History Fridge / KillLaKill

* Satsuki goes through some fridge horror after learning that [[spoiler: Ryuko is her little sister. Think about it. Her entire motivation is to stop her Mother and avenge her Father and her "baby sister who was never given a name". She justifies all her actions including belittling manipulating, useing and occasional beating the crap out of her in fights. Satsuki put Ryuko throw TrainingFromHell. And then she finds out this person is her little sister. Then think about her past how her Mother, who she hates, treats her and her realizing how she's been doing the same thing to her little sister. Worse when you think about the fact that she probable always wanted a little sister and probable idolized what it would have been like to grow up with a little sister had her Mother not killed her. Her grim look when they finally talk says it all. She probable wonders if Ryuko would want anything to do with her at first. She is even willing to do a RedemptionEqualsDeath to atone.]]

** She has [[spoiler:[[IncrediblyLamePun a rebellious streak]]].]

%% This isn't Troper Tales or a forum. Refrain from first person entries, speculation, and "replying" to entries. RepairDontRespond is in effect here as much as any other page.

* How could Matoi Isshin hope to fight against [[spoiler:an alien abomination and a woman who could outfight armies]]? He fought back by forging weapons out of [[spoiler:his adversaries themselves! Paired blades made of hardened life fibers...and a SECOND set of paired blades in Ragyou's daughters]]. In the battle in episode 22, [[spoiler: both pairs of blades are reunited, finally ready to work together]]. This is even reflected in the design of the [[spoiler:Rending Scissors: Ryuuko's red paired with Satsuki's blue]].
* Why are Goku Uniforms marked with stars? To denote the [[spoiler: percentage of ''extraterrestrial material'']]. That makes it subtly implied that Ragyou is [[spoiler: ''70%'' life fibers]].
* At first it doesn't seem to make sense that [[spoiler: Ryuko is nowhere near enough powerful to take care of Ragyo when she's not wearing a Kamui in Episode 23 and then make Ragyo in the ultimate Kamui bleed. However in the last episode Ryuko destroyed a lot of the Primordial Life Fiber and therefore absorbed the Primordial Life Fibers power into her, which granted a huge amount of power to Ragyo in her second form. The Primordial Life Fiber is just that powerful]].
* How did Maiko get a cast on her arm if she only was injured shortly before? [[spoiler:She wasn't injured in the first place and had the cast the entire time, waiting for an opportunity to garner sympathy and join Ryuko and Mako]]. This is foreshadowed by her [[spoiler: using her "injured" arm to drive the bus.]]

** Also, the fact that [[spoiler:Satsuki]] is able to wear Senketsu with relatively little trouble (though she can't hear him talk [[spoiler:, at least initially anyway]]) probably has something to do with [[spoiler:them being sisters, and presumably having extremely similar blood]].
* Ira Gamagoori's power-up [[spoiler: is in a BDSM getup that get more power as it gets attacked.]] It might psych people out at first, but it has to be remembered what his role in the academy is, which is the Disciplinary Committee Chair. What is one of the main focuses in BDSM culture? In addition, his counterattack-based style also plays into this. You can't enforce the rules unless they're broken.

** Part of above, but when Ryuko challenges all of the Elite Four at once [[MookChivalry they decline in favor of one-on-one battles]]. While powerful alone, all of their abilities would have stepped on each other's toes and done more harm than good. Along with the Jakuzure/Sanageyama example above, Inumuta has been shown to have a weakness to wide area-of-effect skills and couldn't calculate Ryuko's actions and dodge the crazy flaying of Gamagoori's whips at the same time. Jakuzure would probably kill everyone with her missiles as well.
** Also a part of the example above, if you pay attention, you might notice that Sanageyama came back during the Jakuzure fight but only after her first form got defeated. He came back because he knew that the sound coming from Jakuzure's Da Capo form would be focused only on Ryuko.
** For a while it seems sort of hypocritical for Satsuki to reinstate the Elite Four even though they lost to Ryuko in the Naturals Election. Then you realize that she has four positions that need to be filled and, despite their loss to Ryuko, they're still the most eligible students, especially considering that Ryuko was refusing to go to school (let alone accept a position). Even more plausible because [[spoiler: Satsuki was never evil in the first place. The Naturals Election was, in the most basic terms, pitting the Elite Four in a HopelessBossFight against Ryuko and Senketsu. Satsuki ''expected'' the Four to lose, since this would make Ryuko even stronger (and teach the Elite Four a little something too; if you always win at everything, you'd never learn anything). Also, it's shown that the Elite Four aren't just Satsuki's subordinates, they're her best friends (as shown in flashbacks and completely confirmed in Episode 22). She would ''never'' toss her friends out because they lost; if she did, she'd be just like her monster of a mother]].
** Holding the fights in order from (theoretically) weakest to strongest also makes ense when you realize that Satsuki's main goal was to [[spoiler:test the limits of ''all four'' of the Elite Four's uniforms so they could be improved on]], not to beat Ryouko. If the first person to fight her had won, where would that leave the other 3?
* Sanageyama jobbing to [[spoiler: Nui]] actually makes perfect sense in retrospect. The target fought him by waiting until he was overcommitted to an attack, hitting a weak spot he didn't know about, and the target was apparently unarmed. Even "The Eyes of the World" cannot protect against something that is not of this world.

