History VideoGame / Dragonforce

* WackyMarriageProposal: Before the final battle, Leon asks [[spoiler:Junon]] to marry him in the clumsiest way you can ever imagine. [[spoiler:She accepts, and if you're playing as Leon, in the ending, they have a son]].

* WakeUpCallBoss - In contrast to the other monarchs (see WarmUpBoss below), Mikhal starter villain, Kyoem, is pretty much this. He starts at level 11 (while your highest level character at the beginning will be level 3), and despite having no troops, he has a game-braking ability called "Phantasm" which creates between 60 and 100 clones of himself (said clones behave like samurai gameplay-wise), only costs 1 MP and can be used multiple times. His three generals are at level 6 and have far more troops than your party. Taking down Kyoem from the very beginning is ''very'' challenging.

* WarmUpBoss - Of a sort. Each monarch (save Reinhart, he gets a WakeUpCallBoss) starts out having to deal with a minor antagonist and their cronies, most of whom will [[DefeatMeansFriendship end up joining their forces.]] The nice thing is, they will remain "extra" loyal throughout the game (i.e. more loyal than the average MookLieutenant, but not as much as the members of the starting FiveManBand).

* BigDamnHeroes - Midway through the first arc, you're prompted to investigate the mysterious Shadow Tower. Inside, you meet Ramda, who helps you by revealing some of the plot. On your way back, you get ambushed by [[spoiler: Gaul and Scythe]], who simply stand up after you defeat them in battle, and are on the verge of killing the party when Frest and Ramda show up, prompting them to retreat.
** In Junon's campaign, [[spoiler: Scythe and Gaul get their revenge by actually killing Ramda in the Shadow Tower after their VillainExitStageLeft.]]

** Rather early on in Reinhart's campaign, [[spoiler: [[HornyDevils Uryll]] confesses that she was actually sent by Madruk to assassinate him, but cannot bring herself to do so now because she has [[{{Shotacon}} fallen in love with him]]. Unable to convince Reinhart to undergo a FaceHeelTurn, she leaves reluctantly to face punishment for failing her mission. [[OurLichesAreDifferent Santana]] pursues and captures her, and reveals to Reinhart that he has been appointed as her executioner (after forcibly ejecting you from one of your castles). Ardor then begs Reinhart to rescue Uryll, and if you choose to do so, you find that Santana has brought along 3 other MookLieutenant generals (a Spirit User, a Monk, and a Ninja), each with ''at least 60 troops''. At this stage of the game, the average player is not likely to be able to outnumber them, and [[HonourBeforeReason Ardor even forces]] [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl an encounter with Santana]] [[TacticalRockPaperScissors (his Cavalry do NOT fare well against Santana's Zombies)]]. Gigg helps somewhat with his [[EliteMook Dragons]], but the fight will probably still be rough. Oh, and those MookLieutenant generals? [[LostForever They all get killed in combat (including Santana, of course), so you don't get to use their huge armies.]]]]

* {{Bishonen}} - The Archer troops (which are [[{{Elfeminate}} Elves]], so this is a given), and many, many male generals, especially Scar of Tristan and Yuri.

** HolyHandGrenade - The aptly-named Holy Blast. A similar version, Solar Flare, hits ''both'' enemy and friendly troops. For those who wish to read between the lines, the fact that [[spoiler: Goldark]] has access to this spell is a sign that [[spoiler: he isn't evil to begin with.]]

* InterspeciesRomance - [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Wein and Teiris]], most obviously, though Gongos attempts to build a love triangle (but Teiris doesn't reciprocate). Arguably, Ardor and Uryll as well.
* TheJuggernaut/ NoSell - Katmando, which can only be harmed once the heroes get their powerups via AncientArtifact.

* OfCorsetsSexy - Uryll and Sierra's sprites. [[IncrediblyLamePun Fitting]], as they're Succubi.
* OfficialCouple - Aside from [[spoiler: Wein/Teiris and Leon/Junon]] in the epilogue, we also see [[spoiler: Ardor riding away from Trandor together with Uryll.]]
** That last one might be debatable, considering [[spoiler: [[HornyDevils Uryll's]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy nature]], though where [[AmbiguousGender Ardor]] is concerned, the relationship could mean [[LesYay something else.]]]]
** Also, from Izumo's epilogue, [[spoiler: Mikhal and Shione,]] although the subtext was already present during their cutscenes together.
** And from Goldark's epilogue, we have [[spoiler: his nephew, Talon, and Aisha. Both are members of his WarmUpBoss squad.]]

* TransformingMecha - Katmando, whose "travel" form looks like an "8"-shaped UFO, but turns upside down and sprouts a head and combat appendages at the start of each battle.

* AlwaysSaveTheGirl - if the player stops by at the Fiend Tower to recruit [[NobleDemon Vlad]], a side story will open up, wherein Ryskim, Vlad's mortal enemy, takes over a random castle and taunts Vlad with his BrainwashedAndCrazy girlfriend, Sierra. After you beat him, he comes back ''yet again'', [[spoiler: provided you stopped by Lightan and disturbed Zanon at least once before,]] and captures a female general in order to lure out your monarch. For the other monarchs, the female in question is from their starting FiveManBand, but for Wein? [[spoiler: [[{{Foreshadowing}} It's]] [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Teiris.]]]]

* BerserkButton - [[spoiler: [[SecretCharacter Hayate's]] DarkAndTroubledPast.]] Further elaborated upon when you meet Hayate when playing as Mikhal, because [[spoiler: Mikhal was one corner of a LoveTriangle, though he didn't win the girl in the end. When [[NinjaPirateRobotZombie Kyoem]] killed Hayate's wife, the master ninja did NOT take it well. Thankfully, Mikhal's gracious enough to support Hayate's quest for revenge.]]

* BrainwashedAndCrazy/ MindControl - Sierra, under Ryskim.

