Pandora Hearts

Pandora Hearts (パンドラハーツ) is a manga series by Jun Mochizuki. Originally starting serialization in the shōnen magazine GFantasy published by Square Enix in June 2006. Currently eleven volumes have been released in Japan. The manga series was licensed for an English language release by Broccoli Books but has been dropped; it has been licensed by Yen Press since then. It has also been made into an anime version, produced by Xebec. On February 11, 2010, NIS America announced it would release the anime of Pandora Hearts in North America.

Plot
Oz Vessalius, heir to the Vessalius dukedom, has just turned fifteen. His life is rich and carefree, darkened only by the constant absence of his father. At his coming-of-age ceremony, however, everything changes. For no reason that he can discern, Oz is cast into the prison known as the "Abyss", only to be saved by a "Chain" known as Alice, the Bloodstained Black Rabbit, B-Rabbit for short. The mystery there begins as Oz unravels the mystery behind Alice, the Abyss and the strange organization known as Pandora. The series features heavy references to Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass and can be considered fantasy and mystery.

Terminology

 * Chains (チェイン)
 * Beings from the Abyss that were at one point human, transformed by the Will of the Abyss. They must sign a contract with a human contractor in order to leave the Abyss. Chains involved in illegal contracts must repeatedly consume humans in order to gain power. Chains can have multiple contracts. When they do, for each contract it makes, the revolution on an illegal contractor seal will slow down even more.


 * Contract (契約)
 * An agreement between a chain and a contractor. The chain is bound within the contractor and can be called out at will. In return, the contractor provides passage for the chain out of the Abyss. Legal contracts, that were made possible by Pandora, granted the ability never to age the Contractor. In illegal contracts, a clock-like seal appears somewhere on the Contractor's body, over their heart. Each time the chain's powers are drawn, the hand in the seal moves like on a clock. Once the hand makes one full rotation, both the contractor and the chain are dragged into the deepest level of the Abyss.


 * Contractor (契約者)
 * A human who makes a contract with a chain. There are certain procedures to making a contract, but impromptu contracts can also be made, although they are illegal.


 * Abyss (アヴィス)
 * The world that chains come from. It exists in a different dimension as the world, and as thus, time doesn't truly exist in the Abyss. A person can find themselves in any random time period upon exiting the Abyss. According to Break, the Abyss can appear as a prison or a broken toy box, depending on the person.


 * Will of the Abyss (アヴィスの意志)
 * The existence that governs the Abyss. Usually appears in the form of a bloodied rabbit doll with big round eyes. The real form of the Will of the Abyss is Alice with white hair, dressed similarly in white. Apparently the Will of the Abyss wants Oz and Alice to go back in the Abyss, and is somehow connected to Alice. The Will of Abyss was born in the Abyss at the same time that Alice was born in the human world. The Will of Abyss hates Alice and want to destroy her. It is revealed her real name is also Alice.


 * Four Great Dukedom (四大公爵家)
 * It currently consists of the Vessalius, Rainsworth, Nightray and Barma family. These four Dukedoms have been in existence before the Tragedy of Sablier. They founded the Pandora and each hold chains and a door to the Abyss. Of these four houses, the Vessalius and Nightray houses are thought of as exact opposites, like light and dark: the Vessalius house works publicly, while the Nightray house is responsible for doing the backstage work.
 * Before the Tragedy of Sablier occurred, the Vessalius family was only a third class noble family, and thus, not part of the four dukedoms. Instead, the fourth Dukedom was the Baskerville house - with Glen as the head. When Jack killed Glen for starting the Tragedy of Sablier, the Vessalius family were seen as heroes. And thus, the Vessalius substitute the Baskervilles, as the fourth dukedom. Therefore, the Baskervilles holds the fifth door to the abyss.


 * Pandora (パンドラ)
 * An organization founded by the four dukedoms. It specializes in research regarding the Abyss.


 * Tragedy of Sabrie (サブリエの悲劇)
 * The city of Sabrie was once the capital city of the world. However, 100 years ago, for unknown reasons, Glen Baskerville used a ritual to send the entire city, with its citizens, into the Abyss. Glen was then supposedly killed by the four duke houses.


 * Doors
 * Doors are gates to the Abyss that the four dukedoms control. Each dukedom has control over one, with Baskerville holding the last, fifth Door. It is revealed in Chapter 41 that all along, the door of the Baskerville's was hidden in Sabrie, which is under Pandora's control. Yet, Pandora has never thought to look within to find it.


 * Blood Sealing Mirrors
 * An item used to make a legal contract. Instead of the chain drinking the blood of the contractor, the blood gets absorbed into the mirror where a seal is formed, keeping the seal off of the person. If the mirror is broken, you can lose the contract to the chain. It also has a limit on the power you can use.

Vessalius Dukedom

 * Oz Vessalius (オズ＝ベザリウス)
 * The main character of the story, a 15-year-old boy with blond hair and green eyes from the prestigious Vessalius family, whose father is the reigning lord. His mother was killed by the Nightray family, but despite this, he retains a bright, optimistic, and energetic personality. The story of Pandora Hearts starts when Oz turns fifteen. During the ceremony to celebrate this reaching of adulthood, he was dragged into the Abyss for the sin of 'existing'. There he meets the chain named Alice and makes a contract with her. Upon returning to the real world, he finds out that 10 years have passed. In order to find out what his sin meant, he began to work under Break as part of Pandora. During this, it is shown that when he was young, he worked hard to gain praise and recognition from his father. However, he had discovered that his father hated him to the point of not wanting to touch him. After experiencing this, Oz began to think that there is no guaranteed thing in the world. He thought of himself as weak and, in order to protect people, he should at least remain an obedient child and let harm come his way.


