Line #132 Manga/MitamaSecuritySpiritBusters


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/mitama_security.png]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:That's a lot of spirits, ''jan k'now?'']]
3	->''"I won't lie. I'm afraid of spirits. But as long as evil spirits exist, I'll face my fears as many times as it takes. Because that it my duty as a Secu'''REI'''ty professional!"''
4	-->-- '''Joh Mitama''', right before [[SedgwickSpeech being possessed by a spirit he didn't notice]]
5
6	Rena Haze is an [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent ordinary teenage girl]] except for a simple detail: not only does she possess the rare ability to see spirits, but she is also haunted by a good hundred of them simultaneously. She learned to not pay attention to them and lives a simple life though she often feels lonely, having no one to share that burden with and her mother often leaving her alone due to her job.
7
8	Enters Joh Mitama, an exorcist from the Secu'''REI'''ty Association[[note]]"rei" (霊) meaning "ghost" or "spirits"[[/note]] who made the oath to protect Rena Haze from the ridiculous amount of spirits following her despite being himself absolutely terrified of ghosts. However, they will soon both realize that her spirits aren't actually very dangerous at all. In fact, [[FriendlyGhost they are quite friendly]] and even start to bond with Rena Haze as she finally acknowledge them because of Mitama's antics. Despite this unexpected turn of event, Mitama doesn't let his guard down and continues to keep an eye on Rena Haze as her unusual connection to spirits begins to attract powerful entities and sketchy exorcists.
9
10	Don't let that summary fool you: ''Mitama Security: Spirit Busters'' (ミタマセキュ霊ティ) is absolutely ''not'' a [[FightingSeries battle manga]] nor a {{Horror}} story, but a lighthearted SliceOfLife GagSeries, most chapters being about our two protagonists meeting and reacting to a cast of colorful characters gravitating around Rena Haze including a muscled spirit with ten feet for a face, a {{Mon}} catching Yakuza, a talking salmon, and Creator/BabeRuth.
11
12	''Mitama Security'' is written and illustrated by Tsurun Hatomune (who previously did the equally absurd ''Mukidashi no Hakuchou'' a.k.a. ''Naked Swan'' on Shōnen Jump+). It was first published in ''[[Magazine/ShonenJump Weekly Shonen Jump]]'' in September of 2019 (alongside ''Manga/MissionYozakuraFamily'') and concluded after a year of serialization and compiled into 5 volumes.
13
14	See also ''WebComic/MierukoChan'', another spirit-filled manga with a similar concept but with an actually [[HorrorComedy scary]] spin on it.
15	----
16	!!''Mitama Security'' is haunted by examples of:
17	* ACupAngst: Rena Haze [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom knocked a huge spirit out]] in Code 1 for calling her "flatty". It's never brought up again in the rest of the series however.
18	* AccentUponTheWrongSyllable: An unfortunate consequence of the various '''REI'''-related words the characters use, the most notable being "Secu'''REI'''ty".
19	* TheAce:
20	** Subverted with Soya, who is the best professional exorcist around but absolutely can't see nor even feel spirits. Worst of all, he is often completely clueless about the paranormal activities going around him (he thinks that Rena Haze is actually a [[MindOverMatter multitasking telekinesis user]]).
21	** As long as it is not spirits, Mitama himself can be scarily competent. Some of his talents include bodyguarding (from humans), basketball, housework and diplomacy.
22	* AdviceBackfire: After listening to the weird and conflicting advices of Mitama, Soya, and Janca, Rena Haze did what was supposed to be a regular part-time job interview at a convenience store like if she was a MagicalGirl applying at a MaidCafe.
23	* AmbiguouslyAbsentParent: Rena Haze lives alone with her mother. Her father was never mentioned until Code 34 where the mother pulled a PreciousPhoto of him revealing that [[spoiler:he has/had ties with Secu'''REI'''ty and might be linked to Rena's spirit line]].
24	* AndTheAdventureContinues: Parodied in the final chapter. The stock phrase that comes with a lot of manga cut short, "Our battle is just getting started!", permeates throughout the chapter as most of the characters say [[LeaningOntheFourthWall it feels like a day to say it]]. When Rena finally tries to give in, ''everyone'' gives up and gets bored before [[spoiler:turning in to move to their collective shared apartment complex]].
25	* AnimalLover: Much like his real life inspiration, Mr. Living Things wants to protect animals from harm (even those aleady deceased) and takes care of all sorts of cute creatures, from cats and dogs to [[FluffyTheTerrible giant and indefinable monstrosities]].
26	* AuthorAvatar: Hatomune represents himself as a [[BirdPeople drooling pigeon]] with bloodshot eyes (as [[ADogNamedDog "hato" means "pigeon"]] in Japanese). He even has a real [[TheFaceless mask]] of his avatar [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ERDvSrMVUAAfrWh?format=jpg&name=large that he wears for photoshoots.]] Meanwhile, his editor is represented as an incredibly beefy version of him (a fact [[SycophanticServant even the real editor is confused by]]).
27	* BaitAndSwitch: The series often makes it seem like an [[KnightOfCerebus actually serious threat]] is coming the main character's way (Soya, Janca, Mr. Stripe, spirits going rogue, etc.) only for them to be easily defeated or being nice from the start. Their arguably most dangerous foes were BODY, and even them were dealt with a BaseballEpisode [[spoiler: though in a subversive way, this was also a BaitAndSwitch as this baseball match eventually turned out to be a trap to capture all of Rena Haze's spirits]].
