History Anime / MagicKnightRayearth

[redirect:Manga/MagicKnightRayearth]]

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lt/rayearth.jpg
->''[[EarWorm Tomaaaaaranai! (Don't stooooop!)\\
Mirai wo mezashite (Aim for the future)]]...''

This {{Shojo}} series is one of the most popular creations of the creative collective known as {{CLAMP}}, blending MagicalGirl, HumongousMecha and HighFantasy into a unique and entertaining mix.

Schoolgirls Shidou Hikaru, Ryuuzaki Umi and Hououji Fuu are visiting TokyoTower with their respective middle-school classes when a mysterious force addresses them as "Magic Knights", begs for their help, and then transports them to another world. The three fourteen-year-olds find themselves in the magical world of Cephiro, brought there by a wizard named Clef. Cephiro, he explains, is held stable and safe by the constant attention of the Pillar, a princess named Emeraude. But Emeraude is now the prisoner of her former high priest, Zagato, and monsters have begun to overrun the countryside. Clef informs them that they are the Magic Knights of prophecy, who will save Cephiro from its impending doom. He gives them mystic armor and magical powers to use in their quest. But before he can explain how to use them, agents of Zagato appear on the scene, and the girls are dispatched on their mission with only the faintest idea of what they have to do.

In the course of their adventures, the three girls must discover their magical gifts and hone them while fighting their way across the countryside through hordes of monsters. They encounter Presea, the Master Smith, who sends them on a quest to find the materials for their magic weapons. And they learn that to accomplish the prophecy they embody, they must find and awaken the great ''Mashin'', the elemental god-creatures who sleep and waken only to protect Cephiro. In the process the girls, initially strangers, must learn about each other, and how to trust and depend on their teammates; they soon become fast friends. Dodging, defeating and even subverting the deadly agents of Zagato, they finally come to the point of fulfilling the ancient prophecy -- only to discover that what they must do is nothing at all like what they expected.

''MagicKnightRayearth'', despite its deceptively simple "schoolgirls on a quest" appearance, is a surprisingly complex story, with layers of motivation and [[BackStory backstory]] behind the events of Cephiro's crisis. What seems at first to be a simple, straight-line adventure/quest plot turns out to be darker and far more complex, and the final revelation of the prophecy's true meaning forces Hikaru, Umi and Fuu to make mature, grown-up choices that belie the earlier impression of "fairytale fun".

One of the story's greatest strengths is characterization. The girls are unique and clearly drawn -- GenkiGirl Hikaru, snobby RichBitch Umi and the bookish, excessively-polite Fuu (who addresses every creature they kill as "monster-san") are about as disparate a trio as can be found; how they work through their differences and forge a determined and skilled team of fighters is one of the show's triumphs of character development. But even the villains are surprisingly complex and even sympathetic on some levels.

Although ultimately a drama, ''MagicKnightRayearth'' leavens its serious storylines with occasional mild doses of slapstick and SuperDeformed action. Much like the gravedigger scene in ''Hamlet'', this comedy doesn't detract from the story but instead throws its more serious aspect into sharper relief. Although supposedly targeted at young teen girls, it is easily watchable by adults of all ages.

There's also an OVA, which changes around the plot to be set in the real world, and the manga has a sequel. The second season of the anime was adapted from the manga sequel, which primarily dealt with the aftermath of the Magic Knights' actions in the first season.

There is also a video game adaption of it for a couple systems in Japan, with the SegaSaturn version released in the United States by WorkingDesigns. This version is noteworthy not so much for the actual game, but for the DevelopmentHell that it went through - it was delayed for so long that it ended up as the final title ever released for the Saturn in the U.S.

