Darker than Black/Season One Tropes N-Z: Difference between revisions

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* [[Naked First Impression]]: Played with, since the naked party is a man, and the other is a cat... yeah.

** An absolutely ''mortified'' cat. Seriously, the look on Mao's face is priceless.

** And seriously, would you want to be anywhere near someone [[Badass Nickname|nicknamed]] "The Black Angel of Death"?

** Played with in the case of Havoc. She certainly earned the "run away now" title when she had her powers, but now [[The Woobie|everyone just wants to give her a hug and make her feel better]].

** At least once they explicitly refer to him as "codename Hei."

*** Hilariously enough, Word of God has stated that his real name is Li. Yeah. The cover ID name.

* [[No-Tell Motel]]: November 11 and co. find Havoc living in one of these.

* [[Not So Different]]: There's a lot of moments that show the audience how the protagonists and some of their antagonists aren't really different. For instance, the episode explaining Bertha's past parallels it with flashbacks of Yin's past and shows a similarity between the two; November 11 is told by the Evening Primrose members that he should do what's logical and join them, and he recalls telling Hei the same thing- although, November 11 concludes they are very different, as Hei acts illogically, while November 11 thinks it's logical {{spoiler|not to join Evening Primrose}}; Hei's advice to Kirihara in one of the last episodes to "trust no one and rely on her intuition" is pretty much word-for-word the same warning November 11 gave her, causing her to do a bit of a double-take.

* [[Not So Stoic]]: Havock deliberately provokes Hei into this by [[Berserk Button|badmouthing]] [[Dead Little Sister|his sister]]. But any other time a Contractor or Doll shows emotion also counts, such as when Yin starts crying in {{spoiler|Ep. 14}} or when Maki goes full-on [[Yandere]].

* [[Pink Haired Girl]]: Other characters [[Lampshade Hanging|lampshade]] Kiko's hair color at various points in the series.

* [[Playing Possum]]: In {{spoiler|ep. 2}} Hei puts on a pretty convincing "shot and not getting up" act until everyone is looking the other way. He was also "killed" by {{spoiler|Wei, via blasting him off a building,}} who [[Never Found the Body]] and got kicked in the head a few minutes later for his trouble.

* [[Please Put Some Clothes On]]: Amigiri to [[Innocent Fanservice Girl|Brita]]. She's fine with [[Godiva Hair]]. He isn't.

* [[Plucky Comic Relief]]: Kurosawa, Kiko, and Saito {{spoiler|all of whom [[Sorting Algorithm of Mortality|survive]] the series}}

* [[Power Glows]]: Contractors using their powers are surrounded by a cool-looking blue aura, and [[Glowing Eyes of Doom|their eyes]] glow [[Red Eyes, Take Warning|red]]. This is taken [[Up to Eleven]] {{spoiler|when Hei gets a little... upset... near the Meteor Shard, which makes the entire ''neighborhood'' and everyone in it glow.}}

* [[Power Incontinence]]: Contractors who enter "Moratorium" aren't forced to undergo Remuneration, but lose control and begin unconsciously using their powers while slipping into trances. If the power involved is {{spoiler|''setting stuff on fire''}}, this can be [[Tragic Monster|very bad]]. The odds of regaining control are slim.

* [[Power Perversion Potential]]: The power to teleport someone out of their clothes? Seriously?

** This series plays up on the theory that only the mass that is part of the object being teleported would be. Anything else would stay behind. Clothes are not part of a person's body mass, thus cannot be teleported.

* [[Pre-Mortem One-Liner]]: Not a prominent feature, as the style is more realistic than "[[Calling Your Attacks]]", but Hei once said something like "Wipe that smile off your face" to a Contractor just before zapping him to death.

** Although he doesn't succeed in killing him at that point, when he first confronts the body-stealing Contractor, Hei says something like, "So you kill people and make it look like suicide; how about I try the same thing with you?"

*** This was also an [[Ironic Echo]], since the guy had said the same thing to him at the beginning of their meeting.

* [[Private Defective]]: Let's face it, in the setting where ready answers just don't exist and ''nothing'' should be taken for granted, any [[Wrong Genre Savvy]] guy without a helping hand of [[Theory of Narrative Causality|narrative causality]] is doomed to become a pawn at worst and [[Plucky Comic Relief|clown]] at best anyway. Attempts [[Scully Syndrome|to find normal answers for abnormal questions]] and [[Weirdness Censor|ignore the weirdness]] only makes Kurosawa's [[Ass Pull|shots]] fall so wide of the mark that [[The Fool|he's almost safe]].

* [[Private Eye Monologue]]: One of many tropes parodied by Kurosawa. He starts in on one when he's first introduced... only for Kiko to march in, open the blinds, empty his ashtray out the window, and yell at him for his poor hygiene and the fact that he's just sitting around when he should be working.

