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Wrong Dragon.
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* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Was totaled by Rudolf's Void Expanse Dragon and unconscious, only to reveal that he had 100 lifepoints remaining--thanks to Noxicron's involvement--and Elena healing him with the bonds of all of the gods in the Pantheon wanting him to win.]]
to:
* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Was totaled by Rudolf's Void Expanse Triad Pathway Dragon and unconscious, only to reveal that he had 100 lifepoints remaining--thanks to Noxicron's involvement--and Elena healing him with the bonds of all of the gods in the Pantheon wanting him to win.]]
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* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:She's the one who saves Gentaro, alongside Noxicron, from Rudolf's Void Expanse Dragon, using her power to combine all of the bonds Gentaro formed as a single healing beam of light.]]
to:
* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:She's the one who saves Gentaro, alongside Noxicron, from Rudolf's Void Expanse Triad Pathway Dragon, using her power to combine all of the bonds Gentaro formed as a single healing beam of light.]]
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* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Was totaled by Rudolf's Void Expanse Dragon and unconscious, only to reveal that he had 100 lifepoints remaining--thanks to Noxicron's involvement--and Elena healing him with the bonds of all of the gods in the Pantheon wanting him to win.]]
* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler:Gives one of these to Gentaro after healing him, much to the Pantheon's delight.]]
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* ClosestThingWeGot: [[spoiler: Her pure heart makes her the best candidate for Alternate!Gentaro to give the last of the Core of Limbo's power into, and she uses the bonds Gentaro has made with his friends to create Gentaro's deck for his Action Duel against Rudolf. Or, as London states, she's the White Rabbit's Vessel.]]
to:
* ClosestThingWeGot: [[spoiler: Her pure heart makes her [[spoiler:Her spiritual energies are the best candidate for Alternate!Gentaro to give the last strongest thing capable of the Core of Limbo's power into, healing Gentaro and she uses taking in all of the bonds Gentaro has made with of his friends to create Gentaro's deck for his Action Duel against Rudolf. Or, as friends. As London states, says, she's the "The White Rabbit's Vessel.Vessel".]]
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* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:Alternate!Gentaro places a bit of the Core of Limbo in her, letting her channel all of the bonds Gentaro made in the Pantheon and use it to empower him just when he's close to dying.]]
to:
* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:Alternate!Gentaro places a bit of [[spoiler:She's the Core of Limbo in her, letting one who saves Gentaro, alongside Noxicron, from Rudolf's Void Expanse Dragon, using her channel power to combine all of the bonds Gentaro made in the Pantheon and use it to empower him just when he's close to dying.formed as a single healing beam of light.]]
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* SwallowedWhole: [[spoiler:How their transformation into Wyrms is symbolized with their dragon selves devouring them.]]
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** The CMC: ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' makes them this to Madoka Kaname. They're quasideities finding their destiny compared to Madoka's Overdeity status with a seat in the Main House who knows what she wants to do. They get targeted by a god for different reasons (Homura sealed Madoka's powers [[WellIntentionedExtremist thinking it would protect Madoka]], Yugi sent the Crusaders to Limbo [[ForTheEvulz because he was evil]]), and they are the target for a maniacal figure's wrath (YHVH for Madoka and the Darkness within Limbo for the CMC). But while Madoka ends up stuck in a position where she can't even ''attempt'' to change her fate despite her protests (Justified due to the sudden loss of her powers and being a major target for some of the Pantheon's strongest forces), the Crusaders are stuck in a position where they have no choice, ''but'' to actively fight back or die. [[spoiler:Later on, the trauma of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' basically benches them from future Tales, while Madoka becomes determined to start doing something about her position, as detailed in the Year 2 story ''Lines of Chaos''.]]
to:
** She's also one of Madoka Kaname (pre-Godhood). Both were innocent girls who get broken after seeing a close friend of them die, their attempts to help out only cause more and more trouble and they eventually end up being beacons of hope. The only major difference is that Elena actually was a capable fighter beforehand and that Madoka was chosen the entire time and Elena just became the ClosestThingWeGot. Heck, Elena's outfit after [[spoiler:using the Core of Limbo's remaining power]] gives her an outfit resembling Madoka's God Form!
** The CMC: ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' makes them this to MadokaKaname.Kaname (post-Godhood). They're quasideities finding their destiny compared to Madoka's Overdeity status with a seat in the Main House who knows what she wants to do. They get targeted by a god for different reasons (Homura sealed Madoka's powers [[WellIntentionedExtremist thinking it would protect Madoka]], Yugi sent the Crusaders to Limbo [[ForTheEvulz because he was evil]]), and they are the target for a maniacal figure's wrath (YHVH for Madoka and the Darkness within Limbo for the CMC). But while Madoka ends up stuck in a position where she can't even ''attempt'' to change her fate despite her protests (Justified due to the sudden loss of her powers and being a major target for some of the Pantheon's strongest forces), the Crusaders are stuck in a position where they have no choice, ''but'' to actively fight back or die. [[spoiler:Later on, the trauma of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' basically benches them from future Tales, while Madoka becomes determined to start doing something about her position, as detailed in the Year 2 story ''Lines of Chaos''.]]
** The CMC: ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' makes them this to Madoka
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* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler:Alternate!Gentaro places a bit of the Core of Limbo in her, letting her channel all of the bonds Gentaro made in the Pantheon and use it to empower him just when he's close to dying.]]
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* SpannerInTheWorks: Again, they are the reason that Gentaro returns to the Pantheon in ''The Friendship Asylum'' because Alternate!Gentaro didn't know how determined the three were to escape.
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* SkywardScream: All of them unleash one of these during their broken states.
** Gentaro: Unleashed one during his 1000 round trek and again after [[spoiler: seeing the CMC transformed into Wyrms, knowing that he is somewhat responsible for it all.]]
** Elena: A flashback in the final story reveals that [[spoiler: she unleashed this after it hits her that Gentaro was killed/sent to Limbo in front of her eyes, with her screaming his name in agony. She did it again after she had to physically stop a corrupted Gentaro from killing her as she realizes how far she's gone.]]
** The CMC: Apple Bloom unleashed one in the epilogue of ''Muse Hysteria'' after it's revealed that the three are on round ''300'' in Limbo and all of them unleash this in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' as they see [[spoiler: Limbo being destroyed and The White goading them that this is all their fault.]]
** Gentaro: Unleashed one during his 1000 round trek and again after [[spoiler: seeing the CMC transformed into Wyrms, knowing that he is somewhat responsible for it all.]]
** Elena: A flashback in the final story reveals that [[spoiler: she unleashed this after it hits her that Gentaro was killed/sent to Limbo in front of her eyes, with her screaming his name in agony. She did it again after she had to physically stop a corrupted Gentaro from killing her as she realizes how far she's gone.]]
** The CMC: Apple Bloom unleashed one in the epilogue of ''Muse Hysteria'' after it's revealed that the three are on round ''300'' in Limbo and all of them unleash this in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' as they see [[spoiler: Limbo being destroyed and The White goading them that this is all their fault.]]
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* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:His duel against Rudolf Dragnov has him note that he resents everyone focusing more on Madoka's fall than him stuck in Limbo and the Friendship Asylum, though that may have just been due to his Limbo-based personas not fully disappearing yet.]]
to:
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:His duel against Rudolf Dragnov Dragnov in the final story has him note that he resents everyone focusing more on Madoka's fall than him stuck in Limbo and the Friendship Asylum, though that may have just been due to his Limbo-based personas not fully disappearing yet.yet. Also, he's apparently learned how to duel inbetween the second and third stories.]]
* MythologyGag: [[spoiler: He lays dying after taking the attacks of the CMC, along with a monologue stating that he, at the very least, was happy to free them from their Wyrm-state, a reference to the WhamEpisode of Ep 31. Then, he is revived by a Spell Card -- depicting hands reaching out to save him -- a reference to the next episode when he comes BackFromTheDead.]]
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* LightIsGood: She's sweet, bubbly, cheerful, can heal herself, loves making friends, her ''name'' means "Light" in Spanish...
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* LightIsGood: She's sweet, bubbly, cheerful, can heal herself, loves making friends, and her ''name'' means "Light" in Spanish...Spanish. [[spoiler: She is the one who saves Gentaro in the final story, channeling the bonds of friendship he's made with everyone in the Pantheon, combined with the last of the Core of Limbo's power, into a purifying light that revives him after he nearly dies from being attacked by the CMC.]]
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* SkywardScream: They did this a couple of times in Limbo after realizing that they were stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop.
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* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:His duel against Rudolf Dragnov has him note that he resents everyone focusing more on Madoka's fall than him stuck in Limbo and the Friendship Asylum.]]
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* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:His duel against Rudolf Dragnov has him note that he resents everyone focusing more on Madoka's fall than him stuck in Limbo and the Friendship Asylum.Asylum, though that may have just been due to his Limbo-based personas not fully disappearing yet.]]
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* BeserkButton: ''Do not hurt their friends'' or they will punish you.
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* BeserkButton: BerserkButton: ''Do not hurt their friends'' or they will punish you.
* DespairEventHorizon:
** Gentaro: He crossed this after a thousand rounds in Limbo and decided to let himself drown within a giant lake after giving up, only rescued by the CMC before it was too late.
** Elena: Seeing Gentaro taken to Limbo in the first place caused her to shut herself in her temple.
** The CMC: [[spoiler:After all the trauma that was placed on them throughout the final story, it is being turned into Wyrms by Rudolf Dragnov that they break.]]
** Gentaro: He crossed this after a thousand rounds in Limbo and decided to let himself drown within a giant lake after giving up, only rescued by the CMC before it was too late.
** Elena: Seeing Gentaro taken to Limbo in the first place caused her to shut herself in her temple.
** The CMC: [[spoiler:After all the trauma that was placed on them throughout the final story, it is being turned into Wyrms by Rudolf Dragnov that they break.]]
