to other countries?
Buying DVD and BD from Japan seems to be a lot more expensive in Japan than overseas in a country like the US.
It might cost someone in the ballpark (these are just estimates, actual prices may be more dramatic) of $70 for 2 episodes are in a DVD for a new series in Japan. While in the US, $45 for 4 episodes for the same series...
Even if we compare Western release to Japanese ones in the same market. The domestic Japanese version come at a higher price per disc/length than western releases:

The four-disc 146-min Harry Potter Special Edition, is ¥3500.
Compare it the two-disc 60-min Madoka Magika Vol. 1 Special Edition, which is ¥5500.

Why is the cost so high? Although it's nice to see your favorite shows in 1080p with less compression, that alone can't be worth the price tag...

Just FYI the 2-episode discs from Japan are of higher quality than the 4-episode discs commonly released in the US.

Note that some companies distributing in the US seem to be trying to change this... (making the discs more expensive)... much to some people's annoyance.

Comparing US movies, which are released in theaters first then on DVD/BD, and Japanese anime, which are mostly released on TV or stream on Web (Nico) first, then on BD/DVD is a bit unfair, IMO. The income for a US movies comes from both theaters and BD/DVD sales, while for Japanese anime, it only comes from BD/DVD sales.  I think it is better to show the price disparity on equal ground.

@nhahtdh That is wrong. TV anime gets lots of money from advertising and from other merchandise.

@Euphoric: Merchandise should be more or less the same (and depending on the material). I don't know about advertising, and how much they actually recover from it - would be nice if there is some sort of comparison.

I've been buying imports lately and noticed a bunch of differences from US copies. Some US discs have credits in English text rather than Kanji or Hiragana. I've also noticed a huge quality difference in releases concerning bitrate. Many Japanese Blu-rays have PCM audio rather than DTS or Dolby. And with only 1 language and no subs, you often get more disc space for higher-quality video. Higher-priced 4K releases tend to only be in Japan too! Lastly, most OVAs are only available in Japan unless you get a specialty Western release (RightStufAnime/Crunchyroll). That means more discs per release.

From what I could gather from this ANN article (from the "The High Prices... Explained!" part), the high price is due to rental pricing. Basically the home video industry was originally "set-up" so that only a few thousand sales were made for niche releases, and these were made to video rental shops. The prices were around $89.95 (in America, which also used this model), but it worked well because with just a few thousand sales one could make over a million dollars in revenue, and the video shops also benefited because they had a semi-exclusive item (since it was too expensive for "normal" people to buy).

Initially, video industry people didn't think there was much of a market in selling to collectors.
But the fans proved them wrong. Otaku of all kinds (not just anime fans) started buying the videotapes and laserdiscs, and they bought them at those high prices that were intended just for video stores. There was no reason to lower it. In fact, there were a few experiments to drop the price to a more affordable amount, but that usually resulted in a slight increase in sales -- not enough to make up for the drop in revenue.

(emphasis by me)
The article goes on to say that since we are talking about a specialty market (since only the hardcore fans really want to own the products), and not a mass-market, the prices stayed astronomically high.
Basically, a few thousand fans buying a certain anime are enough to nearly support the whole budget of a show, and disc sales are basically the only way in which a show can make profit.
For these reasons, even as the rest of the home video industry lowered their prices, the anime industry stayed at the same high prices (they basically had no reasons no lower them).

A, the wonders of a free market and an even-more-free-and-wild capitalism <-- It is a book. read it.

Because it is extremely niche market. Anime in Japan is not that popular as you might think. Most anime airs way into night, mostly around midnight. That is why, even if anime is accepted much more in Japan, the number of people who watch late-night shows and are actually willing to pay is quite low.
Just look at top sales of anime: Bakemonogatari is leading with number around 70k of sold discs, and even 10k sold discs is considered huge success. So those few fans are willing to pay those ridiculous prices, yet if they halved the prices it most probably would't sell twice that much.
And let us not forget anime airs normally on TV in Japan. For most people, it is enough to watch it or record it from there. And BD/DVD doesn't provide enough added value to actually buy it, no matter the price.
Sources are problematic, because most of them are in japanese, so you need to depend on 2nd hand translations.
Some sourcesSome sources: It's Blu-ray Sales That Matter

And BD/DVD doesn't provide enough added value to actually buy it, no matter the price. Usually, BD/DVD comes with extras (booklet, commentary, uncensored footage, new episodes, etc.). In my opinion, those seems to be good enough added value when buying a BD/DVD. But the price is no doubt quite high.

@nhahtdh Maybe for you. But for everyone else, who just want to watch the show, thats just useless stuff. Only hardcore fans of the show find it valuable enough to invest money into it.

It is true that it is only valuable to fans, or people who think that it is worth re-watching. The comparison in the question is a bit unfair, though.

I think you've posted some decent ideas here, but sources would really benefit the credibility of your ideas.

I think it's important to note that TV recorders like the old TiVo are still super popular in Japan and a major selling point of certain TV systems; even those from Sony.


