Line #20 YMMV/Baccano


1	* AdaptationDisplacement: The series is better known by its anime adaptation in the United States, due to [[GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff the anime being much more popular there]] and [[LateExportForYou the original novels being unavailable outside of Japan until 2015]], years after the anime first aired.
2	* {{Adorkable}}: Jacuzzi. He's cute, awkward and cries a lot.
3	* AngstWhatAngst: Several characters have good reason to angst about their lives but don't. Doesn't mean they're necessarily all there mentally.
4	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The anime's InstrumentalThemeTune, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wInHktd7hU "Guns & Roses"]], is a catchy jazz number that's generally considered to be on the same level as "Tank!" from ''Anime/CowboyBebop'' in terms of AwesomeMusic/{{a\|nime}}wesome. Also the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI76wS6tlKs "Baccano! Theme"]].
5	* BaseBreakingCharacter:
6	** Isaac and Miria. Hilarious PluckyComicRelief duo? Or annoying scrappies who get too much screentime?
7	** Jacuzzi Splot. A shy teenager who's kinda cute and may be a bit badass at times? Or a coward who's as annoyingly whiny as much as [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]]?
8	** Graham Spector; just as crazy as Ladd and Claire, or a lame attempt to copy them who makes the [=OVAs=] [[SpotlightStealingSquad more about him than any of the people we care about?]]
9	* BetterOnDVD: As a series that relies heavily on AnachronicOrder, it should come as no surprise that the anime is better enjoyed in one sitting as opposed to only watching one episode per week.
10	* CompleteMonster:
11	** [[spoiler:Lebreau [[BigBad Fermet]] Viralesque, one of the original immortals, was the caretaker of the child Czeslaw Meyer, with a public reputation as an affable and trustworthy man. However, once they were immortal, Fermet revealed his true colors as a vicious sadist who [[WouldHurtAChild tortured Czeslaw]] for years and years, with [[TortureTechnician new, inventive ways]], ranging from throwing him into a roaring fireplace, to making him bathe in acid, claiming to be testing the limits of immortality, but really doing so out of sadism. It's then revealed that Fermet's the reason why the child torturing cult SAMPLE spread across the world. Fermet also killed Huey's wife Monica, resulting in Huey becoming [[MadScientist who he is]]. Fermet also nearly killed Niki, who loved him and was close with Huey and Elmer, and then tells Elmer and Huey that their bomb did it just to see the pain on their faces. Fermet will murder, torment, hurt and betray practically everyone who crosses his path [[ForTheEvulz just for fun]], even the people who love him. Especially the people who love him]].
12	** [[MadScientist Szilard Quates]] is an alchemist who believes in [[ForScience knowledge being the most important commodity in the world]], and to that end [[TheAssimilator devours immortals for their knowledge]]. After becoming immortal, Szilard devoured the brother of the immortals' leader before being driven away. Szilard creates [[ArtificialHuman homunculi]] to serve him, abusing them mentally and physically. He also developed his own immortal potion that he feeds to intelligent people before devouring them to amass their knowledge without working for it. He isn't above straight up murder for his purposes either. It's mentioned at one point he finds no greater joy than in [[ImAHumanitarian devouring others]].
13	* CrackPairing: The [[https://jgamers.com/store/product.php?productid=31634&cat=137 DS game]] sparked one thanks to a particularly cracky [[MultipleEndings alternate ending]]: [[spoiler:Ladd takes InterplayOfSexAndViolence a little too far and ''proposes'' to Claire. Claire, after the initial WTF, figures "Sure, why not?" Claire and Ladd. ''Married''.]] [[http://community.livejournal.com/baccano/91407.html#cutid1 Yes, really]].
14	* CrazyIsCool: Damn well half the cast, really. That being said...
15	** [[spoiler:Claire Stanfield]] is an unhinged lunatic who's convinced that he's the only real person on Earth and everyone else are just figments of his imagination, therefore, none of them can hurt him. He backs this up by being quite possibly ''the'' deadliest fighter of the entire cast, to the extent that he's [[spoiler:the subject of a legend about a train-stalking mythical demon. [[BadassNormal Not quite.]]]]