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** Elena: To Kairi; they're both friendly girls with souls of pure light who have friendship/crushes on the friendly boy they are close to, and have to watch said boy become corrupted and twisted by the darkness. However, Elena is traumatized and shuts herself in the first two stories, while Kairi is more proactive and jumps into the fray. [[spoiler:The roles are reversed later on; Elena gets in on the action in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' while Kairi is off to Alola in ''Diamond Adventure! The Dark Mystery'' (bonus points in that Kairi was in a disguise in the first two stories while Elena dons her own in the last story).]] Also, in regards to getting closer to the boy they like, Kairi's is ambiguous (until ''Kingdom Hearts III'') while she and Gentaro end up BetterAsFriends.
to:
** Elena: To Kairi; they're both friendly girls with souls of pure light who have friendship/crushes on the friendly boy they are close to, and have to watch said boy become corrupted and twisted by the darkness. However, Elena is traumatized and shuts herself in the first two stories, while Kairi is more proactive and jumps into the fray. [[spoiler:The roles are reversed later on; Elena gets in on the action in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' while Kairi is off to Alola in ''Diamond Adventure! The Dark Mystery'' (bonus points in that Kairi was in a disguise in the first two stories while Elena dons her own in the last story).]] Also, in regards to getting closer to the boy they like, Kairi's is ambiguous ambiguous (until ''Kingdom Hearts III'') while she and Gentaro end up BetterAsFriends.
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* NiceGuy: All of them are sweet and friendly. Gentaro and Elena want to befriend everyone (and are two of the founders for the "Avatars of Friendship") while the Cutie Mark Crusaders wish to help others find their purpose.
to:
* NiceGuy: All of them are sweet and friendly.nice. Gentaro and Elena want to befriend everyone (and are two of the founders for the "Avatars of Friendship") while the Cutie Mark Crusaders wish to help others find their purpose.
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* DespairEventHorizon: He crossed this after a thousand rounds in Limbo and it gets worse from there.
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* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Their goal prior to their descent into Limbo was finding their Cutie Marks. They later find their Cutie Marks when it's revealed that they're good in helping ''others'' find their purpose.
* {{Determinator}}: You have to be determined to survive 400 rounds in Limbo, after all.
* {{Determinator}}: You have to be determined to survive 400 rounds in Limbo, after all.
to:
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Their goal prior to their descent into Limbo was finding their Cutie Marks. They later find their Cutie Marks when it's revealed that they're good in helping ''others'' find their purpose.
purpose. [[spoiler: When they are Wyrms in the final story, Gentaro notes that gods are going to need help moving on after the trauma of Year One and that they can use the experiences that they went through to help.]]
* {{Determinator}}: You have to be determined to survive 400 rounds in Limbo, after all.
* {{Determinator}}: You have to be determined to survive 400 rounds in Limbo, after all.
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!Tropes that apply to all of them.
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* ActionSurvivor: All of them in regards to Limbo, but Gentaro and the CMC more since the former went through it ''1000'' times and the CMC ''400''.
* AllLovingHero: All of them want to befriend others and forgive bad guys: Gentaro befriended both the BigBad who killed his best friend ''and'' the guy who killed him, Elena can make friends with ''Akuma'' of all Street Fighters and the Crusaders buried the hatchet with the pony who always bullied them.
* BeserkButton: ''Do not hurt their friends'' or they will punish you.
* {{Foil}}:
** Gentaro: In regards to what happened to the CMC, he's Gangrel's. In particular, the Crusaders played important roles in their lives (they saved Gentaro from drowning in ''The Friendship Asylum'' and became a good friend to the vampire wrestler) but when push comes to shove after the Crusaders went into Limbo, it's Gangrel who goes to rescue them while Gentaro [[spoiler: got them dragged them into Limbo in the first place. However, Gangrel was the one who inadvertedly got them trapped but Gentaro is the one who rescues them in the end.]]
** Elena: To Kairi; they're both friendly girls with souls of pure light who have friendship/crushes on the friendly boy they are close to, and have to watch said boy become corrupted and twisted by the darkness. However, Elena is traumatized and shuts herself in the first two stories, while Kairi is more proactive and jumps into the fray. [[spoiler:The roles are reversed later on; Elena gets in on the action in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' while Kairi is off to Alola in ''Diamond Adventure! The Dark Mystery'' (bonus points in that Kairi was in a disguise in the first two stories while Elena dons her own in the last story).]] Also, in regards to getting closer to the boy they like, Kairi's is ambiguous (until ''Kingdom Hearts III'') while she and Gentaro end up BetterAsFriends.
** The CMC: ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' makes them this to Madoka Kaname. They're quasideities finding their destiny compared to Madoka's Overdeity status with a seat in the Main House who knows what she wants to do. They get targeted by a god for different reasons (Homura sealed Madoka's powers [[WellIntentionedExtremist thinking it would protect Madoka]], Yugi sent the Crusaders to Limbo [[ForTheEvulz because he was evil]]), and they are the target for a maniacal figure's wrath (YHVH for Madoka and the Darkness within Limbo for the CMC). But while Madoka ends up stuck in a position where she can't even ''attempt'' to change her fate despite her protests (Justified due to the sudden loss of her powers and being a major target for some of the Pantheon's strongest forces), the Crusaders are stuck in a position where they have no choice, ''but'' to actively fight back or die. [[spoiler:Later on, the trauma of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' basically benches them from future Tales, while Madoka becomes determined to start doing something about her position, as detailed in the Year 2 story ''Lines of Chaos''.]]
** Gentaro: In regards to what happened to the CMC, he's Gangrel's. In particular, the Crusaders played important roles in their lives (they saved Gentaro from drowning in ''The Friendship Asylum'' and became a good friend to the vampire wrestler) but when push comes to shove after the Crusaders went into Limbo, it's Gangrel who goes to rescue them while Gentaro [[spoiler: got them dragged them into Limbo in the first place. However, Gangrel was the one who inadvertedly got them trapped but Gentaro is the one who rescues them in the end.]]
** Elena: To Kairi; they're both friendly girls with souls of pure light who have friendship/crushes on the friendly boy they are close to, and have to watch said boy become corrupted and twisted by the darkness. However, Elena is traumatized and shuts herself in the first two stories, while Kairi is more proactive and jumps into the fray. [[spoiler:The roles are reversed later on; Elena gets in on the action in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' while Kairi is off to Alola in ''Diamond Adventure! The Dark Mystery'' (bonus points in that Kairi was in a disguise in the first two stories while Elena dons her own in the last story).]] Also, in regards to getting closer to the boy they like, Kairi's is ambiguous (until ''Kingdom Hearts III'') while she and Gentaro end up BetterAsFriends.
** The CMC: ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' makes them this to Madoka Kaname. They're quasideities finding their destiny compared to Madoka's Overdeity status with a seat in the Main House who knows what she wants to do. They get targeted by a god for different reasons (Homura sealed Madoka's powers [[WellIntentionedExtremist thinking it would protect Madoka]], Yugi sent the Crusaders to Limbo [[ForTheEvulz because he was evil]]), and they are the target for a maniacal figure's wrath (YHVH for Madoka and the Darkness within Limbo for the CMC). But while Madoka ends up stuck in a position where she can't even ''attempt'' to change her fate despite her protests (Justified due to the sudden loss of her powers and being a major target for some of the Pantheon's strongest forces), the Crusaders are stuck in a position where they have no choice, ''but'' to actively fight back or die. [[spoiler:Later on, the trauma of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' basically benches them from future Tales, while Madoka becomes determined to start doing something about her position, as detailed in the Year 2 story ''Lines of Chaos''.]]
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* NiceJobBreakingItHero:
** Gentaro: [[spoiler: His plan to have the CMC enter Limbo resulted in the CMC's mental breakdown in the last story.]]
** Elena: [[spoiler: Showing off Mitsuzane's Sengoku Driver and Grape Lockseed -- whose weapon is a gun -- to The Iron Giant (who ''hates'' guns) unleashed a rampage in Act 3 of ''The Friendship Asylum'']]
** The CMC: [[spoiler: Detonating Limbo in the final story only gave Rudolf Dragnov an idea for three new dragons in his arm; '''them'''.]]
* ThePowerOfFriendship: All of them believe in this and it is these bonds that play a pivotal role throughout the trilogy.
** Gentaro: [[spoiler: His plan to have the CMC enter Limbo resulted in the CMC's mental breakdown in the last story.]]
** Elena: [[spoiler: Showing off Mitsuzane's Sengoku Driver and Grape Lockseed -- whose weapon is a gun -- to The Iron Giant (who ''hates'' guns) unleashed a rampage in Act 3 of ''The Friendship Asylum'']]
** The CMC: [[spoiler: Detonating Limbo in the final story only gave Rudolf Dragnov an idea for three new dragons in his arm; '''them'''.]]
* ThePowerOfFriendship: All of them believe in this and it is these bonds that play a pivotal role throughout the trilogy.
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* ActionSurvivor: Had to go through ''1000'' rounds in Limbo as himself and not Fourze...but unlike the Crusaders, he eventually did break down and almost let himself drown in the waters of Limbo, were it not for these fillies fishing him out.
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* AllLovingHero: Name a ''Kamen Rider'' who would ''befriend the BigBad of his show'' or the guy who downright murdered him. [[spoiler: After returning as himself, he tried to befriend ''Akato and Rudolf Dragnov'' despite the two being assholes.]]
* CharacterTic: [[spoiler: As Mala Suerte, he folds his arms across his chest and rolls his eyes in annoyance and even does his (Gentaro's) signature tap on the chest and pointing.]]
* DudeInDistress: For ''Muse Hysteria'' and for 80% of ''The Friendship Asylum'' he was stuck in Limbo and only rescued by the CMC.
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* {{Foil}}: In regards to what happened to the CMC, he's Gangrel's. In particular, the Crusaders played important roles in their lives (they saved Gentaro from drowning in ''The Friendship Asylum'' and became a good friend to the vampire wrestler) but when push comes to shove after the Crusaders went into Limbo, it's Gangrel who goes to rescue them while Gentaro [[spoiler: got them dragged them into Limbo in the first place. However, Gangrel was the one who inadvertedly got them trapped but Gentaro is the one who rescues them in the end.]]
