History Theatre / MANKAISTAGEA3

* CombatParkour: Any play within a play that has Misumi in it. Banri also showcases his skills in ''DEAD/UNDEAD'' and ''Fallen Blood.''

* '''ACT 2～AUTUMN 2023～''': adapts the Autumn Troupe's fourth and fifth plays, ''Fire up, Mantou Fist!'' and ''Fallen Blood'', and corresponding event stories

* AdaptationalEarlyAppearance: In the game, Yuzo is first introduced after the Spring Troupe hasn't been doing well in rehearsals. In the stage play, he's introduced minutes earlier than the Spring Troupe members (except Sakuya, who was in the prologue).

* CombatParkour: Any play within a play that has Misumi in it. Also Banri during Zombie Land Night and in ''DEAD/UNDEAD''.

* AllThereInTheManual: The script books for each stage play prior to ACT 2 contains the script, stage, and prop details of each stage play adaptation.

* TheAtoner: In ''SPRING 2022'', [[spoiler:Chikage almost ran from the troupe after he realized shame of his actions and his subpar performance during rehearsals, but the encouragement from Sakuya convinced him to stay.]]

* BeYourself: The crux of Tsumugi's CharacterDevelopment in ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2018'' is tied to his self-esteem which is marred by his constant self-comparisons to Tasuku. [[spoiler:Tsumugi once was confident in his own skills as an actor, but after a harsh rejection by Reni, Tsumugi gauged his lack of success by harmful comparisons with Tasuku's career. Tsumugi envied Tasuku's strong stage presence, but only learns to carry on his own strength after his failed attempt at mimicking Tasuku's acting style and Tasuku's admittance that he always envied Tsumugi's subtle style.]]

* BrokenAce:
** Compared to the previous troupes, whose main stories revolved around the characters' struggles with acting, Winter Troupe's conflict in ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2018'' arises more from their personal hangups. Due to everyone being adults with overall DarkerAndEdgier DarkAndTroubledPast, most of them respect each other's boundaries and try to not pry too much. It causes most of their more personal conflicts harder to be resolved.
** Kumon is actually very skilled at sports. But because [[spoiler:he gets really tense and this evolves into fevers]], he doesn't have any opportunities to show this and it lowers his self-esteem.

** The final performance of ''SPRING 2022'' has Matsukawa and Yuzo reference the previous audience participation songs used in old performances before introducing a new song for "the new season".
** When Taichi "cleans up" (read: shoving the box inside the storage room) the animal costumes used by the Autumn Troupe for a school performance, he mentions he's cleaning by "pretending not to see". This references ''SUMMER 2022'' where he, Yuzo, and Citron also clean up the storage room in the same manner.

** Fujita Ray (Sakyo) doesn't appear in ''SUMMER 2022'', but his voice did - arguing with Azami upon entering MANKAI COMPANY.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Homare, best exemplified in ** ''Troupe LIVE～WINTER 2022～''.

** Juza and especially Muku have this as a ''habit'', which the other guys at MANKAI COMPANY always respond to by noting that no one thinks of them as the bad and weird things they call themselves as.

* InMediasRes: ''WINTER 2020/2021'' starts with Tsumugi [[spoiler:saying he wants to leave]], setting it up like this. However, [[spoiler:it's only part of a street act with Tasuku.]]

* LeParkour: Misumi, best showcased in his introduction song "Triangles Will Save The World" in ''SPRING & SUMMER 2018''.

** Citron's past, which is something he chooses to reveal in time.

* TimeSkip: As with the original game, there's an established yet unspecified time skip between the troupes' second and third plays.

** In the ''Troupe LIVE～AUTUMN 2021～'' version of ''STRANGER ON THE WAY TO PARADISE'', when Jon is defeated by Wolf, he is sent flying towards Dom. The mad scientist doesn't even spare him a glance as he is [[KickTheDog physically swatted away]]. Which goes to show how Dom only cares about furthering his goals, seeing as he treated Jon gently when he was looking for Zero.

** Omi is cast as the villain in ''Le Roman Picaresque'' and ''Like a lead Bullet'', and as an AntiHero in ''STRANGER ON THE WAY TO PARADISE''.

** Water Me! is an in-universe AffectionateParody of the ArabianNights.

* TheAce:
** Masumi, who at the start is Spring Troupe's best actor. He is a fast-learner, but needs practice. And then there's Banri, who ''doesn't need practice''. But because he's an InstantExpert, he's highly [[BrilliantButLazy unmotivated to do things]], [[BrokenAce which limits his growth and leads him to become a rebellious teenager.]]
** Tsumugi and Tasuku. Because the Winter Troupe has two members with years of stage experience and its members overall consist entirely of mature adults, they are able to work out the kinks in their acting much faster than the other groups.

** The plays within a play become subject to this. Despite the plays being described in-game as something that would span 2 hours, the story in-game only shows snippets of it that can be readable in 5 minutes. MANKAI STAGE has the plays in versions that are around 10-15 minutes.

* AmbiguousDisorder:
** Misumi, who is obsessed with triangles, easily distracted, and [[spoiler:shunned by his family]]. These point to him having some case of neurodivergency.
** Homare, who has a self-stated inability to understand the minds of others. His penchant to be InnocentlyInsensitive, his isolation from society due to said inability, and eccentric nature imply that he may be somewhere on the autism spectrum.
* AnimalMotifs:
** Taichi is frequently likened to a puppy due to his energetic nature, his desire for affection, and his tendency to follow members that he admires. Azuma even calls him a puppy.
** Omi and wolves. [[spoiler:His old gang was known as "The Wolves", with his nickname being the "Crazy Wolf".]] For ''STRANGER ON THE WAY TO PARADISE'', he asks for the main character's name in ''STRANGER ON THE WAY TO PARADISE'' to be changed to Wolf [[spoiler:in honor of his former gang]].

** Autumn Troupe has "regrets", with their portraits being continuously referenced.
** Winter Troupe has "distance", referring to their relatively distant relationship with each other as compared to other troupes.
* {{Archnemesis}}: The GOD Troupe is this for the MANKAI COMPANY.

* BadBadActing: A few of the characters who have MANKAI COMPANY as their first acting experience (such as Sakuya, Muku, Juza) start out as ''daikon'' actors.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: [[spoiler:Taichi, who was initially a [[BecomingTheMask spy]] for the GOD Troupe, ended up leaving the said troupe because he felt that he truly belonged and be part of the stage while he's in MANKAI COMPANY and is treated as an equal by the rest of the actors and staff.]]
* BewareTheQuietOnes: Hisoka is a SleepyHead who doesn't speak a lot, but is [[BadassAdorable extremely fast and powerful]] when he is up. [[spoiler:''SPRING 2022'' reveals that he used to be a spy.]]
* BlahBlahBlah: Sakyo's long, long lectures.

** [[TeamMom Omi]] and Tsumugi tend to look after the younger members of the troupe. [[spoiler:Omi even tried to cover for Taichi when it was revealed that he was a spy from GOD Troupe.]]
** Juza takes care of [[spoiler:his younger cousin Muku, and by extension, the Summer Troupe, exemplified in ''SUMMER 2019'']]. His younger brother Kumon gets added to the cast in ''SUMMER 2022''.

* BigBrotherWorship: Sakoda to his ''aniki'' Sakyo, so much that he follows him around almost everywhere, even in the troupe. Taichi looks up to Sakyo and even calls him "Sakyo-nii" (big brother).

* BitchInSheepsClothing: Itaru, who zigzags between living up to the PrincelyYoungMan image he projects and being among the ruder members of the MANKAI COMPANY. Chikage, who is generally friendly towards everyone [[spoiler:but is outright ruthless towards the director and Hisoka]]. Both are co-workers and part of the [[NiceGuy Spring Troupe]].
* BreakTheHaughty: The ''AUTUMN & WINTER'' adaptations are about Banri realizing that he can't skate by on his natural talent, and that Juza will ultimately surpass him not just in theater, but in character as someone who's willing to work through his shortcomings.
* BrilliantButLazy:
** Banri, who picks skills up on the first try and knows how to adapt to any situation, but is arrogant and lacks motivation. Sakyo believes that if he puts his mind to it and does things seriously, then Banri would be unbeatable.
** Hisoka is an extremely skilled actor, but is prone to [[SleepyHead sleeping]] and is often only motivated by [[TrademarkFavoriteFood marshmallows]].
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Misumi, though ditzy and slow-witted, is an acting genius as well as one of the quickest and most nimble members of the whole MANKAI COMPANY.
* CasanovaWannabe: Downplayed. Taichi joined MANKAI COMPANY because he wants to be popular with girls. Even after [[spoiler:TheReveal that he is a spy]], it's still his primary motivation for acting. But he is never disrespectful and pushy.
** This is brought up again in ''Troupe LIVE～AUTUMN 2021～'', where he is dismayed at attracting a male fanbase (thanks to his role as Zero) and wants to gain female fans.

* ChildhoodFriends:
** Tsumugi and Tasuku. [[spoiler:Tsumugi giving up on acting put their friendship to an end until Tasuku joined the MANKAI COMPANY, where they had a chance to fix it.]]
** [[spoiler:Sakyo and the director hung out in the past when Sakyo was still hanging out with the MANKAI COMPANY. The director doesn't remember, while Sakyo only recognizes her after she's introduced as Tachibana Yukio's daughter.]]
** In ''SPRING 2019'', there's Tsuzuru and Mizuno.
** Also [[spoiler:Taichi and [[ChildhoodFriendRomance his neighbor]] who was his FirstLove, none other than Yuki. Even though the both of them don't recognize each other.]]

* CrosscastRole: As with the game, female characters in the plays within a play (such as Scheherazade, Francoise, and Zero) are played by male actors. Taichi, in particular, has his own character song where he's worrying about how to play a convincing female role (not that he needed to know much, though, as Zero was far from ''feminine'').

* CleavageWindow: Citron's regular outfit; Tenma's ''Water Me!'' costume (which is later worn by Banri for ''Four Seasons LIVE 2020'').

* ClosetGeek: Itaru starts out as one, but stops hiding it after the Spring Troupe members find out about it. However, he still keeps it secret from his co-workers, which is why [[spoiler:Chikage]] was surprised when he first found out.
* ColorCodedCharacters: Each troupe has its own representative color (pink for Spring, yellow for Summer, orange for Autumn, and light blue for Winter). Each individual actor also has their own image color, though it's only noticeable in promotional material and in some costumes for the ''Troupe LIVE''.

