History ComicBook / BoxersAndSaints

->"''Support the Ch'ing! Destroy the Foreigner!''"

* TogetherInDeath: A non-romantic example. [[spoiler: Dr. Won throws himself in front of Father Bey to save his life. Tearfully, Father Bey realizes he was wrong to reject the Doctor, and begs God for forgiveness as the Boxers close in.]]

Boxers and Saints are two historical fiction companion novels written by Creator/GeneLuenYang, released together on September 10, 2013. The story is an epic and mystical take on the Boxer Rebellion of China, which occurred around the year of 1898.

Boxers stars a young boy named Little Bao, who respects his country's culture and wishes to drive the foreign devils from China. It follows him throughout his journey from being a simple boy, to becoming a leader of the Boxer Rebellion.

Saints takes on another perspective, starring Four-Girl, who is a girl from the same village, that joins the foreign devils and becomes a Chinese Christian. She takes on the name of Vibiana later in the story.

* EvilAllAlong: Not that Yu was morally upright to begin with, but [[spoiler: The Saints part of the storyline later revealed that he is actually a bandit leader who converted to Catholicism as a way to escape the law but continued to wear the cross even after he was expelled by Father Bey)]].

* [[spoiler: Moral Event Horizon: When Little Bao killed the girl from the train, it all went downhill.]]

Boxers and Saints are two historical fiction companion novels written by [[ComicBook/AmericanBornChinese Gene Luen Yang,]] released together on September 10, 2013. The story is an epic and mystical take on the Boxer Rebellion of China, which occurred around the year of 1898.

* DownerEnding: In ''Boxers'', since [[ForegoneConclusion it's the story of the Boxer rebellion from the Boxers' point of view]]. [[spoiler: The last image you see is Little Bao lying on the ground, bleeding out, as he sees the gods of the opera drift away.]]

* FrenchJerk: Father Bey, the judgemental and intolerant ([[JerkWithAHeartOfGold at first]]) priest, came from France based on his statement on Joan of Arc as "heroine of his home country," and Catholicism being France's dominant culture.

* RedIsHeroic: Red Lantern Chu, and the colors the Red Lanterns chose to symbolize themselves.

* JerkAss: how Father Bey comes across in "Boxers." In "Saints" he's more of a JerkWithAHeartOfGold.

* TragicHero: [[spoiler: Little Bao. He survived to the end of the story, but only because he canted the Christian prayer to prevent being shot by foreign soldiers rather than face death.]]

->"''Support the Ching! Destroy the Foreigner!''"

* TheHerosJourney: Bao's story quite brutally subverts it. We begin with FarmBoy Bao in his little village in rural China, before he hears the CallToAdventure when he sees whites and Christian converts persecuting the Chinese. {{Mentor}}s Red Latern Chu and Master Big Belly guide him on his quest to become a Kung-fu master before he finally sets out to lead the rebellion against the whites... [[spoiler: where he becomes an AxeCrazy KnightTemplar who wantonly kills the innocent when they stand in his way, who loses massively when the Boxers finally encounter Western armies in their fullest.]]

* TheHerosJourney: Bao's story quite brutally subverts it. We begin with FarmBoy Bao in his little village in rural China, before he hears the CallToAdventure when he sees whites and Christian converts persecuting the Chinese. {{Mentor}}s Red Latern Chu and Master Big Belly guide him on his quest to become a Kung-fu master before he finally sets out to lead the rebellion against the whites... [[spoiler: where he become an AxCrazy KnightTemplar who wantonly kills the innocent when they stand in his way, who loses massively when the Boxers finally encounter Western armies in their fullest.]]

* TheHerosJourney: Bao's story quite brutally subverts it. We begin with FarmBoy Bao in his little village in rural China, before he hears the CallToAdventure when he sees whites and Christian converts persecuting the Chinese. {{Mentor}}s Red Latern Chu and Master Big Belly guide him on his quest to become a Kung-fu master before he finally sets out to lead the rebellion against the whites... [[spoiler: only to become an AxCrazy KnightTemplar who wantonly kills the innocent when they stand in his way, who loses massively in the Siege of Peking. He only survives the ensuing RapePillageAndBurn by pretending to be a Christian.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:[[{{Music/Sabaton}} "Two ways to rule the world, so similar at times..."]]]]

[[caption-width-right:350:For China!]]

* HistoricalDomainCharacter: A given considering the story, though in particular the German diplomat mentioned below is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clemens_von_Ketteler Clemens von Ketteler]].

* FourIsDeath: Part of the reason behind Vibiana's family issues -- she was originally blamed for the family's troubles due to being born fourth, and was not even given a name, being "Four Girl".

* FourIsDeath: Part of the reason behind Vibiana's family issues.

* GoodShepard: Father Bey is a realistic example. He genuinely means well, unlike many of the other Westerners, and he is both brave and peaceful in the defense of his faithful, but he is also capable of being harsh, judgemental, and ignorant.

* AntiHero: The heroes of both books.
** [[spoiler: AntiVillain: Little Bao becomes one, eventually.]]
* ArcSymbol: Eyes.
* AtrociousAlias: Four-Girl.
* AwesomeMcCoolname: The Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists, Vibiana (only because she chose it herself), and Red Lantern all have arguably really cool names.
* {{BFS}}: What the Big Sword Society is named after.

* DeliberatelyMonochrome: Saints.
** [[spoiler: FlashbackEffect.]]

* [[spoiler: DownerEnding: In Boxers, the last image you see is Little Bao lying on the ground, bleeding out.]]
* FatBastard: Master Big Belly. [[spoiler: Or at least, that's how Bao sees it.]]
** [[spoiler: FormerlyFat: He loses all the fat after using his mystic vision.]]

* GoodSamaritan: Mei.
** Vibiana also has a vision of Jesus who tells the TropeNamer story, which encourages her to [[spoiler: teach Little Bao the prayer that saves his life]]

** Yu, the guy who tries to take more dumplings than he's paid for [[spoiler: and who brings Father Bey into the village]] is a more clear-cut example, as is the German diplomat who beats Bing Wong-Bing.

* LoveInterest: Mei in Boxers, and Kong in Saints.

* SignificantGreenEyedRedhead: The girl on the train.
** [[spoiler: EvilRedhead: From the Boxers' perspective, although she was just getting revenge when she shot Bao's brother.]]

** [[spoiler: SuperpoweredEvilSide: What these forms could be likened to from the right perspective. Especially Little Bao when possessed by Ch'in Shih Huang.]]
* SympatheticMurderer: [[spoiler: Little Bao and the rest of the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists.]]

* [[spoiler: TheHeroDies: And she just happens to be killed by the other hero.]]

* [[spoiler: VillainProtagonist: Later, Little Bao.]]

* YouAreNumberSix: Four-Girl.
* [[spoiler: {{Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters}}]]

* LadyInRed: [[spoiler: Mei when transformed into Mu Gui-ying.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist: [[spoiler: Little Bao, eventually. The author even likens him to a terrorist near the end.]]

* WhatTheHellHero: Mei does not take it well when she learns that [[spoiler:Little Bao intends to burn down the library, which she previously described to him as a place filled with irreplaceable books and knowledge.]]

* YinYangClash: Yin is believed to be basically poisonous.

Boxers and Saints are two historical fiction companion novels written by Gene Luen Yang, released together on September 10, 2013.
The story is an epic and mystical take on the Boxer Rebellion of China, which occurred around the year of 1898.