* CuteMonsterGirl - Several examples, especially Uryll and Sierra.

* DarkActionGirl - Uryll and Sierra, to an extent.
* DarkAndTroubledPast - [[SecretCharacter Hayate]] (see BerserkButton above), for starters.

* DarkIsNotEvil - Ramda and [[NobleDemon Vlad]] being good examples.
** Ramda is actually [[spoiler: ''the goodness of Madruk's heart'' given physical form and sentience.]]

* DefectorFromDecadence/ MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch - Hiding out in one of the mountain villages (location varies depending on the monarch you're playing) is a [[spoiler: [[SecretCharacter dragon-man called Vangal]], who is tired of all the destruction his kind are causing, and just wants to live a quiet life. You can recruit him into your army, but doing so incurs the wrath of Zado, a [[ThatOneBoss powerful dragon-man who later attacks you with 100 dragons!]]]]

* EvilMakeover: Sierra gets one while under Ryskim's control.

* HeroOfAnotherStory - The ''previous'' Dragon Force, who stood against Madruk during his first war in the prologue. [[spoiler: They failed, however; see {{Pride}} below.]] Notably, there were eight of them, and each becomes a mentor to the current Dragon Force, eventually empowering their AncientArtifact [[EleventhHourSuperpower just in time for]] the FinalBattle:
** [[{{Bishonen}} Miral]] to Wein
** [[MrExposition Lord Frest]] himself to Goldark
** Farla (the previous Elf-Queen, ''[[OurElvesAreBetter who is still living out her normal lifespan]]'') to Teiris
** [[BarbarianHero Leviathan]] to Gongos
** [[MasterSwordsman Homura]] to Mikhal
** [[OldMaster Kazabu]] to Leon
** Strauss to Reinhart
** [[EvilMentor Faust]] to Junon

* HeroicSacrifice/ SuicideMission - [[spoiler: Ramda]]. See HopelessBossFight below. This spurs your monarch into an UnstoppableRage (which may or many not contribute to their powerup via AncientArtifact), after which you get the satisfying opportunity to kick some serious mecha ass.

* HopelessBossFight - [[spoiler: Ramda]] [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifices himself]] to weaken Katmando during your first encounter with it. As Katmando can only be harmed once the heroes obtain their powerups via AncientArtifact, the battle is essentially this.
** In Wein's and Mikhal's campaigns, [[spoiler: Goldark evades capture, but returns a short time later to have it out with you. During this scripted event, there is nothing (and I mean NOTHING) you can do to stop him from marching right up to wherever Wein/Mikhal are and challenging them to a duel. Like any other duel, there's nothing the player can do but to watch as Goldark beats the hell out of Wein/Mikhal (but this doesn't result in a GameOver due to the event script - rather, Wein/Mikhal survive with [[HPToOne 1HP]]) and leaves them with a ReasonYouSuckSpeech, before vanishing again.]]

* HornyDevils - Uryll, Sierra.

* [[IHaveYourWife I Have Your Love Interest]] - See AlwaysSaveTheGirl above. Apparently, Ryskim is a fan of this trope.

* InterspeciesRomance - [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Wein and Teiris]], most obviously, though Gongos attempts to build a love triangle (but Teiris doesn't reciprocate). Vlad and Sierra might count, seeing as how he's a vampire and she's some kind of succubus. Arguably, Ardor and Uryll as well.

* LostForever/ TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou - Vlad vs [[ThatOneBoss Ryskim.]] [[spoiler: You can still save Sierra if you do not pit Vlad against Ryskim, but Vlad gets pissed and [[LostForever deserts your army (with Sierra in tow)]] if this happens.]] Thankfully, Vlad doesn't have to win (but your party must still defeat Ryskim) for his story to continue.

* MrExposition - Lord Frest, and later on, Ramda.

* TheObiWan - The previous Dragon Force to the current one, to varying degrees. No word on ''how'' exactly they're still around (Madruk's previous war is said to have taken place ''300 years'' ago), but at least [[MrExposition Lord Frest]] has the excuse that he's trapped in some NegativeSpaceWedgie, and Palemoon's previous queen, Farla, is an [[OurElvesAreBetter Elf.]]

* {{Pride}} - The reason the previous Dragon Force failed. Each thought that they could take on Madruk alone, and ended up defeated by the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Apostles of Darkness]].

* PurposelyOverpowered - your starting team in both Goldark's and Reinhart's scenarios, but for different reasons.

* TakingYouWithMe - How [[spoiler: [[HeroicSacrifice Ramda (attempts) to defeat Katmando.]] [[HopelessBossFight He fails]], but his sacrifice spurs your monarch's power-up.]]

* TerseTalker - [[DumbMuscle Raizak of Topaz]] and [[TheBigGuy Ortega of Tristan]] stand out. Also, Santana and [[spoiler: Sierra while BrainwashedAndCrazy by Ryskim.]]

* WhatHappenedToTheMouse - In Goldark's campaign, [[spoiler: Ryskim does not reappear after his QuirkyMinibossSquad deserts (together with Gaul and Scythe). The other three pop up at the Cape Shrine to challenge Mikhal, Leon, and Junon, but Ryskim is nowhere to be seen.]]
* WhipItGood - [[{{Dominatrix}} Laine.]]
* WingedHumanoid - The [[HornyDevils Succubus]] generals like Uryll and Sierra.

* WorfEffect - Ramda gets this from [[TheJuggernaut Katmando]]. Badly. [[spoiler: Goldark takes his place in Junon's campaign, but he gets better.]]

* AbsoluteCleavage - Astea is the goddess of creation, but she could be the goddess of this as well.

* BigGood - Astea and Harsgalt.

* CrystalDragonJesus - Astea and Harsgalt. Harsgalt gets bonus points for being an actual dragon.