 * After traveling into the Cheshire Cat's lair, Oz meets Jack Vessalius and in turn becomes his 'medium'. Jack eventually speaks at Pandora's headquarters and the public hail Oz as a 'hero'. Oz finds that he can swap control of his body with Jack if he calls hard enough and may sometimes even see snippets of Jack's memories. According to himself he is quite skilled with the sword, particularly in self defense. However, he has no real experience in fighting. Oz likes cute, younger girls and flirts with them frequently. He once wished to marry Sharon when they first met. In chapter 20, Oz reveals that he loves Alice because he called her "my most precious Alice", but it is not known if these feelings are sincerely his or Jack's since he resides in his body. Oz, himself, thinks of Alice as his precious someone, calling her his "sun". He thinks that it is because of Alice that he can still smile.


 * Jack tells Oz that he has the "right" or "prerequisite" over Alice's powers and that a seal won't restrain Alice's powers any longer, making Oz have the ability to use B-Rabbit's power even without Alice's permission or Gil's help. Oz proves it when he was able to stop Alice's B-Rabbit's power temporarily on his own; another time when Oz was almost kidnapped by the Baskervilles at Latowidge, and then recently when he was able to summon B-Rabbit's scythe to fluently fight his assailants inside Sablier's illusion, despite the fact he had never used a scythe before. According to Lotti, Oz was supposed to be the vessel for the sake of hiding the existence of Jack Vessalius and should the vessel be broken, Jack’s existence will be brought to light and the further warping of abyss’s will, who seeks for him, will most probably interfere with the real world. Later, Oz reunites with Gilbert and immediately meets with the person behind Oz's suicidal nature: Zai Vessalius, his father. It has been seen in chapter 45 that Oz has had a will to destroy everything until Alice stops him. In chapter 46, however, according to Break, Oz may not be the real Oz Vessalius, as during his birth, Oz's father suddenly took him away and perhaps did something to him or changed him for another baby.
 * Oz's Seiyū is Junko Minagawa.


 * Alice (アリス) :The heroine of the story with a height of 150 cm. Alice first appears as a chain that persuades Oz to form a contract with her in the Abyss. In fact, she is actually the infamous B-Rabbit (Bloody Black Rabbit), the most powerful chain in the Abyss. Alice's goal is to find her lost memories, which plays a major role in the story. In human form, Alice has long dark brown hair with two side plaits. She has a huge appetite and loves meat especially. She is hotheaded and loud-spoken and says what she thinks without regard to the consequences. Despite this, she has a soft side, especially when Oz is involved. She hates when Oz leaves her alone, but to hide it she usually says, "I'm in a contract with you. You are my manservant, and as a manservant, what were you thinking, leaving me behind!?" or she just hits Oz and says, "Shut up". It has also been shown in the series that when intoxicated she has a tendency to take off her clothes, much to the embarrassment of others.


 * It also appears that she is developing feelings for Oz, being that she considers his health when using her powers. In chapter 41, she bites his cheeks to make him feel better, copying a picture Sharon showed her thinking it was biting instead of a kiss. Also, in episode 20, she tells Sharon, who threatens her to tell her what she has on her mind, that she felt left out and ignored when Oz went to talk with Break without her and when he was happy to see his sister.
 * Alice's Seiyū are Yukari Tamura (Drama CD) and Ayako Kawasumi (Anime).


 * Jack Vessalius (ジャック＝ベザリウス)
 * The hero of 100 years ago and the one who 'defeated' Glen Baskerville. He is revealed to have been Raven's master 100 years ago, having taken in Raven and Vincent. He has some sort of connection with Alice's memories. Jack looks uncannily like a grown-up Oz with a long plait. His personality is also quite similar; he does things at his own pace and is loud and cheerful. Oz and Gilbert meet him when they are taken to the Cheshire Cat's dimension. He is currently residing in Oz's body and can 'possess' Oz and speak through him. When in control, Jack also has full control of Alice's chain power. Jack was the third son of the Vessalius family who was, before the Tragedy of Sablier, a third rate noble family. Thus, with no expectations from his family, he acted quite freely: always smiling, joking and flirting with girls. Jack was also a self-proclaimed music box maker. His best friend at that time was Glen Baskerville. Jack crafted a pocket watch for him and Glen wrote the melody, titled "Lacie". The pocket watch's melody was said to be a song that Lacie always sang to herself. Later, Jack killed Glen because he started the Tragedy of Sablier (because he believed that without Lacie, there was no meaning to life) and tried to kill Jack. Although hailed as a hero for this act, Jack did not want to kill his best friend. In a later entry in Jack Vessalius's diary, he wrote: "I have killed my best friend. Please... Please do not call me a hero." He also shows true anger when Lottie suggested that he killed Glen to gain fame and glory. Jack reveals, through his speech when he first possesses Oz, that Glen is still living. Despite this, he says to the Baskervilles that if they wish to repeat the past, then he will once again turn his body into a blade that will destroy the Death Gods.
 * Jack's Seiyū is Daisuke Ono.


 * Oscar Vessalius (オスカー＝ベザリウス)
 * Oz's uncle. He is easy-going and very caring. Oscar was the one who found Gilbert and brought him to the Vessalius Dukedom. Both Oz and Gilbert treat him as a father figure. He gets along well with Break. When he received a letter from Ada (in which she stated that she had found someone who she likes), he took Oz, Gilbert and Alice to Lutwidge. They dressed as students, and sneak into the school. He once, used to be married to a sickly woman and had hopes of bearing a child. It's assumed she passed away without the chance to bear a child, as the camera he was going to use to take a picture of his son with was never used.
 * Oscar's Seiyū is Hideyuki Umezu.