28	* BaseballEpisode: Occurs from Codes 18 to 21, but in a subversion of the usual trope (which usually means a BreatherEpisode) the stakes are [[UnexpectedlyDarkEpisode unusually high]] for the series, with [[spoiler: BODY threatening to capture all of Rena Haze's spirits, Mitama risking his life multiple times, and Rena Haze [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry awakening her spirit powers]]]].
29	* TheBeastmaster: There are two versions of this trope: on one hand you have Janca who uses spirits like {{Mon}}s (down to trapping them in Poké Ball-like contraptions) and trades for them on the BlackMarket, and in direct contrast there is Rena Haze who doesn't view them as pets but as a FamilyOfChoice. [[spoiler:Having been beaten twice by Rena Haze, Janca abandons his old ways and starts treating her as his master and Shakejiro as his roommate.]]
30	* BegoneBribe: The manager of the convenient store Rena Haze applied to was so creeped out by her "performance" that he paid her 60,000 yen just for her to go away.
31	* BerserkButton: Reminding Soya that he doesn't have any spirit sense, something that Rena Haze learned to exploit to get back at his jerkishness.
32	* BigFun: Mr. Commentary was the first to make contact with Rena Haze and is a very plump and sweet guy who is friendly to everybody though [[NarratingTheObvious he can sometimes be annoying]].
33	* BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine: Mitama and Rena Haze alternates between each role depending of the chapter.
34	** In some chapters, Mitama will be presented as a professional with weird mannerisms or a BigBrotherMentor giving questionable life advices (boke) while Rena Haze, shocked by his buffoonery and InsaneTrollLogic, either leaves in frustration or succombs to the madness herself (tsukkomi).
35	** In others, Rena Haze will display a carefree and [[AllLovingHero overly friendly]] attitude towards spirits, even dangerous looking ones (boke) while Mitama, suspicious and overprotective, makes an ass of himself trying to prevent dangers that never existed in the first place (tsukkomi).
36	** Soya is the wild card when he appears alongside them, being both a {{Foil}} to Mitama's eccentricity and paranoia and Rena's reserved and loving nature, switching to one or the other's side depending of what the chapter asks for.
37	* BoldInflation: The word '''REI''' is bolded and also often italicized when it appears inside the various spirit-related words (mostly just to accentuate the {{pun}}).
38	* BunnyEarsLawyer: Terry Stripe, Joh Mitama's master, is a terrifying lieutenant of Secu'''REI'''ty with an amazing control over holy light energy. He is however a very friendly and kind person who'd rather teach Mitama how to play basketball than actually exorcise spirits.
39	* TheCavalryArrivesLate:
40	** Mitama and Soya arrived too late after being warned by Mr. Commentary that Rena Haze was in danger. She and Zobiro had already long defeated Janca at this point.
41	** Averted in Code 35 when Mitama and Rena arrive in time after being warned by Shakejiro, ironically enough to save Janca this time around. Averted once again in Code 40 when [[spoiler:he comes back from mastering the Reihyoken just in time to prevent the spirit line from being exorcised]].
42	* CelebrationMiscalculation: The [[AllThereInTheStinger Stinger joke]] of Code 44.
43	* CellPhonesAreUseless: Rena Haze and Soya weren't able to contact Mitama after he went missing [[spoiler:because Mr. Stripe destroyed his phone before sending him to the North Pole to cut all ties with the outside world until he mastered the Reihyoken]].
44	* CerebusRetcon: Everything about Janca is put into perspective after Code 35. [[spoiler:He worked for a violent GreaterScopeVillain the whole time, had many part-time jobs because he could never sell any good enough spirits to them, and Rena Haze viewing spirits as family resonated with him because he never had one.]]
45	* ChangingClothesIsAFreeAction: When Joh turns on and off his Holy Light Spirit Man form, he instantanously switches from being half-naked to being clothed normally or vice-verca. It is hinted that he just dresses and undresses very fast between panels.
46	* {{Chuunibyou}}: Mitama was a ''hard'' one in middle school, speaking in RoyalWe, writing terrible songs and having questionable fashion sense (including a phase where he wore [[BadassesWearBandanas dozens of bandanas]], [[TooManyBelts some of them being on other bandanas]]).
47	* ColourCodedForYourConvenience: Subverted since this is a black and white medium, thus the Four Divine [[ColorCodedEyes Eye-Pattern]] Lieutenants are instead "Pattern-Coded For Your Convenience": Stripe, Border, Checker, and Dot.
48	* CombatCommentator: Personified and parodied with Mr. Commentary whose entire character trait is to narrate everything.
49	* ComicalOverreacting: Initially one of the main joke in the series with Mitama screaming in fear at the tiniest spirit. It was eventually toned down -though it still pops up by occasion- with Mitama slowly conquering his fear.
50	** Subverted for comedy when he almost dies because of Zobiro's fastball and deals with it with [[MajorInjuryUnderreaction an uncanny serenity]].
51	--->'''Mitama:''' Geez, it felt like a bullet train slammed into my stomach just now! Ha ha ha!