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Is there any jutsu that Naruto won't be able to master without the Kyuubi?
I'm just curious if there is any jutsu that would be impossible for Naruto to learn or master without the powers of the Kyuubi inside him?
If there is, which is it and why won't he be able to learn/master it without the Kyuubi? If there's none, then I guess Naruto is actually a smart ninja.

Hmmm.. Obviously the The Nine-Tails Chakra Mode

@ChristianMark, care to answer it and include explanation? I haven't watch Naruto for a long time so I was just curious. ;P

Actually the Nine-tails chakra is just a prerequisite of the Bijuu Ball Blast.

My votes goes to most of the Kekkei Genkai jutsu's.

Well, here are some of the jutsu Naruto probably can't (or will be near impossible) to learn without Kurama:

Techniques from elements other than Wind - Naruto's natural chakra affinity is towards wind, while he can train in other elements, he probably won't be able to learn some of the other elements. (Actually has nothing to do with the Bijuu, that's kinda what happens to everyone)
The Bijuu Dama - a Bijuu specific technique (the nuclear-warhead like black sphere).
It's possible that using Kurama's Yang element chakra (sealed within Naruto), he'll be able to do something.
Tajuu Kage Bunshin - Even though Naruto naturally has massive chakra reserves, he wouldn't be able to make as much copies without the Kyuubi Chakra Pool.

If Naruto did not have the Kyubi in him, I doubt he would even be alive. He would have died during the battle with Gaara(during Chunin exams), let alone master jutsus..

The entire story line would be changed if Naruto didn't have the nine tails. It's possible that he would never have met Gaara.

Naruto was able to do multiple shadow clones (thousands of shadow clones) WITHOUT KURAMA or any other natural energy source. This is when he stopped taking karuma's help (Ep 52) and started learning rasenshuriken on his own. I guess most of the guys are getting it wrong here. I understand that kyuubi is the main reason behind his healing but you can't forget the uzumaki clan healing abilities and the level of chakra they possess. Naruto was able to maintain clones without kurama chakra and yamato was there to stop going kurama mode when naruto's chakra is completely depleted. I guess without kurama, Naruto can always learn different jutsus using multiple shadow clones with his OWN massive chakra level (20 years of training in just a week). LETS GIVE NARUTO A LITTLE CREDIT HERE!!

I don't think it's stated anywhere that all Uzumaki Clan members have extraordinary healing powers...  All thats really mentioned is that they have large chakra and are skilled in Fuinjutsu.

most of naruto jutsu really on bijuu.
even the rasenshuriken (his only futon jutsu), without kyuubi heal ability, naruto arm would be disabled to cell level after the first try.
If naruto hadn't kyuubi power (strong seal, fully isolate kyuubi from naruto like a high secured living storage scroll) naruto would be a outcast nobody (his strong own chakra level come from the seal convert and mix kyuubi chakra with his own)

The Nine-Tails really had no role in making sure Naruto's arm wasn't damaged when using the Rasen-Shuriken. It's the fact that upon activating Sage Mode, he could throw it.


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Is Haki based on anything real?
In One Piece series, there's this 'will' technique called Haki. Is this based on anything real, all three of them?

http://onepiece.wikia.com/wiki/Haki has some info on it but not much. It's under the trivia part

Anime is far from reality, imagine the disaster if such cases is for real. Perhaps, we human being only have natural instinct, and that is the reality.

I wouldn't say Haki is real but i think its the closest to severe and thorough Martial arts body condition training. We have seen people punch through several bricks, or Muay Thai fighters break an entire opponent's arm and part of the ribcage by just a kick... its body conditioning through vigorous training for years.

I am not entirely sure about the credibility of this but it does make sense and the only info I could find. Taken from the wiki under Trivia and from this answer

Haki appears to be similar in principle to common types of Qi (Chi)
  found in various other anime and manga series; which is based on the
  concept of "qi" (or "life-force") in Chinese philosophy.
The concept of Kenbunshoku Haki, known to Skypieans as Mantra, is
  loosely based on the style of thinking in Hinduism, which goes by the
  same name.

The original Japanese term is ki (pronounced the same as "key", written as 気). It can also be spelled chi or qi. The same term is used for a concept in martial arts.


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What is the relationship between Clow Reed and Ichihara Yuko?
According here,

Clow had accidentally wished for Yuko to live, thus severing her time
  from all dimensions. Clow regretted this wish, and no longer wanted
  the title of "world's most powerful magician".

Though it was said on the same link that their relationship is unclear and that Clow Reed had a former lover named Madoushi (appeared in Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 1), I would still like to ask (because someone here might know) how Clow Reed and Yuko is related. Clow Reed wouldn't have wished for Yuko to still live if there was nothing deep in their relationship. So are there any formal statements from CLAMP about their real relationship and the story behind Clow Reed wishing for Yuko to live?

