Cardfight!! Vanguard/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Spoiler Warning: Due to late first season events, there are a LOT of trope names that would be major spoilers. That is why so much of this page is whited-out.

Planet Earth

Team Q4

Aichi Sendou

Season 1 Clans: Royal Paladins / Shadow Paladins

Season 2 Clans: Gold Paladins

Stand up, my avatar, Blaster Blade!
Step forth and destroy, my avatar! Cleave with your sword of darkness! I Ride Blaster Dark!

A shy, nervous boy lacking in confidence, Aichi is the protagonist. When he was younger, Toshiki Kai gave him the rare card, Blaster Blade, which Aichi refers to as his 'avatar'. Through playing Vanguard and developing his skills, Aichi gains friends and becomes a more confident person, as well as unlocking the power of PSY Qualia. However, this power corrupts him, causing him to become cold and arrogant and with Ren's coercion, Aichi is led into abandoning his trusted Royal Paladins in favor of a Shadow Paladin Deck. He gets better, though.

Voiced by: Tsubasa Yonaga

Tropes

  • Bag of Spilling: Justified. At the start of Season 2, Aichi is shown to be running the same deck as at the end of Season 1 (at one point he Damage Checks Blaster Dark, implying he is still using Majesty Lord Blaster). However, Takuto uses his Psychic Powers to change reality so Aichi has a Gold Paladin deck instead.
  • Berserk Button: Belittling Kai's strength or making him feel powerless are the only ways to really anger him, which activates his Psyqualia.
  • Calling Your Attacks: Does this sometimes when attacking with King of Knights, Alfred.

Great Sword attack!

Stand up, my avatar! Ride! Blaster Blade!
Come forth, master of all warriors! Ride! King of Knights, Alfred!
Give me strength, white wings filled with pride! Ride! Knight of Solitude, Gancelot!
(My victory/Your defeat) is a foregone conclusion.

Aichi: Light isn't the only thing standing beside him. Darkness also stands with the King of Knights. Stand, my avatar! I call... Blaster Dark!

If you have time for idle chatter, please use it to proceed with the game.

Kai: No, Sendou Aichi, you've gotten weaker.

  • Fish Out of Water: When Takuto replaces his Royal Paladins with Gold Paladins, Aichi finds it hard to adapt.
  • Gameplay and Story Segregation: Apparently he hasn't gotten the memo about Barcgal's ban as a starting Vanguard in real life.
    • Finally averted in Episode 55 where he changes to Wingal Brave as his starting Vanguard.
  • Good Is Not Nice: During Episode 41, due to PSY Qualia corruption, Aichi is becoming quite the cold jerk to Kyou.
  • Heroic BSOD: After losing to Tetsu and having Ren rub his loss in his face.
    • The beginning of Episode 51 suggests he has another, briefer spell, after being rescued from Psyqualia, but the guilt of abandoning his Royal Paladins weighing heavily on him.
  • He's Back: His Ride of Blaster Blade in Episode 55 just screams this. It involves him using a combo not seen in some time, a bolt of lightning striking which blacks out half the Dimension Police city, and then the lights flickering back on to reveal Blaster Blade in his full glory. There are even comments to this effect made by the supporting cast.
  • Hidden Depths: He starts off as the average shy, nice kid, and mostly follows that pattern for most of the season. As he admits in the final Fight of season 1, he became addicted to Psyqualia that quickly because he enjoys the feeling of being superior to everyone else. And his obsession with being acknowledged by Kai is not healthy.
  • Hidden Eyes: Aichi's quite fond of these, having them frequently when depressed or using Psyqualia.
  • I Just Want to Be Badass: He just wants to become good enough for Kai to acknowledge him. In typical fashion, the trope gets very nastily deconstructed. And even after he snaps out of his addiction, a part of him still wants to accept Psyqualia.
  • Ill Boy: He frequently collapses and left bedridden after using Psyqualia, and when the same happens in the manga, combined with the Fighting Gloves, he spends several chapters unable to stand up on his own, having others propping him up.
  • Invocation: Many. Aichi has the most uses of this trope among the cast, since he pretty much gets a new one every time he gets a new big Unit (Gancelot, Alfred, Soul Saver Dragon, Blaster Dark, Phantom Blaster Dragon). Of course, his most famous is:

Stand up, my avatar, Blaster Blade!

Aichi: Despair to the powerless, and all glory to those with the power.

  • Light'Em Up: His Units have a major light theme going on, probably in contrast to Ren's dark-themed Units.
    • Is brutally subverted in Episode 43.
  • Madness Mantra: When he realizes that Kai might be watching his fight in Episode 48.

Aichi: I have to become even stronger, or you won't give me recognition. I have to get stronger. I have to get stronger. I have to get stronger. More. More. I'm going to get stronger!