* CuttingCorners: Thanks to Sakyo, the MANKAI COMPANY needs to live a very frugal lifestyle to save on money, [[spoiler:even after clearing the debt]]. The slogan he comes up for this is "Simplicity, Frugality, Temperance Lifestyle."
* CrazyJealousGuy: Masumi towards other guys that the director interacts with, which sometimes happens as a FunnyBackgroundEvent.
* CurtainsMatchTheWindows: Sakuya and Tsumugi.
* DarkerAndEdgier:
** Autumn Troupe plays are all about the action, such as the mafia, yakuza, and an apocalyptic world setting.
** Winter Troupe plays are tragic and dramatic, and usually end with a DownerEnding.
* DeadpanSnarker: Itaru and Yuki.
* DefectorFromDecadence: [[spoiler:Tasuku left GOD Troupe because he couldn't tolerate their attempt of sabotaging MANKAI COMPANY, and ended up joining MANKAI because GOD Troupe pressured other theater companies in the town.]]

* DesignatedParents:
** The Spring Troupe sticks with Itaru as the father and Citron as the mother, based on their small skit to [[spoiler:convince Itaru into staying with the MANKAI COMPANY]].
** The Autumn Troupe has TeamMom Omi and TeamDad Sakyo, with both of them also extending the role towards the whole MANKAI COMPANY. There's Omi cooking for and taking care of the members and Sakyo managing the company and its finances).
*** In ''AUTUMN 2022'', everyone notices that Azami is cordial with everyone but only lashes out at the two of them. Omi and Sakyo lament about how he's in his rebellious phase. [[spoiler:Azami later admits he views Sakyo as a father figure and feels like Omi is a mother because of his caring tendencies.]]
** The Winter Troupe has TeamMom Tsumugi and TeamDad Tasuku, with Tsumugi taking a gentler approach towards his handling of Hisoka and Homare.

* DitzyGenius: Homare is a man of many talents and can offer sound advice to his troupemates, but his head is in the clouds most of the time.

* DudeLooksLikeALady: Yuki, who is proud of it and even uses it to his advantage when playing female roles.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: In the ''AUTUMN & WINTER'' adaptations, [[spoiler:MANKAI COMPANY wins the act-off against the GOD Troupe and is able to pay the debt they owe to the {{Yakuza}}. Tsumugi is able to patch up things with Tasuku and was able to prove himself in front of Reni.]]
* EccentricArtist: Homare. He baffles people with his poems more often than not, and when people don't understand them, he will simply say that they don't understand art.
* EveryoneHasStandards: [[spoiler:Tasuku left the GOD Troupe when he learned Reni had sent Taichi to join MANKAI COMPANY for the purpose of sabotaging them.]]
* FaceOfAThug: Juza is a GentleGiant in personality (unless its towards Banri), but everyone around him is always scared of his rough appearance.
* FaceYourFears:
** Film actor Sumeragi Tenma joins MANKAI COMPANY [[spoiler:in hopes of overcoming his fear of standing on stage due to a traumatic stage play as a child in school]]. He overcomes it by the end of ''SPRING & SUMMER'', with the help of the Summer Troupe.
** Hyodo Kumon, previously an ace baseball player, joins MANKAI COMPANY (and in the same troupe as Tenma).
* FashionableAsymmetry: Homare's right bang is way longer than his left, which adds to his eccentric nature.
* FieryRedhead: Tenma, who's arrogant and competitive, and starts arguments within the Summer Troupe. There's also Homare, who's loud, lively, and passionate.

* FoodAsBribe: Give Hisoka some marshmallows, and he'll get his job done ASAP. [[spoiler:In the past, August got Hisoka to join the organization with gingerbread.]]
* ForgottenChildhoodFriend: [[spoiler:The director (in story, not the audience of course) doesn't remember meeting Sakyo as a kid, when Sakyo used to hang out and watch the old MANKAI COMPANY rehearsals and plays.]]
* FormerDelinquent: [[spoiler:Omi used to be involved with gangs until he decided to reform when his best friend Nachi died.]]
* FriendlessBackground: A few of the MANKAI COMPANY members prior to joining the troupe, such as Masumi, Tenma (both [[LonelyRichKid Lonely Rich Kids]]), Banri and Juza (both delinquents).

* TheGadfly: Azuma gets a kick out of teasing the other members of MANKAI COMPANY, even ''Sakyo''.
* GentleGiant: TeamMom Omi, who's the tallest in the company and [[spoiler:a FormerDelinquent]]. There's also FaceOfAThug Juza.
* GentlemanAndAScholar: Homare is intelligent and one of, if not the most gentlemanly member of MANKAI COMPANY. It is only that his gentlemanly nature is often buried underneath a hefty dose of {{Cloudcuckoolander}}.

* GroundhogDayLoop: In ''AUTUMN & WINTER'', the Torment Doll caused [[spoiler:Tsumugi and Tasuku constantly to rewind the 12th, the day before the decision whether they accept Reni's challenge or not. For some reason, Misumi was also looping alongside them, so he pleads them to reconcile so that the loop would be over.]]
* HatesBeingAlone: [[spoiler:Azuma's family died in an accident when he was young, which is what prompted him to take a counselor-like job so he won't feel alone. He experienced discomfort and nightmares upon joining MANKAI COMPANY, as the only member of the Winter Troupe with a single room. But after being reassured that he has the Winter Troupe and the MANKAI COMPANY that will never leave him, he comes to stay in the company. He finds the company's boisterous nature endearing, as it assures him that there is someone by his side.]]

** The leaders get their own solo songs where they sing about their relationship with their other troupe members. Banri? Sings about how Juza is his ''muse''.

* IJustWantToBeSpecial:
** Juza wants to be more than just a delinquent. He wants to change himself and the stigma of the FaceOfAThug image that follows him.
** Taichi wants to be more popular and noticed by others. [[spoiler:Reni exploits this by promising to add him to the main cast of GOD Troupe's next play if he successfully sabotages MANKAI COMPANY's next play.]]
* IKnowAGuy: Azuma has a lot of connections and gets a lot of gifts and favors due to his job as a professional cuddler.
* InformedAttribute: In a company of around 20 men, Tsuzuru is [[TheEveryman so ordinary]] that Yuki gives him the nickname [[TheGenericGuy Villager C]]. Tsumugi is also considered plain in appearance and personality. But both of them are no less attractive than any other member, and have amazing stage presence during the plays within a play.
* InUniverseNickname: ''A lot'', thanks to resident [[TheNicknamer nicknamers]] Yuki and Kazunari. Most of them are [[AffectionateNickname Affectionate Nicknames]], though, as opposed to Yuki's meaner ones.
* JackOfAllTrades:
** There's Banri who easily can do anything, and Tsumugi who can take on any role. In ''SPRING 2022'', [[spoiler:when Chikage goes missing]], Tsumugi (and Tasuku, though he wasn't physically present) is immediately considered as an understudy.
** Kazunari is skilled not just at his major, traditional Japanese painting, but also at sketching and graphic design. [[spoiler:This becomes a problem for him in ''SUMMER 2022'' as he wonders if these are truly things that he wants to do because he can't keep focus on one field at a time.]]
* JerkassHasAPoint: Sakyo's desire to enforce the rules, cut corners on budget, and keep the order of MANKAI COMPANY puts him in conflict with the others more often than not. But it's all for the company's best interests, as it couldn't even stay afloat when Matsukawa was the one managing everything.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: ''Lots'': Itaru, Yuki, Banri, Sakyo, Tasuku, Hisoka...
* {{Keet}}: Kazunari and Taichi.
* KindheartedCatLover: The Summer Troupe, especially Misumi and Tenma, are fond of cats. There's also Hisoka.
* LackOfEmpathy: [[spoiler:Homare's trouble with empathy is never portrayed in a negative light, but it is presented as a hurdle in his interpersonal relationships that he has to recognize and confront. More importantly, he has to realize that even with his difficulties, he's a person who's fully deserving of love.]]
* LargeHam: Homare loves making up poems and reciting them as dramatically as possible.
* LastNameBasis:
** Sakyo and Tasuku call the members by their last names, in contrast to almost everyone else who calls each other by first names or nicknames.
** Everyone calls Sakoda by his last name, and he does too, with the exception of Sakoda (aniki) and Azami (first name with each other). Notably, he calls Omi something around the lines of "Master Fushimi".
** Mizuno Kaya is always referred with his last name Mizuno, even by his ChildhoodFriend Tsuzuru.
* LegacyCharacter: The current director's father, Yukio, was the former director of the MANKAI COMPANY. She invokes this when attempting to get Sakyo to back off on seizing the theatre.
* LongHairedPrettyBoy:
** It isn't really visible in front view, but Citron's hair is in a low ponytail.
** Azuma has long hair also in a low ponytail, [[spoiler:which he contemplates cutting during ''Nocturnality''.]]
* LoonWithAHeartOfGold: As eccentric as Homare is, despite his tendency to be InnocentlyInsensitive, he is overall a NiceGuy. Even at the very start, he volunteers to take care of [[SleepyHead Hisoka]].
* LovableCoward: Tenma and Muku are easily terrified of the occult. Tenma is even afraid of fireworks; but this doesn't stop the Summer Troupe from doing it together every year.
* LovableJock: Tasuku is good at sports, loves working out, and is friendly to others (though sometimes he may come off as a bit of a jerk).
** There's also [[spoiler:Muku, who used to be in the track team]].
* LoveConfession: Masumi does this on the daily towards the director, to the point that everyone in the company views it as normal behavior.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: The Seven Mysteries of MANKAI COMPANY definitely exist, but even the [[spoiler:Winter Troupe, who's experienced a few of them]] aren't really sure what exactly happened.
* MellowFellow: Tsumugi and Azuma. But while Tsumugi gets fired up whenever it's related to acting, Azuma is very relaxed and hardly loses his cool.

* TheMole: [[spoiler:Taichi, who joined the MANKAI COMPANY to initiate their disbandment thanks to GOD Troupe.]] Later on, [[spoiler:Tasuku]] is suspected to be this after he's seen [[spoiler:taking to Haruto on the street, but he's not]].
** There's [[spoiler:Mogi]] in ''Like a lead Bullet'', [[spoiler:though he only did it because he believed it would be the best for the current Tatsuta group]]. This is {{Lampshaded}} by [[spoiler:Taichi's actor]] in a series of [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CXdBa1tlF84/ Instagram]] [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CXd2X85P8Qh/ posts]] captioned "betrayal bastards".
* MotorMouth: Muku, when he gets into his self-deprecating mode, and Kazunari, who talks a whole lot.