* The other half of the scissors blade that [[spoiler:Harime]] possesses at first doesn't seem to match up to Ryuko's half. That is until you realize that both halves combine to form a pair of [[http://i.imgur.com/V30iJq5.jpg sewing scissors]].
* The things that Ryuko and Satsuki say after their TransformationSequence differ greatly as a reflection of their relationship with their Kamui. To elaborate, Ryuko says "Life Fiber Synchronize", indicating that she and Senketsu move as one, while Satsuki says "Life Fiber Override", explicitly stating that she is Junketsu's master. This also speaks of their mastery of their Kamui, as Ryuko and Senketsu have a chance of going berserk if one of them is out of sync, while Satsuki is always confident that she is in control of Junketsu's power. Satsuki also needs to be always in control of Junketsu, otherwise, she would've been devoured if she lost control.
* "Before My Body Is Dry", either lyrical or instrumental, normally plays when Ryuko and Senketsu are in sync with each other which makes it seem like a normal insert song. [[spoiler: Not really though, as it's revealed in the OST that there are two singers in that song, one female and one male. And the lyrics pretty much describe the relationship between the two. Seems like they are not fully in sync yet, as we have yet to go pass the part where the woman is done singing and the next verse begins, sorta like how Ryuko does not always heed what Senketsu tries to tell her. Like when her rage taking over and corrupting him causing the transformation to become monstrous.]]

* Why would Nagita, the News Club President, be hiding in a cubicle and waiting for Mako in the girls' toilet of all places, even if he was really desperate? [[spoiler: Well he wasn't ever [[SamusIsAGirl really a he]] was he?]]

* Ragyo's speech about how "clothing is original sin" and relating it to man becoming aware of his nakedness by eating from the Tree of Knowledge gains a much deeper meaning after [[spoiler:episode 16, where it's revealed that it's the Life Fibers themselves that made mankind wear clothing and allowed them to evolve as the dominant species on the planet.]] It's also a huge spoof of the mystical origins of humanity and Angels in ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''.
* Tsumugu sometimes mentions not minding being a naked nudist if it will let him continue his quest of destroying all Life Fibers. The statement itself seems odd coming from a member of a nudist organization, until you realize that he's the only Nudist Beach operative who actually wears clothes while working (Aikuro doesn't count since he's undercover). Those clothes apparently let him store and carry all his gear, from his needle guns to his bombs. Also, as shown in episode 15, low ranking members of Nudist Beach (again, with the exception of Aikuro, who is implied to be the acting commander) wear almost nothing but utility belts, so to Tsumugu, being a "naked" nudist essentially means being stripped of all his specialized gear, and possibly being demoted to a lower rank. Later on we find out that [[spoiler: Tsumugu is only a nudist out of practicality/the need to defeat the Life Fibers. In the end, he asks if they can finally put clothes on now, while Aikuro actually enjoys being a nudist.]]
* In episode 18 [[spoiler: when Ragyo takes Satsuki's Junketsu from her, she touches her daughter's crotch to rob her of her "purity".]]
* It had been implied earlier that Satsuki had some special reason for leaving the Kansai region last in her plan to conquer all the schools in the country, but episodes 14 and 15 didn't really dwell into this reason very much. After episode 17 it makes perfect sense, as [[spoiler:she knew that Nudist Beach had their base of operations somewhere in the region and wanted to give them ample time to prepare and dig in, so that when she would be required to confront them they could anticipate her actions and preserve a portion of their forces for the future, thus allowing them to remain potential allies when she executed her HeelFaceTurn.]] A masterful XanatosGambit if there ever was one.
* Ragyo is in perpetual SuperMode. Up until Episode 18 her hair seemed more of an aesthetic kind of thing or a way to show just how inhuman she is. But then we see [[spoiler:Ryuko]] activating her own SuperMode and her hair shines the same way as Ragyo's. The power up which allowed [[spoiler:Ryuko to completely outperform Nui]], Ragyo was using from her very first appearance.

