History YMMV / TheTwelveKingdoms

* WhatAnIdiot: In the novels, the King of Kou orders Kourin to ''personally'' kill Youko, who is currently covered with blood and nearly helpless from fighting Youma, using Youko's own sword, even though as someone who has ruled for fifty years he should clearly know that 1. Kirins cannot kill, 2. blood is deadly poison to Kirins, and 3. Youko'a sword is a royal treasure of Kei and [[OnlyTheChosenMayWield cannot be wielded by anyone but the ruler of Kei]]. On top of this Kourin is visibly dying of ''shitsudou'' precisely because he is making her do this, and he will die if she does. The anime avoids this (aside from the last part) by having him use Sugimoto for that scene instead of Kourin.

** [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] AppealToForce: Without a kirin's direct demonstration of the monarch's receiving the MandateOfHeaven ([[spoiler:or without the latter's literal ContractualImmortality]]), victories such as Youko's re-subordination of her own [[spoiler:illegally-dispatched]] royal army, and subsequent 'major alterations' to her [[spoiler:previously corrupt]] court would have been all but impossible due to [[HumansAreFlawed human nature]], especially [[CorruptPolitician as regards politics]]. Bottom line: if she hadn't been made a [[GodEmperor God-Empress]], possessing the fealty of even supernatural beings, Youko wouldn't have been able to escape being a [[PuppetKing Puppet Queen]]. Strawman [[AndThenWhat conveniently forgot to mention]] that failure to live up to the [[ComesGreatResponsibility divine responsibility]] necessarily results in [[BoltOfDivineRetribution fatal judgment]], or that a strong-willed, good, absolute monarch can cleanse a land of corruption/evil approximately [[DemocracyIsBad infinity times faster than democracy]]. Eventually, Youko herself explains to her court, and even Keiki, what she has decided the real problem is: [[spoiler:an entire culture encouraging terror at the prospect of challenging, but especially speaking out against, wrongdoing by superiors]]. Kei doesn't get better until she forces it to do so.

* FanNickname: Some fans like to call Asano "TheGunslinger from Kei", due to his WeaponOfChoice being a Western six-shooter.
* LesYay: Rangyoku seemed pretty interested in Youko disguised as "Youshi", even after she learned that "he" is a "she"...

* LoveItOrHateIt: There aren't too many people who are neutral about this series, due mainly to Youko's whiny attitude for the first five episodes (and first third or so of the novel). Regarding the anime, the general rule given to newcomers seems to be... watch the first seven episodes; if you don't hate the series at that point, you're going to like the rest of it.

* WhatMeasureIsANonBadass: Face it, fandom. If Youko had not been "a coward", "a pushover", and a "zero whiner and unsympathetic lead", she ''would have not grown into the physically/mentally strong yet still kind and sensitive ActionGirl we love''. It's repulsive to see people whine and complain about how Youko starts out as a total moron, refusing to see that she was raised in a very exigent household (specially thanks to her ''very'' demanding father) as well as subjected to lots of pressure, so it's very understandable to see her stumble and be terrified at first. Dissing and badmouthing the flawed and insecure Youko from the beginning is '''''NOT''''' the best way to praise how she develops through the series.
** Similarly, a good part of the fandom accuses Suzu of being a wangsty and whiny {{Scrappy}} -- ''without'' taking in consideration that this is a product of her extremly harsh life in the Twelve Kingdoms, including 100 years of abuse coming from her mistress. It's a miracle that Suzu isn't ''even whinier'', and not to mention her share of CharacterDevelopment is ''about her stopping to be whiny and self-pitying'', and learning that she ''can'' take control of her own life.

* BaseBreaker: Either Shoukei and Suzu are the best examples of CharacterDevelopment in the whole series, alongside Youko, or they're so whiny (Suzu) and/or entitled (Shoukei) that their change came in too late for them to actually become sympathetic.

* {{Narm}}: The evil Quee of Hou is named [[UnfortunateNames Kaka]]. It sounds exactly like a (very childish) Spanish word for... poop.