* MyGreatestSecondChance: Tsumugi gave up on acting in the past [[spoiler:after getting rejected in the GOD Troupe audition]], but joining the MANKAI COMPANY gave him another shot at pursuing acting and reconciliation with his estranged childhood friend.
* OnlySaneMan: Bound to be at least one in each troupe. There's Tsuzuru (and later Chikage) for the Spring Troupe, Yuki and Tenma for the Summer Troupe.
* OneDegreeOfSeparation:
** Sakuya, Masumi and Banri go to Hanasaki Academy, which explains how Sakuya knew Masumi once they entered the company.
** Juza, Tenma, and Taichi go to Ouka High School. During the Autumn Troupe audition, Tenma notes that Taichi is familiar, which Taichi attributes to being from the same school. [[spoiler:But they actually met in a shoot, which Tenma doesn't remember clearly.]] Taichi is also frightened upon recognizing Juza as the top delinquent of his high school.
** Muku and Yuki go to St. Flora Middle School, where at first, Yuki doesn't want Muku associating with him, but over the course of the first play, they become close friends.
** Tsuzuru and Omi attend Yosei University, and Tsuzuru is acquaintances with Kazunari who is from Veludo Arts University.
** Juza and Muku are cousins, [[spoiler:with Muku being the reason why he auditioned for MANKAI.]] Later on, Juza's younger brother Kumon joins the Summer Troupe.
** ''AUTUMN 2022'' reveals Banri goes to the same university as Kazunari, and Juza goes to the same university as Omi and Tsuzuru.
* PhoneaholicTeenager: Among the members of MANKAI COMPANY, Kazunari is the most avid [[BlandNameProduct Instablam]] and [[BlandNameProduct LIME]] user.
* PrincelyYoungMan:
** There's Itaru who acts like one, and Muku, who idolizes him because he wants to become one himself.
** Tasuku, during his time with GOD Troupe, used to get type-casted into these roles.
* ProudBeauty:
** Itaru, whose shared CharacterSong with Citron even has him say himself that he is a handsome man. In ''Troupe LIVE～SPRING 2021～'', Matsukawa says he'd never get the self-confidence to call himself an ''ikemen'' like Itaru would do.
** Yuki, who is very confident in his looks and doesn't deny compliments when given.
* RealMenWearPink:
** Yuki is good at sewing and likes wearing girly clothes.
** In contrast to their RatedMForManly plays, the Autumn Troupe also has the largest amount of members who enjoy traditionally feminine hobbies and traits. Banri has long hair and is TheFashionista. Juza [[SweetTooth loves sweets]] too much. Taichi helps Yuki with sewing costumes for the troupe. Omi is by far the best cook in the company. Sakyo reads [[ShoujoDemographic Shoujo manga]] in his free time. Azami is a passionate makeup artist.
* RecruitedFromTheGutter: Twice for Hisoka. He was an amnesiac man who slept in front of MANKAI dorm, then invited to join the MANKAI COMPANY. [[spoiler:He also used to be a lonely guy struggling to survive on his own on the street. Then August stumbled upon him and invited him to the organization.]]
* RippleEffectProofMemory: [[spoiler:Tsumugi, Tasuku, and Misumi retain their memories of the time loops caused by the Torment Doll.]]
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: As with the characters in the game, the main cast is composed of normal students, a Yakuza member and his boss' son, some current [[spoiler:and former]] delinquents, [[spoiler:a runaway prince]], and even [[spoiler:ex-spy agents]] amongst them.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Despite everyone being afraid of him or talking about him behind his back, the members still respect Sakyo and follow his methods to keep MANKAI COMPANY up and running.
* RuleOfThree: As with the game, ''Act! Addict! Actors!'' is three words, and ''A3!'' itself has the number 3 in it. ''MANKAI STAGE A3!'' also has three words.
** Misumi, who loves triangles. [[spoiler:It's revealed in ''SUMMER 2019'' that his grandfather told him that life's greatest treasures would come in a set of three. For Misumi, his special triangle is drawn with: his friends, acting, and triangles.]]
* SensitiveGuyAndManlyMan: Tsumugi is the Sensitive Guy to Tasuku's Manly Man.
* TheSevenMysteries: Of the four that have been revealed, [[spoiler:only three have actually happened]].
** A mysterious voice can be heard from room 203 of the MANKAI dorms when no one's in it. [[spoiler:It turns out Misumi has been living in room 203 for weeks.]]
** The Torment Doll is said to appear before two people who fell out and subjects them to eternal torment until they fix their relationship. [[spoiler:Tsumugi finds the doll, and Tsumugi, Tasuku, and Misumi are trapped in a time-loop until Tsumugi and Tasuku reconcile.]]
** The Loupe of Sincerity allows the user to see exactly what others are thinking. Homare finds the Loupe and uses it to patch things up with the troupe after his mistake.
** The Unopening Door is a... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin door that won't open]]. While it appears in-game, it doesn't get to the adaptations. [[spoiler:Until the director covers up Chikage's kidnapping of her by saying they got trapped in the room with the Unopening Door.]]

* ShrinkingViolet: Muku. Overcoming this side of him to be able to play his role on stage [[spoiler:is what spurs Juza on to try auditioning for the Autumn Troupe.]]

* SleepyHead:
** Hisoka, who sleeps anywhere and anytime, even in the middle of plays.
** Masumi, who is a heavy sleeper, can't be talked to straight in the morning as he either sleeps through the conversation or in the middle of it.

* StepfordSmiler: Several, such as [[spoiler:Sakuya, Kazunari, and Azuma.]]
* StepfordSnarker: Yuki's sharp-tongued personality is largely a defense mechanism against people who used to make fun of him for his interests.
* TheStoic: Tasuku, especially towards acting, which is often commented upon by the other members.
* SweetTooth:
** Muku and Juza, the latter big time. In ''MANKAI MOVIE「A3!」～AUTUMN & WINTER～'''s opening sequence, Juza is adding a mountain of frosting to Omi's scones.
** Hisoka, who eats marshmallows regularly.
* ThinksLikeARomanceNovel: Muku, who often says similar things to "this happened in one of the manga I read!"
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Hisoka loves marshmallows, and this is often exploited to make him act and practice, among other things.
* TragicDream: [[spoiler:Not his, but Omi wishes to honor the dream of Nachi and Nachi's parents. Nachi died before he could become an actor and his parents wished they could have seen his acting before his untimely passing.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: Tenma.
* VerbalTic:
** Itaru speaks in gamer slang, such as "''kitakore''" and "''otsuotsu''". Citron, while not as often as Itaru, also tends to use the same slang. Kazunari speaks in internet and milennial slang.
** Taichi adds "-ssu" to the end of his sentences and verbs. Tsuzuru also does this, though it's not as evident.
** ''Adventure for the Niboshi'' has the characters talk with the ending "~nya" and have these mixed with regular words.
* WriteWhatYouKnow: Tsuzuru's first three scripts for the Spring Troupe all center on the development of an OddFriendship between two young men, which turns out to be the result of him subconsciously drawing on [[spoiler:his memories of his friendship with Mizuno for inspiration.]]
* WellIntentionedExtremist: Most of Sakyo's strict rules revolve around not wasting resources (as MANKAI's budget is very tight) and simply trying to keep a semblance of order in a building filled with some rather wacky people.
* WholesomeCrossdresser: Yuki, who likes wearing girls' clothes as he finds these cute.
** In ''SUMMER 2022'', [[spoiler:The Summer Troupe]] dress up as women [[spoiler:to help Kumon get over his nervousness during his audition for MANKAI COMPANY]]. They later do it again after [[spoiler:Kumon comes down with a fever nearing the opening night]].
* {{Yakuza}}: Sakyo is part of one, with Sakyo as his underling. This adds onto the authenticity of the role-making for the Autumn Troupe's third play, ''Like a lead Bullet''.
* YesMan: Sakoda to Sakyo.

* DownerEnding:
** ''Sympathy for the Angel'' ends with [[spoiler:Michael sacrificing his life so that his love can live, and Raphael and Uriel will have to go on with their lives without him.]]
** Discussed for ''The Clockwork Heartbeat''; while Tsuzuru first submitted the script draft, the other members said the ending would suit the other troupes more.

** In contrast to RatedMForManly, the Autumn Troupe also has the largest amount of members who enjoy traditionally feminine hobbies and traits. Banri has long hair and is TheFashionista. Juza [[SweetTooth loves sweets]] too much. Taichi helps Yuki with sewing costumes for the troupe. Omi is by far the best cook in the company. Sakyo reads [[ShoujoDemographic Shoujo manga]] in his free time. Azami is a passionate makeup artist.

* SenpaiKohai:
** With the Hanasaki Academy guys, Sakuya and Banri are ''senpai'' to Masumi, though the latter doesn't treat them this way.
** Ouka High School's Juza is Tenma and Taichi's ''senpai''.
** Omi is Tsuzuru's ''senpai'' at Yosei University, though they are in different majors.

* PeekABangs: Hisoka's hair covers his right eye.

* ExcitedShowTitle: As an adaptation, it keeps the "A3!" in the title of all performances.

** ''Le Roman Picaresque'' features a {{Mafia}} family.

[[/folder]]
* '''ACT 2～SPRING 2023～''': adapts the Spring Troupe's fourth and fifth plays, ''Knights of RoundIV THE STAGE'' and ''Harugaoka Quartet'', and corresponding event stories

* '''SPRING 2019''': adapts the Spring Troupe's second and third plays, ''Alice as a Boy'' and ''The Clockwork Heartbeat'' and corresponding event stories
* '''SUMMER 2019''': adapts the Summer Troupe's second and third plays, ''Adventure for the Niboshi'' and ''Captain Sky Pirates'' and corresponding event stories
* '''AUTUMN 2020''': adapts the Autumn Troupe's second and third plays, ''STRANGER ON THE WAY TO PARADISE'' and ''Like a lead Bullet'' and corresponding event stories
* '''WINTER 2020''': adapts the Winter Troupe's second and third plays, ''Butler and the Silver Spoon'' and ''Nocturnality'' and corresponding event stories

ACT 2 of the stage play series each adapt one act of the game's Main Story Part 2.