 * Ada Vessalius (エイダ＝ベザリウス)
 * Oz's little sister who adores him very much. After 10 years she attends Lutwidge (ラトウィッジ), a prestigious school for nobles, of which she is a prefect. She keeps in contact with Oscar via letter and causes Oz and his friends to sneak into Lutwidge as she wrote that she has found a person she likes. It is revealed that she was the one who gave Gilbert his precious hat, that made Oz and Oscar think that Gilbert is the one that Ada likes. Then she asked Oz to let her be the one to return Elliot's bag, but when Oz said that he will return Elliot's bag by himself, Ada was slightly disappointed. However, in the later chapters she is seen on a date with Vincent. She has a cat named Dinah and later another one named Snowdrop. It is revealed later, much to Vincent's astonishment, that she has been studying about the Abyss and the occult in order to find a way to bring her brother back from the Abyss but during her studies, she has grown an interest in the occult.
 * Ada's Seiyū is Kaori Fukuhara.


 * Zai Vessalius (ザイ＝ベザリウス)
 * Oz and Ada's father. Appeared only in a flashback until chapter 39. He is depicted with a cold attitude toward his son and explicitly rejected him. In chapter 40 it is shown he has a large scar across his face and is responsible for sending his son to the Abyss. He controls the Gryphon chain. Although the Duke Nightray tells Elliot to hate the Vessalius, he and Zai seem to be friends. It was revealed that he was who planned sending Oz to the Abyss, along with the other Baskervilles. He knows where the Baskerville's final door was. He is the one that sent Oz to the Abyss with the power of his Chain, the Gryphon, and he is the one who Gilbert protected from being slashed.


 * Rachel Cecile (レイチェル＝セシル)
 * Oz and Ada's mother. Not much is known beyond the suspicion that the Nightrays caused her death.

Nightray Dukedom

 * Gilbert Nightray (ギルバート＝ナイトレイ)
 * Also known as "Raven" or "Gil," he is Oz's best friend and loyal servant. Oz is his most precious person, for whom he is willing to sacrifice anything; this protectiveness is compounded by the fact that he was brainwashed by Miranda Barma to protect Jack Vessalius (and therefore Oz, who is his medium) even if it means killing. When he drinks, he reverts to his fourteen-year-old self, an insecure crybaby. He cares deeply about the hat that Ada gave him. He is a great cook, terrified of cats, unable to quit smoking despite eight attempts, and constantly afraid that as Oz grows, he will be left behind.
 * Gil was Jack's servant 100 years ago, but was killed by Glen along with Jack; in order to save him, his brother Vincent opened a path to the Abyss. (It is later revealed that Gil was killed in order to serve as Glen's new vessel, and when Vincent interrupted the ceremony the Tragedy occurred.) He was taken in as a servant by the current Vessalius family fifteen years ago, after he was discovered injured and amnesiac in the Vessalius gardens. He came to be Oz's closest friend, and was invited to be a part of the boy's coming-of-age ceremony. During the ceremony, Zwei uses her chain Doldum to control his body and forces him to attack Oz. After he regains consciousness, he recognizes one of the Baskervilles as Oz's father and, when Oz attacks the man with a sword, Gilbert takes the wound and falls unconscious.
 * Gil remains loyal to Oz during his time in the Abyss. Shortly after the ceremony, he is approached by Xerxes Break who arranges his adoption into the Nightray family in exchange for inside information on the family's doings. He views this as a betrayal, since the Nightrays are the prime suspects in the assassination of Oz's mother, but he agrees to join the family when he learns that contracting their chain 'Raven' might give him the power to rescue Oz. He trains in gunmanship and eventually kills before the chain deems him worthy to contract with it.
 * Once he obtains the chain, he takes the name Raven (レィブン) and goes to work for Break as a member of Pandora. When Oz returns from the Abyss, Gil is the first one at his side. Initially, Oz is unaware that 'Raven' is Gil, but during the second battle with Zwei his true identity is revealed. Gilbert uses his chain's power to bind B-Rabbit, keeping Alice in her human form and preventing Oz's seal from moving when they are not in battle.
 * It's shown in Retrace 45 that he has always had the right to make the contract with Raven, which leads him to gaining the chain. It is also said that Gilbert had been poisoned on a targeted attack against the Nightrays by a mysterious headhunter.


 * Gilbert's Seiyū is Azuma Sakamoto (younger) and Katsuyuki Konishi (CD drama) and Toriumi Kousuke (Anime) (older).


 * Vincent Nightray (ヴィンセント＝ナイトレイ)
 * Vincent is Gilbert's younger brother by one year. As the Vessalius family found Gilbert, the Nightray family similarly adopted Vincent. His left eye is golden like Gilbert's, but his right eye is wine-red and his long hair is golden in color. He loves his brother Gilbert to the point of slight obsession. He has an easy-going personality on the outside and is often seen smiling. However, it is shown that Vincent also has a dark, unstable side. He has a habit of carrying around scissors and cutting up stuffed animals with them. Break is often at odds with him, which is fueled by Vincent sending Echo to attack Sharon. Vincent is from 100 years ago. In Alice's memory, a young Vincent is seen walking among corpses, gouging out eyes and intestines with a pair of scissors saying that "it's not my fault" and "it's that person's fault. it's because of that person", because he was doing this to save his brother. He is also shown to be in alliance with the Baskervilles. It was him who called Zwei out from Echo, telling Echo that she is not required anymore in order to release her other personality. He is seen going on a date with Ada Vessalius shortly after those events. In one of the most recent chapters that gives some insight into their date, they are discussing the situation concerning the Headhunting. Meanwhile his true thoughts show that he may be planning to harm Ada in order to draw Gilbert's attention, believing that she is an important person to Gil. Later chapters have shown that he has become Ada's lover in order to "taint her" as well as make her a pawn in order to retrieve the Key to the Abyss from Oscar Vessalius. Later chapters showed some of his time during 100 years ago. Due to the belief that red eyes will bring disasters, Gilbert and Vincent used to live on the streets where people would attack them whenever Vincent's eye was revealed. This continues until Jack Vessalius found them and brought them under his wings. The brothers then became his servants. He was fond of Jack, who didn't care about his eye and even cut Vincent's hair which was used to hide his red eye, stating that Jack "loves" it. Vincent also called him Master like his brother did. It was also shown that Jack tried to introduce the two to Alice since they were in closer age to her. Unfortunately, Alice immediately made fun of Vincent's red eye which caused Gilbert to pull her hair. This incident fueled Vincent's hatred towards Alice since she had made Gil "showed that kind of expression again" and Jack sighs in worry and began his habit of tearing up dolls (often rabbits) out of frustration and hatred. He is the prime suspect of Alice's death because of his hatred and his placement in Alice's memories. In one flash-back, Vincent is shown threatening Alice and even giving her the corpse of her cat, Cheshire, after he'd gouged the cat's eyes out. When Vincent found out about Gil's death and how he will be Glen's next body through a ritual from Alice, he was visited by a mysterious lady (later revealed as Miranda Barma) who told him how to prevent the ritual by opening the Abyss's door. Though he had succeeded in saving Gil, Vincent had caused the Tragedy to happen, making himself a "child of misfortune". He has a contract with the Doormouse.


