▁Stand ards ▁Category : T unn eling ▁protocol s <0x0A> </s> ▁is ▁a ▁ 2 6 - ep is ode ▁ ▁an ime ▁series ▁from ▁direct ors ▁J ang ▁J ong - Ge un , ▁Ko ji ▁I to h , ▁and ▁Sum io ▁Wat an abe . ▁The ▁series ▁a ired ▁on ▁TV ▁Tokyo ▁from ▁October ▁ 6 , ▁ 2 0 0 1 ▁to ▁March ▁ 3 0 , ▁ 2 0 0 2 . ▁ ▁Story line ▁ ▁Earth ▁AD ▁ 2 0 5 7 ▁Four ▁hundred ▁years ▁ago , ▁it ▁became ▁certain ▁than ▁an ▁astero id ▁would ▁col lide ▁with ▁Earth ▁and ▁the ▁ext inction ▁of ▁the ▁race ▁was ▁at ▁hand . ▁M ank ind ▁spent ▁ 1 0 ▁years ▁de vis ing ▁a ▁plan ▁to ▁surv ive . ▁The ▁Dob ias ▁went ▁out ▁to ▁live ▁in ▁space ▁while ▁the ▁Sh ior u ▁for ged ▁a ▁new ▁world ▁under ground . ▁Three ▁hundred ▁years ▁ago , ▁man kind ▁returned ▁to ▁the ▁surface ▁from ▁beyond ▁the ▁stars ▁and ▁beneath ▁the ▁ground . ▁ ▁But ▁the ▁surface ▁was ▁not ▁what ▁it ▁once ▁was , ▁and ▁man kind ▁was ▁forced ▁to ▁battle ▁for ▁supre m acy ▁with ▁a ▁new ▁life ▁form ▁born ▁from ▁the ▁as hes ▁of ▁destruction . ▁Man ▁was ▁no ▁longer ▁at ▁the ▁top ▁of ▁the ▁food ▁chain . ▁That ▁spot ▁was ▁occupied ▁by ▁the ▁Sil icon ians , ▁cre atures ▁who ▁ro am ▁the ▁landscape ▁searching ▁for ▁pre y . ▁Meanwhile , ▁the ▁Dob ias — s cient ists