* HiddenDepths: [[spoiler:His duel against Rudolf Dragnov has him note that he resents everyone focusing more on Madoka's fall than him stuck in Limbo and the Friendship Asylum.]]
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* LiteralSplitPersonality: [[spoiler: Mala Suerte and The Slasher/Sota are essentially two parts of him but in a negative way; Mala Suerte is the cynicism that he obtained from how he attracts bad luck to himself and his friends, and Sota is his optimism, albeit twisted alongside his lingering feelings with Elena, whom he wants to be with despite shit hitting the fan.]]
to:
* LiteralSplitPersonality: [[spoiler: Mala Suerte and The Slasher/Sota are essentially two parts of him but in a negative way; Mala Suerte is the cynicism that he obtained from how he attracts bad luck to himself and his friends, and Sota is his optimism, albeit twisted alongside his lingering feelings with Elena, whom he wants to be with despite shit hitting the fan. The two briefly appear in Fourze's duel against Dragnov, but Fourze can't see them nor is aware that he is copying their CharacterTic.]]
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* ClosestThingWeGot: [[spoiler: Her pure heart makes her the best candidate for Lady Imagica to give the last of her power to her, and she uses the bonds Gentaro has made with his friends to create Gentaro's deck for his Action Duel against Rudolf. Or, as London states, she's the White Rabbit's Vessel.]]
to:
* ClosestThingWeGot: [[spoiler: Her pure heart makes her the best candidate for Lady Imagica Alternate!Gentaro to give the last of her the Core of Limbo's power to her, into, and she uses the bonds Gentaro has made with his friends to create Gentaro's deck for his Action Duel against Rudolf. Or, as London states, she's the White Rabbit's Vessel.]]
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* ActionSurvivor: In ''The Friendship Asylum'' seeing as they went through the hellish world of Limbo 400 times without giving up. WordOfGod is that the SaveScumming nature of Limbo is what caused the girls to become much stronger than they would be in their normal world. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, this caught the eyes of a certain sorcerer with a dragon motif.]]
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* {{Foil}}: ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' makes them this to Madoka Kaname. They're quasideities finding their destiny compared to Madoka's Overdeity status with a seat in the Main House who knows what he wants to do. They get targeted by a god for different reasons (Homura sealed her powers [[WellIntentionedExtremist thinking it would protect Madoka]], Yugi sent the Crusaders to Limbo [[ForTheEvulz because he was evil]]), and they are the target for a maniacal figure's wrath (YHVH for Madoka and the Darkness within Limbo for the CMC). But while Madoka ends up stuck in a position where she can't even ''attempt'' to change her fate despite her protests (Justified due to the sudden loss of her powers and being a major target for some of the Pantheon's strongest forces), the Crusaders are stuck in a position where they have no choice, ''but'' to actively fight back or die. [[spoiler:Later on, the trauma of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' basically benches them from future Tales, while Madoka becomes determined to start doing something about her position, as detailed in the Year 2 story ''Lines of Chaos''.]]
* ItSucksToBeTheChosenOne: They were chosen to save the Pantheon from utter destruction and end up ''absolutely traumatized'' by the end of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''.
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* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Congratulations you three, you have saved the Pantheon! [[spoiler:Except not really. In reality, they just gave Rudolf Dragnov a new kind of dragon to experiment on. '''Them.''']]
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Added DiffLines:
In ''Project: Alternate!Gentaro'', there are a variety of characters that influence the trilogy. These, in particular, are shown to have a significant impact even if they aren't physically present.
!Tropes that apply to all of them.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: They may be sweet and kind, but they will show no mercy when push comes to shove.
** Elena is sweet, friendly, and just wants to see the world (and get together with Gentaro). [[spoiler: When the darkness within Limbo tried to have Gentaro kill her, she DOES NOT hold back, has to physically ''strangle him'' to stop attacking her and unleashes her spiritual magic to blast the darkness out.]]
** The CMC: All they want to do is help others find their purpose, but will kill zombies and unleash a tongue lashing at those who insult their friends. [[spoiler: They also won't hesitate to unleash fire to a tent filled with circus freaks after being driven insane by Akato, nor hesitate to try to kill Fourze after Rudolf transforms them into giant Wyrms.]]
* BreakTheCutie: All of them bare many emotional scars from the trilogy.
** Gentaro: The boy essentially found a world where he died and was resurrected into a heartless monster, [[spoiler:then thanks to the Pantheon not being able to handle discrepancies in the rules of the universes that contribute to it,]] gets dragged into dimension where he's broken again and again and then "killed" by Queen Chrysalis so she can absorb the love he has for his friends, he tries to calm a sobbing Alice down but gets skewered from her ''Die For Me!!'' attacks, gets his soul thrust into Limbo where he spends 10 days/1000 rounds going through its landscape before being rescued and then has to immediately fight his counterpart, who is also the BigBad of ''The Friendship Asylum'' story. Then, just as he can finally settle down and be with Elena, it's revealed that Limbo is rearing its ugly head when he goes to stop it, it causes more and ''more'' trauma to the gods actively searching for him...and it's then revealed that [[spoiler:the Darkness planted a piece of itself within him to suck out his positive emotions, forming Sota and will make him eventually fade away and classify himself as obsolete if it doesn't get out. [[HesBack Once it's purged, he springs into action once again]].]]
** Elena: Sees the boy she loves be plunged into Limbo by his alternate counterpart, is shut in her temple throughout the entirety of ''Muse Hysteria'' and when she arrives in ''The Friendship Asylum'' it's only to [[spoiler: accidentally trigger the Iron Giant's wrath.]] She gets better once Gentaro returns, until the final story when [[spoiler: she's stuck in Limbo with Gentaro for investigation work and meets with Akato and the fourth act has her nearly killed by a darkness-possessed Gentaro. The end of the story has the two deciding that, for all their best efforts, not to go beyond being friends and her returning home to spend Christmas with her family.]]
** The Cutie Mark Crusaders: Going through Limbo 400 times throughout the first two stories and then going through a ''humongous'' TraumaCongaLine in the final story that culminates with them [[spoiler: going insane, transformed into Wyrms (although Fourze saves them) and then screaming in agony in the mountains while their friends and loved ones look on.]]
* NiceGuy: All of them are sweet and friendly. Gentaro and Elena want to befriend everyone (and are two of the founders for the "Avatars of Friendship") while the Cutie Mark Crusaders wish to help others find their purpose.
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Gentaro Kisaragi/Kamen Rider Fourze]]
!!Gentaro Kisaragi/Kamen Rider Fourze ([[spoiler:Mala Suerte]])
A god of friendship whose "death" sparks the entire trilogy. Was gone missing in ''Muse Hysteria'' and most of ''The Friendship Asylum'' [[spoiler: with the latter story revealing that he had been thrust into Limbo]] before he somehow disappears prior to ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''.
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* ActionSurvivor: Had to go through ''1000'' rounds in Limbo as himself and not Fourze...but unlike the Crusaders, he eventually did break down and almost let himself drown in the waters of Limbo, were it not for these fillies fishing him out.
* AffectionateNickname: Well, not affectionate but Akato likes to call him "Shell".
* AllLovingHero: Name a ''Kamen Rider'' who would ''befriend the BigBad of his show'' or the guy who downright murdered him. [[spoiler: After returning as himself, he tried to befriend ''Akato and Rudolf Dragnov'' despite the two being assholes.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: In the final story, [[spoiler:just as it seems that the CMC will have to destroy Limbo at a moral quandary, all while the White and Akato are taunting them, Fourze appears to save them. While he's unable to stop Rudolf Dragnov from completely warping Limbo and transforming the Crusaders into Wyrms, he DOES succeed in undoing the transformation by reminding the CMC [[IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight about who they are]], and drives Rudolf out of the Pantheon.]]
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: The brooding one compared to Elena's gentle girl by the time ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' takes place. Justified in that he's gone through a ''lot'' in this story arc, [[spoiler:and spending time in Limbo ''literally'' ate away at his heart]]. Otherwise, they're normally equal gentle and nice.
* CorruptTheCutie: [[spoiler: Unknown to him, when he was first hit with despair, the darkness was able to worm his way into his heart. Even after the CMC got him out, it just bided its time and slowly ate away at his mind and soul in an attempt to possess him.]]
* DeathOfPersonality: [[spoiler:What could end up happening to him if Sota/The Slasher doesn't merge back into him while also exorcising the Darkness present in his body.]]
* DespairEventHorizon: He crossed this after a thousand rounds in Limbo and it gets worse from there.
* {{Determinator}}: Spent 10 days/1000 rounds in Limbo before it broke him.
* DidNotGetTheGirl: [[spoiler: He and Elena never get any closer after everything they went through, with the last scene of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' having Elena leaving the Pantheon to spend the holidays with her family all while Gentaro can't help but shed a few tears before moving on.]]
* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler:Gentaro, you idiot. Before attempting an overly complex plan, at least try ''warning'' people about it! Then you wouldn't have to deal with the CMC going insane. Although this is justified in that the darkness was influencing him at the time.]]
** DumbassHasAPoint: [[spoiler: When he gets asked of the above, he replies:]]
-->'''Gentaro:''' All right, raise your hands to this question: If I were to tell you this entire situation, that ''Limbo'', a land where only me and three little ponies traversed into six months ago, was going to rear its ugly head in the Pantheon...would ''any of you'' have '''believed me?!'''
-->''(cue no one raising their hands and looking guilty)''
-->'''Gentaro:''' Thought so.
* DramaPreservingHandicap: [[spoiler:Because a piece of Limbo's darkness is stuck in his soul and literally fusing negative emotions into him, he can't access the Fourze Driver (which is currently in the hands of Sota and runs on ThePowerOfFriendship, but even that is depleting). If he could, he would've likely been able to cut the story's run-time in half and stand toe-to-toe with Akato in their first encounter (who was even ''considering'' removing that darkness in him before deciding that it would derail his own plans).]]
* DuelsDecideEverything: [[spoiler:His final battle with Rudolf as Fourze is an [[Anime/YuGiOhArcV Action Duel]] so that both he and Rudolf can fight at their respective full potentials, and also because Rudolf needs Fourze's soul to stabilize his newly created dimension, and so must do so via a duel]].