* [[Product Placement]]: A billboard featuring the name @Nifty (the company sponsoring the webcasts of the show) is prominently seen in the city. Also, Pizza Hut and Coca-Cola logos can be seen at various times. See also "[http://brianandrew.wordpress.com/2007/06/24/the-keiyakusha-conspiracy/ The Keiyakusha Conspiracy: Nifty and Pizza Hut are sighted together.]"

** For some reason or another, the vast majority of the Pizza Hut logos were cut from the dub and awkwardly replaced with "[[Brand X|Pizza Slice]]".

* [[Psychic-Assisted Suicide]]: A possessor-type Contractor early in the series had been killing people by taking control of their bodies, positioning them on the edge of a building, then snapping back to his own body, leaving them to fall to their deaths, which would appear to be suicides.

* [[Psycho Electro]]: Averted, as Hei is one of the more mentally stable and humane Contractors {{spoiler|as is Nick who has the same power}}. At least, when [[Berserk Button|his urge to find]] [[Dead Little Sister|his sister]] does not turn him into violent [[Jerkass]].

* [[Scary Shiny Glasses]]: In one of the last episodes, a leader of [[The Syndicate]] {{spoiler|and one of Kirihara's superiors}} gets these when plotting {{spoiler|to wipe out all Contractors}}.

** Similarly, Nishijima's glasses flash all menacing-like when he's {{spoiler|discussing his orders for the Syndicate to assassinate Hei's unit.}}

* [[Sexy Secretary]]: One contractor, whose [[Power Perversion Potential|power]] is to teleport people out of their clothing and whose [[Intimate Healing|Remuneration is kissing people]].

* [[Shell Shocked Senior]]: Havoc, and to a lesser degree Hei.

* [[Ship Tease]]: Most of episode 23 consists of Hei and Kirihara on what is, essentially, a date. Kiko certainly thought so.

* [[Ship Sinking]]: Out of Hei's potential love interests, Kirihara is the only one who {{spoiler|survives for more than two episodes.}}Oh, and Yin if you count her.

** Not to mention the shot where he's dressed only in shorts while he's going through the screening process to enter the Gate. Not played for fanservice, though.

* [[Shock and Awe]]: Hei. {{spoiler|Or rather, Bai. Also Nick.}}

* [[Shoot Your Mate]]: At one point the Syndicate leaders {{spoiler|ordered Huang to kill Shihoko}} to test his loyalty, with secret instructions to the rest of the team to kill him if he didn't comply. {{spoiler|None of them were willing to, and she killed herself rather than let them be put in danger on her behalf.}}

** The last episode is potentially an extended shout-out to [[Neon Genesis Evangelion]].

* [[Show, Don't Tell]]: Relied on to the point of [[Viewers Are Geniuses]] and [[Mind Screw]].

** Subverted in his introductory episode of the anime, when he first makes his "smoking kills" speech. He takes a huge drag on his cigarette and then hacks the smoke out.

* [[Smug Snake]]: Eric Nishijima

** [[Your Mileage May Vary]]: Maki states this philosophy and specifically states that it isn't something Amber taught him. Amber's plan was to give Hei the chance to choose the path that He'd be happiest with, very little opinion on the superiority or inferiority of either race.

* [[Soundtrack Dissonance]]: The [[Relax-O-Vision|especially peaceful]] [[Ending Theme]].

** Within the anime genre, there are some similarities to ''[[Ergo Proxy]]'' (Re-l and Kirihara and Vincent and Hei), ''[[Witch Hunter Robin]]'' ([[Gray and Gray Morality]] involving [[Differently-Powered Individual|Differently Powered Individuals]]), and ''[[Elfen Lied]]'' (living security systems, although much much less squicky in this show)

** There's also quite a few similarities to ''[[Code Geass]]''; both feature morally ambiguous protagonists with special powers and [[Big Brother Instinct|issues regarding their little sisters]] who are on the wrong side of the law and [[Chick Magnet|have girls throwing themselves at them]], and said protagonists are both up against a [[Hero Antagonist]] who wants to catch them for crimes they definitely committed, but who is being used by a corrupt government for their own ends. Not to mention the Pizza Hut [[Product Placement]] and the well-established fact that Amber is pretty much a [[Captain Ersatz|clone]] of C.C.

* [[The Spock]]: Another aspect of the Contractor mindset.

* [[Spy From Weights and Measures]]: November 11 fits the "cultural attache" version and even counts as an [[Overt Operative]].

* [[Spy-Versus-Spy]]: A serious version with numerous intelligence agencies battling one another for control. {{spoiler|However, they were all being manipulated by [[The Man Behind the Man]] in order to keep the contractors distracted fighting each other.}}

** Also, quoth Kiko, [[Chick Magnet|"Only I can stalk him!"]]

* [[The Stars Are Going Out]]: Or rather falling, or appearing, or disappearing, or getting brighter, or getting dimmer, or any of a number of other things, depending on what Contractors are doing. [[Alien Sky|The normal stars have been out (or at least hidden)]] since the Gates appeared.