52	** It came back in full force but this time outside of an exorcism: when Mr. Stripe showed Rena Haze some embarrassing memories from Joh's past in Code 18, he started acting like each embarrassment was a literal blow [[PunchedAcrossTheRoom projecting him across the street]] until the DespairEventHorizon.
53	* CreatorCameo: Hatomune's pigeon avatar briefly appears as a chopsticks holder in Code 34.
54	* CuteGhostGirl: Yuko, though her only distinctive traits as a spirit are a curvier shape and [[TertiarySexualCharacteristics a tiny bow on her head]]; she is more conventionally cute in her human form. She can still be very scary, especially when she is blinded by love.
55	* DamselOutOfDistress: Although the first few chapters made it look like Rena Haze was a DamselInDistress (despite never really being in dangerous situations) her bond with her spirit friends made her a force to be reckoned with, which started to become apparent when she defeated Janca on her own.
56	* DayInTheLife: Code 14 shows the daily routine of Rena Haze and incidentally her spirit line including Mr. Commentary [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall who is narrating it]].
57	* ADayInTheLimelight:
58	** "code 14 / A DayInTheLife Of Rena Haze, Explained!", despite his title, put a large focus on Mr. Commentary's backstory and his trouble to fit in both in his life and his afterlife.
59	** "code 24 / Building the Salmon Empire" reintroduces Shakejiro, the salmon spirit seen two chapters prior, and expends on his character and his true intents. It would almost be a VillainEpisode if not for the fact that he is utterly incompetent.
60	** "code 35 / Janca's Jam" reveals Janca's backstory and why he was an antogonist at the start of the series, which includes numerous {{Cerebus Retcon}}s.
61	** "code 44 / Lonely, Lonely Sunshine" is entirely from Soya's perspective: there isn't a single spirit seen in this chapter and we see him trying to fill in the blanks himself.
62	** "code 46 / Ta and Pi, Runaways", although not from their perspective, is the first time the twins are put in an active role in the story since their introduction.
63	* DefrostingIceQueen: The main CharacterArc of Rena Haze. She cut herself of most of the world as a child because her ability to see spirits was seen at best as weird and at worst as lies by most {{Muggles}}, and her single mother wasn't really able to be a reassuring presence to her due to her career. As a result, she became emotionally distant from everyone and everything. As both Secu'''REI'''ty and the spirits entered her life, they progressively started to bring her the social and emotional balance that a depressed teenager like her would need. Their rather peculiar and embarrassing behaviour doesn't make the task easy for her however.
64	-->'''Rena Haze:''' Wait a minute... Mr. Mitama risked his own life [...] for my sake, and my heart's grown colder? Am I that much of an IceQueen? What was I thinking? [...] You should love someone for who they are, no matter what they look like...
65	-->''(Mitama does a [[FightingClown ridiculous ultimate move]])''
66	-->'''Rena Haze:''' [[IgnoredEpiphany NOPE! Can't do it!]]
67	* DorkKnight: Definitely Joh Mitama who is considered one of the best exorcists in the world despite being extremely quirky (though it seems all exorcists are to some degree). It even comes into play later in the story when [[spoiler:he unlocks his Holy Light Spirit Man form after mastering the Reihyoken, the latter being reportedly stronger the dorkiest its user is]].
68	* DroppedAfterThePilot: Saki, Rena Haze's school friend which one was of the first character introduced in the manga, disappeared after the second chapter. She only briefly reappeared in Code 14 and 41 in a very minor role.
69	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first chapters have vastly different [[CharacterizationMarchesOn character dynamics]] than the rest of the series. It happened around chapter 8 by switching the BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine of Rena Haze and Joh Mitama: early on, Mitama was a {{Cloudcuckoolander}} doing goofy exorcisms around a reluctant Rena Haze. Then, as Rena Haze became more confident and accustomed to the spirits, chapters became more about her breaking exorcisms conventions and Mitama becoming the StraightMan to her unexpected ways as well as the NoRespectGuy for not understanding them. Like the characters, the overall plot of the series evolved too, going from busting the MonsterOfTheWeek to ''protecting'' the spirits in Rena Haze's line.
70	* EducationMama: Rumi Haze is extremely concerned about her daughter's future and tends to have way too high expectations for her despite her bad grades, pushing her to work really hard for almost no results.
71	* EliteFour: Secu'''REI'''ty has four pattern-coded lieutenants at its head (under their Commander who is a non-fighting frail old man). If Mr. Stripe - who is the only one we ever really see in action - is any indication, they are all extremely powerful.
72	* EnhancedOnDVD: A ''very'' minor one: when ''Mitama Security'' was released in volumes, a small typo on Abdomen's baseball outfit was corrected in Code 18 (it was written in English as [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseRomanization "Abdmen"]] in the original ''Jump'').
73	* EvilLaugh: Shakejiro laughs in secret when thinking about his Salmon Empire project. It doubles as a VerbalTicName as it sounds like "Shakeh Keh Keh!"
74	* EvilTowerOfOminousness: Subverted. [[spoiler:the Secu'''REI'''ty Tower is framed as menacing with dark gloomy clouds behind it as Soya's suspicions against his own organization rise after Mitama went missing. It doesn't help that the heroes breaking in alerted all the exorcists inside the building to stop them. In the end, it was all a misunderstanding, Sec'''REI'''ty wasn't secretely evil, and it was just a silly-looking building after all.]]