16	** Isaac and Miria, the unofficial mascots of the series, a [[OutlawCouple pair of thieves]] whose [[ThePollyanna sheer enthusiasm]] for committing various crimes is matched only by the [[TheDitz staggering black hole where their common sense should be]] in doing so, but they manage to escape from the cops, the Mafia, a literal demon, serial killers, and power-hungry immortals, completely unscathed every time, just because they're so utterly nuts that [[RefugeInAudacity no one has a rational answer to them]]. Want to rob a museum, but realize you can't possibly carry off everything inside? Steal the ''door'' - that way, [[InsaneTrollLogic nobody can get in!]] Rich family being torn apart by infighting over its inheritance? Steal the inheritance, that way, they'll love each other again because they don't have anything to fight over. They manage to [[spoiler:become immortal]] by ''[[AchievementsInIgnorance accident]]''... and [[FailedASpotCheck don't realize it until 70 years later.]]
17	** Ladd Russo, a [[LargeHam flamboyant]] psychopath who [[CardCarryingVillain takes great pride]] in being his family's deadliest - and most unhinged - assassin, and specifically wears [[VillainInAWhiteSuit all white]] because it [[AxCrazy makes the bloodstains look prettier.]] Taking out a guy threatening him with a Tommy gun by punching him in the face pro boxing-style until he dies is one of the more ''restrained'' things he does.
18	** Jacuzzi Splot, a weepy, sniveling teenager who's such a wuss that he cries when ''introducing himself''. Also the same weepy, sniveling teenager who knocked over 18 Mafia speakeasies in one night with a Tommy gun ([[BunnyEarsLawyer while crying the entire time]]) and [[SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome takes out a guy with a flamethrower by kicking him off the back of a speeding train. While unarmed.]]
19	** Graham Specter, a ranting, hyperactive maniac who likes ''disassembling'' things with a ginormous monkey wrench. Including a massive car engine, ''in midair''. Even ''[[TooSpicyForYogSothoth Ladd Russo]]'' thinks he's nuts, and he's just as entertaining to watch.
20	* CreepyAwesome: Claire "[[spoiler:Rail Tracer]]" Stanfield is a standout here. He's probably the best fighter ''and'' the most batshit out-of-his gourd character in the series. Now go look through the character page and consider the full implications of that statement.
21	* CrossesTheLineTwice:
22	** [[spoiler:Claire]] enjoys playing jump rope with the MoralEventHorizon. Fans seem to have settled on him being AxCrazy [[CrazyIsCool Awesome]] for the time being.
23	** If you're watching the anime, it's safe to say that anything Ladd does ([[spoiler: except killing Czeslaw, but he got better]]) is this.
24	* DracoInLeatherPants: [[BigBad Fermet]] and [[MadScientist Huey]] are baffling examples; there exist a small but loud fraction of the fanbase who perceive Fermet's [[TortureTechnician abuse]] as his [[{{Yandere}} twisted]] way of showing "love" to Czeslaw (ignoring the fact that Czes learned a long time ago that Fermet never truly cared about him and [[ForTheEvulz only took enjoyment in seeing him in pain]]), and who insist that Huey is at least a tiny bit regretful about his treatment of his daughters, even though it's made abundantly clear that he doesn't care about either of them, would off them both in a second, and views them as nothing but experiments - ''that failed''.
25	* EnsembleDarkhorse:
26	** Granted, there are a lot of [[SugarWiki/GushingAboutCharactersYouLike likeable characters]] in this series, but Ladd, Claire, and Tick in particular are extremely popular.
27	** Chane is one for Narita himself. Purportedly, [[spoiler:she was originally slated to die during the events of the Grand Punk Railroad novels. However, he became fond of her, and subsequently spared her.]]
28	* FanNickname: Czeslaw has "Czeswaffles", as both a joke on the way his name is ''actually'' pronounced (Czes-WAUFF) and a term of affection due to his [[TheWoobie woobiness]].
