History Literature / Gate

A manga serialization started in July 2011, while a more LightNovel-style rewrite/reprinting (complete with revamped and polished character designs) was started in 2012.

Compare ''LightNovel/OutbreakCompany'', where the more civilized means of commercialism are employed.

** The art of the LightNovel rewrites turn the empire instead into the ''Holy'' Roman Empire, [[http://i.imgur.com/HXQZa5U.png complete with period wear]].

LodegedBladeRemoval: A DefiedTrope in the AnimatedAdaptation. While defending the Jade Palace from an assault by renegade soldiers, one Japanese private takes an arrow to the shoulder. His squad commander immediately orders that no one try to remove it. "If you pull it out, there'll be blood everywhere," he advises. The wound is bandaged as is instead, left for professional medics to remove.

* {{Expy}}: Shigenori Houjou, the outgoing prime minister in the first episode, resembles former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, while Shinzou Motoi, the new prime minister in the same episode, resembles current prime minister Shinzo Abe, in the manga even more than in the anime. One of the staff members in the White House resembles former US President UsefulNotes/BarackObama, he appears in several chapters in the manga, in the anime he can be seen seated in episode 10. The Russian President in the manga looks like UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin, while his anime counterpart is more similar to UsefulNotes/BorisYeltsin. Defence Minister (and the probable future PM) Tarou Kanou shares a resemblance, [[NamesTheSame name]], and [[{{Otaku}} hobby]] with Taro Aso (also a hardliner like Abe). In episode 16, the two F-4 fighter pilots we see were based on the main characters of a 1970s manga named ''Phantom Burai''. Even First Lieutenant Akira Yanagida is essentially based off of [[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E23HomersEnemy Frank Grimes]] from ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons''.

** A US agent gets this treatment when his arm is cut off by Rory's [[AnAxeToGrind giant halberd]].

* AnAxeToGrind: Rory's weapon is a stupidly huge halberd so heavy that casually trying to pick it up will wrench your back. That's not an exaggeration - Komakado tries to lift it and breaks his back doing it. In chapter 53 ''three'' quite able-bodied bellboys from a Rondel hotel where the team stays are struggling to carry it.

[[quoteright:334:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Gatemilitaryfantasy_7941.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:334:So a soldier, an elf, a mage, and a demi-goddess walk into a bar...]]

* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: A staple of the genre, but still... Despite the rape and attempted rape of women being portrayed as horrifying throughout the series, when a super-strong invulnerable demigoddess driven supernaturally mad with lust pins Itami down against his protests, it's played for laughs/titillation [[note]] Granted, he protests that she ''looks'' like a minor and Japan has laws against that sort of thing [[/note]].
* TheDragonsComeBack: A magical portal appears in Tokyo's Ginza district. From this portal emerge a host of human footsoldiers and fantasy creatures that proceed to ravage and plunder, terrorizing the civilian populace. There are even some flying dragons with riders that smash, burn, and abscond some people as trophies.

* ProductPlacement: In episode 9, a bookstore is shown selling light novels and manga by Creator/{{Alphapolis}}, Gate's publisher, which includes ''LightNovel/ReMonster''.

*** Sherry is redesigned for the anime, and ends up looking almost like [[LightNovel/SwordArtOnline Silica]] instead. [[CastingGag And they got]] Creator/RinaHidaka to voice Sherry.

** Most notable is the aftermath of the scene in the Hot Bath (Chapter 23), where Itami's team acquire Uzis, [=MP7s=], [=MP9s=], and a [[RareGuns Magpul PDR]].

A prequel manga called ''Gate -- 14-year-old Piña Co Lada and The Rose-Order of Knights of the Empire'' (''Gate -- Teikoku no Bara Kishidan - Piña Co Lada 14-Sai'') focuses on Princess Piña Co Lada's past and how she founded the Rose-Order of Knights.

''Gate: Featuring the Starry Heavens'' is a spinoff manga that depicts Tuka, Lelei, and Rory becoming [[IdolSinger singers]].

