Line #61 Manga/Knights


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/KnightsThumb2_9620.JPG]]
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3	''Knights'' is a manga written by Murao Minoru. It was serialized in the monthly ''Dengeki GAO'', and concluded (hastily) when the magazine went out of business. There are a total of five volumes.
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5	The story is set in a medieval world in the grips of a hysteria about witchcraft. The plot revolves around a squire, Mistletien (Mist), and his potion-maker sidekick Euphemia, as they travel around the countryside rescuing girls accused of witchcraft, and meting out justice on those responsible, particularly the ambitious [[BigBad Crown Prince]].
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7	----
8	!!This series provides examples of:
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10	* AmbiguouslyBrown: Carefully averted with Mist, playing on the difficulties of being of African heritage in an overwhelmingly white medieval community.
11	* AncestralWeapon: Mist claims his father's sword [[spoiler:after their [[{{Tearjerker}} duel to the death]]]].
12	* BabiesEverAfter: In the epilogue. [[spoiler:Mist and Nina have a child, and Euphemia is pregnant with Leo's child.]]
13	* BadassNormal: Try ''all'' the good guys. Mist in particular is MadeOfIron, but even Euphemia and Nina get in on the action...
14	* BeautyEqualsGoodness: The heroes are all pretty, slim people with nice hair. The villains are generally older, and very much uglier in both body and expression. Only the female villains are attractive, and they usually don't stay that way.
15	* {{BFS}}: Mist's weapon of choice is a zweihander, although it is more realistically sized than most portrayals. The [[EvilWeapon Item of Control]] plays this dead straight.
16	* Literature/{{Blossfechten}}: The attacks in this series are named after --and mostly reflect-- real strikes and techniques used in Medieval German swordsmanship. Highly notable, seeing as though a Japanese manga got around to this while Western works still tend to ignore it.
17	* BreakTheCutie: Poor Nina repeatedly winds up in this situation.
18	* BurnTheWitch: Happens a lot in this series. The Church is entitled to a witch's property without justification or investigation, and if a priest gets to put enough people to the torch, he or she becomes a saint with [[StockSuperpowersIndex super powers]]. So the only people in the setting who have anything to do with magic are [[CorruptChurch the church]].
19	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: The practitioners of which are damn proud of them too, seeing as they use them to take down the guys with ACTUAL superpowers.
20	* ColdBloodedTorture: Used liberally by the Church.
21	* CorruptChurch: Played dead straight, to the point that the ChurchMilitant knights may as well be shouting "[[TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}} For the Emperor]]!" One even specifically says "You doubted God. That is the sin of heresy." before violently murdering someone, Commissar-style.
22	* CosmicDeadline: Imposed by ExecutiveMeddling, as the manga was dropped from serialization when Dengeki Gao went out of business. Very noticeable in Volume 5, as a a story arc which had been planned for a much longer time span wraps up in only 5 chapters.
23	* CurbStompBattle: Mist vs. [[spoiler: 1000 soldiers, the Saintified members of the Hammer of Holy Men, and the [[BigBad Crown Prince]].]] They should have never messed with [[spoiler: Nina]].
24	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: The scene where [[spoiler:Mist's mother]] is burned at the stake. Also, a good ol' fashioned dose of terror.
25	* DamselInDistress: Most of the girls Mist recognizes count, being on the brink of execution by the Church after being accused of witchcraft. However, Nina - Mist's love interest - stands out as a particular example, being subjected to brutal torture intended to dislocate her arms or impale her to force her to confess when they first meet. In the fifth volume, [[spoiler:Nina falls into the hands of the church and is brutally tortured, going as far as attempting suicide in order to avoid betraying Mist, who has been watching the entire thing from afar through a scrying pool, completely unable to come to her aid]].
26	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Mist watched his father have his mother burnt at the stake in front of him, while Euphemia was brutally raped multiple times before being rescued by Mist.
