Aria the Scarlet Ammo: Difference between revisions

Kinji Touyama is no [[Ordinary High School Student|ordinary high school sophomore]]. Whenever he is "stimulated" by events around him, he switches into a sort of [[Super Mode]] called "Hysteria Savant Syndrome", shortened as "HSS" or also called "Hysteria Mode". Kinji attends Butei High School, a paramilitary academy specializing in assault, reconnaissance, escort, etc. -- specifically, the offensive-oriented Assault Section. However, thanks to a certain incident, Kinji demoted himself to the more rear-line Inquesta Section and is planning on quitting Butei High altogether. One day, however, he narrowly falls victim to a serial bomber called the "Butei Killer", and his life is thrown into a shock again, with the entrance of one of Assault Section's top students, the diminutive Aria H. Kanzaki.

 

 

 

'''Note: Spoilers for both the light novel and the anime are here!'''

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* [[Absurdly Sharp Blade]]: Shirayuki's sword is pretty sharp due to it being made with a special metal.

* [[Actor Allusion]]: [[Rie Kugimiya|Aria]] screams "[[Shakugan no Shana|Urusai!]]" ("Shut up!") a lot.

* [[Academy of Adventure]]: Butei High, naturally.

* [[The Ace]]: Aria. She can be a one-girl assault team, able to handle any situation with nary a sweat, catch any criminal, so on and so forth... but [[Lethal Chef|can't cook]].

* [[Bishoujo Series]]: All female cast members thus far.

* [[Bishonen]]: Kinji is a borderline case; played straighter with his best friend Ryou, who has a legion of [[Fan Girl|fangirls]].

** [[It Got Worse|Made even worse]] as under this mode Kinji literally can't refuse any request a girl makes... 'ANY REQUEST'. Now think of the options ladies (and guys alike).

* [[Blood Knight]]: Whether or not {{spoiler|Riko's}} hatred for Aria comes into the equation, she really ''really'' enjoys combat [[Interplay of Sex and Violence|a little too much.]]

* [[Bloodless Carnage]]: Justified by a very advanced ballistic weave in the uniforms for Butei students, which is capable of stopping even the hottest pistol-caliber loads at anything greater than point-blank range. It's not known whether it can withstand rifle ammo, however. Averted in the case of unprotected areas.

* [[Born Lucky]]: Kinji has shades of this {{spoiler|or it could be Reki; examples are Kinji winning a lottery due to her presence, getting free food for Reki, and having Reki complete an event despite lacking the money to buy her a dress.}}

** Shirayuki also counts due to her upbringing, choice of weapons, personality... well, except for that M60 she occasionally brings out against rivals for Kinji's affection.

* [[Bromantic Foil]]: Gouki for Kinji.

* [[Bullet Time]]: When Kinji enters Hysteria Mode.

* [[But Not Too Foreign]]: Aria has some British heritage in her, which is why she has a middle name.

* [[Catch Phrase]]

'''Reki:''' "I am a single bullet. It has no heart. Therefore, it does not think. It just flies straight towards its target." }}

* [[Cat Smile]]: Riko tends to display one.

* [[Cute Little Fangs]]: Aria

* [[Cute Witch]]: Jeanne

* [[Dark and Troubled Past]]: Where the hell do we begin...

** Kinji: {{spoiler|His brother Kinichi (apparently) died saving people from a sinking ship, only for the company to blame him for sinking it. He's heckled and looked down upon by other people for this, forcing him to mull leaving Butei High.}}

** Aria: {{spoiler|She's a descendant of one of the most famous detectives in the world, and a tool to be used, with her mother Kanae framed as the "Butei Killer".}}

** Shirayuki: {{spoiler|As a Hotogi she was unable to leave the shrine as a child, got severely punished for meeting Kinji, and was only able to attend Butei High due to her clan's approval. She's also never gone out to eat nor gone shopping with anymore...}}

** Reki: {{spoiler|Her native all-female Ulus Tribe can only give birth to females, thus they must find a strong male warrior (in her case, Kinji); they also surrender their sense of feelings to Irokane, explaining their [[Emotionless Girl|emotionless nature]], as well as their freedom -- they devote themselves fully to their husbands, even unto death.}}

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: A lot of Kinji's commentary in the novels involves this, with him often noting the absurdity of the Butei way of life.

