title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: Designers aimed to make the younger Batman's outfit look "assembled versus manufactured", pieced together from several sources. Holmes said, "[Batman's suit is] not something that was made in a factory. He's taken pieces of tech either he's invented, he's fabricated, or things from the Wayne facilities, and he has made this costume out of these pieces." To emphasize the mystery and fear instilled by Batman in this early stage of his career, art director Jeremy Price and the design team used silhouettes and film noir-style low-key lighting to make the character more imposing. The name "Batman" is used sparingly in this game to emphasize his urban-legend status and the lack of understanding of the character. It was suggested that Batman makes mistakes because of his inexperience (such as tripping or missing with batarangs), but this idea was discarded as inconsistent with the character. His inexperience was instead personality-based: learning how to be the city's protector and overcoming his obsession with vengeance. In designing Batman's abilities and gadgets, the gameplay took precedence over narrative consistency with the previous games; the designers thought that removing features players had already experienced in those games would make playing "Arkham Origins" feel less empowering.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: Holmes acknowledged that Black Mask is not as well known as some of Batman's other villains (such as the Joker and Penguin), and the character required expansion to make him interesting and scary. Black Mask was considered an appropriate antagonist for Batman's early career because of his practicality; he transitions from the typical criminals Batman has been facing and the neurotic, quirky super-villains he will confront in the future. The team decided to make "Arkham Origins" Copperhead a female (in contrast to the comic's male character) with input from Johns. The contortionist character required three motion-capture actors to animate: a stunt woman, a Cirque du Soleil performer, and a martial artist. This version of Copperhead was later added to DC Comics' The New 52. Anarky, an anti-villain based on anarchist philosophy, was updated in appearance for the game to a street protester with a gang resembling a social movement. The character would appeal to Batman for a partnership (since he is not necessarily evil) but, as Holmes said, "is multidimensional in the Batman Universe." The popularity of anti-corporate and anti-government protest movements factored in the character's inclusion, and Holmes thought that of all of the villains Anarky was the most timely. The developers drew upon "original Alan Grant and Norm Breyfogle appearances" of Anarky for his character. Each main-story boss reinforces the player's mastery of a specific game mechanic (such as Deathstroke, whose fighting focuses on countering attacks). The assassins selected for the game were chosen for abilities that would challenge the game mechanics. The boss fights were inspired by "Arkham City"s battle against Mr. Freeze, which tasked players with exploring the full range of Batman's strategies and abilities to overcome the villain.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: The "Detective Vision" crime scenes were designed to be brief, visually rewarding, and fun segments, rather than demanding challenges. The designers worked on the length of time for each scene, seeing how many pieces of evidence players wanted to scan before they had a solution; they eventually settled on two to three minutes. Several predator areas (levels where Batman stalks enemies from the shadows) provide variety and challenge. For example, the theatre aboard Penguin's ship was gradually shrunk in size to pack the enemies closer together, and a hovering drone was removed when test players easily overcame it. A dynamic weather system altering gameplay (such as wind and snow reducing visibility, making snipers more vulnerable to Batman's stealth) was implemented during development but discarded when it was not completed within the available development time.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: The score for "Arkham Origins" was composed by Christopher Drake, replacing Ron Fish and Nick Arundel (who composed the scores for "Arkham Asylum" and "Arkham City"). It was partially inspired by the 1988 action film "Die Hard" (also set during Christmas), which features sleigh bells in its soundtrack to punctuate specific moments. Drake said that since the game was a prequel, it allowed him more freedom in the score while adhering to "the DNA" of "Batman" music. He added that although the previous scores were elegant and orchestral, he chose more electronic elements. Drake approached the cinematic scenes like a traditional film score, with the design team describing scenes over the phone while he worked out of Burbank, California. The in-game music was created with layers that activate with action (such as Batman entering a location or beginning a fight) and can be added or subtracted depending on what is occurring. Drake hoped the in-game music would not be boring, since those sections work at differing lengths of time (dependent on how long a player takes to complete a task).


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: The "Batman: Arkham Origins – Original Video Game Score" was released by WaterTower Music on October 22, 2013, and features 32 tracks composed for the game.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: "Batman: Arkham Origins" was released worldwide on October 25, 2013 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Wii U and Xbox 360. A week before its scheduled release in Europe, the retail Microsoft Windows and Nintendo Wii U versions were delayed until November 8. A companion game, "Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate", was released with "Arkham Origins" for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. A spin-off beat 'em up game, also entitled "", was developed by NetherRealm Studios for iOS and Android. The iOS version was released on October 16, 2013, and the Android version was scheduled for release in late 2013. NetherRealm Studios previously developed "", a spin-off of "Arkham City". The brawler game has players using touchscreen controls to fight enemies one-on-one (including villains such as Bane and Deathstroke). Defeating enemies earns points which can upgrade Batman's statistics or unlock gadgets and costumes; costumes unlocked in the game can unlock costumes in the console version and vice versa. In August 2017, the Xbox 360 version was made playable on Xbox One consoles through backward compatibility.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: Coinciding with "Arkham Origins" United Kingdom launch, voice actors Roger Craig Smith and Troy Baker made a public appearance at Stratford's GAME retailer. A series of game-character action figures and a working, life-size grapnel-gun replica were released in October 2013 by DC Collectibles and NECA, respectively. In December 2013, a digital comic book of the same name was released by digital studio Madefire with a prequel to the game. The comic is the first in DC Comics' "DC Multiverse" initiative, featuring dynamic artwork and sound and the ability to choose while reading how the story progresses (with several possible outcomes). Purchasing all eight chapters unlocks two costumes for the game.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: The PlayStation 3 edition of the game features the "Knightfall" DLC pack, with alternate Batman outfits based on the character's design in the 1960s TV series and Azrael's Batsuit from the "" story arc (1993). The pack also contains five challenge maps (based on "Knightfall") which task Batman with defeating Bane and the inmates of Blackgate prison: "Azrael Does Not Protect", "City On Fire", "No Rest For The Wicked", "Venom Connection" and "Turning Point". The UK, Australian and New Zealand "Collector's Edition" contains a SteelBook game case and a statue of Batman and Joker. The North American "Collector's Edition" and the Australian and New Zealand "Definitive Edition" contain a light-up statue of the Joker by Project Triforce, a Batman "Wanted Poster", Batwing prototype schematic, Anarky logo stencil, glow-in-the-dark map of Gotham City and a Wayne family photo. The North American version also contains the 2013 DC Comics super-villain documentary, "". All regions also get an 80-page hardback art book, dossiers of the in-game assassins, the "Deathstroke" DLC and the "First Appearance" skin (based on Batman's first appearance in "Detective Comics" #27). The PlayStation 3 version also has the "Knightfall" content. Both editions were released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: Deathstroke is available as a playable character for all the game's challenge maps, with weapons and abilities such as regenerating health and super strength, a rifle-staff with a built-in grapple, explosives, and his version of Detective Vision (Tactical Vision). The "Deathstroke" pack, available as a pre-order bonus, includes two alternate outfits based on costumes worn by the character in the 2013 video game "" and the 1984 storyline "Teen Titans: The Judas Contract", as well as two challenge maps, "No Money Down" and "100 to 1". Deathstroke is not playable in the main campaign.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: The "Black Mask Challenge" pack, released in November 2013, contains two additional challenge maps: "Lot Full" and "Hidden Facility". Bruce Wayne is playable in the "Initiation" pack, released December 3, 2013. The pack contains five challenge maps, with narrative content to explain the setting. "Initiation" features Wayne before he becomes Batman, as he trains under his ninjutsu mentor Kirigi in an Asian monastery and comes into conflict with Lady Shiva. The DLC also contains two alternate skins for the character: Initiation Bruce Wayne (based on his monastery clothing) and Vigilante Bruce Wayne (a masked-ninja outfit). Also available in December was the "Hunter, Hunted" multiplayer mode. The story-based campaign expansion, "Cold, Cold Heart" was released on April 22, 2014. Set a week after the events of "Arkham Origins", on New Year's Eve, "Cold, Cold Heart"'s narrative focuses on the origin of the supervillain Mr. Freeze and features similarities to the "" episode, "". The content introduces new equipment for Batman, including the XE suit which generates heat, allowing him to melt ice or throw thermal-charged batarangs. In January 2014, the Wii U version of the expansion was canceled by Warner Bros., who cited a lack of demand as the reason.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: A number of alternate outfits for Batman and Robin were made available by completing in-game tasks and as downloadable content. Batman's skins include designs worn in the 1960s TV series, "", "Arkham City", "Batman: The Animated Series", "", "Batman Incorporated", "Batman: Year One", "The Dark Knight Returns", "DC One Million", "Brightest Day", "Gotham by Gaslight", "Knightfall", "Injustice: Gods Among Us", "Blackest Night", The New 52 (and a metallic variant), "", "Batman: Dark Knight of the Round Table", "The Long Halloween" and "Thrillkiller". Additional skins include his Sinestro Corps suit, Neal Adams' 1970s depiction of the character, the "First Appearance" design, the classic "Earth-Two" design (and its New 52 variant) and the "Worst Nightmare" outfit, an original design based on how criminals perceive Batman (available after completing the game). Robin's skins include Tim Drake's first and second Robin costumes, his Red Robin costume, the designs from "Batman: The Animated Series" and "Arkham City" and a slightly altered version of the default "Arkham Origins" costume.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: "Batman: Arkham Origins" was displayed at the 2013 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), and received two Game Critics Awards nominations: Best Action/Adventure Game and Best Console Game. It was also recognized at the expo for "Best Videogame" by Forbes; "Best Action Game" by Game Informer; "Best Comic Book-Related Game" by Newsarama and "Best Xbox 360 Game" by IGN.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: "Batman: Arkham Origins" received "mixed or average" reviews from critics on all platforms except on PlayStation 3, which received "generally favorable" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: "Arkham Origins" was considered an incremental installment for the series, rather than a transformative one. "GameSpot" said that "Arkham City" expanded on "Arkham Asylum" by applying the game mechanics to a larger open-world setting, but criticized "Arkham Origins" for replicating "Arkham City" without moving the series forward. Other critics agreed, saying that the game's well-received elements from the previous game were not significantly developed or augmented and it was routine rather than inspired. However, other reviewers rated it on a par with "Arkham City".