*** He was likely thinking [[ValuesDissonance what Japanese culture]] to this day still shows marked belief in, the idea that nobility are inherently 'better', or at least more valuable, people than are peasantry, and that [[MyMasterRightOrWrong absolute loyalty to one's lord]], [[HonorBeforeReason even to the point of]] [[{{Seppuku}} unhesitatingly committing suicide]] if ordered, is superior behavior.

*** He was likely thinking [[ValuesDissonance what Japanese culture]] to this day still shows marked belief in, the idea that nobility are inherently 'better', or at least more important, people than are peasantry, and that [[MyMasterRightOrWrong absolute loyalty to one's lord]], [[HonorBeforeReason even to the point of]] [[{{Seppuku}} unhesitatingly committing suicide]] if ordered, is superior behavior.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Shushou doesn't appear all that much but she is very well-loved in the fandom for her snark, badassery, intelligence and hyper-competence all while being a little girl. She also gets bonus points for trying to set Shoukei in her place.

* TheScrappy: Suzu is far whinier than Youko was at beginning of the series and thus ''unbearably annoying'' for the overwhelimng majority of the fanbase. She was a Kyoukai with no special skills whatsoever but was allowed to travel with a Shuusei troupe for 4 years upon arriving. Despite this, she never makes any effort to learn about the language or culture of the Twelve Kingdoms. She is later given the ability to speak the language, never fall ill, never starve and immortality after being registered as a Sen-Nin by her mistress. Although having lived in the Twelve Kingdoms for ''at least 105 years'' because of Sen-Nin status, she is still very ignorant and quite the idiot with some of the decisions she makes. She forces her mistress' Sekko, which was trying to protect her from danger, to take her to the Sai Kingdom by screaming and kicking at it. Although her mistress did treat her poorly, she exaggerates the abuse and she often causes many of the mistakes in the first place with her absent-mindedness. One of her main sources for her angst are people calling her "Mokurin" instead of Suzu. She constantly compares her struggles to those of other people under much harsher conditions and believes that the she is somehow the most unfortunate person to ever exist. Suzu never does anything to solve her problems, she just wants other people to pity her and she liked feeling sorry for herself. Her creepy fantasies about the Kei-Ou, with the belief that she will manage to instantly befriend her because she is also a Kyoukai to live her days in luxury in the palace, certainly do not help.
** Shoukei is also quite a scrappy. She is ignorant, selfish, greedy, prissy, spoilt and rude. She continued to act this way even after living in poverty for 3 years. Most people would be grateful for being spared from execution when their parents were ruthless tyrants but she only whines. Even after being offered a place in Kyou palace, she actually has the nerve to steal the royal treasures and escapes from working. Shoukei refuses to accept anything as her fault and believes that she is somehow more important than everyone else.

** [[spoiler:Asano's]] death in [[spoiler:Shoukei's arms]], and when [[spoiler:Youko, Shoukei, and Suzu mourn together for him.]]
*** Especially when you consider that [[spoiler:Asano really did die for nothing, and he knew it.]]
* {{Wangst}}: Suzu gets plenty of it. It's no wonder she's TheScrappy.

** Suzu could count, given all the crap she went through, although she whines about it (a lot) thereby making her less sympathetic.