[[Characters/MagicKnightRayearth There's also the Character Sheets]].
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!!This show provides examples of:

* AdaptationExpansion (There's a lot of new contents in the anime compared to the manga which went straightforward to the Rune Gods. This is used to develop the girls further and other antagonists get developed this way)
* AfterTheEnd (The second season. Cephiro has been reduced to a wasteland and a crystal palace filled with refugees.)
* AGodAmI: Subverted. [[spoiler:Hikaru actually becomes the Pillar of Cephiro, but immediately uses her powers to ''get rid of her status and the Pillar System'', and allow Cephiro to be shaped by all its inhabitants instead of one person]].
** Could be played straight with Debonair, though.
* AllYourColorsCombined (a pair of attacks)
* BarbieDollAnatomy: The first episode where they get their magic.
** Also one of the first shots in the third opening (second opening in the English dub), is of Hikaru naked with fire burning in the background, and sh is portrayed with no nipples or genitalia whatsoever.
* AntiVillain: Eagle Vision, oh so much.
** Well, pretty much all of them except Debonair
* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: Is Lady Debonair's claim to immortality as TheHeartless of Cephiro. Averted, however, after [[spoiler:Hikaru pretty much rations out her godhood to everyone, and the CombinedEnergyAttack blasts her into ''true'' nothingness.]]
* BackupTwin ([[spoiler: When Presea is killed in the anime, a HUGE plot hole appeared since she was alive in the manga. CLAMP fixed it by introducing Sierra, Presea's twin younger sister, who pretends to be Presea so she and Clef can keep the girls under a sort-of illusion that Emeraude revived Presea as her last wish, lest they'll be even more broken]].)
* BadassAdorable: The Magic Knights, but especially Hikaru
* BecauseDestinySaysSo
* {{BFS}}: Fuu's sword, especially near the end of the first season, is longer then she is tall. Her wind powers make it light enough for her to carry; no one else can even lift it.
* BigBad (Zagato in the first season (probably), and Debonair in the second.)
* {{Bishonen}} and {{Bishoujo}}: It's {{CLAMP}}.
* BittersweetEnding: The ending of the anime series:[[spoiler:Cephiro is restored, the Big Bad (Lady Debonair) is defeated, but the 3 girls have to return to their world.]]
* BodyguardCrush (One of the most heartwretching cases ''ever'' in CLAMP manga and anime: [[spoiler: Zagato and Emeraude]].)
* BondCreatures (The Rune Gods. Whatever injuries they sustain, the Knights will, too, albeit at a smaller scale. Rayearth getting his shield sliced in half results in Hikaru having a very nasty cut on her arm.)
* BrainwashedAndCrazy: Lafarga, by hypnotic tattoos, while Caldina uses magical music to brainwash Hikaru and Umi. Alcyone as well but only in the second anime season. [[spoiler:Ferio also falls victim to this via Alcyone but only in the Saturn game]].
* BreakingTheFourthWall: [[spoiler: Hikaru turns toward the reader on the final page of the second manga series and asks "you who have watched over us from the beginning" [[PleaseSelectNewCityName to write in what Cephiro's new name will be.]] ]]
* BullyingADragon (Heroic instance: when [[spoiler:The [[{{God}} Creator]] takes away Hikaru and Eagle into the Pillar's Trial, Lantis flies up to it and shoves his sword up right at Its face, threatening to ''kill It'' if It doesn't bring them both back, unharmed, [[PapaWolf RIGHT NOW]]]].)
* CallingYourAttacks
* ChekhovsSkill (All three of the main girls, when they pick out their initial weapons. Hikaru's parents run a kendo dojo (broadsword), Umi was on the fencing team at her school (saber), and Fuu was on the archery team at hers (longbow).)
* {{CLAMP}}
* ChromaticArrangement (Additive primary colors: Hikaru, Umi and Fuu have respectively red, blue and green uniforms and eyes. Hair colors almost fit, but Fuu is blonde)
* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: Presea threatens to inflict this on Hikaru, Umi and Fuu in the first volume.
* CoolBigSis: Presea, Caldina (after her HeelFaceTurn.)
* CreatorCameo (Mokona is named after CLAMP artist Mokona Appapa.)
* CrossPoppingVeins (Umi, Clef.)
* ComingOfAgeStory: More so in the anime than the manga, but especially for Hikaru.
* CuteGiant: Great Sanyun
* DarkerAndEdgier (The second season, where Cephiro is mostly falling apart. Furthermore, the O.V.A.s.)
* DarkSkinnedRedhead (Tarta and Tatra. If we count pink hair, Caldina.)
* {{Deconstruction}}: Of the RescueThePrincess genre of Heroic Fantasy.
* DefeatMeansFriendship ([[spoiler:Caldina, Ascot and Lafarga]].)
* DemonicInvaders (roughly speaking.)
* DiedHappilyEverAfter [[spoiler: At the end of season 1, Emeraude and Zagato are finally together after the Magic Knights have killed them both.]]
* DownerEnding [[spoiler: Volume 3 of the manga.]]
* TheDragon (Alcyone (and in the anime, Innouva), for Zagato. Nova, for Debonair.)
