History Series / NirvanaInFire

* AmbiguousDisorder: Fei Liu has some kind of developmental disability, which mostly seems to manifest in acting young for his age and rough, limited speech. It certainly doesn't hurt his motor skills or coordination.

* AssPull: Many. A few of Mei Changsu's BatmanGambit s certainly apply, such as [[spoiler: when he buys a house and invites his friends to see it together with him and one of them almost falls into a dried-up well, discovering several dead bodies that were hidden here by a serial murderer, and then it turns out Mei Changsu bought the house for that exact reason, so one of his friends would almost fall into that well and discover the dead bodies]], but more egregiously, the number of situations where his connections to a powerful martial arts alliance saves the day for him, such as [[spoiler: when his enemies recruit their own martial artists to put pressure on someone, and not only does Mei Changsu know exactly who they recruited but he is able to immediately call upon a better martial artist of his own who injures every one of the bad guys before they can do any harm. Even worse, when Prince Jing loses an important mission (providing monetary relief to a region struck by famine) to Prince Yu, the alliance happens to have just found proof of Prince Yu taking bribes from one of the mayors from the famine-struck region, disqualifying him of undertaking the mission.]] Though the entire series is generally very well-written, there's a lot of cringe coming from this trope.

* IllBoy: Lin Shu is a sympathetic and near perfect character who certainly manages to look very pretty even when he's turning deathly pale and coughing up blood. Thankfully he's also a very layered and nuanced character who avoids the more annoying Marty Stu versions of this trope.

''Nirvana in Fire'' (琅琊榜, ''Láng Yá Bǎng'') is a 2015 Chinese drama starring Hu Ge, Liu Tao, and Wang Kai, based on the novel of the same name by Hai Yan.

* UnsportsmanlikeGloating: Lin Shu uncharacteristically gives in to a little gloating the last time he sees Xia Jiang in prison. "You're just here to gloat this time aren't you?" "Yes. I've seen you play all your best cards and end up back in prison anyway. It makes me happy." So. Satisfying.

* BigBadassBattleSequence: When Prince Yu decides to [[spoiler: take the throne by force and attacks the Hunting Palace with an army of 50,000 against the Emperor who only has a meager 3000 Imperial guards.]] Don't forget to breathe.

* BigBadassBattleSequence: When Prince Yu decides to [[spoiler: take the throne by force and attacks the Hunting Palace with an army of 50,000 against the Emperor who only has a meager 3000 Imperial guards.]] Don't forget to breath.

Set in a fictionalized ancient China, the drama revolves around complex political strategies with a healthy dose of kung fu action and character drama. A sequel, ''Nirvana in Fire II: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin'', aired in 2017. Another sequel was announced in late 2020; so far no information is available on its plot or when it will air.

Set in a fictionalized ancient China, the drama revolves around complex political strategies with a healthy dose of kung fu action and character drama. A sequel, ''Nirvana in Fire II: The Wind Blows in Chang Lin'', aired in 2017.

* AlasPoorVillain: Prince Yu manages to be a pretty sympathetic villain throughout the series, [[spoiler:but even if you never liked him, his pathetic breakdown due to the discovery of his father's betrayal of his mother and his subsequent suicide in a desperate attempt to save his wife and unborn child will have you shedding a tear.]] Depending on the viewer, Consort Yue could also count.

** [[spoiler:Princess Liyang was in love with a foreign prince but the empress and Marquis Xie conspired to [[SlippingAMickey drug]] and rape her so that she would be forced to marry Xie. Unsurprisingly this situation led to some complications, see Family Switcheroo. ]]
** [[spoiler:The Crown Prince and his mother Consort Yue attempt to repeat this plot with Nihuang so that she is forced to marry one of her potential suitors and get out of their way. Thankfully it stops at {{Attempted Rape}}.]]

* CentralTheme: Revenge is really not what this story is about, it's actually about [[spoiler: loyalty, justice, fraternity (bromance and a lot of it) and saving the country.]]