* '''ACT 2～WINTER 2023～''': adapts Act 8 ''The Greatest Journey'' of Main Story Part 2 and includes the play ''Le Fantome de l'Opera''

* SenpaiKouhai:

* '''MANKAI MOVIE「A3!」～SPRING & SUMMER～ (2021)''': adapts Act 1 and Act 2 (and the prologue) of Main Story Part 1, focusing on the Spring and Summer Troupes and includes the plays ''Romeo and Julius'' and ''Water Me!''
* '''MANKAI MOVIE「A3!」～AUTUMN & WINTER～ (2022)''': adapts Act 3 and Act 4 of Main Story Part 1, focusing on the Autumn and Winter Troupes and includes the plays ''Le Roman Picaresque'' and ''Sympathy for the Angel''

For clarity, both the in-universe main characters and their real-life actors are both referred to as part of the MANKAI COMPANY. Names are written in the Japanese order (last name first name). Beware of unmarked spoilers, especially for those who haven't seen the stage plays and the movie yet.

!!'''MANKAI STAGE''' and '''MANKAI MOVIE''' provide examples of:

* ActorAllusion: ''Troupe LIVE～AUTUMN 2021～'' features a BattleRapping between the members of the Autumn Troupe. One of the lineups include a battle between Banri and Omi, who are respectively [[Music/HypnosisMic Iruma Jyuto]] (Mizue Kenta) and [[Music/ParadoxLive Masaki Hokusai]] (Inagaki Seiya).
* AdaptedOut: Kamekichi, Iwai Tetsuro, the ensemble cast, and the event-recurring characters don't make it into the stage adaptation.
* AdaptationalBadass: Almost everywhere, as this is the live version of a game with a story in visual novel format.
** Exaggerated in Autumn Troupe plays within a play. Since their genre is action, fight scenes take up a large chunk of the runtime. But even more so in ''Like a lead Bullet'', where Ginji [[spoiler:fights alone and sheds blood]]. Apparently, that was an idea from the actor himself.
** Besides the titular characters' swordfight in ''Romeo and Julius'', the play also features fight scenes between Mercutio and Tybalt.
** Many of the actors are skilled in aerial movements. The fighting scene in ''The Clockwork Heartbeat'' features S doing ''flying kicks''. ''Captain Sky Pirates'' features Henry dodging Paul's attacks by ''jumping''.
** In the game version of ''Butler and the Silver Spoon'', Sagishima merely helps Shiki solve a murder mystery. In the stage play, Sagishima wrestles a knife out of Keiichi's hand and incapacitates him.
** In the game version of ''Nocturnality'', Ryohei simply flees after dodging Franz's knife. In the stage play, Ryohei wields a rapier and fights Franz, who dual wields daggers. Ryohei puts up a serious fight before fleeing.
** While Yokota hitting Mogi in the head with a glass ashtray was present in the ''AUTUMN 2020'' version of ''Like a lead Bullet'', when the same scene is depicted in ''Troupe LIVE～AUTUMN 2021～'', the screen shows a large blot of blood.

* AdaptationalJerkass:
** In the ''Four Seasons LIVE 2020'' version of ''Le Roman Picaresque'', Capone kicks Dewey ''in the face'', compared to the original ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2019'' version where Capone just hits Dewey with his cane. And then in ''Troupe LIVE～AUTUMN 2021～'', Capone uses Dewey's head as a ''golf ball.''
** In the ''Troupe LIVE～AUTUMN 2021～'' version of ''STRANGER ON THE WAY TO PARADISE'', when Jon is defeated by Wolf, he is sent flying towards Dom. The mad scientist doesn't even spare him a glance as he is [[KickTheDog physically swatted away]]. Which goes to show how Dom only cares about furthering his goals, seeing as he treated Jon gently when he was looking for Zero.
* AdaptationDeviation: A few scenes are moved around for parts of the stage play to connect better, such as:
** In ''SPRING & SUMMER 2018'', immediately after deciding roles for ''Romeo and Julius'', [[spoiler:Citron has doubts about leaving the troupe, then Masumi and Tsuzuru have their argument, then Itaru decides to leave the troupe, then Sakuya has problems with the swordfight, and then Tsuzuru talks to the director about the script.]]
** ''SPRING & SUMMER 2018'' cuts out the appearance of the GOD Troupe, and these scenes are later included in ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2019'' instead. In ''MANKAI MOVIE'', though, the GOD Troupe show up in ''SPRING & SUMMER'' during Tsuzuru's recruitment.
** ''SPRING 2019'' holding the MANMAN Grand Prix to [[spoiler:cheer Tsuzuru up during his writer's block]], as compared to in the game where it's done after the Spring Troupe put on the play.
** ''SPRING 2022'' has [[spoiler:Chikage try to leave after he slips up a lot of times during practice]], as compared to the game where [[spoiler:he tries to leave after the opening night of The Wonderful Charlatan of Oz.]]
** The MANKAI Company's dorm for ''MANKAI MOVIE'' has everyone's rooms inside of the house, as opposed to the game where the rooms are arranged in corridors around the backyard garden.
** In Omi's portrait in ''MANKAI MOVIE「A3!」～AUTUMN & WINTER～'', [[spoiler:Omi mentions it was Nachi who told the former about his dream, as opposed to the game and stage play where Nachi kept it a secret and his parents were the ones who told Omi.]]

** ''SPRING & SUMMER 2018'' doesn't include Sakuya's first performance as the only member of the MANKAI COMPANY, which in the game was what stalled Sakyo from tearing the theater down at first. It also omits how the director meets each of the members of the Spring Troupe (except Sakuya). It also doesn't show that Omi helped out with the Summer Troupe's play.

** ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2019'' doesn't show the Winter Troupe performance of ''Sympathy of the Angel'' wherein [[spoiler:Tsumugi tried a 'grander' style of acting]], and only shows the discussion the troupe had after that performance.
** ''AUTUMN 2020'' doesn't expound on [[spoiler:Sakyo telling the chairman that he would leave the Ginsenkai {{Yakuza}} gang if his priorities turn towards theater.]]
** The two ''MANKAI MOVIE''s condense the prologue and the first four acts of the original game, so most troupe members' development got cut. In particular, Winter Troupe's story goes straight to GOD Troupe declaring the one-man act.
** ''SPRING 2022'' omits Chikage's love for spices and all related scenes. [[spoiler:It also doesn't address how Tsuzuru had problems writing Oz's character since he couldn't grasp Chikage's personality; though there is a Spring Troupe song where they all lament on how they don't understand Chikage.]]

** Shinjo Ryo originally doesn't have a game sprite, but of course he has a design in ''MANKAI STAGE''.
** While ''MANKAI MOVIE'' is an AdaptationDistillation, it also includes new scenes for the Summer Troupe training camp at the beach, complete with troupe shirts designed by Kazunari.

* AdaptationTitleChange: MANKAI STAGE came out first in 2018 before the game's official release in English in 2019, and there are some differences between the English titles of the plays within a play even after the game's release.
** ''Le Roman Picaresque'' (MANKAI STAGE) vs. ''The Roman Episode'' (English game)
** ''Alice as a Boy'' (MANKAI STAGE) vs. ''Alex in Wonderland'' (English game)
** ''The Clockwork Heartbeat'' (MANKAI STAGE) vs ''A Clockwork Heart'' (English game)
** ''Adventure for the Niboshi'' (MANKAI STAGE) vs ''The Great Sardine Search'' (English game)
** ''STRANGER ON THE WAY TO PARADISE'' (MANKAI STAGE) vs ''The Stranger'' (English game)
** ''Like a lead Bullet'' (MANKAI STAGE) vs ''Ginji the Wanderer'' (English game)
** ''Butler and the Silver Spoon'' (MANKAI STAGE) vs ''My Master's Mesmerized by Mystery'' (English game)
* AllThereInTheManual: The script books for each stage play prior to ACT 2 contains the script, stage, and prop details of each stage play adaptation.
* AlliterativeName: '''Tsu'''mugi '''Tsu'''kioka and '''Ta'''kato '''Ta'''suku.

** ''AUTUMN 2022'' adapts the scene where the Autumn Troupe helps out at kindergarten for Taichi's sister. Banri is a rabbit, Juza is a bear, Taichi is a racoon, Omi is a wolf, Sakyo is a lion, and Azami is a squirrel. This comes back later when [[spoiler: they save Azami from kidnappers]], and to hide their identities, they wear the animal mascot heads.

* AscendedExtra: Mizuno Kaya, Ikaruga Madoka, and Shinjo Ryo, all of whom only appeared in one stage production as new supporting characters, are also featured in ''Four Seasons LIVE 2020''.
* TheAtoner: In ''SPRING 2022'', [[spoiler:Chikage almost ran from the troupe after he realized shame of his actions and his subpar performance during rehearsals, but the encouragement from Sakuya convinced him to stay.]]
* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: Despite their rocky relationship (and Misumi believing that Madoka hates him), [[spoiler:Madoka helps the Summer Troupe with the treasure hunt upon learning it was for Misumi, and watches ''Captain Sky Pirates''.]]

* BattleRapping: In ''Troupe LIVE～AUTUMN 2021～'', wherein all members of the Autumn Troupe (except Sakyo who participates as a judge) diss each other through freestyle rap. And then there's Taichi and Omi whose battle consists of them [[NiceGuy throwing compliments at each other]].

* BeYourself: The crux of Tsumugi's CharacterDevelopment in ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2018'' is tied to his self-esteem which is marred by his constant self-comparisons to Tasuku. [[spoiler:Tsumugi once was confident in his own skills as an actor, but after a harsh rejection by Reni, Tsumugi gauged his lack of success by harmful comparisons with Tasuku's career. Tsumugi envied Tasuku's strong stage presence, but only learns to carry on his own strength after his failed attempt at mimicking Tasuku's acting style and Tasuku's admittance that he always envied Tsumugi's subtle style.]]

* BigBrotherWorship:
** Sakoda to his ''aniki'' Sakyo, so much that he follows him around almost everywhere, even in the troupe. Taichi looks up to Sakyo and even calls him "Sakyo-nii" (big brother).
** After resolving their misunderstanding, [[spoiler:Ryo returns to supporting Omi, saying that he looks as cool as he used to be when he was in the gang.]] It reached the point where it looked like a second Sakoda appeared in the company.
** Kumon to Juza, ''big time''. His initial wish was to join the Autumn Troupe in hopes of being with Juza, and his introduction song even features him wearing Juza's costumes from his previous roles.

* BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine: Tsuzuru (''tsukkomi'') and Citron (''boke). It's their daily routine. In stages that don't have Citron, usually another character (such as Misumi) will imitate him to respond to Tsuzuru.
** ''SPRING 2019'' has the "MANMAN Grand Prix", a competition within the MANKAI COMPANY for the best ''manzai'' act. Participants include Tsuzuru and Citron, Sakyo and Banri, and Itaru and Masumi.
** ''WINTER 2020'' has Citron and Kazunari. It also introduces the Tsuzuru standee, to which Citron converses with using pre-recorded Tsuzuru voice lines that vary from normal phrases such as "I also think that'd be good" to script lines like "Then you'll have no choice but to leave Verona!"
** ''Four Seasons Live'' has Matsukawa, Sakoda, and Ryo.
* BreakTheHaughty: The first half of ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2019'' is about Banri realizing that he can't skate by on his natural talent, and that Juza will ultimately surpass him not just in theater, but in character as someone who's willing to work through his shortcomings.

* BrokenAce:
** Compared to the previous troupes, whose main stories revolved around the characters' struggles with acting, Winter Troupe's conflict in ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2018'' arises more from their personal hangups. Due to everyone being adults with overall DarkerAndEdgier DarkAndTroubledPast, most of them respect each other's boundaries and try to not pry too much. It causes most of their more personal conflicts harder to be resolved.
** Kumon is actually very skilled at sports. But because [[spoiler:he gets really tense and this evolves into fevers]], he doesn't have any opportunities to show this and it lowers his self-esteem.

* CallBack:
** The opening sequence of ''AUTUMN 2020'' is a performance of the member's individual portraits, but this time, they perform it like a relay, with one member saying a line of their portrait after one another. The Autumn Troupe often references their portraits in relation to the current issues that they're going through ([[spoiler:such as Omi moving on from Nachi and Sakyo's hesitance to share his family situation]]).
** The final performance of ''SPRING 2022'' has Matsukawa and Yuzo reference the previous audience participation songs used in old performances before introducing a new song for "the new season".
* TheCameo:
** In the final performance of ''SPRING 2022'', Kitazono Ryo (Tasuku)'s singing voice can be heard singing along with the other Winter Troupe members. He is the only member of the troupe not present for the entirety of the show's run.
** Fujita Ray (Sakyo) doesn't appear in ''SUMMER 2022'', but his voice did - arguing with Azami upon entering MANKAI COMPANY.
* CantHoldHisLiquor: Homare, best exemplified in ** ''Troupe LIVE～WINTER 2022～''.

* CharacterDevelopment:
** Masumi, who at the start (and especially in ''Troupe LIVE～SPRING 2021～'') only wanted the director's attention on him and did acting to be praised by her, [[spoiler:comes to view the MANKAI COMPANY as family by the time of ''SPRING 2022''; so much that he chooses to stay in Japan for the company rather than come with his actual family in moving to America.]]
* ChekhovsGun: The Seven Mysteries of the MANKAI dorm, introduced in the first two plays. [[spoiler:One being Misumi, another being the Torment Doll which appeared to Tsumugi and Tasuku (and Misumi), and another, The Loupe of Sincerity, being usable to Homare.]] The [[spoiler:Unopening Door Mystery]], which was mentioned in the game involving Azuma and Hisoka, doesn't appear in the stage play, but is mentioned in ''SPRING 2022'' [[spoiler:as a cover-up reason to explain the director and Chikage's disappearance.]]
* ChekhovsGunman:
** After doing outsourced work for earlier MANKAI COMPANY plays, Yuki (costume designer), Kazunari (graphic designer), and Omi (photographer) later join the Summer and Autumn Troupes.
* Sakyo, who is the {{Yakuza}} that the company is indebted to, ends up being the last member of the Autumn Troupe.
** At the end of ''WINTER 2020/2021'', Hisoka receives a bouquet and letter from someone called April. [[spoiler:In ''SPRING 2022'', April is revealed to be Chikage, who started going to MANKAI COMPANY productions after finding out Hisoka was there.]]
** Juza and Muku mention Juza's little brother, Kumon, by name many times. Kumon would later join the Summer Troupe in ''SUMMER 2022''.

* {{Chuunibyou}}: Citron comments that Kumon's solo act in ''SUMMER 2022'' felt like a ''chuunibyou'' play, but he likes it that way.

* CommonalityConnection:
** ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2019'' has Itaru and Banri quickly bond over their shared love of video games and being {{Otaku}}.
** Something that wasn't given emphasis during ''SPRING 2022'' was that Masumi and Tsumugi were both [[RaisedByGrandparents raised by their grandmothers]], so during ''SPRING 2022'' it's significant that it's Tsumugi who [[spoiler:goes to Masumi's grandmother to help convince Masumi to stay in Japan.]]

* ConsummateLiar: Chikage, who habitually lies and makes up stories partly for the fun of it [[spoiler:and partly to hide his true intentions]].

* ADayInTheLimelight: Except ''Four Seasons LIVE 2020'', each play/live stage revolves around one (or two in the case of the first two stage plays) troupe. And in extension, this focuses on a character in said troupe that is playing the lead role in the play within a play.
** The first two stages ''SPRING & SUMMER 2018'' and 'AUTUMN & WINTER 2019'' feature all of the new troupe members and their specific background/personalities, though there's emphasis on leaders, such as Tenma and Banri whose attitudes lead to problems within their troupes.
** ''SPRING 2019'' for Masumi [[spoiler:wanting to become an adult]] and Tsuzuru [[spoiler:having writer's block and remembering a childhood friend]].
** ''SUMMER 2019'' for Yuki [[spoiler:having artist's block and learning to accept help from others]] and Misumi [[spoiler:and his relationship with his grandfather and younger brother]].
** ''AUTUMN 2019'' for Omi [[spoiler:getting on terms with his past as a member of the Wolves]] and Sakyo [[spoiler:feeling the gap between him and the other members of the Autumn Troupe, as well as taking care of his own family problems]].
** ''WINTER 2020/2021'' for Homare [[spoiler:and his inability to understand emotions]] and Azuma [[spoiler:who is afraid of loneliness as he is still shaken up by his family situation]].
** ''Troupe LIVE～SPRING 2021～'' for Masumi [[spoiler: not wanting a new member for the Spring Troupe because he feels like the Director will throw him away for someone fresh and new.]]
** ''Troupe LIVE～SUMMER 2021～'' for Tenma [[spoiler:not experiencing a normal high school life, and how the Summer Troupe wants him have good experiences despite it.]]
** ''Troupe LIVE～AUTUMN 2021～'' for Taichi [[spoiler:receiving a fan letter and letting it get into his head.]]
** ''Troupe LIVE～WINTER 2022～'' for Homare trying to improve the Winter Troupe's relationship with Yuzo.
** ''SPRING 2022'' for Chikage who joins the troupe as a new member, and [[spoiler:Hisoka, who is the reason why Chikage joined in the first place. The two of them, along with Masumi, find their family with the MANKAI COMPANY.]]
** ''SUMMER 2022'' has Kumon, who faces his fears as the new member of the Summer Troupe. Tenma gets to act in a popular director's movie alongside his father, which is one of his goals. This, in turn, causes Kazunari [[spoiler:starts seriously worrying about what he wants to be in the future.]]
** ''AUTUMN 2022'' for Azami forming a relationship with the members of the Autumn Troupe and mending his relationship with Sakyo.

** The Autumn Troupe has TeamMom Omi and TeamDad Sakyo, with both of them also extending the role towards the whole MANKAI COMPANY (with Omi cooking for and taking care of the members and Sakyo managing the company and its finances).

* {{Determinator}}: ''SPRING 2022'' reveals that prior to the story, [[spoiler:in the mission that killed August, Hisoka fell off a cliff and into the water, swam his way to the shore, and survived but without his memories. Then he wandered and was found sleeping in front of MANKAI dorm. Before he joined the organization, he was always struggling to survive on his own. This includes him fighting against the cold weather and feeling his body going numb from the cold.]]

* DoesNotLikeWomen: Chikage can be polite but does hate dealing with women, though he's warmed up to the director by the end of ''SPRING 2022''.
* DoesntKnowTheirOwnChild: Due to his constant neglect of Masumi, Misaki really didn't have any idea about his son's life, thinking that Masumi was still the same obedient son who will listen to him. Thus his actions in ''SPRING 2022''.
* DownerEnding:
** ''Sympathy for the Angel'' ends with [[spoiler:Michael sacrificing his life so that his love can live, and Raphael and Uriel will have to go on with their lives without him.]]
** Discussed for ''The Clockwork Heartbeat''; while Tsuzuru first submitted the script draft, the other members said the ending would suit the other troupes more.
* DrillSergeantNasty: The second half of ''AUTUMN 2020'' has Sakyo coach the other members of the Autumn Troupe (which suddenly extended to the whole MANKAI COMPANY) on how to act like a proper {{Yakuza}} for their upcoming play ''Like a lead Bullet''.

* EarnYourHappyEnding: In ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2018'', [[spoiler:MANKAI COMPANY wins the act-off against the GOD Troupe and is able to pay the debt they owe to the {{Yakuza}}. Tsumugi is able to patch up things with Tasuku and was able to prove himself in front of Reni.]]
* EasilyForgiven: [[spoiler:In ''SPRING 2022'', a few of the MANKAI COMPANY members knew that Chikage had a hand in the director's disappearance and that it wasn't the Unopening Door Mystery, but chose to accept Chikage since the director covered for him.]]
* EasyAmnesia: [[spoiler:August researched a method to erase memories of the past, and produced the drug that would later erase Hisoka's memory temporarily.]]

* EmbarrassingHobby: In ''MANKAI MOVIE ～Another Stories～'', it's revealed that [[spoiler:Sakyo's]] way of destressing is to pop bubble wrap.
* TheEngineer: In ''WINTER 2020/2021'', Tasuku being able to [[MrFixit fix the dorm's television]] is what prompts [[spoiler:Hisoka to ask him to repair Homare's pocket watch.]]

* EvolvingCredits: There are different versions of the closing song depending on the performance; for example, in for the last run of ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2019'', "The Show Must Go On!" included a stanza for GOD Troupe.

** Film actor Sumeragi Tenma joins MANKAI COMPANY [[spoiler:in hopes of overcoming his fear of standing on stage due to a traumatic stage play as a child in school]]. He overcomes it by the end of ''SPRING & SUMMER 2018'', with the help of the Summer Troupe.