* EmptyShell: [[spoiler: As Mala Suerte, he slowly becomes the exact ''opposite'' of himself due to the dark shard in his heart. Akato even calls him a "Shell" because of it.]]
* FeelsNoPain: A side-effect of entering Limbo is that he shrugs off any and all attacks on him. It's actually due to his nerves being numbed to the point that he can't even tell that [[spoiler: Elena is ''strangling him to death'' to prevent him from killing her.]]
* {{Foil}}: In regards to what happened to the CMC, he's Gangrel's. In particular, the Crusaders played important roles in their lives (they saved Gentaro from drowning in ''The Friendship Asylum'' and became a good friend to the vampire wrestler) but when push comes to shove after the Crusaders went into Limbo, it's Gangrel who goes to rescue them while Gentaro [[spoiler: got them dragged them into Limbo in the first place. However, Gangrel was the one who inadvertedly got them trapped but Gentaro is the one who rescues them in the end.]]
* FusionDance: [[spoiler: What happens to him when his two personalities -- Mala Suerte and Sota -- reunite as him, not to mention that he has a Masked HERO deck.]]
* GroundhogDayLoop: Was sent into Limbo and went through 1000 rounds non-stop in the first two stories.
* HesBack: [[spoiler:In the final story, after being freed from the Darkness and having Sota (the embodiment of his goodness) re-integrate into himself, he transforms into Fourze and swears to save the CMC, asking everyone for their help.]]
* HeroicResolve: [[spoiler:After being constantly thrown into terrible situations...he learns that the CMC and several other gods are still stuck in Limbo. Almost immediately, he turns into Fourze, and leads a new effort to rescue them.]].
* IdiotHero: Eeeyup, although in his show he's actually TooDumbToFool and BookDumb and becomes a teacher in the future.
* IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight: [[spoiler:He tries to get through to the Crusaders after Rudolf transforms them into monstrous Wyrms, by reminding them of everyone waiting for them, and not to give into despair, stating that he wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for the trio saving him the last time. He even weathers and takes their attacks (''as Gentaro Kisaragi'' not as Fourze), until he finally gets to them.]]
* ImHavingSoulPains: [[spoiler: Due to the darkness eating away at his soul in the final story, he honestly feels like someone is stabbing a knife to his heart.]]
* InNameOnly: [[spoiler:What happens to him in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''. Because of the Darkness taking root into his soul, thus causing the creation of Sota, who is also a partial creation of Limbo and embodies what is left of Gentaro's goodness, Gentaro...quite simply put, '''does not act like Gentaro''', to the point where he could easily be substituted with another character. Akato himself notes that unless Sota can be re-integrated into Mala Suerte, while at the same time ejecting the Darkness present in both of them, then Gentaro Kisaragi himself will ''cease to exist entirely''.]]
* {{Irony}}:
** The God of ThePowerOfFriendship ''never'' fully utilizes this in the trilogy [[spoiler:until the end]]. Justified in the first two as he was stuck in Limbo, but the third one has him [[spoiler: only confessing his plans to his closest friends (The Kamen Rider Club and Ryusei) with everything else relying on BROKEN Matt's premonition, a few wrestlers in it for varying reasons and anyone ''else'' involved aren't doing it because of Gentaro's friendship but more personal reasons. Justified in that the darkness within Limbo planted itself into his soul, thus making him unable to use it.]]
** Also, Akato is shown to have a dislike for Yuma Tsukumo but considers Gentaro a WorthyOpponent...but as it's revealed on the ''Kamen Rider Fourze'' character page, Gentaro actually shares ''many'' traits with the DumbIsGood duelist.
* LiteralSplitPersonality: [[spoiler: Mala Suerte and The Slasher/Sota are essentially two parts of him but in a negative way; Mala Suerte is the cynicism that he obtained from how he attracts bad luck to himself and his friends, and Sota is his optimism, albeit twisted alongside his lingering feelings with Elena, whom he wants to be with despite shit hitting the fan.]]
* MeaningfulRename: [[spoiler: He gives himself the name "Mala Suerte" (Bad Luck) because he's been attracting nothing but trouble with this entire project and there's nothing as unlucky then being sent to a hellish world.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Has this reaction in the final story when [[spoiler: he realizes that he has just dragged the CMC into Limbo again and was close to killing Elena when he's freed from the darkness that was corrupting his soul.]]
* OfficialCouple: With Elena in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''. [[spoiler: Until the end, when they split up after the events have proven too taxing and they're aren't really romantically compatible.]]
** BetterAsFriends: In the end, the two are just happy that they can still be friends.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: He's normally very friendly to people he meets--he befriended the ''BigBad'' of his show (who killed his best friend, although Kengo got better). This entire arc tests him...[[spoiler: culminating in him facing Akato, who is ''deliberately'' pushing the guy's buttons]].
** As a whole, his role in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' reeks of this, to the point where he seems less like Gentaro and more like some guy who looks like him. He seems sullen at times and is more easily angered, neither of which are traits normal to him. [[spoiler:This is because of the effects of Limbo eating at his mind. After the piece of The Darkness that was implanted in him is removed and Sota re-integrates with him, he returns to his normal self.]]
* ThePowerOfFriendship: He's the god of this trope and utilizes it in the final story [[spoiler: in order for him to create a portal into Limbo with the Cosmic Switch--the Astroswitch that symbolizes the bonds he has with everyone he's befriended--in order to rescue the CMC.]]
* PresentAbsence: Is mentioned throughout the trilogy but doesn't appear until the second half of ''The Friendship Asylum''. In ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'', it's said that he had gone missing two months prior to the story (as confirmed in ''Diamond Adventure! The Dark Mystery'')[[note]]TDAM takes place in December, DA takes place during Halloween[[/note]] before revealing that [[spoiler: he was in Limbo (somewhat), doing investigation for BROKEN Matt's premonition.]]
* SinisterScythe: [[spoiler: Wields one as Mala Suerte.]]
* TookALevelInJerkass: To a minor degree. [[spoiler: By the time he returns in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'', instead of telling gods to stop harassing Gangrel--who inadvertently caused practically ever member of the Limbo rescue teams to be thrown back to the Pantheon--he instead tells them to do with him as they want, because the wrestler just screwed up a ''major'' operation and that the darkness is more important than getting gods to calm down. He also sarcastically asks various gods if they would've believed him if he had told them that Limbo was going to rear its ugly head and was ''this'' close to killing Elena in Act IV. This is later revealed to all be due to an effect of Limbo, which can eat away at a person's heart]].
* TranquilFury: [[spoiler: As Mala Suerte, when Akato mentions how he ''replicated the atomic bombing of Nagasaki'', he answers...]]
-->[[PunctuatedForEmphasis "Take. That. BACK!"]]
* TraumaCongaLine: As one of the focus characters in the story, this is a given.
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets a ''lot'' of flack in the final story. To note: [[spoiler: he deliberately teamed with BROKEN Matt to send the CMC to Limbo and got his friends to aid in his plan. In his defense, he was corrupted by the darkness within Limbo and he makes amends when he is purified.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Elena]]
!!Elena/[[spoiler:Saltador]] (Street Fighter)
The Kenyan Street Fighter who wishes to befriend everyone and explore the world. She has feelings for Gentaro which becomes integral throughout the story.
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* BarrierWarrior: [[spoiler: As Saltador, she fights by forming these. These result in her tying with a demon lord.]]
* BeatTheCurseOutOfHim: [[spoiler: Has to ''punch Gentaro''--remember she uses capoeira--in order to get the darkness out of his soul.]]
* BerserkButton: Hates the Friendship Asylum and every single god involved with it. [[spoiler: And may God help you if you make ''Gentaro'' evil in front of her.]]
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: The gentle girl in the relationship with Gentaro [[spoiler:due to his soul getting infected by the Darkness and then split apart. Otherwise, they're both equally perky]].
* BlessedWithSuck: Her ability to hear the wind and speak to trees. It's okay in the Pantheon since there are gods who are friendly with her...[[spoiler: not so much in Limbo where all she can hear is the despair of souls who have died/begging to die. In fact, her first few days as Saltador had her nearly succumb to the despair if Gentaro didn't help her.]]
* ClosestThingWeGot: [[spoiler: Her pure heart makes her the best candidate for Lady Imagica to give the last of her power to her, and she uses the bonds Gentaro has made with his friends to create Gentaro's deck for his Action Duel against Rudolf. Or, as London states, she's the White Rabbit's Vessel.]]
* DramaPreservingHandicap: Her depression is what prevents her from noticing that [[spoiler: Gentaro is being influenced by the darkness implanted in his heart as she has abilities to detect evil in someone.]]
* TheImmune: She's unaffected by Limbo's effects on sanity and personality because of her strong heart.
** IncorruptiblePurePureness: [[spoiler: She spent two months in Limbo with Gentaro and not ''once'' was she corrupted. Not only is this a CallBack to ''Ultra Street Fighter IV''--where Gouken states she has zero evil in her attacks.]]
* InTheHood: [[spoiler:As Saltador, she usually wears a white hooded jacket. WordOfGod is that it's a birthday present from Gentaro (She's born in September).]]
* {{Irony}}: Despite her credibility as a fighter, she doesn't fight at all in the first two stories. Justified in that she's going through a ''lot'' of trauma from Gentaro's disappearance.
* LastKiss: [[spoiler: Places one on Gentaro's cheek in the epilogue of the final story, just before she leaves the Pantheon to celebrate Christmas with her family. It's this act that causes Gentaro to cry after everything he went through.]]
* LightIsGood: She's sweet, bubbly, cheerful, can heal herself, loves making friends, her ''name'' means "Light" in Spanish...
* MindRape: Goes through this in the final story when [[spoiler: she learns that being in Limbo gives her TouchTelepathy and she is being harassed by various circus freaks and can see into their memories as to how they became that way. And to her, it actually feels like she ''is'' being raped by them.]]
* OfficialCouple: With Gentaro as revealed in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''. [[spoiler: They split up due to not really being romantically compatible]].