** She has [[spoiler:[[IncrediblyLamePun a rebellious streak.]]]]
* The One-Stars of Honnouji Academy lack any individuality and are basically clones of each other. It can be seen as biting commentary on the mundane middle class. [[spoiler: Or de-individuation that gets drilled into soldiers at boot camp, with Honnouji Academy being the camp.]]

* When Ryuko went berserk, she transformed with Senketsu, becoming a powerful and bloody monstrosity instead of clothing like victims of Kamui's should. One might say this is because she's wearing Senketsu, a sentient Kamui, but it's actually because [[spoiler: Ryuko is a human-Life Fiber hybrid and because of that, her body is capable of transforming or combining with other Life Fibers like Senketsu.]] She's also the only one who can hear Senketsu's voice, which at first, seemed only because according to Aikuro, her DNA has been spliced with Senketsu. [[spoiler: After the reveal of her being a human-life fiber hybrid, it makes more sense why only she can hear and likewise communicate with Senketsu, a fully sentient life fiber being.]]

* Every time a character has had their uniform destroyed, they've been 'stripped' completely naked, with three notable exceptions: [[spoiler: Mako, Ryuko and Satsuki.]] Instead of being stripped naked, all three kept their underwear on, meaning that while they may have lost their clothes, none were 'stripped' [[{{Determinator}} of the will to fight]].
* Takarada's GiantEnemyCrab robot requires its pilot to be in the same position as the DTR. It's not a coincidence - Takarada Conglomerates has just been confirmed as a monetary supporter of Nudist Beach. They're probably using some of the same specs. In fact, Takarada actually refers to his mech as a "Dotonbori Robo". It's clearly just an AceCustom version of the same robots Nudist Beach uses.
* For a while, due to his red hair and general attitude being similar to the protagonist, we thought that Tsumugu was related to Ryuko. [[spoiler: He was a [[IncrediblyLamePun red hairing]].]]

** Assuming that the show really is trying to address the gender roles applied to girls, Ryuko's MindRape in Episode 20 takes on a whole new meaning. She has never had a LoveInterest, or claimed to want/need one, being more or less completely independent and focused on revenge and world-saving. However, the FakeMemories Ragyo shows her include a scene of Ryuko getting married, a traditionally "acceptable" dream for a girl to aspire to - in other words Ragyo is trying to force Ryuko to adhere to female stereotypes, first as a dutiful daughter and then as a blushing bride.

** While it worked, it's not UnfortunateImplications if you recall what Satsuki has said from the beginning. The opinions and values of the masses hold one back and caring about then is just chaining yourself down. This is probably because Ragyo tried this on Satsuki as well, but Satsuki only played along. It isn't saying that submitting to those traditions is a good thing, but it has always portrayed it as the easy thing in Satsuki's speeches. EvilIsEasy after all. It could be taken as a moment of weakness of Ryuko's part but Ragyo is clearly doing this because she doesn't ''want'' a strong and independent Ryuko, she wants a loyal minion. The right thing was to cast aside those traditional gender roles to be strong and independent to save the world. Satsuki also shows us the flip-side where being too careless about the values of the masses leads one to lose sight and stop seeing people as other humans. Essentially Ryuko's problem was that she was too bound by the common values and Satsuki was too distant, both needing to find that sweet spot to reach a sort of {{Ubermensch}} state where they could save the world. Though it also seems to carry the message that there is nothing wrong with those traditional values if you choose it for yourself, seen with how they both were acting like normal girls in the epilogue.

* While Satsuki and Ryuko fight, they say that Ryuko isn't wearing Junketsu, instead Junketsu is wearing her. What if, [[spoiler: it was really Junketsu insulting Satsuki, saying she's not worthy of wearing him, by using Ryuko as a mouthpiece?]]
* At first it looks like Ryuko exterminating the Club Presidents is detrimental to Satsuki's plans. After all she is destroying her most effective fighters with custom uniforms. Following the revelation from episode 17, however, it all starts to make sense. One-Star students are drilled and molded into being obedient to Satsuki to the point where they have little individuality left. They are essentially foot soldiers with loyalty and discipline crammed into them. Two-Star students, however, are far more individualistic and it's very likely that they follow Satsuki only for personal gain. [[spoiler:If Satsuki would go to war with Ragyo with two star students as her officers they might just as well get scared of losing their status and possesions and would rebel against Satsuki and side with Ragyo.]]
* At first we get the impression that Matoi Isshin was not a very good father. He spent most of his time absorbed with his work and sent his daughter Ryuko to boarding schools. Then we find out that [[spoiler: he was not only the founder of Nudist Beach but also Ragyo's husband. The Kiryuins probably wanted him dead and assassination was always a possibility. Furthermore, it would not take Ragyo a lot of effort to figure out that Ryuko is her daughter and heaven alone knows what manner of horrors Ryuko would be subjected to then. There was no way he could guarantee Ryuko's safety except by sending her far away.]]
* The beginning of the episode 21 may seem like just another way to show just how depraved Ragyo and Nui are but there is actually more to that. [[spoiler:The scene looks like rape for a very good reason, Ragyo and Nui are doing something even worse to Ryuko. They violate both Ryuko's body by grafting Junketsu on her, turning her into nothing more than their toy. But they also violate her mind and soul, rewrite her memories, change her personality. The truth behind the scene is even more horrible than if it would be a normal rape. ]]
* The way the Scissor Blades work has caused confusion--Isshin manages to take out one of Nui's eyes, but Nui and Ragyo can regenerate themselves from wounds inflicted by Ryuko's red blade. Episode 22 confirmed something that had been long suspected by fans, and rather obvious in hindsight: Because the blades are two halves of a giant scissor, they kill life fibers only when used as a ''pair'', just like scissors do.

