Air (video game)

Air is a Japanese visual novel from Key, a brand under Visual Arts. Originally released for Windows on September 8, 2000, it was sold as an adult game. Key later put out versions without the erotic content, and the game was ported to the Dreamcast, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation Vita, and Nintendo Switch. The story follows Yukito Kunisaki, a traveling performer searching for the "girl in the sky." He comes to a quiet seaside town and meets three girls, one of whom holds the key to finishing his quest.

The gameplay uses a branching plotline with preset scenarios and interaction choices, focusing on the player character's appeal to the three main female characters. The game is split into three segments—Dream, Summer, and Air—each representing a different phase of the story. The title reflects themes of air, skies, and wings that appear throughout. At launch, it was the best-selling PC game in Japan and later appeared in the national top 50 several more times. Across multiple platforms, Air has sold over 300,000 units.

After the game's release, Air expanded into other media. Yukimaru Katsura's manga ran in Kadokawa Shoten's Comptiq and was collected into two volumes. Comic anthologies, art books, audio dramas, and several music albums were also produced. Kyoto Animation created a 13-episode anime series and a two-episode mini-series in 2005, while Toei Animation made an anime film that same year. Funimation licensed and released the anime adaptations in North America.

**Gameplay**

Air is a romance visual novel where the player takes on the role of three characters. Most of the gameplay involves reading narrative and dialogue. The branching plotline has multiple endings, and the player's choices steer the story in a specific direction. In the consumer ports, an option allows rewinding to correct an undesired choice, but if a bad ending is reached, the player must reload from the last save.

There are five main plot lines: three available initially and two unlocked later. During gameplay, text pauses at choice points until the player decides. To see all plot lines completely, the player must replay the game and make different choices.

On the first playthrough, the player controls Yukito Kunisaki in the Dream story arc, which includes scenarios for the three heroines. After finishing these, the Summer arc unlocks, where the player controls Ryūya in a linear novel with no choices. Completing Summer unlocks the Air arc, the true ending, where the player controls a crow named Sora. In adult versions, sexual CG scenes show Yukito with a heroine; later, Key released versions without this content.

**Plot**

Air's setting is based on real places in Kami, Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. The story takes place in the Kasumi district of Kami, which was a separate town before merging with two others. Locations like the seawall, train station, shrine, and school are modeled on real sites. The game is set in midsummer, with bright, sunny skies. The manga adaptation describes the town as "a quiet town with few people...with nothing but beaches and countryside." Scenario assistant Yūichi Suzumoto noted that the rural setting and heartwarming story give Air a folk song feel.

Air, skies, and wings are key themes: Yukito searches for the "girl in the sky," and Misuzu believes her other self flies above her. Other characters also connect to the sky—Minagi is in the astronomy club, Michiru loves floating bubbles, Kano wants wings, and Kanna already has them. Misuzu names a crow she finds "Sora," Japanese for "sky." Another major theme is the maternal bond, as the four heroines' stories and Yukito's revolve around their mothers. Main writer Jun Maeda said he prefers including mothers over fathers in games, noting that bishōjo games focus on women anyway. Complicated family and friend relationships are central, and magic is a sub-theme: Uraha, Yukito's mother, and Yukito himself can use magic, though Yukito is the least skilled. Kano's sister told her that when she grows up and removes her yellow ribbon, she will gain magic powers. The story also realistically shows problems like parents abandoning their children and poverty.

**Characters**

The player controls Yukito Kunisaki, the protagonist. He lives a poor life as a traveling showman.