* ElementalPowers (Check the [[Characters/MagicKnightRayearth character sheet]] for details.)
* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt (What will happen if Cephiro doesn't have a Pillar.)
* EvilMinions
* EvolvingWeapon (As the girls grow in skill and awake the Mashin, their weapons and armor also evolve.)
* ExtraordinarilyEmpoweredGirl (The three girls.)
* FacialMarkings
* FantasyCounterpartCulture: Autozam is the United States of America, Chizeta is India, Fahren is China.
* FisherKing (The Pillar.)
* FluffyTamer (Soon on entering Cephiro, the girls encounter a giant flying fish. Hikaru picks it up and gives it a hug.)
* FluffyTheTerrible: Used as a disguise by one of Ascot's monsters.
* FrillyUpgrade (Justified, since their armor is made of escudo, and grows as their spirit grows stronger.)
* GlowingEyesOfDoom (Alcyone in her first appearance in the second season.)
* GoGoEnslavement (In the second season of the anime, when the girls are caught by their enemies, they're forced to dress up in their typical clothes. Fuu and Hikaru don't have much problems, but Umi (captured by Tarta and Tatra from Chizeta) has to wear an odalisque outfit and is ''not'' amused. )
* TheHeartless (Most monsters in Cephiro are created from negative emotions. [[spoiler: So is the BigBad of the second season]].)
* HellishHorse (Lantis' horse.)
* HermeticMagic
* HistoryRepeats (High Priest Zagato fell in love with Emeraude, Pillar of Cephiro. {{Tragedy}} ensued. In the second season, Zagato's younger (but identical) brother Lantis falls in love with [[spoiler: the girl who would become Pillar, Hikaru]]. The irony was not lost on either.)
* HugeGuyTinyGirl ([[spoiler: Lafarga and Caldina]], Hikaru and either Lantis or Eagle, Ascot and Umi (though Umi is quite tall, Ascot towers over her.) Genderflipped (and the romance/platonic nature a bit more debatable) with Clef and either Umi and Presea [[spoiler: or Sierra]].)
* HumongousMecha (The Rune Gods; there's also several mechas from Autozam.)
* ImpossiblyCoolClothes
* ImpossiblyCoolWeapon (the swords, and the way they ensure only their users can wield them)
* InformedAbility (Fuu's being a super-genius. She uses SpockSpeak, but that's all we see of it - never do we see her actually knowing something the others don't or being able to work out something the others can't.)
* InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha (The Rune Gods could have just bestowed powers to the girls, but making them mecha was just cooler.)
* {{Joshikousei}}
* KansaiRegionalAccent (Caldina, Tatra, and Tarta)
* LaserGuidedTykebomb: The actually reason why the Magic Knights were sent to Cephiro was to [[spoiler: kill Princess Emeraude.]]
* LadyOfWar (Umi, Fuu)
* LoveMakesYouEvil ([[spoiler:Princess Emeraude]] and Alcyone, both for the same person.)
* LukeIAmYourFather ([[spoiler:Ferio, Princess Emeraude is your older sister]].)
* MagicKnight (the TropeNamer - it's even in the title!)
* MagicSkirt
* MagicalGirl
* MeaningfulName (Hikaru = Light, although she has flame magic; Umi = Sea, Fuu = Wind)
* MedievalEuropeanFantasy - Actually subverted. Cephiro definitely is a Medieval European Fantasy. But Autozam represents the USA. Chizeta represents India. And Fahren represents China.
* MementoMacGuffin (Anime-only: Lantis' necklace, a gift from his mother and which he later gave to Hikaru. It even [[ChekhovsGun plays a role in the final battle]].)
* {{Mukokuseki}} (A [[SignatureStyle CLAMP staple]], though it's a bit oddly used here. Despite the "big eyes", all of the girls do have a characteristic "slant" to their eyes that many of the Cephirans don't, marking their ethnicity, and Hikaru's complexion is typically depicted as pretty standardly Japanese. However, none of the girls dye their hair, so they ''are'', apparently, a natural fire red, a natural blue and a strawberry blonde, and both Umi and Fuu have skin lighter than most caucasians... yet they're still meant to be totally Japanese with no ancestry oddness. Obviously doesn't apply to any of the Cephirans, since they're technically ''aliens''.)
* NoblewomansLaugh: Done by Presea and Fuu (believe it or not) in the anime.
* NoodlePeople (Especially evident when Eagle or Lantis shed their armor and stand around in standard uniforms.)
** [[SignatureStyle Hey, it's]] ''{{CLAMP}}'', [[ForegoneConclusion what did you expect?]]
* OffModel: Few bits here and there in the anime, but the quality really decreases in episode 17.
** Made intentionally funny when recycled animation appears and the difference is night and day.
* TheOjou (Umi and Fuu, each in their ways.)
* OlderThanTheyLook (Anyone in Cephiro can invoke this trope. But poor Hikaru is mistaken for a ''grade schooler'', both by her schoolmates as well as Umi and Fuu when they first meet her, because she's so short and underdeveloped even though they're all the same age.)
* {{Omake}}
* PersonalityBloodTypes ([[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] when Fuu introduces herself to Hikaru and Umi.)
