History Manga / WolfsRain

* {{Bishoujo}}: Hamona and Jagara especially.

** And '''NorioWakamoto''' as '''[[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome The Owl!]]'''!

[[JustBeforeTheEnd The Earth is dying]]. Years of war between greedy Nobles have reduced the world to a handful of high-tech, Giger-esque cities in a barren wilderness. There is one small hope: [[AllMythsAreTrue an old legend]] says that in civilization's last days, wolves will follow the scent of lunar flowers to Paradise. Both wolves and lunar flowers have been extinct for centuries, however -- or, at least, that's what people think.

The remaining wolves learned [[MasterOfIllusion how to project illusions]] which [[HumanityEnsues make them look and sound human]]. Four such wolves -- Kiba, Tsume, Hige and Toboe -- meet up in a decaying domed city, drawn together by the scent of lunar flowers. The scent originates from Cheza, a [[MysteriousWaif mysterious young girl]] who was genetically bred from a lunar flower by a group of human nobles, in the hope of studying her and capturing a wolf in order to open a gateway to Paradise.

When one noble, Darcia, kidnaps Cheza to use her healing powers to help his IllGirl fiancee, both the wolves (who are irresistibly drawn to Cheza) and the feuding Nobles behind Cheza's creation chase after him. Complicating this three-way feud is obsessive wolf hunter Quent, who knows how wolves protect themselves and is determined to kill them at all costs with the help of his loyal dog Blue.

[[JustBeforeTheEnd The Earth is dying]]; years of war between greedy Nobles have reduced the world to a handful of high-tech, Giger-esque cities in a barren wilderness. There is one small hope: [[AllMythsAreTrue an old legend]] says that in civilization's last days, wolves will follow the scent of lunar flowers to Paradise. Both wolves and lunar flowers have been extinct for centuries, however -- or, at least, that's what people think.

* NorseMythology: The show seems to have a lot of elements to some Norse myths. Such as the moon turning red as a symbol of the end of the world drawing near, or [[spoiler: after the world has completely died, it will start over again, as a new world.]]

[[JustBeforeTheEnd The Earth is dying]]; years of war between greedy Nobles have reduced the world to a handful of high-tech, Giger-esque cities in a barren wilderness. There is one small hope: [[AllMythsAreTrue an old legend]] says that in civilization's last days, wolves will follow the scent of lunar flowers to Paradise (''Rakuen'' in Japanese). Both wolves and lunar flowers have been extinct for centuries, however -- or, at least, that's what people think.

The remaining wolves learned [[MasterOfIllusion how to project illusions]] which [[HumanityEnsues make them look and sound human]]. Four such wolves -- Kiba, Tsume, Hige and Toboe -- meet up in a decaying domed city, drawn together by the scent of lunar flowers. The scent originates from Cheza, a [[MysteriousWaif mysterious young girl]] who was genetically bred from a lunar flower by a group of human nobles (in the hope of studying her and capturing a wolf in order to open a gateway to Paradise).

When one noble, Darcia, kidnaps Cheza to use her healing powers to help his IllGirl fiancee, both the wolves (who are irresistibly drawn to Cheza) and the feuding Nobles behind Cheza's creation chase after him. Complicating this three-way feud is obsessive wolf hunter Quent, who knows how wolves protect themselves and is determined to kill them at all costs (with the help of his loyal dog Blue).

''Wolf's Rain'' originally ran for twenty-six episodes, but budget cuts and the SARS outbreak resulted in ''four'' consecutive {{clip show}}s (#15 - 18) -- the broadcast series ends with the wolves foiling a Noble's attempt to enter Paradise, but without concluding the story proper. Four new {{OVA}} episodes (#27 - 30) were released a few months later; these episodes bring closure to the story and character arcs, but have been criticized for their dark and tragic events. The final episode explains the show's title, since the ''only'' rain seen up to that point is in the opening titles. (Some TV networks outside Japan omit the [=OVAs=] from the show's broadcast.)