* FamilyOfChoice: The MANKAI COMPANY becomes this as time goes on, and this is outright acknowledged by several characters, especially the Spring Troupe.
** ''SPRING & SUMMER 2018'' has Sakuya, [[spoiler:being an orphan who moved from family to family]], finally finding a place to stay and people who care for him as much as he cares for them. He discusses this with [[spoiler:Chikage in ''SPRING 2022''.]]
** ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2019'' and ''WINTER 2020/2021'' has Azuma, who [[spoiler:finds home in MANKAI after being alone all the years since his family's death.]]
** ''SUMMER 2019'' has Misumi, [[spoiler:after leaving home, finds the three important things in his life: triangles, acting, and friends, all in the MANKAI COMPANY.]]
** ''SPRING 2022'' has Masumi [[spoiler:choosing to stay with the MANKAI COMPANY despite his father's insistence that blood relation should be more important than his bonds with the company. His father does come to understand that Masumi wants to stay in the troupe and wholeheartedly supports his decision.]] Also for [[spoiler:Chikage and Hisoka, who acknowledge that they now have a family besides each other.]]

* FeelingTheirAge: Sakyo, being one of the eldest members in the cast, needs to overcome the mentality that his age is a barrier to achieving his long-time dream of becoming an actor. His dilemma in the latter half of ''AUTUMN 2020'', which he talks over drinks with Azuma, is that he feels like his age is also a barrier between him and the members of the Autumn Troupe, who are all students.

* FirstLove: In ''AUTUMN 2020'', Azuma suggests that Taichi imagine an acquaintance of his that acts like Zero so that he would be able to visualize the role better. Taichi then remembers his first love, a girl who was his neighbor but moved shortly after. She had a rough way of speech, but was good at needlework. Sounds familiar?
--> '''Azuma''': It can't be... right?

* FuroScene: For the Autumn Troupe in ''MANKAI MOVIE「A3!」～AUTUMN & WINTER～ (2022)''.

* GenderBlenderName: "Sakuya" is commonly used for girls.
* GenderFlip: As with the plays in the game, the plays within a play of Spring Troupe also swap the gender of the main characters of a few of their in-universe adaptations:
** ''Romeo and Julius'' has [[Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet Juliet]] become Julius, telling a story of the title characters' journey to becoming HeterosexualLifePartners instead of the tragedy of the original work.
** ''Alice as a Boy'' has [[Literature/AliceInWonderland Alice]] become Alex, which is essentially ''Alice in Wonderland'' except that Alice is a brooding boy.
** ''The Wonderful Charlatan of Oz'' features the four witches from [[Literature/TheWizardOfOz The Wizard of Oz]] becoming wizards.
* GenerationXerox:
** ''SUMMER 2019'' reveals that [[spoiler:Misumi's grandfather]] was a former member of the MANKAI COMPANY, [[spoiler:its original scriptwriter. [[spoiler:Madoka inherits his talent, and is the scriptwriter for the GOD Troupe.]]
** ''WINTER 2020/2021'' has Homare, who views himself as a broken cyborg that can't understand others' emotions. His grandfather called his grandmother "you, with a mechanical heart" because she too was incapable of understanding others' emotions well, just like Homare.

* GroundhogDayLoop: In ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2019'', the Torment Doll caused [[spoiler:Tsumugi and Tasuku constantly to rewind the 12th, the day before the decision whether they accept Reni's challenge or not. For some reason, Misumi was also looping alongside them, so he pleads them to reconcile so that the loop would be over.]]

* HeelRealization: In the climax of ''SPRING 2022'', [[spoiler:Chikage argues with Hisoka, who wants to drink from Chikage's vial to prove that it isn't poison. In the process, the vial breaks, and Chikage realizes that the contents were just an amnesiac drug. He quickly realizes that Hisoka was never at fault, and that his own actions were what destroyed his relationship with Hisoka, the only family he had left.]]
* HelloInsertNameHere: The director does not appear on stage. Just like in the game, the audience is the director, and the other characters just refer to the audience as "director" (or with last name basis Tachibana, though rare).
* HeroicSelfDeprecation:
** Juza and especially Muku have this as a ''habit'', which the other guys at MANKAI COMPANY always respond to by noting that no one thinks of them as the bad and weird things they call themselves as.
** There's Tsumugi, who [[spoiler:quit acting after getting rejected by the GOD Troupe, and upon restarting in MANKAI COMPANY, lacks confidence in his acting and in himself despite multiple characters with theater experience (including Yuzo) commenting on his skill as an actor.]]
** Homare loves bragging about how awesome and magnificent he is, but once in a while he will still refer to his "broken" nature.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: There's the titular characters in ''Romeo and Julius'', Luciano and Lansky in ''Le Roman Picaresque'', and Abel and Ivan in ''DEAD/UNDEAD''.
* HiddenDepths:
** Sure, Tenma's a FieryRedhead who clashes with his members often. However, he also has his mature moments and is a good listener. He is even the one who physically restrains [[spoiler:Banri during his fight with Juza in ''AUTUMN 2020'']].
** ShrinkingViolet Muku [[spoiler:used to be the star of the school's track team, until a CareerBreakingInjury led him to quitting before the start of the story]].
** Kazunari is very energetic, friendly, and talks a lot, [[spoiler:but only has superficial relationships with people because of his outgoing personality. Despite this, though, he's a genuinely genial person who rarely takes things personally and always seeks to help out his friends.]]
** Despite Misumi's {{Cloudcuckoolander}} tendencies, he's an amazing actor. [[spoiler:His grandfather raised him and taught him how to act after seeing a young Misumi be enamored by theater.]]
** Sakyo [[spoiler:is a very family-oriented man who loves his mother and wants to let her, his stepfather, and younger stepsister live comfortable lives. It's for this reason that he chooses not to visit home, since he doesn't want them to be associated with the {{Yakuza}}.]]
** Tsumugi is a calm NiceGuy who looks after the other members regardless of age, with looks and acting skills in his belt, not to mention is smart enough to be a PrivateTutor... but he is HopelessWithTech. For example, in ''Troupe LIVE～SPRING 2021～'', he doesn't know how to record from the front or back cam, and can't zoom the camera in or out. Him writing a short blog post about the Winter Troupe's play took ''17 minutes'', while other members just did it in 2-3 minutes.
** Hisoka is cynical and wary of people since he was a kid, which may have something to do with [[spoiler:growing up on the cold streets as a beggar.]] In ''WINTER 2020/2021'', he picked up [[spoiler:Homare's broken pocket watch]] but because he was afraid of being accused of stealing and even breaking it.
** Despite his noisy and LargeHam nature, Homare often keeps his struggles to himself and tends to go off alone to resolve them, especially if they are dire.
** TheGadfly Azuma actually [[spoiler:HatesBeingAlone and is TheStoic, struggling to express intense emotion.]]

* IdenticalGrandson: In ''SUMMER 2019'', Honda Reo plays both Misumi and his grandfather Hakkaku, though it's mostly framed as Misumi acting out flashbacks from his past.
* ImageSong:
** Each troupe gets one in their ACT 1 plays:
*** Spring Troupe has "Ichigo Ichie" (Japanese: 一五一会, carrying the context of treasuring the unrepeatable nature of a moment)
*** Summer Troupe has "Tension Attention".
*** Autumn Troupe has "Spiral Emotion".
*** Winter Troupe has "Angel Snow".
** The image songs for the games also carry over to the stage play:
*** Spring Troupe has "Spring has come!".
*** Summer Troupe has "Oresama☆Natsu Summer".
*** Autumn Troupe has "oneXone".
*** Winter Troupe has "to bloom…".

* InnocentlyInsensitive: PlayedForDrama in ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2018''. [[spoiler:Homare is able to read and guess on people's intentions, but he is incapable of empathizing them too well that it almost broke the Winter Troupe up.]] The same issue continues on as the main focus of the latter half of ''WINTER 2020/2021''.
* InterclassFriendship: [[spoiler:Tsuzuru and Mizuno, where the latter's parents forced them to break off the friendship upon finding out Tsuzuru's family wasn't well off.]]
* InsomniaEpisode: ''SPRING 2022'' is this for [[spoiler:Hisoka, the resident SleepyHead. It's because he knows that if he sleeps, he'll remember the painful memories of his past, and he's not ready to face it.]]
* InMediasRes:
** ''WINTER 2020/2021'' starts with Tsumugi [[spoiler:saying he wants to leave]], setting it up like this. However, [[spoiler:it's only part of a street act with Tasuku.]]
** The Summer Troupe arc of ''MANKAI MOVIE「A3!」～SPRING & SUMMER～'' starts out on the way to the Summer Troupe's training camp, and shows how they got there afterward.

* ItWasAGift: Homare's pocket watch is a gift from his grandmother, and he treasures it especially after learning why his grandmother gave it to him. He still keeps it even after it stops working.

* JapaneseDelinquent: Of all people, [[spoiler:[[ShrinkingViolet Muku]] dresses up as one]] in ''Troupe LIVE～SUMMER 2021～''.
* TheJeeves: Sagishima in ''Butler and the Silver Spoon''.

** Everyone calls Sakoda by his last name, and he does too.

* LeaningOnTheFourthWall: Many times. They outright [[BreakingTheFourthWall break it]] when teaching the audience choreography, though.
* LeParkour: Misumi, best showcased in his introduction song "Triangles Will Save The World" in ''SPRING & SUMMER 2018''.

* LoveHurts: [[spoiler:Homare's former lover called him a "cyborg" after a misunderstanding, and it left him with a low opinion of love. He cared for her and understood he hurt her, but could not change the way he was. Prior to joining the Winter Troupe, Homare believed himself to be incapable of loving and being loved because of his lack of compassionate empathy.]]
* LuxuriousLiquor: The Winter Troupe bond by drinking, though this is never shown on stage. ''AUTUMN 2020'' has Azuma and Sakyo drink together.
* TheMafia: ''Le Roman Picaresque'' features the Capone family, wherein members Luciano and Lansky find it hard to get along while they're individually strong.
* MachineMonotone: Citron for his role as S in ''The Clockwork Heartbeat''.

* MeanCharacterNiceActor:
** Omi is cast as the villain in ''Le Roman Picaresque'' and ''Like a lead Bullet'', and as an AntiHero in ''STRANGER ON THE WAY TO PARADISE''.
--> '''Taichi''': Omi-kun's face is ''reaaally'' evil!!
--> '''Omi''': Sorry, bear with it for the play, okay?
** Homare as Dewey, the villain in ''Le Roman Picaresque'', is far more malicious than Omi's, being more physical when threatening Lansky. He also enjoys waving his gun around and points it at his own head at one point, all while smiling gleefully.
** Tsumugi's roles in ''WINTER 2020/2021''. Keiichi from ''Butler and the Silver Spoon'' is [[spoiler:a self-serving playboy, who even the actors themselves want to hit]], and Ryohei from ''Nocturnality'' [[spoiler:is the villain and even threatens to kill Kota if he insists on defending Reo.]]