* ChekhovsGunman: You know that "beast" Jingyan's soldiers have been trying to catch since the early episodes? It's almost the end of the series and they finally caught it! [[spoiler:Turns out it's actually one of the few survivors of the Chiyan Army Nie Feng, who helps reveal how Lin Shu himself survived and the nature of his illness.]]
* TheChessmaster: Mei Changsu, do I need to say more? And Consort Jing who maybe even more of a Chessmaster than Mei Changsu. [[spoiler: She tampers with the Emperor's medicine to induce insomnia, restlessness and hallucinations, which all contributed to him having nightmares which she then convinced the Emperor is caused by restless ghosts and can only be resolved by setting up a memorial plaque. And that's just one example.]]
* TheChooserOfTheOne: Langya Hall, run by Lin Chen. Langya Hall compiles the prestigious Langya List every year that lists the greatest talents in the world in each discipline. Most people seem to regard them as a divine oracle, but they are actually just an extremely well run nigh-omniscient {{Knowledge Broker}}.

* CrazyPrepared: Lin Shu's ability to foresee and plan for every possible outcome is the quality that makes him the ultimate Divine Talent. See The Chosen One
* DarkMistress: That's what Banruo is to Prince Yu.
* DeathByChildbirth: [[spoiler: Jingrui's little sister dies in childbirth, possibly because of complications from the shock of the Family Disunion.]]

* DivideAndConquer: Xia Jiang and Prince Yu recognize that Mei Changsu is Jingyan's trump card. They try to plant seeds of distrust between them by making it appear like Mei Changsu heartlessly used Consort Jing's predicament as part of his strategies. [[spoiler:This ''almost'' works- it's really hard to appeal to {{The Power Of Friendship}} when you're the only one who knows that you ''are'' friends.]]

** [[spoiler:Grand Princess Jinyan and Lin Xie, the Emperor and Lin Yueyao this causes Prince Qi and Lin Shu to be "double cousins". Because Consort Jing is Lin Xie's adopted sister, Prince Jing and Lin Shu are also considered "double cousins".]] This goes a long way in contributing to {{EveryoneIsRelated}}

* EngagementChallenge: The tournament set up for Nihuang's suitors. The top ten have to pass the final challenge- beating Nihuang herself. This effectively gives Nihuang {{Child Marriage Veto}} powers.

* EvilMentor: Xia Jiang is this to Xia Dong. Leading a disillusioned Xia Dong to a {{Was It All A Lie}} speech.

* FamilyHonor: This being ancient China, almost all the characters are driven by protecting their family's honor- or at least the appearance of it.
* FamilyRelationshipSwitcheroo: Jingrui has two surnames. His mother gave birth on the same night as her friend at the temple they were staying at. That same night they were attacked and the two baby boys were mixed up in the darkness and confusion, making it impossible to tell which baby belonged to which mother. When one of the babies died after a few days, things became even more complicated. With no way to decide which family the baby belonged to, the emperor declared that he should belong to both of them and be given both their surnames. [[spoiler: However the real switcheroo is that Jingrui's real mother Princess Liyang was pregnant with her lover's baby and then was forced to marry Marquis Xie. She realized her husband was trying to kill her illegitimate son but had actually killed her friend's baby by accident. She perpetuated the confusion with the Zhuo family in order to protect Jingrui from the Marquis. Jingrui finds out his true parentage at his birthday party, see Family Disunion.]]

* HoneyTrap: Banruo's disciple sister, Fourth Sister (Jun Niang) is set up as this to get information out of Lin Shu's messenger Tong Lu.[[spoiler: This is partially subverted when Jun Niang actually falls for Tong Lu and later helps him escape.]]

* IgnoredEnamoredUnderling: Gong Yu's really obvious crush on Lin Shu. He takes the {{Cruel To Be Kind}} approach and never gives her any hope.

* InsufferableGenius: Lin Chen, Lin Shu/MCS

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Lin Chen

* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Lin Chen has long flowing hair - instead of the topknots most of the other men wear. Jingyan in his youth also used to wear his long hair down.

* MultilayerFacade: When he first comes to the capital, Lin Shu introduces himself as "Sir Su" a mere visiting scholar. When his enemies get suspicious, they do a background check and discover his "real" identity, the powerful Mei Changsu. This prevents them from thinking to dig deeper and discover his actual {{Secret Identity}} Lin Shu.
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: The emperor is pretty sure he doesn't belive Xia Jiang's claims about Mei Changsu's real identity, [[spoiler:but his solution is to attempt to poison him anyway just to make certain there's no future threat.]]

* NoKillLikeOverkill: See Family Disunion above.
* PassiveAggressiveKombat: Any conversation between the consorts becomes this- or any conversation in the palace really.
* PullingTheThread: Jingyan attempts to do this when he asks both his mother and Mei Changsu what his father's name was whithout giving them time to consult each other.[[spoiler: Unfortunately for him, Mei Changsu's cover is too well planned- they both give the same name, the one Lin Shu's real father used as an alias.]]