** Of course Iori's uniform was a [[spoiler: Three-Star Goku Uniform.]] Most did not notice because he was a club president (all the other ones were two-star students), he never used his uniform, and he used Inumuta's help when sewing that experimental five-star uniform way before all the weird things happened, but one need only compare the style of his uniform to that of the other students. The uniform of every other club president just screamed "custom" whereas his looked similarly to the ones the Elite Four wore.
** Also, keep in mind [[spoiler: the location of the third star. It's on the lapel of his uniform, which until he transformed was hidden from view. It was always there, just no one could see it.]]
** Another one about Iori's outfit. Notice how he's always wearing what appears to be a breathing mask with filters? It's likely a safety precaution [[spoiler: since we know that life fibers are parasitic, it would make sense he doesn't want to inhale/ingest a stray, floating life fiber, which he is likely to be around due to his club - the sewing club]]. Note that the rest of the sewing club wear similar breathing masks.
* Nui's only parental figure was Ragyo but think about this way. Ragyo was the only other [[spoiler: Life fiber/human hybrid like herself until she found out Ryuko was one too.]] Nui's words to Ryuko, about how only she can understand her and her anger towards her after episode 22, takes on a sadder meaning. Despite her insanity, [[spoiler: Nui might have just wanted somebody, other than Ragyo, who can understand her pain of being different than everybody else.]]
* So why exactly did Ira have to jump out the window and fall to the ground in episode 1, he could just chase the student down right? Wrong! He couldn't because running in the corridors is against school regulations. So he jumped out the window because that isn't against school regulations. Also strict adherence to the [[RuleOfCool Rules of Cool]]/[[RuleOfFunny Funny]].
* Kamui needs a blood sacrifice to activate. The ultimate Kamui [[spoiler:Shinra-Kōketsu]] that makes Ragyo look like a goddess needs a [[spoiler: human sacrifice.]]

** [[spoiler: The Goku uniforms most likely had their life fiber percentage greatly increased, to the point of ''requiring'' the reduced skin contact to avoid getting manipulated by the life fibers.]]
** The gradual change in their uniforms also serves to show [[spoiler: their alliance. At first, they wore clothing that completely covered them and that were very bulky, bar Inumuta's, which showed that they worked for Ragyo. As they got closer to their change of side, the uniforms slimmed down until we reach their final form, which is very revealing, thus showing their status as true nudists, working against Ragyo.]]
** [[spoiler:That's not the first time they observed Senketsu before upgrading the Goku uniforms]]. It also happened before the school trip, adding to the notion that [[spoiler:they wanted to get as far away from the original kamui so they won't get absorbed.]]
* In episode 24 Ryuko says that she will become more powerful that closers she comes to death. This seems odd and people have been joking about it for awhile now. However it all makes sense when you remember that she and Senketsu [[spoiler: just absorbed all goku uniforms, including Gamagoori's uniform which becomes more powerful when attacked.]]

** [[spoiler: And then there's the fact that Ryuko wants a family more then anything. After finding out that they're sisters she can't bring herself to attack Satsuki full out after she is no longer BrainwashedAndCrazy despite her anger. And after hearing Satsuki's story and sincere apology she immediately forgives her tries to reach out to TheStoic Satsuki attempting to call her Big Sis but it was too embarrassing. But after a few BackToBackBadass moments and waking up in her arms Ryuko is able to say it.]]
* It always bugged me how Iori essentially disappeared during the finale considering how important he was. However in the end it makes sense; he's a club president. And after a president loses their uniform — which he did [[spoiler: by letting Ryuko absorb it to power up Senketsu for the final battle against Ragyo]] — they essentially disappear since they're not needed anymore. Even the other presidents pretty much disappeared in the final scene.
* In Japanese culture, cutting/shortening your hair is considered symbolic of casting aside your old life and beginning a new one. [[spoiler:Satsuki's new bobcut in the epilogue makes a lot more sense with this knowledge; she has ended her life of pretending to be a fascist despot and has begun the happy life with her sister Ragyo had long denied her.]]