For one thing, it wasn't a very deep thought that caused him to wish for her to still be alive. Instead, according to here:

Upon her death, Yuuko finally explains her connections with Clow Reed. As Yuuko lay dying, Clow Reed had the briefest thought that he wanted her to remain alive. Clow's magic was so powerful that this single thought caused Yuuko to become frozen in time.

Additionally, according to here:

In Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE, Clow Reed is mentioned by Yuko frequently. They seem to have worked together for the same event that Yuko always talks about: "the day that has to come". For this purpose, both created the Mokonas (which implies that they had met the "Real" Mokona of Cephiro).

As far as I can tell from everything I've read, they are not related by blood. Instead, they worked together. They may have been no more than acquaintances or maybe friends, as there seem to be few implications that they were ever anything more.
The only time I have seen it implied was in Chapter 138 of Tsubasa, where Clow said to Sakura, "Being apart from the one you like, no matter how old you are, is a lonely thing. And while apart, I'm wishing for that person to be happy." There are thoughts that he may have been talking about Yuuko. It is possible that he was talking about Madoushi, but Madoushi only appeared in an anime movie and so may not have been canon to the manga.
I cannot find any official statements on the matter, though.

It's not directly stated, but this being Clamp, whose themes often revolve around love, it seems highly likely that Yūko and Clow Reed were in some kind of a romantic relationship. That's the impression I got from reading Tsubasa and xxxHolic.
The evidence:

Yūko is always badmouthing Clow Reed. However, there isn't any real hostility in her words. This implies a high level of familiarity with him.
Clow Reed wished to save Yūko. It's stated in the other answer that it was only a single passing thought that brought his wish into reality, due to his powerful magic. But such a mistake really isn't what Clow Reed is known for. My guess is he cared about Yuko a whole lot to slip up like that. Additionally, this situation parallels the one between Syaoran and Sakura, where Syaoran ends up making a wish that stops Sakura's time, so that she won't die. I highly doubt this similarity is a coincidence. And Sakura and Syaoran are confirmed to love each other.
Watanuki is stated to resemble Clow Reed. And...

 By the end of xxxHolic,  Yūko is gone, and Watanuki decides he will wait for her in the shop, no matter how long it takes, and no matter how unlikely it is he'll see her again. It is clear he feels some kind of love for Yūko (not necessarily romantic, but I'm not discounting it either). He goes so far to choose this love at the expense of all of his other relationships.

I got the impression that Yūko and Clow Reed were in a romantic relationship, but this isn't solely me making stuff up, as other fans noticed long before. Clow Reed's page here notes

Clow and Yūko had a past relationship. It is theorized that he and Yūko were lovers. He and Yūko made the two Mokonas together.

As far as Madoushi goes, when I watched that movie, I got the impression her love was unrequited. Her Wiki page even states,

She started developing feelings for him, but it isn't indicated if [Clow Reed] returned the feelings. She constantly made mention that there was something she wanted to tell him, presumably that she loved him.


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Does Naruto Shippuuden retain the original seiyuu from Naruto?
I'm just curious, does Naruto Shippuuden retain its original seiyuu from Naruto (voice actors)? Or there are certain changes with the voice actors? If there are changes, what are they and what were the reasons for changing?

The answer is: sort of.
There are a number of characters who have multiple voice actors, but those don't (as far as I can tell) change as the show goes on.
Kakashi is a character who has a second seiyuu in Shippuden, but it is one who voices him as a child. Normally, and through both Naruto and Shippuden, he is voiced by Kazuhiko Inoue, but as a child, he is voiced by Mutsumi Tamura.
Orochimaru has had four seiyuu: one for his normal body, one for his body as a Grass ninja, one for him in the female body, and one for him as a child.
Deidara's voice actor in the English dub is different between his episode 135 cameo and his role in Shippuden.
Sasori has three seiyuu: one for as an adult, one for as a child, and one for as a puppet body.
Tobi has three seiyuu: one for when he is Tobi, one for when he is

Obito

(see)
and one for when he is a child.
Shikamaru has a different seiyuu for episode 141. Normally, he's voiced by Showtaro Morikubo, but in that episode, he was voiced by Nobutoshi Canna. I can't find why that switch happened, except that Nobutoshi Canna was the stand-in.
Konohamaru has a similar situation: he is usually voiced by Ikue Otani but Akiko Koike acted as a stand-in.
As far as I can tell, there is nobody who specifically changes seiyuu between Naruto and Shippuden, but these are characters who have multiple seiyuu for various reasons.

Naruto has a lot of different voice actors, but mainly for other languages. In Japanese, Naruto has only had 2 voice actors:

Takeuchi, Junko
Kogure, Ema

Kogure Ema has only voiced Naruto in Naruto (before the time skip). I believe she even only did 1 technique which would be Naruto's "Sexy Technique". Takeuchi Junko is Naruto's main voice actor; she has voiced Naruto in all movies  and specials, also through out Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden.
And to scare you all a bit too, Naruto's voice actor also voices Akamaru, Guruko, Hina, and Menma.