  • Meaningful Name: One possible meaning of the kanji for 'Sendou' is 'Vanguard'.
  • Not a Morning Person: He can't get up without Emi to wake him up, and even then he looks rather dazed for a while afterwards.
  • True Companions: Views the Royal Paladins as this. Keeps the Shadow Paladins after Ren refuses to take them back for this reason, as they were also comrades who fought alongside him.
  • Not So Different: Episode 49 reveals that he and Ren are extremely similar. Both started out as kind before being corrupted by PSY Qualia.
  • OOC Is Serious Business: Episode 41.
  • Psychic Powers: His PSY Qualia, which gives him precognition of game-winning cards and an evil persona.
    • As of the last episode of season 1, he's lost his PSY Qualia.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: With Ren, and with Kai.
  • Shrinking Violet: Male version.
  • Shy Blue Haired Boy
  • That Man Is Dead: He dismisses Blaster Blade as merely a 'former avatar' when Kai confronts him with it in Episode 49.
  • The Hero
    • Deconstructed in Episode 43.
  • The Power of Friendship: Aichi's style of play, especially when King of Knights, Alfred or Soul Saver Dragon is on the field, reflecting the Royal Paladins' emphasis on friends and allies working together.
    • Is later brutally subverted by Aichi personally in Episode 43.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Aichi's confidence and skill growth across the series builds up to this. It finally happens in Episode 41, but with a side-order of Drunk with Power. Though it's instantly subverted when Kai and Ren demonstrate in quick succession that it was Aichi's PSY Qualia, not Aichi himself, that was growing stronger.
    • Beginning with standing up to Ren in episode 53, and thoroughly confirmed in his successive victories against Koutei in episode 56 and Ren in episode 65, Aichi now plays this trope completely straight.
  • Unknown Rival: Pretty much to Kai. Tragically, this is what fuels Aichi's decent into darkness, believing what Kai wants is for him to grow stronger before he'll acknowledge him. Ironically, the reason Kai refuses to face Aichi is because of PSY Qualia, sparking Aichi's Face Heel Turn.
  • We Have Reserves / You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Aichi's philosophy while using his Shadow Paladin deck and "realizing" that the Royal Paladins' "use of allies" was "inadequate".
  • White Knight: His Royal Paladin deck revolves primarily around holy knights.
    • Inverted in Episode 43. His new Shadow Paladin deck revolves entirely around evil knights, dragons, and witches.
  • You Are What You Hate: Ren's goal during their fight is to have Aichi fall under Psyqualia's influence once more and have this come true. He succeeds, though it's short-lived.
  • You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Go figure, has blue hair.
  • Yin-Yang Bomb: Combines the Royal and Shadow Paladins.

Aichi: Light is not the only thing standing beside him. Darkness also stands by the King of Knights!

    • Taken to its logical conclusion with Majesty Lord Blaster.

Toshiki Kai

Season 1 Clans: Kagero / Royal Paladins

Season 2 Clans: Narukami

Final Turn.

The Rival of Vanguard. An aloof, stoic young man, Kai used to be a lot more open and kind. The reason for his change is unknown, but hinted to involve Ren. Kai is the one who teaches Aichi to play Vanguard, and becomes the goal towards which Aichi strives, trying to become an equal to Kai. In Episode 49, it is revealed that Kai met Ren in another town after he was forced to move by the deaths of his parents. He, Ren and Tetsu planned to form Team Foo Fighter and take on Nationals, only for Ren to become corrupted by PSY Qualia, turning their dream into a scheme to gather the strongest fighters under his banner. Kai faced him, but was soundly defeated and in his own words 'ran away'.

Voiced by: Takuya Satou

Tropes:

  • The Ace: Kai has the best win record of the main characters, having lost all of three times.
  • Aloof Ally: Post-regionals, he has a tendency to basically let the rest of the team get on with it without him.
  • The Atoner: In Episode 49, it's revealed he feels guilty for not being able to stop Ren previously. His confrontation with Aichi in the same episode is his attempt to try and atone for his mistake and how he ran away from Ren.
  • Badass Normal: As confirmed in episode 44, he does not have PSY Qualia, yet Ren respects him regardless, so this trope is in effect. It even gets a Badass Boast attached:

Kai: I will exceed that power.

Final Turn
Stand up, the Vanguard

    • It's implied in Episode 49 that he took up 'Final Turn' from Ren.
      • In exchange, Ren took the Vanguard from him.
  • Cynical Mentor: He doesn't really seem to care if Aichi succeeds or fails at first, and usually gets coaxed into providing support by Miwa.
    • As of Episode 44, it may be that Kai is a Deconstruction of this. The reason he seems not to care is because he doesn't know what to do to stop Aichi falling to his PSY Qualia and is possibly still filled with guilt for not preventing Ren's fall.
  • Defector From Decadence: He walks away from Team Foo Fighter after Ren becomes corrupted, rejecting Ren's We Can Rule Together.
  • Fake Memories: In Season 2 he believes he has always run Narukami and Aichi has always run Gold Paladins. However, during his fight with Aichi, he briefly remembers Blaster Blade...
  • Finishing Move: If he says the words 'Final Turn', you're generally screwed.
  • Instant Awesome, Just Add Dragons: His deck is composed largely of dragonic cards.
  • Japanese Pronouns: 'Ore.'
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold
  • Kill It with Fire: His Units tend to attack with fire.
  • My Greatest Failure: Not being able to defeat Ren and stop him, then just 'running away'.
  • Not So Omniscient After All: In Episode 44 a rather popular piece of fanon was shot down, Kai neither has nor knows about PSY Qualia. It also nicely presents Fridge Brilliance as to why Kai was so vague with Aichi before, he has no idea what exactly PSY Qualia does or how to prevent it.
  • Parental Abandonment
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: With Aichi
  • The Rival
  • Spell My Name with an "S": There's no confusion with the romanization of his name, but a lot of fans assume that "Kai" is his first name, probably due to being shorter than "Toshiki" as well as confusion about Japanese name order. Not to mention nobody ever calls him "Toshiki."
  • The Stoic
    • Not So Stoic: In episode 40, when he realizes Aichi may be starting to depend too much on his PSY Qualia.
      • He's quite distraught about losing to Ren in Episode 58, and losing his best chance at saving him and takes it out on Aichi.
      • In Episode 64, when Aichi slips back under Psyqualia's control Kai finally steps up and calls out to him with quite a bit of emotion behind his voice.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: On the receiving end of one by Kourin in Episode 44 for effectively leading Aichi to PSY Qualia and then abandoning him.
  • White Knight: In Episode 49 he uses Aichi's Royal Paladin Deck in an attempt to get through to him.

