Witchblade (anime)

Masane's censored Japanese costume. The uncensored version shows significantly more skin.

Witchblade is an anime series based on the American comic book of the same name. Rather than a retelling, it is a story set in the future with new characters. The series centers around Masane Amaha, who was found at ground zero of a catastrophe that destroyed Tokyo with an infant in her arms, a jewel on her wrist, and no memory of how she came to be there.

Years later, Masane is on the run from Child Services with her daughter Rihoko. With no one to turn to and nowhere left to hide, she has no choice but to accept when corporate executive Takayama offers her protection and a salary in return for her services in hunting down a series of escaped semi-sentient weapons designed by his company - a task made considerably easier by the bracelet on her wrist, the symbiotic Witchblade.

Of course, this does complicate her personal life a bit....

Tropes used in Witchblade (anime) include:

Action Mom: Masane, Reina.
Adult Child: Masane.
Affably Evil: Father is so polite and friendly that you'd almost forget that he has no trouble at all subjecting many young women to treatments that end in all but certain death in order to achieve his goal.
Author Appeal: if you're wondering why the most of the females in the anime put the comic book one's to shame, look up Uno Makoto.
Alien Blood: Transformed Witchblade and Cloneblade users bleed clear crystalline blood.
- Whitish fluid. That sorta looks like...
Ambiguously Gay: Segawa could practically be an Expy for Waylon Smithers.
Anime Hair: Generally pretty reasonable, but Maria has some sort of "hair halo" that either requires wires for support or a crazy amount of hairspray to maintain.
Anyone Can Die
Armor-Piercing Question:

Asagi: Power is a means, not a goal... in the end, what do you want?