During the casting for the Japanese version of the animated adaptations, the staff sought a male voice actor for Naruto. Junko Takeuchi, a female actress, was instead chosen following a large number of auditions that involved male actors. Before recording the first episode, Takeuchi noticed several lines from the script that ended with exclamations points which helped her define Naruto's voice. She noted difficulties in transitioning from the naruto which is young to the eledest of three in the animated adaptation of Part II, as she had to record the first episode after the time skip only one week after voicing the character from before the time skip. This concerned the character's growth as Naruto started acting more mature in contrast to his attitude of a child. It was difficult for Takeuchi to voice Naruto in his Nine-Tailed Demon Fox form and during the fight against Sasuke, due to the suffering Naruto was going through. Nine years after first voicing the character, while still finding it tough to voice Naruto, Takeuchi's opinion regarding him changed to "a very reliable young man". She admires his ability to prioritize and calmly make important decisions, and believes these traits will inspire viewers worldwide. Source


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How similar is alchemy in FMA to the real alchemy?
The alchemy in Fullmetal Alchemist is based on a real alchemy. How similar is the alchemy in the anime to the alchemy in real life history? When and how do they diverge?

In their concept, they are very much alike. In their implementation, they are starkly different.
Similarities
First, it is very important to say that there is hardly a single definition of alchemy. Some of its first mentions are from texts hundreds of years old, but most highlight three things: Transmutation of base metals (usually to gold), creating a universal cure, and creating a universal solvent.
Using FMA alchemy, it is possible to transmute base metals into gold (as Ed did in Yoki's village), and through proper use of alchemy, healing and medicinal applications are possible. Other elemental transmutations, which were less sought by real-life alchemy but still present in research, are also done.

Real-world alchemy was often done in the pursuit of the philosopher's stone, a legendary substance which was believed to provide everlasting life (as it did in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone); the stone in FMA did this, more or less, as well.
Differences
This philosopher's stone was originally believed to be produced through the magnum opus. This is never seen (nor even mentioned) in FMA; instead, all alchemy is done through a transmutation circle (with a few exceptions), including creation of the stone. Transmutation circles are not strictly based on any tradition of alchemy (though they use alchemical symbols and other similar glyphs).
The philosopher's stone ingredients differ also:

 In real life, the origin of the stone was that it was possessed by Adam, who had received it from God, and its ingredients were never discovered. In FMA, the stone is made of human life.

Similar to the circles, there is no real mention of using hands to physically guide energy in alchemy. There were not dreams of making weapons out of the floor or using the techniques for war. Alchemy was done mostly in a lab, using techniques like the magnum opus to create chemicals and other such processes. It's no surprise, then, that the believed art of alchemy was for science and advancement of oneself, so much so that it founded today's chemistry (and through Paracelsus—mentioned below—chemical medicine).
The sources of energy for the transmutations are also different; in FMA, they use tectonic energy and the "Dragon's Pulse" for Alkahestry. In real life, the energy comes from chemical bonds and thermal energy.
Alkahestry
The universal solvent I mentioned above is called Alkahest, which is the base of the name Alkahestry (used in the English dub).
Generally, Alkahestry is much closer to what we think of as alchemy from the real world. Its purpose—medicinal usage—is much closer to the medical and chemical applications that real-world alchemy sought. In the alchemical notes that they delve into later into the series, there is a drug, "rasayana" (based on the Indian term rasayana), which is used for longevity and which is stated to "transform all metals to gold and restore youth to the elderly"; in that way, this substance appears to be much like the philosopher's stone concept seen in real life.
However, Alkahestry (like normal FMA alchemy) uses hand gestures and circles instead of actual chemicals; also, as mentioned above, its source of energy (the "Dragon's Pulse") is something that is not found in ancient real-world alchemy.
Overall
FMA's alchemy and real-life alchemy share some things:

The overall concept of transmuting elements, as well as transmuting to gold
The creation of a philosopher's stone
The ability to cure through alchemy
The pursuit of everlasting life

They also have quite a few differences:

The process of creating the philosopher's stone
The philosopher's stone ingredients
The transmutation circles
The process of doing alchemy at all (using the body rather than a lab)
The source of energy (tectonic energy or the "Dragon's Pulse" rather than chemical energy)
Their purpose (real-life alchemy pursued a goal more like Alkahestry)

ed does not transmute the bars into gold bars, but transmutes them, so the innate gold forms a thin layer on the gold bar itself, meaning he did not transmute the (whatever metal it was) into gold

@Vogel612 Yes, exactly. But there is still gold on the outside which was created by Ed; it just wasn't on the inside. (Not only that, but there is a rule that alchemists are not allowed to create gold for economic reasons.)

i thought he had collected it as elemental particles from the earth beforehand, like eragon in eragon3 when he creates the wedding rings for roran and katrina, but when you say (it's been a while since i watched maybe i am confusing the details ;))

@RaulHerrera Partly yes, partly no. The philosopher's stone was thought to be that which was able to create the elixir of life (as well as transmutation of base metals to gold).