* TheScrappy: Suzu is far whinier than Youko was at beginning of the series and thus ''unbearably annoying'' for the overwhelimng majority of the fanbase. She was a Kyoukai with no special skills whatsoever but was allowed to travel with a Shuusei troupe for 3 years upon arriving. Despite this, she never makes any effort to learn about the language or culture of the Twelve Kingdoms. She is later given the ability to speak the language, never fall ill, never starve and immortality after being registered as a Sen-Nin by her mistress. Although having lived in the Twelve Kingdoms for ''at least 105 years'' because of Sen-Nin status, she is still very ignorant and quite the idiot with some of the decisions she makes. She forces her mistress' Sekko, which was trying to protect her from danger, to take her to the Sai Kingdom by screaming and kicking at it. Although her mistress did treat her poorly, she exaggerates the abuse and she often causes many of the mistakes in the first place with her absent-mindedness. One of her main sources for her angst are people calling her "Mokurin" instead of Suzu. She constantly compares her struggles to those of other people under much harsher conditions and believes that the she is somehow the most unfortunate person to ever exist. Suzu never does anything to solve her problems, she just wants other people to pity her and she liked feeling sorry for herself. Her creepy fantasies about the Kei-Ou, with the belief that she will manage to instantly befriend her because she is also a Kyoukai to live her days in luxury in the palace, certainly do not help.
** Shoukei is also quite a scrappy. She is ignorant, selfish, greedy, prissy, spoiled rotten and rude. She continued to act this way even after living in poverty for 3 years. Most people would be grateful for being spared from execution when their parents were ruthless tyrants but she only whines. Even after being offered a place in Kyou palace, she actually has the nerve to steal the royal treasures and escapes from working. Shoukei refuses to accept anything as her fault and believes that she is somehow more important than everyone else.

** Shoukei is also quite a scrappy. She continued to act this way even after living in poverty for 3 years. Most people would be grateful for being spared from execution when their parents were ruthless tyrants but she only whines. Even after being offered a place in Kyou palace, she actually has the nerve to steal the royal treasures and escapes from working. Shoukei refuses to accept anything as her fault and believes that she is somehow more important than everyone else. She is ignorant, selfish, greedy, prissy, spoiled rotten and rude.

** Shoukei is also quite a scrappy for her selfishness and greed. She continued to act this way even after living in poverty for 3 years. Most people would be grateful for being spared from execution when their parents were ruthless tyrants but she only whines. Even after being offered a place in Kyou palace, she actually has the nerve to steal the royal treasures and escapes from working. She is ignorant, prissy, spoiled rotten, rude but above all, an ungrateful person

** Shoukei is also quite a scrappy for her selfishness and greed, which turn her insane. She continued to act this way even after living in poverty for 3 years. Most people would be grateful for being spared from execution when their parents were ruthless tyrants but she only whines, even after being offered a place in Kyou palace and believes that she is entitled to all royal treasures. She is deeply jealous the Kei-Ou for being a Kaikyaku that rose to become a queen while she was a princess brought down to peasantry.

* TheScrappy: Suzu is far whinier than Youko was at beginning of the series and thus ''unbearably annoying'' for the overwhelimng majority of the fanbase. She was a Kyoukai with no special skills whatsoever but was allowed to travel with a Shuusei troupe for 3 years upon arriving. Despite this, she never makes any effort to learn about the language or culture of the Twelve Kingdoms. She is later given the ability to speak the language, never fall ill, never starve and immortality after being registered as a Sen-Nin by her mistress. Although having lived in the Twelve Kingdoms for ''at least 105 years'' because of Sen-Nin status, she is still very ignorant and quite the idiot with some of the decisions she makes. She forces her mistress' Sekko, which was trying to protect her from danger, to take her to the Sai Kingdom by screaming and kicking at it. Although her mistress did treat her poorly, she exaggerates the abuse and she often causes many of the mistakes in the first place with her absent-mindedness. One of her main sources for her angst are people calling her "Mokurin" instead of Suzu. She constantly compares her struggles to those of other people under much harsher conditions and believes that the she is somehow the most unfortunate person to ever exist. Suzu never does anything to solve her problems and just wants other people to pity her. Her creepy fantasies about the Kei-Ou, with the belief that she will manage to instantly befriend her because she is also a Kyoukai to live her days in luxury in the palace, certainly do not help.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Suzu is generally considered to have been rescued, although many disagree.
** Shoukei fared much better than her, probably because she never whined as much in the first place, her angst was more justified considering her hardships and she wasn't as much of a fool.

** Shoukei fared much better than her, probably because she never whined as much in the first place, her angst was more justified considering her hardships and wasn't as much of a fool.

