Blade of the Phantom Master

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
"A long, long time ago in the east, there was a country called Jushin. In Jushin there lived secret agents known as Angyo Onshi. Angyo Onshi were special envoy designated by the king. They disguised themselves and roamed the country correcting corrupt governments and brought people to justice. However, Jushin has been destroyed, but there is still one Angyo Onshi wandering..."
—Opening lines
"ANGYO ONSHI OMEDASHIDA!!!!"
—by every angyo onshi known in the storyline

Blade of the Phantom Master (Japanese: 新暗行御史, Hepburn: Shin Angyō Onshi, "New Secret Royal Agent")/(Korean: 신암행어사; RR: Sin Amhaeng-eosa) is a manhwa written by Youn In-wan and illustrated by Yang Kyung-il. It was published by Daewon C.I. in South Korea and Shogakukan in Japan from 2001 to 2007.

Munsu is one of the few surviving men of the fallen empire Jushin. He also happens to have been one of Jushin's Angyo Onshi, operatives who wandered the countryside in disguise, righting wrongs and triumphing over evil with the power of his magical medallion and an army of phantom soldiers. Despite the destruction of Jushin (by his own hand, so the stories go) Munsu carries out his duty out of a sense of loyalty to the king that he supposedly killed and a burning desire for revenge against the man who masterminded everything - Aji Tae.

Tropes used in Blade of the Phantom Master include:
  • Action Girl: Sando, Marlene von Lucid and Miss Hwang.
  • A God Am I: Aji Tae. Well, he is pretty close...
  • A Father to His Men: Munsu. Every one of his subordinates held respect for him, and many wanted his forgiveness after they turned evil
  • Actually, I Am Him: Subverted in the first chapter when the character the audience is led to believe is the Angyo Onshi is revealed to be the Evil Queen, and the Jerkass Munsu is revealed to be the the Angyo Onshi in disguise. Given a very disturbing and dark twist later on with Aji Tae and Munsu's friend the King.
  • Adaptation Distillation: The Movie follows the first three to four chapters of the Manga, and tells almost nothing about the actual plot of the series.
  • Anyone Can Die: Anyone remember Mong Ryong? Also the final battle. Borders on Kill'Em All
  • Anti-Hero: Munsu, who is perfectly fine lying and stealing, yet is a wonderful hero
  • Arrogant Kung Fu Guy: Dorso. Subverted in the fact that he Doesn't think he can beat Won Sul after Won Sul beat his two friends in one swing
  • Ascended Extra: The prince from chapter three.
  • The Atoner: Munsu, for his effect on the death of Hae Mo Su and Kye Wol Hyang
  • Authority Equals Asskicking: Munsu when he was a general, Aji Tae, General Urias von Lucid.
  • Awesome McCoolname: Munsu, Won Sul, Aji Tae, face it, who doesn't have an awesome Korean name?
  • Badasses abound:
    • Back-to-Back Badasses: Subverted in the final fight when Eul Paso, Hwang, and Su are all surrounded by Aji Tae's Forces, while they do win, in a moment of pure Badass, two thirds of them are killed in the resulting explosion
    • Badass Abnormal: Tae Yu. Originally, he was just a fast swordsman, before becoming an all powerful summoner after training under Mito. Won Sul also counts, being just a simple badass swordsman before breaking his sword and making his own from willpower He then ascended again when he became an immortal zombie
    • Badass Army: The Phantoms, and the Phantom women.
    • Badass Back: Won Sul never looks back at his dead opponents. and Aji Tae Kills many without even looking at them
    • Badass Beard: Mito-Sama, Subverted in the fact that he can't use a sword, and double subverted when it is discovered he can use magic better than even Lou.
    • Badass Boast: "The Legendary General Munsu will wipe you clean off the face of the earth," Said to a guy who destroyed an entire kingdom because he felt like it. See Throwing Down the Gauntlet.
    • Badass Cape: Sando and Lou.
    • Badass Grandpa: Mito, he gets his eyes torn out and still beats the crap out of Lou.
    • Badass Longcoat: Munsu and Won Sul. The two of them standing next to each other is just so freaking cool. Munsu's was actually a plot point later on.