Ax Crazy: Shiori, due to Phlebotinum Breakdown, as well as any man who attempts to wear one of Wadou's modified Cloneblades.
Badass Normal: Reiji Takyama. Also Hiroki Segawa, who isn't afraid to join his boss in a dangerous shootout.
- Also Masane BEFORE she could activate the Witchblade.
Battle Butler: Segawa, Shiori, Nora.
Beach Episode
Bittersweet Ending: The Witchblade ultimately breaks down and slowly destroys Masane's body until she goes out in a blaze of glory to protect Rihoko, while Rihoko herself has Takayama to take over Masane's surrogate parent role.
Blade Below the Shoulder: Blade users have extendable/retractable blades attached to their arms. Masane has one, while those with upgraded Cloneblades have two. Masane acquires another one after learning to increase her power using the Witchblade
Blood Lust: During the early episodes, Masane very explicitly demonstrated this, complete with Licking the Blade. And her lips. And her fingers.
Blush Sticker: Masane gets the "blitzed" version. Riho gets the "cute little kid" version
Bottle Fairy: Masane.
Cassette Craze: Reina Sohou.
Cheerful Child: Riko.
Children Raise You: Masane may be Rihoko's mother, but their roles are more or less reversed.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Segawa.
Clingy MacGuffin: Masane tries to get rid of the Witchblade, even using power tools in the ways that could cost her half of the arm. It doesn't work.
Clothing Damage: Subverted in an odd way: in the first few times Masane transforms, the Witchblade's armor visibly covers her body - and anything she was wearing at the time - with featureless, colorless material, before shifting into the infamously-skimpy 'armor'. Cloneblade wielders also transform into similarly-scandalous attire - and all revert without any harm done to their outfits underneath. It's interesting to note that there are a few instances where a weapon (blade, anti-tank shell) visibly strikes the Witchblade/Cloneblade wielder in an 'exposed' area. Instead of the wielder being sliced open/exploding into a fine paste, all the audience would notice is the sound of metal grinding against metal, as if said weapon struck armor...
Color Coded for Your Convenience: Unlike the usual blue-good/red-evil schema, the Cloneblades have blue "eyes" and the Witchblade's "eye" is red.
The Comically Serious: Reiji.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Smug Snake Wadou.
- And subverted with Takayama. With his perpetually stern grimace, scar over his right eye, and the way he manipulates Masane into working for him with money at the start, never mind the fact that he's a corporate executive working for a rather shady company to begin with, and he looks like the second coming of Gendou Ikari. Turns out he's one of the more noble characters in the series.
Cursed with Awesome: Masane tries to get rid of her symbiont by any means possible. It only notices when she's about to hurt herself.
- More importantly, hurt IT. When she's trying to gouge it out with a screwdriver or piece of metal, it does nothing. When she goes for more powerful tools that might actually WORK to get rid of it...
Deadly Upgrade: Witchblade (and, by extension, Cloneblade) users inevitably become unstable and begin to suffer physical and mental deterioration, eventually disintegrating. However, their power increases exponentially during the breakdown.
Deadpan Snarker: Asagi.
Defrosting Ice Queen: Reina. Also a rare male example in Takayama.
Department of Child Disservices: The Department of Welfare Services. Not only they are aggressive Obstructive Bureaucrats, but apparently is infiltrated and controlled by NSWF and serve only to further Father's agenda, at least in Tokyo. They also catalyzed the entire plot.
- Not entirely. It was established by the NSWF, and is rumored to be used for Father's agenda, but we don't actually SEE him taking kids for his nefarious purposes or anything. In fact his GOAL rules out using the genes of strangers, now doesn't it?
  - It also functions in the typical procedures of Child Services. Who would of course be called into action when a child was living with a homeless woman, or the biological mother showed up.
Diagonal Cut: Well, a vertical cut, anyway.
Did Not Do the Research: The Witchblade comics make it clear that while the Witchblade itself is classified as 'male' (exactly how this is possible isn't entirely explained) and usually chooses female bearers, there have been males who have been chosen as wielders. It also states that Excalibur was part of the Witchblade that it either gave up to a male user at one point or else it was forcibly taken by magic. In the anime, it is stated that men have never worn the thing and are flat out incapable of doing so. This is a small, but significant, deviation from Witchblade canon. Ironic, since the anime itself is apparently part of the official canon despite this minor gaffe.
Digital Bikini: A strange variant. Witchblade users ordinarily display an inordinate amount of flesh, but in the Japanese release, said flesh is colored black in order to give the impression of a bodysuit. But only in the actual TV airings. In the DVD releases, you see more flesh than you probably see in an actual Witchblade comic.
Dirty Old Man: Chou.
Disappears Into Light: Masane
Drinking Contest: Between Takayama and Wadou.
Emotionless Girl: Reina. She gets better after a while just in time to sacrifice herself protecting Rihoko from a berserk Maria.
