History YMMV / TheSpiritThief

* WhatAnIdiot: Sted's brilliant plan for his rematch with Josef is basically "let's make a deal with the guy I'm supposed to be protecting the world from and hope I manage to do what no-one in recorded history has!". He gets a funky replacement arm, at least.

* FridgeLogic: Josef's ability to hold himself together with nothing but HeroicWillpower seems like an exaggeration, until one considers Tesset's and Den's abilities. By mastering their own spiris, both men can perform feats of strength and toughness that are biologically and physically impossible, and the way to learn it is basically "it's possible, try and figure it out". It's not too-far-fetched that a MasterSwordsman like Josef could unwittingly make use of a primitive version of the same techniques.

* IronWoobie: Nico. Dear god, Nico. If you don't want to punch the demonseed inside her, you haven't read the series properly.

** If you didn't dislike Benehime previously, her actions in ''The Spirit War'' would change anyone's mind, especially [[spoiler:her murder of her brother.]] As Eli notes, this isn't an action of someone desperate - this is pre-planned and premeditated.
** [[spoiler: Sara]] crosses it once we find out truly how amoral she is in ''Spirit's End''.

* MoralEventHorizon: If you didn't dislike Benehime previously, her actions in ''The Spirit War'' would change anyone's mind.

* WhatAnIdiot: Sted[[spoiler:, being a BloodKnight who lost, makes a DealWithTheDevil and invites a demonseed inside himself. He does get a [[BodyHorror replacement arm]], though.]]

** What little we see of [[spoiler: the Hunter]] may qualify him as a ridiculously {{Badass}} version of TheWoobie. [[spoiler: He's had to fight hundreds upon hundreds of demons, all alone, for ''over five thousand years'', only getting an hours rest every century. He fights for a world he doesn't even get to live in, for spirits and humans he never sees, slowly realizing his enemies will never die and his Creator is not coming back to save them. And then his beloved sister, the one who comforts him during his brief rest and one of only two beings who fully understands what he goes through, betrays him and literally stabs him InTheBack.]] Jesus.

--> "Powers, Etmon. [[spoiler: ''It's only water.'']]

--> "Powers, Eton. [[spoiler: ''It's only water.'']]

--> "Powers, Banage. [[spoiler: ''It's only water.'']]

--> "Powers, Banage. [[spoiler: ''It's only water'']]

** What little we see of [[spoiler: the Hunter]] may qualify him as a ridiculously {{Badass}} version of TheWoobie. [[spoiler: He's had to fight hundreds upon hundreds of demons, all alone, for ''over five thousand years'', only getting an hours rest every century. He fights for a world he doesn't even get to live in, for spirits and humans he never sees, slowly realizing his enemies will never die and his Creator is not coming back to save them. And then his beloved sister, the one who comforts him during his brief rest and one of only two beings who fully understands what he goes through, betrays him and literally stabs him in the back.]] Jesus.

* CompleteMonster: The Master, in every sense of the word. Also Sted.

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Sara. She creates enlaved, mad spirits in replica of Renaud's sandstorm to fight in ''The Spirit War'', her Ollor Relay was as good as PoweredByAForsakenChild according to Banage, including the spirit of her loyal water spirit, she bound another human being as a sevant spirit for many years before killing him, and probably has many more horrible acts to her name. At the end of the books, all we know if that the rivers all hate her, but with Banage rushing off to her aid, it's likely that even that won't keep her down.]]

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Sara. She creates enlaved, mad spirits in replica of Renaud's sandstorm to fight in ''The Spirit War'', her Ollor Relay was as good as PoweredByAForsaken according to Banage, including the spirit of her loyal water spirit, she bound another human being as a sevant spirit for many years before killing him, and probably has many more horrible acts to her name. At the end of the books, all we know if that the rivers all hate her, but with Banage rushing off to her aid, it's likely that even that won't keep her down.]]