[[JustBeforeTheEnd Earth is dying]]; years of war between greedy Nobles have reduced the world to a handful of high-tech, Giger-esque cities in a barren wilderness. There is one small hope: [[AllMythsAreTrue an old legend]] says that in civilization's last days, wolves will follow the scent of lunar flowers to Paradise (''Rakuen'' in Japanese). Both wolves and lunar flowers have been extinct for centuries, however -- or, at least, that's what people think.

'''''Wolf's Rain''''' originally ran for twenty-six episodes, but budget cuts and the SARS outbreak resulted in ''four'' consecutive {{clip show}}s (#15 - 18) -- the broadcast series ends with the wolves foiling a Noble's attempt to enter Paradise, but without concluding the story proper. Four new {{OVA}} episodes (#27 - 30) were released a few months later; these episodes bring closure to the story and character arcs, but have been criticized for their dark and tragic events. The final episode explains the show's title, since the ''only'' rain seen up to that point is in the opening titles. (Some TV networks outside Japan omit the [=OVAs=] from the show's broadcast.)

* ShoutOut: "Julius", the male prostitute from CowboyBebop, [[TheCameo briefly shows up]] in [[OneSceneWonder one episode]].
** [[spoiler: Cher's 'funeral' is a nod to Final Fantasy 7]]

->''"A voice calls to me... it says 'Search for Paradise.'"''

* FridgeBrilliance: [[spoiler: A lot of the songs in the two soundtracks give away the ending, like Cloud 9 ( the wolves after the ending) and Heaven is not enough which are the most spoilerific]]

* HoYay; Tsume and Toboe, enough said.

** Kiba and Tsume too. Also some Les Yay between Cher and Cheza...

* FanNickName: Jaguara and Hamona, also known as [[GagBoobs Jugara]] and [[MsFanService Hamona-hamona-hamona]]
* FanService: The opening credits has a very blatant ass shot of Kiba.

* FanNickName: Jaguara and Hamona, also known as [[GagBoobs Jugara]] and [[MissFanService Hamona-hamona-hamona]]

[[JustBeforeTheEnd The Earth is dying.]] Years of war between greedy Nobles have reduced the world to a handful of high-tech, Gigeresque cities in a barren wilderness. There is one small hope: [[AllMythsAreTrue an old legend]] says that in the last days, wolves will follow the scent of lunar flowers to Paradise (''Rakuen'' in Japanese). Too bad both wolves and lunar flowers have been extinct for centuries -- or so people think.

Actually, the remaining wolves learned [[MasterOfIllusion how to project illusions]] that [[HumanityEnsues make them look and sound human]]. Four such wolves - Kiba, Tsume, Hige and Toboe - meet up in a decaying domed city, drawn by the scent of lunar flowers. The scent actually originates with Cheza, a [[MysteriousWaif mysterious young girl]] who was genetically bred from such a flower.

A group of the human nobility created Cheza in the hope that studying her and capturing a wolf as prophesied would allow them to open a gateway to Paradise. When one noble named Darcia kidnaps Cheza so that she can using her healing powers to help his IllGirl fiancee, both the wolves (who are irresistibly drawn to Cheza) and the feuding Nobles behind Cheza's creation chase after him, and soon a three-way struggle for Cheza is born. There is also an obsessive wolf hunter, Quent, who has realized the wolves' secret and is determined to kill them at all costs, with the help of his loyal dog Blue.

The series originally ran to 26 episodes, but budget cuts and the SARS outbreak halfway through the series resulted in not one but ''four'' consecutive {{clip show}}s (#15 - 18). The broadcast series ends with the wolves foiling a Noble's attempt to enter Paradise, but does not conclude the story.