Evil Knockoffs: The Cloneblades are mass produced copies of the Witchblade.
Evil Laugh: By the protagonist.
Eyes of Gold
Fan Nickname-The series is known affectionately among fans as "Milfblade." This becomes completely hilarious when the series reveals that not only is Masane still possibly a virgin for most of the series, it turns out she's roughly only twenty-three by the time the series starts, and maybe twenty-four at the finale!
Fan Service: Buckets of it.
Faux Action Girl: The X-Cons' preferred victims are all Cloneblade bearers. One assumes they would be perfectly capable of putting up a fight, but they don't even try.
- It's possible that they weren't full-on wielders, or they probably wouldn't be walking around loose.
  - Not all Sisters are granted Cloneblades.
Freudian Excuse: Father. Just... okay, let's start with the fact that he calls himself FATHER, and jump off the slippery Squick slope from there.
Forgotten Childhood Friend: Wadou and Takayama towards each other.
Full-Frontal Assault: Maria when transformed with a Cloneblade
Fun with Acronyms: As established from the first episode, NSWF is rather NSFW. Literally.
Gag Boobs: Masane gains the nickname "Masa-Mune" ("Invincible Breasts") after one man's drunken stammer. There's a good reason why it sticks.
- This nickname was changed into "Melony" for the English dub. Because of her "melons."
Gainaxing: Bound to happen, considering those things. But perhaps most noticeably in the Beach Episode where Masane runs towards the camera after undressing to a white bikini.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: Blade users. Masane temporarily gets Prophet Eyes when an X-Con or Cloneblade user is near.
Going for the Big Scoop: Yusuke Tozawa.
Good Scars, Evil Scars: Takayama has one Badass scar.
Gratuitous English: Chou sometimes lapses into terrible English for no apparent reason.
- Which they actually kept in the German dub. It still sounds the same though.
Half the Man He Used To Be: Ultimateblade after Masane's Clean Cut, and right before falling into crystal powder.
Harmful to Minors: One of Masane's greatest concerns is that seeing her while transformed may scare or alienate Rihoko. And then Riko reacts to her battle form no differently than she would to new clothes or make-up, and when asked she fails to understand why it could disturb her at all.
Heroic BSOD: A truly heartbreaking one when Masane discovers she isn't Rihoko's biological mother.
- Not so much from the discovery, so much as her Biological Mother requesting her return. And accepting the fact that making her go with Reina probably IS the best thing for Rihoko. The fact of the matter barely fazes her, family is more than just genes. It's the actual absence of Rihoko that reduces Masane to frightening levels of gloominess. Though the way Rihoko charms everyone and their mother within about five minutes of meeting her, she should be labeled a cocaine-level Tastes Like Diabetes. Weapons-Grade Adorable.
Hot Scientist: Reina.
Hot Mom: Masane Amaha, Reina Sohou, Tozawa's boss/editor.
Human Resources: Corpse + Cloneblade = I-Weapon. X-Cons even retain traces of their former personalities.
Idiot Hair: Masane's pronounced cowlick. Maria has one that looks like a halo, ironically.
Inferred Survival: Masane. Due to the fact the ending conflicts with Witchblade canon (yet is recognized as canon), it's possible that the Heroic Sacrifice could be reversed.
I Just Want to Be Normal: Masane.
I Am a Humanitarian: During the first transformations, Masane under Witchblade influence licks a strange substance that oozes from X-Cons and I-Weapons. They're both the result of Witchblade research, so this amounts to eating one's own cloned tissue. In later episodes, she gains control of these urges. Counts twice, considering another component of X-Cons and I-Weapons.
Inspector Lestrade: Inspector Nakata. And introduced while investigating an X-Con rampage and dismissing as a random drunk the perpetrator who surrendered.
In the Blood: "Sisters" are obviously obsessive (Reina: self-exploration, Shiori: Reina, Rie: Witchblade research; Maria: her mother, then world domination, Aoi: Maria). Not so surprising, given their ancestry.
Intrepid Reporter: Tozawa.
It Is Pronounced "Tro-PAY": It's Na-OH-mi. Not Naomi. The accent's on the O.
Karmic Death: Father dies at Maria's hands
Killed Mid-Sentence: Maria.
Lady of War: Reina Sohou.
Les Yay: Shiori for Reina. She actually kisses the lip print left on a teacup at one point.
Lightning Bruiser: Masane and other main/supporting characters with Cloneblades.
Lovable Sex Maniac: Chou.
Luke, I Am Your Father: Rihoko with both parents.
- Hardly a shocker. She's a Generation Xerox of her mother. And once you've figured out who Mom is, it's a short hop to who Dad is.
Magic Pants
Magnetic Plot Device
Mama Bear: Masane. She defies all comers, and the Witchblade itself, to protect Rihoko.
Manipulative Bastard: Father. The manner in which he plays upon the emotions of his impressionable Neogene children while insuring their deaths obliterates the Moral Event Horizon.
Memento MacGuffin: Masane's clamshell.
Monster Misogyny: Justified, in that the monsters in question are biologically compelled to hunt Witchblade and Cloneblade users (who are all women).
Most Common Superpower
My Name Is Not Durwood: Tozawa jokingly calls Masane "Masamune"/Melony (see above) due to her large breasts.
Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: More specifically, robot zombie tanks. It Makes Sense in Context.
Not of This Earth: The Witchblade - maybe.
Not So Stoic: Takayama kisses Masane after she visits him following his forced resignation from Doji.
Only Sane Man: Even if Asagi kept her finger in the mouth most time we saw her, she was the most balanced Sister. The little punk also saw Maria for what she is, even if has not enough good sense to steer clear of mad people's berserk buttons.
Organic Technology: The titular Witchblade and its Cloneblade knockoffs.
Orgasmic Combat: Masane moans in combat mode. A lot. And that's not even counting the gratuitous use of words like "throbbing" and "satisfied." And she's not half as bad as Shiori.
Perpetual Frowner: Reiji
Phlebotinum Overload: The first instance of this happening was when the Witchblade caused Shiroi to transforms into a [[Taken for Granite|crystalline statue, and shatters into a glittery dust pile.
Playing Against Type (Guess who voices Masane).
Please Wake Up: Both Riko and Takayama to Masane at the end of ep 20. She's only unconscious.
Prehensile Hair: Masane, Nora, Maria.
Psycho Lesbian: Shiori. Made worse by her Phlebotinum Breakdown, during which she even tries to rape Takayama, Reina's former lover.
Punch Clock Hero: Masane.
Running Gag: Several characters getting hung over and having to puke at inconvenient times at Masane's place.
Sense Loss Sadness: As the Witchblade's breakdown of her body continues, Masane loses her sense of taste. Her reaction to this is short, but nonetheless powerful because of what follows after: she would go on to have her last meal with her daughter moments later, forcing herself to act as if nothing was wrong.
Sequel Hook: Several, and large ones. It's quite surprising there's no sequel.
Sexy Discretion Shot: A later episode heavily implies that Masane and Reiji slept together.
Sexy Secretary: Shiori, Nora. Masane later on.
Sexy Shirt Switch: Masane after spending the night with Takayama. Before it gets blown off by her clothing-shredding transformation.
She Cleans Up Nicely: Masane gets dolled up to accompany Takayama to a dinner. Her manners don't clean up nicely, though.
Shipper on Deck: In episode 18, Rihoko is shipping hard for Masane/Takayama. Without even knowing that he's her father.
Shout-Out: Little Rubber Ducks. Yes, these plastic ducks.
Shrinking Violet: Naomi.
Sleep Cute: Cute in the case of Rihoko, Sleep Funny in the case of Masane and Takayama.
Sleep Mask: Tozawa
Smug Snake: Wadou.
Soundtrack Dissonance: The beginning and ending themes change partway through the series, and they really don't match the progressively darker subject material.
- The OP sounds more like Masane's about to get involved in a crazy game of poker.
Stepford Smiler: Masane, at first.
The Stoic: Michael. Even when he's drunk he barely changes expressions.
Stripperiffic: In particular, the buttocks are a <ahem> vulnerable region in every super-powered female's outfit.
- Also, Maria's normal outfit
Super Mode: Masane gets one when fighting Ultimateblade. Her hair turns white and her armor red. Also counts as Deadly Upgrade, since it accelerates the degradation the Witchblade causes.
Superpower Meltdown: The Cloneblades. It's not pretty.
The Tokyo Fireball: Happens before the story.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Rihoko's two mothers can be seen as the adult version of this trope. Masane's more "sporty" and outgoing compared to the more "lady-like" and reserved Reina.
Tragic Monster: Arguably all the X-Cons, but especially the mosquito-man. Also, Shiori.
True Companions: Masane, Tozawa and the other lodgers at the restaurant.
Tyke Bomb: The Sisters.
Villainous Breakdown: Played straight with Wadou and Father. Inverted with Maria, who is introduced as a bundle of vicious childish impulses but later becomes a stone cold megalomaniac.
The Voiceless: Michael.
We Hardly Knew Ye: Shiori.
What Is This Thing You Call Love?: Happens to Reina with Riko when Riko wants her to talk to her more as her daughter.
What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Several variants. First of all, Takayama specifically said that their dubious creations were made because they're more expendable than human soldiers. Reina in her self-exploration reveals her own inability to relate to "normal" humans, and Masane fears her daughter will see her as less human as a result of her symbiosis with the Witchblade.
- She needn't have worried.
Wise Beyond Their Years: Riko, in contrast to Adult Child poster-woman Masane.
Yamato Nadeshiko: Riko combines this skillset with the Cheerful Child appearance and personality, which charms the hell out of everyone around her.
- And most of the audience, too.
Yandere: Maria.
You Fail Biology Forever: Father's plan in general. As was clear even for his own laboratory workers.
You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Most characters (those who aren't Blade wielders in Super Mode) have normal colored hair. Reina, Riho, and Maria have purple hair, which provides a hint as to their relationship.
- Plus Maria has blue, red and blonde hair, but that's a result of dyes. When she adopts a more grown-up look, she lets it go back to her natural purple. Just like her mother and half-sister.
Younger Than They Look: Due to being a clone, Maria is actually younger than Rihoko.
Your Days Are Numbered: Masane.
Zettai Ryouiki: Maria's outfit, after her drastic change in personality