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: Critics cited "Arkham Origins" handling of the genesis of Batman's relationships with his adversaries and allies and its question of whether Batman's presence enhances crime in Gotham City as the game's greatest assets. Scenes with the Joker received the most praise, with Polygon saying that although he was also a central antagonist in previous "Arkham" games, the story shone new light on the character; "GameSpot" called the story surprising in its exploration of the bond and similarities between Batman and the Joker. The story was criticized for lacking a cohesive narrative (particularly the opening plotline of assassins hunting Batman, largely forgotten by the game's end), but "EGM" said that when it works, the story was worthy of any Batman film, TV show or comic book.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: The game world was well received for its number and variety of side missions and distractions but its scale was criticized as unnecessarily large, with "GameSpot" describing it as "bigger just for the sake of being bigger"; Joystiq described the city as unattractive, with the expanded play area increasing the commute but not the enjoyment. Others criticized changes in navigating the city; some areas prevented grappling, slowing (or stopping) travel. "Polygon" called the world more linear, with fewer chances to revisit areas with new gadgets to open new paths and deviation from the most obvious path necessary only to find collectibles. However, some reviewers considered the city's vastness and activities engrossing. "Kotaku" criticized the side quests as "busy work" for not advancing the narrative or providing appropriate rewards. Others found the use of previous elements tedious, with replacements, simply mimicking the old (such as the glue grenade, with an identical purpose to "Arkham City"s ice grenades).


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: Detective Mode, allowing the investigation of crimes, was not considered an improvement by "Kotaku" and "GameSpot"; while they considered it a good idea, its execution was minimal since a player simply looks for the next highlighted piece of evidence rather than solving a puzzle. "Game Informer" liked it, saying that they were complicated and showed how Batman analyzes a crime scene. The combat system received mixed reviews. The shock gloves were criticized as overpowered and making fights too easy, allowing Batman unblockable attacks (instantly disabling most opponents) and removing the need for tactics. Reviewers said that changes to combat punished more than challenged; greater enemy numbers and variety made sustaining an attack difficult, and (combined with an array of gadgets that hindered—rather than damaged—enemies) made encounters long and repetitive. "Joystiq" noted that the game emphasized combat over stealth. "Kotaku" called the combat rating system distracting screen clutter which broke the player's concentration, but "GameFront" said that the system was positive reinforcement for successful fights. The stealth sections were considered of similar quality to previous installments; their unchanged function left the methods of obtaining victory the same, making for a rote experience. The Remote Claw was criticized for making stealth sections too easy, allowing multiple enemies to be disabled without moving from the player's starting position.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: Critics agreed that "Arkham Origins" boss battles were one area of improvement over its predecessors; they offered dynamic, multiphase conflicts with their own stories. While not considering all equally fun or impressive, reviewers said that their variety and unpredictability provided excitement. Less-notable characters from the comics were considered less compelling than more-popular characters.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: The multiplayer component was criticized, with Polygon calling it one of the least necessary multiplayer additions to a typically single-player experience. The gameplay was described as a mediocre shooter, incapable of supporting the necessary use of guns by its villains and with poor control of movement. "GameSpot" noted that poor weapon accuracy and movement controls made the thugs seem weak and inept while playing as the heroes lacked empowerment because of more restrictive combat ability and less resistance to damage. Other reviewers called the experience fun and hectic, but lacked sufficient depth to retain long-term interest.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: The main voice cast was well received. Troy Baker was praised as the Joker, for his performance and as a worthy replacement for longtime previous voice actor Mark Hamill, but at the same time was criticized for his interpretation's replicating Hamill's. Dooma Wendschuh, Ryan Galletta, and Corey May were nominated for the "Outstanding Achievement in Videogame Writing" award by the Writers Guild of America. The game's cinematic content, under the direction of supervising sound editor Alain Larose, received a Golden Reel Award nomination for "Best Sound Editing in Interactive Entertainment". The National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers nominated the game in three categories: "Game, Franchise Action", "Costume Design" and "Control Design, 3D". The 2013 BTVA Voice Acting Awards awarded the game in the category "Best Male Vocal Performance in a Video Game In a Supporting Role" (JB Blanc as Bane). The game also won in two categories (Best Visual Arts and Best Animation) at the 2013 "Canadian Videogame Awards." The game was also nominated in the category "Use of a Licence or IP" at the Develop Awards.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: Reviewers described the "Cold, Cold Heart" DLC as better paced and focused than the main game, owing to its shorter playtime that allowed for a more interesting experience. It was also criticized, however, for losing focus near the end, and padding the running time with unnecessary deviations. "GameSpot" said that the DLC featured a satisfying combination of the series' combat, stealth, and detective mechanics, and introduced interesting new enemy types that wield ice guns capable of freezing both Batman and other enemies. Reviewers described the story as entertaining, following the interesting character of Mr. Freeze, but considered it lacking in surprise because it replicates that of the 1992 "Batman: The Animated Series" episode "Heart of Ice". The final battle against Mr. Freeze was criticized for replicating several elements of the fight against the character in "Arkham City". Similarly, "IGN" and "Destructoid" noted that the content lacked originality and innovation, providing generic environments and removing, rather than adding new abilities and weapons.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: During its first week of sales in the United Kingdom "Batman: Arkham Origins" was the number-one-selling game in all available formats, topping the all-format chart. Its sales were half those of "Arkham City" during the same time, and approximately even with those of "Arkham Asylum". It was the eleventh-best-selling boxed game of 2013 in the country. It was also the top-selling game on the digital-distribution platform Steam between October 20 and 26, 2013.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: After the game's launch, many issues on all platforms were noted by the media and players, including lagging; unending "falling" in the game world, preventing the completion of missions; no "continue" button on the startup screen, preventing a previous game from continuing, and some progression gameplay failing to unlock. On Windows, a bug prevented players from accessing one of Enigma's towers; on the Xbox 360, the save files were corrupted and unplayable, with crashing and freezing problems. On October 31, 2013, these issues were addressed by WB Montréal; in a community post, it said that the development team fixed many of the multi-platform problems and an update would be available by November 7. The company added that the Windows-specific issues were addressed in an update that went live on October 31, and the Xbox 360 issues were still under investigation. In February 2014, WB Montréal announced that they would not release any additional patches to fix any issues, due to the development team focusing on the upcoming single-player DLC. Any future patches would only address issues preventing progression in the game.


title: Batman: Arkham Origins

text: "Batman: Arkham Knight", the successor to "Arkham Origins", was announced in March 2014. The game, which is a sequel to "Arkham City", is once again developed by Rocksteady Studios for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows, and is set nine months after the events of "Arkham City". An animated sequel, "", was released on August 12, 2014. The film features the Suicide Squad, hinted at during the credits of "Arkham Origins", attacking Arkham Asylum to recover information from the Riddler, but their plans go awry when the Joker escapes, and Batman is drawn to the facility.


title: Capsicum

text: Capsicum () is a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae, native to the Americas, cultivated worldwide for their chili pepper or bell pepper fruit.


title: Capsicum

text: The generic name may come from Latin , meaning 'box', presumably alluding to the pods; or possibly from the Greek word , 'to gulp'. The name "pepper" comes from the similarity of piquance (spiciness or "heat") of the flavor to that of black pepper, "Piper nigrum", although there is no botanical relationship with it or with Sichuan pepper. The original term, "chilli" (now "chile" in Mexico) came from the Nahuatl word "chīlli", denoting a larger "Capsicum" variety cultivated at least since 3000 BC, as evidenced by remains found in pottery from Puebla and Oaxaca. Different varieties were cultivated in South America, where they are known as "ajíes" (singular "ají"), from the Quechua term for "Capsicum".


title: Capsicum

text: The fruit (technically berries in the strict botanical sense) of "Capsicum" plants have a variety of names depending on place and type. The more piquant varieties are commonly called chili peppers, or simply chilis. The large, mild form is called bell pepper, or by color or both (green pepper, green bell pepper, red bell pepper, etc.) in North America and South Africa, sweet pepper or simply pepper in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malaysia, but typically called capsicum in Australia, India, New Zealand and Singapore.


title: Capsicum

text: "Capsicum" fruits of several varieties with commercial value are called by various European-language names in English, such as jalapeño, peperoncini, and peperoncito; many of these are usually sold pickled. Paprika (in English) refers to a powdered spice made of dried "Capsicum" of several sorts, though in Hungary, Germany, Sweden, Finland and some other countries it is the name of the fruit (or the vegetable) as well. Both whole and powdered chili are frequent ingredients in dishes prepared throughout the world, and characteristic of several cuisine styles, including Mexican, Sichuan (Szechuan) Chinese, Korean, Cajun and Creole, along with most South Asian and derived (e.g. Jamaican) curries. The powdered form is a key ingredient in various commercially prepared foodstuffs, such as pepperoni (a sausage), chili con carne (a meat stew), and hot sauces.


title: Capsicum

text: Capiscum are solanaceous plants within the tribe Capsiceae, and are closely related to "Lycianthes". Work by Olmstead et. al, have proposed the following phylogenetic tree for Capsicum


title: Capsicum

text: Ideal growing conditions for peppers include a sunny position with warm, loamy soil, ideally , that is moist but not waterlogged. Extremely moist soils can cause seedlings to "damp-off" and reduce germination.


