History Anime / MagicalGirlLyricalNanohaStrikerS

* CallBack: When Nanoha uses Starlight Breaker against [[spoiler:Vivio]], the camera angle is identical to when she used it against Fate back in the first season.

* ChekhovsSkill: The very first episode starts out with Nanoha blasting through the walls of a burning airport in order to secure a safe path for her to fly out Subaru. In the penultimate episode, the same scene shown again [[spoiler: when Quatro realizes that Nanoha plans to [[DungeonBypass blast through the walls of the Saint's Cradle in order to blast]] ''[[DungeonBypass her]]''.]]

* {{Bookends}}: The season begins with a young Subaru shouting for help while she's trapped in a burning airport, and Nanoha coming to save her in the nick of time, congratulating her for doing well to survive and assuring her that she'll bring her to a safe place. Subaru's WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue has two young children shouting for help while trapped in a sinking ship, and Subaru saving them in the nick of time [[MeaningfulEcho while echoing the same words Nanoha told her many years ago]]. Bonus points for the fact that Subaru's Barrier Jacket was modeled after Nanoha's.

Unlike the first two seasons, this one had a full 26 episodes [[TwelveEpisodeAnime instead of 13]]. It had the [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters largest cast so far]] and [[GenreShift shifted the tone]] to a [[DarkerAndEdgier darker]], more [[ScienceFiction SF]]/military feel.

* EvenEvilCanBeLoved: The only thing that prevents the MadScientist Jail Scaglietti from being completely evil is that all twelve of his [[RobotGirl Combat Cyborgs]]--even the ones who question and eventually reject his evil plans--view him as a loving father (and he returns their affection).

* ProphecyTwist: A vaguely worded prophecy mentions the "destruction of the ship of law that guards the stars". Everyone assumes, given the seemingly easy conclusion of an earlier part referring to a disastrous terrorist attack, that this refers to even worse things to come if they're not averted. Turns out, [[spoiler: it's referring to the ancient warship the BigBad manages to excavate, thus prophesying that they'll manage to stop it]].

* EvenEvilCanBeLoved: The only thing that prevents the MadScientist Jail Scaglietti from coming across as a CompleteMonster is that all twelve of his [[RobotGirl Combat Cyborgs]]--even the ones who question and eventually reject his evil plans--view him as a loving father (and he returns their affection).

* DarkerAndEdgier: While nowhere near the level ''[[Manga/NanohaForce Force]]'' would later reach, it still traded in most of the MagicalGirl trappings for military sci-fi tropes and revealed the near-fatal consequences of overdosing on BeamSpam among other things.

'''''Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha [=StrikerS=]''''', takes place [[TimeSkip ten years after the second series]], with the previous cast having become high-ranking members of the TSAB.

''Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha [=StrikerS=]'', takes place [[TimeSkip ten years after the second series]], with the previous cast having become high-ranking members of the TSAB.

-->''In the land where ancient crystals and infinite greed gather and intertwine,''
-->''the wings shall revive from the holy land beneath the dead king.''
-->''The dead shall dance, and the tower of law in the central lands shall burn to the ground,''
-->''but before this, the ship of law that guards the many seas shall be torn apart.''

** When talking about memories of her original owner in the third sound stage, Agito says "Strangely, my heart feels warm." Signum says the same thing to her the first time they unison.

* MeaningfulEcho: Vivio trips in episode 15 and Nanoha tells her to try and stand on her own, but she is unable to do so. [[spoiler: In the finale, Vivio manages to remain standing after being hit with '''Five''' Starlight Breakers because "I can stand on my own".]]

* BeamSpam: Played with. The anime and manga warn that dismissing battle strategy in favor of zerging enemies puts an unhealthy strain on the body. [[spoiler: Froeshadowing as Nanoha's Blaster mode damages her linker core so badly she's recovering years after]]

* {{Bookends}}: The season begins with a young Subaru shouting for help while she's trapped in a burning airport, and Nanoha coming to save her in the nick of time, congratulating her for doing well to survive and assuring her that she'll bring her to a safe place. Subaru's WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue has two young children shouting for help while trapped in a sinking ship, and Subaru saving them in the nick of time [[MeaningfulEcho while echoing the same words Nanoha told her many years ago]].

** [[spoiler: When she heads to take care of the Cradle's engine, Vita tells Nanoha "[[BadassBoast The Knight Vita of the Iron Hammer, and the Steel Count Graf Eisen. There's nothing in this world we can't destroy.]]". Hayate says this back to her when she lives up to that claim.]]

* BookEnds: The season begins with a young Subaru shouting for help while she's trapped in a burning airport, and Nanoha coming to save her in the nick of time, congratulating her for doing well to survive and assuring her that she'll bring her to a safe place. Subaru's WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue has two young children shouting for help while trapped in a sinking ship, and Subaru saving them in the nick of time [[MeaningfulEcho while echoing the same words Nanoha told her many years ago]].

** The exchange between Nanoha and Subaru at the beginning of the season was repeated almost word for word when Subaru saved some children in the epilogue. Doubles as BookEnds.

* BookEnds: Barring Nanoha addressing her new students, the season begins and ends with a child in mortal peril crying out for help, and a hero in a white Barrier Jacket who rescues them. The difference is that in the beginning Subaru was the child and at the end she was the hero.

* BookEnds: Barring Nanoha addressing her new students, the season begins and ends with a scene about Subaru involving a child in mortal peril crying out for help, and a hero in a white Barrier Jacket who rescues them. The difference is that in the beginning she was the child and at the end she was the hero.

* CostumeExaggeration: Nanoha and Fate change their previously more mundane MagicalGirl uniforms for slightly more complicated and extravagant versions, though Fate was actually ''downgraded'' from her [[StripperIffic infamous]] previous outfit. This time, however, it's more indicative of Nanoha and Fate growing up 10 years and thus outgrowing their nine-year-old selves, and ultimately they switch back to the old outfits two thirds of the way in, mostly to indicate they're getting serious.