* This show is often compared to Gurren Lagann, but it's actually more of an accurate portrayal of war than that show. Being HotBlooded won't save the day - and in this show is actually a liability - you have to use intelligence, in both the regular and military senses, to win. Along with deception and misdirection, of course.

** Furthermore, [[http://imgur.com/znVzFyo this image]] shows several themes of mythological and historical symbolism in the show. Of note is the upper left corner connecting the Kiryuin Conglomerate and TheFourGods, with Ragyo being the Yellow Dragon as role as leader and by the "Ryu" in her name. Nui as the White Tiger by name as a Nues are a type of Chimera that is part tiger, an Nui herself is a Chimera as a HalfHumanHybrid, as well as her resilience referencing the White Tigers affinity to metal. Rei is the Vermillion Sparrow by name as her surname has the kanji for "Phoenix" another mythical beast that is conflated with the Sparrow in this motif. Takiji is the Black Tortoise by name as the kanji for "black" is in the surname as well as the kanji for "waterfall" and "well". But there is no one there representing the Azure Dragon... Except there is. Ryuko, who fits by name (sharing the Ryu with [[spoiler: her mother]], though with different kanji) and [[TigerVersusDragon her vendetta with Nui]], the killer of her father and was also Brainwashed into a FaceHeelTurn and aided Ragyo for a while, and Satsuki, [[spoiler: her sister]] who also has the "ryu" particle as well as technically being part of the conglomerate as Ragyo's scion, are both the Azure Dragon.
* Why is Guts's behavior so human-like? [[spoiler: Because he wears clothes. Clothes are made by REVOCS and contain Life Fibers, accelerating evolution, which translates into Guts being more intelligent than a regular dog.]]
* Gamagoori sleeps naked. Given that REVOCS makes most, and eventually ''all'' the clothes in the world, it's the only way to minimize contact with Life Fibers - he wears his uniform all day, and sleeping is likely the only time he ''isn't'' in it.
* Sanageyama's Goku Uniform is the last of the Elite Four's to survive the Time Skip. His was both the most upgraded of the four and the last to be deployed when the uniforms were upgraded during the raid trip.
* Satsuki has Junketsu, a one-piece Kamui. Ryuko has Senketsu, a two-piece variant. This is also allude the fact that Satsuki is the first child of Ragyo and Souichiro/[[spoiler: Isshin while Ryuko is their second daughter.]]

*** the "remove withered flowers" and the singer asking why that is upsetting, [[spoiler: Ragyou throwing a then-thought-to-be-dead infant Ryuuko away and Soichiro and Satsuki's feelings toward the matter]].
*** the "I want to be much stronger because our world is cruel": that was Ryuuko expressing that she wanted to become stronger in of the first episodes (I think Episode II).
*** "I might want or not, I must pursue the enemy": Ryuuko looking for her father's killer and/or the one who called for his death which is actually [[spoiler: her, as she sent Nui]].
*** "Is the flower garden real or fake": Something to do with [[spoiler:Ragyou brainwashing Ryuuko]]

* With the reveal that Nagita, the News Club President, was really [[spoiler:Nui in disguise]] all along, it makes the moments where he suddenly pops out of nowhere in front of Mako really, really creepy. [[spoiler:If she had felt like it, no-one would have been able to stop her from killing Mako.]]

* The not-completely-unsupported theory that [[spoiler:Nui killed/possessed Mako and is the one acting as her in the ending.]] See [[https://web.archive.org/web/20151027002042/http://jessethinksaboutcomicsandmovies.tumblr.com/post/81201669497/the-nui-is-mako-at-the-end-theory-explained]]

*** Parts of the song sound like a locomotive chugging along a railroad track, an obvious allusion to UsefulNotes/TheHolocaust and the trains that were used to transport the Jews and the inferiors to the Concentration Camps.