 * Vincent's Seiyū is Jun Fukuyama (older) and Fuyuka Ōura (younger).


 * Echo (エコー)
 * Vincent's personal servant. She is somewhat emotionless, like a puppet, and treats Vincent's word as law. Oz calls her "Echo-chan". Echo fights with blades that come out of her long sleeves. It may seem that Vincent treasures her, but he actually does not care that much. In Chapter 23, he goes as far as to poison her to prove that the antidote for the poison that he poisoned Shalon with works. Echo is shown to have her own mind when she saves the bottle of antidote that Vincent almost drops off the veranda, because she remember what Oz said the first time they meet. In Chapter 33 she admits that she finds Vincent annoying. She seems to developed feelings for Oz after both of them go to the festival together and Oz shows her what it is like to have fun, he also gives her a hair ornament which he was supposed to give to the girl he likes, although he didn't know that. In recent chapters she is known to have another personality called Noise, who is actually Zwei. Noise loves Vincent deeply and, according to herself, is the original personality inside Echo's body. Zwei controls a chain called Duldum that can control other people or immobilize them using strings. Zwei used her chain to immobilize Gilbert, and also used it within Echo to capture Shalon.
 * With Zwei in possession of the body, she rejoins the Baskerville group and goes to Sablier along with Lottie, where she meets Elliot and Leo. She immobilizes Leo using her chain, Duldum, but is only able to control his body, not his mind. Meanwhile Lotti stops Elliot. It is shown that Break thinks it's unfair for him stabbing her through the hand and stomach after she had saved the antidote that saved Sharon's life.
 * Echo's Seiyū is Ryō Hirohashi.


 * Elliot Nightray (エリオット＝ナイトレイ)
 * A student at Lutwidge that, along with Reo, catches Oz's attention as they can play the tune from his pocket watch. He first meets Oz in the Latowidge library where they get into a fight over a character in the novel series "Holy Knight" (Elliot spoils the ending for Oz's favorite character, Edgar). He also doesn't like Ada calling his name and despises how the Vessalius seem to get away with anything just because they were heroes 100 years ago. Ada, however, thinks he is a nice and dependable person deep down. He is the legitimate heir of the Nightray Dukedom and consequently the brother of the adopted Vincent and Gilbert. He is adept with the sword and keeps a blade with his family crest in a violin case. Elliot has a strong sense of right and wrong and tends to say things without consideration to the other party. It is through this straightforwardness, however, that Oz finally overcomes the shadows of his past. He has said that the tune he and Leo were playing was composed by him and is called "Lacie", implying a strong connection between him and Glen Baskerville. He is also shown to suffer from nightmares, which later on in Chapter 39 is implied that Eliot possesses some of Glen's memories. Elliot meets Oz and co. at Sablier in chapter 34. He takes them into the Nightray's orphanage at Sablier, where Oz meets Phillipe. Elliot sticks up for Oz when Zai shows up.
 * After these events, Elliot hears about a mysterious killer known as the head hunter who in the past was targeting members of his family, also killing his brothers. Upon hearing that there was another murder committed by the same person, he attempts to find the killer himself.
 * In chapter 49, Elliot is shown worried about Reo, since he hasn't talked to Elliot a lot lately, and seems to be feeling unwell at Oz's second coming of age ceremony.
 * Elliot is also shocked when he sees Reo talking to Isla Yura, and wonders what their connection may be. He seems to be upset that Reo didn't tell him anything, ending up in a heavy fight with him.
 * In Retrace 52, Elliot faints with a vision of his nightmare where he kills everyone with his sword and after waking up and finding Vanessa dead, Break accuses Elliot of being the Headhunter. It Retrace 53, it is found that he isn't the Headhunter.
 * Elliot's Seiyū is Hirofumi Nojima


