Sibyl Algorithm

Lore & Background

The Sibyl System is not a single artificial intelligence but a powerful biomechatronic computer network. It governs Japan by continually scanning the mental states of every passing citizen. Elite officers known as Inspectors research and evaluate crime scenes with the assistance of Enforcers, who are latent criminals charged with protecting the Inspectors and carrying out their instructions. Both are equipped with personally activated hand-held weapons called Dominators, whose integrated scanners provide the target's immediate Psycho-Pass. The gun-like weapon can only fire when approved by the Sibyl System and triggered by its owner. Inspectors have jurisdiction to fire their Dominators on the Enforcers should they pose a danger to the public or the Inspectors themselves. The system's most notable anomaly is the Criminally Asymptomatic individual—a person persistently assessed by the Sibyl System as having a low crime coefficient despite all actions and attitudes, thus protecting them from Dominator harm. Shogo Makishima is one such individual, and he is invited by Joshu Kasei, the android form of Sibyl, to join their ranks. He refuses and flees.

In Their Own Story

The Sibyl System's governance is challenged by the criminal mastermind Shogo Makishima, who is Criminally Asymptomatic—the system persistently assesses him as having a low crime coefficient despite his actions. When Joshu Kasei, the android form of Sibyl, invites Makishima to join their ranks, he refuses and flees. The Sibyl System then orders Inspector Akane Tsunemori to capture Makishima and execute Enforcer Shinya Kogami, but she agrees only on the condition that they withdraw the execution order for Kogami. In the climax, Kogami uses a gun—not a Dominator—to kill Makishima, bypassing the Sibyl System's control. In the epilogue, Kogami is last seen on a ship, having escaped the system's reach.

Reader's Guide

The Sibyl Algorithm functions by using a "cymatic scan" to continually monitor the psychological traits of Japanese citizens. The resulting psychometric assessment is called a Psycho-Pass, which includes a numeric Crime Coefficient index. When this index exceeds the accepted threshold of 100, the individual is pursued, apprehended, and either arrested or killed. The primary enforcement tool is the Dominator, a hand-held weapon whose integrated scanner provides the target's immediate Psycho-Pass. The weapon can only fire when approved by the Sibyl System and triggered by its owner. However, the system has a critical limitation: Criminally Asymptomatic individuals, like Shogo Makishima, are persistently assessed as having a low crime coefficient despite all actions and attitudes, making them immune to Dominator harm. This reveals that the system cannot judge those who commit crimes without a corresponding psychological profile.

Did You Know?

• The Sibyl System uses a 'cymatic scan' to continually monitor the psychological traits of Japanese citizens.
• The Crime Coefficient threshold for pursuit is 100.
• Shogo Makishima is a Criminally Asymptomatic individual, persistently assessed as having a low crime coefficient despite his actions.
• Joshu Kasei is the android form of the Sibyl System.
• The Dominator can only fire when approved by the Sibyl System and triggered by its owner.