Soul Chess

"Aizen. You may have defeated Urahara-san, but now you face an opponent who will trip you up at every turn, stop you at every juncture and counter your every move. You now face an opponent who can play by your rules and settings. From now on you face me."

- Lelouch Lamperouge

Soul Chess Is a Bleach/Code Geass fanfiction about what happens to Lelouch after the Zero Requiem. It starts with Lelouch waking up in the rukongai, and follows him during his rise through the ranks.

The story is noted for staying very true to character, even considering how many the source material brings. Lelouch, Aizen, Yoruichi, Urahara, and everyone else are all completely in character.

Also important is something extremely rare in any crossover: things don't change right away. The story starts sometime a little before the turn back the pendulum arc, and major changes don't happen for several chapters. This is partially because the overall spread of events was designed to allow for inconsistencies, and partially because Lelouch starts out at a fairly low rank, and stays that way for a while. His rise through the ranks is steady and believable.

Tropes A to G
"Lelouch:"
 * Absurdly Sharp Blade:
 * Achilles' Heel: The Togabito that attack the world of the living have their masks as this. Lelouch is quick to abuse this.
 * Actor Allusion: Multiple people have commented that Lelouch and Ichigo sound very similar, including themselves.
 * As an alias to get her and Ichigo through Seireitei, Kukaku calls Ichigo KoizumiNero.
 * Lelouch also notes the similarity to the voices of Rukia and Euphemia. Though he doesn't use Euphy's name.
 * Strangely enough, it's very coincidental that in chapter 59 that Rukia did a small voice cameo as Yoko for Ichigo and Shinji's special reenactment of their favorite series.
 * Keigo goes into town wearing the same clothes as Suzaku Kururugi in episode 5 and winds up crashing into a potential love interest
 * On that same vein Keigo and Ichigo meet, supposedly, alone to discuss what’s really going on and the first thing out of Keigo’s mouth is no more games and no more lies
 * Shinji strangely noted how Tatsuki and Yoruichi sound eerily alike.
 * All Just a Dream:  tried to pull this on.
 * All There in the Manual: The author has a lot of extra information offscreen, and, as of chapter 33, has offered to send alternate endings to his poll about Lelouch's love life when people ask for them.
 * The Newsletters contain this sort of information.
 * Alternate Universe Sasakibe Chojiro is Awesome: There is an omake with this title that turns the Flat Character Sasakibe Chojiro into a complete badass that borderlines Gary Stu territory.
 * And Knowing Is Half the Battle: Played with in Lelouch's fight with Maki. After Maki figures out Lelouch's fighting style, Lelouch reminds him that knowing is only half the battle.
 * Anyone Can Die: Let's see: Even the Plot Armor of OFFICIAL Characters would not protect them.
 * Word of God has explicitly stated that this trope is applicable to the Battle of Karakura Town Arc in large contrast to canon.
 * The Second Half just finished with the final tally adding up to be: . It's subverted for   who is actually killed, but  . Which may have been the point.
 * The ONLY Soul Society casualty in the Reapers and Heralds arc?  It wasn't even by battle.
 * As of.
 * Before most of the actual fighting begins  snuffs it as well.
 * Apologetic Attacker: do this when fighting each other, of course.
 * Lelouch and Byakuya both use this trope in chapter 99 while attacking
 * Applied Phlebotinum: The anti-hellfire
 * Arc Words: If I don't try, there's no chance, but if I try, even if the odds are stacked against me, there's still a chance.
 * Armor-Piercing Slap: gives one to Lelouch over.
 * Rangiku gives him one when he tries to.
 * She also gives one to  in chapter 90 along with a What the Hell, Hero? speech.
 * Artistic License: Invoked whenever Kubo hasn't provided enough information.
 * Invoked again to give . With that said the author states he has some very solid reasoning for doing this that will later be important.
 * Invoked yet again, this time it is 's Bankai. The author deliberately changed original Bankai to this alternate original creation.
 * Ascended Meme: The author decided to use the line that Jikan Kami  makes Kyoka Suigetsu look like a parlor trick as part of the in-universe dialogue.
 * Assassin Outclassin': Happens to Yosei and Yolanda.
 * Asshole Victim:
 * Anyone in hell is basically this whenever they suffer.
 * Asskicking Equals Authority: The ranking system in Hell.
 * Ass Shove: Rangiku does this to Haineko with a stick..
 * Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: Kasumi and Ichigo come across this monster with three tentacles for a body. It turns out that those are just the eyelashes. Then the room starts shaking and the whole monster emerges. Ichigo feels like he wants to ball up and cry because what do you do when something that big wants to kill you?
 * Attempted Rape:
 * Chi Kamisori on Vera
 * Author Appeal: There is a lot of Les Yay implications, plus a confirmed relationship.
 * Also, zanpakuto have a much greater tendency to change the clothing and outward appearance of soul reapers than in bleach.
 * Have you also noticed that a lot of characters get wings when they power up?
 * Or that a lot of characters have red eyes?
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: With the exception of,   is the highest rank Soul Reaper of the reinforcements sent to Karakura Town on the field of battle against the assault to kidnap Orihime.
 * Hell functions in this fashion. The lower your ID# the stronger you are considered.
 * Asskicking Equals Authority: Being able to repeatedly defeat fellow sinners stronger than you is grounds for promotion.
 * Awesomeness By Analysis: Lelouch not only has a habit figuring out hundreds, if not thousands, of reasons for someone doing something, he also figured out Metastacia's capabilities before it ever appeared. In fact, this trope is the very basis of Lelouch's
 * Aided by his knowledge of Isshin, is able to figure out most of Ichigo's bankai abilities and specializations just by looking at it.
 * Both Uryu and Talbumosuke can use this quite easily.
 * Lelouch was able to analyze and learn the technique
 * A Worldwide Punomenon / Incredibly Lame Pun: In the beginning of the chapter 66 author's notes he mentions that Because Nel  and therefore unable to travel with Ichigo he calls the new ending to Ichigo's fight with Grimmjow For Want of a Nel
 * Badass Boast: The page quote, which comes from the end of the Prelude arc.
 * How about this one :
 * How about this one :