 * Reo (リーオ)
 * A boy with dark messy hair and round glasses. He is a student at Lutwidge and serves Eliot. He has a calm and collected demeanor and is hardly rattled by anything. Reo is very observant and discovered Oz's identity as an intruder. Despite being Elliot's servant, he doesn't always take his side and will make him apologize if needed. Also, Reo could hit Eliot if he's doing or saying something wrong to his eyes. He is rarely seen without Eliot. Reo carries a gun and is apparently hopeless with it and swords, according to Elliot. In chapter 49 Eliot witnesses a chat between Reo and Isla Yura, wondering how they are related. Reo thinks Isla Yura is the culprit of the deaths of six children of the orphanage and the one who made Phillipe forget about his fathers's death; being this the first time we get to see him acting saddened, angry and restless.
 * In retrace 50 Leo tells Oz the way he and Eliot met two years ago, revealing that they indeed disliked each other at first but with the mutual love for piano they developed a bond through music. Eliot says Leo always beat the people who tried to cut his hair. When Eliot asks why he wants to hide his eyes (since they are such a "pretty color," according to Eliot's thoughts) Leo answers that he doesn't want to hide his eyes but he doesn't want to see. Eliot doesn't get it and Leo responds that he doesn't want to see the world. Leo asks him to buy him a pair of glasses so that everything would be fine (it means he doesn't really need them.)
 * Leo rejected Eliot when the second asked him to be his servant, but at the end he accepted because "he was interested in the Nightray Houshold's books collection".
 * Leo tells Oz he reveres Eliot and that he'd kill any of Eliot's enemies even if it's Oz or himself and also asks Oz to kill him with his own hands if he ends up being the main suspect of danger. He says he's like the other children of the orphanage, especially Phillipe, giving a hint that whatever Isla Yura did to the children he did it to him too when he was little. In Retrace 52, Reo seems to have a mind to mind connection with Elliot. In Retrace 53, it is discovered that he and all the other Fianna house children are contractors of Humpty Dumpty, the Headhunter
 * Reo's Seiyū is Akeno Watanabe


 * Fred, Claude and Ernest Nightray
 * Older brothers to Elliot Nightray who were killed by the mysterious head hunter seen in Chapter 45. Fred was the first to be killed, which resulted in Ernest and Claude going after the head hunter while instructing Elliot to flee the country with their mother. The brothers appear to have disliked Vincent and Gilbert, warning Elliot to stay away from them as they did not consider them a part of the Nightray family. Elliot himself they seemed to have dotted on. Claude was upset with their father for allowing Gilbert to form a contract with Raven as he was not a descendant of the Nightray family.:Ernest is the one who tells Eliot that as he's already fourteen, he needs a servant (in a fashion way), and then takes him to Sablier to choose between the orphans. Claude and Ernest ended up getting scolded for taking him to Sablier before he matured like his father wanted before telling him about Sablier.


 * Vanessa Nightray
 * Elliot's older sister, not much is known about her but she seems to hate Oz for being a Vessalius. It is known that Vanessa taught him things like the language of flowers. In Retrace 52, Vanessa becomes another victim to the head hunter thus being beheaded just like Claude and Ernest before her.

Rainsworth Dukedom

 * Sharon Rainsworth (シャロン＝レインズワース)
 * The Lady of the Rainsworth household. Sharon is a member of Pandora and looks like a fourteen year old girl, although she is technically 23 years old. Her appearance does not change from her first meeting with Oz to after he came out of the Abyss because she has a legal contract with a chain, the black unicorn Eques. Sharon and Break have a close relationship. She was the one that discovered Break in a fatal condition after he came out of the Abyss. When she was young, she used to call Break 'Xerx-nii', as he was like a big brother to her. She wants to be of use to him. She might have some connection to Jack Vessalius as she is seen saying: "Too alike, Mister Oz and you are too alike brother Jack". She also looks a lot like her mother, Shelly Rainsworth. While Oz and co. were taken into the Cheshire Cat's dimension, Sharon was abducted by Echo under the orders of Vincent Nightray, who poisoned Sharon in order to blackmail Break into destroying the memories from the Tragedy of Sablier that Break attained from the Cheshire Cat.  Despite Sharon protesting to Break to not destroy the memories, which took the form of the bell Cheshire wore around his neck, Break destroyed the memories in exchange for the poison's antidote. Sharon develops a queen complex when she drinks, which Oz strangely finds cool. She likes the concept of "love" and tries to teach Alice about it. In episode 20, she wanted Alice to call her "big sister." In the second DVD special, she tries to teach Alice "her status as a female." Also in episode 20, she beat Oz with a paper fan after Alice told her that she and Oz already kissed, later apologizing.


 * After Oz and co. return from Sablier, Sharon realizes Break still thinks of her as fragile. She then makes a resolution to be of more use to Break, and joins Oz, Gil, and Alice when they go to locate a seal encasing one of Jack's body parts.  While at the location of the seal, the group is attacked and Sharon realizes she takes the power of her chain for granted.  Since then she has decided that she is powerless but is determined to get stronger.
 * Sharon's Seiyū are Yui Horie (Drama CD) and Hanazawa Kana (Anime).


 * Xerxes Break (ザークシーズ＝ブレイク)
 * Commonly known as Break, he is a member of Pandora and a servant of the Rainsworth Dukedom. Break's appearance does not change from the ten year gap between Oz entering and leaving the Abyss. He has a legal contract with the Mad Hatter. Break is often seen with a doll on his shoulder, which he calls Emily. He adores sweets and cakes. From the outside, Break seems like a carefree character, never serious and always smiling. When needs be, however, Break shows his dangerous and evil side. Reim tells Oz that Break has not always been the way he is now. Before, after losing his eye, he was a bitter and angry person, never smiling. However, through the kindness of Shelly, Sharon's mother, he began to open up. He has sworn absolute loyalty to Shelly.


 * Break has no left eye. He reveals that the Intention of the Abyss took it from him and that the Cheshire has it. Break's true motive is to find the truth behind what happened 100 years ago. He hates Vincent with a passion.


 * It was revealed by Rufus Barma in chapter 29 that his real name is Kevin Regnard. Break was originally a knight who served under the noble family Sinclair until they were mysteriously massacred for political reasons. His lord was killed during the incident while Kevin and the daughter of the lord were out. Kevin blamed himself for his carelessness, and became an illegal contractor to try to change the past. When his clock made a full revolution, he was pulled into Abyss where he met the Intention of the Abyss and a young Vincent. The Intention of the Abyss once changed the past for Break. In return, Break was asked to fulfilled her wish, which is still unknown. Break then was sent to the Rainsworth house over 30 years later.


