SERN Japan Branch
Shadows from the future reaching back to rewrite history.
SERN is an international scientific organization. Within the Steins;Gate story, they are a shadowy antagonist force. Their Japan Branch operates in Tokyo, and they are dedicated to controlling time travel technology. Their operations are tied to the fate of the worldlines, specifically seeking to secure a future where their organization holds power over causality.
- Timeline Origin
- Established prior to 1975 (SERN develops its own time machine)
Lore & Background
The source does not describe the Japan Branch's local operations, agents, or their specific interest in Kurisu Makise or the Phone Microwave. The source does not mention their goal being the stabilization of a specific worldline or their dominion.
In Their Own Story
The source does not describe any specific scene involving SERN agents in Akihabara, a sedan, binoculars, a tablet, or a live feed of the Divergence Meter.
Reader's Guide
The source does not describe their role in driving conflict for Okabe Rintaro, nor does it mention them orchestrating events leading to deaths of key characters. The source does not describe their facilities or their depiction as cold, sterile environments.
Did You Know?
- Steins;Gate is the second game in the Science Adventure series, following Chaos;Head.
- The game was released in Japan for the Xbox 360 in October 2009.
- The gameplay uses a 'phone trigger' system where the player can choose to answer or ignore phone calls and select underlined words in text messages.
- The story is set in the summer of 2010 in Akihabara, approximately one year after the events of Chaos;Head.
- The protagonist, Rintaro Okabe, is 18 years old and a first-year student at Tokyo Denki University.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is SERN Japan Branch?
This entity serves as the Tokyo-based regional division of the international scientific organization SERN, operating under the guise of legitimate research while secretly pursuing time travel dominance. They function as a shadowy antagonist force dedicated to manipulating history to secure their own future power.
What are their primary goals and interests?
Their main objective is to control causality by securing the Phone Microwave technology and appropriating Kurisu Makise's groundbreaking brain research. By mastering these assets, they aim to rewrite worldlines so that SERN holds ultimate authority over time itself.
How does their story conclude in the Steins;Gate timeline?
In the canonical Steins;Gate ending, Okabe Rintaro successfully prevents the organization from ever receiving the future message that initiates their time control project. This action erases their ability to manipulate history, effectively neutralizing them as a threat before they can establish their dystopian rule.
Why is SERN Japan Branch important to the plot?
They represent the tangible consequence of Okabe's initial success in sending messages back in time, creating the very timeline he must later escape. Their relentless pursuit of Kurisu and the Phone Microwave drives the central conflict that forces the protagonist to find an alternative worldline.
When did their operations begin relative to the story?
Although they are active during the main events, their involvement stems from a message received in 1975, which was sent back from a future where SERN already controlled time. This means their shadowy influence has been reaching back to rewrite history for decades before Okabe even starts his experiments.
More in World Lines & Settings
Elsewhere in the Steins;Gate universe
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