History YMMV / TheStorykeepers

** "Starlight Escape": [[BiblicalBadGuy King Herod]] was a paranoid and temperamental tyrant who ruled over Israel. After being informed of the birth of the new [[UsefulNotes/{{Jesus}} King in Bethlehem]] by the traveling Magi, Herod tries to manipulate them into finding the child for him in order to [[WouldHurtAChild kill the latter]]. After the Magi don't return with the location of the child, Herod spitefully orders his army to kill every male child under in Bethlehem under 2 years old.

* CompleteMonster: [[MeaningfulName Nihilus]], [[TheDragon the centurion]] in service to Emperor UsefulNotes/{{Nero}}, is defined by his ruthlessness and utter lack of conscience. After participating in the burning of Rome, Nihilus continues to lead ThePurge of Christians, having countless victims captured to be thrown to lions. At one point Nihilus implements a plan to have entire neighborhoods burned down, endangering hundreds of people. Upon learning that his fellow centurion Tacticus was secretly a Christian, Nihilus attempts to have him executed. Learning that Ben was a Christian leader, Nihilus arranges a public crucifixion for him while attempting have his wife and adopted children burned alive. Murdering his colleague after he saves Ben’s life, the disgraced Nihilus follows the heroes into the desert, planing to kill Tacticus and leave [[WouldHurtAChild children]] to die of thirst as revenge.

* {{Flanderization}}: Zak gets more and more Comically Serious in the first half of the series. That said, he gets de-flanderized in the latter half.

* UglyGuyHotWife: Ben and Helena.

* CompleteMonster: While the series teaches that you should forgive your persecutors, the villainous [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Nihilus]] stands against this, with his unwillingness to live up to his mistakes and accept forgiveness that makes him a monster. The [[TheDragon centurion]] to [[BigBad Nero]], he attempted to purge Rome of the Christians by force throughout the series, including him building a catapult and sending flaming debris into the tunnels that persecuted Christians were hiding in. Upon learning that a fellow centurion was a Christian, he tried to have him killed for treachery. He later set [[WouldHurtAChild fire to homes of children with them still inside]], all because they didn't submit to his emotional manipulation of them. He also arranges a public crucifixion for Ben and murders his student when he stops him from carrying it out. In the end, Nihilus had one single defining trait: his utter lack of a conscience.

* CompleteMonster: While the series teaches that you should forgive your persecutors, the villainous [[NamesToRunAwayFrom Nihilus]] stands against this, with his unwillingness to live up to his mistakes and accept forgiveness that makes him a monster. The [[TheDragon centurion]] to [[BigBad Nero]], he attempted to purge Rome of the Christians by force throughout the series, including him building a catapult and sending flaming debris into the tunnels that persecuted Christians were hiding in. Upon learning that a fellow centurion was a Christian, he tried to have him killed for treachery. He later set [[WouldHurtAChild fire to homes of children with them still inside]], all because they didn't submit to his emotional manipulation of them. He also arranges a public crucifixion for Ben and murders his student when he stops him from carrying it out. In the end, Nihilus had one single defining trait: his utter lack of a conscience.

** On an unrelated note, [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nero#Physical_appearance Nero was actually blond.]]
* MoralEventHorizon: Nero has several candidates, starting the fire of Rome, threatening Tacticus with death for refusing to worship him and ordering Ben's crucifixion for his entertainment.

* CompleteMonster: While the series teaches that you should forgive your persecutors, the villainous [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast centurion [[NamesToRunAwayFrom Nihilus]] stands against this, with his unwillingness to live up to his mistakes and accept forgiveness the Christians for what they believe in that makes him a monster. The [[TheDragon centurion]] Nihilus is one of the many centurions to [[BigBad Nero]], who shared a rivalry with fellow centurion [[TokenGoodTeammate Tacticus]] until he pulled a HeelFaceTurn, who attempted to purge Rome of the Christians by force throughout the series, including him building a catapult and sending flaming debris into the tunnels that persecuted Christians were hiding in. Upon learning that a fellow centurion Tacticus was a Christian, he tried to have him killed for treachery. He later set [[WouldHurtAChild fire to homes of children with them still inside]], all because they didn't submit to his emotional manipulation of them. He also arranges a public crucifixion for Ben and then murders his student Capella when he stops him from carrying it out. In the end, Nihilus had one single defining trait: his complete and utter lack of a conscience.