* TheScrappy: Suzu is far whinier than Youko was at beginning of the series and thus ''unbearably annoying'' for the overwhelimng majority of the fanbase. She was a Kyoukai with no special skills whatsoever but was allowed to travel with a Shuusei troupe for 3 years upon arriving. Despite this, she never makes any effort to learn about the language or culture of the Twelve Kingdoms. She is later given the ability to speak the language and immortality after being registered as a Sen-Nin by her mistress. Despite having lived in the Twelve Kingdoms for ''at least 105 years'' because of Sen-Nin status, she is still very ignorant and quite the idiot with some of the decisions she makes. Although her mistress did treat her poorly, she exaggerates the abuse and she often causes many of the mistakes in the first place with her absent-mindedness. One of her main sources for her angst are people calling her "Mokurin" instead of Suzu. Yes, really. She is far more fortunate than other people and her problems are absolutely petty in comparison to the others but she fusses and cries more than anyone. She forces her mistress' Sekko (which was trying to protect her from danger) to take her to the Sai Kingdom by screaming and kicking at it and her creepy fantasies about the Kei-Ou, with the belief that she will manage to instantly befriend her because she is also a Kyoukai to live her days in luxury in the palace, certainly do not help.

** Shoukei fared much better than her, probably because she never whined as much in the first place, her angst was more justified considering her hardships she and wasn't as much of a fool.

** Shoukei fared much better than her, probably because she never whined as much in the first place and wasn't as much of a fool.

* TheScrappy: Suzu is far whinier than Youko was at beginning of the series and thus ''unbearably annoying'' for the overwhelimng majority of the fanbase. She was a Kyoukai with no special skills whatsoever but was allowed to travel with a Shuusei troupe for 3 years upon arriving. Despite this, she never makes any effort to learn about the language or culture of the Twelve Kingdoms. She is later given the ability to speak the language and immortality after being registered as a Sen-Nin by her mistress. Despite having lived in the Twelve Kingdoms for ''at least 105 years'' because of Sen-Nin status, she is still very ignorant and quite the idiot with some of the decisions she makes. Although her mistress did treat her poorly, she exaggerates the abuse and she often causes many of the mistakes in the first place with her absent-mindedness. One of her main sources for her angst are people calling her "Mokurin" instead of Suzu. Yes, really.
** She is far more fortunate than other people and her problems are absolutely petty in comparison to the others but she fusses and cries more than anyone. She forces her mistress' Sekko (which was trying to protect her from danger) to take her to the Sai Kingdom by screaming and kicking at it and her creepy fantasies about the Kei-Ou, with the belief that she will manage to instantly befriend her because she is also a Kyoukai to live her days in luxury in the palace, certainly do not help.
** Shoukei is also quite a scrappy for her selfishness and greed, she continued to act that way even after living in poverty for 3 years. Most people would be grateful for being spared from execution when their parents were ruthless tyrants but she only whines, even after being offered a place in Kyou palace and believes that she is entitled to all royal treasures. She resents the Kei-Ou for being a Kaikyaku that rose to become a queen while she was a princess brought down to peasantry.
* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Suzu is generally considered to have been rescued, although some disagree.

** Suzu's backstory...well if you like her that is.

** Shoukei is also quite a scrappy for her selfishness and greed, she continued to act that way even after living in poverty for 3 years.

** She is far more fortunate than other people such as the peasants of Hou who were executed mercilessly by the hundreds of thousands for ridiculous reasons; Shoukei who was pulled out her royal life and forced to live in a Rike, often being tortured and almost executed by the peasants in a brutal fashion; or Youko who was brought to an unknown world and was battling against dozens of youma every hour to survive in the wilderness and had lost both her "friends" in the process, with the male friend going insane and the female believing that it was her destiny to kill her and later finding it hard to trust anyone when one of her acquaintances attempts to sell her to a brothel. Suzu's problems are absolutely petty in comparison to the others but she fusses and cries more than anyone. She forces her mistress' Sekko (which was trying to protect her from danger) to take her to the Sai Kingdom by screaming and kicking at it and her creepy fantasies about the Kei-Ou, with the belief that she will manage to instantly befriend her because she is also a Kyoukai to live her days in luxury in the palace, certainly do not help.