*** Lyrics such as "Ich möchte stärker werden" (EN: I want to become stronger), "Ich entferne welke blumen. Wie so siehst du so traurig aus" (EN: I remove withered flowers. Why do you look so sad), "Es ist ratsam, welke blumen zu entfernen" (EN: It is advisable to remove withered flowers), "Ja, ich bin viel stärker, als ich je gedacht hab" (EN: Yes, I am much stronger than I ever thought), "Du bist sehr stark" (EN: You are very strong) point to ideas such as SocialDarwinism, the {{Ubermensch}}, and the FinalSolution, all of which are associated with the Nazis.

** Ragyo's [[PlayingWithSyringes experiments on her children by infusing them with Life Fibers]] is an obvious parallel with the Nazi experiments done on Holocaust prisoners and the numerous other experiments done to create the {{Ubermensch}}.

** At first, it seems strange that the order of battle for the Elite four is goes from the one who defeated the least amount of student to the who who beat the most, until you realise that [[spoiler: Satsuki was enforcing the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil to train Ryuko.]] Aside from that, there's the more obvious fact that if you want to maximize your chances to win, you put the strongest to battle last. That way they can learn from the mistakes of the weakest and make the most of their strength when their turn comes. That said, the classification of the Elite Four by number of students defeated is flawed anyways, as Gamagoori (4th) is a lot more powerful than Inumuta (3rd), and only ranked so low because he only fought in self-defense.

* For a while, due to his red hair and general attitude being similar to the protagonist, we thought that Tsumugu was related to Ryuko. [[spoiler: He was a [[IncrediblyLamePun red hairing]]]]
* For a while it seems sort of hypocritical for Satsuki to reinstate the Elite Four even though they lost to Ryuko in the Naturals Election. Then you realize that she has four positions that need to be filled and, despite their loss to Ryuko, they're still the most eligible students, especially considering that Ryuko was refusing to go to school (let alone accept a position). Even more plausible because [[spoiler: Satsuki was never evil in the first place. The Naturals Election was, in the most basic terms, pitting the Elite Four in a HopelessBossFight against Ryuko and Senketsu. Satsuki ''expected'' the Four to lose, since this would make Ryuko even stronger (and teach the Elite Four a little something too; if you always win at everything, you'd never learn anything.) Also, it's shown that the Elite Four aren't just Satsuki's subordinates, they're her best friends (as shown in flashbacks and completely confirmed in Episode 22). She would ''never'' toss her friends out because they lost; if she did, she'd be just like her monster of a mother.]]

** It didn't seem so much that Ragyo was forcing Ryuko into that stereotype as she was brainwashing her with it, which gives an entirely different message. Ryuko has been denied nearly all forms of happiness her whole life, and only knows what it looks like from the outside. Ragyo was convincing her that being independent and strong had brought her nothing but pain and betrayal, and she'd be much happier submitting to traditional values.[[UnfortunateImplications And it worked.]]
** While it worked, it's not UnfortunateImplications if you recall what Satsuki has said from the beginning. The opinions and values of the masses hold one back and caring about then is just chaining yourself down. This is probably because Ragyo tried this on Satsuki as well, but Satsuki only played along. It isn't saying that submitting to those traditions is a good thing, but it has always portrayed it as the easy thing in Satsuki's speeches. EvilIsEasy after all. It could be taken as a moment of weakness of Ryuko's part but Ragyo is clearly doing this because she doesn't ''want'' a strong and independent Ryuko, she wants a loyal minion. The right thing was to cast aside those traditional gender roles to be strong and independent to save the world. Satsuki also shows us the flip-side where not caring about the values of the masses too much leads one to lose sight and stop seeing people as other humans. Essentially Ryuko's problem was that she was too bound by the common values and Satsuki was too distant, both needing to find that sweet spot to reach a sort of {{Ubermensch}} state where they could save the world. Though it also seems to carry the message that there is nothing wrong with those traditional values if you choose it for yourself, seen with how they both were acting like normal girls in the epilogue.

* It always bugged me how Iori essentially disappeared during the finale considering how important he was. However in the end it makes sense; he's a club president. And after a president loses their uniform - which he did [[spoiler: by letting Ryuko absorb it to power up Senketsu for the final battle against Ragyo]] - they essentially disappear since they're not needed anymore. Even the other presidents pretty much disappeared in the final scene.

*** the "remove withered flowers" and the singer asking why that is upsetting, [[spoiler: Ragyou throwing a then thought to be dead infant Ryuuko away and Soichiro and Satsuki's feelings toward the matter]]
*** the "I want to be much stronger because our world is cruel": that was Ryuuko expressed that she wanted to become stronger in of the first episodes (I think Episode II)
*** "I might want or not, I must pursue the enemy": Ryuuko looking for her father's killer or, rather, who was involved in his death which is actually [[spoiler: her, as she sent Nui]]

* The first time that we hear Ragyou's theme song, "Blumenkranz", is in the very first episode, when Ryuko is revealed wearing Senketsu. This may be a subtle foreshadowing, [[spoiler:since part of the reason Ryuko can wear Senketsu is because Ragyo made Ryuko into a human-life fiber hybrid. This foreshadowing emphasizes Ryuko's eventual involvement to the Life Fibers.]]