As if to make up for the four clip shows, four new {{OVA}} episodes (#27 - 30) were released a few months later. These episodes bring closure to the story and character arcs, but have sometimes been criticized for their dark and tragic events. However, the final episode, despite being ambiguous, can be seen as [[BittersweetEnding hopeful and optimistic]]. It also explains the title, since the ''only'' rain seen in the series up to this point is in the opening titles. Note that some TV networks outside Japan have also omitted the OVA's from the show's broadcast.

----

-->''A voice calls to me... it says "Search for Paradise."''

--> ''A voice calls to me... it says "Search for Paradise."''

!!''[=~Wolf's Rain~=]'' provides examples of:
* AbridgedSeries - [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQi9Ax8UzCw You better believe it!]]

* ActionGirl - Blue
* AdventureTowns - Most of which are authentically seedy and decaying.
* AnimalTalk - The classic "two languages, Human and All Other Animals" version is explicitly in place once you see Toboe having a conversation with a horse. Even before then, Toboe often talks about having heard rumors from other animals, such as cats and crows.

* AnyoneCanDie - You'd better believe it.
* ApocalypseHow - [[spoiler: Class 3A into Class 6. The whole planet is dying, because years of war has wrecked the environment beyond repair, so the world is slowly being enveloped by a nuclear winter ice age. By the end of the last episode, Kiba is assumed to be the last living creature on the planet, before he dies and [[ResetButtonEnding resets all of reality.]]]]
* ArtificialHuman - The "flower maiden," Cheza. Ancient ''alchemy'' was involved, apparently.
* AttractiveBentSpecies - All the wolves in their human image are a prime source of this.
* AwesomeButImpractical - Jaguara's elite wolf-hunter soldiers. The armor makes sense, but there's no rational reason they should use those poleaxes and swords instead of guns. The shields make sense, except for the fact that the handle is basically just a handgun grip, which is great for aiming a small weapon but terrible for use with a shield.
* AxCrazy - [[spoiler:Darcia]] becomes this in the OVA episodes.

* BadassAbnormal - Darcia was already very {{Badass}} as a human. [[spoiler: Then he goes all Buick-sized wolf on them]].
* BareYourMidriff - Tsume. Complete with [[FetishFuel pelvic bones]]...
* BetaCouple - Hige and Blue.
* BilingualBonus - All the signs in the series are in Russian.

* [[BigBadassWolf Big Badass Wolves]] - Well, ''duh''. However, there is a grain of realism to their fantastically long/high jumps -- wolves in the real world can clear up to six feet with no head start whatsoever.

* {{Bishoujo}} - Hamona and Jagara especially.
* {{Bishonen}} - Kiba and Toboe, [[ViewerGenderConfusion who is easily confused for a girl by viewers]]. The voice doesn't help.

* BreakTheCutie - Cheza, Toboe, Blue and Hige. Like whoa.
* BreakTheHaughty - The other half of the cast.
* BreakingTheFourthWall - All the characters do this quite often after the credits. When previewing the next episode, for example Toboe says, "[. . .] She's so nice, really nice, eh, oh wait, you don't know me yet do you? Just watch the next episode, you'll see."
* BreastPlate - Jagura plays this straight. [[spoiler: Her death [[SubvertedTrope does not.]]]]
* CrapsackWorld - It seems to be a environmental cold wasteland, with some civilization still left together, but mostly in decaying cities that are few and far between.
* CrusadingWidower - Quent.
* TheCutie - Toboe and Cheza.
* DeadpanSnarker - Quent seems to fit this trope when he's around Hubb.

* DespairEventHorizon - [[spoiler:Darcia]] goes through this after the death of [[spoiler:Harmona]]. We get to watch it in all its heartrending glory.