* EvilWeapon - Eclisis. Notably, in Junon's campaign, [[spoiler: her mentor from the previous Dragon Force (each of the monarchs gets one), Faust, takes Eclisis from its usual bearer, [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity Zanon]] (Zanon's fate is left ambiguous, but his armies & generals are disbanded), and tempts Junon with its power. Bonus points for Junon angsting over her father's death at Goldark's hands, and Eclisis being a VERY easy way to get her revenge. She gets better, though, and refuses the offer. In Faust's last appearance to her, he goads her into a fight, and dies when she runs him through. Likely a SuicideByCop on Faust's part, seeing as how he previously showed enough skill to split her helmet open without so much as scratching her face.]]
* EvilerThanThou - Seems to be invoked in Goldark's scenario. Here, Goldark can actually ''capture'' Zanon and his company, but Zanon [[MoralityChain (and Yuri)]] are treated as "core" generals, and will never join Goldark, [[PurposelyOverpowered not that Goldark needs their help, anyway...]]

* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice - [[spoiler: Junon to Faust, and Zanon to Yuri. The former comes with CharacterDevelopment, while the latter leads to a DespairEventHorizon.]]

* VillainProtagonist - Goldark's campaign. [[spoiler: Except it's subverted almost right from the start.]]

* AlasPoorVillain - [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity Zanon]] gets a rather touching send-off.

* BadassBeard - [[LargeAndInCharge Goldark]], [[DualWielding oh]] [[{{BFS}} so]] [[LightningBruiser much]]. Some other generals have this to a lesser extent.
** The holy dragon Harsgalt also sports an epic fu manchu 'stache, prominently seen in his duel with Madruk in the intro.

* BaldBlackLeaderGuy - Grudar. While not a leader, he probably would be if his leader Zanon wasn't a demonic BloodKnight with NighInvulnerability. He is still a leader of sorts however, as like all the other characters in the game, he is a general.

* BlessedWithSuck - Zanon with [[EvilWeapon Eclisis.]]

* BloodKnight - Zanon.

* DrivenToSuicide - [[spoiler: Zanon's tearjerking end, upon the blade of his own sword.]]

* DyingAsYourself - [[spoiler: Zanon, during his MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment, when he stabs himself with Eclisis to free himself from the sword's addictive power.]]

* EvilerThanThou - [[BloodKnight Zanon]], to Ryskim. When Ryskim returns after his first defeat (see AlwaysSaveTheGirl above), he brings along a huge demon army to threaten the player with. Zanon shows up out of nowhere, and utterly obliterates the demons with [[EvilWeapon Eclisis]], leaving only Ryskim (and his Zombie troops) to fight you. Zanon doesn't hang around, but [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity things get much, MUCH worse for him afterward...]]
** Seems to be invoked in Goldark's scenario. Here, Goldark can actually ''capture'' Zanon and his company, but Zanon [[MoralityChain (and Yuri)]] are treated as "core" generals, and will never join Goldark, [[PurposelyOverpowered not that Goldark needs their help, anyway...]]

* FromNobodyToNightmare - [[spoiler: Zanon was little more than a common miner before he found [[EvilWeapon Eclisis.]] His fortunes changed ''tremendously'' afterward [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity (but not necessarily for the better).]]]]

* MoralityChain - Yuri to [[BloodKnight Zanon]]. [[spoiler: [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity It]] [[AxCrazy doesn't]] [[CooldownHug end]] [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice well]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone for]] [[TearJerker Yuri]].]]

* EliteArmy - [[spoiler: Scythe]] uses hovering...ghost women...[[BuffySpeak things]] in the final battle, and they're the only troop type not mentioned in the game manual. Said troops seem to have a general advantage over all other types, except high-end ones like Harpies and Dragons.

** EliteMook - The sirens/ghosts commanded by [[spoiler: Scythe]]. High-performance troops like Dragons, Harpies, and Zombies may qualify.

* OfCorsetsSexy - Uryll and Sierra's sprites. [[IncrediblyLamePun Fitting]], as they're Succubi. [[spoiler: Scythe as well, once she shows her GameFace in the FinalBattle.]]

** [[spoiler: Scythe is also this among the main villains.]]

* WingedHumanoid - The [[HornyDevils Succubus]] generals like Uryll and Sierra. [[spoiler: Scythe also becomes this once she reveals her GameFace during the FinalBattle.]]

* AlasPoorVillain - [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity Zanon]] and [[TragicMonster Gyzzdark]] get rather touching send-offs.

* BackFromTheDead - [[spoiler: Gyzzdark.]]

* BrainwashedAndCrazy/ MindControl - Sierra, under Ryskim. [[spoiler: Gyzzdark under Gaul and Scythe could also count.]]

* CameBackWrong/ TragicMonster - [[spoiler: Gyzzdark, thanks to Gaul. He ends up as a broken shell driven purely by revenge against Goldark for his death.]] His combat sprite, for better or for worse, remains a generic Knight general, however.

* DyingAsYourself - [[spoiler: Gyzzdark. Raised from the dead and manipulated by Gaul into attacking his brother Goldark, by Gaul playing with his feelings of jealousy and vengeance. Defeating him frees him from Gaul's control.]]
** Also [[spoiler: Zanon, during his MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment, when he stabs himself with Eclisis to free himself from the sword's addictive power.]]

* RedemptionEqualsDeath - [[spoiler: Gyzzdark. After being brought BackFromTheDead by Gaul, Goldark's holy crest dispels the jealousy and vengeance from his heart (after he's been beaten a second time), and he goes out in peace.]]

* TheUndead - The Zombie generals (see OurLichesAreDifferent), and Zombie troops, naturally. Probably also [[spoiler: Gyzzdark when he comes BackFromTheDead.]]