* {{Expy}}: Shigenori Houjou, the outgoing prime minister in the first episode, resembles former Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi, while Shinzou Motoi, the new prime minister in the same episode, resembles current prime minister Shinzo Abe, in the manga even more than in the anime. One of the staff members in the White House resembles former US President UsefulNotes/BarackObama, he appears in several chapters in the manga, in the anime he can be seen seated in episode 10. The Russian President in the manga looks like UsefulNotes/VladimirPutin, while his anime counterpart is more similar to UsefulNotes/BorisYeltsin. Defence Minister (and the probable future PM) Tarou Kanou shares a resemblance, [[NamesTheSame name]], and [[{{Otaku}} hobby]] with Taro Aso (also a hardliner like Abe). In episode 16, the two F-4 fighter pilots we see were based on the main characters of a 1970s manga named ''Phantom Burai''.

** Played a bit straighter after volume 7 wherein Zorzal's demi-human forces start including creatures with natural armor that's highly resistant to bullets though still vastly inferior technologically to the JSDF. Eventually, Zorzal's forces manage to take down a helicopter by throwing a chain that gets tangled in the propeller.

* MoralDissonance: Oh, when Yanagida considers exploiting the natural riches of the other side of the Gate, he is considered patriotic; but when Dirrell and Dong do it they're looked upon as evil. Then again, the original novel is nationalistically-charged.

* IncestIsRelative: It stands to question what Tuka's [[ParentalIncest relationship with her father]] really was, since her clinging to Itami during her bout of PTSD (when she confused him with her father) ''far'' exceeded even the most devoted DaddysGirl level, up to climbing into his bed, ''naked''.

** Subverted for Kuribayashi, Kurata, and Shandy. And they are NOT happy about it.

* AdultFear: Especially present in the anime's first episode, where the show does not attempt to hide the fact that there were ''children'' in front of the Gate when it opened.

* GunshipRescue: The battle of Italica ends in one glorious mess [[ShoutOut to the tune of]] [[Film/ApocalypseNow Wagner]]. Another one in Chapter 46/episode seventeen [[spoiler:to fight against ''two'' fledging-yet-dangerous flame dragons.]]

* GunshipRescue: The battle of Italica ends in one glorious mess [[ShoutOut to the tune of]] [[Film/ApocalypseNow Wagner]]. Another one in Chapter 46/episode seventeen [[spoiler:to fight against ''two'' flame dragons.]]

* {{Realpolitik}}: General Hazama reveals to Yao that the JSDF cannot help the Dark Elves against the Fire Dragon due to their current political situation. Due to the Empire having lost thousands of soldiers fighting against the Japanese, Princess Piña is trying to convince most of the Senate to seek peace with Japan by giving them goods from Earth or returning relatives captured by JSDF. Since the Dark Elves home is located in another nation outside the Empire's borders, the JSDF cannot cross into Empire's territory as doing some would give the Hawk faction in the Senate an excuse to reignite conflict with the Japanese, leading to more deaths, not to mention entering a yet ''another'' nation, if a vassal to the Empire, as Elbe kingdom actually is, would complicate the Government task even further. [[spoiler:Of course, when king Duran, [[KingIncognito who happens to stay in the Alnus hospital incognito]], as much as ''requests'' the JSDF help, explicitly allying Elbe with Japan, they were only happy to oblige.]]