title: Capsicum

text: The plants will tolerate (but do not like) temperatures down to and they are sensitive to cold. For flowering, "Capsicum" is a non-photoperiod-sensitive crop. The flowers can self-pollinate. However, at extremely high temperature, , pollen loses viability, and flowers are much less likely to result in fruit.


title: Capsicum

text: "Capsicum" consists of 20–27 species, five of which are widely cultivated: "C. annuum", "C. baccatum", "C. chinense", "C. frutescens", and "C. pubescens". Phylogenetic relationships between species have been investigated using biogeographical, morphological, chemosystematic, hybridization, and genetic data. Fruits of "Capsicum" can vary tremendously in color, shape, and size both between and within species, which has led to confusion over the relationships among taxa. Chemosystematic studies helped distinguish the difference between varieties and species. For example, "C. baccatum" var. "baccatum" had the same flavonoids as "C. baccatum" var. "pendulum", which led researchers to believe the two groups belonged to the same species.


title: Capsicum

text: Many varieties of the same species can be used in many different ways; for example, "C. annuum" includes the "bell pepper" variety, which is sold in both its immature green state and its red, yellow, or orange ripe state. This same species has other varieties, as well, such as the Anaheim chiles often used for stuffing, the dried ancho (before being dried it is referred to as a poblano) chile used to make chili powder, the mild-to-hot, ripe jalapeno used to make smoked jalapeno, known as chipotle.


title: Capsicum

text: Peru is thought to be the country with the highest cultivated "Capsicum" diversity since varieties of all five domesticates are commonly sold in markets in contrast to other countries. Bolivia is considered to be the country where the largest diversity of wild "Capsicum" peppers are consumed. Bolivian consumers distinguish two basic forms: ulupicas, species with small round fruits including "C. eximium", "C. cardenasii", "C. eshbaughii", and "C. caballeroi" landraces; and arivivis, with small elongated fruits including "C. baccatum" var. "baccatum" and "C. chacoense" varieties.


title: Capsicum

text: The amount of capsaicin is measured in Scoville heat units (SHU) and this value varies significantly among Capsicum varieties. For example, a typical Bell pepper has a value of zero SHU and a Jalapeño has a value of 4000–8000 SHU. In 2017, the Guinness Book of World Records listed the Carolina Reaper as the world's hottest pepper at 1,641,183 SHU, according to tests conducted by Winthrop University in South Carolina, United States.


title: Capsicum

text: Most "Capsicum" species are 2n=2x=24. A few of the non-domesticated species are 2n=2x=32. All are diploid. The "Capsicum annuum" and "Capsicum chinense" genomes were completed in 2014. The "Capsicum annuum" genome is approximately 3.48 Gb, making it larger than the human genome. Over 75% of the pepper genome is composed of transposable elements, mostly "Gypsy" elements, distributed widely throughout the genome. The distribution of transposable elements is inversely correlated with gene density. Pepper is predicted to have 34,903 genes, approximately the same number as both tomato and potato, two related species within the family Solanaceae.


title: Capsicum

text: Many types of peppers have been bred for heat, size, and yield. Along with selection of specific fruit traits such as flavor and color, specific pest, disease and abiotic stress resistances are continually being selected. Breeding occurs in several environments dependent on the use of the final variety including but not limited to: conventional, organic, hydroponic, green house and shade house production environments.


title: Capsicum

text: Several breeding programs are being conducted by corporations and universities. In the United States, New Mexico State University has released several varieties in the last few years. Cornell University has worked to develop regionally adapted varieties that work better in cooler, damper climates. Other universities such as UC Davis, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Oregon State University have smaller breeding programs. Many vegetable seed companies breed different types of peppers as well.


title: Capsicum

text: The fruit of most species of "Capsicum" contains capsaicin (methyl-n-vanillyl nonenamide), a lipophilic chemical that can produce a burning sensation (pungency or spiciness) in the mouth of the eater. Most mammals find this unpleasant, whereas birds are unaffected. The secretion of capsaicin protects the fruit from consumption by insects and mammals, while the bright colors attract birds that will disperse the seeds.


title: Capsicum

text: Capsaicin is present in large quantities in the placental tissue (which holds the seeds), the internal membranes, and to a lesser extent, the other fleshy parts of the fruits of plants in this genus. The seeds themselves do not produce any capsaicin, although the highest concentration of capsaicin can be found in the white pith around the seeds. Most of the capsaicin in a pungent (hot) pepper is concentrated in blisters on the epidermis of the interior ribs (septa) that divide the chambers, or locules, of the fruit to which the seeds are attached.


title: Capsicum

text: A study on capsaicin production in fruits of "C. chinense" showed that capsaicinoids are produced only in the epidermal cells of the interlocular septa of pungent fruits, that blister formation only occurs as a result of capsaicinoid accumulation, and that pungency and blister formation are controlled by a single locus, "Pun1", for which there exist at least two recessive alleles that result in non-pungency of "C. chinense" fruits.


title: Capsicum

text: The amount of capsaicin in the fruit is highly variable and dependent on genetics and environment, giving almost all types of "Capsicum" varied amounts of perceived heat. The most recognized "Capsicum" without capsaicin is the bell pepper, a cultivar of "Capsicum annuum", which has a zero rating on the Scoville scale. The lack of capsaicin in bell peppers is due to a recessive gene that eliminates capsaicin and, consequently, the hot taste usually associated with the rest of the genus "Capsicum". There are also other peppers without capsaicin, mostly within the "Capsicum annuum" species, such as the cultivars Giant Marconi, Yummy Sweets, Jimmy Nardello, and Italian Frying peppers (also known as the Cubanelle).


title: Capsicum

text: Chili peppers are of great importance in the medicine of Indigenous peoples, and capsaicin is used in modern medicine mainly in topical medications as a circulatory stimulant and analgesic. In more recent times, an aerosol extract of capsaicin, usually known as capsicum or pepper spray, has become used by law enforcement as a nonlethal means of incapacitating a person, and in a more widely dispersed form for riot control, or by individuals for personal defense. Pepper in vegetable oils, or as an horticultural product can be used in gardening as a natural insecticide.


title: Capsicum

text: Although black pepper causes a similar burning sensation, it is caused by a different substance—piperine.


title: Capsicum

text: "Capsicum" fruits can be eaten raw or cooked. Those used in cooking are generally varieties of the "C. annuum" and "C. frutescens" species, though a few others are used, as well. They are suitable for stuffing with fillings such as cheese, meat, or rice.


title: Capsicum

text: They are also frequently used both chopped and raw in salads, or cooked in stir-fries or other mixed dishes. They can be sliced into strips and fried, roasted whole or in pieces, or chopped and incorporated into salsas or other sauces, of which they are often a main ingredient.


title: Capsicum

text: They can be preserved in the form of a jam, or by drying, pickling, or freezing. Dried Capsicum may be reconstituted whole, or processed into flakes or powders. Pickled or marinated Capsicum are frequently added to sandwiches or salads. Frozen Capsicum are used in stews, soups, and salsas. Extracts can be made and incorporated into hot sauces.


title: Capsicum

text: The Spanish "conquistadores" soon became aware of their culinary properties, and brought them back to Europe, together with cocoa, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tobacco, maize, beans, and turkeys. They also brought it to the Spanish Philippines colonies, whence it spread to Asia. The Portuguese brought them to their African and Asiatic possessions such as India. All varieties were appreciated but the hot ones were particularly appreciated, because they could enliven an otherwise monotonous diet during times of dietary restriction, such as during religious observances.


title: Capsicum

text: Spanish cuisine soon benefited from the discovery of chiles in the New World, and it would become very difficult to untangle Spanish cooking from chiles. Ground chiles, or paprika, hot or otherwise, are a key ingredient in chorizo, which is then called picante (if hot chile is added) or dulce (if otherwise). Paprika is also an important ingredient in rice dishes, and plays a definitive role in squid Galician style ("polbo á feira"). Chopped chiles are used in fish or lamb dishes such as "ajoarriero" or "chilindrón". "Pisto" is a vegetarian stew with chilies and zucchini as main ingredients. They can also be added, finely chopped, to "gazpacho" as a garnish. In some regions, bacon is salted and dusted in paprika for preservation. Cheese can also be rubbed with paprika to lend it flavour and colour. Dried round chiles called "ñoras" are used for "arroz a banda".


title: Capsicum

text: After being introduced by the Portuguese, chile peppers saw widespread adoption throughout South, Southeast, and East Asia, especially in India, Thailand, Vietnam, China, and Korea. Several new cultivars were developed in these countries, and their use in combination with (or as a substitute for) existing 'hot' culinary spices such as black pepper and Sichuan pepper spread rapidly, giving rise to the modern forms a number of staple dishes such as Channa masala, Tom yum, Laziji, and Kimchi. This would in turn influence Anglo-Indian and American Chinese cuisine, most notably with the development of British and American forms of curry powder (based on Indian spice preparations such as Garam masala), and dishes such as General Tso's Chicken and Chicken Tikka Masala.


title: Capsicum

text: According to Richard Pankhurst, "C. frutescens" (known as "barbaré") was so important to the national cuisine of Ethiopia, at least as early as the 19th century, "that it was cultivated extensively in the warmer areas wherever the soil was suitable." Although it was grown in every province, "barbaré" was especially extensive in Yejju, "which supplied much of Showa, as well as other neighbouring provinces." He mentions the upper Golima River valley as being almost entirely devoted to the cultivation of this plant, where it was harvested year-round.


title: Capsicum

text: In 2005, a poll of 2,000 people revealed the capsicum to be Britain's fourth-favourite culinary vegetable.