* DeusExMachina - Cheza
* DiedHappilyEverAfter - [[spoiler:Toboe]]
* DifferentAsNightAndDay - A literal EvilTwin, [[spoiler:Jagara turns out to be Hamona's evil sister]]; also, Kiba's human form looks a lot like [[spoiler:Darcia's, which as it turns out is no coincidence...]]
* DiscOneFinalDungeon - Jagara's palace.
* DividedWeFall - At first Kiba and Tsume have this relationship, but over time Tsume comes to believe more in their quest for paradise and becomes a vital aid.
* DoomedHometown - Curious

* DrowningMySorrows - Quent, Hubb and Cher. Mainly Quent though.
* DueToTheDead - [[spoiler: Cher is the first person to die in the final episodes, unable to get out of the vehicle fast enough before it falls down the cliff. Hubb and the Wolves are able to get down the cliff fast enough for Hubb to spend his final moments with her, before he lays her body into the nearby river and lets it sink into the depths.]]
* {{Dystopia}} - Mew's world, the fake Paradise.

* EmotionlessGirl - Cheza
* EvilCounterpart - After crossing the DespairEventHorizon, [[spoiler:Darcia]] basically becomes like an evil, crazy version of Kiba.
* EvilEye - [[spoiler:This is what is below Darcia's eyepatch.]]
* {{Fainting}} - Cheza faints all the time! It may be justified, though, since she's supposed to be a flower, and with all the time she spends out of water, most real flowers would wilt.
* FairyTaleMotifs - One of Cheza's outfits is, yes, a red riding hood.
* FanNickName - Jaguara and Hamona, also known as [[GagBoobs Jugara]] and [[MissFanService Hamona-hamona-hamona]]
* FanService - The opening credits has a very blatant ass shot of Kiba.
* FangsAreEvil - Well, considering the hero is ''named'' after his fangs...
* FantasticArousal - When Toboe and Hige get petted by Cheza, they become blushing moaning fanatics crying out that it "feels nice"

** TheHero - Kiba
** TheBigGuy - Tsume
** TheLancer AND TheSmartGuy - Hige
** TheChick - Blue/Cheza
** TagalongKid - Toboe
* AFormYouAreComfortableWith - The aforementioned ability of the wolves to assume human form is sometimes confusing. Most of the time, they apparently [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent retain their wolf form, only ''appearing'' to be human]]. They also, for the most part, seem to be incapable of certain human activities such as driving or using firearms. Yet they sometimes appear to be holding objects in their hands. It usually translates to holding things in their mouths, as shown when Tsume grabs Toboe to keep him from falling. The confusion mostly stems from the fact that they also spend a lot of time looking human even while there are no humans around to fool. Possibly, this is a sort of TranslationConvention; the audience can identify with the characters better if they look human. It doesn't really get weird until they start chowing down on [[{{Bambification}} a dead deer]] -- while in human form.
* FreakOut - [[spoiler: Lord Darcia when Jaguara's men infiltrate his keep and kill Hamona]]
* FriendToAllLivingThings - Toboe, as much as he can be, anyway.
* FridgeBrilliance - [[spoiler: A lot of the songs in the two soundtracks give away the ending, like Cloud 9 ( the wolves after the ending) and Heaven is not enough which are the most spoilerific]]
* GoOutWithASmile - [[spoiler: Quent]]
* GodivaHair - Hamona and Jagara
* GratuitousForeignLanguage - The OST has songs sung in several different languages, including English, Japanese, French, Italian, Portuguese, and even some Native American chanting. [[SurprisinglyGoodEnglish And it's all done flawlessly]], but then again, this is YokoKanno, after all.
* HellBentForLeather - Tsume
* HereWeGoAgain - Subverted. The series opens with Kiba wounded, staggering through the snow after the death of his pack: "A voice calls to me. It says, 'search for Paradise...' " The scene and monologue recur in episode 30, [[spoiler:only this time, he's the only character who is still alive. In the last scene of the series, some of the characters appear alive again in a modern city, and Kiba starts running, implying that his search for the Paradise started again.]]
* HeroicAlbino - Cheza
* HeroicBSOD - [[spoiler: Kiba has one after Cheza dies. Then he dies shortly after. Tsume has one at Toboe's death as well,proving himself to be a JerkWithAHeartOfGold after crying ManlyTears and going into his [[TheWoobie Woobieriffic]] {{BackStory}} with his dead,fallen friend.]]
* HeyItsThatVoice - Doesn't Darcia the Third rise from the dead, [[{{Madworld}} swapping his wolf form for a chainsaw attatched to his arm, and participating in a game show called Death Watch?]] [[spoiler: Only after [[CowboyBebop killing that white-haired gangster.]] ]]