75	* ExoticEyeDesigns:
76	** Mr. Stripe's eyes have vertical lines that match his name (and suit) and give his glare an intimidating aura.
77	*** The Four Divine Eye-Pattern Lieutenants (of which Mr. Stripe is part) apply in general, although it mostly boils down to Checker outside of Stripe. Dot has BlackBeadEyes instead, and Border wears a mask that makes him look like he has his EyesAlwaysShut.
78	** Tsurun Hatomune's AuthorAvatar have bloodshot eyes that can be assumed to come from sleep deprivation.
79	* FauxAffablyEvil: Shakejiro the Salmon acts like a harmless doofus, but secretly wishes to use Rena Haze's spirits to conquer the world and build a Salmon Empire. He still is a genuinely HarmlessVillain despite all that.
80	* FishPeople: Shakejiro is a spirit with a humanoid body and a salmon head.
81	* TheFoodPoisoningIncident: In Code 3, Mitama almost died from eating Rena Haze's "curry" to cheer her up then wasn't able to sleep for an entire day. It still haunts them in later chapters where Rena Haze has to cook something.
82	* FootnoteFever: Because of the WorldOfPun setting, a lot of Japanese-based jokes are explained between panels. Most notably [[OncePerEpisode (and at almost every chapter)]] that "rei = spirit/ghost".
83	* TheForeignSubtitle: Because the PunBasedTitle was untranslatable, ''"Spirit Busters"'' was added to the English title. It is however rarely used partly because of [[ColonCancer its long size]] and the series [[TheArtifact isn't really about busting spirits anymore]] anyway. It's also not uncommon to see manga websites and purists simply call the series ''[[BlindIdiotTranslation "Mitama Secureity"]]''.
84	* FriendlyGhost: All the spirits in Rena Haze's line are very friendly and harmless, though many exorcists note that it is a very unusual behavior that might be linked to Rena Haze herself.
85	* GettingTheBoot: Rumi Haze does it to ''17 persons'' at once after discovering the entire Sucu'''REI'''ty brigade in her daughter's parent-teacher conference.
86	* GlowingEyes: Mitama's eyes start to glow when they are full of tears, indicating that he entered his SuperMode.
87	* GoldfishPoopGang: Kojime and Holmezaburo. They come back every 10 chapters or so, Halmezaburo possessing his grandson and making him go through a new silly gimmick every time only to be easily defeated by Mitama in one shot with a B'''REI'''n Buster.
88	* GoodGunsBadGuns: Joh Mitama's Ghost-Be-Gone gun is a classic and shiny [[RevolversAreJustBetter revolver]]. Meanwhile, the Mob boss Onigawara has something similar to a black Tokarev TT-33, or more likely its Chinese Type 54 knockoff (and he wields it GangstaStyle to boot).
89	* GotMeDoingIt: As Janca becomes more and more present, characters around him tend to borrow his "jan k'now?".
90	* GratuitousEnglish: All these examples are in the original Japanese version:
91	** BODY is written in english even in Japanese. Meanwhile, the "BODY parts" are pronounced in English but written in katakana.
92	** Mitama's baseball team was called "ミタマ行LET'S" (Mitama Gyōretsu) which is an elaborate pun between "let's go Mitama" and "Mitama's [spirit] line". In English they were simply called "The Mitama Spirits".
93	** During the same match, a fired up Soya said "ARE YOU READY?" to Leg.
94	** Mr. Stripe's [[AnAesop Aesop]] in Code 28 was was ''almost'' correct:
95	--->'''Mr. Stripe:''' Love your Black History[[note]]It meant and was translated as "Embrace your dark past" in English.[[/note]]
96	* GratuitousFrench: In Code 3, the [[FrenchCuisineIsHaughty food critic spirit]] says ''"C'est si bon"'' ("It's so good") after eating Mitama's "Holy Light Spirit Fried Rice" and then AscendsToAHigherPlaneOfExistence. He briefly comes back in Code 45 to ask for a refill and says his French line again.
97	* GunTwirling: Part of Mitama's routine before practicing an exorcism. How it affects the actual exorcism is unclear, but it is seemingly ''very'' important as it was taught to him by Mr. Stripe himself and even Soya is impressed by his technique.
98	* GunsAreWorthless: Zigzagged. Mitama's Ghost-Be-Gone gun is capable to OneHitKill spirits, but most of the time his [[ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy terrible aim]] renders it useless (when he didn't forget to bring it in the first place) and forces him to think of a creative solution to defeat the spirit, not to mention that it [[DepletedPhlebotinumShells only works on spirits]] to begin with. And now that he doesn't try to bust Rena Haze's line, [[TheArtifact he barely uses it anymore]].
99	* HalfDressedCartoonAnimal: Shakejiro only wears overalls. [[https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ETM8pANUMAAWSpP?format=jpg&name=small A promo image]] on the author's Twitter for Code 29 shows that they spontaneously fade in and out of existence when he turns from one form into the other.
100	* HalfIdenticalTwins: Ta and Pi look completely the same (just like any other spirit, but smaller) but they are male and female respectively (Rena Haze calls them Ta-bu and Pi-chan, and they go to different rooms during the PublicBathhouseScene).