title: Capsicum

text: In Bulgaria, South Serbia, and North Macedonia, capsicum are very popular, too. They can be eaten in salads, like "shopska salata"; fried and then covered with a dip of tomato paste, onions, garlic, and parsley; or stuffed with a variety of products, such as minced meat and rice, beans, or cottage cheese and eggs. Capsicum are also the main ingredient in the traditional tomato and capsicum dip "lyutenitsa" and "ajvar". They are in the base of different kinds of pickled vegetables dishes, "turshiya".


title: Capsicum

text: Capsicum is also used widely in Italian cuisine, and the hot species are used all around the southern part of Italy as a common spice (sometimes served with olive oil). Capsicums are used in many dishes; they can be cooked by themselves in a variety of ways (roasted, fried, deep-fried) and are a fundamental ingredient for some delicatessen specialities, such as "nduja".


title: Capsicum

text: In New Mexico, there is a capsicum annuum cultivar group called the New Mexico chile which is a mainstay of the state's New Mexican cuisine.


title: Capsicum

text: In Australia, New Zealand and India, heatless varieties are called "capsicums", while hot ones are called "chilli"/"chillies" (double L). Pepperoncini are also known as "sweet capsicum". The term "bell peppers" is never used, although "C. annuum" and other varieties which have a bell shape and are fairly hot, are often called "bell chillies".


title: Capsicum

text: In Canada, Ireland, South Africa and the United Kingdom, the heatless varieties are commonly known simply as "peppers" (or more specifically "green peppers", "red peppers", etc.), while the hot ones are "chilli"/"chillies" (double L) or "chilli peppers".


title: Capsicum

text: In the United States, the common heatless varieties are referred to as "bell peppers", "sweet peppers", "red/green/etc. peppers", or simply "peppers", while the hot varieties are collectively called "chile"/"chiles", "chili"/"chilies", or "chili"/"chile peppers" (one L only), "hot peppers", or named as a specific variety (e.g., banana pepper).


title: Capsicum

text: In Polish and in Hungarian, the term "papryka" and "paprika" (respectively) is used for all kinds of capsicums (the sweet vegetable, and the hot spicy), as well as for dried and ground spice made from them (named paprika in both U.S. English and Commonwealth English). Also, fruit and spice can be attributed as "papryka ostra" (hot pepper) or "papryka słodka" (sweet pepper). In Polish, the term "pieprz" (pepper) instead means only grains or ground black pepper (incl. the green, white, and red forms), but not capsicum. Sometimes, the hot capsicum spice is also called "chilli". Similarly, Hungarian uses the word "bors" for the black pepper.


title: Capsicum

text: In Czech and Slovak, the term "paprika" is too used for all kinds of capsicums. For black pepper, Czech uses "pepř", while Slovak uses "čierne korenie" (literally, black spice) or, dialectally, "piepor".


title: Capsicum

text: In Italy and the Italian- and German-speaking parts of Switzerland, the sweet varieties are called "peperone" and the hot varieties "peperoncino" (literally "small pepper"). In Germany, the heatless varieties as well as the spice are called "Paprika" and the hot types are primarily called "Peperoni" or "Chili" while in Austria, "Pfefferoni" is more common for these; in Dutch, this word is also used exclusively for bell peppers, whereas "chilli" is reserved for powders, and hot pepper variants are referred to as "Spaanse pepers" (Spanish peppers). In Switzerland, though, the condiment powder made from capsicum is called "Paprika" (German language regions) and "paprica" (French and Italian language region). In French, capsicum is called "poivron" for sweet varieties and "piment" for hot ones.


title: Capsicum

text: Spanish-speaking countries use many different names for the varieties and preparations. In Mexico, the term "chile" is used for "hot peppers", while the heatless varieties are called "pimiento" (the masculine form of the word for pepper, which is "pimienta"). Several other countries, such as Chile, whose name is unrelated, Perú, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Argentina, use "ají". In Spain, heatless varieties are called "pimiento" and hot varieties "guindilla". In Argentina and Spain, the variety "C. chacoense" is commonly known as "putaparió", a slang expression equivalent to "damn it", probably due to its extra-hot flavour.


title: Capsicum

text: In Indian English, the word "capsicum" is used exclusively for "Capsicum annuum". All other varieties of hot capsicum are called chilli. In northern India and Pakistan, "C. annuum" is also commonly called "shimla mirch" in the local language and as "Kodai Mozhagai" in Tamil which roughly translates to "umbrella chilli" due to its appearance. "Shimla", incidentally, is a popular hill-station in India (and "mirch" means chilli in local languages).


title: Capsicum

text: In Japanese, "tōgarashi" (唐辛子, トウガラシ "Chinese mustard") refers to hot chili peppers, and particularly a spicy powder made from them which is used as a condiment, while bell peppers are called "pīman" (ピーマン, from the French "piment" or the Spanish "pimiento").


The 2020 United States presidential election in Texas was held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020, as part of the 2020 United States presidential election in which all 50 states plus the District of Columbia


title: 2020 United States presidential election in Texas

text: participated. Texan voters chose 38 electors to represent them in the Electoral College. In a popular vote the Republican Party's nominee, incumbent President Donald Trump, and running mate Vice President Mike Pence won all the electors against the Democratic Party's nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden, and his running mate California Senator Kamala Harris.


text: Although it was considered a vulnerable state for Trump by some pollsters and experts and a potential upset victory for Biden due to its recent demographic trends, Trump held Texas with 52.1% of the vote, roughly the same percentage he carried it with in 2016. Biden improved on Hillary Clinton's 2016 vote share by 3.24%, giving him the largest percentage in the state by a Democratic presidential candidate since Jimmy Carter carried the state in 1976. Trump's 5.58% margin of victory was also the narrowest for a Republican since 1996. Texas was the third-narrowest of Trump's state victories, behind only Florida and North Carolina, and the ninth-closest state overall. The election was also the first time Texas placed in the top ten closest states since 1968, and the first time since 1976 that Texas voted to the left of Ohio. As in most other states in 2020, Trump significantly outperformed his polling. Voter turnout in the state increased to its highest level since 1992, when two Texans, George H. W. Bush and Ross Perot, were on the ballot.


text: The Republican primary was held on March 3, 2020. Donald Trump and Bill Weld were the only declared Republican candidates, as former South Carolina Governor and U.S. Representative Mark Sanford and U.S. Representative Joe Walsh had dropped out. Texas Governor Greg Abbott declined to run against Trump, as did 2016 Republican primary candidate and current senator Ted Cruz. The primary was won overwhelmingly by Trump with over 94% of the vote.


text: The Democratic primary was held on March 3, 2020. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Michael Bloomberg and Joe Biden were among the major declared candidates. The primary was won by Biden, with Sanders coming second.


text: Matters of election administration and ease of voting during an ongoing pandemic were heavily litigated in Texas in 2020. Harris County, the most populous one in Texas, spearheaded a number of innovative approaches and was the focal point of several legal challenges.


text: For the 2020 elections, Harris County Commissioners approved a budget of $33 million, higher than the $4 million budget for the 2016 United States presidential election. Chris Hollins, the interim Harris County Clerk and Texas Democratic Party finance vice chairperson, created a 23-point voting access expansion program, which included promotion of voting by mail, expansion of early voting accessibility, and drive-through voting, an innovation to facilitate voting while at the same time mitigating infection risks during the COVID-19 pandemic. On October 29 several voting locations in Harris County were available for 24 hours to accommodate voters whose work shifts or other responsibilities overlapped with regular voting hours.


text: Local Republican activists and officials challenged the voter-friendly measures in multiple legal actions, with mixed success. Several lawsuits complained about early voting and about Harris County providing multiple drop-off locations for absentee ballots. Responding to pressure from within his own party, Governor Abbott then restricted the number of drop-offs to a single one per county regardless of population and size, forcing Harris County to close eleven sites at county clerk branch offices called annexes.


text: When a legal action challenging drive-through voting was dismissed, the Republican Party in Texas sought relief in the Texas Supreme Court (SCOTX), which denied the petition because the case had not been brought promptly. The first lawsuit was filed on October 15 even though Harris County had obtained prior clearance from the Office of the Texas Secretary of State (which is led a Republican appointed by Republican Governor Abbott) and had tested drive-in voting in the primary runoff elections in July without complaint. SCOTX denied the petition and drive-thru voting continued. On October 29 another action was filed seeking to invalidate drive-thru ballots based on the contention that this was a form of curbside voting that the Texas Election Code authorized only for voters with disabilities. In an order issued on Sunday, November 1, the Texas Supreme Court denied the petition challenging the legality of drive-through voting, but did not resolve the legal argument one way or the other. The next day, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen heard an almost identical case by the same group of plaintiff, which included Republican candidates, on an emergency basis. "Slate" described the judge as "one of the most notoriously partisan conservatives in the federal judiciary." Hanen ruled against the plaintiffs, dismissing their action for lack of standing, with the result that drive-in voting remained in effect. The Plaintiffs, which included Steve Toth, immediately sought emergency relief in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, but were unsuccessful. Hollins nevertheless cancelled drive-thru voting in tent structures on the eve of Election Day. He reversed himself out of concern that ballots cast there might be declared invalid, should the Fifth Circuit disagree with Judge Hanen on the standing issue and agree with Judge Hanen that tents were not permissible polling places on Election Day.


text: Some counties also set up an online system that allowed voters to check for wait times at early voting centers and make their voting plans accordingly.


text: On October 5, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation under the Texas Disaster Act limiting each county to a single drop-off location for mail ballots. Federal judge Robert Pitman blocked Abbott's order on October 9. The next day, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton appealed to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals for an emergency stay of Pitman's ruling, which a three-judge motion panel temporarily granted on an interim basis, pending consideration of the appeal on the merits. A Texas state judge also blocked Abbott's order on October 15, and a state appeals court upheld that decision on October 23. Attorney General Ken Paxton then sought emergency relief from the Texas Supreme Court, which backed the Governor and lifting the temporary injunction in an October 27 decision with no dissent.