* HollywoodPudgy - Hige seems to be described by other characters as being chubby. In his wolf form he's a tad fluffier than the others, but other than that he is still your typical anime pretty boy.

* HotScientist - Cher
* '''[[FurriesAreEasierToDraw Humans]]''' [[FurriesAreEasierToDraw Are Easier to Draw]] - This may be the only series that turns the AnimalsAreEasierToDraw Trope on its ear. The wolves may spend a questionable amount of time appearing human because it's easier to animate. [[MostWritersAreHuman The artists presumably have much more experience animating the human figure and its movements]].

* HoYay - Tsume and Toboe, enough said.
** Given the way male wolves ''actually'' establish dominance... well, enough said again.
--> "I wanted to take you to paradise..."

* IneffectualLoner - Tsume starts off like this, but gets better.
* InfantImmortality - Averted ''hard''. In the first episode Tsume is leading a human gang of thieves. During a heist a young boy who [[HeroWorshipper Hero Worships]] Tsume falls. Tsume tries to catch the boy, but witnessing Tsume's sudden transformation into a wolf causes the kid to panic, fall, and die.

* InspectorJavert - Quent
* InterspeciesRomance - Kiba has ''two''. Cheza the ArtificialHuman, and a [[CatGirl female Caracal]] (which may have been dead at the time) from the LotusEaterMachine.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold - Tsume
* JumpCut - This is how we transition between wolves looking like wolves and looking like humans; no morphing, no nothing.

* KillTheCutie - Several. [[spoiler: Toboe is the most memorable one,though.]]
* KillEmAll - In a distressingly systematic fashion, [[spoiler:followed by a possible {{Reincarnation}}, depending on what you think is actually happening in that very last scene.]] However, [[spoiler:the manga version of the story has the wolves and Cheza survive. The bad news is that Kiba ends up being blinded in the fight with Lord Darcia. The good news is that the clouds part, [[CueTheSun the sun shines]] and the Ice Age ends.]]
* [[LickedByTheDog Licked By The Wolf]] - Early on when Tsume is being a jerkass, Toboe's liking for him is one of the few things (besides his badassery) that makes him likeable. Although being voiced by CrispinFreeman doesn't hurt...
* LieToTheBeholder - The wolves' human forms are merely psychic illusions; they can't fool animals, security cameras, or so on.
* LimitedWardrobe - The wolves, when in human form, are always seen wearing the same clothes. As, actually, is pretty much everybody, for the most part (Hubb and Cher are shown wearing different outfits in {{Flashback}} but their clothes don't change much in the actual show).
* LotusEaterMachine - There's a plant whose pollen puts anyone who comes near it to sleep until they eventually die. This is possibly subverted, depending on your interpretation of the scenes that follow.
* LoveAtFirstSight - Kiba and Cheza fall for each other the moment they first see one another in Episode 7.
* LoveMakesYouEvil - Hoo boy, Darcia. His love for Hamona [[spoiler:and her eventual loss]] is what drove him to become AxCrazy in the first place.
* MacGuffinGirl - Cheza.
* MagicalNativeAmerican - Thankfully withheld until the nineteenth episode.
* ManchurianAgent - With a ChekhovsGun you might easily dismiss.
* MaskPower - Darcia, but all Nobles like masks apparently. Nobles are freaks.
* MercyKill - When [[spoiler: Hige is fatally wounded by Darcia]] he asks Tsume to finish him off because he doesn't want to feel anymore pain.
* MindScrew - The ending.
* MismatchedEyes - Lord Darcia.
* MonochromaticEyes - Cheza, to make her look [[UncannyValley less human]].
* MoralityPet - Toboe for Tsume.
* MortalWoundReveal - [[spoiler: Tsume got seriously injured]] in a battle. His pose suggested he was deliberately hiding it, but then he looked at it like he was surprised.
* MotherlyScientist - Cher.
* MrFanservice - Kiba, Tsume, Hige and even Darcia all qualify, depending on your [[FetishFuel tastes]].
* MurderTheHypotenuse - [[spoiler:Jagara]] does this openly. Followed by an [[IfICantHaveYou If I Can't Have You]], when the beloved doesn't appreciate the deed.
* MysteriousWaif - Cheza