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome:
** The medieval era armies of the other world are easily trounced by the JSDF's modern weaponry. See Curb-Stomp Battle above.
** When Japan sends their army to another world, they equip their troops mostly with Cold War-era stockpiles and US Army surplus. This is explained and justified by Itami; the JSDF is the victim of budget cutbacks, and had to assemble their task force very quickly using whatever material they had available. Since they were fighting an enemy of unknown strength, they considered the possibility that they might have to retreat through the Gate, and brought gear they could leave behind with minimal economic impact. Additionally, the lack of GPS and telecommunication satellites in the Special Region makes the older weapons more useful than the newer digital-based systems.
** Piña is a trained warrior, but had not been in a real battle before. She freezes up when her plan at Italica goes wrong and everybody starts getting slaughtered.
** The JSDF makes a peace treaty with the city of Italica, but since the Special Region doesn't have anything like phones or radios, nobody else knew about it, and they get attacked by the Rose-Order of Knights.
** When visitors from another world (cute, female ones at that) appear on television, they quickly get their own hashtag on Twitter. Doubles as a FreezeFrameBonus in the anime.
** During the Hakone shootout, Piña and Bozes manage to pick up a couple of the guns that are dropped in the ensuing chaos as they escaped, and the story seems to be set up for a technological breakthrough for the empire with reverse engineering. Then they pass the obligatory security checkpoint at the Japanese side of the gate, and their weapons are promptly found and confiscated. In a bit of a subversion, Itami and third recon claim that the guns were given to the guests for self-defense, but are still confiscated so the Empire doesn't get their hands on them.
** As mentioned below, Sugawara discovered that if all that amount of gold suddenly entered Earth, it would wreak havoc on their world's economy. Of course, in RealLife [[ArtisticLicenseEconomics it probably won't]], 500 millions suwani being about 30 thousand tons of gold[[note]]A suwani is a large gold coin weighing about 60 grams and used mostly for savings[[/note]] or one trillion dollars, which is a large sum, but not nearly large enough do have a ''really'' detrimental effect.[[note]]It's basically just about the size of the suspected China's gold reserve, and injecting this much of ''hard'' liquidity into the market will probably have ''good'' effect on it[[/note]] It would be certain to really drive down the gold prices, though.
** When several Dark Elf warriors volunteer to help Itami and the others hunt the [[spoiler:Flame Dragon]], he gives them a crash course in using the Panzerfaust. When they actually confront it, they panic and completely forget what he taught them. Carnage ensues. Not helped is the ''other'' dose of reality, which is that Dark Elves trained their whole lives to use medieval weapons, and only learned of the ''existence'' of modern weapons that same day. Them not remembering how a weapon they didn't know existed works in the heat of battle is another sad bit of reality.
** A fetish-looking winged girl in expensive, revealing garments walks into the hospital without an entourage. Is she a sorceress? A high-elf descended from the mountains? Does she want to pit her magical abilities against the JSDF's best? No. This is the middle ages, education isn't easy to come by, gender oppression is still widespread, and she has bills to pay. She's a prostitute seeking OBGYN services. Even from the conversation, she doesn't sound to pleased with her circumstances either.
** Because all the most experienced troops in the Empire were killed at the beginning of the conflict, the replacements are nowhere near as good. This is further compounded with the fact that their morale is practically nonexistent due to being forced to fight their own countrymen or else they or their families will be killed. They are unable to defeat a force they outnumber over 3 to 1 that is mostly well-trained rookies and their past their prime veteran instructors.
** During the battle against the Empire at the Jade Palace to rescue the Rose Order and diplomatic delegation, we see our first Japanese casualties being taken. In essence, even with all the technology and advancements they've made? The JSDF are still as human as the Empire's soldiers. Casualties were inevitable no matter what happened.

* ProtagonistCenteredMorality: A strange example when it comes to the world governments. Other countries such as the USA and China want to get into the Special Region so that they can claim some of its natural resources for themselves. The narrative paints the countries as greedy and scummy thing for this but mostly ignores glosses that Japan's interactions with the Special Region are largely motivated by the exact same thing, they're just not as sinister about it.

** The citizens of the Empire generally wear Medieval style clothing instead of togas in the anime. Togas do make appearances in the court scenes, such as the Senate discussion in Episode 2, Sugawara's visit to the court in Episode 11, and the garden banquet in Episode 13, so they appear to be more of the formal court dress rather than casual clothing — exactly like they actually were in Rome itself, [[FridgeBrilliance to think of]].[[note]]In fact, despite its enormous prestige, on a practical level the Romans ''hated'' toga: it was expensive, cumbersome, hot, heavy, prickly, a chore to wear and an even greater chore to maintain, especially the gleaming white ''"toga candida"'' and purple-striped ''"toga praetexta"''. Both the Republic and the Empire had to maintain legislation that ''required'' wearing the toga to the Forum and other official functions under the pain of a stiff fine, otherwise the people preferred to wear a much lighter and more comfortable tunic+cloak combo, making it impossible to distinguish the slaves and the foreigners from the Quirites.[[/note]]

** Princess Piña's formal dress is not as revealing and Delilah's waitress uniform does not expose her cleavage as much in the anime. In one scene where Delilah took a nap naked, she just took her shoes off in the anime.
** Tyuule's rape scene is shown only in silhouette through the gauze of Zorzal's bed canopy, and the camera, in general, avoids showing her body.

** The dark elves' outfit in the anime is less...{{Stripperific}}.

* AggressiveNegotiations: There are notable examples in the story. The Empire has a 600-year-long history of this. Pina notes that "debates" pretty much ended with the Imperials going "do as I say, or else." Yanagida does the same when he learns that the King of Elbe is in the Arnus treatment center.