* [[Stuff Blowing Up]]: Of particular note is Maki, whose power is blowing up anything he's left handprints on. But plenty of stuff goes boom even without his help.

* [[Super Human Trafficking]]: All over the place.

* [[Superpower Lottery]]: Some Contractors have rather useless powers with a high price to pay, while others are very powerful with a small Remuneration (like drinking beer) apparently as a result of the unpredictability of the Gate and possibly twisted [[Personality Powers]]. The cake taker though is {{spoiler|Hei himself}}, who has the ability of {{spoiler|manipulating matter on a quantum level (though he's only aware of the [[Shock and Awe|electrical attack]] his sister used it as)}} and a remuneration of {{spoiler|sleeping, which he doesn't even have to fulfill due to the unusual means by which he acquired his powers}}.

** {{spoiler|Amber}} may have done even better. {{spoiler|She can manipulate time, stopping or rewinding it as suits her wishes. Her}} remuneration is {{spoiler|''getting younger''- she could have theoretically used this to make herself immortal.}}

* [[The Syndicate]]: Even called that.

* [[Taking the Bullet]]: Subverted in the second episode, but played straight when Saitou gets in the way of a [[Bloody Murder|blood splatter]] from Wei to protect Kirihara. {{spoiler|Or maybe not so straight, since Hei shows up and zaps the hell out of Wei before he can actually detonate it.}}

** {{spoiler|November 11 gets an impressive one as well, killing several of his treacherous superiors, all members of [[The Syndicate]], but dying in the process. Extra points for killing of his boss with his own glass of bourbon.}}

* [[Talking Animal]]: Mao.

* [[Tempting Fate]]: "Don't test my patience, {{spoiler|KABOOM}}!". [[Obstructive Bureaucrat|He should have seen it coming, though.]]

* [[Theme Naming]]: Most of the Syndicate agents are codenamed [[Colorful Theme Naming|based on colors]], such as Hei (black), Bai (white), Yin (silver), Huang (yellow), and Amber. MI6 agents are named after [[Temporal Theme Naming|months and days]], such as November 11, April, July, and February.

* [[Those Two Guys]]: Kirihara's subordinates, Saito and Kano. Also [[Plucky Comic Relief]] Kurosawa and Kiko.

* [[Throwaway Country]]: More like throw away Continent, being most of South America after the "Heaven's Gate" incident.

* [[Token Non-Human]]: Mao, a [[Talking Animal]] in a team otherwise comprised of ([[What Measure Is a Non-Human?|mostly]]) humans.

* [[The Tokyo Fireball]]: They even call it the "Tokyo Explosion."

* [[Too Dumb to Fool]]: The incompetent detective notices how Hei (in his Li identity) is always there when something odd is going on, and is suspicious of him. Notably, Kirihara, who is much smarter and more competent doesn't pick up on this. {{spoiler|Well, not until the last episode, at least.}}

* [[Torture Always Works]]: On Contractors, it ''does''. Since they place their own interests first, they have no reason not to spill their guts at the first opportunity if the alternative is pain.

* [[Satchel Switcheroo|Trenchcoat Switcheroo]]: Kurosawa accidentally takes the identical trenchcoat of a Contractor involved in industrial theft and murder. The Contractor discovers the switch when he goes to pay for a meal and discovers nothing but a phone sex advertisement in the pocket.

* [[Tranquil Fury]]: Being [[The Stoic]], when Hei is angry, he gets furious in a very cold and brutal way. On the other hand, the norm for Contractors is more like [[Dissonant Serenity]], killing in horrible ways with an attitude of boredom and/or amusement.

* [[Trippy Finale Syndrome]]: The last episodes mostly happen in and around Hell's Gate. This would have been enough to qualify them for this trope by itself (travelling in there involves, among other things, stepping into a rift in empty air that can leave you standing sideways on a skyscraper with gravity at a 90 degree angle to the ground), but then Amber went and {{spoiler|triggered the Tokyo Explosion}} and things got '''''[[Mind Screw|really]]''''' weird.

* [[Trojan Prisoner]]: Accidental one. Yakuza guys thought a Doll was just one more sort of illegal goods and didn't even blindfold her. Hei, Mao, and viewers learned something new about Dolls, and Yakuza were surprised by a superpowered ninja "somehow" homing right in on their hideaway.

* [[The Un-Smile]]: Yin [[Frozen Face|had to use her fingers to smile]]. Unlike most instances of this trope, however, it was [[Moe|cute]] rather than freaky.

* [[UST]]: Huge amounts between Hei and Kirihara; episode 23 brings it close to [[Dating Catwoman]] levels.