101	* HarmlessFreezing: After mastering the [[spoiler:Reihyoken]], Mitama is able to literally freeze spirits in their tracks without having to exorcize them which was especially useful when [[spoiler:Rena's spirit line was mind-controlled by Popoki]].
102	* HarmlessVillain: Shekejiro is filled with evil intentions to build his Salmon Empire but all his schemes backfire and nobody takes him seriously.
103	* HeadbuttingHeroes: Unlike Mitama and Soya's VitriolicBestBuds relationship, Soya and Rena Haze just straight up dislike each other and always are at each other's throat for every single petty thing like ''popcorn''. This mostly boils down to Soya being an overall jerk and [[NewFriendEnvy somewhat jealous]] of her relationship with Joh.
104	* HeavySleeper: Rena, though more towards sleeping very early, which Mr. Commentary and her mom pointed out.
105	* HeroicBSOD:
106	** During the Baseball arc, [[spoiler:Rena Haze is so shocked by the capture of all her spirit friends that she suddenly starts to showcase similar tear-related powers to Mitama and becomes [[YouWouldntLikeMeWhenImAngry blinded by rage]] to the point of attacking friends and foes indiscriminately.]]
107	** Mitama's embarrassment in Code 28 was so intense that he became emotionless which is [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness pretty out of character]] for him. It was so intense in fact that he still wasn't over it in the following chapter.
108	* HiddenDepths: Mitama isn't the best exorcist around, but he is an excellent cook and an accomplished athlete.
109	* HisStoryRepeatsItself: [[spoiler: Mitama is drawn to protect Rena Haze because he lived through a similar situation when he was younger, being also haunted by a line of spirits. Rena Haze herself eventually shows similar "tear" abilities to Mitama, strengthening that parallel even more.]]
110	* {{Hyperaffixation}}: Secu'''REI'''ty and spirits themselves tend to add the word '''REI''' everywhere they can fit it (t'''REI'''ning, '''REI'''ttuce, '''REI'''pellent Rod, '''REI'''ferree, bowling '''REI'''ne, '''REI'''ceptionist, etc.).
111	* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: Chapters are titled "code X /".
112	* ImprobablyCoolCar: Mitama drives a luxurious red convertible (with a [[{{Fauxrrari}} suspiciously familiar pegasus logo]]) for no discernible reason.
113	* InstantWebHit: Going full [=YouTuber=] on Mitama's advices didn't land Rena Haze a single job, but at least she got 20k subscribers in a single video.
114	* InvisibleParents: Eventually {{Averted\|Trope}}, but for a while both of Rena Haze's parents never appeared in the series, her mother Rumi because of [[{{workaholic}} her work]] and her father for [[AmbiguouslyAbsentParent still unknown reasons]].
115	* InvisibleToNormals: Regular folks (unfortunately including Soya) can't see the spirits. At best, they [[GhostlyChill feel a bit cold]] when they're close and vaguely hear ominous murmurs when they talk (even if they were politely saying hi).
116	* IsThereADoctorInTheHouse: Rena Haze asks for one in her spirit line when Joh gets ill in Code 16. Unfortunately, the only one is a goofy quack who treats all wounds and illnesses with [[ComicallyIneptHealing band-aids]].
117	* ItsAllUpstairsFromHere: Code 38 is one long climbing of the Secu'''REI'''ty Tower, going against all the top exorcists residing inside.
118	* KaraokeBox: Mitama is hired to exorcise a haunted karaoke booth in Code 33. He and the line's spirits all take the occasion to sing a bit, each one with their own comically disastrous results.
119	* KidDetective: Parodied with Kojime Edoichi, self-proclaimed genius because of his legendary lineage (which is coupled with the name a clear homage to [[Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles Hajime Kindaichi]] and [[Manga/CaseClosed Conan Edogawa]]), who is not only [[CluelessDetective always wrong]] but also often mistaken for a creep due to his tendency to snoop around, eavesdrop and talk to himself.
120	-->'''Kid:''' Mom! Is that guy a stalker?
121	-->'''Mother:''' Don't stare at the degenerate, dear.
122	* LargeAndInCharge: Onigawara "the Untouchable", the founder and leader of a yakuza gang smuggling rare spirits, is built like a tank and far more imposing than any of his minions.
123	* LetsMeetTheMeat: When Shakejiro gets wet and turns into a regular salmon, he becomes pretty insistent about people "ingesting" his healthy DHA (in other words his fish oil).
124	* LethalChef: Rena Haze is a terrible cook. She can spend four hours in the kitchen and only end up with a ''[[TechnicolorToxin purple]]'' curry with visible fish bones and floating bubbles. That curry was so dreadful that it actually summoned an evil spirit (that was somehow less cursed than it).
125	** Eventually averted as she trained with Yuko and managed to make some good chocolates for Mitama for Valentine's Day.
126	* ALizardNamedLiz:
127	** Rena Haze called the lovestruck spirit Yuko (幽子) using the kanji for ghost (幽, "yū", a subtly different one from the infamous "rei"). When she comes back later in a more tangible form, she says that it isn't her real name but that [[OnlyKnownByTheirNickname she is fine with it]].
128	** Shakejiro translates to "Middle Brother Salmon", causing Rena Haze to wonder if he has a big brother.
129	* LoveTriangle: Both Joh and Soya had a crush on the same girl named Miki back in school. It ended with both being rejected by her for being [[PrinceCharmingWannabe embarassingly terrible at romance]].