"Eien Tamashi: Pick one, or, if you prefer, make a harem. Just make it so I'm not sweltering because a girl you like set off your reproductive organs. Lelouch: I didn't think Zanpakuto could be affected by temperature. Eien Tamashi: You're missing the point!"
 * Uryu vs Shawlong. "I will kill you before you land a single blow on me." Bonus points for actually doing it.
 * Shinji: I won't need more than five minutes.
 * Batman Gambit: Uryu trys one against Kyoraku during their drinking game, based off of his personal knowledge of Chad.
 * Berserk Button: Don't even THINK on It won't end well.
 * Betty and Veronica: Yuna and Rangiku, respectively.
 * With
 * In chapter 107 Kendra becomes the Veronica to  Betty with regards to.
 * Big Damn Heroes: Happens so often that counting would be meaningless. It's not always predictable, though.
 * Big Damn Kiss: Lots of them, mostly involving Lelouch, although there is one between.
 * Big Eater: Susanna normally isn't one of these, which is why Rangiku is confused when she eats so much of Orihime's cooking.
 * The reason for this is because
 * Big Sister Instinct:
 * Big "What?": Ichigo and Keigo’s reaction to the fact that Mizuiro managed to have a lengthy phone conversation with.
 * Blatant Lies: Lelouch does not have a sister complex!
 * He also planned for Unohana to be his "secret weapon". It's obvious from the way he's saying it he just doesn't want to invoke her wrath.
 * Boobs of Steel: Talbumosuke noticed that among the Espada, a female arrancar is bustier the more powerful she is.
 * Brass Balls: Lampshaded in the narration about Needles having to have some kind of balls to show his face anywhere near Ichigo after what happened last time
 * Breaking the Fourth Wall: Kukaku and  have a go at this in regards to Symbol Swearing
 * Break the Cutie: Mia wants to do this to, but is stopped before she can.
 * Brick Joke: In chapter 73, Renji says he hasn’t forgiven Kaien for the card game incident, and then at the end of the chapter there’s the omake.
 * In chapter 18, Lelouch mentions he has a safe to which using the combo lock or the keypad initiates the alarm sequence. Eighty chapters later both Susanna and Yuna try opening said safe and both are chased out of his office.
 * An example that crosses over from out of universe to the inside. At the start of ch 104 the author suggests to the readers to have the 1812 overture handy. As one can expect, towards the end of the chapter, there is stuff blowing up like fireworks on the 4th of July.
 * A meta-example. The Memetic Mutation of people pretending to be Tite Kubo start their statements with “So there I was being Kubo” often ending with “I love my life”. In chapter 120, during a flashback, Kukaku drops the line “So there I was being me” only for Kendra, at the end of the flashback, to throw in “I love my job”.
 * Bridal Carry:  on   in chapter 74.
 * Lelouch on  in chapter 99.
 * Bullying a Dragon: With a little bit of Do Not Taunt Cthulhu thrown in for good measure. Kaibun, Shuren and  are all guilty of doing this to poor Ichigo who, because of his hollow becomes strong enough to wipe the floor with all of them.
 * Bunny Ears Lawyer: One must question the Soul King on allowing Lelouch's proposal to revolutionize the Soul Society using  as a judge
 * Or he could be a Magnificent Bastard and figured Lelouch's plan would succeed and somehow benefits from.
 * Call Back: In chapter 6 Isshin states "This here ladies man is staying single". Lelouch mentions this again in chapter  where upon Isshin gets banished and says that he'll open up a med clinic and settle down. Isshin hangs a lampshade on Lelouch's memory considering this is more than a century in-universe after the comment was made.
 * In one of the earlier chapters one of the captains say that Unohana with her braid thrown back and undone is a sign that she's serious. She does exactly this while.
 * Ichigo mentions Kukaku’s driving skills to his father when Isshin gives Ichigo the keys to the family car and tells him not to wreck it.
 * Later that same chapter Karin seems to be infatuated with Lelouch. His Zanpakuto comments that she already made a Lolicon joke, which she did all the way back in chapter 14
 * Captain Obvious: Yammy to Ulquiorra about his hierro.
 * Yuna is called upon being this during the  arc by Gin.
 * Cassandra Truth: Lelouch flat out told Yoruichi what Aizen was planning to do. She'll probably believe him next time.
 * Everyone is now Not that it matters.
 * Catapult Nightmare: Lelouch is subject to this every time he has a really bad dream.
 * too, but only in an omake.
 * Cerebus Rollercoaster: Was lighthearted then it got dark, then it got less dark with the Winter War, and then it got  really  dark with the Reapers and Heralds arc and now it seems to be back to being light for a little while. Then it got REALLY DARK!
 * Chekhov's Boomerang: In chapter 72 Chizuru throws a fake rock onto an ice rink to force Ichigo and Orihime apart and fails miserbly to do so. The second half of the now broken rock is tripped over later in the chapter by Susanna and she stumbles into Lelouch’s arms.
 * Chekhov's Gun: That flying device that Yoruichi had? Yeah, Lelouch uses it to.
 * The author's notes of chapter 58 reveal that besides  one of another of Lelouch's siblings is spiritually aware. In the same author's notes, there are supposedly several more instances of this trope within the chapter itself.
 * An example of a double subversion. In chapter 71 Talbumosuke is given a warning about the danger of . During the battle we’re given no answer as to why that warning is given, but when we cut back to Hueco Mundo, Talbumosuke remembers the warning and lampshades the fact that he didn’t see anything resembling its use.
 * Remember that hollow mask Lelouch finds in Yuna’s wall safe all the way back in chapter 20. In chapter 89.
 * In chapter 107 there’s a mention of Keigo’s prized guitar. In 116
 * Chekhov's Gunman: Natsumi Taka, a character only briefly seen in the series back in chapter 16, is reused as
 * Chess Motifs: It's a Code Geass fanfic. Duh.
 * Christmas Episode: The aptly named ch 72 Lelouch's White Chirstmas
 * Circles of Hell
 * Color-Coded for Your Convenience: Zero and the Phantoms of Justice.
 * Combat Pragmatist: According to Mia, most arrancar have a similar philosophy.
 * Comically Missing the Point: Rukia says that she'll replace Byakuya's flowers when her rabbit eats them, before  calls her on this.
 * Comically Missing the Point: Rukia says that she'll replace Byakuya's flowers when her rabbit eats them, before  calls her on this.

