Itsuwaribito

Itsuwaribito is a Shoujou manga by Naoko Takeuchi, chronicling the adventures of a Magical Girl as she travels through the Land of Sugar Plums.

Okay, I Lied.

Itsuwaribito is actually a Shounen manga by Yuuki Iinuma, chronicling the adventures of sweet young man named Utsuho who sets out to seek his destiny... Okay, I Lied again.

Itsuwaribito are the ultimate criminals: a combination of stealthy thieves, con artists and violent thugs. Consummate Liar Utsuho wants to be an Itsuwaribito - with a twist: he intends to use his lies for good and save a thousand people to carry on the dream of the old man who saved him.

Along the way he gathers some companions:

The Talking Tanuki, Pochi, who sees Utsuho as his family. The Team Pet. Adorable and hopelessly naive.
Dr. Yakuma, who is traveling Japan in pursuit of remedies, and who hopes to heal an unnamed person. The Team Mom and sole pillar of morality in the team.
Neya, a former convict who left her place of exile in order to build a safe haven for her friends. Scheming and determined, she has become the "big sister" of the "family" (at least according to Pochi).

Of note, the manga may be one of the few translated officially into English that lacks a scanlation project. So no illegal reading for you!

Tropes used in Itsuwaribito include:

Action Girl: Subverted with Neya. Upon her introduction, she first tricks Utsuho and then puts up a decent fight against the scythe-weilding Itsuwaribito. But once she gets captured, she has to rely on Utsuho to bail her and her group out of danger.
The Archer: Neya, although it is actually a cover for her real weapon.
Aristocrats Are Evil: More like jerkasses, but the nobles who decide to try and destroy the boat that Dr. Yakuma is making just because they think it would be funny after he worked on it so hard.
The Atoner: The old monk running the orphan village who takes in Utsuho. He tried and failed to save his daughter from falling off a cliff. As penance, he hopes to save as many children as he can.
Bad Powers, Good People: Utsuho uses all the skills of an Itsuwaribito, including bombs, poison, lies, and physical violence- all in the name of helping people.
Badass Bookworm: Dr. Yakuma. Also Utsuho, when he reveals skills that must have taken quite a bit of reading (knowing Latin names of poisonous plants, for example).
Bandaged Face: The Talking Tanuki on Nadeshiko Island.
Berserk Button: Do not harm Pochi (or anybody else Utsuho cares about).
Broken Aesop: Deliberately broken and Played for Laughs. Dr. Yakuma tries to prove to Utsuho that hard, honest work is good by building a boat by hand. When Utsuho beats up the nobles who try to wreck the boat and even comes up with a handmade sail, Dr. Yakuma thinks that he's learned his lesson. When it starts coming apart, Utsuho complains that the nobles did a terrible job sewing it, and reveals some stolen food.
Cloudcuckoolander: Pochi, who regularly asks, "Is anyone there? If not, say so!"
- Also, Utsuho, who decides that a good way to get to Nadeshiko Island is by getting themselves caught by the police and exiled.
Combat Medic: Dr.Yakuma, who is a skilled surgeon and also strong enough to send a man flying. Occasionally his medical skills help him out: When facing a Mook who is absurdly proud of his muscles, Yakuma casually knocks him out with a single blow to the head (his muscles don't help).
Comedic Sociopathy: Utsuho stealing from random people or tricking his friends (like getting Dr. Yakuma to pay his tab) is usually Played for Laughs.
The Con: Most Itsuwaribito. It comes with the job description. A notable example is a “medicine man” who claims to be healing a lord’s sickness- while really stopping his pain with opium while helping himself to the lord’s estate.
Consummate Liar: Utsuho, who can trick just about anyone and lies almost compulsively. He even lies about lying. Justified: His lies succeed because he uses poison and bombs to put his opponents on edge, puts them in a position where believing/not believing him could be equally deadly, then finishes them off.
- Any Itsuwaribito worth anything will be this.
Cute and Psycho: Iriya, once he drops the cute kid act and starts painting his face with blood.
Dark and Troubled Past: Utsuho, who as a child was honest to a fault – so honest that he told a group of bandits about the mansion in which he lived. The bandits slaughtered everyone inside.
Death Equals Redemption: After suffering a massive chest wound, the tanuki redeems himself by setting off an explosion to contain a forest fire that would have doomed an entire island. He is clearly touched by Pochi wanting to go with Utsuho to set off the explosion, despite it being a suicide mission, and decides that he should save the island (and die) instead of them.
Disguised in Drag: The man who sneaks into Neya's hideout on Nadeshiko Island by pretending to be an injured woman. Bonus points for also wearing a flesh mask to disguise the pincer tattoos marking him as a murderer.
Disproportionate Retribution: A serial killer hunts down liars. While this would be fine as long as he kills Itsuwaribito preying on the innocent, he now kills anyone for lying at all.
- In response to getting tricked, Utsuho spends quite a while muttering about killing everyone involved.
The Ditz: Pochi, who chases a butterfly off the edge of cliff before realizing his mistake.
