PoPoLoCrois is a manga series by Tamori Yousuke, originally published in the Asahi Student Newspaper (a subsidiary of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper). It was later adapted into two anime series and five console role-playing games. Its title is a combination of words from two languages: the Italian word "Popolo (people)" and the French "croix (crossing)", which together mean "crossing of people". The general theme of the series is love and compassion, that the race to which one belongs isn't important and the importance of friendship. The first game, "Popolocrois Monogatari", starts at the night of Pietro's (also called Pietoro) 10th birthday, when he learns that his mother, who he thought was long dead, was found in a coma. Pietro sets out into a journey along with the apprentice forest witch, Narcia, to save his mother's soul from the underworld. Pietro has to free her soul and defeat a menacing demon that is threatening to destroy the entire kingdom. The game starts when Pietro, our hero, who looks a bit gloomy despite it being his tenth birthday goes to see his father, King Paulo, and after that the king goes into the tower that he has always told Pietro is forbidden, and Pietro decides to follow him. Inside, he finds King Paulo talking to an unconscious Sania, Pietro's mother whom he had thought died.