130	* MadeOfIron: Joh Mitama is seemingly indestructible, defeating any human opponent with ease and tanking everything from beatings-up to ''explosions''.
131	-->'''Mitama:''' [[IronicFear I only lose to spirits.]]
132	* MistakenForPedophile: After thorough investigation, Kojime believes that the reason Mitama is following Rena Haze around is because he is a [[ModelScam sketchy talent scout]].
133	* MixAndMatchCritters: Opportunity. It has a muscled human torso, elephant arms, nondescript furry satanic legs, a ShellBackpack, a whip-like tail, and above all a giraffe head that can pop off to reveal a terrifying dark spirit living inside.
134	* MrExposition: The fittingly named [[EveryoneCallsHimBarkeep Mr. Commentary]] is somehow knowledgeable about everything and everyone and won't miss an opportunity to explain what's going on to whoever is willing to listen to him.
135	* MuggleWithADegreeInMagic: Soya was the top of his class in Secu'''REI'''ty T'''REI'''ning, is super intelligent and athletic, but has absolutely no spirit sense at all and can't see a single ghost, so he's usually stuck in office.
136	* MultiArmedAndDangerous: Or rather "Multi-Footed and Dangerous" in Zobiro's case, even though all his extra feet are located on his face. He can extend them at will and rotate them like a mill.
137	* MythologyGag: The place where Mitama and Yuko go for their date in Code 13 is called "Swan Crêpes", a nod to Tsurun Hatomune's previous work ''Naked Swan''.
138	* NameThatUnfoldsLikeLotusBlossom: Spirit for the Ethical T'''REI'''tment of Living Things. [[SomeCallMeTim You can call him Mr. Living Things.]] Ironically enough, neither he nor the pets he takes care of are technically "living things".
139	* NamedWeapons: The Secu'''REI'''ty exorcists named their powerful spirit-busting weapons, but this is more a direct parody of the trope considering their tackiness and that they are mostly irrelevant to the story.
140	** Mitama's gun is called the Ghost-Be-Gone Gun.
141	** Soya's spear is called Lonely Sunshine a.k.a the Spirit-Be-Sent Spear.
142	* NeckLift: [[spoiler:Onigawara hold Janca by the neck with a single hand and would have killed him on the spot if not for Mitama's intervention.]]
143	* NoHistoricalFiguresWereHarmed: The trope itself is used to comedically subvert expectations. Mitama sometimes meets what he assumes to be spirits of renowned figures like Creator/BabeRuth and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_Tsunayoshi Tsunayoshi Tokugawa]], [[MrExposition explaining]] in details (partially to the readers) who they are, only to realize immediately after that they are simply look-alikes (allegedly).
144	* OffscreenMomentOfAwesome: Rena Haze (or rather Zobiro) demolished Janca and his spirit goons while Mitama and Soya were rushing to save her.
145	* OpportunisticBastard: Shakejiro will be nice and subservient to whoever seems the strongest at a given point, though his short temper often makes him change his mind on a dime and turn back against the exact same person if he feels like they disrespected him (only to be easily defeated and immediately become servile again).
146	* OurSpiritsAreDifferent: The spirits in this universe are rather vague. For the most part of them, they look like featureless purple humanoids with three black circles for the mouth and eyes, but sometimes wear clothes and accessories. They are supposedly [[OurGhostsAreDifferent deceased people]] as Mr. Commentary reminisces about his past life, and they can turn back into their human form if they are strong enough like Yuko. Some does not fit this description however: spirits like the fake Babe Ruth, Kojime's ancestor, and Mr. Living Things look identical to their human form (but could simply possess a naturally stronger lower dantian), while others like Zobiro, Shakejiro, and Opportunity are vague entities with even more vague origins.
147	* ParanormalRomance: A very one-sided one between Yuko and Mitama, as the latter is way too scared of ghosts to even begin to acknowledge it.
148	* PokemonSpeak: Zobiro can only say his name out loud, though in a slow and creepy way.
149	* PowerGivesYouWings: The members of BODY grow wings where else but on the corresponding body part of each one's CodeName. The ones we see in action are "Holy Light Elbow Jet Wing", "Shining Beauty Wing"[[note]]for Leg[[/note]], "One Hundred Winged Hands", and "Eternal Rolling Shoulders". Although Mitama is/was "Chest" he has yet to show signs that he can use that ability anymore.
150	* PunBasedTitle: The "ri" in the title's "Security" is replaced by the kanji "霊" (rei) meaning ghost/spirit. You can still see the regular katakana for the word (レ, pronounce "re") hidden in a HitodamaLight on the kanji.
151	* PungeonMaster: Shakejiro makes so much fish puns that he wouldn't feel out of place in ''VideoGame/{{Splatoon}}''.
152	* QuirkyMinibossSquad:
153	** BODY, though they completely lack any sense of theming and cohesion outside of all of them spurting wings in a different place.
154	*** Neck is a ChildProdigy.
155	*** Elbow is a BadassInANiceSuit.
156	*** Leg is a LadyInAPowerSuit.
157	*** Shoulder is a MagicalAsian.
158	*** Arm is a ChineseVampire.
159	*** Hand is a [[BoisterousBruiser loudmouthed]] {{Yakuza}}.