* [[Defeat Means Friendship]]: {{spoiler|Jeanne and Riko.}}

* [[Defrosting Ice Queen]]: By the end of her visit Kinji managed to turn Konayuki (Shirayuki's [[Annoying Younger Sibling|Annoying Younger Stepsister]]) from a man-hating Butei to another potential love interest. He even managed to make {{spoiler|Reki}} smile, if just for a moment. Now all these would be a good thing, except he has a [[Tsundere]] and a [[Yandere]] ([[Don't Explain the Joke|Aria and Shirayuki, respectively]]) to worry about.

* [[Did Not Do the Research]]: Currently in the light novels Kinji wields a Desert Eagle he inherited from his father, however the only draw back is that because of the recoil he can only use it in Hysteria Mode, which is odd because the Desert Eagle is known for it's extremely light recoil due to the fact that the gun's weight compensates for the force and energy from the bullet leaving the gun.

** Potentially justified by the fact that Kinji's father was an "Armed Prosecutor", one of the few occupations with a license to kill, and it's implied that they are sent against target as dangerous as (or even more so than) Kinji in Hysteria Mode. So it's rather doubtful that a normal Desert Eagle could be used as an accurate benchmark for that particular one.

** Though, for {{spoiler|Riko}}, it's technically {{spoiler|[[Up to Eleven|Quad Wielding]]}}

** Volume 7 onwards introduces the third Quadra -- {{spoiler|none other than Kinji himself}}.

* [[Easily Forgiven]]: While Riko had her motives, it seems that Kinji and Aria overlook the fact that she tried to kill them earlier.

** Same thing with Jeanne.

* [[Emotionless Girl]]: Reki, though mainly because she wants to have extreme accuracy when she shoots.

** {{spoiler|Apparently this is also an effect of the Riri-Irokane that Reki was exposed to in her home village.}}

* [[Hair Decorations]]: Aria has hair clips, and Shirayuki and Riko have ribbons.

* [[Everyone Looks Sexier If French]]: {{spoiler|Riko}}

** To a lesser extent, Aria, too, considering that her grandmother was a Dame.

* [[Cute Kitten]]: The two Leopons from the catching game machine in episode 3. They're so cute, they make Aria cuter. ({{spoiler|[[Chekhov's Gun|One Leopon attached to Kinji's cellphone ultimately made Kinji reconsider his decision to quit Butei High and resume his partnership with Aria.]]}})

* [[Exactly What I Aimed At]]: Reki doesn't miss. Even "miss shots" are deliberate (like that one time she managed to ''tame'' Haimaki with a bullet grazing through its back).

* [[Expressive Hair]]: Aria's [[Idiot Hair]].

*** Teenage girl, pale green hair, [[Emotionless Girl]] behaviour, significant backstory arc to explain this (in the novels); she's very close to being a real [[Rei Ayanami Expy]].

** In-series, the main girls -- Aria, Shirayuki and Riko -- have their first-year expies on the spinoff ''Hidan no Aria AA'' in the form of Akari Amamiya, Hino Raika and Shino Sasaki, respectively.

* [[Eyecatch]]

* [[Famous Ancestor]]: Ooooh boy, we're in for a treat.

** {{spoiler|Aria is the great-granddaughter of [[Sherlock Holmes]].}}

** {{spoiler|Patra of I-U is descended from [[Cleopatra]].}}

** {{spoiler|Elle is descended from Sherlock's assistant, [[The Watson|John Watson]].}}

* [[Fan Girl]]: [[Bishonen|Ryou]] apparently has a lot of these.

* [[Fan Service]]: Expected of this kind of [[Harem Series|series]]. One notable example was when Kinji accidentally caught Aria leaving the shower naked. Another one is Riko reaching into her bra and showing almost everything down there.

* [[Feminine Women Can Cook]]: Shirayuki

* [[Fetish Fuel Station Attendant]]: Riko, oh delicious Riko.

** {{spoiler|Kinji also takes Shirayuki's to calm her down and of course, trigger Hysteria Mode}}

** {{spoiler|After receiving her crucifix back, Riko comments that she even sacrificed her first kiss for a chance to prove herself}}

** [[The Hero]]/[[The Lancer]]: Aria and Kinji frequently exchange both roles with each other depending on the situation

** [[The Smart Guy]]: Riko

* [[Fluffy Tamer]]: Reki, who tames a giant wolf into submission ''using bullets'' in a few minutes.