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Elena depressed is already a very bad sign. [[spoiler: Elena angry and punching people--when she's well known for capoeria, using only her feet--when Gentaro is possessed by the darkness and tries to kill her]] is the point where she breaks.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: Like Gentaro, she loves meeting new people and befriending them. [[spoiler: This aspect causes her to search out everyone who's still alive after the flood of darkness/Oblivion Wing attack and ask them to send their wishes for Gentaro and the Crusaders to give Gentaro his deck against Rudolf.]]
* RageBreakingPoint: After two stories of angst, holed up in her room, accidentally causing the berserk rage of the Iron Giant, [[spoiler: spending ''two months'' in a fullbody chess outfit and dealing with the winds and trees screaming for someone to save them]], what makes this sweet girl snap? [[spoiler: The darkness in Limbo possessing Gentaro, the boy that she has fallen in love with, the same boy that caused her HeroicBSOD for ''two stories'' and has been the one supporting her throughout their trek in Limbo, with the command to kill her.]] Needless to say, she ends up screaming in a berserker rage before ''punching anyone and anything'' she can.
* TheScream: Unleashes this in her RageBreakingPoint and it is '''not''' a pretty site.
* [[HesBack She's Back]]: Broken in ''Muse Hysteria'' and ''The Friendship Asylum'', kicks ass in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''
* StepfordSmiler: If she's smiling, it's either because she's just her usual self, or she's trying to hide all of the ''angst'' that's hit her and Gentaro.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Being in Limbo boosts her spiritual abilities, to the point that she can ''tie'' with Akato, a '''demon lord''' who also gained a power boost from Limbo and who absorbed an enormous number of souls in his world.]]
* WhiteMagicianGirl: Sweet, bubbly, wears white, can heal people with her spiritual abilities? She fits this trope and more [[spoiler: and uses her spiritual abilities to unite all of the bonds Gentaro has made to strengthen him after he tanked the attacks from the Wyrm-ified CMC.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Cutie Mark Crusaders]]
!!The Cutie Mark Crusaders (Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, [My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic])
An adorable trio of ponies who wish to find their Cutie Marks. While originally having no important role in the first two stories, they're the center of attention in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' since their roles there are central to the plot.
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* ActionSurvivor: In ''The Friendship Asylum'' seeing as they went through the hellish world of Limbo 400 times without giving up. WordOfGod is that the SaveScumming nature of Limbo is what caused the girls to become much stronger than they would be in their normal world. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, this caught the eyes of a certain sorcerer with a dragon motif.]]
* AmazonBrigade: A trio of ponies vs the dark world of Limbo, folks. [[spoiler:And later as Wyrms under Rudolf Dragnov's control.]]
* AscendedExtra: From little girls stuck in Limbo in the first two tales to the heroines of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''.
* BadassAdorable: They're adorable candy colored baby horses who can mow down the monsters in Limbo with ease, and are proficient with guns that they have some high scores at [=CarnEvil=].
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: They're the youngest of the Prophecy gods (not counting Absol) and youngest protagonists (barring Yui) of the trilogy.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The Crusaders were in pursuit of their Cutie Marks, and their purpose. What happens now? This gets sent to the House of Prophecy...the most isolated House in the Pantheon, situated in a high mountain range, and their role is helping others with career paths, not grand or epic prophecies and without anyone their age group to play with.
* BerserkButton:
** There are two things they hate most of all: Limbo and Akato Honouzuki. The former is because of the pain and anguish they went through in trying to escape that place. The latter? He's an evil monster who [[spoiler:killed the residents of Limbo and drove the Crusaders themselves insane.]]
** Also, don't make fun of their friends. When Yugi started talking smack at Gangrel in the second tale, they tell the boy to shut up in retaliation. [[spoiler: This is flipped in the final story; all of the anger and hatred that they went through causes them to lash out at him because after all, ''he'' was the one who told them to stay in their temple in the first story and ''he'' was the one that got them trapped in Limbo just when they were about to be freed.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: They save their vampire friends in ''The Friendship Asylum'' via Scootaloo running zombies down with her scooter, Sweetie Belle throwing stuff at them, and Apple Bloom ''concocting a Molotov cocktail'' with 'Grel's alcohol collection strong enough to destroy the temple. Then, they go and stop Jason Brody long enough for Belial and Nebiros to skewer him, thus saving his soul from corruption.
* CasualDangerDialogue: Upon dueling Akato and seeing his Field Spell, the Crusaders compare it to Terra Cruentus and gush over the Scare Zones they went through during Halloween.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Apple Bloom uses Vampires in her deck, but she's an adorable little filly who wouldn't hurt a fly...initially.
* DesignatedVictim: If you want to show how evil you are, hurt this trio. Ranging from Yugi Muto to BROKEN Matt to ''The White'' to [[spoiler:Rudolf Dragnov]], these girls are essentially the target for most of the trilogy.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Once Rudolf seals them into an Arc Area Reactor, they finally embrace all of the pain and suffering they've gone through, transforming into monstrous Wyrms that Rudolf plans to add to his army of dragons.]]
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Their goal prior to their descent into Limbo was finding their Cutie Marks. They later find their Cutie Marks when it's revealed that they're good in helping ''others'' find their purpose.
* {{Determinator}}: You have to be determined to survive 400 rounds in Limbo, after all.
* ExperiencedProtagonist: They have already ventured through Limbo in the past, so they're ready for any and all things that come their way when ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' starts. [[spoiler: Or at least, that's what they believe.]]
* {{Foil}}: ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' makes them this to Madoka Kaname. They're quasideities finding their destiny compared to Madoka's Overdeity status with a seat in the Main House who knows what he wants to do. They get targeted by a god for different reasons (Homura sealed her powers [[WellIntentionedExtremist thinking it would protect Madoka]], Yugi sent the Crusaders to Limbo [[ForTheEvulz because he was evil]]), and they are the target for a maniacal figure's wrath (YHVH for Madoka and the Darkness within Limbo for the CMC). But while Madoka ends up stuck in a position where she can't even ''attempt'' to change her fate despite her protests (Justified due to the sudden loss of her powers and being a major target for some of the Pantheon's strongest forces), the Crusaders are stuck in a position where they have no choice, ''but'' to actively fight back or die. [[spoiler:Later on, the trauma of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' basically benches them from future Tales, while Madoka becomes determined to start doing something about her position, as detailed in the Year 2 story ''Lines of Chaos''.]]
* HarmfulToMinors: Oh yeah, [[spoiler: from having to go through Limbo 400 times, learning that they were sent again to be used as an offering, to having to defeat the BigBad by nearly detonating an entire universe before getting turned into Wyrms by an EvilSorcerer?]] Amazing how these girls end up sane in the end.
** InnocenceLost: This entire arc has made them realize that life isn't all happiness and sunshine, with the tipping point being their duel against Akato. After that, there is ''nothing'' innocent about them anymore.
* HiddenDepths: While they don't want to engage in dueling (as it's what caused the trip to Limbo in the first place), Apple Bloom uses Vampires, Sweetie Belle has tellarknights and Scootaloo weaponizes F.A. monsters. Doesn't do a thing to Akato.
* HumanityEnsues: [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Only in an illusion]] involving a mysterious woman, who turns them into their Equestria Girl forms...and proceeds to use a large number of [[CombatTentacles tentacles on them]].]]
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Gangrel and Luna Vachon, both of them who are in their late 40's/50s ('Grel is 49 as of this writing, and if Luna was still alive today she would be ''56'').
** OddFriendship: A friendship between three candy-colored baby horses and AmicableExes vampire wrestlers. Many gods honestly don't know what to say about it.
* {{Irony}}: The girls are rambunctious and get into lots of trouble. But the ONE TIME they decide to listen to Gangrel and stay in their temple, it lands them in Limbo.
** They're goddesses in the House of Prophecy, yet they can't see just what they were going to get themselves into. Justified; their specialty is helping find out what gods want to do as careers and identities, ''not'' seeing into the future.
* KidHero: THE most prominent ones in the entire trilogy (which is saying something).
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Congratulations you three, you have saved the Pantheon! [[spoiler:Except not really. In reality, they just gave Rudolf Dragnov a new kind of dragon to experiment on. '''Them.''']]
* NightmareFetishist: If we have Gangrel's word to go by, the three spent their time inbetween the second and third stories going through [=CarnEvil=] and they love horror movie marathons and [[Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights exploring Scare Zones]]. WordOfGod has stated that their love of nightmarish things are both from their time being babysat by the vampire wrestlers and as a coping mechanism for all of the shit they went through. [[spoiler:Akato using his Anarchy Agent - Mirage Fatale to show them a vision of his boss getting her hands on them changes it from coping mechanism to a mark of insanity]]. By the time they enter the Nightmare Mirror Circus in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'', they are in awe of the performers (who they think are just wearing elaborate makeup and costumes) and when it turns into a massacre, they just find it way too much fun to just shoot/burn/freeze/electrocute/dismember everyone as if it's just a game (and also because they just want out of Limbo ASAP). [[spoiler:It also causes them to accept turning into Wyrms, becoming fascinated by the idea.]]
** When Akato first appears, they ask him questions about himself...and then their opinion of him changes when they learned he committed genocide.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: They survived ''400'' rounds of Limbo inbetween being sent there in ''Muse Hysteria'' and returning halfway into ''The Friendship Asylum'' without signs of cracking.
* PresentAbsence: Are mentioned a few times in ''The Friendship Asylum'' before their BigDamnHeroes moment where they return to save their friends from a zombie attack and stop Jason Brody from killing everyone.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:The trauma they went through basically benches them from participating in Year Two although they do get referenced.]]
* SanitySlippage: Going through 400 rounds of Limbo made them a little...off, as Gangrel notes. ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' has them fighting off the residents of Limbo, Akato, nearly massacring misguided circus freaks, learn that they were about to be a ''sacrifice'' for the Core of Limbo in a prophecy concocted by two of the nicest gods out there, have The White try to blame them for not sacrificing themselves, run a gauntlet to get to the PWF where the darkness is now taking hold and then '''nearly let Limbo combust'' in order to stop it from destroying everyone anymore, and just when Fourze arrives to save them, [[spoiler:Rudolf Dragnov seals them into an Arc Area Reactor, completely driving them insane and turning them into his draconic servants to fight Fourze]]. Really, just ''how'' do these girls manage to stay calm when everything else collapses all around them?!
