Cardfight!! Vanguard: Difference between revisions

[[File:cardfight-vanguard_7615.jpg|frame|From the bottom, counterclockwise: [[The Hero|Aichi]], [[The Rival|Kai]], [[The Ace|Blaster Blade]], [[Kill It with Fire|Dragonic]] [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill|Overlord]], [[Bratty Half-Pint|Kamui]], and [[The Smart Guy|Misaki]].]]

Aichi Sendou is an [[Ordinary High School Student|Ordinary Middle School Student]] who owns one of the most powerful cards: [[The Ace|Blaster Blade]]. He then meets [[The Rival|Toshiki Kai]] who challenges him to a game of cards. He doesn't know how to play, but he did collect Vanguard cards. Thanks to Vanguard, he now finds himself [[The Power of Friendship|making friends]].

* [[Awesome but Impractical]]: The Megablast abilities in general are this. The effects can be pretty awesome (such as standing all of the player's units or destroying all enemy rearguards), but they require Soulblast 8 (which can be difficult to achieve) ''and'' Counterblast 5 (so in most cases the player must not use other counterblast abilities, or has to rely on luck to get a heal trigger). In addition, many of the Megablasts work only if the unit's attack hits, so if the enemy manages to guard the Megablast is useless.

* [[Badass Boast]]: {{spoiler|Aichi}} makes a rather dark one to Kyou at the end of Episode 41.

** In Episode 62,

* [[Battle Aura]]: Used both for artistic effect when characters make critical moves, and also as {{spoiler|a sign of [[Psychic Powers|PSY Qualia]]}}.

* [[Badass Longcoat]]: Kai in the manga. Ren has one also.

* [[Black Knight]]: The Shadow Paladins. Particularly Blaster Dark, given the second opening plays up the contrast between it and [[White Knight|Blaster Blade]].

* [[Blessed with Suck]]: {{spoiler|Misaki has a perfect memory, which as Kamui points out, could help the team analyze their opponents' Decks and prepare counters. Unfortunately, this 'perfect memory' seems so perfect she literally cannot forget anything and the memories even force themselves on her at times, including the traumatic ones involving her parents' deaths. Episode 24 details quite nastily the effect this has on her, culminating in an utter emotional breakdown.}}

* [[Blue Eyes]]

** [[Innocent Blue Eyes]]: Both Aichi and Emi have them. As do Misaki and the shop cat.

* [[Dark Is Evil]]: Team AL4 all run dark-themed Clans, Spike Brothers, Pale Moon, Dark Irregulars and Shadow Paladins. [[Sarcasm Mode|Surprise surprise]], they're the villains.

* [[Dark Is Not Evil]]: Episode 64 shows that darkness isn't always necessarily evil with a single moment.

* [[Deal with the Devil]]: While predicting or talking to cards makes you stronger and nearly unbeatable, they also turn the person evil, as seen in Episode 41 where {{spoiler|Aichi's}} personality is seen starting to go down the path of evil.

* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Misaki.

* [[Glowing Eyes of Doom]]: Ren has shown these. And so has Aichi, as it's a sign of {{spoiler|PSY Qualia}}.

* {{spoiler|[[Good Is Not Nice]]: Aichi in Episode 41, who declares the card he'll beat Kyou with and starts putting the guy down without a thought. And his final line just screams this. Though, it's because of his PSY Qualia corrupting him.}}

* [[Gratuitous English]]: All over the place. Most of the card names are in English, and the characters also say "Stand up, Vanguard!" and "Stand and draw" and so on during games. Then there's also Kai's (and Ren's, and Misaki's, apparently) [[Catch Phrase]] "Final Turn," and Kai and Ren's "stand up THE Vanguard" (probably because it sounds cooler, or whatever).