Misaki Tokura

Oracle Think Tank

The beautiful goddess, shining radiantly.

The niece of Shin, the manager of Card Capital, Misaki works at the counter of the card shop. Initially she does not play, but in Episode 4, plays Aichi at Shin's request. She quickly proves a skilled player, having picked up the game from observing others play.

Voiced by: Izumi Kitta

Tropes:

Kamui Katsuragi

Nova Grapplers

Attack, Asura Kaiser!

The youngest of the main four, Kamui is bratty and overconfident. However, he is also a skilled player despite this, and proves a valuable asset to Q4. He has a crush on Emi, calling her 'his Goddess', and this is a frequent source of comedy. Out of Q4's members, Kamui is probably the closest to Aichi.

Voiced by: Shizuka Ishikawa

Tropes:

Team Q4 Supporting

Katsumi Morikawa

Aichi's classmate. At first was a bully, but quickly turned around to become Aichi's friend. Is loud-mouthed, boisterous, and utterly convinced of his own strength...but is actually a pretty crappy player. Of course, give him a properly balanced deck...

Voiced by: Noriaki Sugiyama

Tropes

Yuta Izaki

Tachikaze

Morikawa's friend. More level-headed and normal than Morikawa.

Voiced by: Takayuki Yamaguchi

Tropes

Taishi Miwa

Kagero

Kai's friend. Much more personable and social than Kai, which makes one wonder why he hangs around with a guy like Kai anyway. Nonetheless he's absolutely loyal to Kai.

Voiced by: Showtaro Morikubo

Tropes

Emi Sendou

Bermuda Triangle

Aichi's little sister. Acts very much like a responsible parental figure to him, to the point of waking him up every morning. Often worries about him.

Voiced by: Atsuko Enomoto

Tropes

Shinemon "Shin" Nitta

Manager of Card Capital. Misaki's uncle. Later he becomes manager of Team Q4 and acts as a kindly, big brother-ish mentor to them.

Voiced by: Shuuta Morishima

Tropes

Team AL 4 (Foo Fighters)

Ren Suzugamori

Season 1 Clans: Shadow Paladins

Season 2 Clans: Gold Paladins

Where there is light, there is darkness. That's one of a pair of truths.

The leader of Team Foo Fighter and the Big Bad of the first season. Ren is a jerk, abusive to everyone, and commands the respect, if not fear, of his Foo Fighters. He and Kai were once friends, but after Ren developed PSY Qualia, they fought and Kai left Foo Fighter. Ren is the first revealed user of PSY Qualia.

Voiced by: Atsushi Abe

Tropes:

  • The Ace
  • Adorkable: Before he was corrupted by PSY Qualia.
  • Badass Boast: Makes a rather ominous one to Kenji right before beating him with Blaster Dark. He has another one, repeated when he summons his trump card.

Champions crowned with glory... however, there was something that even they were no match for. Where there is light, there is darkness. That's one of a pair of truths. And light can only be swallowed up by darkness... that's a truth, too! Appear from the everlasting darkness, dark spirits!

Crying out in despair in the chaos called silence... the power of shadowy darkness, obscuring all vision, is mine!

  • Badass Longcoat: As a bonus, it even has proto-Shoulders of Doom.
  • Badass Long Hair
  • Big Bad: Of the first season. However, there appears to be a Bigger Bad out there somewhere...which turns out to be a Red Herring.
  • Bishonen: And how.
  • Broken Ace: We have a few minor hints that Ren wasn't always this way.
    • Confirmed in Episode 49. Ren used to be a nice guy before his PSY Qualia corrupted him.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Ren was a kind of weird kid before he was corrupted by PSY Qualia. It still shows a little bit in his personality even now.
  • The Corrupter: To Aichi, though interestingly he serves only to push Aichi off the edge. Aichi had already taken his own steps towards PSY Qualia, Ren just helps him along the path.
  • The Corruption: PSY Qualia.
  • Dark Is Evil
  • Evil Counterpart: To Aichi. His deck is full of darker versions of Aichi's cards, especially Blaster Dark to Aichi's Blaster Blade.
    • Episode 49 hammers it home, showing that Ren was essentially a more cheerful Aichi before he acquired PSY Qualia.
  • Evil Redhead
  • Hidden Agenda Villain
  • Invocation:

Appear from the everlasting darkness, dark spirits! I Ride... Blaster Dark!

  • Japanese Pronouns: 'Boku.' Seems to switch to 'watashi' when, in his own words, he's being "serious."
  • Jerkass: Infamous for it.
  • Knight of Cerebus: Prior to his arrival, Vanguard was relatively light-hearted and normal by card game anime standards. Afterward... well, in the episode right after his appearance, Misaki suffers a breakdown brought on by the memory of her parents' deaths. Ren is most definitely the bringer of Cerebus Syndrome to Vanguard.
  • Might Makes Right: One of his beliefs while corrupted by his PSY Qualia

Ren: It's as I said. The powerless fall into despair... and those with power get all the glory.

Ren: Please continue doing your best at wasting time and effort.

