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3%% Administrivia/ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
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7[[quoteright:347:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/wwsd-narutaki_ling.jpg]]
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9''Steam Detectives'' is a manga by Creator/KiaAsamiya, who [[WrittenForMyKids created it for his son]]. It was serialized from 1994 to 2000, starting out in ''[[Magazine/ShonenJump Monthly Shonen Jump]]'' before moving to ''Ultra Jump'' in 1996.
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11The scene is Steam City, a London-ish city which represents an entire civilization run by coal and steam power. Because of the steam, the city is sometimes covered in a mist. Villains take advantage of the steamy mist to hide and execute their evil plans.
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13Only a few dare venture into what's beyond the steamy mist. They are known as the Steam Detectives: Narutaki, his nurse-assistant Ling Ling, and his Megamaton robot Goriki.
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15It was later adapted into a 26-episode TV anime series produced by {{Creator/Xebec}}, which aired from 1998 to 1999.
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17----
18!!This work provides examples of:
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20* AbnormalAmmo: Often used by Narutaki with his equally-abnormal gun.
21* AccidentalHero: Narutaki foils a bank heist (unintentionally) while chasing a lost cat across town. [[LampshadeHanging Even the criminals remark on how pathetic they are.]]
22%%* AccidentalPervert: Narutaki and Machine Baron.
23* AmazingFreakingGrace: Kia Asamiya uses [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_5MUpFQZQ4 this]] in some intervals during the story, usually to great dramatic effects.
24* AndroidsAndDetectives: The series pairs young detective Narutaki with a RobotBuddy named Goriki. Together, they fight crime.
25* [[AscendedFanboy Ascended Fangirl]]: Ling Ling appears in Steam King's third novel, much to her surprise.
26* ATwinkleInTheSky: Machine Baron and Crimson Scorpion are common victims.
27* BreakingTheFourthWall: Said word for word by Ling Ling in episode 19.
28* BreatherEpisode: Episode 13, wherein there's no criminal activity whatsoever and the best job Narutaki could get was [[spoiler: tracking down a stray cat.]]
29* CityNoir: The setting. It has a lot of crime.
30* ClassyCatBurglar: Crimson Scorpion, a female thief who loves precious gems and jewellery.
31* ColorAnimalCodename: Crimson Scorpion.
32* CombatMedic: Ling Ling is a nurse, and she has been known to get involved in the action.
33* DagwoodSandwich: Episode 13. Narutaki orders one at a street-side stand because he is [[BreatherEpisode very, very bored.]] He has to squish it down to the size of a normal sandwich and eat it all in one go when the [[spoiler: stray cat]] he's been after all episode wanders by.
34* DeadlyDoctor: Ling Ling's sister, Lang Lang.
35* {{Determinator}}: In one scene, Narutaki is barely hanging onto the side of a bridge that was just blown up by Le Bled, who has him at cane-gunpoint. A bomb is set to explode at a nearby hospital in a matter of minutes. When taunted about how he planned to get out of his perilous situation, Narutaki simply says, "[[{{Determinator}} Not Give Up.]]"
36* DistressedDamsel: Ling Ling, sometimes.
37* ExplodingCalendar: An early episode uses the X'ed days variation as the Machine Baron counts down to a significant date, and plays it pretty much straight.
38* {{Expy}}: Le Bled is very reminiscent of [[Anime/MobileSuitGundam Char Aznable]], and Night Phantom looks like a villainous Franchise/{{Batman}}.
39* EvilCounterpart: Le Bled and Lang Lang to Narutaki and Ling Ling. Their Megamatons too, except Le Bled's can fly.
40* FightingFromTheInside: [[spoiler:Steam King]]
41* ForScience: What Dr. Hsu and Dr. Guilty disagreed on about using Megamaton technology.
42%%* GrapplingHookPistol
43* GreatDetective: Narutaki. He's the son of a great detective, and he's a very skilled KidDetective himself.
44* HeroicBSOD: After failing to deliver a vaccine in time to save a sickly girl, Narutaki falls into despair.
45* HospitalHottie: Ling Ling and Lang Lang. Both are hospital workers who are quite attractive.
46%%* HostageForMacGuffin: Of course.
47* HumongousMecha: The Megamatons are minor examples, quite often used as {{Robot Buddy}}s.
48* IKnowYouAreInThereSomewhereFight: Ling Ling to [[spoiler:Steam King]].
49* IncurableCoughOfDeath: Le Bled's reason for doing what he does; he wants to live his life to the fullest before he dies.