"Yoruichi (to Lelouch): What's thins? Like what you see? Well at least you're not acting like Byakuya-bo. When I first revealed this to him the first thing out of his mouth was-- Ichigo: GAH WOULD YOU Please Put Some Clothes On?! Yoruichi: Wow that was exactly it and you weren't even there, Ichigo. Lelouch: I think you're kind of missing the point there Yoruichi."
 * Yoruichi during her Naked First Impression to Ichigo with Lelocuh present

"Rangiku: Are you sure it's a good idea to stick it in bare like that? Renji: Only if you don't have a glove"
 * Complete Monster: is  responsible for the Soul Chess version of 9/11
 * Composite Character: Word of God states that this was the intention for, although she comes across as more of a red-haired CC.
 * Continuity Nod: Just like in Bleach, Kenpachi defeats a bankai Kiganjo in a single hit, and Izuru's haiku are an instant hit.
 * In chapter 73’s omake Kaien and Renji go indoors to watch Gurren Lagann, which is apparently popular in-universe
 * In chapter 53, Hisana tells Lelouch that if the Head Captain wanted his input he'd ask for it directly. In chapter 70, Yamamoto asks Lelouch to.
 * Creator Cameo: Both the omake writer and the author appear in the 100th chapter omake. Sort of
 * Creator In-Joke: The 100th chapter omake has Revy and Rock in the beginning complaining about being forgotten about in homage to a collaboration between the omake writer and the author: Lagoon of the dead.
 * Curb Stomp Battle: Happens every now and then. Some are done well others...not so much
 * Darkest Hour: Chapter 123.
 * Defeat Means Friendship: Like in Bleach, there are elements of it in the story, but it's rarely played completely straight.
 * Department of Redundancy Department: In chapter 33, while two characters are getting it on, the author says that one would possessively possess the other.
 * Deus Ex Machina: Kukaku suddenly has a Capsule Corp style car when the group needs transportation.
 * Does This Remind You of Anything?: Lelouch thinks that he's invincible because . Word of God says that it's a parallel to teenagers who think that they're bullet-proof, and completely immune to addiction of any kind.
 * In chapter 53, Hisana lampshades the following conversation

"Kaien: Wh-what is this that I'm feeling? I have nothing, but contempt for this woman...but...my body...it's reacting to her. She's…she sucking me dry."
 * It Makes Sense in Context since they're trying to get Kon's pill out of his plush body and Renji doesn't have on of those special skull symbol gloves, which is the glove he's referring to.
 * In chapter 64, while having his reiatsu absorbed by Mia

"Shinji: We are bastards."
 * On September 11, 2001 atb, A pair of hijacked planes hit a pair of towers in Britannian Yorkshire, a plane is shot down by anti-air cannons about to hit Pendragon (The plane that hit the pentagon) and one crashed in the middle of the Jamison Province (Flight 93 that crashed in Pennsylvania).
 * Doorstopper: At over one million words at the time of writing, this definitely qualifies.
 * Driven to Suicide: Several Togabito because Lelouch and the others mention Rita and she’s supposed to be a myth. And they’re the good guys.

"Ichigo: "Dad, nothing's going to happen relax. You're acting like Britannia's going to invade the country or creatures from the depths of hell are going to rise up and attack us.""
 * Dungeon Bypass: The second circle of hell is a fighting arena where, those who want to test their skill, or explore the lower regions, must fight for their lives. Upon the reveal that Kokuto is the 187th strongest, the other fighters give up before the match starts.
 * Early-Bird Cameo: Ikumi Unagiya appears in chapter 72 while the Arrancar dilemma is still the main plot line.
 * Earn Your Happy Ending: Chapter 50, although the story isn't quite over yet.
 * Enemy Mine: Zero becomes this after Aizen fakes his death, before the big reveal.
 * Enforced Method Acting: Ichigo and Shinji used ACTUAL weapons during their reenactment of the Kamina/Viral showdown in chapter 59.
 * Equivalent Exchange: A meta example. Bringing into the action was, according to Word of God, at Uryus expense, and can be seen in that many of his fights have gone to her.
 * Kaien also seems to be taking a lot of Renji's fights. And of course, multiple zanpakuto will take away from one attribute in favor of another.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: See Lets Fight Like Gentleman below
 * Executive Meddling: A meta-example. The author and the writer of the omakes are not the same person and sometimes the author edits the omake to suit his fancy, much to the omake writer's chagrin.
 * Explain, Explain, Oh Crap: When prompted by Hisana, Gin starts to state what ’s next move is. The use of this trope comes when he realizes that it’s.
 * Tsukishima’s reaction when asked whose dumb idea it was to . The responsibility falls on   which makes Tsukishima realize.
 * Expy: Chapter 124 gives us one of Albert Wesker.
 * Family-Unfriendly Death: Seen a few times.
 * Fan Service: Taken Up to Eleven in Mia's case, seen throughout the series in the form of Lemons and heavily lampshaded and mocked in the Halloween Omake
 * Fan Disservice: Going straight from to a flashback of.
 * Chi Kamisori molesting Vera in chapter 101. girl on girl might be hot and all but the scene just has a side order of Nightmare Fuel with its order.
 * Fan Dumb: The author has noted several people still think that Tosen is on Aizen's side despite the fact that
 * Fetish: Apparently, Lelouch likes having a sex slave, although that really shouldn't be a surprise, considering how he acts on a regular basis.
 * Apparently Rangiku and Haineko go both have an anal fetish. Go figure.
 * Five-Bad Band: As of the Reapers and Heralds arc:
 * Big Bad: Muramasa
 * The Dragon:
 * Evil Genius:
 * The Brute:
 * The Dark Chick: Unknown but most likely Haineko.
 * Five-Man Band: Outlined by the author in chapter 51. Ichigo is The Hero, Tatsuki is The Lancer, Uryu is The Smart Guy, Chad is The Big Guy and Orihime is The Chick.
 * The reinforcements from soul society have Lelouch as The Hero,  are The Lancer,   and Renji represent The Big Guy, and Rukia, Susanna and Rangiku are chicks.
 * Orihime suggested that if he turned out to be a nice guy, Shinji could be the Sixth Ranger. As of chapter 60, he officially becomes this
 * In the Different Bonds arc: Ichigo is The Hero, Tatsuki and Chad are both The Lancer, Lelouch is The Smart Guy, Kendra is The Big Girl, Susanna is The Chick. Kokuto and  are both Sixth Rangers and the former is a.
 * Fix Fic: Lelouch sets out to turn this into one.
 * Flat What: Ichigo's reaction to.
 * Foe Yay: Eien Tamashi thinks it's a possibility between.
 * Foreshadowing: In chapter 3 Lelouch says that some squad three memebers are known for being cold hearted and cruel. In chapter 9 it's revealed that their captain, Hoshima Treva, is
 * All throughout the first 16 chapters Lelouch has a recurring nightmare about  this leads up to the revelation in chapter 17 that
 * In chapter 23 Lelouch mentions that he can almost see his zanpakuto's smile. At the end of the chapter.
 * In that same chapter it's mentioned early on that Kiganjo's predecessor's Vice-captain battled Kiganjo because he didn't like the way Kiganjo ran things. Later.
 * In chapter 28 Lelouch gives Vera a wristband. This is explained in chapter 29.
 * Chapter 31, Lelouch mentions that he might need a stand in for extended missions. Guess what happens soon after?
 * Chapter 39 has Kaien telling Hisana that she wouldn't be so calm . To be fair, though, more or less everyone who watches Bleach saw what happens next coming a mile off.
 * Hisana also tells Kaien that his pride and honor will get him killed. Come time for the, they almost do.
 * Kaien and Byakuya talk about how Hisana would be furious if she found out that Byakuya wasn't doing anything to, and Byakuya says that she wouldn't do anything rash. Come the end of the chapter, she.
 * When Susanna gets sick after battle, Rangiku writes it off. When she eats Orihime's cooking, she teases her about it. Then we find out that . Oh, yeah.
 * In chapter 76  says it will take teamwork pragmatic tactics and lots and lots of explosions to defeat Hallibel’s fraccion. Cue the fireworks in ch 78.
 * Tatsuki  foreshadowed   doing the same thing.
 * In chapter 22 Lelouch mentions, offhandedly, that he believes that a clean slate for a reincarnated soul has fragments that can never truly be lost. Skip ahead to chapter 85 when this becomes a plot point.
 * Not only does Unohana throw out her hair behind her to show her signs of being serious in combat, but in chapter 94 it’s explained why she does it..
 * In chapter 74 it's narrated that Shisato and Ikkaku's supposed hookup would stay where it occurred for now. Cue The Reveal in chapter 94 that.
 * In chapter 73 it's mentioned that Lelouch might respond to the call of vigilantism again and at the during the Lelouch and the Law arc he tells Byakuya he'd always help him out in anyway he could if he needed it..
 * Ichigo's comment in chapter 106 when Isshin is going to an overseas trip for a medical conference for a week pretty much said it all.