    • Badass Long Robe: Aji Tae
    • Badass Long Hair: We all remember Munsu when he was a general. Damn. Aji Tae also fits this trope. And Lou. And Bae Rong. And Tae Yu. And the unnamed Sword Master. And Tae Yu. And, well, you get the point. subverted in the fact that Wonsul with his short hair is the most badass of all
    • Badass Normal: Munsu, who is a man with Asthma who has no real supper powers other than his Mahai. However, he still is able to Kill a giant Snake Sorceress, fight against monsters much more powerful than him. The young ruler from chapter three who later reappears with a sword and a rifle and almost sacrifices his arm without flinching in order to kill Lou also counts.
    • Colonel Badass: Munsu, the famous General.
    • Cultured Badass: Lou and Aji Tae. Strangely enough, the heroes never seem to be cultured.
    • Handicapped Badass: Munsu, who suffers from asthma through a majority of the series until he starts dying of course. Lou can't see out of one his eyes, and Miho can't see at all
    • Heartbroken Badass: again, Munsu, who had to kill his own lover even after taking on her incurable asthma, before proceeding to punch the black out of the bad guy's hair. Won Sul also fits as heartbroken after killing the tiny child that he played with when he was a child. the coming back from the dead after his best friend was killed didn't help either.
    • World of Badass: Obviously.
  • Bare Your Midriff: Hwang and Sando.
  • Battle Butler: Sando in a sense.
  • Beast Man: Aji Tae's Panther Girl bodyguard.
  • Berserk Button: Don't Mention Munsu's former lover or best friend in a negative light, or praise Aji Tae, or he will kill you.
  • Berserker Tears: Won Sul.
  • Big Bad: Aji Tae.
  • Big Freaking Sword: Sando's sword is bigger than she is.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Ondal deflecting a bullet aimed at Pyeonggyang, made awesome by the fact that he doesn't even exist.
  • Big Fancy House: Pyeonggang's house.
  • Big No: Munsu, when Aji Tae kills the nameless soldier
  • Bishonen: Many of the characters could qualify for this trope
  • Bittersweet Ending: Aji Tae has been defeated and the world can begin to try and rebuild, but the fight came at the cost of Munsu and a majority of the supporting cast.
  • Blessed with Suck: Won Sul. He has a horrible family after his close brother dies and his father believes that he is a hollow comparison, believing he should be the one who died, He kills the tiny little girl who he played with in a field when he was young. He kills former friends when they turn on him after the war because they can not get used to peace. Then he works with the lord only to discover he is Aji Tae. He then turns against him, only to be turned into a pin doll, then watch everyone be killed, and then to be banished to the other end of the country. Then he is brainwashed to work for the man he most hates, dies, and then is pulled back to become an immortal zombie who can not die no matter how much he wants to, then he is blown up again, and has the rest of his body turned into a giant rampaging monster, who is finally killed. And that's the short version.
  • Bodyguard Crush: Sando has one on Munsu and later, on Aji Tae
  • Body Horror: The giant boob dragon that Won Hyo summons, Won Hyo himself when he is half demon, and Won Sul when he is monsterfied, and even to a lesser extent before that. Also, anything Lou does.
  • Break the Cutie: Bang Ja.
  • Brilliant but Lazy: Munsu.
  • Cain and Abel: Aji Tae and Munsu
  • Came Back Wrong: Won Sul, though he is still badass.
  • Cast From Lifespan: Munsu after he heals himself from almost dying.
  • Character Development: Have you read the series. One time characters get freaking development.
  • Chekhov's Gun: The needle with the mandrake extract on it. Who knew it would save his life when he most needed it. Also Aji Tae's cape, which got stuck under Munsu's heel in the final fight and ultimately cost Aji Tae his life.
  • Chekhov MIA/Chekhov's Gunman: Aji Tae, though he does appear pretty quickly.
  • The Coats Are Off: Averted. Munsu does look pretty bad ass without his coat, but he never takes it off, and Won Sul becomes a giant horrible monster when his coat is removed.
  • Cool Mask: Won Sul. Turns out it is necessary.
  • Crapsack World
  • Dark Action Girl: Aji Tae's shapeshifting bodyguard Mago. Depending on how you view them, Hong Gildong and Marlene von Lucid can count for a bit. Also, later on: Sando
  • Darkest Hour: The end of the Hong Gildong Arc and the Final Fight
  • Deadpan Snarker: Munsu
  • Deal with the Devil: anyone who deals with Aji Tae is doing this. Lou and Gallimard do so pretty literally.. Of course, Hae Mo So and Munsu may have done it in the past...