* WellIntentionedExtremist - [[spoiler: Goldark. After finding out that his brother, Gyzzdark, had already set an epic, continent-spanning war into motion, he kills him and usurps the throne in an attempt to stop it. When he finds that he is unable to avert the war, Goldark instead decides to use it as a ploy to unite all of Legendra against Madruk...by forcefully conquering all the other kingdoms to create a massive, united army.]]

* EvilLaugh - Some of the only non-cutscene voice acting are Scythe's, Gaul's, and Madruk's evil laughs. Then you have the PS2 remake with [[UpToEleven voice acting in all its glory]]...

* EyesDoNotBelongThere - [[spoiler: When Gaul goes OneWingedAngel in the FinalBattle, he sprouts a third eye in the centre of his forehead.]]

* GameFace - [[spoiler: Gaul & Scythe show pretty impressive ones when they assume their true forms at the final battle. Having their super deformed sprites transform before starting combat is a nice touch.]]

* HugeGuyTinyGirl - [[spoiler: Gaul and Scythe [[GameFace in their true forms.]]]]

* InstantAwesomeJustAddMecha - Fairly standard fantasy setting, then there's Katamando, a giant space robot. The only foreshadowing we're given [[spoiler: after Gaul and Scythe are outed]] is that there is a third Apostle of Darkness "sealed away among the stars". Katmando makes its appearance like a UFO from space, and crashes down onto the continent in an FMV cutscene.

* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast - Near the end of the game, the "Apostles of Darkness".

* BigBad - Madruk.

* BigRedDevil - Madruk is an interesting case, in that he appears to be a Big ''brown'' Devil.

* BodyHorror - Madruk's OneWingedAngel form. As a BigBad, he isn't exactly disturbed by it. [[spoiler: To elaborate, the upper half of his humanoid form (including wings) ends up connected by [[BuffySpeak fleshy...cable...things]] to the middle of a three-headed dragon's ''spine''. Said dragon's body is a wingless, bloated, pulsating mass held together by blue-grey plates, with impossibly stunted limbs...]]

* DevourTheDragon - After you defeat Madruk the first time, he absorbs the essences/souls of his (already defeated) QuirkyMinibossSquad in order to go OneWingedAngel on you.

* TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt - what the titular Dragon Force is meant to prevent, and Madruk's ultimate goal for Legendra.

* FullFrontalAssault - from what we can see of him, Madruk wears only bracelets and anklets. [[{{Squick}} Thankfully,]] BarbieDollAnatomy is in full effect.

* GlowingEyesOfDoom - [[BigBad Madruk's]] PS2 portrait is a spectacular example, while the Dragonmen generals' portraits have subdued versions. The Zombie generals' combat sprites have ''something'' glowing within their hoods that ''might'' be their eyes...
* GodOfEvil - Madruk.
* GoldfishPoopGang/ TerribleTrio - The Skull Children: Gasper, Helm, and Tsuvan. They get replaced by ThoseTwoBadGuys (Paine and Aggoni - who don't actually talk that much) if they're defeated by the other, CPU-controlled kingdoms instead of the player.

* HorsemenOfTheApocalypse - Arguably the Apostles of Darkness. Their appearance (and revelation) herald the awakening of Madruk. Things get pretty hectic pretty quickly once this goes down.

* HumongousMecha - Katmando, which dwarfs all the other generals (at least until you face [[LargeAndInCharge Madruk]] himself).

* LargeAndInCharge - Generals tend to have bigger sprites than their troops, and then there's Katmando and Madruk, who are big enough to occupy ''several squares'' on the battlefield map (when even generals only take up one square each).

* LoadBearingBoss - After you defeat Madruk for good, Ruinlege, his prison mountain, erupts in a spectacular volcano.

* OneWingedAngel: Madruk gets a particularly spectacular one after you defeat him the first time, complete with an FMV. Also, [[spoiler:Gaul and Scythe.]]

* QuirkyMinibossSquad - The Apostles of Darkness: [[spoiler: Scythe, Gaul]], and Katmando. Unlike some other examples, they are a very palpable threat, and it takes 7 out of 8 Dragon Force members (the last being the monarch you chose, who fights Madruk) to bring them down during the final battle.

* RedEyesTakeWarning - [[BigBad Madruk]], unsurprisingly.

* SatanicArchetype - [[GodOfEvil Madruk]], obviously.
* SealedEvilInACan - Madruk, in the Ruinledge mountains [[spoiler: just west of Fandaria.]]

* ShockwaveStomp - Whenever Leon casts [[DishingOutDirt Stone Pedestal]].

* SpikesOfVillainy - Subverted by Junon.

** Madruk also attempts one against your monarch, but they bounce back with a HeroicResolve [[ShutUpHannibal speech instead.]]
* TokenEvilTeammate - [[spoiler: Goldark. [[WellIntentionedExtremist Except]] [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold not really]].]]

* VerbalTic - Yuni of Bozack tends to pepper her speech with the occasional "Mew!" and "Meow!", even when retreating from battle.
** Also from Bozack, Gongos tends to end his lines with [[BeastWars "yesss"]].

* WingedHumanoid - Madruk. Also, the [[HornyDevils Succubus]] generals like Uryll and Sierra. [[spoiler: Scythe also becomes this once she reveals her GameFace during the FinalBattle.]]

** Near the end of the game, Madruk attempts this with ''[[EliteMook Dragon]][[EliteArmy men]]'' to distract you from his awakening.

* LateArrivalSpoiler - The PS2 remake doesn't even bother hiding the fact that [[spoiler: Junon is a woman, going so far as to give her a blatantly female voice, and show her unmasked on the kingdom select screen.]]

* LegacyCharacter - Tristan's monarch, The Black Knight of Masked Death.

* LonersAreFreaks - Baghib: "I'm alone and pissed off at the world!"

** In Mikhal's scenario, [[NinjaPirateRobotZombie Kyoem]] flees with a BrainwashedAndCrazy [[HighlyVisibleNinja Sayaka]] after his defeat, and Sayaka cannot be recruited.