 * In chapter 123 Rita brings out a soul that has been unwilling to be reincarnated and uses it to some degree. In 124 that soul appears and Shinji recognizes . This is all leading up to The Reveal that.
 * For Want of a Nail: Inverted. . Major changes have happened to The Stations of the Canon of Bleach as a result. Of course...
 * In Spite of a Nail: That doesn't mean anything worth a damn for  due to the  . Makes it blatantly impossible to Set Right What Once Went Wrong
 * Fourth Wall Mail Slot: The "Ask Eien Tamashi" segments of the Newsletters.
 * Freudian Slip: "Six, SIX!"
 * Fusion Dance:
 * Genre Savvy: While heavily outclassed in this department by people like Lelouch, Kaien does realise and suspect that an enemy building could be booby-trapped.
 * Genre Shift: The series turns into a Courtroom Drama for an entire arc.
 * Girl-On-Girl Is Hot: Lelouch certainly seems to think so.
 * Gory Discretion Shot: In a Take Out Word For It fashion with Hisana's comical No-Holds-Barred Beatdown of
 * A less than humorous example is . Considering she's just a child it's probably better that way.
 * Graceful Loser:
 * Hisoka Umezawa  accepts his defeat at Lelouch's hands gracefully saying that   either doomed Soul Society by letting Lelouch win or perhaps gave it their greatest chance to prosper.
 * Gratuitous Japanese: The author, in addition to using some general honorifics, will throw in a small phrase here and there. He also uses a translator for Zanpakuto names (which can have the unfortunate side effect of phonetic japanese, i.e. english words with a japanese accent.)
 * When dealing with the Phantoms and their introduction, the author purposefully increases the Gratuitous Japanese usage dramatically, to increase the Super Sentai feel.
 * Gratuitous Spanish