 * The changed past wasn't really what Break wanted. The Sinclair family was still murdered. According to Cheryl, the oldest daughter of the house was assassinated, which led the younger daughter to become an illegal contractor and got sent to Abyss after her Chain murdered the entire family. The political massacre did not happen and Kevin's lord lived for 4 years longer, but instead, the little girl who originally survived the incident died. Break blames himself for that. For one moment he also blamed the Intention of the Abyss, but he realizes that he was the one who asked for the past to be changed, and in reality, he really just wanted to erase his own guilt. In Retrace 42, it is shown that Break has lost his eyesight, causing him to be blind. It is later revealed in Chapter 43, however, that Break has not gone completely blind' although he can no longer discern faces, he can make out general objects.
 * Break's Seiyū are Toshihiko Seki (drama CD) and Ishida Akira (anime).

Barma Dukedom

 * Rufus Barma (ルーファス＝バルマ)
 * The last of the four dukes. Rufus is known as the longest living duke and is a very knowledgeable person. He holds information on almost all topics and even knows people's personalities and is thus able to predict their reactions. He absolutely detests people changing without him knowing as then he would not have the most updated information. Oz and co. approach Rufus to seek information about the Tragedy of Sablier. Rufus first appears as a round man with a big mustache wearing a big teacup shaped hat. Later, after getting destroyed by Break, it is revealed that the real Rufus created that as an illusion. The real Rufus has long red hair, tired looking eyes and speaks in olden-day Japanese. He was sought by Oz in order to learn more about the Tragedy of Sablier, but instead, they learned about Break's past from him. Sheryl Rainsworth, Sharon's grandmother, is a childhood friend of Rufus and he seems to fear the wrath of the Rainsworth family's women, although in one of the omakes, he is seen entrusting a young Reim with a love letter to Sheryl, his first love. He discovers Arthur Barma's book and decodes it to find out that Jack divided up his body. In chapter 48, it is revealed that his family is from another country. He has a contract with the Dodo.
 * The last of the four dukes. Rufus is known as the longest living duke and is a very knowledgeable person. He holds information on almost all topics and even knows people's personalities and is thus able to predict their reactions. He absolutely detests people changing without him knowing as then he would not have the most updated information. Oz and co. approach Rufus to seek information about the Tragedy of Sablier. Rufus first appears as a round man with a big mustache wearing a big teacup shaped hat. Later, after getting destroyed by Break, it is revealed that the real Rufus created that as an illusion. The real Rufus has long red hair, tired looking eyes and speaks in olden-day Japanese. He was sought by Oz in order to learn more about the Tragedy of Sablier, but instead, they learned about Break's past from him. Sheryl Rainsworth, Sharon's grandmother, is a childhood friend of Rufus and he seems to fear the wrath of the Rainsworth family's women, although in one of the omakes, he is seen entrusting a young Reim with a love letter to Sheryl, his first love. He discovers Arthur Barma's book and decodes it to find out that Jack divided up his body. In chapter 48, it is revealed that his family is from another country. He has a contract with the Dodo.


 * Reim Lunettes (レイム＝ルネット)
 * A member of Pandora. He wears glasses and is a serious person. He is always used and made fun of by Break, Oscar or Vincent, much to his frustration. He accidentally discovers Oz's return from the Abyss. Reim is a rather honest person and is seen to be trusted by most of the Pandora members, and also by Break and Oz. He was put in charge of looking after Oz by Oscar. Rufus Barma is his master. Reim has a close friendship with Break, consoling him after Break loses his eyesight. It is revealed in chapter 49 that Reim is a contractor, and in chapter 51, that his Chain is March Hare, any powers it may have are said to be useless for fighting but what it is exactly has yet to be revealed. Reim's Seiyū is Suwabe Junichi.


 * Miranda Barma (ミランダ＝バルマ)
 * In chapter 39, the cloaked woman who speaks with a young Vincent on how to save his brother is revealed to be Miranda Barma. She offers a way to save Gilbert from his death as Glen Baskerville's next body. She decides to teach Vincent the way to open the doors of the abyss. She planned the Tragedy of Sablier.


 * Arthur Barma (アーサー＝バルマ)
 * In chapter 41, it is revealed that Arther Barma was the sole witness to the Tragedy of Sablier. He later wrote a book that was discovered by Rufus Barma. It was revealed that he helped to divide Jack's body into five fragments to create the curse to prevent Glen's consciousness to wake up.

Residents of Baskerville

 * Glen Baskerville (グレン＝バスカヴィル)
 * Glen was the head of the Baskerville family 100 years ago. According to Lotti, Glen gave the impression that he liked being alone and was difficult to approach. Contrary to his beliefs, he was best friends with the loud Jack Vessalius and even told him about a secret passage so that he could sneak into the Baskerville house. Jack and Glen made a musical pocket watch together. Glen wrote the melody for it while Jack crafted it. The piece he wrote is called "Lacie". One day he suddenly ordered his subordinates to kill everyone in the castle of Sablier, the incident later known as the "Tragedy of Sablier". He was killed by Jack but, according to Jack, Glen is still alive. He controls a chain called Jabberwock which looks like the jabberwocky from Through the Looking-Glass and four others being the Dodo, the Owl, the Griffon, and Raven. It was then revealed in one of Alice's memories that Glen made the pocket watch in the memories of Lacie, a precious person to Glen. The pocketwatch's melody was named after and used to be sung by Lacie. In chapter 37 Oz finally came face to face with Glen in Sablier's memory world, and is shocked when Glen knows him as well as Jack. Having lost Lacie, Glen appears to believe that the world is worthless and that not even hope or despair is left within him. Chapter 39 also implies that Glen might never been a human but a "spirit" that is the Baskerville's head and must continue for eternity thus the necessity of having new bodies through the five chains with black feathers. Glen's next body was supposed to be Gilbert with Raven as the chosen chain. Glen's Seiyū is Kishō Taniyama.