* MageKiller - Ninjas, and to a much lesser extent thieves, are excellent for dealing with magic users, as their spells damage the ''power bar'' (which determines how often a general may cast spells) instead of hp.
* MagicKnight - Plenty. Ardor and Varshyl being good examples. Duran is actually a Fighter, but fits the trope also. Presto even goes all the way to dress the part, complete with [[NiceHat top-hat]], monocle, and tuxedo!
** Two of the non-caster monarchs get in on this as well, with spells that are flat-out unseen among Knight generals:
*** [[spoiler: Goldark can cast [[HolyHandGrenade Holy Blast]].]]
*** Junon can cast ''Meteor Storm''.

* MissionControl - each monarch comes with their own advisor, who essentially fills this role, both on the world map and in Domestic Affairs.

** EliteMook - the sirens/ghosts commanded by [[spoiler: Scythe]]. High-performance troops like Dragons, Harpies, and Zombies may qualify.
** MookLieutenant - the "generic" generals, who have identical portraits and palette-swapped sprites.

* MrViceGuy - Rudger: "Who loves ya, baby?"
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone - see TearJerker under the YMMV tab.
* MyMasterRightOrWrong - a perfect example in Ogredd, while under Borgon's command. [[spoiler: Thankfully, Wein talks him out of it.]]
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast - Tristan's "Black Knight of Masked Death", and Goldark the "Mad Lion". Near the end of the game, the "Apostles of Darkness".
* NewGamePlus - of a sort. Players can only select Fandaria and Trandor after completing the game beforehand, as Goldark's and Reinhart's campaigns contain massive spoilers.
* NiceHat - Presto's magnificently stylish top hat.
* NinjaPirateRobotZombie - Kyoem. Ninja Zombie, anyway.

* HotBlooded - Some of the Fighter, Monk, and Beast generals. Knight generals tend to be more reserved, but they have their moments. Among the Dragon Force, Gongos sticks out like a sore thumb (especially with his PS2 voice acting), with Junon and Leon as distant seconds.
* HPToOne - Katt's tier 3 spell, Summon Reaper, has the unique gimmick of reducing the enemy general's HP to 1, allowing for an easy kill. The catch? It reduces ''her'' HP to 1 as well.

* ItsPersonal - After [[spoiler: Goldark is [[CameBackWrong forced to]] [[BackFromTheDead kill]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy his brother]], Gyzzdark, ''again'', he swears bloody vengeance against Gaul for what he did to Gyzzdark. Ultimately subverted in the FinalBattle, where Mikhal and Reinhart end up facing Gaul (see LeaveHimToMe below), unless the player is playing as either of them.]]

* KnightInShiningArmor - Many examples, Wein and Galam being notable. Galam himself borders on TheFettered. Mikhal is an {{Wutai}} example.
** Taken to its logical conclusion in Mikhal's campaign, where he and Wein ''have a friendly debate about leadership'' instead of fighting. [[ForegoneConclusion Of course, this being Mikhal's campaign, Wein cedes leadership to him.]]

* WalkingTheEarth - Naval variant. [[spoiler: Goldark takes to the seas in a CoolShip in his epilogue, presumably to live out the rest of his days as an adventuring sailor.]]

** Rather early on in Reinhart's campaign, [[spoiler: [[HornyDevils Uryll]] confesses that she was actually sent by Madruk to assassinate him, but cannot bring herself to do so now because she has [[{{Shotacon}} fallen in love with him]]. Unable to convince Reinhart to undergo a FaceHeelTurn, she leaves reluctantly to face punishment for failing her mission. [[OurLichesAreDifferent Santana]] pursues and captures her, and reveals to Reinhart that he has been appointed as her executioner (after forcibly ejecting you from one of your castles). Ardor then begs Reinhart to rescue Uryll, and if you choose to do so, you find that Santana has brought along 3 other MookLieutenant generals (a Spirit User, a Monk, and a Ninja), each with ''at least 60 troops''. At this stage of the game, the average player is not likely to be able to outnumber them, and [[HonourBeforeReason Ardor even forces]] [[AlwaysSaveTheGirl an encounter with Santana]] [[TacticalRockPaperScissors (his Cavalry do ''not'' fare well against Santana's Zombies)]]. Gigg helps somewhat with his [[EliteMook Dragons]], but the fight will probably still be rough. Oh, and those MookLieutenant generals? They all get killed in combat (including Santana, of course), so you don't get to use their huge armies.]]

* GenderReveal - With the advent of voice acting in the PS2 remake, Cinna, Ardor, and Rykker fall firmly into DudeLooksLikeALady territory. Cinna at least has the {{Elfeminate}} excuse.
** Made even more awkward when the WorkingDesigns manual states that Cinna is Manoa's ''sister''.

* GlowingEyesOfDoom - Invoked with Goldark's sillhouette during cutscenes. [[BigBad Madruk's]] PS2 portrait is a spectacular example. The Dragonmen generals' portraits have subdued versions. The Zombie generals' combat sprites have ''something'' glowing within their hoods that ''might'' be their eyes...

* GoodIsNotNice/ JerkWithAHeartOfGold - [[spoiler: Goldark.]]

** Leon uses ''one leg'' when casting the same spell.

* HeelFaceTurn - [[spoiler: Goldark. Though he was arguably good all along.]]