* PlanetOfHats: Cephiro has a relatively varied environment and culture for a fantasy-RPG world, but the ''Invading Countries''...
** Autozam: Dedicated to [[MagiTek high-technology based on mental power]]. Its primary exports are HumongousMecha, [[CoolShip interstellar warships]], and [[{{BFG}} ultra]]-[[FrickinLaserBeams advanced]] [[WaveMotionGun weaponry]]. Stands for the USA.
** Fahren: An entire world dedicated to [[ImperialChina Chinese motifs and mythology]], with a few concessions to Japanese {{Onmyodo}}. Makes abundant use of the AsiaRuneChant, [[InstantRunes magic circles]], and [[SummonMagic paper doll summoning]]. And, [[InstantAwesomeJustAddNinja for some reason, ninja]]. Stands for China.
** Chizeta: An oddly-shaped world with a teeny-tiny habitable biosphere, inspired by Literature/ArabianNights motifs. Even the Princessess' starship is shaped like an oil lamp, and, true to form, two muscular and unsettling djinn burst from its spout at their masters' command. Stands for India.
*** Possibly justified in Chizeta's case, due to its small size.
* ThePowerOfFriendship (Pretty much the point of the series, this is what saved Hikaru from being [[spoiler:[[FateWorseThanDeath dissolved]] when she insisted on saving Eagle from the Pillar's Trial]] in the manga.)
* PowerGivesYouWings (All Rune Gods change into HumongousMecha forms with themed wings. The Knights, who had traversed the whole of Cephiro on foot, even comment on how this allows them to reach the VeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon at the end of the first season.)
** The [[spoiler:[[{{God}} Creator]]]] also [[AGodAmI gains angelic wings]] (and a halo) when it [[TheReveal reveals itself]] to the cast.
* PowerTrio
* PunnyName (Eagle Vision.)
** Even if it wasn't intended as that (See ThemeNaming below)
* {{Samurai}} (Loosely speaking; all three girls are accomplished swordswomen by the end of the show.)
* SecretTestOfCharacter (That's how you obtain both your Phebotinum and your Power Upgrades.)
* SchrodingersCast (Some characters who the anime killed off but were alive and well in the manga had to be "brought back" in the second season because they were needed for the plot. There's just one problem... [[UniverseBible it goes against CLAMP rules, you know]].)
* {{Shojo}}
* ShouldersOfDoom (Zagato, Lafarga, Lantis, [[spoiler:evil]] Emeraude, Debonair, Nova, the three Rune Gods...)
* SkywardScream: Courtesy of Ascot after one of his summoned monsters is killed.
* StarCrossedLovers: [[spoiler: Emeraude and Zagato]]
* SuicideByCop
* SummonEverymanHero
* SuperDeformed. The main characters sometimes take this gag farther:
** An embarrassed Hikaru becomes a CatGirl.
** Umi attempts to punish Mokona with a HyperspaceMallet
** Fuu switches from {{meganekko}} to NerdGlasses mode, or has a flash of ScaryShinyGlasses when making an uncharacteristically snarky comment.
* TenchiSolution (Hikaru decides she's going to marry Lantis ''and'' Eagle in the manga.)
* TheSweatDrop (Several.)
* ThemeNaming: Hikaru, Umi, and Fuu are named after their respective elements. Virtually everyone else in the series is [[VehicularThemeNaming named after a car]].
* TokyoIsTheCenterOfTheUniverse
* TokyoTower (It's CLAMP, dammit.)
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl : Tomboy Hikaru, Girly Girl Umi, and Fuu has traits of both. Tomboy Presea and Girly Girl Emeraude, with Caldina having traits of both. Tomboy Tarta and Girly Girl Tatra.
* TookALevelInBadass (After Hikaru's sword --and [[HeroicBSOD confidence]]-- is [[WreckedWeapon shattered]] by Nova, and she undergoes a JourneyToTheCenterOfTheMind to recover, her willpower shoots through the stratosphere... with all that it implies in a world shaped by one's will.)
* TrappedInAnotherWorld
* TriangRelations (Type 8 with maybe a hint of 9, between [[spoiler:Hikaru, Lantis, and Eagle]]. There might be some LoveYouAndEverybody on [[spoiler:Hikaru's]] end, too, though she says the ones she wants to marry are the other two.)
* TwistEnding: You will ''not'' be ready for it.
* VisibleSigh
* WellIntentionedExtremist (Zagato, maybe Lantis.)
* WhiteAndGreyMorality: The Magic Knights themselves are definete good guys, but [[spoiler: Season 1 BigBad Zagato is an Anti-Villian.]] Plus, the Autozam, Chizeta, and Fahren factions are {{Anti-Villian}}s as well. And in anime season 2, Nova is also a more sympathetic character.
** But, again, anime season 2, there's also the sole [[CompleteMonster actual black in this series:]] LADY DEBONAIR!
* WorfEffect: Whenever one of the knights is conversing with a Mashin, the other two are always one-shotted by the villain sent to stop them that time.
* YearInsideHourOutside (The girls are whisked away by Emeraude's prayer in a flash of light. They have adventures spanning several weeks, probably months, then they return to Earth ''at the exact same moment they left''. Even their schoolmates are still blinded by the light.)
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair (Umi with blue hair, Ferio with green hair, Caldina with pink hair)