text: Voter registration in Texas ended on October 5, and the Secretary of State reported a registration total of 16,955,519 voters, an increase of 1,854,432 since the 2016 elections, and 1.2 million of which had occurred after the 2018 midterm elections.


text: Early voting began on October 13. Over one million ballots were received on that day, and by October 15 fewer than two million ballots were counted. The following day the count was 2.6 million, which meant 15.51% of the state's registered voters had already voted.


text: For the whole early voting period, votes in the age 18-29 range were higher than the total of that age group of 2016, with 1.3 million votes.


text: On October 13, Dallas County recorded 59,905 ballots and Tarrant County recorded 42,428 ballots, with the former setting a record for that county and the latter below the 2016 count on the first day of early voting.


text: On October 13, Harris County had an unofficial tally of 128,186 ballots received, the highest ever first day early voting count and over 5% of the county's registered voters. By the second day the count was 287,931, 11% of the county's registered voters. On the third day over 100,000 ballots were counted, and in those three days 387,000 ballots were counted, with 44,000 of them issued through the mail. On the fourth day a similar number of ballots were cast, which meant the number of ballots cast total was about 500,000. On October 23 there were 1 million ballots cast from Harris County.


text: On October 13, Travis County received 35,873 ballots, while it received 38,119 the following day, and by 3 P.M. on Thursday over 26,000. When voting closed on Thursday the percentage of Travis County voters who had already voted was 16.44%. On Friday 41,328 additional votes were counted. Williamson County by the third day had a 64,891 votes out of 376,931 people registered to vote, which meant its turnout was already 17.25%.


text: On October 13, Bexar County recorded 78,000 votes, with over 45,000 by mail and the remainder in person.


text: By October 19, Texas voters cast 50% of the votes cast in the 2016 presidential election in Texas. By October 22, 65.5% of 2016 votes were cast (or 34.65% of registered voters). By October 25, over 80% of 2016 votes were cast (or 43% of registered voters), and by October 29, 50% of registered voters had cast ballots by early in-person and absentee ballot. By October 30, statewide voter turnout, as well as turnout in Harris County, had already surpassed the total of 2016.


text: Trump won 22 out of the 36 congressional districts in Texas, while Biden won 14, including one held by a Republican.


text: While Biden still won Latino voters in Texas with 58% and Latinos of Mexican heritage with 63%, Trump significantly improved his numbers among Hispanic voters in the state, particularly in the Rio Grande Valley. Trump flipped Jim Wells County and La Salle County which had not voted Republican since 1972. He also flipped Frio County, Kleberg County, Reeves County, Val Verde County, and Kenedy County; the first 4 having last voted Republican in 2004 and the last having last voted Republican in 2012. He also became the first Republican to win Zapata County since Warren G. Harding in 1920, flipping it by five points after having lost it by 33 points in 2016. Trump's total of eight counties flipped in South Texas were the most flipped by any candidate in any state in 2020 and he flipped more counties in South Texas than he did in the rest of the nation combined.


text: Biden greatly outperformed Clinton in Greater Austin, which was a major contributor to Trump's relatively weak performance statewide. He flipped Hays County and Williamson County, both of them suburban counties located outside of the state capital that had not been won by a Democrat since 1992 and 1976, respectively. This is also the first election since 1956 when the latter voted for the statewide loser. Biden also became the first Democratic candidate to garner at least 50,000 votes in Bell County, a county just outside of Greater Austin and had the center of Texas population within it in the 2010 census. At 44.76%, he outperformed Obama's record for the highest percentage of votes a Democrat presidential nominee received at Bell County since 1976, the last time Bell County voted for a Democrat. Also, Biden became the first Democrat to ever win the White House without Jefferson County. Biden also became the first Democrat to win without Frio County since it was formed in 1871, the first to win without La Salle County since it was formed in 1880, the first to win without Reeves County since it was formed in 1883, the first to win without Val Verde County since it was formed in 1885, the first to win without Jim Wells County since it founded in 1911, the first to win without Kleberg County since it was founded in 1913, and the first Democrat to win the White House without winning Zapata County since Woodrow Wilson in 1916. Because of Trump's strong gains in heavily Hispanic areas, Biden's best performance in Texas came not from the southern border region, but Travis County, encompassing the liberal bastion of Austin, where he won the highest percentage for a Democrat since Harry S. Truman in 1948.


text: Biden also improved throughout the three largest metropolitan areas in Texas. While not significantly outperforming Clinton in Harris and Bexar Counties, he did make considerable inroads into their surrounding suburbs, thus eking out narrow wins in Greater Houston and Greater San Antonio, the first time a Democratic Presidential candidate has accomplished such a feat in the 21st Century. Perhaps the biggest reason for Biden narrowing the Lone Star State's margin of victory was the surge of Democratic support in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the largest metropolitan area in the state, which he also narrowly won. He scored nearly 65% of the vote in Dallas County, the highest percentage won by a Democrat since 1940. Additionally, Biden narrowly flipped Tarrant County, winning by fewer than 2,000 votes. Tarrant County is home to the fifth-largest city in Texas, Fort Worth, and had not been won by a Democrat since 1964, when favorite son Lyndon B. Johnson carried it. Biden improved substantially in the large DFW suburbs of Collin County and Denton County, which have rapidly grown and diversified in the past decade, narrowing Trump's margin of victories from 16.57% and 20% in 2016, down to 4.37% and 8.08%, respectively. Both of their county seats (the two suburban cities of McKinney and Denton, respectively) have trended leftward since 2016 due to the influx of younger professionals and families in the past decade, which shifted to the Democrats in this election. Biden also won the city of Plano, the largest city in Collin County, and narrowly won the city of Allen.