  • Serious Business: Card games are to him, apparently. Probably due to his PSY Qualia.
  • Slasher Smile: All the time. He takes it Up to Eleven in episode 63.
  • Smug Super: His speech before the finals of the second nationals more or less consists of "Congratulation for making it this far. Too bad I have psychic powers that make me unbeatable. Have fun!"
  • Take Over Japan: Possibly his aim, as he mentions this in Kai's flashback in Episode 49. Of course, he could have been lying. Who knows.
  • Not So Different: Frequently proclaims this to Aichi later on, based on the fact that they both sought overwhelming power and received Psyqualia.

Ren: Wanting power, seeking to become stronger than anyone... that is truly the true Aichi lurking within you. Yes, just like me!

  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Before he got PSY Qualia.
  • Villainous Breakdown: After Aichi's speech to him in Episode 53, Ren looks noticably shaken, and he later has a flashback to the speech. This may suggest a larger breakdown later on...
    • Which happens 12 episodes later, when Aichi rides Majesty Lord Blaster and says he's through rejecting Ren and Psyqualia.

Ren: I won't accept anyone!

  • Warrior Poet: Before his match with Koutei, the two have a little banter regarding Koutei's team name. Ren later provides an Ironic Echo of this banter before delivering an ominous speech.

Tetsu Shinjou

Dark Irregulars

Friends...With that attitude, you can never be the strongest.

Ren's second-in-command and the number two of Foo Fighter. Known as the "General" of AL4. A very gruff and serious person, he's completely loyal to Ren. One of the founding members of Foo Fighter, along with Ren and Kai.

Voiced by: Tetsu Inada

Tropes:

  • Anti-Villain: He's a Noble Demon. And that's without mentioning how he refuses to abandon Ren in Episode 49's flashback.
  • All There in the Manual: His surname was only revealed through the official website. In-series he registers in tournaments as "Tetsu" alone.
    • His surname is finally spoke on-screen in Kai's flashback in Episode 49.
  • Dark Is Evil
  • The Danza: Shares the same given name with his seiyuu, Tetsu Inada.
  • The Dragon: To Ren. However, Episode 49 indicates that he stands by Ren because he can't bring himself to abandon him, as opposed to supporting his aims.

Tetsu: I can't desert Ren.

  • Evil Counterpart: To Kai. Both are the immediate supporters to The Hero and the Big Bad respectively. While Kai deserted Ren after he became addicted to PSY Qualia, Tetsu remained at Ren's side and refused to abandon him.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: He has possibly the deepest voice of any character so far.
  • Large and In Charge: Second-in-command actually, but still runs with the trope.
  • The Legions of Hell: His Dark Irregulars include quite a few demonic units, particularly his Demon World Marquis Amon.
  • Noble Demon: Most of the time, he's quite reasonable, if gruff.
  • Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids: To Kamui, after hearing a speech explaining why he'll never surrender because he has his friends.

Tetsu: Friends...With that attitude, you can never be the strongest.

Tetsu: This is the form which best suits your power.

Asaka Narumi

Pale Moon

Ever since then, I've been fighting only for Ren-sama.

The number three of Foo Fighter. Known as the "Assassin" of AL4. She's devoted to Ren, and fights to get his acknowledgement.

Voiced by: Hitomi Nabatame

Tropes:

Kyou Yahagi

Spike Brothers

The number four of Foo Fighter and the final member of AL4. He has a strong dislike for Ren, and wants to take his place as the leader of Foo Fighter.

Voiced by: Akeno Watanabe

Tropes:

Team Caesar

A high-class team first introduced in the Nationals. After Ren effortlessly defeats them in the finals, they hold the Caesar Vanguard Training Camp for Q4, creating a Sempai-Kohai type relationship between the two teams.

Kenji 'Koutei' Mitsusada

Dimension Police

The leader of Team Caesar. His nickname is derived from the kanji for 'emperor', fitting Kenji's knowledge of Roman history. Relaxed and easy-going, he doesn't seem much like a champion-level player, but proves his mettle when his team reach the finals of the Nationals. However, he is crushed by Ren when the latter calls on his PSY Qualia and his Blaster Dark.

Voiced by: Kenji Akabane

Tropes:

  • Curb Stomp Battle: On the recieving end of one at Ren's hands during the finals of the first Nationals.
  • The Danza: Shares the same given name with his seiyuu, Kenji Akabane.
  • Gray Eyes: Serves a mentor figure via the Caesar Vanguard Training Camp.
  • Nice Guy: Incredibly so, no matter how rude someone is to him.
  • Red Baron: 'Koutei' - The Emperor.
  • Warrior Poet: He has some discussion with Ren about Team Caesar's naming prior to their match. He is also quite knowledgable of Roman history.

Yuri Usui

Dimension Police

The only female member of Team Caesar. She was Aichi's opponent at the training camp. She is later revealed to run a Stand-based Dimension Police deck focusing around the synergy between Miracle Beauty and Enigman Rain, as well as revealing a rather more reckless and energetic persona in card fights.

Voiced by: Mayuki Makiguchi

Tropes:

  • Attack! Attack! Attack!: She uses a variant of Dimension Police focused around mass standing to get more attacks, similar to Kamui's Nova Grapplers.
  • Badass: Her fighting style may essentially equate to luck, but damn if she doesn't make it look awesome while doing it.
  • Cool Big Sis: Her usual persona. However, when it comes to serious fights...
  • Light Is Good: Her Dimension Police in general, but especially Enigman Rain. Yuri herself is helpful and kind to the members of Q4, if...enthusiastic at times.
  • Magic Poker Equation: She claims to be able to call out her Triggers like an empress commanding her subjects. At the end of her fight with Misaki... she does exactly this.
  • Our Angels Are Different: Enigman Rain. To be fair, it's not an actual angel, but an angelic alien.
  • Red Baron: The Empress.
  • Sempai-Kohai: She fought against Aichi and gave him a tip for his deck.
  • Who Wears Short Shorts?