Doomed Hometown: Bonus points go to Utsuho, who had this happen twice. First with the mansion where he lived and second with the village of orphans.
Drugs Are Bad: The "medicine man" is "curing" a feudal lord by giving him opium to make the pain go away.
Dude Looks Like a Lady: Dr. Yakuma
Evil Poacher: The hunter chasing after Pochi.
Exactly What I Aimed At: Utsuho says that he can defeat a cannon with a poisoned rock. He throws the rock, but the cannon user dodges - only to allow the rock to set off a trap which takes out the cannon user.
Eye Scream: Happens to the old man by way of Iriya, who cuts him across the eyes with a sword.
- Funny Aneurysm Moment: Utsuho pretends that his eyes fell out, freaking out Iriya and the old man. It becomes less funny when the above happens.
Eyes Always Shut: Utsuho’s default expression. When he opens his eyes…
Faceless Goons: The medicine man uses Mooks wearing demon masks. This comes back to bite him in the butt when Ustuho and crew disguise themselves as his men.
Faking the Dead: Utsuho throws a (blunt) arrow into Neya's chest to make the scythe-weilding itsuwaribito give her up as a hostage.
- Inverted: The tanuki shapeshifts into the form of a dead person, leading people to believe that his potion can really bring the dead back to life.
Gambit Pileup: Some Itsuwaribito on Nadeshiko Island try and pull The Plan on Utsuho by making him defend against several measures that only lead him getting surrounded. But it turns out that Utsuho had been trying to get them all in one place so he could pretend to poison them and scatter them.
Godzilla Threshold: When surrounded by goons in a nobleman's mansion (a nobleman who Dr. Yakuma is trying to save), Utsuho decides that the best way to escape is by burning the place down.
Guile Hero: Utsuho uses his smarts just as much (if not more) than his fighting skills. Part of the reason he seems untouchable is that most people are screwed by the time he gets close enough for hand to hand combat.
Heroic BSOD: Utsuho when he realizes he has been tricked. He then plots a Roaring Rampage of Revenge which includes killing everyone who participated in it. Thankfully, he cools off pretty quickly.
Heroic Comedic Sociopath: Utsuho is equal parts this and Jerk with a Heart of Gold. He gleefully messes with people’s minds, tricks them, threatens them, poisons them, blows them up or beats them up, all because he thinks it’s fun.
Humans Are the Real Monsters: The humans who lied to the tanuki and told them that they could be friends, only to gather them into one place and kill them for food.
- Then subverted when Utsuho points out that most animals are not much better when it comes to killing for food.
I Lied: Most villains and Utsuho seem to like doing this. One that stands out as particularly cruel is the hunter gleefully showing Pochi his mother’s corpse- flayed and stuffed- after promising to return her safely.
- Basically, this happens all the time. Often even about the lying!
Improbable Weapon User: Utsuho can use his scarves to catch and divert crossbow bolts.
- The medicine man as well. He uses a fan made of blades… which can also separate and become flying knives.
- The serial killer uses his extraordinarily strong fingers to shoot needles with enough force to knock someone's tongue out the back of their head.
- Dr. Yakuma's medicine box can be used to stop said serial killer's needles. And arrows. He also uses it as a club.
The Infiltration: Ustuho and Dr. Yakuma do this to the medicine man.
It Amused Me: Dr. Yakuma thinks that this is Utsuho’s motivation for helping people - he just really loves lying. Turns out it’s a little more complicated…
It's All About Me: The reaction that most Itsuwaribito or criminals in general have to being tricked by Utsuho. Utsuho points out the hypocrisy involved.
- Utsuho himself gets this way the first time he gets tricked.
- Ironically, the only one who actually concedes defeat gracefully is Iriya.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Utsuho is equal parts this and Heroic Sociopath. While he really loves lying, he uses his skills to help others in a way that goes above and beyond what he would do if he was only doing it for fun.
- As the series progresses, he becomes more and more like this.
Killer Rabbit: Utsuho. He looks like a shifty little punk. Who carries bombs and poison.
Knife Nut: Neya's actual choice of weapon.
Knockout Gas: One of Utsuho's weapons.
Let Them Die Happy: Utsuho tells the old man on his deathbed that the orphans slaughtered by Iriya are all right and are waiting outside, worried about him. He dies with a smile on his face.
Lightning Bruiser: Utsuho, who is quick enough to dodge most attacks and strong enough to knock a man out with a single punch, despite his slim frame.
Living Lie Detector: The serial killer who hunts down liars. He just doesn’t trust anyone and automatically assumes that they are lying. When he faces Utsuho, who lies about lying, his Lie Detector fails miserably.
Loophole Abuse: When hired to protect a swindler, Utsuho and friends write up a contract promising to protect him. When his victims attack, they grab him and run - leaving what he stole behind for the victims to reclaim.
Magic Realism: The series is rather realistic (no superpowers) but includes tanuki who can talk and shapeshift.
Mark of Shame: Murderers get pincers tattooed on the side of their mouthes.