27	* {{Determinator}}: Mist. Takes a stab in the stomach in Chapter 2 from his own sword while trying to rescue the DistressedDamsel, then ''pulls it back out again'' and uses ''the flat'' to beat down the guy who stabbed him. [[spoiler: Then he does it again in Chapter 15 when facing Anise, with a little help from Euphemia's drugs and TrueLovesKiss...]]
28	** Nina [[spoiler: in the finale refuses to give the church information on Mist despite [[ColdBloodedTorture having her thumbs ripped to pieces and her feet placed in red-hot iron boots]], even biting off her own tongue to keep herself from talking.]]
29	* DeusExMachina: Type 2. Leo manages to escape certain death in Chapter 19 because [[spoiler: his ''pet cat'' somehow manages to steal the key and unlock his chains.]]
30	* DeusSexMachina: Euphemia uses aphrodisiacs to take down hordes of men and their horses. And their ''horses''. [[RuleThirtyFour Yeeessss...]]
31	* DistressedDamsel: Mist and Co. spend their time seeking these out and rescuing them.
32	* DrowningMySorrows: Euphemia does this in the third volume.
33	* EthicalSlut: Euphema is extremely promiscuous, using her body as a weapon to take down enemies without fighting.
34	* EvilAllAlong: It is revealed that the true mastermind of the plot is someone Mist trusts. [[spoiler: The Crown Prince.]]
35	* EvilWeapon: The [[ShockAndAwe Item of Control]].
36	* FaceOfAThug: Poor Mist. Well, he's treated like that by [[AllOfTheOtherReindeer most people]] in-universe anyway; the readership may be forgiven for wanting to [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe take him home with them]], [[PerverseSexualLust take that as you will]].
37	* FirstGirlWins: Nina is the first accused witch we see.
38	* FlatEarthAtheist: Mist, with hints of NayTheist. He loudly and boldly declares that both God and Satan are myths crafted to inspire fear, and that the witch hunts are a sham... then heads off to chat with an ''actual witch''... who just uses old medical knowledge, not magic, to make aphrodisiacs. One can make a case based on the existence of Saint's relics, maybe.
39	* GratuitousGerman: Mist's attacks.
40	* HandsomeLech: Leonardo is a "Knight of the Carpet" and more accustomed to wooing beautiful ladies than being out on the battlefield.
41	* HarmfulToMinors: Poor, poor Mist had to watch his mother being immolated as a child.
42	* HeroWithBadPublicity: The village folk tend to fear/hate Mist because of his appearance, leading him to constantly wear a mask outside.
43	* HugeRiderTinyMount: Leonardo's horse is puny.
44	%%* HumanSacrifice
45	* HeelFaceTurn: Leonardo realizes the error of his ways and joins Mist to stop the witch-hunts.
46	* HugeGuyTinyGirl: [[spoiler:Mist's parents.]]
47	* IfICantHaveYou: Nina acts this way towards Mist after the misunderstanding with Euphemia, going so far as to give the Saint [[KnightTemplar Anise]] information on him so that they could be TogetherInDeath.
48	* {{Irony}}: The CorruptChurch hunts witches while literally and figuratively being more monstrous than anyone ''ELSE'' in the story.
49	* ItsPersonal: Mist's quest to stop the CorruptChurch began when [[spoiler:his mother]] was burned to death in front of his eyes.
50	%%* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy
51	* KnightInShiningArmor: Mist, though as of the beginning of the story he's just a squire.
52	%%* KnightTemplar: Anise.
53	* LoveMakesYouCrazy: Nina, after getting it into her head that Euphemia is sleeping with her beloved Mist while also having orgies with the enemy soldiers, decides to sell Mist out to the Saints so they can be TogetherInDeath. Euphemia isn't shown as being a whole lot better, at least in letting Nina believe that she and Mist are getting it on, but in her defense sheltered, lovelorn, and [[IdiotBall occasionally dumb]] Nina hit her BerserkButton pretty hard. Once the two of them actually ''avert'' PoorCommunicationKills, stuff gets a little better...for a while, anyway.
54	* LovePotion: Euphemia's weapon of choice.