* CompleteMonster: While the series teaches that you should forgive your persecutors, the villainous [[NamesToRunAwayFrom Nihilus]] stands against this, with his unwillingness to live up to his mistakes and accept forgiveness that makes him a monster. The centurion to Nero, he attempted to purge Rome of the Christians by force throughout the series, including him building a catapult and sending flaming debris into the tunnels that persecuted Christians were hiding in. Upon learning that a fellow centurion was a Christian, he tried to have him killed for treachery. [[WouldHurtAChild He later set fire to homes of children with them still inside, all because they didn't submit to his emotional manipulation of them.]] He also arranges a public crucifixion for Ben and murders his student when he stops him from carrying it out. In the end, Nihilus had one single defining trait: his utter lack of a conscience.

* CompleteMonster: While the series teaches that you should forgive your persecutors, the centurion [[NamesToRunAwayFrom Nihilus]] stands against this, with his unwillingness to live up to his mistakes and accept the Christians for what they believe in that makes him a monster. Nihilus is one of the many centurions to [[BigBad Nero]], who shared a rivalry with fellow centurion [[TokenGoodTeammate Tacticus]] until he pulled a HeelFaceTurn, who attempted to purge Rome of the Christians by force throughout the series, including him building a catapult and sending flaming debris into the tunnels that persecuted Christians were hiding in. Upon learning that Tacticus was a Christian, he tried to have him killed for treachery. He later set [[WouldHurtAChild fire to homes of children with them still inside]], all because they didn't submit to his emotional manipulation of them. He also arranges a public crucifixion for Ben and then murders his student Capella when he stops him from carrying it out. In the end, Nihilus had one single defining trait: his complete and utter lack of a conscience.

* CompleteMonster: While the series teaches that you should forgive your persecutors, the villainous [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Nihilus]] stands against this, with his unwillingness to live up to his mistakes and accept forgiveness that makes him a monster. The [[TheDragon centurion]] to [[BigBad Nero]], he attempted to purge Rome of the Christians by force throughout the series, including him building a catapult and sending flaming debris into the tunnels that persecuted Christians were hiding in. Upon learning that a fellow centurion was a Christian, he tried to have him killed for treachery. He later set [[WouldHurtAChild fire to homes of children with them still inside]], all because they didn't submit to his emotional manipulation of them. He also arranges a public crucifixion for Ben and murders his student when he stops him from carrying it out. In the end, Nihilus had one single defining trait: his utter lack of a conscience.

* CompleteMonster: While the series teaches that you should forgive your persecutors, the centurion [[NamesToRunAwayFrom Nihilus]] stands against this, with his unwillingness to live up to his mistakes and accept forgiveness that makes him a monster. Nihilus is one of the many centurions to [[BigBad Nero]], who shared a rivalry with [[TokenGoodTeammate Tacticus]] until he pulled a HeelFaceTurn, who attempts to purge Rome of the Christians by force throughout the series, including him building a catapult and sending flaming debris into the tunnels that persecuted Christians were hiding in. Upon learning that Tacticus was a Christian, he tried to have him killed for treachery. He later set [[WouldHurtAChild fire to homes of children with them still inside]], all because they didn't submit to his emotional manipulation of them. He also arranges a public crucifixion for Ben and murders his student Capella when he stops him from carrying it out. In the end, Nihilus had one single defining trait: his complete and utter lack of a conscience.

* FridgeHorror – Nihilus takes Ben away at one point, palming a whip and stating that before Ben knows Nero’s wrath, “you’ll know mine.” Ben visibly flinches at the implication. The fridge horror kicks in when you consider the fact that the ancient Romans made torture an art, and as Ben is both a resident alien (not a citizen) and an ethnic minority, he’s little more than battering practice for the Romans.
* FridgeLogic – Typically, a male lion’s first act as a new pride leader is to kill any existing cubs, as a means of driving the lionesses into estrus. But Mangler seems perfectly content with Leo and Theo. Supposedly because he’s been missing his pride, and this new lioness and her cubs make up for the loss.