* TheScream: The three unleash this at the end of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' where [[spoiler: they light up the Get Well Soon flowers, cards and gifts delivered to them while they recovered from all of the trauma they just went through.]] Eventually devolves into them crying and everyone present giving them a much-needed hug. Fittingly, the chapter when this happens is called "It's All Over But the Crying".
* SkywardScream: They did this a couple of times in Limbo after realizing that they were stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: By being sent to Limbo in ''Muse Hysteria'', they saved Gentaro from falling into despair, thus getting Gentaro back to stop his EvilCounterpart and save the Pantheon before the asylum pulled a ResetButton in the second story. Unfortunately, their trip is what causes a lot of trouble in the third story; the darkness has gotten intrigued with this trio and are the focus of ''The White''. Not expecting this from a bunch of baby horses, huh?
* SpeakInUnison: [[spoiler: In the final chapter, they speak like this as a sign that they have ''cracked''.]]
* TraumaCongaLine: This trilogy is not kind to these girls at ''all''. If you drank to every single bad thing they go through, you'd be drunk before you got to the final act of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''.
[[/folder]]
!Tropes that apply to all of them.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: They may be sweet and kind, but they will show no mercy when push comes to shove.
** Elena is sweet, friendly, and just wants to see the world (and get together with Gentaro). [[spoiler: When the darkness within Limbo tried to have Gentaro kill her, she DOES NOT hold back, has to physically ''strangle him'' to stop attacking her and unleashes her spiritual magic to blast the darkness out.]]
** The CMC: All they want to do is help others find their purpose, but will kill zombies and unleash a tongue lashing at those who insult their friends. [[spoiler: They also won't hesitate to unleash fire to a tent filled with circus freaks after being driven insane by Akato, nor hesitate to try to kill Fourze after Rudolf transforms them into giant Wyrms.]]
* BreakTheCutie: All of them bare many emotional scars from the trilogy.
** Gentaro: The boy essentially found a world where he died and was resurrected into a heartless monster, [[spoiler:then thanks to the Pantheon not being able to handle discrepancies in the rules of the universes that contribute to it,]] gets dragged into dimension where he's broken again and again and then "killed" by Queen Chrysalis so she can absorb the love he has for his friends, he tries to calm a sobbing Alice down but gets skewered from her ''Die For Me!!'' attacks, gets his soul thrust into Limbo where he spends 10 days/1000 rounds going through its landscape before being rescued and then has to immediately fight his counterpart, who is also the BigBad of ''The Friendship Asylum'' story. Then, just as he can finally settle down and be with Elena, it's revealed that Limbo is rearing its ugly head when he goes to stop it, it causes more and ''more'' trauma to the gods actively searching for him...and it's then revealed that [[spoiler:the Darkness planted a piece of itself within him to suck out his positive emotions, forming Sota and will make him eventually fade away and classify himself as obsolete if it doesn't get out. [[HesBack Once it's purged, he springs into action once again]].]]
** Elena: Sees the boy she loves be plunged into Limbo by his alternate counterpart, is shut in her temple throughout the entirety of ''Muse Hysteria'' and when she arrives in ''The Friendship Asylum'' it's only to [[spoiler: accidentally trigger the Iron Giant's wrath.]] She gets better once Gentaro returns, until the final story when [[spoiler: she's stuck in Limbo with Gentaro for investigation work and meets with Akato and the fourth act has her nearly killed by a darkness-possessed Gentaro. The end of the story has the two deciding that, for all their best efforts, not to go beyond being friends and her returning home to spend Christmas with her family.]]
** The Cutie Mark Crusaders: Going through Limbo 400 times throughout the first two stories and then going through a ''humongous'' TraumaCongaLine in the final story that culminates with them [[spoiler: going insane, transformed into Wyrms (although Fourze saves them) and then screaming in agony in the mountains while their friends and loved ones look on.]]
* NiceGuy: All of them are sweet and friendly. Gentaro and Elena want to befriend everyone (and are two of the founders for the "Avatars of Friendship") while the Cutie Mark Crusaders wish to help others find their purpose.
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Gentaro Kisaragi/Kamen Rider Fourze]]
!!Gentaro Kisaragi/Kamen Rider Fourze ([[spoiler:Mala Suerte]])
A god of friendship whose "death" sparks the entire trilogy. Was gone missing in ''Muse Hysteria'' and most of ''The Friendship Asylum'' [[spoiler: with the latter story revealing that he had been thrust into Limbo]] before he somehow disappears prior to ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''.
----
* ActionSurvivor: Had to go through ''1000'' rounds in Limbo as himself and not Fourze...but unlike the Crusaders, he eventually did break down and almost let himself drown in the waters of Limbo, were it not for these fillies fishing him out.
* AffectionateNickname: Well, not affectionate but Akato likes to call him "Shell".
* AllLovingHero: Name a ''Kamen Rider'' who would ''befriend the BigBad of his show'' or the guy who downright murdered him. [[spoiler: After returning as himself, he tried to befriend ''Akato and Rudolf Dragnov'' despite the two being assholes.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: In the final story, [[spoiler:just as it seems that the CMC will have to destroy Limbo at a moral quandary, all while the White and Akato are taunting them, Fourze appears to save them. While he's unable to stop Rudolf Dragnov from completely warping Limbo and transforming the Crusaders into Wyrms, he DOES succeed in undoing the transformation by reminding the CMC [[IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight about who they are]], and drives Rudolf out of the Pantheon.]]
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: The brooding one compared to Elena's gentle girl by the time ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' takes place. Justified in that he's gone through a ''lot'' in this story arc, [[spoiler:and spending time in Limbo ''literally'' ate away at his heart]]. Otherwise, they're normally equal gentle and nice.
* CorruptTheCutie: [[spoiler: Unknown to him, when he was first hit with despair, the darkness was able to worm his way into his heart. Even after the CMC got him out, it just bided its time and slowly ate away at his mind and soul in an attempt to possess him.]]
* DeathOfPersonality: [[spoiler:What could end up happening to him if Sota/The Slasher doesn't merge back into him while also exorcising the Darkness present in his body.]]
* DespairEventHorizon: He crossed this after a thousand rounds in Limbo and it gets worse from there.
* {{Determinator}}: Spent 10 days/1000 rounds in Limbo before it broke him.
* DidNotGetTheGirl: [[spoiler: He and Elena never get any closer after everything they went through, with the last scene of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' having Elena leaving the Pantheon to spend the holidays with her family all while Gentaro can't help but shed a few tears before moving on.]]
* DidntThinkThisThrough: [[spoiler:Gentaro, you idiot. Before attempting an overly complex plan, at least try ''warning'' people about it! Then you wouldn't have to deal with the CMC going insane. Although this is justified in that the darkness was influencing him at the time.]]
** DumbassHasAPoint: [[spoiler: When he gets asked of the above, he replies:]]
-->'''Gentaro:''' All right, raise your hands to this question: If I were to tell you this entire situation, that ''Limbo'', a land where only me and three little ponies traversed into six months ago, was going to rear its ugly head in the Pantheon...would ''any of you'' have '''believed me?!'''
-->''(cue no one raising their hands and looking guilty)''
-->'''Gentaro:''' Thought so.
* DramaPreservingHandicap: [[spoiler:Because a piece of Limbo's darkness is stuck in his soul and literally fusing negative emotions into him, he can't access the Fourze Driver (which is currently in the hands of Sota and runs on ThePowerOfFriendship, but even that is depleting). If he could, he would've likely been able to cut the story's run-time in half and stand toe-to-toe with Akato in their first encounter (who was even ''considering'' removing that darkness in him before deciding that it would derail his own plans).]]
* DuelsDecideEverything: [[spoiler:His final battle with Rudolf as Fourze is an [[Anime/YuGiOhArcV Action Duel]] so that both he and Rudolf can fight at their respective full potentials, and also because Rudolf needs Fourze's soul to stabilize his newly created dimension, and so must do so via a duel]].
* EmptyShell: [[spoiler: As Mala Suerte, he slowly becomes the exact ''opposite'' of himself due to the dark shard in his heart. Akato even calls him a "Shell" because of it.]]
* FeelsNoPain: A side-effect of entering Limbo is that he shrugs off any and all attacks on him. It's actually due to his nerves being numbed to the point that he can't even tell that [[spoiler: Elena is ''strangling him to death'' to prevent him from killing her.]]
* {{Foil}}: In regards to what happened to the CMC, he's Gangrel's. In particular, the Crusaders played important roles in their lives (they saved Gentaro from drowning in ''The Friendship Asylum'' and became a good friend to the vampire wrestler) but when push comes to shove after the Crusaders went into Limbo, it's Gangrel who goes to rescue them while Gentaro [[spoiler: got them dragged them into Limbo in the first place. However, Gangrel was the one who inadvertedly got them trapped but Gentaro is the one who rescues them in the end.]]
* FusionDance: [[spoiler: What happens to him when his two personalities -- Mala Suerte and Sota -- reunite as him, not to mention that he has a Masked HERO deck.]]
* GroundhogDayLoop: Was sent into Limbo and went through 1000 rounds non-stop in the first two stories.
* HesBack: [[spoiler:In the final story, after being freed from the Darkness and having Sota (the embodiment of his goodness) re-integrate into himself, he transforms into Fourze and swears to save the CMC, asking everyone for their help.]]
* HeroicResolve: [[spoiler:After being constantly thrown into terrible situations...he learns that the CMC and several other gods are still stuck in Limbo. Almost immediately, he turns into Fourze, and leads a new effort to rescue them.]].
* IdiotHero: Eeeyup, although in his show he's actually TooDumbToFool and BookDumb and becomes a teacher in the future.
* IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight: [[spoiler:He tries to get through to the Crusaders after Rudolf transforms them into monstrous Wyrms, by reminding them of everyone waiting for them, and not to give into despair, stating that he wouldn't be here right now if it wasn't for the trio saving him the last time. He even weathers and takes their attacks (''as Gentaro Kisaragi'' not as Fourze), until he finally gets to them.]]
* ImHavingSoulPains: [[spoiler: Due to the darkness eating away at his soul in the final story, he honestly feels like someone is stabbing a knife to his heart.]]
* InNameOnly: [[spoiler:What happens to him in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''. Because of the Darkness taking root into his soul, thus causing the creation of Sota, who is also a partial creation of Limbo and embodies what is left of Gentaro's goodness, Gentaro...quite simply put, '''does not act like Gentaro''', to the point where he could easily be substituted with another character. Akato himself notes that unless Sota can be re-integrated into Mala Suerte, while at the same time ejecting the Darkness present in both of them, then Gentaro Kisaragi himself will ''cease to exist entirely''.]]
* {{Irony}}:
** The God of ThePowerOfFriendship ''never'' fully utilizes this in the trilogy [[spoiler:until the end]]. Justified in the first two as he was stuck in Limbo, but the third one has him [[spoiler: only confessing his plans to his closest friends (The Kamen Rider Club and Ryusei) with everything else relying on BROKEN Matt's premonition, a few wrestlers in it for varying reasons and anyone ''else'' involved aren't doing it because of Gentaro's friendship but more personal reasons. Justified in that the darkness within Limbo planted itself into his soul, thus making him unable to use it.]]
** Also, Akato is shown to have a dislike for Yuma Tsukumo but considers Gentaro a WorthyOpponent...but as it's revealed on the ''Kamen Rider Fourze'' character page, Gentaro actually shares ''many'' traits with the DumbIsGood duelist.
* LiteralSplitPersonality: [[spoiler: Mala Suerte and The Slasher/Sota are essentially two parts of him but in a negative way; Mala Suerte is the cynicism that he obtained from how he attracts bad luck to himself and his friends, and Sota is his optimism, albeit twisted alongside his lingering feelings with Elena, whom he wants to be with despite shit hitting the fan.]]
* MeaningfulRename: [[spoiler: He gives himself the name "Mala Suerte" (Bad Luck) because he's been attracting nothing but trouble with this entire project and there's nothing as unlucky then being sent to a hellish world.]]
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Has this reaction in the final story when [[spoiler: he realizes that he has just dragged the CMC into Limbo again and was close to killing Elena when he's freed from the darkness that was corrupting his soul.]]
* OfficialCouple: With Elena in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''. [[spoiler: Until the end, when they split up after the events have proven too taxing and they're aren't really romantically compatible.]]
** BetterAsFriends: In the end, the two are just happy that they can still be friends.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: He's normally very friendly to people he meets--he befriended the ''BigBad'' of his show (who killed his best friend, although Kengo got better). This entire arc tests him...[[spoiler: culminating in him facing Akato, who is ''deliberately'' pushing the guy's buttons]].
** As a whole, his role in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' reeks of this, to the point where he seems less like Gentaro and more like some guy who looks like him. He seems sullen at times and is more easily angered, neither of which are traits normal to him. [[spoiler:This is because of the effects of Limbo eating at his mind. After the piece of The Darkness that was implanted in him is removed and Sota re-integrates with him, he returns to his normal self.]]
* ThePowerOfFriendship: He's the god of this trope and utilizes it in the final story [[spoiler: in order for him to create a portal into Limbo with the Cosmic Switch--the Astroswitch that symbolizes the bonds he has with everyone he's befriended--in order to rescue the CMC.]]
* PresentAbsence: Is mentioned throughout the trilogy but doesn't appear until the second half of ''The Friendship Asylum''. In ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'', it's said that he had gone missing two months prior to the story (as confirmed in ''Diamond Adventure! The Dark Mystery'')[[note]]TDAM takes place in December, DA takes place during Halloween[[/note]] before revealing that [[spoiler: he was in Limbo (somewhat), doing investigation for BROKEN Matt's premonition.]]
* SinisterScythe: [[spoiler: Wields one as Mala Suerte.]]
* TookALevelInJerkass: To a minor degree. [[spoiler: By the time he returns in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'', instead of telling gods to stop harassing Gangrel--who inadvertently caused practically ever member of the Limbo rescue teams to be thrown back to the Pantheon--he instead tells them to do with him as they want, because the wrestler just screwed up a ''major'' operation and that the darkness is more important than getting gods to calm down. He also sarcastically asks various gods if they would've believed him if he had told them that Limbo was going to rear its ugly head and was ''this'' close to killing Elena in Act IV. This is later revealed to all be due to an effect of Limbo, which can eat away at a person's heart]].
* TranquilFury: [[spoiler: As Mala Suerte, when Akato mentions how he ''replicated the atomic bombing of Nagasaki'', he answers...]]
-->[[PunctuatedForEmphasis "Take. That. BACK!"]]
* TraumaCongaLine: As one of the focus characters in the story, this is a given.
* WhatTheHellHero: Gets a ''lot'' of flack in the final story. To note: [[spoiler: he deliberately teamed with BROKEN Matt to send the CMC to Limbo and got his friends to aid in his plan. In his defense, he was corrupted by the darkness within Limbo and he makes amends when he is purified.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Elena]]
!!Elena/[[spoiler:Saltador]] (Street Fighter)
The Kenyan Street Fighter who wishes to befriend everyone and explore the world. She has feelings for Gentaro which becomes integral throughout the story.
----
* BarrierWarrior: [[spoiler: As Saltador, she fights by forming these. These result in her tying with a demon lord.]]
* BeatTheCurseOutOfHim: [[spoiler: Has to ''punch Gentaro''--remember she uses capoeira--in order to get the darkness out of his soul.]]
* BerserkButton: Hates the Friendship Asylum and every single god involved with it. [[spoiler: And may God help you if you make ''Gentaro'' evil in front of her.]]
* BroodingBoyGentleGirl: The gentle girl in the relationship with Gentaro [[spoiler:due to his soul getting infected by the Darkness and then split apart. Otherwise, they're both equally perky]].
* BlessedWithSuck: Her ability to hear the wind and speak to trees. It's okay in the Pantheon since there are gods who are friendly with her...[[spoiler: not so much in Limbo where all she can hear is the despair of souls who have died/begging to die. In fact, her first few days as Saltador had her nearly succumb to the despair if Gentaro didn't help her.]]
* ClosestThingWeGot: [[spoiler: Her pure heart makes her the best candidate for Lady Imagica to give the last of her power to her, and she uses the bonds Gentaro has made with his friends to create Gentaro's deck for his Action Duel against Rudolf. Or, as London states, she's the White Rabbit's Vessel.]]
* DramaPreservingHandicap: Her depression is what prevents her from noticing that [[spoiler: Gentaro is being influenced by the darkness implanted in his heart as she has abilities to detect evil in someone.]]
* TheImmune: She's unaffected by Limbo's effects on sanity and personality because of her strong heart.
** IncorruptiblePurePureness: [[spoiler: She spent two months in Limbo with Gentaro and not ''once'' was she corrupted. Not only is this a CallBack to ''Ultra Street Fighter IV''--where Gouken states she has zero evil in her attacks.]]
* InTheHood: [[spoiler:As Saltador, she usually wears a white hooded jacket. WordOfGod is that it's a birthday present from Gentaro (She's born in September).]]
* {{Irony}}: Despite her credibility as a fighter, she doesn't fight at all in the first two stories. Justified in that she's going through a ''lot'' of trauma from Gentaro's disappearance.
* LastKiss: [[spoiler: Places one on Gentaro's cheek in the epilogue of the final story, just before she leaves the Pantheon to celebrate Christmas with her family. It's this act that causes Gentaro to cry after everything he went through.]]
* LightIsGood: She's sweet, bubbly, cheerful, can heal herself, loves making friends, her ''name'' means "Light" in Spanish...
* MindRape: Goes through this in the final story when [[spoiler: she learns that being in Limbo gives her TouchTelepathy and she is being harassed by various circus freaks and can see into their memories as to how they became that way. And to her, it actually feels like she ''is'' being raped by them.]]
* OfficialCouple: With Gentaro as revealed in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''. [[spoiler: They split up due to not really being romantically compatible]].
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Elena depressed is already a very bad sign. [[spoiler: Elena angry and punching people--when she's well known for capoeria, using only her feet--when Gentaro is possessed by the darkness and tries to kill her]] is the point where she breaks.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: Like Gentaro, she loves meeting new people and befriending them. [[spoiler: This aspect causes her to search out everyone who's still alive after the flood of darkness/Oblivion Wing attack and ask them to send their wishes for Gentaro and the Crusaders to give Gentaro his deck against Rudolf.]]
* RageBreakingPoint: After two stories of angst, holed up in her room, accidentally causing the berserk rage of the Iron Giant, [[spoiler: spending ''two months'' in a fullbody chess outfit and dealing with the winds and trees screaming for someone to save them]], what makes this sweet girl snap? [[spoiler: The darkness in Limbo possessing Gentaro, the boy that she has fallen in love with, the same boy that caused her HeroicBSOD for ''two stories'' and has been the one supporting her throughout their trek in Limbo, with the command to kill her.]] Needless to say, she ends up screaming in a berserker rage before ''punching anyone and anything'' she can.
* TheScream: Unleashes this in her RageBreakingPoint and it is '''not''' a pretty site.
* [[HesBack She's Back]]: Broken in ''Muse Hysteria'' and ''The Friendship Asylum'', kicks ass in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''
* StepfordSmiler: If she's smiling, it's either because she's just her usual self, or she's trying to hide all of the ''angst'' that's hit her and Gentaro.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Being in Limbo boosts her spiritual abilities, to the point that she can ''tie'' with Akato, a '''demon lord''' who also gained a power boost from Limbo and who absorbed an enormous number of souls in his world.]]