 * Lottie (ロッティ)
 * A bubbly girl with pink hair that kidnaps Oz at Latowidge. She was a participant in the Tragedy of Sablier and killed many under orders. She served the Baskerville house and had feelings for Glen 100 years ago. Her real name is Charlotte, but Jack gave her the nickname Lottie after they met. Lottie can't forgive Jack for killing his supposedly best friend and object of her affection and thus is targeting Oz to talk to Jack. Her main objective was to find their master Glen, and to find out what actually happened on the night of the Tragedy of Sablier. Although she was one of the participants, she acted upon orders, and knew nothing behind the scenes. Hence why they approached Jack for the answers. She controls a chain called "Leon". Break has begun a "friendship" with Lottie as of chapter 41. Retrace 51 implies that Lottie, along with the other Baskervilles, is immortal, as they are "special beings chosen by Abyss."
 * Lottie's Seiyū is Megumi Toyoguchi.


 * Fang (ファング)
 * Fang has spiky hair and a tattoo down the left side of his face. He was also a participant in the Tragedy of Sablier. Fang speaks politely and is the most rational of the trio. He wields a large blade. Retrace 51 implies that Fang, along with the other Baskervilles, is immortal, as they are "special beings chosen by Abyss." Despite this, in Retrace 56, Break stabs him through the stomach and he dies by dissipating.
 * Fang's Seiyū is Takayuki Kondo.


 * Doug (ダグ)
 * Another member of the trio. It's vaguely shown under his hood that he has a tattoo opposite of Fang's on the right side of his face. Not much has been revealed about him. Retrace 51 implies that Doug, along with the other Baskervilles, is immortal, as they are "special beings chosen by Abyss."
 * Doug's Seiyū is Hiroshi Shirokuma.


 * Lily (リリィ)
 * She is the latest Baskerville to be released from the door of the abyss that the Baskerville's own. A little girl that cries a lot. She controls a chain known as Bandersnatch that is a canine chain. In Retrace 51, it is show after being shot in the head by Liam, that she cannot die.

Others

 * Lacie (レイシー)
 * Lacie was a very important person to Glen. The melody that Glen composed was named after her. She died as a sacrifice made to Abyss. The tombstone where Oz found the music box, is her tomb. It's hinted that Lacie saved Glen somehow when he talks about having found the light in Pandora's box, only to have it snatched away again. It's backed up by an image of Lacie singing and a man in a hood when the subject is being thought about by Glen.


 * Phillipe West (フィリップ＝ウェスト)
 * Phillipe is a young child from a wealthy family, though without a mother and father now. Oz saved Phillipe from some bullies, and while talking to him saw a reflection of himself in Phillipe, particularly that of his father. Phillipe was then attacked by Echo, who was in pursuit of an illegal contractor. Oz thought that Phillipe was the contractor, but it was actually his father. Phillipe's father made an illegal contract to try and bring his wife back to life but lost control and was eventually killed by Vincent on grounds that he was about to kill Oz.
 * After the death of his father, Phillipe was taken to the Nightray's orphanage at Sablier. There, Oz meets him again. Oz tries to apologize for not being able to bring his father back, but surprisingly, Phillipe is in denial and says that he has received letter from his father. He is later seen talking on the phone with his "father", although the phone cord is shown to be severed, leading one to suspect Phillipe to be mentally unstable. He is seen again in Retrace 52 at the party taking place at Isla Yura's place when he shows up with Alice wearing a cloak similar to that of the Baskervilles. When Oz and Alice ask him why he's there, he tells them that the kids from the orphanage are participaiting in a 'play' about the Tragedy of Sablier. He and the other House of Fianna children are contracted by the Chain Humpty Dumpty a.k.a. the Queen of Hearts. Phillipe's Seiyū is Kumiko Higa.


 * The Head Hunter
 * The head hunter, also known as the Chain Humpty Dumpty, is a mysterious killer who had targeted the Nightrays in the past, killing the elder siblings of Elliot. Humpty Dumpty made its appearance known in Retrace 44 killing everyone in the mansion. The head hunter then proceeds in releasing the seal trapping Glen's soul. Humpty Dumpty has no connections with the Baskervilles and motives are unknown. It is an illegal contractor revealed by Vincent. The head hunter has a connection with Isla Yura and the religious cult Yura leads.


 * Isla Yura
 * Isla Yura is first seen as a worshipper of Jack Vessalius. In Retrace 54, he is revealed to be behind the massacre at his house, in an attempt to recreate the Tragedy of Sablier. He believes that the Abyss is a place of happiness and the real tragedy of the Tragedy of Sablier was that the whole world did not enter the Abyss. In Retrace 56, it's shown that he truly doesn't believe this and is only manipulating the people in the occult for an ulterior motive.

Chains

 * B-Rabbit (血染めの黒ウサギ (ビーラビット))
 * Also known as Alice and is contracted to Oz. The 'B' stands for Bloodstained Black. B-rabbit is the most powerful chain in the Abyss and resembles an anthropomorphic rabbit with black fur, red pupils and fangs and wields a giant scythe when released. When she is not in battle, she takes the form of a girl with a red coat with white diamond design and white boots.


 * Raven (鴉 (レイヴン))
 * Gilbert's chain. Previously Glen's chain. Sealed by the Nightray family and eventually tamed by Gilbert. Can use teleportation at a great strain to the user. It's shown in Retrace 45 that Raven remembers Gilbert from the past, saying that he has seen him three times. The first time he disturbed him, the second time he came to visit, and the time when he made the contract. He also said that he'd be bound to Gilbert's left arm again.


 * Eques (一角獣 (エクエス))
 * Sharon's chain. Eques is in the shape of a black unicorn and is often used by Sharon for data collection. It has the power to warp between places and dimensions, taking people with it. Sharon can also conceal Eques inside a persons shadow, allowing her to see and hear what they see and hear and allow them to converse over large distances. Sharon mentions that although Eques is meant for espionage, it doesn't mean that it's not powerful.