* AristocratTeam: Princess Pina's Rose Knights are an AmazonBrigade of the daughters of noble houses.

** Almost every named character in the series shows up for [[spoiler:Pina's coronation ceremony.]]

* BeleagueredBoss: Pina is overjoyed at having managed to negotiate a peace settlement with the JSDF that's unbelievably generous to the Empire, mostly wanting information and the return of prisoners instead of ruinous reparations. Then she learns that her AmazonBrigade ran into Itami, captured him, and beat the crap out of him on the way back (as there is no radio in the special area, Bozes and the knights thought they were still at war). As this incident could reignite a war the Empire cannot possibly win, Pina orders Bozes to sleep with Itami by way of apology (something aristocratic daughters are used to doing). Bozes enters Itami's room... but on finding him having a tea party with the demihuman maids, opts to slap him instead. On seeing Itami even more roughed up than before, Pina understandably decides to join the delegation herself to prevent any more incidents.

** The JSDF again when rescuing Pina's troops and the Japanese ambassador at the Jade Palace. The Imperial troops there quickly get gunned down by a platoon of JSDF soldiers, and their leader is killed by Bozes while attempting to flee.

* BystanderSyndrome: After witnessing some of the JSDF's modern warfare, Pina rightfully panics at what they'd do if they decide to march in on the Empire. Lelei simply points out that the Empire started the whole mess by attacking the other world completely unprovoked, thus they "stepped on a griffon's tail". Bozes gets angry at Lelei's lack of concern at the strong possibility that the Empire could be in danger. Lelei counters that since she's a nomad, she has no connection or obligation to the Empire, therefore its fate is not her problem. Tuka also points out as an elf, she's got no obligation to the Empire, either. Rory just smirks, since as a demigoddess, she couldn't care less what happens to the Empire.

* CasualDangerDialogue: During the earthquake, all the natives react in a terrified panic as if it were the end of the world. Pina is shocked and confused when she sees Itami and Sugawara calmly walkabout discussing the tremor's strength as if they were chatting about the weather.

* AChildShallLeadThem: Myui Formal is the head of Italica at only 11 years old. Justified, as she inherited her position from her late father and mainly relies on Pina to run things.

* ColonelBadass: Colonel Kengun, commander of the JSDF's Air Cavalry Division. He personally leads the [[GunshipRescue rescue missions]] to Italica and the Jade Palace, even staying behind with the final chopper to evac the last of Pina's Rose Knights.

* CultureChopSuey: Zorzal's StateSec is basically a wholesale imported political police of UsefulNotes/IvanTheTerrible, The Oprichnina, down to its ''name'' (which is HandWaved as an acronym of its official Special Region name) and heavy use of the dog head[[note]]Symbolizing the dog-like devotion to the monarch[[/note]] and broom[[note]]As in sweeping the rebels and traitors clean[[/note]] motifs. While it seems inexplicable at first that a 16th-century Russian organization cropped up in the nation populated by the descendants of the 5th century Franks, we find out that Zorzal got the idea from reading about the actual Oprichnina in one of the books Pina brought back and had translated.

** Imperials are prone to using sex as part of negotiations and get confused when the JSDF doesn't take them up on it. For example, in the anime, Pina orders Bozes to sleep with Itami so he won't report to his superiors that he was captured and beaten up by the Rose Knights under Bozes' orders after they had agreed to a cease of hostilities. For extra Dissonance, while Bozes obviously didn't want to go with it, she gets [[ArentYouGoingToRavishMe very offended]] when she arrives in Itami's room and he completely ignores her, the second daughter of a Noble House, in favor of the small party going on in there despite her ReadyForLovemaking getup. She ends up slapping him ''hard'' across the face for the slight.

* DidIMentionItsChristmas: Episode 8 of the anime has Itami [[HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee being called in to speak at a Diet]], and Lelei, Tuka, Rory, Bozes, and Pina are brought in attendance as well. Driving through the winter streets of Ginza, the Gateworlder girls notice that there are people out shopping along with a decorated christmas tree in a shopping center which Rory assumes to be some sort of charm.
* DiplomaticImpunity: Inverted example in episode twenty. The Japanese government tries not to interfere with the Empire's internal affairs after Zorzal orders his Oprichnina, or SecretPolice, to arrest anyone suspected of treason. This includes pro-peace nobles and senators, and even Sherry, the twelve-year-old daughter of one of the most prominent pro-peace faction in the Empire. As she's being forcefully taken away from the steps of the Japanese embassy, Sugawara attempts a simultaneous LoopholeAbuse and ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight by allowing Sherry into the embassy under the pretense that he's going to marry her when she turns sixteen. Pina's knights then prevent the Oprichnina from storming the embassy lest they violate some treaties signed between Japan and the Empire.