Gai Usui

Dimension Police

Yuri's younger brother, and the third member of Team Caesar.

Voiced by: Setsuji Satou

Tropes:

  • Butt Monkey: In Episode 54 due to his sister.
  • Keigo: Notably, he's one of the most formal-speaking of the entire cast.
  • Red Baron: The Gladiator.

Card Shop PSY

A mysterious trio of girls who run Card Shop PSY. They also form the idol group, Ultra-rare, and are sisters.

Suiko

The eldest of the sisters, a calm and composed person.

Voiced by: Aimi Terakawa

Tropes:

Suiko: Light which blankets the darkness... darkness that swallows the light...

Kourin

Royal Paladins

The middle sister, she's very temperamental and seems to do the fighting for the group.

Voiced by: Suzuko Mimori

Tropes:

Rekka

Angel Feather

The youngest of the sisters, she's cute and cheerful.

Voiced by: Yoshino Nanjou

Tropes:

Asia Circuit Hen

Takuto Tatsunagi

Chairman of the Tatsunagi Foundation, he and his financial group are the hosts of the Asia Circuit. He appears at Card Capital at the beginning of the second season and fights Aichi. During the fight, he shows Aichi a vision of the Royal Paladins, Shadow Paladins and Kagero clans being sealed and steals Aichi's Royal Paladin deck.

Voiced by: Ayahi Takagaki

Tropes

  • Big Bad: He's being set up as this for Season 2.
  • Demonic Possession: Believed to be the one who possessed Rekka in Season 1's finale.
  • Hidden Agenda Villain: Oh so very much.
  • Psychic Powers: During his fight with Aichi, he drags Aichi into a vision of the Royal/Shadow Paladins and Kagero sealing. After he's disappeared, he's either rewritten everyone's memories, with the exception of Aichi and Kai, or sent the two of them to an Alternate Universe.
  • Man in White
  • Stealth Hi Bye: More like Teleport Hi Bye regarding his fights with Aichi and Kai.
  • Well-Intentioned Extremist: His speech to Aichi in Episode 1 of Season 2 indicates that he is doing what is necessary to save Cray from the mysterious force.


Team S.I.T Genius

Chris Falo

Lee Shenlon

Pajeel Ali

Planet Cray

United Sanctuary

Royal Paladins

The Royal Paladins, a knighthood of chivalry and justice led by the King of Knights, Alfred and hailing from United Sanctuary. Though only featured primarily as cards, some of the knighthood's prominent members have been described with much detail through card flavor text, their many shout outs to King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table, and their overall presentation within the anime/manga.

Clan-wide Tropes:

King of Knights, Alfred / Alfred Early

I command you under the name of the King of Knights! Heed my call, my warriors!

Tropes:

Blaster Blade/Majesty Lord Blaster

Courage is the sword of light. Shine forth, Blaster Blade!
O Light and Shadow! Become my power! Now is the time for despair to become hope!

Tropes:

Solitary Knight, Gancelot

White wings filled with pride. The solitary knight is the one who inherits courage.

Tropes:

Knight of Silence, Gallatin

Silence, tells of everything. My sword, thou dedicate.

Tropes:

Knight of Truth, Gordon

Unshakable, that is the truth.

Tropes:

Little Sage, Marron

My dream is to experience all the mysteries of the world.

Tropes:

Sage of Guidance, Zenon

Now, guided by the sage's wisdom, the hero of light comes forth!

Tropes:

Great Sage, Baron

I'm just an old fart. My powers grow the more I get drunk, though.

Tropes:

Flash Shield, Iseult

Chivalry will never be swayed as long as the Flash Shield is present.

Tropes:

Stardust Trumpeter / Starcall Trumpeter

Sound the trumpets! Now the battle begins!

Tropes:

Barkgal

When his roar sounds across the battlefield, the heroes will come running.

Tropes:

  • Epic Hail: He can call forth either Flowgal or the Knight of the Future, Llew to come to his aid.
  • The Ace: He is the ace of the Royal Paladin Hi-Dogs Unit.
  • We Can Rebuild Him: His flavor text depicts this.

Wingal

I know it, you're more courageous than anyone else!

Tropes:

Soul Saver Dragon

Its Holy Charging Roar stirs the souls of the brave.

Tropes:

Shadow Paladins

The Shadow Paladins are an order of darker counterparts to the Royal Paladins. A breakaway faction, they are led by the 'terrorist ringleader' Phantom Blaster Dragon, having had various grievances with the United Sanctuary. By contrast to the Royal Paladins, though Shadow Paladins focus on the same swarming tactics, they do so to sacrifice their Units for Phantom Blaster Dragon's skill, Damned Charging Lance.

Clan-wide Tropes:

Blaster Dark

This is the pitch-black sword known as resolution. Thunder forth, Blaster Dark!

Tropes:

Phantom Blaster Dragon/Phantom Blaster Overlord

Death and Despair are my swords! Whirl, Shadow Erosion!
Despair, for I, who come from the darkest night, shall bestow upon you an end deeper than death.