* [[Foe Yay]]: {{spoiler|There's loads between Kinji and Riko, and even some between Riko and Aria (the anime images only help this one).}}

** Reki's taming of the wolf can be viewed as this too, considering {{spoiler|her later method for 'catching' a husband...}}

* [[French Jerk]]: {{spoiler|Riko, though she's portrayed as more [[Freudian Excuse|sympathetic]] and [[Broken Bird|emotionally-shattered]] than most examples.}}

* [[Gag Boobs]]: Riko.

* [[Gainaxing]]: Riko's boobs were moving like crazy in the first episode, though she wasn't doing much.

** Kinji too, to a lesser extent, due to his exposure to Riko. In Volume 7, Kinji even says {{spoiler|"In terms of Riko's games, it would be like entering "Reki's route."}}

** Also Shirayuki.

* [[Girls Love Stuffed Animals]]: Played straight with Aria and "Leopon". When Aria gets scared by thunder, Kinji brings out a Leopon and makes it talk to comfort her.

** And later {{spoiler|Kinji}} mirrors Aria as the {{spoiler|Third Quadra}}.

* [[Gun Kata]]: A variant of this style, known as "Aru-Kata" ("Aru" being spawned from the JP romanization of "Arma", Italian for weapon) is mandatory as per Butei cirriculum, The fight between {{spoiler|Aria and Riko}} in episode 4 showcases this perfectly.

* [[Hand Cannon]]: Kinji later carries a Desert Eagle Magnum as heavier fire power, [[Crazy Prepared|just in case.]]

* [[Handicapped Badass]]: {{spoiler|Sherlock Holmes}}, now over 200 years old, blinded by poisoning, but is still the leader of I-U. [[Didn't See That Coming]].

* [[Headphones Equal Isolation]]: While they're not necessarily isolating, Reki does wear a pair of these all the time to block out reality and have the best shots.

* [[Healing Hands]]: {{spoiler|Shirayuki is able to do this because of her status as a [[Miko]].}}

* [[Hidden Depths]]: {{spoiler|Riko}} is the first prominent example ({{spoiler|supposedly she just does bad things to continue her family's legacy (see entry for {Irony}} on this very page), but in reality she does so to free herself from the imprisonment, and she is not happy in the slightest with her fate}}), but many other characters qualify too.

* [[Hime Cut]]: Shirayuki

** [[Katanas Are Just Better]]

* [[Hot Shounen Mom]]: Kanae, Aria's mother. No wonder Aria is so adorably cute; it's ''genetic''.

** Later in the novel, {{spoiler|she easily shoots Kinji's jacket buttons regardless whether he is hiding in a building or in a bulletproof van. She can ricochet the bullet more than once or shooting the armored van's window in the exact same spot to break it and still hit the button without even harming or grazing Kinji. And she does all that with just a Dragunov, which usually has an effective range of 800m and without any support tools.}} When she said she can hit anything within 2051 meters around her, she wasn't kidding.

* [[In the Blood]]: Most of the cast is [[Badass]] because their ancestors were, you know their names from [[Famous Ancestor]] from up top. Also in-story their badassness took an even further upgrade due to the supernatural.

* [[Irony]]: {{spoiler|Riko "Lupin the 4th" Mine was driven to break free of her unwanted legacy by attempting to kill Aria "Holmes the 4th" Kanzaki. Considering it's the same thing her ancestor did, the only thing she could prove by trying to do so (regardless of the outcome) is that she's worthy of the title she despises so much.}}

* [[Japanese Christian]]: {{spoiler|Kinji's not-so-dead older brother Kinichi/Kana is apparently one, as he/she quotes verses from [[The Bible]] regularly.}}

* [[The Jimmy Hart Version]]: Carl Orff's legendary "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWiyKgeGWx0 O Fortuna]" movement from his cantata "Carmina Burana" in episode 6, after Kinji opens a drawer brought in by Shirayuki when she moved in with Kinji and Aria.

'''Kinji:''' "There are... and they're hazardous to ''me''." }}

* [[Joshikousei]]: They wear sailor uniforms while wielding their guns and swords.

* [[Magnetic Hero]]: Even without Hysteria Mode, Kinji pretty much got the entire Assault Side (boys and girls alike) admiring him. That, in addition to [[Chick Magnet|attracting]] [[Action Girl|a different sort of followers]].

* [[The Magnificent]]: Kinji, being a [[Badass]] [[Magnetic Hero]], has quite a lot of titles:

{{spoiler|'''Kinichi/Kana'''}}''':''' "My little brother whom I've always loved" }}

* [[Male Gaze]]: All over the place. In particular, there are a ''lot'' of shots of Aria at just around [[Zettai Ryouiki|the waistline]], though they're often preludes to her drawing the [[Guns Akimbo|dual pistols]] holstered there.