55	%%* LukeIAmYourFather
56	* MaskPower: Mist, for [[AmbiguouslyBrown obvious]] [[FaceOfAThug reasons.]]
57	* MeaningfulName: 'Mistletein' is a reference to Mistletoe. The Norse God Baldur was slain with a weapon made of Mistletoe, and Mist's full name is subtitled 'God-Killer' in the manga. Mist's nickname, 'The Black Knight', also falls into this category, though for more obvious reasons.
58	* TheMedic: Euphemia is the one who patches up Mist's wounds.
59	* MindRape: At least half the work of the CorruptChurch seems to involve convincing the victims of their [[BurnTheWitch witch hunt]] that [[SorryIFellOnYourFist even being accused of witchcraft makes them evil and deserving of death]]. One girl who isn't shown buying this is instead fed the story that her mother willingly accused her as a witch, without torture. [[spoiler: Mist and Leonardo show her that [[KickTheDog the Church agents had to destroy every one of the girl's mother's fingers with thumbscrews before she would talk.]] Her snapping out of it leads to an epic CMOA.]]
60	* MsFanservice: Euphemia, who is naked except for her hat and bizarre cape.
61	* PoorCommunicationKills: Nina misunderstands Mist's relationship with [[MsFanservice Euphemia]] and after falling into despair tries to have him killed so they can be TogetherInDeath. It's not a conversation between the two of them that clears things up but Euphemia finally telling the truth to Nina and Nina realizing just how close she was treading to the {{Yandere}} line. Results in a CMOA for both of them when they [[BigDamnHeroes team up to save Mist's life]].]]
62	* PrehensileHair: Anise, and later [[spoiler:Wilhelm after being turned into a Saint with her Relic.]]
63	* PrisonRape: Euphemia suffered this as a child.
64	* RapeAsBackstory: Euphemia was locked in a prison and repeatedly raped by the guards until she was rescued by Mist. The experience led her to realize [[PromiscuityAfterRape she could use her body as a weapon]].
65	* ReallyGetsAround: Euphemia douses herself in aphrodisiacs in order to... distract enemy soldiers.
66	* RescueRomance: Mist and Nina several times.
67	* RoaringRampageofRescue: Mist doing this comprises pretty much the entirety of the last two chapters, [[spoiler:after Nina gets captured by the crown prince.]]
68	* SadisticChoice: Creepy priest Balthazar sets Mist up for one in the second chapter, leaving him struggling to save the only girl who's ever smiled at him on seeing his real face while [[DirtyCoward Balthazar]] has free rein to beat the shit out of him. Surprisingly, he doesn't TakeAThirdOption; see the entry under {{Determinator}}.
69	* ScaryBlackMan: Mist, though unless you're from the church, he's also a NiceGuy.
70	* ShownTheirWork: Many of Mist's Attacks are taken from an actual German fencing style, and the torture/interrogation techniques used on the 'witches' are based on actual historical techniques such as 'pricking'.
71	* [[PunchPunchPunchUhOh Slash Slash Slash Uh Oh]]: Wilhelm versus Odo in Chapter 4.
72	* {{Stripperiffic}}: Euphemia is naked except for her hat and bizarre cape.
73	* TokenMiniMoe: Nina is a young teenager.
74	* TragicKeepsake: Mist's father keeps [[spoiler:a vial of ashes on a ribbon around his neck, the remains of Mist's mother who was burned as a witch after he himself turned her in in exchange for political advancement.]]
75	* TheUndead: [[spoiler: It turns out the Saints are this, with a healthy dose of MonsterFromBeyondTheVeil thrown in.]]
76	* WitchHunt: The main conflict revolves around these.
77	* WorthyOpponent: Alise was impressed by Mist's chivalry to the point that she called off her attack and ''might'' have performed a HeelFaceTurn had she not abruptly been killed by the Hammer of Holy Men.
78	* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:The Crown Prince stabs the Elza in the back]] after she leads him to the final Relic.
79	* YouKilledMyFather: The reason Mist hates his father is because of what happened to his mother. Prepare to die.
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Context Manga / Knights