Tropes:

  • Bad Boss
  • Big Bad: He's the creator of the Shadow Paladins.
  • Blade on a Stick: His weapon is a dual-ended lance.
  • Casting a Shadow
  • Dark Is Evil: In spades.
  • Dual-Wielding: Phantom Blaster Overlord dual-wields twin lances.
  • Evil Counterpart: To Soul Saver Dragon and King of Knights, Alfred.
  • Fallen Hero: According to Phantom Blaster Overlord's Card of the Day profile, Phantom Blaster was once a guardian dragon who protected United Sanctuary, but was corrupted after witnessing what lay in the hearts of many thousands of people and became consumed by despair, becoming the monster he is now.
  • For Massive Damage: Damned Charging Lance adds ten-thousand Power and a Critical to Phantom Blaster for the turn. If that hits, it will hurt.
  • No Kill Like Overkill: Damned Charging Lance. Taken Up to Eleven with the same skill as used by Phantom Blaster Overlord.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning
  • Super Mode: Phantom Blaster Overlord
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: His way of powering his ultimate attack is to eat members of the Shadow Paladins that have outlived their usefulness. Phantom Blaster Overlord however averts this, he powers Damned Charging Lance with a higher Counterblast and discarding a copy of himself from your hand.

Darkside Trumpeter

Sounding the trumpet and aiding the fallen soldiers to get back on their feet.

Tropes:

Maiden of Darkness, Marha

Draw your swords! Hold them high! All units... Charge!

Tropes:

  • Epic Hail: When she's called to the field, she can call forth other Shadow Paladins to the field.
  • Evil Counterpart: To Hi-Dog Breeder Akane.
    • Also possibly an Evil Counterpart to Knight of Truth, Gordon, owing to their identical statistics and completely polar philosophies.
  • Face Heel Turn
  • Spell My Name with an "S": Marha? Maaha? Macha?
  • The Neidermeyer: She is reputedly a skilled, cunning commander with the fatal flaw of having almost no care for her subordinates' lives if it will mean the difference between victory and defeat.
  • We Have Reserves: She was placed under house arrest by the Royal Paladins for exercising this belief in her strategy. She defected to the Shadow Paladins soon after.

Oracle Think Tank

The Oracle Think Tank is a mega corporation headquartered in the United Sanctuary and presided by CEO Amaterasu. Their specialty with predicting the future has landed them a wide customer base that spans all of Planet Cray, with requests ranging from predicting one's fortune with love to advising how to run a country. A Running Gag is that their weather forecasts are never accurate.

Company-wide Tropes:

  • Big Good: The Royal Paladins and the Oracle Think Tank share a close relationship, with the Royal Paladins frequently hiring the Oracle Think Tank's services to predict how their battles will turn out and adjust their strategy accordingly.
    • Alfred himself frequently hires the Oracle Think Tank to advise him on administering over the United Sanctuary. Considering who Alfred is, it says a lot about the goodness of the Oracle Think Tanks.
  • Mega Corp: Played with. The Oracle Think Tank is a mega corporation spanning all of Planet Cray, but they don't have any Corrupt Corporate Executives nor any plans for world domination. Instead, their specialty is in predicting the future, concerning everything from one's love life to tomorrow's weather forecast.
  • Running Gag: Their weather forecasts are never accurate. If they predict tomorrow will be sunny, it's going to be raining cats and dogs.
  • Shout-Out: Numerous references to various religions and fields of science are present in the Oracle Think Tank's members.

CEO Amaterasu

Shape my desire. Project it before me, Yata no Kagami!

Tropes:

Silent Tom

Heh, if you wanna catch me, you gotta bring a pretty lady along with ya.

Tropes:

  • Chivalrous Pervert: Even after death, he still chases after beautiful women.
  • Unblockable Attack: His skill prevents the opponent from using Grade 0 Units as Guardians when he attacks.

Faithful Angel

My lord, ask me if you need anything.

Tropes:

Battle Sisters

A faction of nuns who deal in fighting.

Tropes:

Oracle Guardians

A group of statues that come to life, revealing robots underneath.

Tropes:

Secretary Angel

You must go through me for any business with the CEO.

Tropes:

Gold Paladins

An order of Paladins founded after the end of the great civil war, their intention is to release the sealed Paladins. To do so, they must collect the seven Sacred Beast armors. Composed of surviving Royal Paladins and reformed Shadow Paladins, the Gold Paladins continue the Arthurian Theme Naming of the Royal Paladins. Playstyle-wise, the Gold Paladins seem to continue the swarming theme of their predecessors, but tend to use cheap skills which provide random Superior Calls from the top of the deck.

Clan-wide Tropes:

  • Animal Motifs: All of them, more or less. This is because most of them wear replicas of the Beast armors that the Gold Paladins have recovered.
  • Gotta Catch Em All: The Sacred Beast armors.
  • Heel Face Turn: Quite a few Gold Paladins used to be Shadow Paladins.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: They have been accused of this, largely because they have yet to really differentiate themselves from Royal Paladins in gameplay.
    • It turns out that about the only differentiating factor is the topdeck calling aspect.
  • Theme Naming: Most of their knights have Arthurian names, like the Royal Paladins.
  • The Remnant: Thematically they're what's left of the two previous Paladin Clans after the 'seal' happened.

Incandescent Lion, Blond Ezel

Tropes:

Knight of Fortitude, Lucan

Tropes:

  • The Big Guy: As a Gold Paladin, he's this.
  • Blood Knight: During the war, he joined the Shadow Paladins because he loved battle.
  • The Brute: When he was a Shadow Paladin
  • Heel Face Turn: He was a Shadow Paladin during the war, but reformed after hearing Majesty Lord Blaster's speech.