29	* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: The anime is very popular with American anime fans, especially since much of the story takes place in America during the Prohibition era, and its English dub is well-regarded for its use of different regional American accents and period-accurate slang. Domestically, however, it suffered from low ratings and abysmal DVD sales and thus never received a second season.
30	* HarsherInHindsight: You know how members of [[TheMafia the Martillo family]] find much amusement in the fact that Firo manages to remain a virgin into his ''nineties'' ([[spoiler:especially since he's been ''married'' for over twenty years]])? ''Another Junk Railroad'' features a conversation between Firo and a concerned Berga that heavily implies that Firo has a ParalyzingFearOfSexuality... because [[spoiler: he was ''[[AttemptedRape almost raped]]'' when he was younger.]]
31	* HilariousInHindsight: After the release of ''[[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood]]'', the English dub gives us Winry and Scar as a couple!
32	* HollywoodHomely: Nice Holystone. You know those [[GoodScarsEvilScars scars]] and [[EyeScream missing eye]] that are ''[[InformedDeformity supposed]]'' [[InformedDeformity to detract from her appearance? They don't. Not one bit]]. If anything, ''they make her hotter''.
33	* ItWasHisSled:
34	** [[spoiler:Claire Stanfield]] is supposed to be a ''secret'' character. The fact that he exists is only the beginning. If you've been reading this page, it's likely you know everything about him at this point.
35	** [[spoiler: It's also rather telling that in the opening, while every other pivotal character is given a proper introduction, he only gets a "blink and you'll miss it" appearance.]]
36	* JerkassWoobie: Huey Laforet. While in the present, he's a complete and utter [[TheSociopath sociopath]], [[spoiler:it's revealed that he became this way after he lost everything he cared about, one by one. [[UsedToBeASweetKid He even was a normal kid]] until his entire village was wiped out by fake inquisitors[[note]]actually members of [[ReligionOfEvil SAMPLE]][[/note]] when they all sold each other out, accusing each other of false crime so that the torture they were being subjected to would finally stop. The first one to die being his mother didn't help. Then he finally found someone he could love: his wife Monica. It was only after she was killed by Fermet that he became so cold and uncaring.]] He's not a good person, not by a long shot, but there is a very [[{{Tearjerker}} heartbreaking]] reason for all this.
37	* LoveToHate: [[AxCrazy Claire Stanfield and Ladd Russo]] are widely loved ''because'' they're crazy psychopaths, not despite it.
38	* MagnificentBastard:
39	** [[NobleDemon Luck Gandor]] is an unfailingly polite mob boss who runs the Gandor crime family alongside his brothers, Berga and Keith, using his affinity for charisma and manipulations to function as the practical brains and face of the organization. Having slowly brought the Gandor family into more power than it's ever held with his strategies and people skills, Luck instills total respect from those under his control with his cool head and refusal to bring the chaotic force of drugs into his corner of Manhattan. Giving even those who betray his trust the opportunity to redeem themselves yet never hesitating to coldly execute them if they prove undeserving of his friendship, Luck keeps even the likes of [[CloudCuckooLander Claire Stanfield]] and Maria Barcelito under control and uses them to further the Gandor's control over Manhattan, taking out rival crime families and turning enemies into allies every step of the way. Upon becoming immortal, Luck pays back fellow immortal scumbag Dallas Genoard for murdering Luck's friends by sinking him in a river to drown unendingly, however later shows mercy to Dallas' younger sister Eve and allows her to save Dallas from his horrible fate, showcasing that Luck's morals and standards are just as notable as his ruthlessness.