** And '''NorioWakamoto''' as '''The Owl!'''!

* NightmareFace - Darcia makes a few of these.
* NoblewomansLaugh - Jagara
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown - Darcia in the penultimate episode delivers this to [[spoiler: pretty much everyone.]]

* NorseMythology - The show seems to have a lot of elements to some Norse myths. Such as the moon turning red as a symbol of the end of the world drawing near, or [[spoiler: after the world has completely died, it will start over again, as a new world.]]
* NostalgiaHeaven - [[spoiler: In episode 29, the dead or dying Toboe has a vision of himself as a pup with his beloved human Granny (whose death he accidentally caused and always felt guilty over).]]
* OfficialCouple - Kiba and Cheza. [[spoiler: [[TearJerker Their romance ends very tragically...]]]]
* OurWerewolvesAreDifferent - Not explicitly addressed until the very last episodes. And even then, it's up to interpretation.
* OracularUrchin - Cheza
* OwlBeDamned - That freaky (ghost?) owl who keeps popping up.
* PapaWolf - Tsume begrudgingly takes on this role with Toboe, right down to the very end.
* PowerUpFood - Quent Yaden can see through the wolves' illusions [[ByTheEyesOfTheBlind after consuming alcohol]].
* [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy Proud Warrior Species Guy]] - Kiba has a chip on his shoulder.
* RaisedByWolves - Interesting aversion. Although this show is about wolves, only ''two'' out of the five wolf main characters were actually raised by wolves, Tsume and presumably Kiba. The rest were raised by humans. Because they are wolves, they tends to lack emotion when they are in their human forms, and can be very awkward when actually conversing with humans. Toboe, Blue, and Hige are all much more comfortable around humans, because they have been around them more. In Toboe's case, his attachment to humans [[spoiler: is what ultimately causes his downfall]].
* RealitySubtext - In RealLife, Japanese wolves were rendered extinct. [[spoiler: [[KillEmAll These ones fare no better]]]]

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld - Three of the four named nobles. And Cheza.
* RelationshipVoiceActor - SteveBlum and MaryElizabethMcGlynn in a series with music composed by YokoKanno. [[CowboyBebop Sound familiar?]]

* [[spoiler: ResetButtonEnding - After Kiba dies, we see the whole world has been reset into modern day Earth, indicating that Paradise is just the real world where wolves are not mystical creatures.]]
* {{Roboteching}} - Beam cannons used by Nobles tend to behave like this.
* SayMyName - Toboe. He seems to be looking for someone practically every episode.
* ScarsAreForever - Tsume, Kiba
* SceneryGorn - Quite a few examples, particularly the ruined city in "Scars in the Wilderness".
* ShoutOut - "Julius", the male prostitute from CowboyBebop, [[TheCameo briefly shows up]] in [[OneSceneWonder one episode]].

* [[ShootTheDog Shoot The Wolf]] - Quent makes this his entire life mission after a wolf destroyed his home and killed his family. [[spoiler:He ends up regretting it after he shoots a wolf who gave up ''his'' life trying to save him, causing a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment just before dying with said wolf.]]