  • Did You Just Flip Off Cthulhu?: Munsu does this a lot to Aji Tae
  • Did You Just Punch Out Cthulhu?: Munsu to Aji Tae, the first time literally punching him into the future
  • Doomed Hometown: Jushin
  • Dropped a Bridge on Him: This happens a lot later on.
  • The Dragon: Lou Ells fulfills this role for Aji Tae. At one point, so did Yeong Sil and Sando does later on, before her Heel Face Turn back to Munsu's side.
  • Dying Moment of Awesome: Munsu.
  • Earn Your Happy Ending: Possibly one of the most triumphant examples, with one of the highest stake endings to be seen in a manga.
  • The Empire: Old Jushin.
  • Eye Scream: Munsu getting his eye blown out by a sadistic powerhouse.
  • Face Heel Turn: Sando. Also Won Sul, Won Hyo.
  • Fallen Hero: Most of Munsu's old comrades in the Kaidaten war crossed the Despair Event Horizon after Jushin's collapse, and by the time our story happens they've become underlings of Aji Tae, ironically the one who was responsible for the country's fall.
    • Also the three legendary generals of Jushin, one of whom even had his giant statue erected in the capital, who return to life to fight as Aji Tae's underlings. Now they're all Blood Knights, who finds pleasure and satisfaction in fighting.
  • First Episode Spoiler: Munsu is the Main character
  • Foe Yay: Aji Tae's attitudes towards Munsu come across as advances sometimes...
  • Gondor Calls for Aid: Before the final battle. Just about everyone seen throughout the series arrives to battle Aji Tae's army.
  • Heel Face Turn: Won Sul, Eul Paso, Yeung Sil, Sando...
  • Heroic Sacrifice: Munsu at the end.
  • Hero-Killer: Aji Tae, he kills everyone.
  • Honor Before Reason: Sando pulls it once when she prevents Munsu from shooting Mago in the back. Munsu slaps her in the face for it.
  • Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Nongae.
  • Ho Yay: Won Sul seems to have....strong feelings for Munsu.
  • If You're So Evil Eat This Kitten: 'The Attack of the Yojin Tribe' demonstrates why you should never ask a Master of Illusion to do this.
  • Ill Girl: Munsu's former fiancee, Kye Wol Hyang.
  • Incurable Cough of Death: Double subverted with Munsu, who has the cough of death, but survives, only for it to be revealed that he will soon die
  • It Got Worse
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Munsu
  • Land of the Shattered Empire: The empire of Jushin was shattered into pieces before the series starts for unclear reasons, though it is heavily implied that Aji Tae, the Big Bad, was responsible. How exactly it happened is subject of one of the flashback arcs, and this shattering is one of the main reasons Munsu is in pretty difficult position to get his revenge over Aji Tae.
  • Light Is Not Good: Aji Tae. His Light kills people.
  • Mad Scientist: Yeong Sil. Sure he means well with his inventions, but....
  • Manly Tears: Won Sul after being blown up by Aji Tae, and again after being blown up again by Munsu.
  • Monster Clown: Munsu's Phantom Soldiers definitely have this vibe.
  • Mood Whiplash: Mong Ryong.
  • Please Wake Up: Munsu, said by Bang Ja
  • Sinister Minister: Gallimard, one of Aji Tae's henchmen. A demonic former priest.
  • Rape as Drama: Subverted in the first chapter, where it appears the local guard's corrupt commander has had his way with one of the prisoners. It's Munsu, who used his time alone with her as an excuse to break her out and have some very consensual sex in the process.
  • Slasher Smile: Aji Tae.
  • Stripperific: Sando's outfit. Hwang tends to wear revealing clothing, too.
  • Supernatural Martial Arts: Apparently Tae Kwon Do practitioners were among the elite of Jushin's forces.
  • Throwing Down the Gauntlet: Aji Tae meets Munsu.
  • The Un-Reveal: We never learn Sando's true form, even though Munsu sees it.
  • Wicked Cultured: Aji Tae, Lou, and Gallimard.
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