40	** [[BunnyEarsLawyer Claire Stanfield]] is the [[ProfessionalKiller feared hitman]] known as "Vino," functioning as the single most dangerous character in the story while simultaneously being one of the most entertaining. A brutal badass who has pulled off impossible feats for years, Claire's introductory story sees him slaughtering his way through dozens of murderous criminals to protect the passengers aboard the Flying Pussyfoot train, Claire having used the railroads as means of travel by disguising himself as a conductor. Upon setting up in Manhattan under his close friends, the Gandors, Claire immediately brings respect and fear to the small crime family with [[TheDreaded his mere presence]], and goes about utterly decimating rival gangs to secure power for the Gandors, using his affinity for disguises to play the arrogant Gustavo Bagetta right into a trap. As fun as he is deadly, Claire always has a snappy one-liner and a healthy dose of his zany egotistical outlook on the world to make even the most psychotic enemies blanch at his sheer audacity, befriends many characters from all walks of life with his affable personality, and has a genuine love for the silent Chane Laforet, eager to do whatever it takes earn her affection and respect.
41	* MemeticMolester: Fermet, due to how creepily intimate he liked to get towards eternally ten-years-old [[spoiler:Czeslaw]]--while ''torturing him'' no less. Notably, Fermet is a rare case of this trope NOT being played for BlackComedy, as a good number of fans are legitimately concerned that part of the reason [[spoiler:Czeslaw]] is so messed up is because Fermet [[RapeAsBackstory stole his virginity]].
42	* {{Moe}}: Jacuzzi, a cute young man who cries and apologizes a lot, is a total softy, and is very nice to everyone.
43	* MoralEventHorizon:
44	** Fermet has committed so many atrocities that it's difficult to peg just which one qualifies--though [[spoiler:killing Monica]] is a good start.
45	** Szilard crossed it when he [[spoiler:murdered Maiza's brother]].
46	* NarmCharm: General consensus is that "Jacuzzi Splot" is simultaneously the stupidest and most awesome name ever.
47	* NoYay: [[TheWoobie Czeslaw]][=/=][[TortureTechnician Fermet]]. And [[PsychoForHire Ladd]][=/=][[AGodAmI Claire]] depending on how you look at it.
48	* OneSceneWonder: Tick, in the anime, only has one scene where he's in the spotlight. and it '''really''' [[ColdBloodedTorture leaves an impression.]]
49	* SignatureScene: The scene where Firo regenerates his fingers and the scene where Ladd brutally murders a Lemure randie are easily the most well-known and remembered scenes in the show.
50	* SpiritualAdaptation: A variant; the anime is essentially what would happen if Quentin Tarantino made a Japanese cartoon.
51	* SugarWiki/SuperlativeDubbing: The English dub's Noo Yawk accents and '30s slang make it a rather more immersive experience.
52	* UnpopularPopularCharacter: Ladd is not very well liked by most of the cast in Baccano [[AxCrazy for good]] [[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill reason]]. Even his own family thinks he's out of his gourd, and they're TheMafia. Most viewers of Baccano though categorize him as CrazyIsCool and [[WordOfGod Narita]] admits that Ladd is his favorite character.
53	* ViewerGenderConfusion: Resident [[{{Bifauxnen}} Fauxta]], [[spoiler:Ricardo Russo.]] It doesn't help that she's also an [[{{Bokukko}} ore-onna]].
54	* TheWoobie:
55	** Czeslaw, when not being a trauma-induced CreepyChild. His horrible past aside, his occasional homicidal tendencies in the name of [[CrazySurvivalist self preservation]] as well as his less than kind disposition at times could make the argument for him being closer to the JerkassWoobie.
56	** Also, Niki from the light novels.
57	** Jacuzzi, with his crippling shyness and constant tendency to burst into tears makes him one of the characters that you just want to hug tightly.
58	** Illness goes through much suffering throughout her life, with hardly any bright spots. She has an extremely [[ColdBloodedTorture harsh]] [[ChildrenForcedToKill past]] that causes her to feel alienated from others to the point where she doesn't even consider herself human. [[spoiler: The conclusion to her part of 2002 (having her be forced to be the leader of SAMPLE, the cult that tortured her during her childhood) only makes matters worse.]]
59	** IronWoobie: [[spoiler: Nice after her accident]].
60	*** And [[spoiler: Firo]] because of the [[spoiler: [[AttemptedRape incident]]]] above.

Context YMMV / Baccano