** [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spHNfMVmtso This.]

* [[Kick the Dog]]: Ren, fullstop. {{spoiler|After Aichi's loss to Tetsu, he shows up, initially to talk to Kai, but it quickly turns into the guy pretty much verbally kicking Aichi up and down the street over the loss. And the worst part is, it looks like it's [[Heroic Blue Screen of Death|sinking in]]...}}

** Another case of Kick the Dogs or World:

'''Ren''': Everyone was quite strong. *changes to a Slasher Smile* [[Take That|Please continue doing your best at wasting time and effort]].<br />

'''MC''': And how about a few words to the people you fought against?<br />

* [[Our Mermaids Are Different]]: Top Idol Flores is a cross between a mermaid and an idol singer. Arguably the same goes for Top Idol Aqua, maybe for Blazer Pleasures and Girls Rock, Rio looked more like a gill girl than a mermaid. Bermuda Triangle Cadet Caravel seems to be a more usual type of mermaid.

* [[Paper-Thin Disguise]]: Aichi more-or-less realizes that Ninja Master M is actually Mr. Mark within five seconds of meeting him. To be fair, the man himself threw out a hint:

** Kamui, in the first National Tournament, tries to disguise himself with [[Epic Fail|just a pair of glasses]]. His disguise was immedately saw through by Eiji and Reiji though.

* [[Parental Abandonment]]: {{spoiler|Misaki's parents are dead}} and Aichi's father is neither seen nor mentioned. Episode 49 reveals that {{spoiler|Kai's parents died a few years before the start of the series, which is the reason he left town (he went to live with his uncle's family).}}

* [[The Stoic]]: Kai.

* [[Suspiciously Specific Denial]]: Mr. Mark in Episode 11, when asked about the bag he's carrying:

* [[Take a Third Option]]: When Aichi is faced with decision of {{spoiler|whether or not to accept [[Psychic Powers|PSY Qualia]] and [[Drunk on the Dark Side|the personality that comes with it]]}}, he finally decides instead {{spoiler|that he can accept both sides of himself, without rejecting either PSY Qualia or the part of himself that wants to fight without it}}. This leads to {{spoiler|[[Crowning Moment of Awesome|his riding of Majesty Lord Blaster and ultimate victory over Ren]]}}.

* [[Tears of Joy]]: Kamui, when {{spoiler|Team Q4 finally wins the national championship}}. May or may not count as [[Manly Tears]].

* [[Unstoppable Rage]]: {{spoiler|At the end of Episode 24's Cardfight, Misaki is more-or-less suffering a complete breakdown due to be flooded with memories of her dead parents, and seems to go into this state, seeming more aggressive than before. Naturally, the moment is heralded by a [[For Massive Damage|Critical Trigger]] making itself known for her final blow.}}

* [[Villainous Breakdown]]: Kyou in Episodes 30 and 42. {{spoiler|Ren in Episode 65 after Aichi uses Majesty Lord Blaster and claims to accept him.}}

* [[Warrior Therapist]]: Kai is this to Aichi and Ren. {{spoiler|In the latter case, it doesn't work, and the task falls to Aichi.}}

* [[We Can Rule Together]]: Gouki offers Kamui a place on his team. Ren does the same to Kai.

* [[Yin-Yang Bomb]]: {{spoiler|Majesty Lord Blaster, which Aichi uses to defeat Ren. It can only reach its full power by using both Blaster Blade and Blaster Dark together.}}

* [[Yin-Yang Clash]]: Ren delivers an ominous speech describing this just before riding Blaster Dark for the first time, though he appears to favor the darkness over the light.

* [[You Can't Fight Fate]]: Ren and {{spoiler|Aichi}}'s belief and the reason for their absolute confidence when channeling {{spoiler|Psyqualia}}. However, as Aichi points out, this doesn't apply {{spoiler|when fighting another Psyqualia user.}}

* [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair]]: Aichi, of course, and Asaka. Misaki has lilac hair, while Shin has green hair.

* [[Your Mind Makes It Real]]: One of Ren's lines in Episode 63 {{spoiler|after he sends Aichi to Cray to be attacked by Blaster Dark}} strongly implies this.

* [[Zettai Ryouiki]]: Asaka is a Grade B.