160	*** Knee is a YamatoNadeshiko.
161	*** Back is a [[TheFifties '50s]] [[RidiculouslyHumanRobots Robot]].
162	*** Abdomen is a StageMagician.
163	*** Chest [[spoiler:(Mitama)]] is a [[spoiler:[[PostModernMagik modern]] WarriorMonk]].
164	** Although not exactly a team, the rest of the exorcists in the Secu'''REI'''ty Tower (ranked 11th and beyond) that they confront all at once definitely fill the "quirky" requirement.
165	* ReactionShot: One of the series' RunningGag. When something weird happens, a character (at first only Rena Haze but it eventually spread to the rest of the cast) will appear in the corner of the panel looking shocked. It is even used on the volumes' covers.
166	* RealMenHateSugar: Averted with Soya who vehemently defends caramel popcorn against Rena Haze's preference toward salted popcorn, though she herself makes reference to the trope as she finds being a SweetTooth childish.
167	-->'''Rena Haze:''' Have you eaten so much caramel that it's warped your brain? I bet it's a sticky, gooey caramel brain now.
168	* RedRightHand: Between the [[GoodScarsEvilScars two scars on his face]] and the [[GoodEyesEvilEyes snake eyes]], it appears immediately obvious that Onigawara is probably not a nice guy.
169	* ScareEmStraight: Chapter 8 focuses on Mitama taking Rena to abandoned and scary places teeming with spirits in an effort to scare her into exorcising her spirits. All it accomplishes is strengthening her affection for the spirits in her line and even befriending the notoriously creepy Zobiro.
170	* SelfieFiend: Although they don't take the selfies themselves, the spirits act as such when people take pictures of them. They do cute v-signs and alter the pictures to add Instagram filters on them.
171	* SeriousBusiness: One of Soya's main character traits is that he is very passionate about a wide variety of things, from exorcism and baseball to ''popcorn'', and won't hesitate to become mean if not outright violent to get his point across.
172	* ShipSinking: [[ZigZaggingTrope Zig-Zagged.]] Code 34 presented Mitama as a literal ParentalSubstitute for Rena Haze (competing with her own mother in a "mom-off") which seemingly cleared this ship off the table, at least from Joh's perspective who outright clarified that he wasn't interested in her that way. However, the following chapters send even more mixed messages than ever before, with Rena Haze more and more flustered in presence of Mitama despite openly disliking his quirky antics, and Mitama notably dropping this innocuous line out of nowhere:
173	-->'''Rena Haze:''' Well, it sounds like you're as attracted to me as the spirits! Ah ha ha!
174	-->'''Mitama:''' Yeah, maybe I am.
175	* ShoutOut:
176	** Hatomune seems to be a really big sports fan, most notably of American legends. The basketball spirit in Code 2 namedropped [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dikembe_Mutombo Dikembe Mutombo]], and a fake Creator/BabeRuth appeared during the BaseballEpisode. Outside of the series proper, Hatomune also drew [[https://twitter.com/hatomune_tsurun/status/1221835922968207360 a tribute to the late NBA player Kobe Bryant]].
177	** Kojime Edoichi and his illustrious ancestor [[Franchise/SherlockHolmes Holmez]]aburo Edoichi are a parody of [[Manga/TheKindaichiCaseFiles Hajime and Kosuke Kindaichi]].
178	** Janca's way of treating spirits are inspired by ''Franchise/{{Pokemon}}''. He throws Yin Yang-shaped Poké Ball devices to catch spirits and calls Rena a "Spi'''REI'''mon Master".
179	*** The BODY group uses the same catching device and boldly claims that they're gonna [[{{Tagline}} "catch 'em all"]].
180	** Mr. Stripe showed a picture of [[Literature/TheRing Sadako]] as an example of spirit to his pupils. It was immediately mimicked by young Joh's spirits who physically recreated the TV set with one spirit creeping out of it.
181	** The entire Code 29 was filled with references to ''Franchise/TheLionKing'', down to the entire chapter basically being a giant setup to [[spoiler:Shakejiro singing ''"No wor'''REI'''s for the rest of our days"'']].[[note]]The original joke was that in Japanese "no worries" is pronounced the same as "no heart or lungs".[[/note]]
182	** Mitama's comic book that we wrote as a child included some impromptu cameos of famous characters such as [[Franchise/DragonBall Goku]] and his "Dragon [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Rubees]]".
183	** In Code 42, Rena and her friends watch a movie called ''[[Franchise/PlanetOfTheApes Planet of the Plates]]''. It was actually IncidentalMultilingualWordplay as the pun is the exact same in Japanese.[[note]]皿の惑星 (Sara no Wakusei) instead of 猿の惑星 (Saru no Wakusei)[[/note]]
184	** Holy Light Spirit Man with his big round shapes is almost called "Franchise/{{Doraemon}}" by Rena Haze when she desperatly needs him for a mundane task (which isn't unlike a typical ''Doraemon'' situation).
185	* ShowWithinAShow: ''Body Temperature King'', a seemingly [[invoked]]TearJerker show about multiple people getting really hot (in a literal sense).
186	* SignatureHeadgear: Mitama wears a headpin with numerous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shide_(Shinto) shide]] strips. After he unlocks [[spoiler:his Holy Spirit Light Man form, he needs to pull them like a lamp to activates it. It amuses a lot Ta & Pi who often trigger it without warning.]]