50* InspectorJavert: Onigawara displays this trait in an episode where Goriki (and Narutaki, by extension) are framed.
51%%* TheJeeves: Kawakubo
52* JekyllAndHyde: [[spoiler:Steam King and King Steam/Emperor of Steam.]]
53%%* KidAnova
54* KidDetective: Narutaki, son of Steam City's greatest detective and a child genius.
55* LaughablyEvil: Machine Baron.
56* LimitedWardrobe: Ling Ling, who wears her nurse outfit almost nonstop. [[{{Fanservice}} Except when going swimming, to the gym, or in the bathtub, of course.]]
57%%* MacGuffin: Several times.
58* ManChild: A dangerous one with [[spoiler: Steam King]].
59* MarilynManeuver: Leads to an EurekaMoment, followed by AccidentalInnuendo.
60* MineralMacGuffin: A rare meteornite (from a meteorite; NOT a misspelling) which would be cleaner than coal and power Steam City for 200,000 years.
61* MundaneUtility: Goriki possesses a tong attachment, used for delicately picking up pastries. When he accidentally crushes it, causing the cream to spill out, he then adopts a PoseOfSupplication.
62* NiceGirl: Ling Ling is very sensitive and very caring to others.
63* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: [[Creator/StephenKing Steam King]].
64* OlderSidekick: Ling Ling to Narutaki. She's an adult while he's still a kid.
65* OutOfGenreExperience: After getting slapped by Ling Ling for seemingly inexplicable reasons (at least to Narutaki), Narutaki angrily hurls his cup of coffee against the wall, only for it to bounce around like a superball instead of shattering on impact. He then opens a window to let it out, only to have it [[spoiler: circle the ''ENTIRE EARTH'', come back, ''RING THE DOORBELL'', and force itself down his throat,]] which he then coughs up. Even for a slapstick moment, this is way out of left field. Ling Ling has a similar moment with a hairbrush, [[GenreSavvy which ceases its rebounding upon coming bristle-to-face with an angry Ling Ling,]] [[EverythingTalks even APOLOGIZING VOCALLY for "causing trouble".]]
66** Actually, scratch that. The entirety of episode 13 qualifies.
67** In the manga, Narutaki comes face to face with an actual ''dragon", wings, breath attacks and all. This is the only time a purely fantastic moment happens in the entirety of the manga's run.
68%%* PhantomThief: Le Bled, anyone?
69* PinkMeansFeminine: Ling Ling wears a pink and white nurse outfit, and is very sweet and ladylike.
70%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Chief Inspector Yagami.
71* RecapEpisode: Episode 18.
72%%* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Steam King]].
73* RocketPunch: Several Megamatons, including Goriki and Shadowbolt.
74* RodentsOfUnusualSize: Teng Shing, a gigantic hamster.
75* SamusIsAGirl: [[spoiler:"Justice" is actually Anna.]] Absolutely not related to that [[spoiler:[[VideoGame/GuiltyGear other Justice]]]], although the trope still applies.
76* ShoutOut:
77** One of Crimson Scorpion's targets is the ''Manga/SilentMobius'', said to be one of the world's greatest jewels.
78** In episode 11, Ling-Ling re-creates the iconic flying skirt scene from ''Film/TheSevenYearItch''.
79** In episode 19, Le Bled quotes a line from Vera Lynn's "We'll Meet Again" as he flees the scene.
80** [[Manga/{{Trigun}} Kuroneko-sama]] appears on a can of cat food.
81* ScoobyDooHoax: Crimson Scorpion is fond of them. Narutaki ain't fooled.
82* SiblingYinYang: Ling Ling and Lang Lang, complete with contrasting colors.
83* SplitPersonality: [[spoiler:Steam King.]]
84* SteamPunk: It ain't called Steam City for no reason.
85* TheStinger: After every preview for the next episode, a still frame of a completely random scene from the episode (totally regardless of its importance in the plot) appears for a few seconds, with some cheesy music accompanying it.
86* StockFootage: Whenever Goriki is called upon and sent through the underground pass.
87* TeamPet: Teng Shing for the main cast.
88* ThisIsADrill: Goriki's standard FinishingMove. Also used by Narutaki as one of his gun's special attachments.
89* VictoryPose: All the time. In particular is when Goriki (finally) places a pastry on his tray without it getting squashed. He is then summarily charged hundreds of times for the one pastry he succeeded in getting, as well as all the failures. Cue HeroicBSOD.

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