** In episode 20, [[spoiler:Ragyo puts fake memories in Ryuko's head of Ryuko living with Ragyo instead of being abandoned.]] The actual things seen are happy, until you notice one key detail: [[spoiler:Satsuki, the older sister, isn't there at all]]. It really shows how little Ragyo cares about her daughter.
** It might be part of her strategy. If Satsuki were in the fake memories, living together with Ryuko, she could have hesitated in fighting her.
** In addition, the [[spoiler:fake memories Ragyo implanted had her marrying a lifeless mannequin with a COVERS uniform on it.]] Now consider the fact that in the first ED, [[spoiler:it has a confused Ryuko walking around a lifeless world filled with mannequins shaped to look like real people wearing clothes. The implications of Ragyo's mind rape is staggering.]]

** [[spoiler: And then there's the fact that Ryuko wants a family more then anything. After finding out that they're sisters she can't bring herself to attack Satsuki full out after she is no longer BrainwashedAndCrazy despite her anger. And after hearing Satsuki's story and sincere apology she immediately forgives her tries to reach out to TheStoic Satsuki attempting to call her Big Sis but it was too embarrassing. But after a few Back-to-BackBadass moments and waking up in her arms Ryuko is able to say it.]]

** Nui's character in general is really a mother-lode of [[FridgeHorror Fridge Depressant]] if you're willing to look back at her scant background details and allow some empathy: [[spoiler:She wasn't just infused with Life Fibers as a newborn, she was incubated in an artificial womb of them that made her merge with them as a fetus. Soichiro was nowhere to be seen when she was being gestated and showed no recognition toward her when they fought, so he likely wasn't involved with her life in any fashion, and certainly he had been driven off long before Nui could have developed enough to recognize or remember him later in life, and she grew up completely under Ragyo's sole care, with all the horror that implies. She has no true good relationship with any other character whatsoever, with Rei and Ragyo being aloof taskmasters that only step in to help her when danger to her could result in danger to their cause, and all other characters being either enemies or mindless slaves. She is the only character to actually suffer permanent scarring and loss of limb throughout all the action in the series. She was brought up to believe that she was completely different and separate from humanity, that the Life Fibers and the facilitation of their reproduction cycle is her raison d'etre, and that her only value was in her abilities as a tailor, and when she both loses her arms and finishes the "Ultimate Kamui", her usefulness has culminated in her and her master's eyes, and there is nothing left and nowhere to go for her, and she when muses on how she could be killed in the final battle between humans and Life Fibers, she not only looks ready for the prospect, but relieved by it.]] She has the worst of both Satsuki and Ryuko's entwined DarkAndTroubledPast combined into one whole, turned UpToEleven, and stripped of all the counterbalancing positive experiences and influences that gave them the initial perspective and strength to challenge their mother. Her entire character arc is reminiscent of [[AvatarTheLastAirbender Princess Azula]]'s descent into madness from abandonment in her series' finale, except Nui has always been mad since she never even had the illusion of anyone actually loving her, resorting to deliberately driving people, especially those she expresses genuine interest or desire to connect with like Satsuki and Ryuko, to hate her because that's the only kind of care she's ever understood, and there's no one in-universe who would actually feel, let alone show, her any pity.

* The not-completely-unsupported theory that [[spoiler:Nui killed/possessed Mako and is the one acting as her in the ending.]] See [[http://jessethinksaboutcomicsandmovies.tumblr.com/post/81201669497/the-nui-is-mako-at-the-end-theory-explained here]]

** Likewise, the lyrics of Ragyou's theme "Blumenkranz" also allude to the plot and what she has to do with it in some way:

* The first time that we hear Ragyou's theme song, "Blumenkranz", is in the very first episode, when Ryuko is revealed wearing Senketsu. This may be a subtle foreshadowing, [[spoiler:since part of the reason Ryuko can wear Senketsu is because Ragyou made Ryuko into a human-life fiber hybrid.]]