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How similar is Hohenheim (FMA) to the real Hohenheim?
Hohenheim in FMA is based on a real person also named Hohenheim. How similar are the character from anime and the real person, and how do they diverge?

Hohenheim is named after Paracelsus, a man whose name's last portion (at birth) was "von Hohenheim". Paracelsus practiced medicine, alchemy, and other sciences, much like Hohenheim.
In the vein of alchemy, Paracelsus also had a significant similarity to Hohenheim. He claimed to have made a homunculus out of bodily fluids, as described in De homunculis:

Let the semen of a man putrefy by itself in a sealed cucurbite with the highest putrefaction of the venter equinus [horse manure] for forty days, or until it begins at last to live, move, and be agitated, which can easily be seen…If now, after this, it be everyday nourished and fed cautiously and prudently with [an] arcanum of human blood…it becomes, thenceforth, a true and living infant, having all the members of a child that is born from a woman, but much smaller.(1)

Though Hohenheim himself did not make a homunculus, he did contribute the blood that created the Homunculus, Dwarf in the Flask.
There appears to be little beyond these similarities. Paracelsus's personality was polar opposite to Hohenheim's, being stubborn and arrogant to say the least. (This was bad enough to earn him anger and distaste from others in his field.) Paracelsus was never a slave, nor did he challenge a great villain, nor did he have kids.

While it's clear that Hohenheim's skills, name, and contributions to alchemy are closely linked with Paracelsus, it's safe to say that little more than that connects him to Hohenheim.


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What episode in Naruto Shippuuden did they start the mission to seal the nibi?
I've stopped watching Naruto Shippuuden in the episodes where they were sealing Matatabi, the nibi (two-tailed beast). I want to continue watching but I'm not sure what episode to watch. So, what is the episode where the main topic is about the nibi and they are starting the mission to seal it?

The "bijuu" are the tailed beasts. Bijuu doesn't refer to one in particular, and they started looking for them in Naruto (pre-Shippuden). So I'm not really sure what you're asking for.

Oh I'm sorry, I mean the two-tailed beast, nibi.

The nibi was sealed in episode 81 of Naruto Shippuuden, Sad News. The whole mission starts in episode 71, My Friend, when Akatsuki starts chasing the nibi.


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Why does Gai look like Rock Lee?
Why does Gai-sensei and Rock Lee look almost exactly the same? Are they from the same clan or are they blood-related? Hinata and Neiji look the same and they're cousins, same with Sasori and Gaara, Sasuke and Itachi, so they're probably blood-related, or they're not? Are there any explanation regarding this?

As far as I can recall Sasori and Gaara are not related

Chiyo was Sasori's grandmother. Chiyo felt guilty for having sealed Shukaku in Gaara, but there was no blood relationship between the two.

Well they are not related. I actually think Lee could look a lot different if he had less bushier eye brows. He had a different look before he joined Guy's squad. But he tries to copy him so much now that they look very much identical.

No, they are not blood-related. When Lee wasn't in Guy-sensei's team yet, he was often mocked and bullied because of his inability to use any techniques other than Taijutsu. Guy-sensei was the first one to really believe in Lee's abilities, and thus he became Lee's idol. From the wiki:

When first joining Team Guy Lee's appearance changed drastically. He had shorter hair than before that curved upwards in the back. He still maintained the Chinese appearance, since he wore a robe and a martial arts belt around his waist. After joining Might Guy's team, his appearance changed considerably to emulate his idol and sensei.

Here's an image of how Lee used to look:

So, as you can see, he just changed his appearance to look more like Guy whom he idolizes.

His eyebrows didn't change :D

@MrPineapple, well they seem to become thicker :P


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Why does Naruto have whisker marks?
Why does Naruto have whisker marks on his face?

Does it have anything to do with the kyuubi inside him? Is it to signify that he is the host of the kyuubi or is it just a plain birthmark? Was it ever explained in the anime or manga?

Never explained AFAIK

Similar, but regarding Gaara's dark circles: http://anime.stackexchange.com/a/2147/49

I'm not sure where everyone claims them to be actual whiskers.

They're not actually whiskers. They're whisker marks, just marks on his face that resemble whiskers.
Yes, this has to do with the kyuubi. When Naruto was influenced by Kurama prior to birth, he gained the whisker marks:

Naruto's most prominent physical characteristics, however, are the whisker marks on his face that he gained from Kurama's influence on him while he was in Kushina's womb.
  — Naruto Uzumaki, Naruto Wiki

The reason Naruto's mother did not have them is because these are as a result of prolonged exposure (being in the womb) rather than the beast simply being sealed within the host.

 Both of Naruto's kids, Bolt and Himawari, have two whisker marks on each cheek, neither of them is a Jinchuuriki but both are the children of Kurama's Jinchuuriki, which implies that this is an inherited trait.

So it's like a birthmark caused by the kyuubi?

@xjshiya You could think of it that way, yes.