Tropes H to M

 * Heroic Second Wind: Whenever this happens to your opponent, just start praying.
 * Homage: Word of God continuously says that  is in direct correlation to Doomsday Vs the Justice League followed by Superman’s brutal battle with him.
 * Hoist by His Own Petard:  does this to a togabito in chapter 124.
 * How We Got Here: Chapter 120 starts with Rangiku cornered as she’s prosecuting a trial and then flashbacks to show the incident that happened to bring her to this point.
 * I Have Your Wife: Though  isn't   wife and actually   it's the same effect played by.
 * A few chapters later  pulls this on   by taking  . Once again no marriage, but the effect is still the same.
 * I Knew It!: Many fans speculated that They were right.
 * Others speculated that Kasumi was . They were also right.
 * In Spite of a Nail: A Code Geass historical example. In spite of the changes in history 9/11 still happens
 * Irony: Rukia openly trashes Lelouches fashion sense when he reveals the uniforms for their group, despite the fact that her... "artistic abilities" are a bit of a Running Gag.
 * Tatsuki takes time in the middle of battle to mock her opponent and point out that talking is not a free action.
 * Aizen mocks Shinji for not watching him more closely... and then makes the exact same mistake with Lelouch.
 * When, Rukia is taken by surprise.
 * * Immortality Begins At Twenty: Kendra states that this is usually the case for most Soul Reapers, though there are some cases where it hits earlier or later.
 * You mean like Yamamoto and Yachiru and Hitsugaya
 * Innocent Innuendo: In omake chapter 7.76 Lelouch is listening in on what he thinks is Yuna and Mari having sex, but Mari is just giving Yuna a massage.
 * Ironically, right after this they actually do start making love
 * Innocently Insensitive: Yoruichi’s quip about Lelouch keeping his geass from being permanently active because he doesn’t want it going off by mistake was rather inappropriate given Code Geass Canon. In her defense though, it’s not like she knows the truth.
 * It Got Worse: If you think that it would get easier AFTER the Battle of Karakura Town arcs, THINK AGAIN! The author seems to be enjoying telling the readers that this trope is in effect during the Reapers and Heralds arc. Ever since chapter 95 hit things went to hell fast and haven’t gotten better since. To clarify:
 * two of the most brilliant minds in the Soul Society went missing.
 * Yamamoto’s whereabouts are unknown
 * A lot of readers have already begun crying Doomy Dooms of Doom because of this. As has Gin in-universe. It’s really becoming a case of Only the Author Can Save Them Now
 * See Darkest Hour above.
 * I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: In chapter 61, Gin states that if he doesn't make it, he wants Lelouch to take care of Rangiku.
 * Leaning on the Fourth Wall: When they, Kukaku says that Ichigo will die in less than six minutes. In that episode of bleach, the episode ends six minutes later.
 * Les Yay: As of chapter 30  are officially a couple.
 * Let's Fight Like Gentlemen: Because Ichigo is Isshin's son, invokes this when fighting him.
 * Guns and murder are banned in the honor code of the gang system in Karakura Town and the towns in the same county.
 * Let Us Never Speak of This Again: The women shinigami’s association’s reaction to finding most of the men watching My Little Pony
 * Loophole Abuse: Played with. Ordinarily,, but since they're dead, Old Man Genocide has the desicion-making power, and he decided.
 * Ichigo is allowed to speak his mind during the trial because he is neither a Gotei member or a Rukongai civilian..
 * Love Dodecahedron: As if it wasn't bad enough with Lelouch, now it seems that Tatsuki might be entering the competition for Ichigo.
 * Seems to be more like a triangle in Ichigo's case since
 * Make Sure He's Dead: Yamamoto in regards to.
 * Male Gaze: Yoruichi's role as the Shameless Fanservice Girl has Lelouch unabashedely staring at her, as well as telling Ichigo to lighten up.
 * Kaien gets distracted by Mia's breasts when they fight for the 3rd time.
 * Mass "Oh Crap": The reaction of the Espada in the omake where it’s revealed.
 * Mind Screw: Mia. Considering who she really is, though, it's to be expected.
 * Missed Moment of Awesome: Kendra, Stefan, Yosei, Naomi and Yolanda all handing the Bounts their asses in between the events of chapters 110 and 111.
 * Mood Whiplash: Chapter 49 keeps switching from drama to comedy and back again.
 * The main point of the Omake of
 * More Deadly Than the Male: Loly and Menoly's two hybrid pets fall under this category. It's the female version that is stronger according to Loly.
 * Murder Is the Best Solution: Lelouch's thoughts on the.
 * Mythology Gag: mocks the size of  Bankai, saying that it's far too small.   the iconic scene this is taken from
 * Yolanda dual wields two research department made pistols that were modeled off of the weapons Soul Reapers used to use to purify hollows, but were scrapped in favor of the Zanpakuto. It’s a reference to the fact that Kubo originally intended to have the Soul Reapers use guns in the series, but switched them for the Zanpakuto.
 * A pretty dark one in chapter 114..
 * Yoruichi says to Ichigo that her bosom is his pillow when he begins to break down and cry because
 * Missed Moment of Awesome: Kendra, Stefan, Yosei, Naomi and Yolanda all handing the Bounts their asses in between the events of chapters 110 and 111.
 * Mood Whiplash: Chapter 49 keeps switching from drama to comedy and back again.
 * The main point of the Omake of
 * More Deadly Than the Male: Loly and Menoly's two hybrid pets fall under this category. It's the female version that is stronger according to Loly.
 * Murder Is the Best Solution: Lelouch's thoughts on the.
 * Mythology Gag: mocks the size of  Bankai, saying that it's far too small.   the iconic scene this is taken from
 * Yolanda dual wields two research department made pistols that were modeled off of the weapons Soul Reapers used to use to purify hollows, but were scrapped in favor of the Zanpakuto. It’s a reference to the fact that Kubo originally intended to have the Soul Reapers use guns in the series, but switched them for the Zanpakuto.
 * A pretty dark one in chapter 114..
 * Yoruichi says to Ichigo that her bosom is his pillow when he begins to break down and cry because