* DisproportionateRetribution: The Empire's standard operating procedure. If you insult or disrespect them in the slightest, they'll RapePillageAndBurn your entire kingdom and enslave the survivors. When Pina's subordinates repeatedly abuse Itami, she's terrified that Japan will act the same way.

* ADogNamedDog: One of Pina's cousins is a female noblewoman (i.e. a lady). Her name is Lady.

* DoNotTauntCthulhu: After Pina sees the terrifying might of the 21st century JSDF, she trips over herself to avoid offending them, as they are as destructive as the adult fire dragon (see HumansAreCthulhu).

* {{Eagleland}}: President Dirrell is of the "America, the Boorish" variety. The US initially takes the position that Japan is welcome to go through the Gate first, because they expect the expedition to run into difficulty (being aware that it's on a shoestring budget)and US assistance to be called in. In the meantime, they provide supplies and benefit from being Japan's ally. Later, when Princess Pina and several others come back through the Gate, this seems to be forgotten and the US attempts the same covert grab tactic that China and Russia employ to get the visitors from the Special Area into US custody, with blackmail used when the Japanese defense is unexpectedly deadly. The two other black ops teams Rory puts a bloody stop to that effort, though the US still maintains covert watch at the Gate in another attempt to grab them. The president throws a fit when that fails too and Shino blabs about the covert attacks on live TV, but considering the team lost, the valuable blackmail lost and how close they came to succeeding compare to China and Russia's efforts it's perhaps understandable that he's less sanguine than they are. It's never explained why the US didn't simply request an interview of its own with the visitors and lean on its provision of supplies instead of blackmail.

** In season 2, Pina's Rose Knights rebel against Zorzal's forces, resulting in a siege at the Princess's palace.

** Prince Zorzal is introduced raping a rabbit-woman, who was the queen of her people and gave herself up to him in exchange for saving her people... who, unbeknownst to her, was destroyed years before and think she surrendered just to save her own skin.
* EverybodyHatesHades: Played with. Rory serves Emroy/Emloy, the god of death. Yet as she makes clear in episode 11 and its equivalent chapter in the manga, having a meaningful death means living a full and rich life, and so Emroy (and by extension Rory) is also a god of life (or at least ''living'', which is not the same thing) by proxy. The god of the Underworld Hardy, on the other, plays this straight, by having her disciples wake up the flame dragon, essentially for shits and giggles, and allowing it to massacre her own followers with no warning or explanation.

** Tyuule tries to restart the war between the Empire and Japan by tricking a House Formal maid into killing a rescued Japanese citizen with falsified orders, while planting evidence implicating Princess Pina and Zorzal in the assassination. [[spoiler:Her plan fails due to [[SpannerInTheWorks Yanagida's interference]], and because the Japanese have fingerprint checks and truth serum at their disposal.]]

* GambitPileup: The Japanese have their own plans for coexistence with Piña. Prince Zorzal has his own plans to succeed his father. Some Earth countries (the US, China and Russia) each have their own plans for the Gate and the lands beyond. The dark elf ambassador is plotting to use Tuka to convince the JSDF to attack the dragon in her lands. [[spoiler:A third prince, Diabo, has plans to eliminate Zorzal and Piña as competitors by allying himself with someone else beyond the Gate. Tyuule, Prince Zorzal's freaking ''SexSlave'', has plans to tear apart everything into bloody war as revenge for being considered a traitor for giving herself to Zorzal, by framing Piña for the murder of the released Ginza slave. And then the chosen murderer for the task is revealed to have plans of revenge against Tyuule for selling out their race. Hardy, the ''god of the underworld'' (who is [[FelonyMisdemeanor female]]) [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking plans to have Rory marry her]]. Oh, and Hardy also decided that things were ''boring'' so not only did he[=/=]she decide to awaken a Flame Dragon early, they also decided to open the portal to Japan, unleashing the JSDF on the Special Region]]. ''Sheesh.'' It's not so much of a pileup as it is a clusterfuck......