Naruto got the whisker marks from the nine-tailed fox while he was in his mom's uterus  because they were both inside her at the same time and while naruto was in her uterus, the nine-tails probably had a little of his power given to Naruto.

This answer seems to be correct, but generally we like answers that cite their sources. In addition, the other answer already says the same thing and has been around a while longer, so there's no need to post redundant content.

Welcome to the Anime & Manga SE. I am afraid this site is not a discussion board unlike some other sites you may be familiar with, so you need to stop digging out old questions if your answer has nothing substantial to add. Please go through the FAQ to get yourself familiar with how to ask questions or provide answers here.


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How common is it for men to voice women?
I know male characters are often voiced by women. Naruto for example, is voiced by Junko Takeuchi, Luffy is voiced by Mayumi Tanaka, and Hitsugaya Toshiro is voiced by Romi Park, all of whom are women.
How common is it for men to voice women? Is there any precedent to it? If not, are there any examples? I'm asking specifically about voicing in the original Japanese.

According to TVTropes,

Sometimes, an animated character is better suited for being voiced by
  a voice actor of the opposite sex. Maybe a higher voice is needed for
  a male, or a lower voice for a female.
A common variant for this is for young boys, usually 12 and under, to
  be voiced by an adult woman. This is because real little boys' voices
  deepen when they go through puberty. Not to mention that it's easier
  to find experienced actresses than experienced prepubescent male
  actors. The producers don't have to deal with child labor laws that
  limit the amount of time a child can spend in a studio, either. Women
  are often able to maintain the role longer, as well, since their
  voices don't change like a growing boy's.
There are exceptions, of course — sometimes an adult man or an actual
  child will voice a little boy. In films, this is the rule rather than
  the exception, as voice recording for a film generally takes much less
  time than for a TV series.
And on a related note, sometimes, for comedy purposes, a deep-voiced
  woman will be played by a man.

Also, female seiyuu voice acting as a male character is much more common than male seiyuu voice acting as a female character probably because it is easier for a woman to lower her voice's pitch than a man to make his voice's pitch higher like that of a woman.
Personally, I don't know of any male seiyuu who voice acted a female character, but Jun Fukuyama voiced Grell Sutcliff who acted as gay.
From the TVTropes link I have provided, here are some examples (some examples are from Japanese animated films or games):

Spy D is voiced by Tessho Genda, who is a well-known Japanese live-action actor renowned for his "tough guy" roles. In fact, Spy D's personality and physical appearance were based on Tessho Genda. It is reported that he had no idea the character was female until he saw the finished movie.
Akihiro Miwa, a male actor and cabaret singer, has played female roles in two Miyazaki films: The Witch of the Waste in Howl's Moving Castle and Moro in Princess Mononoke, who is a giant wolf for which a deep growling voice is actually quite appropriate.
A rather interesting (and literal) twist in Gundam 00: In one of the drama CDs, Tieria poses as a female student to infiltrate the high school that Louise and Saji attend. While disguised, his voice is provided by...his normal voice actor, Hiroshi Kamiya, who can apparently pull off a rather convincing female voice. Who knew?

This is repeated in the second season, where Tieria dresses as a woman (with Gag Boobs, hence the Fan Nickname "Titeria") to infiltrate a party the bad guys are throwing. Considering Tieira was a major source of Viewer Gender Confusion before the show aired...

In ICE, Julia is played by a man in both Japanese and English.
In Ixion Saga DT, Jun Fukuyama voices Mariandale, the princesses' maid. Turns out he's just cross dressing.


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Who set Yuuko's sphere of allowable interference?
In xxxHolic and Tsubasa, Yuuko says that there are certain things that she can do within her sphere of allowable interference such as

sending the original Syaoran to where the clone and the rest of them are.

This seems to only be related to the battle between Fei Wang and the main characters. Who set this sphere of allowable interference? What are its rules?

What episode or chapter has she stated this?

I know she mentioned it in the third episode of the Tokyo Revelations part of Tsubasa. I don't know where else specifically. .

I think this is probably a limitation of their power. Like they can't revive someone who has died already.

This is pure speculations since I can't find any reliable source, but I think this has something to do with a magician's limitation of powers. Like for example, Yuuko can only grant one's wish if that person is willing to lose something important to him/her. This quote is somehow relevant to this:

"To gain, something of equal value must be lost." - First Law of Equivalent Exchange in Alchemy (Fullmetal Alchemist)

If her powers has no boundary, then she should have grant any wishes without paying any price. And also, Clow Reed is a good example. He's the strongest wizard known in the Tsubasa Chronicle (Cardcaptor Sakura and XXXholic) universe and yet he can't revive someone who had already died (who was Yuuko) and was one of the reason for the conflict of Tsubasa Chronicle and XXXholic plot. Yet another example of a person's power limitation.
As to who set it, I really don't know. But this is probably a rule set by the Clamp writers.

This seems to be more like a law of nature. At some point, she has a conversation:

"A witch operates by many restrictions, doesn't she?"
  "It must be, or everything comes apart".