* [[Villainous BSOD]]: {{spoiler|Shihoko}}'s remuneration requires her to suffer these, every time.

** Havoc could also be said to be going through an incredibly severe one.

* [[Villainy Discretion Shot]]: In the time prior to the series, Hei killed ''tons'' of people, probably mostly rogue Contractors, and this is very much downplayed. Also, it's clear that Havoc was a horrific mass murderer prior to losing her powers and regaining her morality and personality, but because she is presented sympathetically, it makes sense the audience isn't shown her "in action".

* [[Warrior Poet]]: Literal. Itzhak's remuneraton is writing poetry.

* [[Weapon of Choice]]: Hei fights with throwing knives and a choke wire. Handy since they conduct electricity.

* [[What Do You Mean It's Not Awesome?]]: In episode 11, the head janitor addresses his employees [[Serious Business|like they're in a military line-up.]]

* [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?]]: Played for laughs. Kurasawa is terrified of cats.

* [[Why Do You Keep Changing Jobs?]]: A rare main character example in Hei's undercover missions, all of which involve him taking some kind of menial job. Lampshaded when the [[Private Defective]] wonders why he keeps showing up.

* [[With Great Power Comes Great Insanity]]: Contractors appear to be utterly lacking in conscience (as poor {{spoiler|Mai}} put it -- ''"Why?"''). And/or have some quirk wired to the [[Berserk Button]] (Hei:[[Dead Little Sister|sister]], Wei:[[Worthy Opponent|victory]], {{spoiler|Nick:sky}} Maki:[[Yandere|crush]], November 11:smoking). The few "how I became Contractor" stories we've seen suggest that it could be the other way around and people who are already about to go crazy may [[Incredibly Lame Pun|contract]] some unusual power.

** A further aspect of the "great insanity" involves the reaction of several people once they become Contractors. They seem to have a great desire to erase ties to their human past, which they will sometimes try to achieve by killing their closest friends. This is fairly explicit in the interquel and sequel, but can also be seen with Wei in the first season as an explanation for why he decided to kill pretty much everyone in the Tong he belonged to.

* [[Worthy Opponent]]: Wei. Almost as good martial artist as Hei. Sheds blood easily, but after all ''starts with [[Bloody Murder|his own]]'' and is not masochistic. He wants a "return match" with Hei {{spoiler|''knowing'' that Hei will survive}} out of pride, but otherwise is polite and helpful to the end, even though he does not fall into [[Defeat Means Friendship]] or [[Friendly Enemy]].

* [[Wouldn't Hurt a Child]]: Notably averted. Nobody has any problem fighting Maki.

** November 11 delivers a [[Character Filibuster]] against second-hand smoke.

** Kirihara considers smoking a disgusting habit.

** Before {{spoiler|going off to perform his [[Heroic Sacrifice]]}}, Huang asks Hei to light his cigarette with his powers. Hei [[Stuff Blowing Up|blows it up]] instead, and tells Huang he should stop smoking.

** Bertha's {{spoiler|baby ''choked to death'' on her cigarette butts}}, and to punish herself she chews them whole as her price.

* [[Wrong Genre Savvy]]: As noted above, Kurosawa; also, the female protagonist of the OVA is a [[Cosplay Otaku Girl]] who thinks she's in a [[Shoujo]] story and that Hei is a romantic hero.

* [[Yakuza]]

** Before that we have [[Mafia Princess]] Alice, a childhood friend of Misaki's that became a wee bit ''too'' dependent on her. She did ''not'' like the idea of Misaki becoming a cop (and therefore leaving her), so she decided that she needed to die.

* [[Yaoi Fangirl]]: Kiko only tolerates her work environment because she gets to watch [[Boys Love]] series on the job. Mayu is just as obsessive, if not worse.

* [[You Can See Me?]]: There's ''no way'' to tell a Contractor or Doll from normal human without their help, and two ways with it. First is a telltale sight of [[Red Eyes, Take Warning|eyes glowing red]] and a cool aura of blue light. Second (also applied to Dolls) is a suspect ogling an observer apparition, that is, [[Invisible to Normals|obviously empty place]]. Granted, only other Contractors, Dolls and people controlling this specific Doll can know it's there, but one Contractor's cover was blown by this mistake on-screen.

* [[You Gotta Have Blue Hair]]: A number of characters, usually Contractors and Dolls, have impossible hair colors like green, pink and white.

* [[You Watch Too Much X]]: When his assistant mentions in episode 14 that their latest client was acting like parts of his memory had been erased, Kurasawa responds appropriately by claiming she's been watching too much anime.

** Of course, this time [[Genre Savvy|she's right]].

* [[Zettai Ryouiki]]: By Kiko and her friend. Possibly Yin too if she uses a lower skirt.

 

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