** Rather early on in Reinhart's campaign, [[spoiler: [[HornyDevils Uryll]] confesses that she was actually sent by Madruk to assassinate him, but cannot bring herself to do so now because she has [[{{Shotacon}} fallen in love with him]]. Unable to convince Reinhart to undergo a FaceHeelTurn, she leaves reluctantly to face punishment for failing her mission. [[OurLichesAreDifferent Santana]] pursues and captures her, and reveals to Reinhart that he has been appointed as her executioner (after forcibly ejecting you from one of your castles). Ardor then begs Reinhart to rescue Uryll, and if you choose to do so, you find that Santana has brought along 3 other MookLieutenant generals (a Spirit User, a Monk, and a Ninja), each with ''at least 60 troops''. At this stage of the game, the average player is not likely to be able to outnumber them, and Ardor even forces an encounter with Santana [[TacticalRockPaperScissors (his Cavalry do ''not'' fare well against Santana's Zombies)]]. Gigg helps somewhat with his [[EliteMook Dragons]], but the fight will probably still be rough. Oh, and those MookLieutenant generals? They all get killed in combat (including Santana, of course), so you don't get to use their huge armies.]]

* {{Fanservice}} - Par the course for a fantasy game. Ranges from [[CuteMonsterGirl Katt]], whose black leotard looks like a one-piece swimsuit, Yanna, who has a cutscene that shows her doing an [[ShesGotLegs impressive high roundhouse kick]], to [[{{Dominatrix}} Laine]], complete with whip. Even innocent Elf-girl Teiris is [[{{Moe}} not immune]]. [[spoiler: Junon could count as one, for those who like girls in armour]]. Among the guys, Leon stands out with his sculpted martial artist's physique, while Mikhal is a rather {{Bishonen}} samurai lord.

* FantasticRacism - The Elves and Beast Men really don't get along, probably because of past events concerning the previous Dragon Force.
** Subverted when Gongos (lord of the Beast Men) falls head-over-heels for Teiris (the Elf-Queen), going so far as to ''propose'' to her in the epilogue of his campaign! [[spoiler: he doesn't get her in the end; [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Teiris marries Wein.]]]]

*** TheLancer: Ayrios and Scar. The former doubles as TheAce, while the latter is a ShellshockedVeteran, and also has hints of [[spoiler: TheStarscream during gameplay if certain conditions are met, though he's not evil per se]]
*** TheBigGuy: Ortega

* ArtificialStupidity - CPU-controlled Gongos is this. If you attack him with melee troops, he'll often place his own troops in the "breach" formation, where the vast majority will be clustered around the middle rows of the battlefield. If you have a general with Sonic Wave (hits the centre 3 rows), or Sonic Blast (hits the centre 5 rows), you can easily decimate his army with just 1 or 2 spells.
* AssKicksYou - The female beast's version of the Sky Driver and Cross Rush will slam the opponent with her butt, several times in the case of the latter.

* BadassBookworm - Reinhart. Tiny kid spending most of his time in the library? Check. Highest MP & Intelligence (directly affecting spell damage) among the 8 monarchs? Check. Capable of blowing away most competition (and giving many players a tough challenge when they try to attack him) in combat? Check.
* BadassFamily - two notable examples:
** Reinhart is the son of Valhart, the God of War (no, not [[VideoGame/GodOfWar that one]]), and has enough magical power to back it up.
** Junon's father died in combat with Goldark, and Junon is out to avenge him. Bonus points for taking up his classic armour and helm, and "haunting the battlefields as the [[LegacyCharacter Black Mask of Death]]".
** According to the manual, all of Gongos' starting generals are siblings, so they may fit the bill to some degree.

* BigDamnHeroes - midway through the first arc, you're prompted to investigate the mysterious Shadow Tower. Inside, you meet Ramda, who helps you by revealing some of the plot. On your way back, you get ambushed by [[spoiler: Gaul and Scythe]], who simply stand up after you defeat them in battle, and are on the verge of killing the party when Frest and Ramda show up, prompting them to retreat.

* BigRedDevil - Madruk is an interesting case, in that he appears to be a Big BROWN Devil.
* {{Bishonen}} - the Archer troops (which are [[{{Elfeminate}} Elves]], so this is a given), and many, many male generals, especially Scar of Tristan and Yuri.
* BittersweetEnding - ultimately [[SubvertedTrope subverted.]] the last FMV shows [[spoiler: Ruinlege, Madruk's prison mountain, [[LoadBearingBoss erupt in a devastating volcano.]] The monarchs' generals are all seen mourning their deaths, [[SubvertedTrope but Astea reveals that she saved them in time, and delivers them safely back from their epic final fight]].]]

* BladeOnAStick - lance weapons, which can only be used by Knight generals.

* BlockingStopsAllDamage - while played absolutely straight in combat, generals have no block animation (just a short "weapon clashing" sound), making them appear unflinching whenever they block an attack.

* BlueAndOrangeMorality - of a sort. [[AllThereInTheManual Dragons (and their masters, the male gods), were created as agents of entropy and destruction, opposite from the goddesses of creation]], but Madruk was the one to take a personal interest in destroying Legendra.

* BodyguardingABadass - played with. While the monarchs tend to end up as the most powerful generals of all [[spoiler: since they are the eponymous Dragon Force, and any player with common sense would load them full of powerups]], they aren't that much stronger than their starting generals at the very beginning.

* {{Cooldown}} - an interesting variation. Generals have a power bar that fills at a set rate throughout combat, and spells can only be cast at "full power". All spells have a "power rating", that determines how much of the power bar is consumed when cast (and, to a lesser extent, the damage dealt to the enemy general, if any). The higher the power, the greater the consumption, and the longer the effective "cooldown" before another spell can be cast. Interestingly, not all power ratings are uniform across the board; some generals have unique, inherently higher or lower ratings.
* CripplingOverSpecialization - Archer troops. They're really only good against harpies, and are terrible against almost everything else. Zombies in particular eat them for breakfast. This is made especially {{egregious}} by the presence of mages, who are as good as or better than archers in every way (in particular, they absolutely ''slaughter'' zombies).

* CrystalSpiresAndTogas - a mild example in Trandor's castle backdrops. Par the course for a MagicalSociety.
* CueTheSun - an epic one when Astea and Harsgalt enter the fray against Madruk in the introduction. Also, in the last FMV, this happens when [[spoiler: [[BigGood Astea]] reveals that she saved the Dragon Force from [[LoadBearingBoss Ruinlege's eruption following Madruk's defeat.]]]]