text: Dianne Solis "et al." of "The Dallas Morning News" stated that according to polls "Democrat Joe Biden overwhelmingly won the Latino vote in Texas' urban areas". In the historically Democratic Rio Grande Valley, Biden's lead significantly narrowed from 2016.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA; ) is a United States federal law enforcement agency under the U.S. Department of Justice tasked with combating drug trafficking and distribution within the U.S. It is the lead agency for domestic enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act, sharing concurrent jurisdiction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection although the DEA has sole responsibility for coordinating and pursuing U.S. drug investigations both domestically and abroad. The DEA has an intelligence unit that is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community. While the unit is part of the DEA chain-of-command, it also reports to the Director of National Intelligence.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The Drug Enforcement Administration was established on July 1, 1973, by Reorganization Plan No. 2 of 1973, signed by President Richard Nixon on July 28. It proposed the creation of a single federal agency to enforce the federal drug laws as well as consolidate and coordinate the government's drug control activities. Congress accepted the proposal, as they were concerned with the growing availability of drugs. As a result, the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs (BNDD), the Office of Drug Abuse Law Enforcement (ODALE); approximately 600 Special Agents of the Bureau of Customs, Customs Agency Service, and other federal offices merged to create the DEA.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: From the early 1970s, DEA headquarters was located at 1405 I ("Eye") Street NW in downtown Washington, D.C. With the overall growth of the agency in the 1980s (owing to the increased emphasis on federal drug law enforcement efforts) and concurrent growth in the headquarters staff, DEA began to search for a new headquarters location; locations in Arkansas, Mississippi and various abandoned military bases around the United States were considered. However, then-Attorney General Edwin Meese determined that the headquarters had to be located close to the Attorney General's office. Thus, in 1989, the headquarters relocated to 600–700 Army-Navy Drive in the Pentagon City area of Arlington, Virginia, near the eponymous Metro station.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: On April 19, 1995, Timothy McVeigh attacked the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City because it housed regional offices for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and DEA, all of which had carried out raids that he viewed as unjustified intrusions on the rights of the people. This attack caused the deaths of two DEA employees, one task force member and two contractors in the Oklahoma City bombing. Subsequently, the DEA headquarters complex was classified as a Level IV installation under United States federal building security standards, meaning it was to be considered a high-risk law enforcement target for terrorists. Security measures include hydraulic steel roadplates to enforce standoff distance from the building, metal detectors and guard stations.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In February 2003, the DEA established a Digital Evidence Laboratory within its Office of Forensic Sciences.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA is headed by an "Administrator of Drug Enforcement" appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The Administrator reports to the Attorney General through the Deputy Attorney General. The Administrator is assisted by a Deputy Administrator, the Chief of Operations, the Chief Inspector, and three Assistant Administrators (for the Operations Support, Intelligence, and Human Resources Divisions). Other senior staff includes the chief financial officer and the Chief Counsel. The Administrator and Deputy Administrator are the only presidentially-appointed personnel in the DEA; all other DEA officials are career government employees. DEA's headquarters is located in Arlington, Virginia, across from the Pentagon. It maintains its own DEA Academy located on the Marine Corps Base Quantico at Quantico, Virginia, alongside the FBI Academy. It maintains 23 domestic field divisions with 222 field offices and 92 foreign offices in 70 countries. With a budget exceeding $3 billion, DEA employs 10,169 people, including 4,924 Special Agents and 800 Intelligence Analysts. Becoming a Special Agent or Intelligence Analyst with the DEA is a competitive process.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: As of 2017, there were 4,650 special agents employed by the Drug Enforcement Administration. DEA agents' starting salary is $49,746–$55,483. After four years, the salary rises to above $92,592.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: After receiving a conditional offer of employment, recruits must then complete an 18-week rigorous training which includes lessons in firearms proficiency (including basic marksmanship), weapons safety, tactical shooting, and deadly-force decision training. To graduate, students must maintain an academic average of 80 percent on academic examinations, pass the firearms qualification test, successfully demonstrate leadership and sound decision-making in practical scenarios, and pass rigorous physical-task tests. Upon graduation, recruits earn the title of DEA Special Agent.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA excludes from consideration job applicants who have a history of any use of narcotics or illicit drugs. Investigation usually includes a polygraph test for special-agent, diversion-investigator, and intelligence research specialist positions.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA's relatively firm stance on this issue contrasts with that of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which in 2005 considered relaxing its hiring policy relevant to individual drug-use history.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA Aviation Division or Office of Aviation Operations (OA) (formerly Aviation Section) is an airborne division based in Fort Worth Alliance Airport, Texas. The current OA fleet consists of 106 aircraft and 124 DEA pilots.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA shares a communications system with the Department of Defense for communication with state and regional enforcement independent of the Department of Justice and police information systems and is coordinated by an information command center called the El Paso Intelligence Center (EPIC) near El Paso, Texas.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: Rapid Response Teams (RRT), previously known as Foreign-Deployed Advisory and Support Teams (FAST), were decommissioned by DEA Acting Administrator Chuck Rosenburg in March 2017 via memorandum. A need for domestic high-risk service teams led to the hybrid creation of specialized tactical units residing within various geographical regions throughout the United States.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: DEA officially created and standardized its Special Response Team (SRT) program in 2016. The SRT was designed as a stop-gap between tactical operations conducted by field agents and those necessitating specialized tactics as a result of elevated risks. SRT operators are highly trained in various weapons systems and entry tactics/maneuvers. Because of the clandestine nature of the DEA mission, SRT training protocols and activation requirements are highly sensitive and not available to the public. Some of the SRT missions consist of high-risk arrests, vehicle assaults, air assault/infiltration, specialized surveillance, custody of high-profile individuals, dignitary and witness protection, tactical surveillance and interdiction, advanced breaching, tactical training to other police units, and urban and rural fugitive searches. Covertly located throughout the nation, DEA SRT teams are available to respond to practically any CONUS geographical area with little to no preparation or notification. The DEA SRT has been involved in several high-profile operations in recent years, however, DEA involvement is often not publicized due to operational and intelligence considerations. Considered one of the most covert outfits in federal law enforcement, very little is known about DEA SRT capabilities and its operator selection process.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In the past, DEA had other tactical teams like the High-risk Entry Apprehension Teams (HEAT) in some Field Divisions, and Operation Snowcap Teams (predecessor of FAST). The teams administered by the Mobile Enforcement Section, the Mobile Enforcement Teams (MET), and Regional Enforcement Teams (RET), were mobile investigative units intended to deploy resources to state and local agencies (MET) or DEA Field Divisions (RET) in need of assistance with a particular investigation or trafficking group. These programs ended in the early 2000s.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA Special Operations Division (SOD) is a division within the DEA, which forwards information from wiretaps, intercepts, and databases from various sources to federal agents and local law enforcement officials. The SOD came under scrutiny following the 2013 mass surveillance disclosures.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The Domestic Cannabis Eradication/Suppression Program (DCE/SP) began funding eradication programs in Hawaii and California in 1979. The program rapidly expanded to include programs in 25 states by 1982. By 1985, all 50 states were participating in the DCE/SP. In 2015, the DCE/SP was responsible for the eradication of 3,932,201 cultivated outdoor cannabis plants and 325,019 indoor plants for a total of 4,257,220 marijuana plants. In addition, the DCE/SP accounted for 6,278 arrests and the seizure in excess of $29.7 million of cultivator assets.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In 2014, the DEA spent $73,000 to eradicate marijuana plants in Utah, though they did not find a single marijuana plant. Federal documents obtained by journalist Drew Atkins detail the DEA's continuing efforts to spend upwards of $14 million per year to completely eradicate marijuana within the United States despite the government funding allocation reports showing that the Marijuana Eradication Program often leads to the discovery of no marijuana plants. This prompted twelve members of Congress to push for the elimination of the program and use the money instead to fund domestic-violence prevention and deficit-reduction programs.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In 2018, the DEA budget was $2.086 billion. $445 million was spent on international enforcement and $1.627 billion was spent on domestic enforcement.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: DEA agents' primary service weapons are the Glock 17 and Glock 19, Remington 870 12-gauge shotgun, and Rock River Arms LAR-15 semi-automatic carbine in 5.56×45mm NATO. Agents may also qualify to carry a firearm listed on an authorized carry list maintained and updated by the Firearms Training Unit (FTU), Quantico, Virginia.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: Special Agents may qualify with their own personally-owned handguns, rifle, and shotgun, and certain handguns are allowed to be used with permission from the FTU. Agents are required to attend tactical and firearms proficiency training quarterly, and to qualify with their handguns twice per year. The DEA has one of the most challenging handgun qualification courses in all of the federal law enforcement. Failure to achieve a passing qualification score is the reason for most Academy dismissals and special agents in the field may have their authority to carry a firearm revoked for failure to qualify.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: Basic Agent Trainees (BATs) who fail the initial pistol qualification course of fire are placed in a remedial program to receive additional training. In remedial training, BATs receive five extra two-hour range sessions, for a total of 10 more hours of live fire training on their issued sidearm, to further aid them in helping pass the pistol qualification. After passing their pistol qualification, Basic Agent Trainees move on to receive formal training on the DEA's standard-issue long guns and will continue to frequently shoot the agency-issued sidearms that they have already qualified on. In all, BATs receive a total of 32 firearms training sessions, when combining classroom instruction, gear issue, and pistol, rifle, and shotgun live fire training at the DEA Academy. They will shoot the qualification courses for all three weapons systems during their initial training but must pass their final qualification attempts only on their Glock pistols to become a Special Agent.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: Agents are trained to use shoulder-fired weapons, such as the Rock River LAR-15, adopted in 2004, and the LWRC M6A2, the standard carbine of DEA. The Colt 9mm SMG was previously issued, but no longer in service. Agents are required to complete a two-day (16-hour) proficiency course to carry a shoulder weapon on enforcement operations. They may carry a Rock River LAR-15 or LWRC carbine as authorized, personally-owned weapons, provided they meet the same training and proficiency standards.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In 2005, the DEA seized a reported $1.4 billion in drug trade related assets and $477 million worth of drugs. According to the White House's Office of Drug Control Policy, the total value of all of the drugs sold in the U.S. is as much as $64 billion a year, giving the DEA an efficiency rate of less than 1% at intercepting the flow of drugs into and within the U.S. Critics of the DEA (including recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, Milton Friedman, prior to his death a member of Law Enforcement Against Prohibition) point out that demand for illegal drugs is inelastic; the people who are buying drugs will continue to buy them with little regard to price, often turning to crime to support expensive drug habits when the drug prices rise. One recent study by the DEA showed that the price of cocaine and methamphetamine is the highest it has ever been while the quality of both is at its lowest point ever. This is contrary to a collection of data done by the Office of National Drug Control Policy, which states that purity of street drugs has increased, while price has decreased. In contrast to the statistics presented by the DEA, the United States Department of Justice released data in 2003 showing that purity of methamphetamine was on the rise.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA has a registration system in place which authorizes anyone to manufacture, import, export, and distribute by filing DEA form 225 along with medical professionals, researchers and manufacturers access to "Schedule I" drugs, as well as Schedules 2, 3, 4 and 5. Authorized registrants apply for and, if granted, receive a "DEA number". An entity that has been issued a DEA number is authorized to manufacture (drug companies), distribute research, prescribe (doctors, pharmacists, nurse practitioners and physician assistants, etc.), or dispense (pharmacy) a controlled substance.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: Many problems associated with substance use disorders are the result of legitimately manufactured controlled substances being diverted from their lawful purpose into the illicit drug traffic. Many of the analgesics, depressants and stimulants manufactured for legitimate medical use can often carry the potential for addiction. Therefore, those scheduled substances have been brought under legal control for prevention and population safety. The goal of controls is to ensure that these "controlled substances" are readily available for medical use while preventing their distribution for illicit distribution and non-medical use. This can be a difficult task, sometimes providing difficulty for legitimate patients and healthcare providers while circumventing illegal trade and consumption of scheduled drugs.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: Under federal law, all businesses which manufacture or distribute controlled drugs, all health professionals entitled to dispense, administer or prescribe them, and all pharmacies entitled to fill prescriptions must register with the DEA. Registrants must comply with a series of regulatory requirements relating to drug security, records accountability, and adherence to standards.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: All of these investigations are conducted by Diversion Investigators (DIs). DIs conduct investigations to uncover and investigate suspected sources of diversion and take appropriate civil and administrative actions. Prescription Database Management Programs (PDMP) aid and facilitate investigation and surveillance.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In 2019/2020, record overdoses from illicit fentanyl tablets or as a deadly adulterant in heroin have ravaged North America. An estimated 19,416 individuals died of a drug overdose in the United States in the first 3 months of 2020 compared with 16,682 in the same 3-month period in 2019; this trend was fueled by synthetic opioids (especially illicitly manufactured fentanyl and analogs). In contrast, Europe has seen a decrease from heroin overdoses, and a practical absence of illicit, synthetic opioids.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: Fentanyl, originally developed in the 1970s by Janssen Pharmaceutica, is a potent anesthetic primarily used in hospital or hospice settings. In Europe heroin is mainly supplied from Western Asia (from Afghanistan and neighboring countries), and less likely to be contaminated with fentanyl. In North America, there are now fewer deaths involving heroin than either meth or cocaine, a striking change that has taken place over the last two years as heroin has all but disappeared from some regions. Due to the absence of heroin from Asian sources, fentanyl-laced heroin powder or tablets have filled that void.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In October 2021, the US reported another record in fentanyl deaths, as federal agencies were unable to stem the tide of illicit, synthetic drugs entering the US. Usually, fentanyl production was traced to illicit laboratories in "China", yet all of the fentanyl pills are sold by American gangs. In 2018, a laboratory in Utah was found to be the source of much of the illicit fentanyl dosages sold in the US. Rather than allowing a "harm reduction" approach towards opiate abuse, the US has resorted to the incarceration of small time drug users and dealers, as federal agents were unable to identify the real source of deadly opioids traded on the dark net.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In 1985 MDMA and its analogues were under review by the American government as a drug with a potential for addiction. During this time, several public hearings on the new drug were held by the DEA. Based on all of the evidence and facts presented at the time, the DEA's administrative law judge did not see MDMA and its analogues as being of large concern and recommended that they be placed in Schedule III. The DEA administrator, expressing concern for addictive potential, overruled the recommendation and ruled that MDMA be put in Schedule I, the Controlled Substances Act's most restrictive category.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA has been criticized for placing highly restrictive schedules on a few drugs that researchers in the fields of pharmacology and medicine regard as having medical uses. Critics assert that some such decisions are motivated primarily by political factors stemming from the U.S. government's War on Drugs and that many benefits of such substances remain unrecognized due to the difficulty of conducting scientific research. A counterpoint to that criticism is that under the Controlled Substances Act it is the Department of Health and Human Services (through the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute on Drug Abuse), not the DEA, which has the legal responsibility to make scientific and medical determinations with respect to drug scheduling; no drug can be scheduled if the Secretary of Health and Human Services recommends against it on a scientific or medical basis, and no drug can be placed in the most restrictive schedule (Schedule I) if DHHS finds that the drug has an accepted medical use. Jon Gettman's essay "Science and the End of Marijuana Prohibition" describes the DEA as "a fall guy to deflect responsibility from the key decision-makers" and opines, "HHS calls the shots when it comes to marijuana prohibition, and the cops at DEA and the general over at ONDCP take the heat."