Tropes N to S
"Rita: You give a man and you feed him for a day. You teach a man to fish and you'll feed him for a lifetime. Unless of course he sucks at fishing even after he's learned."
 * Names to Run Away From Really Fast: The more intelligent espada have so far refused to go anywhere near Kisuke and Lelouch, with good reason.
 * Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: One of the reasons is that Aizen
 * Averted, actually, since . Word of God says that it was actually Orihime who made it possible when she stopped the cleaner from killing the Nakama on their way to soul society.
 * No Fourth Wall: In the chapter 83 omake you would think everyone's name was Deadpool
 * No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Mayuri isn't a lucky guy, in this fic.
 * Ichigo breaks out into this when.
 * No Infantile Amnesia: Completely averted. Lelouch is unaware, or rather was never aware, of a certain incident of his infancy that Cornelia experienced with him when she was ten only for her memory to be wiped.
 * Noodle Implements: Apparently Ichigo and Shinji are going to do something for their project with a cleaver, a blue wig and Sakanade
 * Turns out their project was a reenactment of Kamina and Viral's first fight, with their own alternate ending.
 * Noodle Incident: We never hear about exactly what Yoruichi did do make Byakuya hate her so much, (although anatomy lessons are mentioned.)
 * It's now a Brick Joke. When Yoruichi gives Ichigo her Naked First Impression, she mentions that Byakuya gave her the exact same response.
 * Apparently Kukaku has a whole bunch of these on Renji and can get them on just about anyone.
 * One can only imagine what kind of trouble Isshin stirred up at the 1997 national medical convention considering Ichigo told him to keep his hands off the nurses at the one he starts to go to at the beginning of the Different Bonds arc. Considering this is Isshin...
 * Kendra mentions she needed to swap her Gikongan with Urahara. This trope’s use is implied as to the reason why she switched it.
 * No Plans, No Prototype, No Backup: A meta example. According the author he writes every chapter with only a vague idea of what he wants to do and other than the one word document used to actually write the chapter he doesn't have any drafts or copies of the chapter at the time of writing unless he had a scene planned out in advance and even then there's only one copy of that particular scene.
 * Not Again: The reaction from several fans whenever there's a yuricentric omake.
 * Nothing Is Scarier: Actually the title of one of the omakes and it is properly named since . All of the Espada, Talbumosuke and Gin start freaking out. It turns out though that , but then Mr. Popo shows up. The other one.
 * Not Quite Dead: Double subverted..
 * Non Sequitur Thud: Yammy in chapter 76. Oh dear god were those statements completely unlinked.
 * Official Couple:.
 * Oh Crap: Ikkaku flips out when Shisato abandons him to Yachiru.
 * Cornelia's face in chapter 58 when she realizes her infantile brother Lelouch is missing.
 * Only Here For Godzilla: Several fans are harping on the point in the story where  some of which, upon inquiry even admitted they would stop reading if the author aborted that arc.
 * Only Sane Man: Lelouch among the reinforcements.
 * Panty Shot: On Rangiku via Lelouch.
 * Pass the Popcorn: Kukaku acts like this for most of Ichigo's fight with.
 * Phantom Thief: Practically all of the phantoms of justice are like this, rather the organization as a whole is. Except they don't steal. they just torture nobles, make friends with the Rukongai, and slay hollows the Soul Society can't get to.
 * Plot Induced Stupidity: Lelouch could have just Geassed Aizen into admiting what he did, and knew it, but chose not to. That said, he does have some very solid reasoning for it.
 * Despite running into Kurosaki Ichigo and, Rukia can't seem to figure out that there are people she knows in this town.
 * Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner: Dropped to amplify the Rule of Cool.
 * Precision F-Strike: Get dropped when softer language just won't cut it or the character is particularly known for foul language
 * Pre-Mortem One-Liner: See Pre-Ass-Kicking One-Liner above
 * Prison Rape: A threat that Kendra and Yosei often employ when interrogating a suspect in a way that makes one reminiscent of Law and Order Special Victims Unit.
 * Properly Paranoid: As can be expected, Lelouch fits this to a T.
 * Fixed. Guess he decided not to take any chances.
 * Ichigo in chapter 69 when Tatsuki tells him that Orihime went off on her own before class starts he immediately assumes something bad will happen to Orihime and goes after her.
 * Punctuated! For! Emphasis!: Sees its fair share of use
 * Rape as Comedy: Rangiku preparing to shove a stick up Haineko is used as this.
 * Rape as Drama: Mayuri.
 * Rape Is a Special Kind of Evil: Mind Rape in this case, but it's the same thing. Starrk notes that he can tolerate watching Lilynette be overpowered or injured, but this trope is another story entirely.
 * Real Life Writes the Plot: In universe. Due to how what is going through Ichigo's life at this point, he and Shinji greatly divert from the canon fight scene of Kamina/Viral and put their own spin on the fight and by adding REAL weapons into their acting and it could be seen as a continuation of Ichigo's real life training as a Visored.
 * draconichero20 says that some of what happens to him in real life winds up being reflected in the series, not that we’d know either way.
 * Reality Is Unrealistic: Lampshaded by Lelouch after its use in chapter 84 with regards to the Medieval period.
 * Really 700 Years Old: As of chapter 35, Lelouch is 134 years old. He still looks just like an 18-year-old.
 * Real Men Watch My Little Pony: The omake in chapter 72.
 * Real Person Fic: Discussed in the ch 107 omake about Yoruichi and Soifon’s relationship, though it’s merely a comparison drawn between their relationship and Konoka and Setsuna
 * Redshirt Army: A whole bunch of characters come out during the  arc to.
 * Reference Overdosed: There are A LOT of entries for the Shout-Out trope
 * : Lelouch and
 * Rule of Funny: The omakes.
 * Running Gag: Kukaku once asked Lelouch if getting himself hospitalized was going to become a routine. As of chapter 32 it has happened 3 times.
 * Eien Tamashi always says "clueless" when Lelouch gets confused about why women always act strange around him. When she says this in regards to, he instantly understands.
 * In chapter 74 Eien Tamashi is apparently notes how Izuru, Shuhei, Renji and Ukitake singing would ellict screaming from a lot of fangirls.
 * Ichigo mistaking Spanish terms for different types of food
 * Kukaku throws a party after every major victory and Kaien groans because he knows there is going to be property damage and chaos, most likely because the expenses are going to come out of his pocket.
 * Sadistic Choice: Lelouch
 * Just like the original series,
 * Samus Is a Girl: Kasumi the hot as hell Togabito that helped Ichigo turns out to be  whose gender is ambiguous as no one knew it.
 * Sex Is Violence: One of the Omakes has Unohana mentioning that she would have to beat the shit out of Zaraki before she could do anything.
 * Sidetracked by the Analogy: Rita in ch 125
 * Just like the original series,
 * Samus Is a Girl: Kasumi the hot as hell Togabito that helped Ichigo turns out to be  whose gender is ambiguous as no one knew it.
 * Sex Is Violence: One of the Omakes has Unohana mentioning that she would have to beat the shit out of Zaraki before she could do anything.
 * Sidetracked by the Analogy: Rita in ch 125

"Ichigo: Wow. That's really something. I never knew. I'm happy for you Rukia. You two are good for each other. Rukia: Better than you and I would do together at any rate. Ichigo: Yeah that's for sure."
 * Ship Sinking: Ichi Ruki fans better turn away because as of chapter 54, it officially sinks!