* DarkActionGirl - Scythe. Uryll and Sierra being lesser examples.

** Junon, though with a huge dash of [[YouKilledMyFather angst]] and initially motivated by {{Revenge}}.

* DefectorFromDecadence/ MySpeciesDothProtestTooMuch - hiding out in one of the mountain villages (location varies depending on the monarch you're playing) is a [[spoiler: [[SecretCharacter dragon-man called Vangal]], who is tired of all the destruction his kind are causing, and just wants to live a quiet life. You can recruit him into your army, but doing so incurs the wrath of Zado, a [[ThatOneBoss powerful dragon-man who later attacks you with 100 dragons!]]]]
* DefrostingIceQueen - [[spoiler: Junon]], in spades.

* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu - if you play as Leon, his FinishingMove that ends the final battle against Madruk is a spectacular, holy-dragon-fuelled BareFistedMonk combo.

* DisappearedDad - Mikhal's father is revealed to have died of old age in his prologue. When [[TheSmartGuy Shione]] delivers the news to him and implores him to return to Izumo (it's implied that Mikhal was a bit of a wanderer and explorer, though he remained within Izumo's vicinity) and take up his father's seat, he is initially hesitant, but quickly warms up to the role with the support of his inner circle. Notably, Mikhal's father's end was very much more peaceful than [[YouKilledMyFather some of his counterparts'...]]
* DivineParentage - [[ChildMage Reinhart]], son of Valhart, god of war. Literally spelled out in the WorkingDesigns manual.

* TheDreaded: Junon, nicknamed "The Black Knight of Masked Death".

** Grace -> Scythe

** The spirit of Leviathan, Gongos' ancestor (through possession of Gunner), vs Gongos in Gongos' campaign

* ElementalPowers - nearly all non-physical spells have some elemental flavours, if only for purely aesthetic effect.

** HolyHandGrenade - the aptly-named Holy Blast. A similar version, Solar Flare, hits ''both'' enemy and friendly troops. For those who wish to read between the lines, the fact that [[spoiler: Goldark]] has access to this spell is a sign that [[spoiler: he isn't evil to begin with.]]
** MakingASplash - the Spirit User's summon, Trident's Daughter.
** PlayingWithFire - several spells, from small fireballs that target only the enemy general, to screen-clearing ones like meteor storm and Dante's Inferno.

* EnemyMine - what most of the monarchs try to invoke (against Fandaria) as they go about uniting the continent. In-universe, none of them know who the other members of the Dragon Force are (only that Harsgalt's crest will mark them), so they use Fandaria's war as a front to go looking for them. [[spoiler: Goldark sets out to do this as well. He's also against Madruk from the outset, but hides his intentions, and isn't quite so diplomatic about it as the others.]]

* GenderReveal - See SamusIsAGirl for the game's most famous one.
** With the advent of voice acting in the PS2 remake, Cinna, Ardor, and Rykker fall firmly into DudeLooksLikeALady territory. Cinna at least has the {{Elfeminate}} excuse.
*** Made even more awkward when the WorkingDesigns manual states that Cinna is Manoa's ''sister''.

* SamusIsAGirl - [[spoiler: Junon is a great example of this trope.]]

* BrotherSisterTeam - Same gender variant: Erin and Mileen, a Spirit User and a Magician, respectively, are a pair of neutral-aligned sisters. They'll even lament having to fight one another if they find themselves on opposite sides of the battlefield.
** Also, in the PS2 remake, [[spoiler: Ayame and Matsuri, the SecretCharacter CreepyTwins.]]

* CatGirl - Female Beasts.
* AChildShallLeadThem - Reinhart, son of Valhart, god of war. He may be [[WiseBeyondTheirYears wise]] and precocious, but his age is never explicitly mentioned, so it may be reasonable to assume that he averts the ReallySevenHundredYearsOld trope.

** Curiously, Dragon troops do not follow the above code. For example, Highland's dragons are red, Trandor's are white, and Tristan's are green.
* CombatMedic - Priests.

* CoolMask - Junon, "The Black Knight of Masked Death", though it's actually a helmet.

* CuteMonsterGirl - several examples, Yuni being one.
** [[HotWitch Katt]] even more than Yuni.
** Uryll and Sierra.
* CurbStompBattle/ RedshirtArmy - whenever a particular troop type [[TacticalRockPaperScissors goes up against one they're weak against.]] Of note are dragons against samurai (VERY useful near the endgame), harpies against mages/archers, and archers against zombies.
* DangerousDeserter - generals who desert can potentially be recruited by enemy kingdoms and used against the player in future battles.

* DarkAndTroubledPast - [[ShellshockedVeteran Scar of Tristan]] (see ForTheEvulz below) and [[SecretCharacter Hayate]] (see BerserkButton above), for starters.

* ForTheEvulz - the reason why Scar of Tristan is a ShellshockedVeteran (and probably how he got his name) is because Scythe brutally murdered his entire band of bandits when they tried to rob her. Why did they do such a stupid thing? Because she was disguised as a rich noblewoman at the time. Why was Scythe doing that? because she ''wanted to kill them just ForTheEvulz.''
** In Junon's campaign, this is the first hint that [[spoiler: Scythe is not what she seems to be.]]
** Understandably, The above event forms the basis of Scar's vendetta against Scythe, to the point where he asks Junon to specifically let him fight Scythe if they meet her.
*** Then subverted when you realize that it doesn't make any difference to the game if you do not pit Scar against Scythe in battle. He still carries on his merry way without even complaining about any missed opportunities.

* AmbiguousGender - Rykker and Ardor, thanks to their portraits. Confirmed to be male with the PS2 voice acting.
** Due to graphic constraints, Archer and Mage troops could belong to either gender, though Mages' death cries are unambiguously female.