Wind That Blows Through the Grassfields, Sagremor/Storm of the Battlefield, Sagremor

Tropes:

  • Dual-Wielding: Storm of the Battlefield.
  • Took a Level in Badass: So much so that he went from Grade 0 to Grade 3. And as a Grade 3, he generated an armor said to be on the level of the Sacred Beast armors.

Spectral Duke Dragon

Tropes:

  • Art Shift: When Spectral Duke's art was revealed, comparisons were made to Magic: The Gathering artwork due to the sheer shift in style from usual Vanguard art.
  • Call Back: His skill requirements are the same as Phantom Blaster Dragon's skill requirements. They're also both Abyss Dragons wielding polearm-type weapons.
  • Darker and Edgier: Very noticeable when you compare Spectral Duke Dragon and the other Extra Booster 3 Gold Paladins to their more mainstream counterparts. Both in art style, and in how Spectral Duke Dragon ruthlessly sacrifices his allies.
  • Dark Is Not Evil: His unit setting specifically states so. "The Armour of Black Steed harbours the power of darkness, but this dark is not evil as his will determines the path of this unleashed power should be used."
  • Expy: Of Phantom Blaster Dragon.
  • I Am Not Left-Handed: His skill allows him to attack once more by sacrificing his allies, regardless of whether the previous attack hit or not.
  • Limit Break
  • The Unexpected: After Spectral Duke Dragon was announced to be a Gold Paladin, just about no-one predicted that he'd carry on the Shadow Paladin use of allies over the Royal Paladin use.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: He retires his fellow Gold Paladins to power his skill.

Angel Feather

The Angel Feather is a clan consisting of Angels and their allies. They focus on manipulating the Damage zone, mostly moving cards to and from it and gaining bonuses as a result, but also have some healing skills.

Clan-wide Tropes:

Mobile Hospital, Feather Palace

Tropes:

  • Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: It’s a general hospital that can transform into a human-shaped robot.
  • Awesome but Impractical: Of all Megablasts revealed so far this unit’s is the most difficult to use, as it needs to be the Vanguard and needs to hit the opponent’s Vanguard. If you manage to pull it off, though, you can heal 1 damage for each Angel Feather Rearguard you have (so with 5 Rearguards you can heal all of your damage).

Critical Hit Angel

Tropes:

  • Cute Clumsy Girl: Her card art, her flavor text, and (especially) her card lore all make it clear that she’s this

Dragon Empire

Kagero

The Kagero are a group of dragons that tend to Kill It with Fire. They focus on forcing the opponent's Rearguards to retire, triggering their own skills.

Dragonic Overlord/Dragonic Overlord The End

Burn, flame of despair! Eternal Flame
Let's end this now. Come forth, Eternal Apocalypse!

Tropes:

Incarnation of Victory, Aleph

Hear the cry of my soul! Eat this, Diablo Buster!

Tropes:


Tachikaze

A clan of Android dinosaurs. The main focus is to retire your own units and bring them back with skills.

Tyrant Deathrex

Tear it apart, Tyranno-Fang!

Tropes:

Nubatama

A group of ninja beasts and dragons. They destroy your opponent's hand when your own is small, but when reverse is true, they power up.

Steath Dragon, Voidmaster

Turn to stone! Ninjitsu, Evil-Eye Prison!

Tropes:

Murakumo

Another group of ninja beasts and dragons. Unlike the Nubatama above, they focus on mind games by crippling the opponent during their turn.

Dueling Dragon, ZANBAKU

No one escapes from my sword! Bakugeki Slash!

Tropes:

Narukami

A Clan of lightning dragons who rose to the top spot of the Empire after the Kagero were sealed. Like Gold Paladins, their gameplay mechanics have led to them being seen as a Suspiciously Similar Substitute for their predecessor Clan.

Dragonic Kaiser Vermilion

Tropes:

  • Expy: A blatant one of Dragonic Overlord.
  • Foreshadowing: In Set 5 the wording for Perfect Guard Units was changed so that they only protected one Unit at a time. Now a set later, Vermilion has the power to attack multiple Units at once...
  • Limit Break: One of the Units with the new mechanic.
  • No Kill Like Overkill: His skill lets him attack the entire opposing frontline at once. Notable in that he's the first card with such an ability.
  • Shock and Awe

Thunder Break Dragon

Tropes:

Vajra Thunder Emperor, Indra

Tropes:

  • Fan Nickname: "Buddha"
  • No Kill Like Overkill: His skill lets him gain an extra critical for every unit of the same name in the Rear Guard Circle. He can hit for critical 6 if you have 3 more Indras and checks into a double Critical Trigger.
  • Shock and Awe

Star Gate

Nova Grapplers

The result when the WWE combines with aliens and robots. They focus on Standing during the Battle Phase to get multiple attacks in at once.

Asura Kaiser

The death blow! Kaiser Buster!

Tropes:

Mr. Invincible

Evil will never prevail! Help the good and punish the evil! Finisher, HELL STAND!

Tropes:

Genocide Jack

Useless Rules! Genocide Blaster!

Tropes:

Three Minutes

3 minutes! I'll defeat you in 3 minutes!

Tropes:

Dimension Police

An interdimensional police force filled with Super Sentai and Humongous Mecha. They focus on boosting their own Critical For Massive Damage.

Super Dimensional Robot, Daiyusha

Super Dimensional Combining! Daiyusha!!

Tropes:


Etrangers

Wild Mass Guessing leads to it being a pure cameo clan.

Blaster Keroro

Tropes:

Blaster Mameshiba

"Do you know? Blaster Blade is the name of the weapon."