!!''Rayearth'' OVA provides examples of:
* AlternateContinuity: This is described as a shortened retelling of MKR. That is really inaccurate. There are so many changes to the plot, it's another story entirely.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The girls attend the same school and don't want to be separated after graduation. They wish to stay friends forever, and this story really tests that wish.
* BondCreatures: Even ''worse'' than in the mainline series. Physical injuries while in Rune God form translate directly on the summoner's body.
* BrokenBird: [[spoiler: Emeraude]], who is sort-of TheOphelia too.
* DarkerAndEdgier: Cephiro is dying; Zagato sacrificed his life in a vain attempt to avert this. Emeraude is alive, but is clinging to a dream that Zagato is with her. The actual story has more violence, some blood, and about half the characters from Cephiro are killed off ([[spoiler:although Emeraude lives]]).
** Also, remember how the anime and the manga have these moments where our three heroines and their friends go into chibi-mode? Well, they're gone.
* EnfantTerrible: Ascot isn't in to save his friends in this version. He just wants to kill everyone.
* FamilyUnfriendlyViolence: The Rune God battles are bloody and nasty.

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* FictionalCounterpart: Sabway referring to the Subway restaurant. Toyo Dome referring at Tokyo Dome City a Stadium widely used by Toei Company.
* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Lantis sacrifices himself to empower his sword]], to be used by the Knights. Doesn't make much sense.
* HopeSpot: Oh, so many times.
* HumongousMecha: Again, the Rune Gods.
* ItGotWorse: The DarkestHour keeps getting darker far past pitch-black.