* ButtMonkey - As a comic relief character, Gongos is often subject to this. Of note, Teiris does not reciprocate his [[InterSpeciesRomance amorous advances]], and runs off with [[ChildhoodFriendRomance Wein]] at the end of his campaign, and [[spoiler: Scythe even ends up forgetting that he exists (intentionally or otherwise) during the Forest Shrine encounter, where he, Teiris, and Reinhart go looking for the Sun Bracelet.]]
* CallingYourAttacks - Often used to hilarious effect, thanks to WorkingDesigns.

* HelmetsAreHardlyHeroic - Wein. Billed front and centre as the hero? Check. Idealistic (if a little naive) paragon of heroism in-game? Check. A KnightInShiningArmor? Check. Mikhal is an {Wutai}} example.
** [[spoiler: Also, Goldark and Junon (once she loses her helm, anyway).]]
** Bonus points for Galam, Rudger, and Kharhaz, whose lack of headgear is reflected in their sprites (which have standard {{Mook}} bodies), while most other generals' isn't.

* DudeLooksLikeALady - Mistal: "Before we fight, I should tell you. I'm a man!"

* EyepatchOfPower - [[TheLancer Zagat]] of Izumo. He's one of the strongest Samurai generals.
** Inverted by Viper: "Curse this infernal eyepatch!"

* RedEyesTakeWarning - Reinhart, not because of his looks (if anything he's JustAKid), but because he has enough magic at his disposal to lay waste to entire armies.
** [[BigBad Madruk]], unsurprisingly.
** Scythe plays it painfully straight.

** Also, um...[[IncrediblyLamePun Scythe.]]

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair - Quite a few characters, Teiris and Scythe being the most prominent examples.
** Mikhal has very prominent ''purple'' hair, likely to match Izumo's colour code.

* BeardOfEvil - Gaul sports a magnificent one, in case the sinister cowl, wierd skin tone, and [[PowerEchoes reverberating voice]] (only in the PS2 remake though) weren't obvious enough.

* DarkIsEvil/ LightIsNotGood - Fandaria combines the two, to striking effect. Their official colour is gold, but their castles' backdrops are the gloomiest and most ominous, and they're presented as the main antagonists for the first arc. [[spoiler: Ultimately subverted at the end when Goldark reveals his true intentions.]] One of their starting generals, Gaul, is perpetually shrouded in shadows beneath his cowl, leaving only his face and hands exposed. What we see of his skin reveals a dark, indigo-ish complexion.

* DragonWithAnAgenda - [[spoiler: Gaul and Scythe to Goldark. Played with in that they're only pretending to be his dragons, while they're actually (loyal) dragons to Madruk.]]

* EvilChancellor - [[spoiler: Gaul, to Goldark]]. So very much. [[spoiler: Scythe]], his counterpart, doesn't quite give off the same vibe, and comes across as much less sophisticated.

* EvilSorceror - Gaul.
* EvilSoundsDeep - Gaul, again. Only in the PS2 remake, though.

* ItAmusedMe - Uryll spells it out from the get go (and Reinhart's general Sophie also mentions it) that [[spoiler: she's in love with Reinhart, and that's pretty much the one reason why she decides to side with the good guys despite the threat of punishment from Gaul. While she does risk her life by refusing to betray him, it's for an entirely selfish reason. Other than that, she couldn't care less about the Dragon Force OR Madruk and is in the whole thing for personal amusement, not goodness of heart.]]
** [[spoiler: In a way, this makes Uryll a {{Shotacon}}. Reinhart may be the son of the god of war, but his age is never explicitly mentioned, so it may be reasonable to assume that he averts the ReallySevenHundredYearsOld trope.]]

* TheManBehindTheMan - [[spoiler: Gaul. While he seems like just another evil sorceror at first, in Goldark's campaign, it's revealed that he's using Madruk's power to bankroll Fandaria, in an attempt to tempt Goldark over to Madruk's side. When Goldark betrays him by refusing to execute the other members of the Dragon Force, Gaul (with Scythe) deserts, showing his true colours.]]
* TheMasquerade - [[spoiler: Gaul and Scythe, two of the three Apostles of Darkness, as Goldark's generals.]]

* TheObiWan - The previous Dragon Force to the current one, to varying degrees. No word on ''how'' exactly they're still around (Madruk's previous war is said to have taken place ''centuries'' ago), but at least [[MrExposition Lord Frest]] has the excuse that he's trapped in some NegativeSpaceWedgie, and Palemoon's previous queen, Farla, is an [[OurElvesAreBetter Elf.]]
* ObviouslyEvil - Look at all the "evil" tropes on this page. Notice whose name is mentioned most often? Yeah.

* PowerEchoes - Gaul's voice in the PS2 remake. Deliciously so. Also, the Dragonmen generals.

* PowerFloats - Some generals, like Vlad, Presto, or the generic Spirit Users float. Also, Gaul's sprite.

* HugeGuyTinyGirl - [[LargeAndInCharge Goldark]] and [[MoralityChain Lyria]], whenever they appear in cutscenes together. Also, [[spoiler: Gaul and Scythe [[GameFace in their true forms.]]]]

* MoralityChain - [[spoiler: Lyria, for Goldark. In his campaign, he goes so far as to give her instructions to ''stab him in the heart'' if he becomes HeWhoFightsMonsters.]]
** Also, Yuri to [[BloodKnight Zanon]]. [[spoiler: [[WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity It]] [[AxCrazy doesn't]] [[CooldownHug end]] [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice well]] [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone for]] [[TearJerker Yuri]].]]

** Lyria, a waify nun, is also very devoted to her monarch, the "Mad Lion" Goldark.

* DealWithTheDevil - Revealed in [[spoiler: Goldark's campaign, but ultimately subverted. See OutGambitted below.]]