Minored in Asskicking: Dr. Yakuma
The Mole: Iriya infiltrates the village of orphan children, but is actually the leader of a group of bandits.
More Dakka: Upon getting kicked, the poacher pulls out a cannon.
Nightmare Face: After a bit of Eye Scream and Squick in his past, the villain in chapters 9-11 has a truly messed up face. We even get to see the events that caused it!
Noblewoman's Laugh: Neya does this when she and Utsuho essentially agree to act as if she never tricked him.
Non-Human Sidekick: Pochi to Utsuho
The Nose Knows: Utsuho, enough to Spot the Imposter.
Offing the Offspring: The serial killer was pushed down a well by his adopted parents so that they would have more food during a famine, after they told him that they would be a family.
- Though Utsuho points out that the serial killer’s parents could have pushed him into the well to save him from the wolf that eats them. Utsuho says that this story might as well be the true one since it would make the serial killer happier.
Oh Crap: The usual look on villains’ faces when Utsuho’s deceit is revealed.
- A literal one when Utsuho tricks Sagara into taking a super-strength laxative. (Or did he?)
- Utsuho get’s a truly epic one when he realizes someone pulled one over on him.
Orphanage of Love: The orphan village Utsuho grows up in.
Pay Evil Unto Evil: Utsuho’s mission. He intends to help those who honesty cannot protect.
- Also, the serial killer who hunts down liars and kills them.
- The Talking Tanuki who lies to and manipulates humans after humans killed all of his companions.
Penal Colony: Nadeshiko Island, place of exile for Itsuwaribito. It is virtually impossible to escape from (without a large boat) due to sea currents. There are two groups of criminals: Neya's group, consisting of children, the elderly, and anyone inclined towards peace, and a group of "hard-core criminals" led by a tanuki who wants to rid the island of humans.
Ridiculously Cute Critter: The Talking Tanuki, Pochi.
Science Hero: Utsuho when using his handmade bombs, poisons and chemicals. Particularly impressive are his smoke bomb and a chemical that heats up metal, causing his opponent to drop their metal weapon.
Screw the Money, I Have Rules: When Utsuho, Dr. Yakuma and Neya end up taking a job (without knowing what they were getting into) as bodyguards to a swindler who hires them to protect him from his victims. They manage to give the villagers back what the swindler stole through Loophole Abuse, despite being promised a generous sum of money.
Sinister Scythe: The Itsuwaribito in drag wields one of these.
Spot the Imposter: The Talking Tanuki induces this by turning first into Utsuho and nearly killing Neya, then turning into Dr. Yakuma, forcing Utsuho and Neya to figure out which is which. Utsuho asks him a question, and since the tanuki does not know how Yakuma would answer, Ustuho knows that the first one to answer is real. The tanuki points out that this will only work once, and turns into Neya, at which point Utsuho locates him by smell.
Stuff Blowing Up: Utsuho's handmade bombs. He also plants them in the ground to serve as land mines.
Take Up My Sword: Utsuho’s goal is to achieve the old man’s dream in his place.
Team Mom: Dr. Yakuma takes this position, often nagging the others or complete strangers about proper behavior.
There Is No Kill Like Overkill: Iriya, who says he doesn’t like to leave any ill feelings behind, usually slaughters all of his victims. Even orphan children.
Too Dumb to Live: Pochi, who is naive and trusting to a fault. Even to an Obviously Evil poacher.
Took a Level in Jerkass: In an omake strip, Pochi refuses to give Dr. Yakuma any of his tangerines.
Trick Bomb: Utsuho creates one that looks like a smoke screen but is actually Knockout Gas.
Trickster Archetype: Utsuho
True Companions: Utsuho and Pochi, who both have no remaining living family. Utsuho would risk his life for Pochi, and Pochi is willing to follow Utsuho even into a situation in which he knows he could die.
Voluntary Shapeshifter: One of the powers of the tanuki (though Pochi is too young to be able to do it).
Xanatos Gambit: Most of Utsuho's tricks involve making it impossible for his opponent to make a right move. As an example, if he says that he has poisoned them, they can either ignore him and possibly die or believe him and play right into his hands.
- An omake strip features Utsuho promising Dr. Yakuma ten ryo if he can do what Utsuho wrote on a card. If Utsuho wins, he gets all-he-can-eat dango. What is written on the paper? "Don't read this sentence.
Will Not Tell a Lie: Dr. Yakuma tries to prove to Utsuho over and over that he can get by without lying.
- The old man keeps lecturing Utsuho about lying. Though he himself sees nothing wrong with lying, he wants Utsuho to feel that there is nothing wrong with being honest so that Utsuho can stop blaming himself for the bandit attack.
Would Hurt a Child: Iriya and his group of bandits take this to a bloody extreme.
Wretched Hive: Nadeshiko Island, being a place of exile for Itsuwaribito. Subverted when Neya and her group turn out to be decent.
You Have Failed Me...: The cross-dressing Itsuwaribito gets hit by this. Though it could have something to do with the fact that he was trying to kill Pochi, and his boss happens to be a Talking Tanuki.
- And later, all the Itsuwaribito working for the tanuki get killed with a bomb.