is a Japanese anime series created by studio Gonzo and the multimedia studio Nitro+. The title is pseudo-German and can be translated as "Pale Rider". A manga titled was serialized in Champion Red magazine.
Along with The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk, and later Strike Witches, this series was officially broadcast with English subtitles on the video websites YouTube, Crunchyroll, and BOST TV. It has been licensed for a North American release by Funimation Entertainment.
Story
The story is set in a fictional Germany and centers on the outbreak of biomechanical creatures called "Demoniacs", who rise from corpses and attack people savagely. The Demoniacs have the ability to merge with most technology including cars and motorcycles, not only gaining control of them but also enhancing their performance greatly. Against them is a group of people known as XAT, Xenogenesis Assault Team, who police these Demoniacs in an attempt to keep the peace and discover the reasons for the "Demoniac" change. All the while, a number of human-turned-Demoniacs appear. Some use their powers for good, others for evil. One will rise above all other Demoniacs to become known as the "Blassreiter".
Gerd arc
The story begins with the introduction of famous motorcycle champion, Gerd Frentzen. After a tragic accident at the circuit, Gerd is rendered a paraplegic, until offered a cure in the way of a drug, which miraculously cures his paraplegia - by transforming him into an Amalgam. Gerd publicly exposes his Amalgam form during an XAT operation and has agents Hermann and his partner Amanda assigned to him by the organization for constant surveillance to study the nature of his metamorphosis, but concluded that the Demoniac responsible for Gerd's accident was also an Amalgam-human hybrid—explaining its ability to elude capture. With the help of his friend Hermann, Gerd escapes to visit his girlfriend Jill, only to discover she had been scheming all along with Gerd's former team manager, Matthew, in exploiting his fame—old & new. Emotionally betrayed, Gerd quickly succumbed to the influence of his recent changes and assaults Jill. Hermann and Amanda arrive, causing Gerd to flee. Pursued by Hermann and the XAT, Gerd encounters the Amalgam from the circuit accident and in the ensuing pursuit, Gerd crashes and is presumed dead. However, Gerd survived, though half of his face was left badly scarred from the crash. Branded a Demoniac by the general public, Gerd garners little moral support (only Hermann and Amanda's brother Malek) and fully succumbs to his metamorphosis, triggering intense hallucinations of Amalgams. In a pivotal encounter, Gerd finally makes peace with "Blue", the other Amalgam-human and asks to be stopped if he loses control again. Gerd is killed in front of Hermann and Malek.
Malek arc
Malek, who has been ridiculed and attacked by his school's seniors since he was adopted by Amanda, is distraught by the death of Gerd. He believed that Gerd would punish his attackers, but Gerd ended up being a "coward" by letting himself be killed. When Malek's friend Johann commits suicide after realizing his mistakes in ridiculing, he wonders why no one will stand up for justice. After being offered a pill by Beatrice, Malek transforms into an Amalgam. Malek kills the delinquents and is hunted by the XAT. Joseph, who had met Malek before, attempts to stop Malek from losing control and intervenes while Brad is shooting on the roof top a couple buildings away. Before Brad is about to shoot Malek, Joseph jumps in front to take the shot for him, causing Joseph to be severely injured. Amanda and Al fire at the wounded Joseph, but Malek shouts and Amanda recognizes his voice. Brad shoots Malek's shield and destroys it, aiming for another shot to Malek's head. Amanda realizes that the Amalgam is actually Malek, and before Brad shoots, jumps in front of Malek to block it, causing Brad to miss. Malek then flees, carrying the body of the unconscious Joseph. They hide in an abandoned church, where Malek attempts to heal Joseph. They are then found by Xargin, who Malek sees as an enemy and attacks. Joseph tries to warn Malek not to fight, but Malek does and is beaten by Xargin easily. Eventually, they are found by Amanda and Hermann. Malek falls into a coma and both are captured by XAT. At the same time, XAT is facing a critical crisis. Their commander, Wolf, has slowly begun to degenerate into a Demoniac. He turns on XAT by infecting everyone, except for Hermann and Amanda. Their comrades die to protect the two from becoming Demoniac. The two escape via helicopter, but Hermann is forced to crash the helicopter, killing himself. Using an XAT Paladin, Amanda flees and pursues Joseph.