The Aquarion anime franchise began in 2005 with the Genesis of Aquarion TV series, followed in 2007 by an OVA and anime movie. The original series' story takes place in a distant future, when humanity is once again facing the threat of the "Shadow Angels" - mystical creatures who returned after 12.000 years of absence. They attack human cities and kidnap their inhabitants in order to drain their "prana" (vital energy). To fight against them, youngsters with special powers from arround the world were gathered and trained to pilot the "vector machines" - three ancient ships that together form mankind's ultimate weapon, "Aquarion".