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA is also criticized for focusing on the operations from which it can seize the most money, namely the organized cross-border trafficking of marijuana. Some individuals contemplating the nature of the DEA's charter advise that, based on danger, the DEA should be most focused on cocaine. Others suggest that, based on opiate popularity, the DEA should focus much more on prescription opiates used recreationally, which critics contend comes first before users switch to heroin.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: Practitioners who legally prescribe medicine however must possess a valid DEA license. According to federal law, the budget of the DEA Diversion Control Program is to be paid by these license fees. In 1984 a three-year license cost $25. In 2009 the fee for a three-year license was $551. Some have likened this approach to license fees unreasonable, "like making pilot licenses support the entire Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) budget." The renewal fee for 2020 as of October 1, 2020, is $888 for a three-year license. There seems to be no restraint on spending, and since licenses must support all the costs of the DEA they have jet aircraft, helicopters, military-style assault vehicles, and there is no end in sight.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The total budget of the DEA from 1972 to 2014, according to the agency website, was $50.6 billion. The agency had 11,055 employees in 2014. For the year 2014 the average cost per arrest made was $97,325.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: Others, such as former Republican congressman Ron Paul, the Cato Institute, The Libertarian Party and the Drug Policy Alliance criticize the very existence of the DEA and the War on Drugs as both hostile, and contrary, to the concept of civil liberties by arguing that anybody should be free to put any substance they choose into their own bodies for any reason, particularly when legal drugs such as alcohol, tobacco and prescription drugs are also open to addiction, and that any harm caused by a drug user or addict to the general public is a case of conflicting civil rights. Recurrently, billions of dollars are spent yearly, focusing largely on criminal law and demand reduction campaigns, which has resulted in the imprisonments of thousands of U.S. citizens. Demand for recreational drugs is somewhat static as the market for most illegal drugs has been saturated, forcing the cartels to expand their market to Europe and other areas than the United States. United States federal law registers cannabis as a Schedule I drug.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: An April 2012 DEA raid on a California home led to the incarceration of Daniel Chong for several days under conditions of neglect. The 23-year-old student attending the University of California, San Diego was taken into custody along with eight other people when the DEA executed a raid on a suspected MDMA distribution operation at a residence that he was visiting to celebrate the April 20 cannabis "holiday" known as "420". According to Chong, the DEA agents questioned him and told him that he could go home, one even offering him a ride home, but instead he was transferred to a holding cell and confined for five days without any food or water, although Chong said he ingested a powdery substance that was left for him, which was later found to be methamphetamine. After five days and two suicide attempts, DEA agents found Chong. He was taken to the hospital, where he spent three days in intensive care because his kidneys were close to failing. No criminal charges were filed against Chong. A DEA spokesperson stated that the extended detention was accidental and the acting special agent in charge of the San Diego DEA office issued an apology to Chong. Chong disputes the claim of accidental neglect, saying that DEA personnel ignored his calls for help. His attorney stated an intent to file a claim against the federal government and some members of California's delegation to the Congress called for further investigation of the incident.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: On August 12, 2013, at the American Bar Association's House of Delegates meeting, Attorney General Eric Holder announced the "Smart on Crime" program, which is "a sweeping initiative by the Justice Department that in effect renounces several decades of tough-on-crime anti-drug legislation and policies." Holder said the program "will encourage U.S. attorneys to charge defendants only with crimes "for which the accompanying sentences are better suited to their individual conduct, rather than excessive prison terms more appropriate for violent criminals or drug kingpins..." Running through Holder's statements, the increasing economic burden of over-incarceration was stressed. , the Smart on Crime program is not a legislative initiative but an effort "limited to the DOJ's policy parameters."


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: David Coleman Headley (born Daood Sayed Gilani; June 30, 1960) who was working as an informant for the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) simultaneously made periodic trips to Pakistan for LeT training and was one of the main conspirators in the 2008 Mumbai attacks.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: On January 24, 2013, Headley, then 52 years old, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago to 35 years in prison for his part in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, in which at least 164 victims (civilians and security personnel) and nine attackers were killed. Among the dead were 28 foreign nationals from 10 countries. One attacker was captured. The bodies of many of the dead hostages showed signs of torture or disfigurement. A number of those killed were notable figures in business, media, and security services.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA was accused in 2005 by the Venezuelan government of collaborating with drug traffickers, after which President Hugo Chávez decided to end any collaboration with the agency. In 2007, after the U.S. State Department criticized Venezuela in its annual report on drug trafficking, the Venezuelan Minister of Justice reiterated the accusations: "A large quantity of drug shipments left the country through that organization. We were in the presence of a new drug cartel."


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In his 1996 series of articles and subsequent 1999 book, both titled Dark Alliance, journalist Gary Webb asserts that the DEA helped harbor Nicaraguan drug traffickers. Notably, they allowed Oscar Danilo Blandón political asylum in the USA despite knowledge of his cocaine-trafficking organization.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The government of Bolivia has also taken similar steps to ban the DEA from operating in the country. In September 2008, Bolivia drastically reduced diplomatic ties with the United States, withdrawing its ambassador from the US and expelling the US ambassador from Bolivia. This occurred soon after Bolivian president Evo Morales expelled all DEA agents from the country due to a revolt in the traditional coca-growing Chapare Province. The Bolivian government claimed that it could not protect the agents, and Morales further accused the agency of helping incite the violence, which claimed 30 lives. National agencies were to take over control of drug management. Three years later, Bolivia and the US began to restore full diplomatic ties. However, Morales maintained that the DEA would remain unwelcome in the country, characterising it as an affront to Bolivia's "dignity and sovereignty".


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In the Netherlands, both the Dutch government and the DEA have been criticized for violations of Dutch sovereignty in drug investigations. According to Peter R. de Vries, a Dutch journalist present at the 2005 trial of Henk Orlando Rommy, the DEA has admitted to activities on Dutch soil. Earlier, then Minister of Justice Piet Hein Donner, had denied to the Dutch parliament that he had given permission to the DEA for any such activities, which would have been a requirement by Dutch law in order to allow foreign agents to act within the territory.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In 2013, "Reuters" published a report about the DEA's Special Operations Division (SOD) stating that it conceals where an investigative trail about a suspect truly originates from and creates a parallel set of evidence given to prosecutors, judges, and defense lawyers. This DEA program mainly affects common criminals such as drug dealers. The concealment of evidence means the defendant is unaware of how his or her investigation began and will be unable to request a review of possible sources of exculpatory evidence. Exculpatory evidence may include biased witnesses, mistakes, or entrapment. Nancy Gertner, a former federal judge who had served from 1994 to 2011 and a Harvard Law School professor, stated that "It is one thing to create special rules for national security. Ordinary crime is entirely different. It sounds like they are phonying up investigations." Andrew O'Hehir of "Salon" wrote that "It’s the first clear evidence that the “special rules” and disregard for constitutional law that have characterized the hunt for so-called terrorists have crept into the domestic criminal justice system on a significant scale."


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: A 2014 report by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and the Drug Policy Alliance accuses the DEA of unfairly blocking the removal of cannabis from Schedule I. The report alleges that the methods employed by the DEA to achieve this include: delaying rescheduling petitions for years, overruling DEA administrative law judges, and systematically impeding scientific research. The DEA continues to refuse the removal of cannabis from Schedule I despite wide-scale acceptance of the substance among the medical community, including 76% of doctors, for the treatment of various disease.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA, in addition to enforcement, also regularly engage in advocacy, specifically against rescheduling marijuana, by publishing policy-based papers on certain drugs. Some have criticized the DEA for using tax dollars in what they call an attempt to change public opinion, which they call an overreach from the scope of the agency's job of enforcement, and that by releasing such non-peer-reviewed reports is a transparent attempt to justify its own activities. They have claimed that since the DEA is not, by law, an advocacy group, but a legal enforcement group, that those press releases are tantamount to what they consider domestic propaganda.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: The DEA has taken a particularly strong stance on enforcement of the Controlled Substances Act on persons and organizations acting within state laws that allow medical cannabis cultivation and distribution. DEA agency executive Chuck Rosenberg has made negative statements against patients who use medical marijuana. Rosenberg has mentioned that he considers medical marijuana to be a "joke". As a reaction against the negative statements made by Rosenberg towards medical marijuana, an international online petition has been formed. More than 159,737 signatures have been gathered globally with the intention that Rosenberg be fired or forced to resign as head of DEA.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: "The people of California and the County of Santa Cruz have overwhelmingly supported the provision of medical marijuana for people who have serious illnesses," county Supervisor Mardi Wormhoudt told the "San Francisco Chronicle". "These people (blocking the road) are people with AIDS and cancer and other grave illnesses. To attack these people, who work collectively and have never taken money for their work, is outrageous."