* GenreSavvy: Itami's otaku bent gave him near encyclopedic knowledge of the "mythical" creatures he encountered in chapters 50-52, [[spoiler:including a cockatrice and the Plague Zombies]]. Rory is duly impressed.

-->'''Rory:''' (referring to her clothes) This is my formal wear as a priestess. I'm not interested in other clothes.\\
[=*=]SmashCut to Rory swooning over a white dress in Takeshita Street*\\

* GondorCallsForAid: Though she considered them potential enemies, Piña still relies on the JSDF to protect Italica. Fortunately Youji realizes that they would need reinforcements, and calls for some air support.

* HighlyVisibleNinja: During the Hakone arc [[spoiler:The Russian Special Forces]] use the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UAZ-452 UAZ-452 "Breadloaf"]] van, which, iconic as it is, is a [[TheSixties Sixties]] design, and, while still in production, is hopelessly archaic even in its country of origin, so on the Japanese roads it would realistically stand out as a sore thumb (especially given that it's a left-hand drive vehicle, which are very rare in Japan). Definitely not the best choice for the [[spoiler:[=SpecOps=] team]] trying to remain inconspicuous. The anime replaces the van by the more modern and less conspicious (but still LHD, not to mention ''American'') [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Astro#Second_generation_.281995-2005.29 GMC Safari]].

** Dragons die in droves when going up against the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Type_87_self-propelled_anti-aircraft_gun Type-87 SPAAG]], which has twin rapidfire 35mm Oerlikon cannons. There's a reason troopers nicknamed it the "[[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Guntank]]" after all.

** Delilah notes in her monologue that male Rabbit Warriors are rare (they are pretty close to OneGenderRace), so they have to mate with their chosen male to keep populate. Basically, this trope is their race's policy.

* ItsRainingMen: JSDF paratroopers are dropped into the Imperial capital to rescue the Japanese ambassador along with all of the other pro-peace delegates and Pina's troops.

--->'''Itami:''' "Kuribayashi, get him to reconsider. Just don't kill him."
--->Light novel; '''Itami:''' "Kuribayashi. MAKE him talk."
--->Light novel; '''Kuribayashi:''' [[SayItWithHearts "Roger, EL TEE!"]]

** In episode 23, the JSDF paratroopers target the Commisars leading the attack on the Jade Palace first, knowing that the regular army soldiers will surrender or flee once they're gone.

** Pina's Rose Knights attempt this defending the Jade Palace housing the Japanese ambassador along with some pro-peace Imperials.

** The Empire sent an army though the Gate to conquer whatever world was on the other side, without any kind of reconnaissance or scouting ahead. They pay '''very dearly''' for the heinous act they committed.

** Zorzal puts this to full use as well in episode nineteen after Emperor Molto is poisoned. His advisors immediately suggest that they weaken popular support within the Empire for the JSDF by attacking towns surrounding Alnus Hill, and make it seem like the JSDF is at fault. Pina is disgusted by this approach, but Zorzal gives them immediate approval to do whatever they want. In the anime, this evolves into forming the Oprichnina, a SecretPolice force who then arrests any senators suspected of being too pro-peace.

** The anime has gotten a HUGE dose of this, especially if one compares it to the manga. Gore and on-screen death are reduced to a certain amount, while rape and nudity are almost ommitted.

* UsefulNotes/LolitaFashion: Turns out that this may actually be the preferred style of choice for the deities of the Special Region. Rory and Giselle, demi-goddess apostles and priestesses of Hardy's temple are seen wearing this fashion. Rory and Giselle seem to wear ElegantGothicLolita, while the priestesses wear a combination of Sweet and Ero Lolita. Intrestingly, the Ero part actually has purpose as the opening in front the dress allows for flexibility and doesn't restrict movement range letting them kneel when needed.

** Sherry attempts to enter the Japanese embassy after the Oprichnina kills her parents, the most vocal pro-peace proponents, and sets fire to their mansion. She repeatedly begs him to save her even after one of Zorzal's men attempts to drag her away to arrest her. He then pulls a ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight moment and orders her to be freed, and allows her to seek sanctuary in the Japanese embassy. When Zorzal's men attempt to make their way into the embassy, Pina's guards then attack them to prevent them from violating a treaty they have with Japan.

