Yami no Aegis

Tate Karito is a freelance bodyguard and former operative of the National Police Agency's Special Assault Team, who's a bit of a Secret Keeper, and has a high-tech artificial metal arm that serves as his weapon of choice. With a shady past and a penchant for protecting anyone, so long as they solve his bosses' riddles and can pay his fee, Tate follows whatever path is laid before him.

"Zero: God created Adam from a lump of earth; Eve was created from Adam's rib. Death is nothing but returning to the start of life. Therefore, I mutter prayers... "Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust"."
 * Artificial Limbs
 * As the Good Book Says...: Zero does not quote directly from the bible, but his monologues have biblical motifs.

""They call him 'Zero'. Zero blood, zero body temperature, that kind of derivation.""
 * Badass: Tate, obviously. Zero can qualify, even if he IS a bad guy.
 * In later chapters, many, many characters qualified. Even Anna has her moment, too.
 * Badass Grandpa: Sakakai Souhei, the old sniper who, and with a comparatively outdated rifle to boot
 * Badass Longcoat: sported by Tate, Zero,.
 * Barehanded Blade Block: Tate does this with bullets, thanks to his Artificial Limbs.
 * Blade Below the Shoulder:
 * Bullet Catch: more like "deflecting", but close enough.
 * Chain Letter: The concept of this was explained by a corrupt police superintendent on how "Angel" obtains its manpower.
 * Chekhov's Gunman:
 * Chick Magnet: Tate.
 * Comic Book Fantasy Casting / Expy: Zero looks exactly like Jean Reno/Leon in Léon: The Professional. Chihiro looks like Rei with black hair and Genki Girl tendencies.
 * Crossover: Some characters appear in Until Death Do Us Part.
 * Dirty Cop:
 * Dude, Where's My Respect?: Averted. Tate is so respected in the SAT that he was allowed to be in one of their exercises as an Op-For. He's also a legendary bodyguard in the criminal underworld.
 * Elites Are More Glamorous: The National Police Agency's Special Assault Team. And yes, they're the elite civilian anti-terrorist/crime unit. Like most elite military/police units, their names are protected so no one knows who they are.
 * Even Evil Has Standards: Zero helping out an ex-hacker by killing the yakuza group after being kidnapped.
 * Uno, an ex-JGSDF soldier who specializes in hunting humans in his officer days, puts down his K-9 dog after being wounded by Tate. He has less respect for humans, however.
 * Evil Counterpart: Zero to Tate. He's not really evil though.
 * Fair Cop: Youko, with a dash of Cowboy Cop.
 * Feels No Pain: Zero
 * Blessed with Suck: Zero actually tells Tate that he's jealous of him because he can still feel.
 * Go Mad From the Revelation:
 * Harmful to Minors:
 * Heel Face Turn:
 * Heel Face Revolving Door: Friends today, enemies tomorrow describes their relationship with Tate perfectly.
 * Living Lie Detector:
 * Millennium Bug: Koumoto Youji was originally hired to prevent damage from it.
 * My Hero Zero

"Tate: I will not kill, nor will I assist in anything leading to killing...."
 * Punch Clock Villain: Zero. He'll stop at nothing to kill his target, but he'll drop whatever it is he's doing if his employer cancels the contract or became unable to pay him.
 * Scope Snipe: How is killed
 * Ship Tease: Tate and Youko, Tate and Anna (though he sees it more as a father-daughter relationship... probably), Tate and.
 * Show Some Leg
 * Sniper Duel: part of the aptly-named "Sniper's Requiem" arc.
 * Strange Girl: Anna. She's a bit...odd.
 * The Stoic: Tate
 * Thou Shalt Not Kill: Tate's creed.


 * Yakuza