** And her clan too, who are [[Badass]] Miko.

* [[Miss Conception]]: Aria thinks kissing leads to pregnancy -- {{spoiler|while trying to explain to Shirayuki why she and Kinji kissed}}.

{{spoiler|'''Kinji:''' "Obviously not!"}} }}

* [[Mistaken Message]]: Jeanne sends Kinji a letter with offical seal and such. Gouki and Ryou think it's a love letter. {{spoiler|Turns out its a challenge.}}

* [[Mysterious Past]]: Reki is so mysterious, no one even knows her last name.

* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Jeanne d'Arc the 30th -- {{spoiler|The Diamond Dust Witch, AKA Durandal}}.

* [[The Nicknamer]]: Riko. She has a tendency to give a nickname to her friends.

** Kinji: Ki-kun

** Heck, she even calls herself Rikorin.

* [[Noble Demon]]: I-U has shades of this. Some (especially {{spoiler|Sherlock Holmes}}) are this; others... are just plain demons (and in some cases, not just figuratively).

* [[Not Himself]]: Kinji in Hysteria mode.

** {{spoiler|Then there's "Dark Riko", where she has a strange gaze from her eyes, she uses rough language, and she calls Aria "Holmes".}}

* [[Older Than They Look]]: Both Aria and Riko.

** Tamano a minor character introduced later on {{spoiler|700-800, knows Kinji's ancestor, uses ye old language, as well knows Shirayuki and her ancestor}}, but looks like a little girl.

* [[Otaku]]: Gouki is a vehicle nut, which helps Kinji and Aria a lot.

* [[Our Vampires Are Different]]: {{spoiler|Vlad Dracula, an actual vampire who has acquired the ability to mimic the form of humans. He is able to mimic special qualities of humans by sucking their blood.}}

* [[Passing the Torch]]: As of Volume 5 Aria has inherited the title of "Scarlet Ammo" from {{spoiler|Sherlock Holmes}} after she and Kinji defeat him.

* [[Patient Childhood Love Interest]]: Shirayuki.

* [[Power Levels]]: Butei have a rank level -- for example, Aria is a top-dog Rank S, while Kinji is a bottom-of-the-barrel Rank E (in normal mode, at least -- [[Almighty Janitor|under HSS, however, he has the skills of a Rank S]] [[Up to Eleven|and possibly even higher than that]].

* [[Prehensile Hair]]: {{spoiler|Riko}} is able to manipulate her incredibly long ponytails with the agility of actual limbs, and use them to wield knives in combat.

* [[She Is Not My Girlfriend]]/[[He Is Not My Boyfriend]]: Kinji and Aria frequently invoke these.

* [[Shock and Awe]]: Turns out Hilda can shoot out electricity at her enemies, although the drawback is she doesn't generate her own she just manipulates it like a transformer.

** The final shot of the opening credits, in which Aria shoots out a rose, is reminiscent of Saeba Ryo doing the same in the second opening of ''[[City Hunter]]''.

** Riko's name may be one to both {{spoiler|[[Lupin III|Fujiko Mine and Arsene Lupin the 3rd]]. Also, her (unwanted) title "Lupin the 4th" is a nod to said show depicting the legendary gentleman thief's grandson.}}

** {{spoiler|Sherlock Holmes'}} "Study in Scarlet" of the titular ''Hidan'', or "Scarlet Ammo", is a clear reference to the title of the first Sherlock Holmes novel ''A Study in Scarlet''.

** {{spoiler|In Volume 7 Kinji's official team is named Team Baskerville which is a reference to a Holmes novel ''The Hound Of Baskerville''.}}

* [[Shrinking Violet]]: Misaki Nakasorachi is a stuttering ditz. A definite cutie, though this keeps her stuck as a B-Rank despite being, ironically enough, an excellent [[Mission Control]].

* [[Something Else Also Rises]]: Kinji and his Hysteria Mode.

** Then there's a case with the primary antagonist organization for the first few volumes, whose run-ins with this trope are compounded by pronunciation issues. Initially, this organization was called "EU", straight from the pronunciation. A few volumes down the road and it's revealed what the name actually means. The name is composed of the letters that the Imperial Japanese Navy and Kriegsmarine used to designate their submarines, respectively. The problem? The IJN used the letter I to designate their submarines, and the English fanbase mistook it as an E because the Japanese I is pronounced the same as the English E.