* MerchantCity: One springs up ''totally unplanned'' around the Alnus Hill garrison, a result of the small PX shop run by the refugees living there growing out of control (it was initially set up to help them support themselves). Popularity of offworld goods leads to labor shortages, which leads to hiring workers (some of House Formal's lady servants), news of cute employees of PX shop gets out and attracts even bigger success, which leads to hiring even ''more'' helpers (again from House Formal, this time its demihuman contingent, like the catgirls), which leads to even MORE success as this time it attracts the more otaku bent... It kind of follows from there.

** Kuribayashi ends up kicking Itami (her CO and a decorated, commissioned officer) in the butt to get his attention around Episode 4/Chapter 8, in front of other officers. Striking a superior officer is a severe breach of discipline and is grounds for a court martial in almost every modern military in the world.
** In Chapter 39, Itami essentially goes [[spoiler:AWOL]] in the middle of a mission no less. This would cause serious consequences to his career, but when he makes it back, he's simply given a two week suspension. Not only that, he's decorated right after the punishment is given as if all that was nothing but a small inconvenience to his career.\\

* MutualKill: Subverted with Yanagida and the assassin [[spoiler:who turns out to be Delilah]] he was attempting to save Noriko from. Though he gets stabbed, he manages to fire a few rounds at point blank range into the assassin. However, both of them are saved due to the attack happening on Alnus Hill, and thus getting medical attention right away.

* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: Youji's response to the girls when they complain about how fast he's driving back to the Imperial capital. A small detachment of JSDF troops also delays their departure to see if Bozes and Beefeater managed to escape or died trying to rescue Pina.

-->'''Soldier 1:''' (upon seeing Rory in this state) Shit, I'm hard.\\

* OvershadowedByAwesome: Pina and her subordinates repel several incursions from the bandit army before the Battle of Italica proper. Some of them die heroically in the process. Yet "the Green Men" wipe out the main bandit force effortlessly and thus receive the lion's share of adulation from the populace. This frustrates her, both personally (it was her first battle) and also politically (the JSDF could occupy the Empire's bread basket without any local opposition).
* OverzealousUnderling: After Pina has negotiated an incredibly generous (compared to her society's usual reparation demands) settlement with the JSDF (they mostly want hostages back instead of punitive damages from the attack on Tokyo), her knights (unaware of the treaty, since messages can't go faster than horses) run into Itami, who they think is still an enemy and violently torment all the way back to the castle. Pina lashes out at Bozes and orders her to sleep with Itami to salvage the situation. Unfortunately, Bozes finds Itami in the middle of a tea party with his squad and some maids [[DiggingYourselfDeeper and slaps him]]. Pina then decides to go along with the JSDF to Japan to prevent any more screwups from her troops.

** [[TheBusCameBack Third Recon returns]] for the final episodes of the anime as part of the rescue mission to the capital in episode 23. In the finale, they help Itami [[spoiler:rescue the Emperor, Pina, and Hamilton from Zorzal's palace.]]

** When Recon Team 3 prepare to fight the Flame Dragon the first time, one of them comments that fighting {{Kaiju}} is a JSDF tradition, referencing the JSDF's role in the Franchise/{{Godzilla}} films.

** Continuing on the ''Franchise/StarTrek'' shout outs, When Itami's group finally reaches the Capital and enters through Akusho, Itami greets Misery with the Vulcan Salute.

** A second one is shown when Zorzal's troops attack the Jade Palace where Pina's elite troops are guarding the Japanese ambassador there. Though they're vastly outnumbered, Pina's troops manage to hold off Zorzal's men for a few days due to their more rigorous training, better equipment, and easily defensible position since the palace can only be approached from one route.

** As part of a BookEnds, [[spoiler:Itami misses Pina's coronation to go visit the Summer Comiket.]]

** [[spoiler:In the manga, Bessa the crimelord, his wife, daughter and their demi-human maid are killed by thugs of the other crimelords with the women being stripped naked and raped before being killed. In the anime, the women are spared as only Bessa is killed but by the JSDF instead. In the Light novel, Bessa is not even married, but neither the JSDF nor the other crime lords go after him, his victims and their families, no longer having to fear him once his gang is utterly obliterated by the JSDF, turn him into a HumanPincushion and leave his corpse in an alley to rot.]]

** When Japan sends their army to another world, they equip their troops mostly with Cold War-era stockpiles and US Army surplus. This is explained and justified by Itami; the JSDF is the victim of budget cutbacks, and had to assemble their task force very quickly using whatever materiel they had available. Since they were fighting an enemy of unknown strength, they considered the possibility that they might have to retreat through the Gate, and brought gear they could leave behind with minimal economic impact. Additionally, the lack of GPS and telecommunication satellites in the Special Region makes the older weapons more useful than the newer digital-based systems.