 * Mad Hatter (イカレ帽子屋 (マッド ハッター))
 * Break's chain. It resembles the Alice in Wonderland character of the same name but gives off a more sinister feel. Mad Hatter resembles a giant top hat with flowery decorations, under which is one big eye. It has the power to reject and destroy the power of the Abyss and exists for the purpose of killing other chains. When Break uses its power to a large extent, he is seen coughing up blood, but only because his previous identity, Kevin Regnard, had already made an illegal contract with Albus, putting more strain on the user's body.


 * Dormouse (眠り鼠 (ヤマネ))
 * Vincent's chain. It resembles the dormouse of Alice in Wonderland, but much bigger. Yamane has a toy-like tuner on its back and has stitch-closed eyes. It is always seen asleep and also makes its contractor, Vincent, sleepy.


 * Cheshire (チェシャ猫 (チェシャ))
 * A chain that lives in a dimension created from Alice's memories. He resembles a human form of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. Cheshire was actually Alice's pet cat from 100 years ago. The bell around his neck is the 'truth' from 100 years ago, later taken by Break. The Cheshire cat is a unique chain in that he doesn't need a contractor in order to leave the Abyss (since his residence isn't in the Abyss in the first place). Originally believed to be a fervent servant of the Intention of the Abyss, it later turns out that he is trying to protect Alice's memories that she abandoned, in order to prevent her from suffering pain when she recalls them. Break mentions that Cheshire's eye was his. It is revealed in Break's memory of meeting the Will of the Abyss that Vincent had removed Cheshire's eyes 100 years ago, killing him. Cheshire also has only one eye, since the Abyss only took one of Break's eyes when it showed his memories. Cheshire can also be connected to "Through the Looking Glass" as Alice's cat 'Kitty'. Kitty is also black and has a ribbon tied around his neck.
 * Cheshire's Seiyū is Kappei Yamaguchi


 * Jabberwock (ジャバウォック)
 * Glen Baskerville's Chain, shaped like a black bird-like creature with large insane-looking eyes, he's reckless and aggressive but responds faithfully to Glen's commands.


 * Glen's Bird-Like Chains
 * Glen controlled five chains,the jabberwock, the Dodo, the Owl, the Griffin, and Raven. It's assumed that Glen's chains were divided among the Four Dukes to watch over. The Nightray watched over Raven, and Vessalius, the Griffin. In retrace 43, it is shown that the Barma house holds the Dodo while the Rainsworth holds the Owl.


 * Leon (リオン)
 * Lotti's chain, shaped like a lion with a crown and small wings.


 * Bandersnatch
 * Lily's chain, shaped like a black dog with numerous wispy tails and has a tendency to kill humans against Lily's will when hungry. First appears in retrace 49.


 * March Hare
 * Reim's chain as revealed in retrace 51. It's known as "more useless in combat than a Card," as expressed by Break. It's ability is "false death," where it puts the contractor into a feigned state of death for a certain amount of time. It doesn't heal wounds during this state, either, and it's unknown when the person will awake from the power.


 * Humpty Dumpty (Queen of Hearts)
 * A chain that has the power to make people forget painful memories, and believed to be the head hunter. It is revealed by Rufus Barma that this chain can split its contract with several contractors to slow down the rate of the contractor seal ticking. It is also assumed that all the children of the House of Fianna have a contract with it.

Manga
Pandora Hearts is written and illustrated by Jun Mochizuki and serialized in Square Enix monthly shōnen magazine GFantasy since June 2006. There are currently eleven Tankōbon collecting serial chapters released. The series was first licensed in English by Broccoli Books but has been dropped. It has been picked up by Yen Press and serialized in Yen Plus since June 2009 issue. Yen Press released the first English volume on December 15, 2009 with the second scheduled for May 18, 2010. In Indonesia, the series has been licensed by Elex Media Komputindo, and in France by Ki-oon.

Anime
With director Takao Kato, studio Xebec produced a 25 episodes anime adaptatation with music featured by Yuki Kajiura and themes by Savage Genius and FictionJunction. The series premiered on April 3, 2009 and ran until September 25, 2009. The series broadcasted on TBS, BS-TBS, CBC and MBS for its initial run. On February 11, 2010, NIS America announced the licensing of the series in North America, and released English-subtitled DVDs of the anime on October 26, 2010.

Guide book
A guide book Pandora Hearts Official Guide was released on March 27, 2009, and is numbered 8.5 with the subtitle 'Mine of mine'. The guide contains a short story revolving around Gilbert Nightray and artwork and official romanization of the Pandora Hearts cast. Oz Vessalius and Gilbert Nightray are on the guide cover, along with a plush of B-Rabbit.

Soundtracks
The anime first opening theme was released as a maxi-single, "Parallel Hearts", on April 29, 2009 under Victor Entertainment label. The opening theme single performed by FictionJunction included "Parallel Hearts" and "Hitomi No Chikara" in both vocal and instrumental versions, with lyrics, compositions and arrangements made by Yuki Kajiura, and peak ranked 20th on Oricon singles charts.

The first ending theme "Maze" was released on June 3, 2009 under Victor Entertainment label, and peak ranked 35th in Oricon singles chart. The Second Ending theme is "Watashi wo Mitsukete" by Savage Genius

The anime first album Pandora hearts Original Soundtracks 1 was released July 8, 2009 under Victor Entertainment label and peak ranked 104th on Oricon albums chart.

Drama CD
A drama CD entitled Pandora Hearts Drama CD was released on December 21, 2007 under Frontier works label.

Reception
The eighth volume of Pandora Hearts was ranked 21st on the Tohan charts between March 24 and 30, 2009, 19th between March 31 and April 6, 2009. Volume nine was ranked number one between July 27 and August 2.