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* OlderThanTheyLook: Averted. There is no mention of appearance-changing in this story, so Clef looks like a grown man, and Ascot is actually a young boy.
* OutOfClothesExperience: While "piloting" the Rune Gods, the girls appear entirely naked (their foes are never shown, however.) Also, their invocation of the final attack starts with them floating naked in the void.
* TheOtherDarrin: Dub-only for the entire cast. This is due to being dubbed by a separate studio from the TV series.
* {{OVA}}
* PimpedOutDress: Emeraude's dress is far fancier than in the main story.
* ProductPlacement: There is a Subway restaraunt, but it's actually used for an important scene in the story.
* TheTokyoFireball: Large sections of Tokyo receive a pretty thorough trashing in the duration of the OVA.
* TrappedInAnotherWorld: Inverted. Instead of being sent elsewhere, the girls are the ''only'' living things on Earth after Clef whisks everyone else to another dimension, for safekeeping.
----

* AnimeAnatomy: The first episode where they get their magic.

* FrillsOfJustice (Justified, since their armor is made of escudo, and grows as their spirit grows stronger.)

** Chizeta: An oddly-shaped world with a teeny-tiny habitable biosphere, inspired by ArabianNights motifs. Even the Princessess' starship is shaped like an oil lamp, and, true to form, two muscular and unsettling djinn burst from its spout at their masters' command. Stands for India.

* TheOtherDarrin: Dub-only. The girls receive new actresses.

This {{Shojo}} series is one of the most popular creations of the creative collective known as {{CLAMP}}, blending MagicalGirl, HumongousMecha and high fantasy into a unique and entertaining mix.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids: The original story is something like Emeraude calling three girls from another world to save Cephiro. Seems simple enough, right? Well, it's ''not.'' [[spoiler: The real reason the Knights were summoned was that only someone from another world can ''kill the Pillar.'' And they have to go through with it. It ''really '' [[BreakTheCutie tears Hikaru up]], [[LiteralSplitPersonality literally splitting her into two parts]], [[TheEeyore a girl about to cry]] and [[TheVamp her evil half]].]]

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* AsLongAsThereIsEvil: Is Lady Debonair's claim to immortality as TheHeartless of Cephiro. Averted, however, after [[spoiler:Hikaru pretty much rations out her godhood to everyone, and the combined SpiritBomb blasts her into ''true'' nothingness.]]