** Have you ever wonder why in the Student Council, Satsuki is the only one without any AnimalMotifs? Actually, she does have animal kanji in her surname: the ''ryu'' in Ki''ryu''in means ''dragon''. And albeit written with different kanji, ''ryu'' in Ryuko's name is homophone with the ones in Satsuki's surname [[spoiler:plus it turns out they are sisters anyway, so Ryuko also counts as a Kiryuin]]. Also in Japan, dragons are believed to be '''divine''' animals that serve the '''gods''' or are '''gods''' themselves. Kamui literally means '''God's''' robe. '''Divine''' robe. Which is why Ryuko, Satsuki, [[spoiler: and Ragyo]] are the only ones able to properly equip a Kamui. Because dragons are the ultimate '''divine''' animal that is stronger and more noble than any animal. Also Japanese dragons usually drawn with '''thick eyebrows'''. What's Ragyo and Satsuki's distinctive trait? That's right, '''thick eyebrows'''.

** Have you ever wonder why in the Student Council, Satsuki is the only one without any animal motif? Actually, she does have animal kanji in her surname: the ''ryu'' in Ki''ryu''in means ''dragon''. And albeit written with different kanji, ''ryu'' in Ryuko's name is homophone with the ones in Satsuki's surname [[spoiler:plus it turns out they are sisters anyway, so Ryuko also counts as a Kiryuin]]. Also in Japan, dragons are believed to be '''divine''' animals that serve the '''gods''' or are '''gods''' themselves. Kamui literally means '''God's''' robe. '''Divine''' robe. Which is why Ryuko, Satsuki, [[spoiler: and Ragyo]] are the only ones able to properly equip a Kamui. Because dragons are the ultimate '''divine''' animal that is stronger and more noble than any animal. Also Japanese dragons usually drawn with '''thick eyebrows'''. What's Ragyo and Satsuki's distinctive trait? That's right, '''thick eyebrows'''.

* Have you ever wonder why in the Student Council, Satsuki is the only one without any animal motif? Actually, she does have animal kanji in her surname: the ''ryu'' in Ki''ryu''in means ''dragon''. And albeit written with different kanji, ''ryu'' in Ryuko's name is homophone with the ones in Satsuki's surname [[spoiler:plus it turns out they are sisters anyway, so Ryuko also counts as a Kiryuin]]. Also in Japan, dragons are believed to be '''divine''' animals that serve the '''gods''' or are '''gods''' themselves. Kamui literally means '''God's''' robe. '''Divine''' robe. Which is why Ryuko, Satsuki, [[spoiler: and Ragyo]] are the only ones able to properly equip a Kamui. Because dragons are the ultimate '''divine''' animal that is stronger and more noble than any animal. Also Japanese dragons usually drawn with '''thick eyebrows'''. What's Ragyo and Satsuki's distinctive trait? That's right, '''thick eyebrows'''.

* Have you ever wonder why in the Student Council, Satsuki is the only one without any animal motif ? Actually, she do have animal kanji in her surname. It's ''dragon'' (the ''ryu'' in Ki''ryu''in means dragon) . And albeit written with different kanji, ''ryu'' in Ryuko's name is homophone with the ones in Satsuki's surname [[spoiler: (They are sisters anyway, so Ryuko counts as a Kiryuin)]] . Also in Japan, dragons are believed to be '''divine''' animals that serve the '''gods''' or are '''gods''' themselves. Kamui literally means '''God's''' robe. '''Divine''' robe. Which is why Ryuko, Satsuki, [[spoiler: And Ragyo]] are the only ones able to properly equip a Kamui. Because dragons are the ultimate '''divine''' animal that is stronger and more noble than any animal. Also Japanese dragons usually drawn with '''thick eyebrows'''. What's Ragyo and Satsuki's distinctive trait ? That's right, '''thick eyebrows'''.

* [[http://imgur.com/znVzFyo this image]] shows several mythological and historical symbolism in the show, of note if the upper left corner connecting the Kiryuin Conglomerate and TheFourGods. with Ragyo being the Yellow Dragon as role as leader and by the "Ryu" in her name. Nui as the White Tiger by name as a Nues are a type of Chimera that is part tiger, an Nui herself is a Chimera as a HalfHumanHybrid, as well as her resilience referencing the White Tigers affinity to metal. Rei is the Vermillion Sparrow by name as her surname has the kanji for "Phoenix" another mythical beast that is conflated with the Sparrow in this motif. Takiji is the Black Tortoise by name as the kanji for "black" is in the surname as well as the kanji for "waterfall" and "well". But there is no one there representing the Azure Dragon... Except there is. Ryuko, who fits by name (sharing the Ryu with [[spoiler: her mother]], though with different kanji) and [[TigerVersusDragon her vendetta with Nui]], the killer of her father and was also Brainwashed into a FaceHeelTurn and aided Ragyo for a while, and Satsuki, [[spoiler: her sister]] who also has the "ryu" particle as well as technically being part of the conglomerate as Ragyo's scion, are both the Azure Dragon.