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: As a result, the Wo/Men's Alliance for Medical Marijuana, with the City and County of Santa Cruz, had sued the DEA, Attorney General Michael Mukasey, and the ONDCP. The most recent court decision rejected the government's motion to dismiss, which allowed discovery to move forward. The American Civil Liberties Union hailed the decision as "a first-of-its-kind ruling."


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: More recently, the DEA has escalated its enforcement efforts on the recently proliferated Los Angeles area medical cannabis collectives. On July 25, 2007, the DEA raided the California Patients Group, Hollywood Compassionate Collective, and Natural Hybrid (NHI Caregivers) in Hollywood, California. Earlier that day, the operators of those collectives participated in a press conference with LA City Council members announcing the city's intention to regulate the collectives and asking the DEA to halt raids on collectives while the City drafted regulations. The dispensary operator of Natural Hybrid (NHI Caregivers) was forced to close down the collective due to the tremendous loss caused by the DEA conducted joint task force raid against them.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In 2008 the Special Operations part of the agency launched a multi-agency effort named Project Cassandra to investigate Hezbollah for allegations of illicit drug trafficking and terrorist financing. The investigation identified an Iranian cell in the U.S. which worked in concert with a Lebanese bank called the Lebanese Canadian Bank to launder money using the purchase of used automobiles exported to Africa. Project Cassandra also identified hemispheric drug syndicates involved in cocaine trafficking in order to finance Hezbollah activities. The Department of Justice issued several sealed indictments but declined to seize, prosecute, extradite, or further investigate likely targets of these alleged foreign criminal activities operating in the United States due to White House diplomatic objectives involving the international nuclear agreement with Iran. On December 22, 2017, the Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered a review of prior cases in the project.


title: Drug Enforcement Administration

text: In 1999, the DEA opened the Drug Enforcement Administration Museum in Arlington, Virginia. The original permanent exhibit – Illegal Drugs in America: A Modern History – remains the museum's centerpiece. The exhibit features "the more than 150 year history of drugs and drug abuse and the DEA," including a considerable collection of drug paraphernalia and an image of a smiling drug vendor under the heading "Jimmy's Joint".


title: Devilman Crybaby

text: Devilman Crybaby is a 2018 Japanese original net animation (ONA) series based on Go Nagai's manga series "Devilman". The web anime is directed by Masaaki Yuasa, produced by Aniplex and Dynamic Planning, animated by Science SARU, and released by Netflix. Yuasa was offered the opportunity to create a "Devilman" project by Aniplex, and envisioned "Devilman Crybaby". Announced in 2017 to mark Nagai's 50th anniversary as a creator, "Crybaby" was made available for worldwide streaming on January 5, 2018 as a Netflix original series.


title: Devilman Crybaby

text: The series updates the original 1970s setting to the 21st century but retains the basic premise of Nagai's manga, following Akira Fudo and his friend Ryo Asuka as they face an ancient race of demons that seek to destroy humanity. Believing the only way to defeat the demons is to obtain their powers, Ryo proposes that Akira unite with a demon; in doing so Akira transforms into the titular Devilman, gaining the powers of a demon but retaining the soul of a human. The anti-war themes of the original "Devilman" are re-interpreted as a metaphor for bigotry, in which manipulation and paranoia are discussed using the allegory of the demons as "the other". The anime's themes of puberty, sexuality, sex, love, and LGBT identity were explored in critics' analysis of the work, along with a debate over whether the series' perspective and ending are nihilistic.


title: Devilman Crybaby

text: Fans were divided in their response to Yuasa's take on Nagai's work, though the series' announcement and release were among the most widely discussed among anime series released in 2018; the series also spawned several memes. Its viewership numbers are unknown as Netflix does not disclose these figures, though many journalists described the series as a hit. Critics assessed "Crybaby" favorably, with some calling it a "masterpiece," the best Netflix anime, and one of the best anime of the year overall and the decade. Although the response to its graphic content and ending were divided, its animation, soundtrack, characterization, openly LGBT characters, and faithfulness to the original manga were praised.


title: Devilman Crybaby

text: High school student Akira Fudo lives with his only friend and longtime crush Miki Makimura, her brother Taro, and her parents Noel and Akiko. When Akira attempts to defend Miki from a gang led by rapper Wamu, he is rescued by his childhood friend Ryo Asuka. Ryo tells Akira that his recent expedition to the Amazon rainforest revealed the existence of demons, but that the world's governments are suppressing this information. Planning to expose the demons, Ryo takes Akira to an underground nightclub; he attacks its patrons with a broken bottle, causing demons to appear. Ryo films the demons massacring the humans but is attacked and pinned by a demon. Akira's will overpowers Amon, a powerful demon who tries to possess him, transforming him into Amon's demon form and allowing him to slaughter the demons.


title: Devilman Crybaby

text: Ryo and Akira fight several demons including Amon's lover Silene, her associate Kaim, and the sadistic Jinmen who is responsible for the deaths of Akira's parents. Akira and Ryo's friendship becomes strained over time due to Ryo's extreme actions to protect Akira's secret. Ryo eventually reveals on television that track star Moyuru Koda is a demon. The revelation of the existence of demons triggers a global panic, leading humanity to turn on itself while the demons begin possessing humans on a large scale. Disgusted by Ryo's apathy toward the chaos he has caused, Akira, alongside Koda and fellow devilman Miki "Miko" Kuroda, begin trying to find other Devilmen. As Tokyo descends into chaos, Miki's family fall victim to the police and are buried by Akira outside the city.


title: Devilman Crybaby

text: Confused by his own actions, Ryo returns to the Amazon rainforest. After returning, Ryo lies about the origin of demons during a worldwide broadcast and shows footage of Akira transforming into Devilman, and the world descends into mass violence and genocide. After talking to social media to defend Akira, Miki and her friends are violently murdered by a paranoid mob who believes them to be demons. Akira kills the mob in retribution after witnessing them maniacally parading around with the dismembered bodies of his friends on sticks. Akira soon confronts Ryo, who reveals he is the fallen angel Satan. Satan discovered the demons living on Earth after being cast out of Heaven, and though his body and the demons were destroyed by God, their souls endured their physical destruction. Having reincarnated as Ryo, Satan explains that he intends to exterminate humanity for defiling the world; he made Akira a Devilman to allow him to survive in the world to come, and to thank him for being by his side when he was human. Akira refuses to join Satan's cause and gathers the other Devilmen to fight Satan's army, but is defeated. With humanity, the demons, and the Devilmen obliterated and the Earth a devastated ruin, Satan reminisces with Akira until he realizes Akira has already died. Having killed the only person he ever loved, Satan becomes devastated and overwhelmed with grief. He tearfully cradles Akira's lifeless body as an army of angels descends, who destroy and reform the Earth.


title: Devilman Crybaby

text: "Devilman Crybaby" is based on Go Nagai's manga "Devilman". It was produced as a Netflix original series by Aniplex and Nagai's Dynamic Planning, and animated by Masaaki Yuasa's studio Science SARU. Yuasa directed the anime, Ichirō Ōkouchi wrote the script and Eunyoung Choi served as the animation producer. Ayumi Kurashima was the character designer, while Kiyotaka Oshiyama was responsible specifically for the demon's design. Although Yuasa was a fan of the original "Devilman", it was a project he never imagined he would work on. It was Aniplex with whom he collaborated on "Ping Pong the Animation" (2014), that suggested a "Devilman" adaptation. Yuasa did "Crybaby" aware that Nagai was probably restrained in the depiction of its sexual and violent content by having "Devilman" published in a "shōnen" (young males) magazine. The director commented that Nagai's later works were "even more extreme" and so he created "Crybaby" with the mindset of "If Nagai-sensei could have done as he pleased, he'd have gone this far". Yuasa also expressed his desire in creating a sequel to "Crybaby", saying that if he did, he could explore the "different settings and ways of telling the story".


title: Devilman Crybaby

text: "Crybaby" updates the 1970s scenario of Nagai's manga on which it is based to a 21st-century setting. While the manga featured delinquents who bullied Akira, the anime uses rappers as substitutes for them. Because of that, some episodes feature extended rap sequences performed by professional rappers. These rap performances function as a type of narrator throughout the series. The director said he made this change because he believes "rappers are the people who speak what's on their minds today". It features commentaries done through rapid text messages and social media to explore humans' reaction to demons. Yuasa commented that the technologies and social media's popularity made the 21st-century situation very close to the "Devilman" manga's violent scenario, as "people are a lot more connected, for good and bad". On the bad side, he cited people getting shot over a video game, police brutality towards African-Americans, the rise of nationalism in politics, and problems being blamed on foreigners. On the good side, he mentioned people coming out as LGBT through social media and a greater "acceptance of different opinions and lifestyles". The series takes place in a universe in which the 1970s "Devilman" TV series exists, its theme song appears as a child's ringtone, and the bedroom of one of the children is filled with "Devilman" anime objects.