** In the plays within a play, there's [[spoiler:Mogi]] in ''Like a lead Bullet''. This is {{Lampshaded}} by [[spoiler:Taichi's actor]] in a series of [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CXdBa1tlF84/ Instagram]] [[https://www.instagram.com/p/CXd2X85P8Qh/ posts]] captioned "betrayal bastards".
* MommasBoy: Sakyo, who was raised in a single mother household. [[spoiler:In ''AUTUMN 2020'', he wants to buy her and their new family a house.]]

* MrExposition: Matsukawa and Sakyo in ''SPRING & SUMMER 2018''. Sakyo being one is {{Lampshaded}} by Sakuya saying he knows a lot about the theater, and this is [[{{Foreshadowing}} the fact that he used to hang around the MANKAI COMPANY as a kid]].

* MysteriousPast:
** Citron's past, which is something he chooses to reveal in time.
** Hisoka, who was taken in by the director after learning he was an amnesiac. He gets very vague snippets of his past that make no sense to him, except that he has a "special person" and that "there used to be the three of us". [[spoiler:''SPRING 2022'' reveals that his code name is December, and the two people important to him were August, who died in a mission protecting him, and April, who later joined the MANKAI COMPANY as Utsuki Chikage.]]
* NoodleIncident: Masumi mentioning [[spoiler:his grandmother]] becomes this, as it wasn't mentioned in previous plays, yet Masumi talking about her is alluded to in ''SPRING 2022''.
* NonIndicativeTitle: The plays prior to the ''Troupe LIVE'' shows are referred to as "ACT 1". In reality, only ''SPRING & SUMMER 2018'' and ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2019'' adapt the game's Part 1 story; the individual troupe productions are based off event stories that were released in between Part 1 and Part 2.
* NotAllowedToGrowUp: Averted; in ''SPRING 2022'', Chikage asks if Sakuya is a high-schooler, to which the latter responds with "I just graduated from high school!"
* ObviouslyNotFine: Homare does this a lot in ''WINTER 2020/2021''. He was clearly pained when Azuma first found his pocket watch amid the cardboard boxes, but smiled through it to explain the story behind it. Then he quietly, sadly looked at the watch until Tsumugi called him, at which he immediately responded with a happy face and cheerfully ushered everyone to carry the boxes away. [[spoiler:When his pocket watch went missing and decided to give up on looking for it, he declared stopping the search and then cheerfully acted as if everything was fine. Although others questioned him, he insisted that he was fine before leaving. No one seemed convinced.]]
* OnceMoreWithClarity: The scene where Hisoka trips in ''WINTER 2020/2021'' is later repeated to reveal that [[spoiler:he faked it to hide Homare's pocket watch, which fell off after Homare's encounter with Kazunari and Citron.]]

* ParentalAbandonment:
** [[spoiler:Sakuya, who is an orphan. Presumably Hisoka and Chikage as well.]]
** [[spoiler:Azuma's parents (and brother) died in car accident.]]
** Sakyo was raised single-handedly by his mother.
* ParentalNeglect:
** Sakuya, who [[spoiler:after the death of his parents, was passed from family to family that didn't care about him]] and Masumi, whose parents are overseas [[spoiler:and later divorced]].
** Misumi, who was living in the MANKAI dorm prior to the start of the story. [[spoiler:Being TheUnfavorite at home, it's unclear whether he ran away out of his own volition or was disowned, but his family doesn't seem to know his current whereabouts since Madoka expresses relief at finding out he's alive in ''SUMMER 2019''.]]
* ParentsAsPeople: In ''SPRING 2022'', [[spoiler:Masumi's parents divorced, with his father having custody and not wanting Masumi to be alone, he had asked for Masumi to come to America with him. While well-meaning, his ParentalNeglect on Masumi means that he didn't know about Masumi joining MANKAI COMPANY, so his son isn't as lonely as he used to feel and actually has another place to call [[FamilyOfChoice home]].]]
* PastExperienceNightmare: Azuma often has nightmares about his DarkAndTroubledPast. [[spoiler:Azuma was the only that did not attend a trip which resulted in an accident that killed his parents and brother. He has a recurring nightmare in which his family always leaves him alone at the end.]]

* PleaseDontLeaveMe: Azuma's nightmares always have him say this to [[spoiler:his family. Unfortunately, his family always leaves him at the end.]]
* PoorCommunicationKills:
** The Winter Troupe's general conflict that spans the whole series is their unwillingness to open up to each other, being "mature adults" who know their personal boundaries. As of ''SPRING 2022'', however, [[spoiler:Hisoka says that while he's okay with the distance that they have as fellow members, he wants them to learn all about his [[DarkAndTroubledPast past]] once the right time comes.]]
** The latter half of ''AUTUMN 2020'' has the other 4 members of the Autumn Troupe pitted against Sakyo - because Sakyo (and Sakoda) is hiding his personal matters and the 4 are afraid to ask him about it, even though they attempted to many times.
* ThePowerOfFriendship: Most of the Spring Troupe plays center around male friendships. Discussed in ''The Clockwork Heartbeat'', as Tsuzuru worries if audiences will tire of his plays reusing the same theme.
* PretendWereDead: Done by Omi and Taichi during Zombie Run Night in ''AUTUMN 2022'' to avoid being caught by zombies. It works for a short while.

* RatedMForManly: The Autumn Troupe plays center around hardened mercenary men in larger-than-life peril:
** ''Le Roman Picaresque'' features a {{Mafia}} family.
** ''STRANGER ON THE WAY TO PARADISE'' features a mercenary in an apocalyptic setting.
** ''Like a lead Bullet'' is about the {{Yakuza}}.
* RayOfHopeEnding:
** ''The Clockwork Heartbeat'' ends with [[spoiler:S having to be deactivated, but Luke is hopeful that someday he can reactivate S again.]]
** ''Nocturnality'' implies that [[spoiler:although Reo left, Kota hadn't given up on Reo yet.]]

** In contrast to RatedMForManly, the Autumn Troupe also has the largest amount of members who enjoy traditionally feminine hobbies and traits. Banri has long hair and is TheFashionista. Juza [[SweetTooth loves sweets]] too much. Taichi helps Yuki with sewing costumes for the troupe. Omi is by far the best cook in the company. Azami is a passionate amateur makeup artist.
* RecurringRiff: "Boyhood Collage" in ''AUTUMN 2022''.

* RedEyesTakeWarning: Averted. Sakuya and Homare have red eyes, but both are nice and very affectionate (save for Homare's insensitive remarks at times).
** Characters with red/pink eyes in ''DEAD/UNDEAD'' are zombies.

* RunningGag:
** The scenes where Tsuzuru passes out after completing his scripts evolve with each stage production, that by the time of ''SPRING 2022'', it has its own song and dance number.
** The MANKAI COMPANY members tease Haruto by calling him [[spoiler:Yamada Genta]] after [[spoiler:the reveal of his real name]]. Even Azuma joins in on the teasing.
--> '''Haruto (to Tenma):''' Haven't you been in the industry for long?! Isn't good memory needed to become an actor?!
--> '''Haruto (to Azuma):''' You!!! You seem to be the time that wouldn't get it wrong!!!
** Grandma Martha from the ''WINTER 2021'' etude suddenly gets called back during the Winter Troupe's skit in ''SPRING 2022''.
* SadClown: Homare is loud and positive as the Winter Troupe's moodmaker. But he is also struggling to get over his LackOfEmpathy and InnocentlyInsensitive nature.
* SecurityBlanket: Homare's pocket watch named Christine. [[spoiler:Losing it is a large hit to his mood and the Winter Troupe's rehearsals for ''Butler and the Silver Spoon''.]]

* SetBehindTheScenes: The opening of ''SUMMER 2022'' shows what happens behind the scenes of a ''Water Me!'' performance, as Kumon starts experiencing theatre as backstage hand to the Summer Troupe.

** The Unopening Door is a... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin door that won't open]].
* ShoutOut:
** Four out of five Spring Troupe plays are adaptations of popular stories: HeterosexualLifePartners Romeo and Juliet, GenderFlip Alice in Wonderland, and a Prequel to The Wizard of Oz.
** Water Me! is an in-universe AffectionateParody of the ArabianNights.

* SignificantDoubleCasting: Nakamura Taro plays both Hyodo Juza and [[spoiler:Nachi (though unvoiced), to further drive in the similarities that Omi sees in the both of them.]]

* SmallRoleBigImpact:
** From ''SPRING 2019'', Mizuno Kaya, [[spoiler:Tsuzuru's estranged childhood friend]], is the one who [[spoiler:brings Tsuzuru out of his writer's block in the latter half of ''SPRING 2019'']].
** From ''AUTUMN 2020'', meeting Shinjo Ryo again helps [[spoiler:Omi move a step forward in accepting his past, which in turn helps him bring his role in ''STRANGER ON THE WAY TO PARADISE'' to life.]]
** From ''SPRING 2022'', Masumi's father, Usui Misaki. [[spoiler:Trying to take Masumi with him to America furthers the notion that the MANKAI COMPANY is a big, important family, which leads to Chikage trying to destroy the company after knowing how much this meant to Hisoka.]]
* SportsStories: ''Love Out of Left Field''.

* SternTeacher: Tenma and Sakyo to their troupe members. The others are caught off-guard whenever they say something nice for a change.
--> '''Sakyo''': What? You think I can't throw in good words from time to time?
* StreetUrchin: ''SPRING 2022'' reveals that [[spoiler:Hisoka lived in the streets as a kid before August invited him to the Organization.]]

* ThrowItIn: InUniverse, the Summer Troupe tends to do this in their plays a lot, since their main genre is comedy. For MANKAI STAGE, though, this happens ''a lot'', especially for comedy relief.
* TimeSkip: As with the original game, there's an established yet unspecified time skip between the troupes' second and third plays.
* ToiletHumour: Present in ''Love Out of Left Field'', where lead Akiyama tends to have an upset stomach every time he's in an important position.

* TragicKeepsake: Tasuku finds a hair comb when [[spoiler:he and Azuma went to visit to Azuma's old home, before it was about to get demolished. This was intended to be a birthday gift to Azuma by his brother. His brother and his parents died in an accident one week before his birthday.]]
* TheTrickster: Chikage, who is a ConsummateLiar. As the Spring Troupe puts it, they never know if he's being serious or not.