I'm quoting from the top of my head - can't find the reference right now. I'm not quite sure about the second (Yuko's) line, but she made it clear that if she didn't abide by the restrictions, the consequences would be bad indeed.
So she is setting most, if not all, of the rules herself. Not because she wants to, but to avoid causing damage.
(It was in the manga, I think in Tsubasa, that she had this conversation. Will try to find the exact reference later).


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Does Agarest: Generations of War 2 carry on from the true end or normal end of the previous game?
I completed Agarest: Generations of War Zero, and now going to start playing Agarest: Generations of War before playing Agarest: Generations of War 2. However, I'm wondering if the sequel carries on from the true end or the normal end.
I ask this, as when I played Atelier Meruru there was a spoiler of the true ending of Atelier Totori:

 Totori's mother isn't dead, as Totori tells Meruru that her mother just showed up. Considering the true end requirements for Totori, which requires defeating Evil Face who Totori's mother set out to kill, it would make sense.

If Agarest: Generations of War 2 carries on from the previous game's true ending, then I would plan on replaying Agarest: Generations of War Zero with Digest Mode since it will always have the true end (I don't plan on doing that right now cause I have to play though all of Zero again).
Which Agarest: Generations of War ending does Agarest: Generations of War 2 carry on from: The true end, or the normal end?

Agarest 2 follows neither ending. It takes place in an alternate reality from the first two games so, aside from a few nods and references to them, is a stand-alone story wise.

I can confirm this. From Japanese Wikipedia, "物語の舞台となる世界や神話や種族などといった世界観こそは前2作と共通しているが、パラレルワールドであるために時系列的な繋がりはなく、一部の設定に差異が認められる部分が存在する。" which is basically saying that it takes place in a parallel world, thus the timeline isn't connected to the previous works.


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Can a ninjutsu be executed without the use of hand seals?
Is it possible to execute any ninjutsu without using handseals?

Look at the answer to this: http://anime.stackexchange.com/questions/2589/how-can-haku-perform-hand-seals-with-only-one-hand where it says that Sasuke can do Chidori without using any hand seals.

As @kuwaly said, this answer already answers your question. As such, I marked this one as a duplicate of the other.


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Do otaku tend to be bullied?
Otaku in Japan are somehow equivalent to being geek, meaning they are tend to be bullied or looked down upon. That's why some don't admit that they are otaku because of shame. And there are certain cases of otaku becoming a hikikomori, (an example of this is in Welcome to the NHK where the male protagonist is a hikikomori) wherein they isolate themselves or withdraw themselves from society and a NEET (Not in Education, Employment or Training), where they remain jobless. How true are these cases and is it true that most of hikikomori and NEET are otakus (like Misaki Nakahara in Welcome to the NHK)? Or hikikomori and NEET people tend to become otaku (just like Tatsuhiro Sato in Welcome to the NHK)?

Although your question was close as off topic, you can change the scope of your to be more inline with the FAQ. A question such as "Is the portrayal of otaku/NEETs (abuse) in anime/and manga like in X (e.g. Welcome to the NHK) series reflect real life situations?"

@Krazer What difference does that make? You are basically saying that "Does X happen in real life?" should be changed to, "X happened in anime Y, does that happen in real life too?" I fail to understand why one is off-topic and the other is not.

@Deidara-senpai By ensuring the topic stays upon the context of anime and manga, the answers are more likely to stay on topic and be more answerable. We don't want this conversation trailing off into something about Otaku, NEETs, unemployment, and societal pressure in Japanese society.

@Krazer That's all this question is no matter which way you word it. I agree that it's off topic either way.


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What type of Rasengan did Boruto used?
When Boruto fires his Rasengan it varnishes. What type of Rasengan did Boruto use?

When Boruto is trying to convince Sasuke to train him, he creates a small rasengan infused with wind chakra.

Though Boruto's Rasengan is initially much smaller, he subconsciously applies wind-natured chakra to it, enabling him to hurl the Rasengan across distances. While it loses its physical form shortly after bring thrown, the wind and force continue on-course unseen, tricking the opponent to let their guard down as sufficient damage is inflicted when it makes contact. Boruto eventually becomes able to create a normal-sized Rasengan after more training. - naruto.wikia.com/


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What is the Japanese release date of Evangelion: 3.0+1.0?
Has an official Japanese release date for Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 been announced?

There's no official announcement, any date not published by Khara is only rumor. The most recent news related to this is that Hideaki Anno was working on Godzilla and in Decemeber, Khara was recruiting more staff. The recruiting could be related to other projects, like the Animator Expo. In other news, Shuichi Iseki posted some pictures that looks like Khara is moving to a new location (maybe). There's no confirmation that all the recruitment and perhaps moving to a larger space has anything to do with the Evangelion movie. So some speculation:

It has to do with Eva, so maybe the movie isn't done yet
It has to do with something else that's not Eva, so maybe the movie isn't done and they're not going to finish it or

The movie is done but delayed for some other reason.