* WhiteMagicianGirl: Sweet, bubbly, wears white, can heal people with her spiritual abilities? She fits this trope and more [[spoiler: and uses her spiritual abilities to unite all of the bonds Gentaro has made to strengthen him after he tanked the attacks from the Wyrm-ified CMC.]]
[[/folder]]
[[folder:The Cutie Mark Crusaders]]
!!The Cutie Mark Crusaders (Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, [My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic])
An adorable trio of ponies who wish to find their Cutie Marks. While originally having no important role in the first two stories, they're the center of attention in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' since their roles there are central to the plot.
----
* ActionSurvivor: In ''The Friendship Asylum'' seeing as they went through the hellish world of Limbo 400 times without giving up. WordOfGod is that the SaveScumming nature of Limbo is what caused the girls to become much stronger than they would be in their normal world. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, this caught the eyes of a certain sorcerer with a dragon motif.]]
* AmazonBrigade: A trio of ponies vs the dark world of Limbo, folks. [[spoiler:And later as Wyrms under Rudolf Dragnov's control.]]
* AscendedExtra: From little girls stuck in Limbo in the first two tales to the heroines of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''.
* BadassAdorable: They're adorable candy colored baby horses who can mow down the monsters in Limbo with ease, and are proficient with guns that they have some high scores at [=CarnEvil=].
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: They're the youngest of the Prophecy gods (not counting Absol) and youngest protagonists (barring Yui) of the trilogy.
* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: The Crusaders were in pursuit of their Cutie Marks, and their purpose. What happens now? This gets sent to the House of Prophecy...the most isolated House in the Pantheon, situated in a high mountain range, and their role is helping others with career paths, not grand or epic prophecies and without anyone their age group to play with.
* BerserkButton:
** There are two things they hate most of all: Limbo and Akato Honouzuki. The former is because of the pain and anguish they went through in trying to escape that place. The latter? He's an evil monster who [[spoiler:killed the residents of Limbo and drove the Crusaders themselves insane.]]
** Also, don't make fun of their friends. When Yugi started talking smack at Gangrel in the second tale, they tell the boy to shut up in retaliation. [[spoiler: This is flipped in the final story; all of the anger and hatred that they went through causes them to lash out at him because after all, ''he'' was the one who told them to stay in their temple in the first story and ''he'' was the one that got them trapped in Limbo just when they were about to be freed.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: They save their vampire friends in ''The Friendship Asylum'' via Scootaloo running zombies down with her scooter, Sweetie Belle throwing stuff at them, and Apple Bloom ''concocting a Molotov cocktail'' with 'Grel's alcohol collection strong enough to destroy the temple. Then, they go and stop Jason Brody long enough for Belial and Nebiros to skewer him, thus saving his soul from corruption.
* CasualDangerDialogue: Upon dueling Akato and seeing his Field Spell, the Crusaders compare it to Terra Cruentus and gush over the Scare Zones they went through during Halloween.
* DarkIsNotEvil: Apple Bloom uses Vampires in her deck, but she's an adorable little filly who wouldn't hurt a fly...initially.
* DesignatedVictim: If you want to show how evil you are, hurt this trio. Ranging from Yugi Muto to BROKEN Matt to ''The White'' to [[spoiler:Rudolf Dragnov]], these girls are essentially the target for most of the trilogy.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Once Rudolf seals them into an Arc Area Reactor, they finally embrace all of the pain and suffering they've gone through, transforming into monstrous Wyrms that Rudolf plans to add to his army of dragons.]]
* DesperatelyLookingForAPurposeInLife: Their goal prior to their descent into Limbo was finding their Cutie Marks. They later find their Cutie Marks when it's revealed that they're good in helping ''others'' find their purpose.
* {{Determinator}}: You have to be determined to survive 400 rounds in Limbo, after all.
* ExperiencedProtagonist: They have already ventured through Limbo in the past, so they're ready for any and all things that come their way when ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' starts. [[spoiler: Or at least, that's what they believe.]]
* {{Foil}}: ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' makes them this to Madoka Kaname. They're quasideities finding their destiny compared to Madoka's Overdeity status with a seat in the Main House who knows what he wants to do. They get targeted by a god for different reasons (Homura sealed her powers [[WellIntentionedExtremist thinking it would protect Madoka]], Yugi sent the Crusaders to Limbo [[ForTheEvulz because he was evil]]), and they are the target for a maniacal figure's wrath (YHVH for Madoka and the Darkness within Limbo for the CMC). But while Madoka ends up stuck in a position where she can't even ''attempt'' to change her fate despite her protests (Justified due to the sudden loss of her powers and being a major target for some of the Pantheon's strongest forces), the Crusaders are stuck in a position where they have no choice, ''but'' to actively fight back or die. [[spoiler:Later on, the trauma of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' basically benches them from future Tales, while Madoka becomes determined to start doing something about her position, as detailed in the Year 2 story ''Lines of Chaos''.]]
* HarmfulToMinors: Oh yeah, [[spoiler: from having to go through Limbo 400 times, learning that they were sent again to be used as an offering, to having to defeat the BigBad by nearly detonating an entire universe before getting turned into Wyrms by an EvilSorcerer?]] Amazing how these girls end up sane in the end.
** InnocenceLost: This entire arc has made them realize that life isn't all happiness and sunshine, with the tipping point being their duel against Akato. After that, there is ''nothing'' innocent about them anymore.
* HiddenDepths: While they don't want to engage in dueling (as it's what caused the trip to Limbo in the first place), Apple Bloom uses Vampires, Sweetie Belle has tellarknights and Scootaloo weaponizes F.A. monsters. Doesn't do a thing to Akato.
* HumanityEnsues: [[spoiler:[[SubvertedTrope Only in an illusion]] involving a mysterious woman, who turns them into their Equestria Girl forms...and proceeds to use a large number of [[CombatTentacles tentacles on them]].]]
* IntergenerationalFriendship: With Gangrel and Luna Vachon, both of them who are in their late 40's/50s ('Grel is 49 as of this writing, and if Luna was still alive today she would be ''56'').
** OddFriendship: A friendship between three candy-colored baby horses and AmicableExes vampire wrestlers. Many gods honestly don't know what to say about it.
* {{Irony}}: The girls are rambunctious and get into lots of trouble. But the ONE TIME they decide to listen to Gangrel and stay in their temple, it lands them in Limbo.
** They're goddesses in the House of Prophecy, yet they can't see just what they were going to get themselves into. Justified; their specialty is helping find out what gods want to do as careers and identities, ''not'' seeing into the future.
* KidHero: THE most prominent ones in the entire trilogy (which is saying something).
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Congratulations you three, you have saved the Pantheon! [[spoiler:Except not really. In reality, they just gave Rudolf Dragnov a new kind of dragon to experiment on. '''Them.''']]
* NightmareFetishist: If we have Gangrel's word to go by, the three spent their time inbetween the second and third stories going through [=CarnEvil=] and they love horror movie marathons and [[Theatre/HalloweenHorrorNights exploring Scare Zones]]. WordOfGod has stated that their love of nightmarish things are both from their time being babysat by the vampire wrestlers and as a coping mechanism for all of the shit they went through. [[spoiler:Akato using his Anarchy Agent - Mirage Fatale to show them a vision of his boss getting her hands on them changes it from coping mechanism to a mark of insanity]]. By the time they enter the Nightmare Mirror Circus in ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'', they are in awe of the performers (who they think are just wearing elaborate makeup and costumes) and when it turns into a massacre, they just find it way too much fun to just shoot/burn/freeze/electrocute/dismember everyone as if it's just a game (and also because they just want out of Limbo ASAP). [[spoiler:It also causes them to accept turning into Wyrms, becoming fascinated by the idea.]]
** When Akato first appears, they ask him questions about himself...and then their opinion of him changes when they learned he committed genocide.
* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: They survived ''400'' rounds of Limbo inbetween being sent there in ''Muse Hysteria'' and returning halfway into ''The Friendship Asylum'' without signs of cracking.
* PresentAbsence: Are mentioned a few times in ''The Friendship Asylum'' before their BigDamnHeroes moment where they return to save their friends from a zombie attack and stop Jason Brody from killing everyone.
* PutOnABus: [[spoiler:The trauma they went through basically benches them from participating in Year Two although they do get referenced.]]
* SanitySlippage: Going through 400 rounds of Limbo made them a little...off, as Gangrel notes. ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' has them fighting off the residents of Limbo, Akato, nearly massacring misguided circus freaks, learn that they were about to be a ''sacrifice'' for the Core of Limbo in a prophecy concocted by two of the nicest gods out there, have The White try to blame them for not sacrificing themselves, run a gauntlet to get to the PWF where the darkness is now taking hold and then '''nearly let Limbo combust'' in order to stop it from destroying everyone anymore, and just when Fourze arrives to save them, [[spoiler:Rudolf Dragnov seals them into an Arc Area Reactor, completely driving them insane and turning them into his draconic servants to fight Fourze]]. Really, just ''how'' do these girls manage to stay calm when everything else collapses all around them?!
* TheScream: The three unleash this at the end of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors'' where [[spoiler: they light up the Get Well Soon flowers, cards and gifts delivered to them while they recovered from all of the trauma they just went through.]] Eventually devolves into them crying and everyone present giving them a much-needed hug. Fittingly, the chapter when this happens is called "It's All Over But the Crying".
* SkywardScream: They did this a couple of times in Limbo after realizing that they were stuck in a GroundhogDayLoop.
* SmallRoleBigImpact: By being sent to Limbo in ''Muse Hysteria'', they saved Gentaro from falling into despair, thus getting Gentaro back to stop his EvilCounterpart and save the Pantheon before the asylum pulled a ResetButton in the second story. Unfortunately, their trip is what causes a lot of trouble in the third story; the darkness has gotten intrigued with this trio and are the focus of ''The White''. Not expecting this from a bunch of baby horses, huh?
* SpeakInUnison: [[spoiler: In the final chapter, they speak like this as a sign that they have ''cracked''.]]
* TraumaCongaLine: This trilogy is not kind to these girls at ''all''. If you drank to every single bad thing they go through, you'd be drunk before you got to the final act of ''Through Darkness and Mirrors''.
[[/folder]]