* VitriolicBestBuds:
** Tasuku and Homare. Although they bicker a lot, Tasuku still [[spoiler:fixes Homare's beloved pocket watch, even if Tasuku initially claimed he couldn't do it.]]
** Also Hisoka and Homare. Hisoka is often frustrated at how loud Homare is, and here are times when he wakes up just to insult Homare which leads Homare to be exasperated. But it was Hisoka who [[spoiler:asked Tasuku to fix the aforementioned pocket watch, because even though Homare claimed it wasn't important to him, Hisoka felt that it was something he treasured.]]
* VocalRangeExceeded: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]; to avoid this from happening and to protect Akazawa Ryotaro's (Taichi) and Inagaki Seiya's (Omi) throats, the ''AUTUMN 2020'' version of "Just For Myself" is an octave lower than the original song. The album version and the ''Troupe LIVE～AUTUMN 2021～'' version have them sing it in the original key.
* WalkingSpoiler: Taichi in ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2018'', Chikage in ''SPRING 2022''.

* WriteWhatYouKnow: Tsuzuru's first three scripts for the Spring Troupe all center on the development of an OddFriendship between two young men, which turns out to be the result of him subconsciously drawing on [[spoiler:his memories of his friendship with Mizuno for inspiration.]]
* {{Yakuza}}: Sakyo is part of one. This adds onto the authenticity of the role-making for the Autumn Troupe's third play, ''Like a lead Bullet''.
* YesMan: Sakoda to Sakyo.

* HeterosexualLifePartners: There's the titular characters in ''Romeo and Julius'', and Luciano and Lansky in ''Le Roman Picaresque''.

* '''SPRING & SUMMER 2018''': adapts Act 1 and Act 2 (and the prologue) of Main Story Part 1, focusing on the Spring and Summer Troupes and includes the plays ''Romeo and Julius'' and ''Water Me!''
* '''AUTUMN & WINTER 2019''': adapts Act 3 and Act 4 of Main Story Part 1, focusing on the Autumn and Winter Troupes and includes the plays ''Le Roman Picaresque'' and ''Sympathy for the Angel''

* '''ACT 2～SPRING 2022～''': adapts Act 5 of Main Story Part 2 and includes the play ''The Wonderful Charlatan of Oz''
* '''ACT 2～SUMMER 2022～''': adapts Act 6 of Main Story Part 2 and includes the play ''Love Out of Left Field''
* '''ACT 2～AUTUMN 2022～''': adapts Act 7 of Main Story Part 2 and includes the play ''DEAD/UNDEAD''
* '''ACT 2～WINTER 2023～''': adapts Act 8 of Main Story Part 2 and includes the play ''Le Fantome de l'Opera''

** ''AUTUMN 2020'' doesn't expound on [[spoiler:Sakyo leaving the Ginsenkai {{Yakuza}} gang.]]

** ''AUTUMN 2022'' adapts the scene where the Autumn Troupe [[spoiler: saves Azami from kidnappers]], and to hide their identities, they wear animal mascot heads. Banri is a rabbit, Juza is a bear, Taichi is a racoon, Omi is a wolf, and Sakyo is a lion.

* DarkSkinnedBlonde: Citron has dark skin with platinum-blonde hair. While the hair is a wig, Furuya Yamato's dark skin isn't all makeup, as he has a tan skin tone.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mankai_stage.jpg]]

** ''WINTER 2020'' has Citron and Kazunari. It also introduces the Tsuzuru standee, to which Citron converses with using pre-recorded Tsuzuru voice lines that vary from normal phrases such as "I also think that'd good" to script lines like "Then you'll have no choice but to leave Verona!"

'''MANKAI STAGE A3!''' is the theater adaptation of the mobile game [[VideoGame/{{A3}} A3!]].

Upon receiving a letter from her father's theater company, the PlayerCharacter (you, the audience) visits a theater with only one actor and a finds out that the theater company is declining and buried in a large debt. You then succeed you father as the new director of the MANKAI COMPANY, tasked to bring the troupe back to its former glory and paying the debt to the {{Yakuza}}. The lives [[CastHerd twenty]] (later twenty-four) men are entangled in the process.

The stage play adaptation is unique in the sense that it's a stage play about stage actors and staff preparing for a stage play. One of the charms of '''A3!''' perfectly captured by the stage play adaptation is the ''gekichuugeki'' (Japanese: 劇中劇, lit. play within a play), which refers to the in-universe stage productions that the fictional MANKAI COMPANY present to their audience.

!!'''MANKAI STAGE''' provides examples of:

* ActorAllusion: ''Troupe LIVE～AUTUMN 2021～'' features a rap battle between the members of the Autumn Troupe. One of the lineups include a battle between Banri and Omi, who are respectively [[Music/HypnosisMic Iruma Jyuto]] (Mizue Kenta) and [[Music/ParadoxLive Masaki Hokusai]] (Inagaki Seiya).

** In the ''Four Seasons LIVE 2020'' version of ''Le Roman Picaresque'', Capone kicks Dewey ''in the face'', compared to the original ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2019'' version where Capone just hits Dewey with his cane.

** In the game verseion of ''Nocturnality'', Ryohei simply flees after dodging Franz's knife. In the stage play, Ryohei wields a rapier and fights Franz, who dual wields daggers. Ryohei puts up a serious fight before fleeing.

** The plays within a play become subject to this. Despite the plays being described in-game as something that would span 2 hours, the game only shows snippets of it that can be readable in 5 minutes. MANKAI STAGE has the plays in versions that are around 10-15 minutes.

** Muku and Juza, the latter big time. In ''MANKAI MOVIE ～AUTUMN & WINTER～'''s opening sequence, Juza is adding a mountain of frosting to Omi's scones.

* TragicDream:[[spoiler:Not his, but Omi wishes to honor the dream of Nachi and Nachi's parents. Nachi died before he could become an actor and his parents wished they could have seen his acting before his untimely passing.]]

Upon receiving a letter from her father's theater company, the PlayerCharacter (you, the audience) visits a theater with only one actor and a finds out that the theater company is declining and buried in a large debt. You then succeed you father as the new director of the MANKAI COMPANY, tasked to bring the troupe back to its former glory and paying the debt to the {{Yakuza}}. The lives [[CastHerd twenty]] (later [[UpToEleven twenty-four]]) men are entangled in the process.

** UpToEleven in Autumn Troupe plays within a play. Since their genre is action, fight scenes take up a large chunk of the runtime. But even more so in ''Like a lead Bullet'', where Ginji [[spoiler:fights alone and sheds blood]]. Apparently, that was an idea from the actor himself.

* BrokenAce: Compared to the previous troupes, whose main stories revolved around the characters' struggles with acting, Winter Troupe's conflict in ''AUTUMN & WINTER 2018'' arises more from their personal hangups. Due to everyone being adults with overall DarkerAndEdgier DarkAndTroubledPast, most of them respect each other's boundaries and try to not pry too much. It causes most of their more personal conflicts harder to be resolved.

* TheCameo: In the final performance of ''SPRING 2022'', Kitazono Ryo's singing voice can be heard singing along with the other Winter Troupe members.

** ''SPRING 2022'' for Chikage who joins the troupe as a new member, and [[spoiler:Hisoka, who is the reason why Chikage joined in the first place.]]

* FaceYourFears: Film actor Sumeragi Tenma joins MANKAI COMPANY in hopes of overcoming his fear of standing on stage due to a traumatic stage play as a child in school. He overcomes it by the end of ''SPRING & SUMMER 2018'', with the help of the Summer Troupe.

* JackOfAllTrades: There's Banri who easily can do anything, and Tsumugi who can take on any role. In ''SPRING 2022'', [[spoiler:when Chikage goes missing]], Tsumugi (and Tasuku, though he wasn't physically present) is immediately considered as an understudy.

* ActorSharedBackground:
** The story of A3! is that of stage actors and staff preparing for a stage play; of course, the actors in ''MANKAI STAGE'' are stage actors, and it's mentioned in many interviews that there are many points of relation to the story and characters.
** While he previously had stage play experience, this is the first time that Mizue Kenta, the actor for Banri, has participated in a 2.5D stage production. Like Banri, he breezes through his role, with the other actors calling him "Easy Mode Kenta" as reference to Banri.
* ActingForTwo: Overlapping with LoadsAndLoadsOfRoles: prior to ''AUTUMN 2020'', roles of ensemble cast were also played by the main/side characters. This leads to situations like Muku being a [[{{Yakuza}} yakuza underling]] and Azuma as a GyaruGirl.

* DawsonCasting: Inevitable for 2.5D productions. Special mention goes to Jinnai Sho, who in his thirties is one of the oldest cast members, yet he plays the high-schooler Tenma.

* FakeNationality: Furuya Yamato (Japanese) plays the resident FunnyForeigner Citron. [[spoiler:Also, Ueda Keisuke and Someya Toshiyuki, who play the implied foreigners Hisoka and Chikage respectively, are both Japanese.]]

* TheOtherDarrin:
** Following the untimely passing of Takiguchi Yukihiro, Kujirai Kosuke has portrayed Kashima Yuzo starting in ''WINTER 2021''.
** Following Makishima Hikaru's graduation from the role after the ''Troupe LIVE～SPRING 2021～'', Takahashi Ryoya currently portrays Usui Masumi in both the movie and stage plays.

* {{Rerun}}:
** ''WINTER 2021'' is this for ''WINTER 2020'', the main difference being additional cast members (Sakuya and Yuzo weren't in ''WINTER 2020'').
** ''Four Seasons LIVE 2020'' featured reruns of the four troupes' debut plays, but with different cast members from other troupes.
** The ''Troupe LIVE'' shows included reruns of each troupe's first, second, and third plays in a play.
** The opening of ''SPRING 2022'' is a rerun of ''Romeo and Julius'', but with the musical parts removed except for the theme song at the end.

* RoleReprise: Surprisingly averted. A few of the game voice actors, such as Hirose Daisuke (Misumi), Sawashiro Chiharu (Banri), and Konishi Seiya (Azami) were stage actors before venturing into voice acting, but don't reprise their role for MANKAI STAGE.
** Following the exit of Kazunari's original voice actor (who was also a stage actor), Akazawa Tomoru now plays him on all media: game, stage play, movie, and anime (lines were re-recorded only for the Autumn & Winter disc release).