187	* SkewedPriorities: When Rena's mom Rumi comes back from work early and seeing Mitama doing chores in her house with Rena present, she's less concerned of seeing an adult man being in the same room with his daughter (especially after learning about his job) and more livid of Mitama being Rena's substitute mother.
188	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: Despite Rena Haze's line being composed of around 200 spirits, only 2 are explicitly female: Yuko and Pi. This comes into play in the PublicBathhouseScene where there's only Rena Haze and these two in the women's room while Mitama is stuck with ''all the others'' in the men's room.
189	* SpookyPhotographs: Parodied in Code 45 (aptly titled "Enjoy! Spirit Photography") in which the spirits are photobombing Rena Haze's pictures in a cute and non-malicious way.
190	* StandInParents: {{Exaggerated\|Trope}} in Code 43. Rena asks Mitama to replace her [[EducationMama mother]] for an upcoming parent-teacher conference. Joh eventually agrees to join her to counterbalance her mother's harshness, and is then immediately followed by Soya and Janca who also wish to support her. And then the Four Divine Eye-Pattern Lieutenants and the commander arrive out of nowhere. ''And then'' the entire BODY corp, for a whopping total of 17 StandInParents. Of course, Rumi didn't really take the whole situation very well.
191	-->'''Rumi Haze:''' Did I walk in on a seminar?
192	* TheStinger: Most chapters end with a small round panel with a comedic scene showing some characters after what happened in the chapter.
193	* SuperMode:
194	** When Mitama cries, his eyes start to glow and he becomes temporary faster and stronger. [[spoiler:Rena Haze has a similar ability, though in her case it tightens her control on her spirit line and makes ''them'' stronger.]]
195	** Joh later gets another form [[spoiler:after mastering the Reihyoken: "Holy Ligh Spirit Man" which consists of him half-naked with only a tie and several Holy Ligh Spirit Blasts on his body acting like an armor. It activates by pulling his shibe hairpin and deactivates when poking his balls with a sharp object. In this form, he can fly like a hot air balloon and freeze spirits]].
196	* SupportingProtagonist: Despite being the RoleCalled character, the story is arguably less about Joh Mitama that it is about Rena Haze, her loneliness, her friendships, and her growth as a character impacting the world around her, Mitama filling a sort of BigBrotherMentor role to her.
197	* SwissArmyTears: Mitama uses his own tears to power-up which is mainly incidental to the fact the he's [[TearsOfFear terrified]] when close to spirits. Using it too many times causes his eyes to dry up.
198	* ThemeTwinNaming: The twin spirits are named Ta and Pi as in [[EdibleThemeNaming "tapioca"]], because they were first discovered in a tapioca bubble tea joint.
199	* UnseenNoMore:
200	** Rena Haze's mother was mentioned several times but only started appearing in Code 34 where she is revealed to be named Rumi Haze.
201	** The Head and Lieutenants of Secu'''REI'''ty (other than Mr. Stripe) were briefly mentionned during the BODY arc while explaining the organisation's hierarchy, but they only started to appear after Code 38.
202	* ValentinesDayEpisode: [[spoiler:Code 23 becomes one at the end, subverting the initial WhamEpisode setup. The spirits (violently) forbid Mitama to see Rena Haze only to let her make some chocolate in secret.]]
203	* VerbalTicName: In the original Japanese, Janca punctuates most of his phrases with ''"janca"'' which more or less means "isn't that right?" though it isn't written the same as his name. [[LostInTranslation In English]], it was localized as "jan k'now?" which is closer to a regular VerbalTic but still retains some part of his name in it.
204	* VitriolicBestBuds: Soya and Mitama are the best of friends and care very much for each other, Joh being the only one back at Secu'''REI'''ty T'''REI'''ning who would hang up with a {{Muggle\|s}} like Soya. However, they tend to express it with passive aggressive remarks, making everything a competition, when it's not straight up punching each other. To be fair, the aggressiveness mostly comes from Soya being a [[JerkWithAHeartOfGold jerk]] to everyone including Mitama.
205	* [[WhenYouComingHomeDad When You Coming Home, Mom?]]: Rumi Haze is a workaholic who often comes back very late and leaves a bit of money on the table for her to buy groceries and dine alone. Although she loves her mom and they clearly care for each other, Rena often feels lonely at home while Rumi wishes to find some time to spend with her daughter.
206	* WholeEpisodeFlashback: Code 12 centers around Mitama's past and how he became an exorcist under Mr. Stripe's training. [[spoiler:He mainly studied basketball though.]]
207	* WorldOfPun: The '''REI''' jokes are really just the top of the iceberg. There is a ton more jokes between the names of various characters and organizations, their way of speaking, [[PungeonMaster their own tendency to tell puns]], etc. There are [[FootnoteFever numerous translator notes]] explaining most of them, but some inevitably end up LostInTranslation and/or turned into other jokes.
208	* WrestlerInAllOfUs: One of Mitama's move is the B'''REI'''n Buster, usually used to smack some sense into Kojime. He can also do it in tag team with Zobiro.
209	----
210	->'''[[FootnoteFever *REI = SPIRIT/GHOST]]''' ''(just in case you forgot)''

Context Manga / MitamaSecuritySpiritBusters