Tropes

Magallanica

Granblue

A Clan of zombie pirates who haunt the high seas. Their Clan gimmick is the unique power to resurrect their Units from the Drop Zone, inspiring the infamous 'Pirates can be resurrected any number of times!'

Demonic Sea King, Buskirk

This is the door to the Demonic Seas. Open, Bermuda Gate!

Tropes:

  • Authority Equals Asskicking: He's pretty much the strongest of the Grand Blue Clan.
  • Epic Hail: He has a powerful Megablast which allows him to fill the field with reinforcements from the Drop Zone.
    • Awesome but Impractical: Of course, you're more likely to use your Counterblasts on Captain Nightmist and other units. Prior to Booster Set 6 they had no method of unflipping damage outside of healing it off, making it very unlikely to pull this off all too much. And even after Booster Set 6 you’re still more likely to use your Counterblasts and Soulblasts on other units.
  • Shout-Out: He resembles Davy Jones from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Captain Nightmist

Pirates can be resurrected any number of times!

Tropes:

Bermuda Δ

Pop idol mermaids with a bit of Moe mixed in. Their gimmick is to return your own units to your hand to reuse their skills.

Clan-wide Tropes:

Top Idol, Flores

Let me give to you my voice! If you keep singing, surely you'll reach them!

Tropes:

Top Idol, Pacifica

Everyone, let's sing together! You will surely feel the greatest happiness!

Tropes:

Aqua Force

A new clan that will be introduced in the 7th Trial Deck, and it is believed they will receive more support in Set 8 due to its name: Blue Storm Armada. Nothing is currently known about it. However, from the few Units that have been shown, the Clan seems to have a naval aesthetic, with one of their revealed Units wearing a naval officer's uniform of some kind.

Dark Zone

Dark Irregulars

A clan of demons and other dark beings. They focus on piling on cards in the Soul to give dramatic boosts to certain Units.

Demon World Marquis, Amon

This is the real power! Inferno Ritual!

Tropes:

Demon Eater

Her beautiful black hair will prey even on the devil.

Tropes:

Stil Vampire

Learn it with your body! Black Downfall!

Tropes:

Edel Rose

Let me dye you red! Scarlet Tear!

Tropes:

Imprisoned Fallen Angel, Sarael

There's no point... Asking me... ... If you don't free me... ...

Tropes:

Blue Dust

One who approaches gets deprived of life, then turns to ice and shatters.

Tropes:

Alluring Succubus

Hey, your life, can I taste it~?

Tropes:

March Rabbit of Nightmareland

Oh no, that won't do. It's not acceptable to disturb the tea party.

Tropes:

Dark Queen of Nightmareland

Yes, let the end begin!

Tropes:

King of Diptera, Beelzebub

Tropes:

  • Big Creepy-Crawlies: Despite being a demon, he has several insect features. Probably a reference to Beelzebub's most famous name: 'Lord of the Flies'
  • Dark Is Evil: Weeelll...

Tetsu: Sinful king praying for dark prosperity... king who has embraced the despair of light in those wings...

Pale Moon

Vanguard's own Circus of Fear. Like the Dark Irregulars, they focus on amassing Soul, but instead use it to call out the units in it.

Crimson Beast Tamer/Turquoise Beast Tamer

Twin sisters that are the backbone of the circus.

Tropes:

Nightmare Doll Alice

Tropes

Mistress Hurricane

Tropes:


Spike Brothers

A demonic football team. They focus on calling from the Deck, usually during the Battle Phase, to Zerg Rush the opponent.

Juggernaut Maximum

Smash to smithereens, Defensive Tackle!

Tropes:

Demonic Lord, Dudley Emperor

Tropes:

Zoo

Megacolony

The insect mafia. They forbid the opponent's Rearguard from Standing on your opponent's next Stand Phase, potentially minimizing damage.

Bloody Hercules

The criminal society, Megacolony rise above all laws!

Tropes:

Great Nature

A university with highly intelligent animals. They focus on powering up their own kind at the cost of losing them at the end of the turn.

Scientist Monkey, Rue

Filled with genius, filled with power! Mad medicine!

Tropes:

Neonectar

A clan of nature spirits combined with La Résistance. The clan focus seems to be swapping out stronger units with multiple weaker ones from the deck.

Knight of Harvest, Gene

Tropes:

  • Epic Hail: Can call two younger versions of himself from the Deck by returning himself to the deck.

Other

The Mysterious Force

A strange power which appeared on Planet Cray and began to threaten the life of everything on the planet. As the name implies, nothing is known about it, and overall the force is shrouded in mystery. Not even its true name is known, with every in-show reference simply naming it a 'mysterious force', and whenever it appears on-screen, it is in the form of clouds of ominous black fog.

Tropes:

  • Big Bad: Its appearance sets the PSY Qualia events of Season 1 in motion, and its threat continues to loom over Season 2.
  • Bigger Bad
  • Eldritch Abomination: Thematically it just screams this.
  • Expy: The force's overall role in Season 1 is very reminiscent of Phantom Blaster Overlord's role in the card game lore, a genocidal force which forced the other forces on Cray to ally against it.
  • Hidden Agenda Villain
  • Outside Context Villain: In-Universe and in real life. In-Universe, the mysterious force simply appeared one day and began to threaten Planet Cray, inadvertently setting the anime's plot into motion. In real life, everyone expected Phantom Blaster Overlord to be the Big Bad on Cray (like in the card game lore), but instead the mysterious force took that role while Phantom Blaster Overlord didn't even appear.
  • Not His Sled: Phantom Blaster Overlord isn't the Cray plot's Big Bad in the anime. The mysterious force is.
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