* [[Spiritual Successor]]: Tokyo Butei High School, {{spoiler|to [[Sherlock Holmes]]'s "armed detective" philosophy. No wonder they were the target of the Butei Killer.}}

* [[Supreme Chef]]: Shirayuki can really cook. And not just your average meals we're talking sashimi, chinese, and turning left overs in the best late night meals. And she's supposed to be the Ojou.

* [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]]: Kinji makes a comment about his "Dress Scan" ability in the third volume.

** To a lesser extent, everytime Aria calls Kinji her slave when someone tries to take him away from her.

* [[Super Reflexes]]: Another of Kinji's HSS abilities. {{spoiler|He can [[Barehanded Blade Block|stop Jeanne's blade with two fingers]], slice Riko's bullet in half mid-flight, and dodge a 7.62mm rifle round at point blank.}}

* [[Thou Shalt Not Kill]]: Codified in the Butei Charter's Article 9 -- "Regardless of the situation, a Butei cannot kill."

* [[Those Two Guys]]: Gouki and Ryou are practically the only guys who interact with Kinji onscreen. They also pop on and off in both the novel, manga and anime.

* [[Through His Stomach]]: Shirayuki tries this with Kinji.

* [[Title Drop]]: First invoked by {{spoiler|Kana}} in Volume 4 of the light novels.

** Reki and her energy bars

* [[True Companions]]: Butei are expected to help each other out, whatever the situation. It is even encoded as Butei Charter Article 1 -- "Never leave your comrades behind". And as the series progresses, Kinji and Aria diversify from a two-man partnership to a strike team-caliber group:

** Reki ([[Cold Sniper|Long-Range Support]])

** {{spoiler|Jeanne d'Arc the 30th ([[The Smart Guy|Tactical Planning]]/[[An Ice Person|Ice-Elemental Combat]])}}

** {{spoiler|Elle Watson ([[The Medic|Medical Support]])}}

** Misaki Nakasorachi ([[Mission Control|Field Coordinator]])

* [[Turn Out Like His Father]]: Subverted Kinji does not want to become this, but circumstances might say otherwise. An example of such is his upgrade to carrying a Desert Eagle Magnum, a .50 handgun his father used during his days as "armed prosecutor".

* [[Ungrateful Bastard]]: {{spoiler|Kinichi was (supposedly) killed saving average citizens from a sinking ship. However, instead of treating him like the hero he was, because they didn't want to be sued, the company that owned the ship said the sinking was mainly Kinichi's fault, and that he was a horrible Butei, forcing Kinji to mull leaving Butei; fortunately for him Aria's presence changed his mind.}}

* [[Unobtanium]]: Irokane, a rare magical metal everyone is fighting over.

* [[Wacky Marriage Proposal]]: {{spoiler|Reki orders Kinji to marry her with a gun pointed at him, on the roof of the school.}}

** In Volume 10 we get another one.. {{spoiler|Long story short Kinji has a genetic cloned girl who is more or less his sister, who is yandere for him. Trying to get rid of her he comes up with a ploy to get Shirayuki to act as his sister. How does he doe this?? Bring a bouquet of roses, asks Shirayuki Hotogi to become Shirayuki Touyama, and does this on one knee. Note the knee thing was a battle injury not yet healed, and Shirayuki always wanted to marry Kinji.}} Someone [[Pass the Popcorn|get the popcorn.]]

* [[The Watson]]: Aria the Holmes initially chooses Kinji to be her Watson. {{spoiler|Later on we're introduced to Elle, John Watson's ''great-granddaughter'' who was [[Les Yay|meant to be Aria's fiancé]].}}

* [[Yamato Nadeshiko]]: Shirayuki. This is [[Lampshaded]] by Kinji in the novels.

* [[Yandere]]: Shirayuki -- early in episode 2 she displays [[Dull Eyes of Unhappiness]] when she suspected Kinji is with someone else. Upon discovering that [[Pretty Freeloaders|Aria is freeloading with Kinji]], she decides to [[Murder the Hypotenuse|"exorcise" her]] twice (first, by cutting her down with her katana; second, by [[Stealth Pun|blowing hundreds of holes through her]] with an M60). Even when she was forced to take Aria as a bodyguard, she still shows contempt for the diminutive girl.

 

{{reflist}}

[[Category:Seinen]]

[[Category:Anime of the 2010s]]

[[Category:Manga]]

[[Category:Light Novels]]