Apocalypse Zero
Apocalypse Zero, also known as Kakugo no Susume, is a manga and two-part OVA from The Nineties. It revolves around two siblings, Kakugo and Harara, who are given Kamen Rider-esque suits of Powered Armor that let them defend post-apocalyptic Tokyo from demons and mutants. After Harara succumbs to the evil within the armor, it is up to Kakugo to defeat his sibling.
This is basically the entire plot. Yes, it's that banal. The series' appeal comes from the ridiculous array of baddies it features, starting with a gigantic naked woman named Beauty and a homosexual leprechaun Idol Singer, and most likely[please verify] getting far weirder.
Tropes used in Apocalypse Zero include:
- After the End
- Badass - Pretty much everyone who fights. There are exceptions, however... see Camp Gay.
- Cain and Abel - Kakugo and Harara.
- Camp Gay - Horie's boyfriend, or so he would like to think, is an incredibly flamboyant... creature that wears biker clothes and speaks with a girl's voice. He punches our hero a few times for no reason.
- There's also the giant blue leprechaun who dresses like a member of the Village People.
- Crowning Moment of Awesome - Kakugo begins the OVA by punching out radioactive bears in an attempt to impress his father. Harara proceeds to walk up to the one Kakugo is currently fighting and One-Hit Kill it, causing Ludicrous Gibs. Yes.
- Everything's Worse with Bears - See above.
- Fan Disservice - Any time someone appears naked, it'll be Squicky.
- Gorn - Dear god. Apocalypse Zero has been called the most vile anime ever made, and not without very good reason. The very first bit after the titles has a woman being killed via vomiting her guts all over her boyfriend.
- Hey, It's That Voice! - All but three of the seiyuu involved in the Japanese version have at least one well-known role. All but two of the English VAs have a well-known role. Just... look at the page, this OVA has its own listing for a reason.
- Snark Bait
- Squick
- Viewer Gender Confusion - Just what the hell is Harara, anyways? It looks like a woman, and it's voiced by Mona Marshall in the English dub... but it's voiced by Megumi Ogata (infamous for playing girly men) in the Japanese version, and several references state it as being male.
- Harara was born male. After he finished his training with Kakugo, he was assigned with the female-shaped Powered Armor, Kasumi. The armor was also an Empathic Weapon with a mind of its own, and it rejected Harara violently - cut his body to pieces. With sheer force of will and a little Applied Phlebotinum, he managed to rebuild his body into a female one (for some unknown reason, it doesn't seem to be necessary, or else their father wouldn't have assigned it to a boy in the first place). He then finally succeeded in merging with Kasumi, becoming an Ax Crazy Well-Intentioned Extremist in the process.
- This troper isn't sure what's more badass, Harara reconstituting his body through sheer force of awesome or Kakugo beating the crap out of radioactive bears with acid blood.
- Harara was born male. After he finished his training with Kakugo, he was assigned with the female-shaped Powered Armor, Kasumi. The armor was also an Empathic Weapon with a mind of its own, and it rejected Harara violently - cut his body to pieces. With sheer force of will and a little Applied Phlebotinum, he managed to rebuild his body into a female one (for some unknown reason, it doesn't seem to be necessary, or else their father wouldn't have assigned it to a boy in the first place). He then finally succeeded in merging with Kasumi, becoming an Ax Crazy Well-Intentioned Extremist in the process.