* SixthRanger - In Blue's case, she's the Fifth Ranger, though technically, she spends most of the time on her own.
* SlasherSmile - [[spoiler: Darcia]] does this a lot in the final episodes, to go along with his descent into insanity.
* SolemnEndingTheme - "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHOWudQNgAg Gravity]]", sung in English by MaayaSakamoto.
* SorcerousOverlord - Jagura. She's an EvilOverlord and {{Aristocrat|sAreEvil}} who doubles as a DarkActionGirl, and VainSorceress. And a JerkAss bitch.
* StarCrossedLovers - The most notable example is Kiba and Cheza. Hubb and Cher, Darcia and Hamona, and Hige and Blue qualify as well.
* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish - Many of the songs are sung in English.
* SwordFight - Jagura vs Darcia

* [[spoiler: ThatPoorPlant - [[TearJerker Poor Cheza...]]]]
* ThemeNaming - Kiba = Fangs, Tsume = Claws, Hige = Whiskers, Toboe = Howl, Darcia = dark.
* ThrowingYourSwordAlwaysWorks - Jagura managed to hit a running wolf this way.
* ThirdPersonPerson - Cheza always refers to herself as "This one."
* TogetherInDeath - [[spoiler:Toboe and Quent, Hige and Blue, and technically Cheza and Kiba, although Cheza's body literally goes to seed before Kiba dies]].
* TomatoInTheMirror - Blue spends half the series fighting wolves with a burning passion and hatred, only to find out she's half-wolf.
* TragicDream - Hub comforting Cher while they are being held captive by discussing how after this is over they'll live by the sea in a house together, and grow old together. Even if they get out of the situation, the world is an icy wasteland on the verge of a complete nuclear winter, there's really no chance they'll ever get to see this dream come true.

* TranslationConvention - All the text in the series appears to be in the Cyrillic, i.e. Russian, alphabet. The Russian seems to be genuine - eg ''Kniga Luna'', The Book of the Moon.

* UncannyValley - Deliberately invoked to make the Nobles, especially Darcia in the last few episodes, unnerving even without those ''EyesWideShut'' masks of theirs. The show manages do this even with [[spoiler: Darcia's wolf form.]] Those MismatchedEyes are creepy.
* UnkemptBeauty - Cher usually has disheveled hair due to her work, and this just makes her that much hotter.
* WalkingTheEarth - Justified as they're actually looking for something.

* WordOfGay - The character designer and director said in an interview that Toboe and Tsume being more than just friends may not have been entirely made up by fans.

* {{Yandere}} - Jagara

* YouAreWorthHell - Blue has no idea if she "counts" as a real wolf, and if she'd be able to get to Paradise at all. Hige is willing to give up paradise if she can't come with him.
* ZettaiRyouiki - Blue seems to wear a version of them when she's in human form.

** [[spoiler: Toboe unintentionally killed his elderly human owner/grandma.]]
** [[spoiler: Later he kills a girl's pet hawk.]]

--> ''A voice calls to me... it says, "Search for Paradise."''

Actually, the wolves learned [[MasterOfIllusion how to project illusions]] that [[HumanityEnsues make them look and sound human]]. Four such wolves - Kiba, Tsume, Hige and Toboe - meet up in a decaying domed city, drawn by the scent of lunar flowers. The scent actually originates with Cheza, a [[MysteriousWaif mysterious young girl]] who was genetically bred from such a flower.

A group of the human nobility created Cheza in the hope that studying her and capturing a wolf as prophesied would allow them to open a gateway to Paradise. When one noble named Darcia kidnaps Cheza so that she can using her healing powers to help his IllGirl fiancee, both the wolves (who are irresistibly drawn to Cheza) and the feuding Nobles behind Cheza's creation chase after him, and soon a three-way struggle for Cheza is born. There is also an obsessive wolf hunter, Quent, who has realized the wolves' secret and is determined to kill them at all costs. Ironically, [[spoiler:his loyal dog Blue looks and acts very wolf-like herself, and when she also meets Cheza she becomes aware of her true heritage.]]