 * Ship Tease: The author is still keeping us in suspense with Lelouch's love life.
 * Never seen more blatant than with  and Mizuiro.
 * There's also Yoshino and Uryu
 * And the Fullbringer arc gives us Keigo and Riruka
 * Shmuck Bait: Patros and his crew fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
 * Shock and Awe: Word of God confirms that Susanna's Zanpakuto works like this.
 * Confirmed by chapter 54.
 * Shoot the Bullet: Uryu and Yolanda in chapter 42. Quite Literally with Uryu.
 * Shout-Out: Now has its own page Soul Chess
 * Shown Their Work: The author does this a lot, even going so far as to explain what would have happened had Lelouch not been involved.
 * Single Tear: Despite not thinking he could, Lelouch does this when he realizes.
 * Something Only They Would Say: A recurring theme with.
 * Yamamoto knows that something is up with Ichigo  because he is referred to by his proper title rather than the less than respectful “gii-san”.
 * Sorting Algorithm of Evil: -> Aizen  for now.
 * Spanner in the Works: Once again things blow up in Lelouch’s face as.
 * Spit Take: Soifon after watching the news about.
 * Stop Helping Me!:
 * Story Arc: Word of God has split the story into Character arcs within arcs.
 * Lelouch's Story Arc: Chapters 1-9 are the Awakening Arc. 10-14 is the Prelude to the Chess Game. Chapters 15-20 make up the Lelouch and Yuna arc, followed by the Rise of the Black King, chapters 21-28. Most recently, we have chapters 29-34, which make up the Phantoms of Justice arc.
 * Ichigo's Story Arc: Chapters 35-39 are the Prelude to the Final Game. Chapters 40-48 is the Eye of the Storm, a call back to the authors notes in chapter 35. Chapters 49-50 are the arc, 51-60 are the Visored arc, 61-67 is the Rescue Orihime arc, 68-74 is the Training arc, and 75-82 is the Battle for Karakura Town arc. Next is the  arc, at Chapters 83-85, Chapters 86-90 is the  arc (both are spoiled for good reasons), Chapters 91-93 is the Lelouch and the Law arc, and Chapters 94-105 is the Reapers and Heralds arc, Chapters 106-110 is the Different Bonds arc, Chapters 111-115 is the Demon Within arc, Chapters 116-119 is the Fullbringer arc, Chapter 120 is a Take That to the Reigai arc, and Chapter 121 begins the   arc.
 * 's Story Arc:
 * The second newsletter outlines all of the upcoming arcs. Word of God doesn't want them put here on the off chance things go awry
 * Strong Family Resemblance: Ichigo and Tatsuki notice how Rukia and Hisana look almost identical, and of course everyone still comments on how uncanny the resemblance is between Ichigo and Kaien.
 * notes how much Byakuya looks like his father.
 * Stuff Blowing Up: In chapter 104  makes the trees in a forest explode in groups using   technique.
 * Suicidal Overconfidence: Twice in the same chapter, both against Hitsugaya. The first is by a group of thugs who think he's just a child trying to play hero and the second is a group of menos, fully aware of his status.
 * Super Mode: Stefan's,  Bankai all are reported to have this.
 * Super Sentai: Lelouch's new group is even worse than the black knights in this respect.

Tropes T to Z
"Talbumosuke: See this is why you would never make a good leader. Uttering lines like that is just begging to be killed."
 * Take That: One at the Captain Amagai Filler arc in chapter 85.
 * Once again the author rages against the source material. This time towards the scene in the Zanpakuto Rebellion arc (Episode 232) after Rukia blasts herself and Sode no Shirayuki. The scene makes it seem like SOS is about to make a Heel Face Turn when Muramasa intervenes. In Soul Chess.
 * A massive one to Tite Kubo during the 100th chapter omake.
 * Another one at the Bounts. All of them  are killed off-screen.
 * Chapter 120 is one for the Reigai arc.
 * Talking Is a Free Action: The author never misses an opportunity to subvert, justify or avert the use of this trope. This could be seen as a Take That for how often this happens in Bleach.
 * Temporal Paradox: Lelouch
 * : Averted by, who doesn't want to do this to . Zig-zagged, because it works anyway.
 * The Cameo: Many in the omakes including Jason, Ghost Rider, Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, Billy Idol, and even Mr. Popo
 * In the 100th chapter omake Tite Kubo, Stephenie Meyer, JRR Tolkien, J. K. Rowling, Terry Pratchett and all of the main ponies make an appearance. Deadpool and Pinkie Pie are the hosts.
 * Rock and Revy make an appearance in that same omake at the very beginning
 * In the special Christmas omake Naruto appears.
 * Kamina and Luffy in another one.
 * The Chessmaster /XanatosSpeedChess: The largest part of the story so far is Lelouch and Aizen trying to outwit each other.
 * The Power of Friendship: Ichigo tells that this is how he'll save Rukia.
 * The Power of Rock: Used in an omake where, Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, and Billy Idol all help Ichigo defeat Talbumosuke..
 * There Are No Therapists: Well, not since the budget cuts.
 * There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Uryu used Licht Regen... on Shawlong.
 * Lelouch's defeats
 * The Rival: Grimmjow and Ichigo explicitly decide to become this to each other in chapter 66
 * The Starscream: Baraggan natch.
 * The Thirty-Six Stratagems: As seen thus far in the series:
 * pulls #1 off rather well using the canonical kidnapping of Orihime to test the Power of Friendship of Ichigo and his nakama
 * Aizen uses #4  knowing that.
 * #5 is used in the Reapers and Heralds arc where
 * #9 was Lelouch's plan for dealing with  since he   let Yamamoto and Urahara do all the work.
 * Lelouch subverts #10, he isn't hostile towards Aizen during the  of the series, but at the same time doesn't weave his way into his ranks for the sake of revenge.
 * Lelouch is a natural master of #12
 * #13 was  action in attacking the pillars. By sending in Karrthus he ensured the destruction of his opponent , which caused the rest of the Soul Society forces to react and give away their positions by lack of forcibly hiding their reiatsu.   also does this to Lelouch to provoke him into attacking, but Lelouch is savvy enough to know not to.
 * Rita has done #14 quite literally with
 * Ichigo of all people inverts #15 as he lures Grimmjow to a battlefield where he has the advantage since he's foughten in a certain Karakura district so many times.
 * #16 was Lelouch's ultimate plan to defeat Aizen. See the Troll entry on his character page entry for more details. It worked spectacularly.
 * #19 this could be why  is fighting Urahara, Yamamoto, Shunsui, and Ukitake (until the last one goes to help Hitsugaya) simultaneously.
 * It's also why Byakuya  during the Reapers and Heralds arc since
 * #21 is used by.
 * Lelouch uses #25  by surprising Aizen through the use of forbidden spatial transport Kido. The result made Aizen Not So Stoic for a few scant moments. Lelouch also goes and confronts Aizen directly putting Aizen completely on edge because the move does not make sense.
 * #26 is partly how Lelouch managed to keep himself beneath Aizen's gaze while at the same time plotting against him.
 * #31 has been stated by Word of God to have been used by Lelouch offscreen during the years the phantoms were active
 * #33
 * uses #36 at the end of the Battle of Karakura arc
 * The Worf Barrage: Lelouch tries everything he can think of to take down . It doesn't work. Coupled with Worf Had the Flu since he had the Gentai Rein.
 * The Worf Effect: Gets used regularly, though that's to be expected.
 * This Cannot Be!: Frequented in use by the villains or anyone losing a battle.
 * Mia utters this almost word for word when Kaien gets his second wind during their third battle.
 * In one battle  Talbumosuke mocks the use of this trope
 * Mia utters this almost word for word when Kaien gets his second wind during their third battle.
 * In one battle  Talbumosuke mocks the use of this trope