** Because all the most experienced troops in the Empire were killed at the beginning of the conflict, the replacements are nowhere near as good. This is further compounded with the fact that their morale is practically nonexistent due to being forced to fight their own countrymen or else they or their families will be killed. They are unable to defeat a force they outnumber over 3 to 1 that is mostly well trained rookies and their past their prime veteran instructors.

** Many of the Imperial nobility are named after drinks: Pina co Lada, Sherry, Shandy, ''Beefeater'', etc. Pina, her brothers, and their father also have an alcohol theme naming.

** A non-fatal version is shown in episode twenty two, which is mostly PlayedForLaughs. An assassin who attempts to lunge at Lelei while she's presenting her thesis is engulfed by a barrage of explosive spells. Tuka mentions that because they were well aware of the attempts on Lelei's life, they were just waiting for an excuse to unleash their magic on the assassin. They then take the assassin away to interrogate her.

** Though ultimately subverted, Bozes decides to rush off to rescue Pina by herself after the JSDF rescues the political prisoners as well as the Japanese ambassador. Were Beefeater not following her, and a small group of JSDF troops waiting until the last second, she would have died.
** Once Itami and his crew rescue Pina, they make their escape in a military vehicle. Empire soldiers attempt to stop them, only to be either gunned down or run over. Despite that, they ''still'' try to pursue their vehicle, only to get blown up by backup forces who had set up manually-triggered mines to cover their escape after they exit the capital.

** Several men close to Zorzal who were captured by the JSDF early on, and later released exhibit this in episode nineteen. They're still very hostile towards the latter, and once Zorzal takes charge of the Empire, they immediately suggest to him that they use underhanded tactics such as attacking towns close to Alnus Hill while dressed up in enemy uniforms to weaken public support of the JSDF, since they're all too aware that they'd lose in a conventional battle. Pina immediately regrets her role in negotiating their release from Japan, while one of them "thanks" her for it.

** The Imperial Emperor does this, ordering his allies to round up an army to attack the JSDF with in episode 2. Said allies are very suspicious when no Imperial troops are sent in any of the engagements as they're brutally slaughtered by their much better equipped foes. He then does a LetNoCrisisGoToWaste to further quell any more uppity peasants who might try to overthrow him.

** In episode seven, Itami is captured by Piña's soldiers who were coming to Italica as reinforcements, unaware that the JSDF had already finished off the enemy forces and a treaty had been concluded between Italica and JSDF. Pina feared her troops brutal treatment of Itami would give the JSDF a handy excuse to attack the Empire again, something they would not survive if the JSDF was allowed to go all out.
** When Tuka, Lelei, and Rory visit Japan, several other nations send their special operations soldiers in an attempt to kidnap the special area locals for their countries. They all seem surprised to see each other at the hot springs inn, prompting a firefight to break out between all of them. Unfortunately Rory ends up killing them all, partly because she knew their intentions weren't exactly noble, and perhaps partly because they interrupted her attempts to seduce Itami. Piña and Bozes also secretly discuss talks with the Japanese government in an attempt to negotiate a peace deal between the Empire and Japan.
** In episode fourteen, an earthquake hits the lands of the Empire, something that the capitol is completely unprepared for and inexperienced with. Itami also finds out that Zorzal, the crown prince and SmugSnake, kidnapped some Japanese citizens before their first attack. One of the captives, a woman named Noriko, had been used as a SexSlave the entire time. Itami and his soldiers kill several of Zorzal's men, and then allows Kuribayashi to deliver a NoHoldsBarredBeatdown on Zorzal in retaliation for said kidnappings and treatment of the captives.

*** Hamilton has shorter hair and a hair band in the anime, giving her a younger and more adorable look than her manga counterpart. She also has a notably bigger bust, when in the manga, she was flat enough that Pina joked that she wasn't sure if Hamilton was a boy or girl. It's not extreme, but it is increased in size.

** [[spoiler:And as she's about to assassinate the Ginza slave, she learns her ultimate target is NotSoDifferent, which could clear up the entire situation... which of course is the moment Yanagida chooses to go outside and see someone holding a knife to a Japanese citizen's throat.]]