* SarcasticConfession: When he's cornered by Consort Yue and Xia Jiang's attempt to reveal his true identity, Lin Shu straight up ''admits'' it to the emperor's face. [[spoiler:But then he follows up by saying even if he admits it it doesn't prove anything and uses enough Word Fu to convince the emperor to dismiss Xia Jiang entirely.]] That is talent.[[spoiler:Although, admittedly it doesn't prevent the emperor from trying to kill him anyway... See Murder is the Best Solution.]]

** Jingyan notes Mei Changsu's habit of rubbing at things when he's thinking- just like this one guy he used to know...
** Consort Jing discovers Mei Changsu's true identity after finding a veiled reference to his mother's name in a book he wrote notes in
** Lin Shu draws Jingyan's sword in a discussion and uses it to point out troop movements, unconsciously repeating a familiar gesture from their past which Jingyan recognizes
** Another one for Consort Jing- she realizes her maid was part of the enemy's plot to cause mistrust between Jingyan and Mei Changsu when the maid makes sure to tell the story of Mei Changsu's supposed capture of her to the prince. They couldn't leave such a crucial part of the plot (making sure Jingyan heard the story told their way) to some unrelated person.

''Nirvana in Fire'' (琅琊榜, ''Láng Yá Bǎng'') is a 2015 Chinese drama, based on the novel of the same name by Hai Yan.

''Nirvana in Fire'' (琅琊榜, ''Lang Ya Bang'') is a Chinese drama aired in fall 2015. Mei Changsu, the brilliant leader of a powerful martial arts alliance, hides his true identity as the young Lin Shu and returns to the capital of his native country in order to claim justice for his wrongly executed father and the entire Chiyan army. Set in a fictionalized ancient China, the drama revolves around complex political strategies with a healthy dose of kung fu action and character drama. It has a television original produced sequel.

''Nirvana in Fire'' (琅琊榜, ''Lang Ya Bang'') is a Chinese drama aired in fall 2015. Mei Changsu, the brilliant leader of a powerful martial arts alliance, hides his true identity as the young Lin Shu and returns to the capital of his native country in order to claim justice for his wrongly executed father and the entire Chiyan army. Set in a fictionalized ancient China, the drama revolves around complex political strategies with a healthy dose of kung fu action and character drama. It has a television produced sequel.

''Nirvana in Fire'' (琅琊榜, ''Lang Ya Bang'') is a Chinese drama aired in fall 2015. Mei Changsu, the brilliant leader of a powerful martial arts alliance, hides his true identity as the young Lin Shu and returns to the capital of his native country in order to claim justice for his wrongly executed father and the entire Chiyan army. Set in a fictionalized ancient China, the drama revolves around complex political strategies with a healthy dose of kung fu action and character drama. Has a television produced sequel.

''Nirvana in Fire'' (琅琊榜, ''Lang Ya Bang'') is a Chinese drama aired in fall 2015. Mei Changsu, the brilliant leader of a powerful martial arts alliance, hides his true identity as the young Lin Shu and returns to the capital of his native country in order to claim justice for his wrongly executed father and the entire Chiyan army. Set in a fictionalized ancient China, the drama revolves around complex political strategies with a healthy dose of kung fu action and character drama.

* FriendOnTheForce: Xia Dong becomes this to our protagonists

* LongHairedPrettyBoy: Lin Chen has long flowing hair - instead of the topknots most of the other men wear - and an androgynously handsome face.

** Lin Shu accidentally draws Jingyan's sword and uses it to point out troop movements, unconsciously repeating a familiar gesture which Jingyan recognizes

* AmbiguousDisorder: Fei Liu has some kind of developmental disability, which mostly seems to manifest in acting young for his age. It certainly doesn't hurt his motor skills or coordination.

''Nirvana in Fire'' (琅琊榜, ''Lang Ya Bang'') is a Chinese drama aired in fall 2015. The brilliant leader of a powerful martial arts alliance Mei Changsu hides his true identity as the young Lin Shu and returns to the capital of his native country in order to claim justice for his wrongly executed father and the entire Chiyan army. Set in a fictionalized ancient China, the drama revolves around complex political strategies with a healthy dose of kung fu action and character drama.

** Jingrui's ill-fatedly combined double family is possibly one of the ''most'' screwed up examples I have ''ever'' seen