* AbridgedSeries: [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQi9Ax8UzCw You better believe it!]]
* AccidentalMurder:

* BadassAbnormal: Darcia was already very {{Badass}} as a human. [[spoiler: Then he goes all Buick-sized wolf on them]].

* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Darcia]] goes through this after the death of [[spoiler:Harmona]]. We get to watch it in all its heartrending glory.

* DividedWeFall: At first Kiba and Tsume have this relationship, but over time Tsume comes to believe more in their quest for paradise and becomes a vital aid.

* EvilEye [[spoiler:This is what is below Darcia's eyepatch.]]

* FanNickName: Jaguara and Hamona, also known as [[GagBoobs Jugara]] and [[MissFanService Hamona-hamona-hamona]]

* FridgeBrilliance: [[spoiler: A lot of the songs in the two soundtracks give away the ending, like Cloud 9 ( the wolves after the ending) and Heaven is not enough which are the most spoilerific]]
* GoOutWithASmile - [[spoiler: Quent.]]
* GodivaHair - Hamona and Jagara.

* HereWeGoAgain - Subverted. The series opens with Kiba wounded, staggering through the snow after the death of his pack: "A voice calls to me. It says: Search for Paradise..." The scene and monologue recur in episode 30, [[spoiler:only this time, he's the only character who is still alive. In the last scene of the series, some of the characters appear alive again in a modern city, and Kiba starts running, implying that his search for the Paradise started again.]]

* HowlOfSorrow:

* LieToTheBeholder: The wolves' human forms are merely psychic illusions; they can't fool animals, security cameras, or so on.

* LoveAtFirstSight: Kiba and Cheza fall for each other the moment they first see one another in Episode 7.
* LoveMakesYouEvil: Hoo boy, Darcia. His love for Hamona [[spoiler:and her eventual loss]] is what drove him to become AxCrazy in the first place.

* MortalWoundReveal: [[spoiler: Tsume got seriously injured]] in a battle. His pose suggested he was deliberately hiding it, but then he looked at it like he was surprised.

* {{Narm}} - [[spoiler: Lord Darcia's]] FreakOut, mentioned above.

* NostalgiaHeaven: [[spoiler: In episode 29, the dead or dying Toboe has a vision of himself as a pup with his beloved human Granny (whose death he accidentally caused and always felt guilty over).]]
* OfficialCouple: Kiba and Cheza. [[spoiler: [[TearJerker Their romance ends very tragically...]]]]

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: Three of the four named nobles. And Cheza.

* SayMyName: Toboe. He seems to be looking for someone practically every episode.

* SolemnEndingTheme: "[[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHOWudQNgAg Gravity]]", sung in English by MaayaSakamoto.
* SorcerousOverlord: Jagura. She's an EvilOverlord and {{Aristocrat|sAreEvil}} who doubles as a DarkActionGirl, and VainSorceress. And a JerkAss bitch.

* SwordFight: Jagura vs Darcia.

* WordOfGay: The character designer and director said in an interview that Toboe and Tsume being more than just friends may not have been entirely made up by fans.

* [[ShootTheDog Shoot The Wolf]] - Quent makes this his entire life mission after a wolf destroyed his home and killed his family. [[spoiler:He ends up regretting it after he shoots a wolf who gave up up ''his'' life trying to save him, causing a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment just before dying with said wolf.]]

* BittersweetEnding - Most agree that this series leads to a rather extreme version of this trope. Some fans list this as a DownerEnding though, so [[YourMileageMayVary it really depends on who you ask.]]

* HangingSeparately: At first Kiba and Tsume have this relationship, but over time Tsume comes to believe more in their quest for paradise and becomes a vital aid.

* BrosBeforeHoes - [[EasilyForgiven Bros]] before [[BigBadFriend total and utter]] [[TheMole betrayal]].

--> [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean "I wanted to take you to paradise..."]]