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What song plays at 19:10 in episode 28?
What is the name of the song that starts at 19:10 in episode 28 ("Eat Or Be Eaten, Panic In The Forest") of normal Naruto?

If the time you're referring to is from an episode not including the opening, that song starts when Naruto stops Orochimaru when he is about to attack Sasuke. It's Naruto Main Theme, from the first OST of Naruto.


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Arata Naru Sekai OVA, premise and explanation of the ending?
Madhouse's recent OVA, "Arata Naru Sekai" is a one-shot 30 minute OVA without much background. I can gather that:

time-travel is prevalent in this world
the 4 girls seemed to have traveled far into the future
there was perhaps some kind of imminent disaster in the past
the disaster perhaps happened very soon after their jump into the future
the past that they lived in was already starting to fall apart

So what happened after the cell phone was destroyed? Was it all a dream? Or did it transport them back to the past or some alternate reality?
EDIT: I found the synopsis at MAL which sort of confirms some of the premise (though I don't really see any evidence for some of the claims in the MAL synopsis), but it doesn't shed any light on the ending.

The anime is a part of what is called a multiple multimedia experience. The anime is the third part of the story, whereas the light novel and the manga fill in the stories of the people who went to the past and those who stayed in the present. You have to read all of the parts to really understand the anime and its ending.


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What are the different colors in anime production drawings for?
In a lot of production drawings for anime (and I've also seen them in plots), particularly of characters as opposed to backgrounds, the detailed sketches/drawings have lines in different colors. Is there a purpose for this other than maybe to differentiate between lines? Are they used for color boundaries? Is there a production reason why the specific lines have to be different colors?

Edit:
Just to be a bit more clear, I was wondering specifically with the colors used in these particular style line drawings, where the lines seemed to be color coded. For example, given this animatic, the first sketch has color used in shading and hue, but the middle picture shows the color coded line art, where the tears are red and the eyes are blue.

If I had to make a guess, these might indicate how the final output is to be shaded/colored. Purple and that red are for specular highlights and shades of hair color while that yellowish tinge would be for shadows. The light blue would also be for sharp specular highlights.

The use of colored pencils and related mediums vary depending on the artist or production that does them.
The yellow is typically seen being used to highlight shadows or break up object in the background (like clouds), because shading with a regular pencil might drown out the details especially in a elaborate or darkly lit scene. Take this storyboard from Arrietty:

Compare it to this uncolored storyboard from Evangelion 2.0:

And the Steamboy:

Other times the yellow can be used to highlight an active foreground object like a person, take a look at this example from Mushishi:

The color blue is typically used as a secondary color, do add more detail and depth to the storyboards. Here is an example from 5 Centimeters Per Second:

Notice the blue is being used to highlight additional shadows for a better sense of the atmosphere of the shots. Here's an example of how it's used to separate objects in Gundam UC.

None of these guidelines are set an stone and can vary greatly depending the  budget and needs of the production and/or director(s).
The opening storyboards for Ponyo are in watercolor:

The main scenes too:

Specifically though, I was wondering what the use of colors were in those types of line drawings, where the lines themselves are specific colors, each seemingly coded for a specific reason. As opposed to colors used to colorize an already complete line drawing. Does it have to do with the way programs like Illustrator or RETAS work?

From what I can infer the reason that two different line color are used if to differentiate the objects and their color so the colorer know to separate them. The same thing for the tears. The shadows are are outlined instead of being filled in probably to save time and $$. In orders to give noticeable separation different colors are used.

A typical Japanese animation can have up to 3 levels of shadows plus a highlight. Different colored lines specifies boundaries of different shadows and the highlight. Traditionally, these are traced in the front of the cel and then the cel is flipped and using these traced lines as a guide, the appropriate color is applied at the back. - I used to work in traditional animation and that is how we use those lines


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How did Chris gain the power of Garzey's Wing?

As confusing a show is as Garzey's Wing, and with stuff coming from nowhere and never seem to get explained, how did Chris' mental self in the alternate fantasy world gain the ability of Garzey's Wing and how the Chris in the real world suddenly acquire the same magical power (in the real world)?

According to the Wikipedia article,

Garzey's Wing is infamous for having a minimally explained plot, so most ideas of the purpose must be extrapolated. The protagonist Chris is abruptly whisked away to a parallel world called Byston Well while his physical body remains in his home world. Chris' spiritual manifestation travels to a new world, where he is thrust into a rebellion. Chris is told that he has a mystical power called "Garzey's wing", which causes large wings made of light to come out of his ankles, allowing him to fly and run quickly.

The reason that he gains the magical ability in the real world that he had in the fantasy world seems to be because of this:

Chris exists simultaneously in Byston Well and the real world, and the two can communicate to each other through a necklace they both wear. Real-world Chris feels the bruises and pain Byston Well Chris experiences while fighting soldiers, and training he does in the real world allow him to learn it in Byston Well.

All in all, a main thing seems to be that it was simply not entirely explained within the show, which may have been in part because it was only three 30-minute episodes long.