"Renji: I'm just going to go ahead and summon Something. Kaien: Okay, what is it?. Renji: It's Something. Kaien: I get that, but what is it? Renji: Something. Kaien: Look the card has a name, right? Renji: Yes. Kaien: And the name of the card is… Renji: Something. Kaien: *frustrated* No, you know what? Forget it. Let's just play."
 * Throw the Dog a Bone: After all of the abuse, Keigo finally gets to spend some time with Ichigo.
 * Title Drop: In chapter 98, Lelouch claims to be playing a game of Soul Chess.
 * Too Dumb to Live: Jirobo Ikkanzaka, natch.
 * Yammy is an expy of Team Four Star's Nappa.
 * Too Many Cooks Spoil the Broth: Discussed by both Aizen and Zurik.
 * Trailers Always Spoil: Chapter 41 is titled This is a dead giveaway that.
 * Though that PALES in comparison to the names of the recent arcs, and the.
 * It’s subverted in chapter 120. The new arc is called the, but it is revealed at the end of the first chapter, which has almost nothing to do with the arc, but is considered a prequel chapter by the author and ends with
 * Ultimate Showdown of Ultimate Destiny: The entire fic started with a question as to who was the better Chessmaster, Aizen or Lelouch.
 * Victoria's Secret Compartment: Nemu has smuggling machines from the R&D department with hyperspace capsules in her cleavage.
 * This also seems to be where Kukaku keeps her pipe.
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Lelouch and his Zanpakuto  are easily this. The amount of times they aren’t bickering can be counted on one hand.
 * WAFF: A lot of moments are like this and some double as a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming
 * Was It All a Lie?:  asks this of   after
 * Wham! Episode: Chapter 48, the finale to the Eye of the Storm arc.
 * At the end of chapter 77, Urahara
 * That’s nothing at the end of chapter 81, Unohana
 * Chapter 98, full throttle. Lelouch makes a triumphant return in the midst of all the chaos during the Reapers and Heralds arc and Susanna is so happy to see him she runs towards him to give him a big hug.
 * Chapter 99,
 * Chapter 100: Byakuya has to
 * Chapter 115:
 * Chapter 120 is mainly a Take That to the Reigai arc
 * Okay all of these previous examples pale in comparison to this one. In chapter 123 . Cue Atomic F-Bomb and Oh Crap reactions from the fandom.
 * Wham! Line: From chapter 14 . At that point canon just went out the window.
 * And then of course we get this reveal from chapter 17. . This troper stared at his computer screen for a few minutes after that one.
 * (Note that he learned from his mistake with Mao).
 * The word “Bankai” becomes this when declared by.
 * . Said by  and followed up with a Flat What from Kaien.
 * From Kendra to Ichigo that he’s
 * Kasumi’s Badass Boast in chapter 110 revealing that she is.
 * What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?: Keigo is the first person ever to beat the video game Demons and Devils. If he wasn't surrounded by awesomeness, it would have made a much bigger impresion.
 * Lelouch's court battle. lampshaded by the author.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: The Phantoms but he talks his way out of it.
 * Hisana delivers this to along with her Armor-Piercing Slap.
 * Ichigo chews out
 * He does the same thing to  later that same chapter.
 * Ironically for him
 * When All You Have Is a Hammer: Kukaku's plan to help her and Ichigo land safely.
 * Who's on First?: Done in the Yu-Gi-Oh! omake
 * What the Hell, Hero?: The Phantoms but he talks his way out of it.
 * Hisana delivers this to along with her Armor-Piercing Slap.
 * Ichigo chews out
 * He does the same thing to  later that same chapter.
 * Ironically for him
 * When All You Have Is a Hammer: Kukaku's plan to help her and Ichigo land safely.
 * Who's on First?: Done in the Yu-Gi-Oh! omake


 * Willfully Weak: The Espada in the Battle of Karakura arc. According to Ulquiorra and Kira, Talbumosuke wants the Espada to remain in Resurreccion. If they find themselves hard pressed they should flee. Word of God has confirmed this, saying that this is part of a grand scheme of Talbumosuke’s to gather information on the enemy in battle and then go in with an actual plan with his army at full strength.
 * Woolseyism: In-universe example. Aparently Star Wars is now known, because of Britannian influence as "Galactic Conquest"
 * Worf Had the Flu: Yoruichi and Soifon would normally be able to handle Zaraki without their zanpakuto, but they had just fought Kendra and Stefan.
 * Wrong Genre Savvy: Kukaku trys to, which might have worked, had she not been paired with one of the two main characters.
 * Xanatos Gambit: Either Soul Society leaves the Phantoms alone, and they handle corruption, or they take a hint and handle it themselves.
 * Aizen pits  against Ichigo, ensuring that at least one of them will be taken out of the picture in time for his plan.
 * Lelouch is trying to set one in motion that will end in, but considering his track record when it comes to the endgame...
 * to the world of the living. Whether  lives or dies   wins because he will obtain all of   battle data.
 * Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe: Seen in chapter 84 when Lelouch uses a machine to reawaken a memory from a past life of his in the medieval ages.
 * You Are Number Six: Hell assigns all of its denizens numbers as identification in order of strength
 * You Can't Fight Fate: The author has a literary gag where he will name several things that the characters can do to derail canon, but so far, none of them have happened.
 * You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Subverted. says that Yammy will only become this once he is actually dead.
 * Subverted again for Mia. Despite the fact that
 * You Need to Get Laid: Eien Tamashi certainly thinks so.
 * It finally happens in chapter 33.
 * Younger Than They Look: Played with. To avoid giving Karin ideas that she should get married to Isshin,  says she's only 30 years old. While physically she could possibly pass for that age we know she is so much older
 * You Remind Me of X: When Keshiba asks Lelouch, Lelouch says that he reminds him of someone that he used to call by that name.
 * Happened again when
 * Happened again when