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->''"Is it true the green tea they serve in Japan at the end of your meal comes free?"''
-->-- '''Rita "Valkyrie" Vrataski''', aka [[RedBaron "The Full Metal Bitch"]]

There's one thing worse than dying; it's coming back to do it again and again. When the alien Mimics invade, Keiji Kiriya is just one of many raw recruits shoved into a suit of battle armor and sent out to kill. Keiji dies on the battlefield, only to find himself reborn each morning to fight and die again and again. Just before his first death though, he gets to meet with a legendary soldier: Rita Vrataski, the "Full Metal Bitch", whom he will try to imitate and learn from in every iteration. Is the Bitch the key to Keiji's escape, or to his final death?

''All You Need Is Kill'' is a 2004 Japanese novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka that deals with Keiji's GroundhogDayLoop and his desperate efforts to break the cycle.

In 2014, it was loosely adapted into a film called ''Film/EdgeOfTomorrow'', directed by [[Film/TheBourneSeries Doug Liman]], produced by Creator/WarnerBros, and starring Creator/TomCruise as "[[RaceLift William Cage]]" and Creator/EmilyBlunt as Rita Vrataski.

There is also a two-volume manga adaptation illustrated by [[Manga/DeathNote Takeshi]] [[Manga/{{Bakuman}} Obata]], and an American graphic novel adaptation written by Nick Mamatas and illustrated by Lee Ferguson, both released in 2014. Both the manga and the novel are licensed for English release by Creator/VizMedia and the manga is available in a 2-in-1 omnibus under the Shonen Jump imprint (despite the manga adaptation being a seinen series).

In May 2014, Sakaurazaka revealed he was working on a sequel.

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!!Tropes in this work

* TheAce: Rita and Keiji.
* ActionGirl: Rita Vrataski is the only person to ever kill more than [[OneManArmy one]] [[TheJuggernaut hundred]] [[DemonicSpiders Mimics]] in a single battle, and has the highest total kill count in the ''entire'' [=UDF=].
* AdaptationalAttractiveness: In-universe, the Hollywood movie version of Rita is way curvier and sexier than the real [=McCoy=], and is way undressed, to boot.
* AdaptationalCurves: Rita is flat-chested but the actress who plays her in the Hollywood movie based on her life is far more glamorous and curvy. When Rita is presented with a Japanese figurine modeled after herself, she has to be told that it's supposed to be her because of the utter lack of resemblance.
* AdaptationDistillation: The manga by Takeshi Obata. [[spoiler:The manga still ends the same way except the story moves at a much faster pace, [[SparedByTheAdaptation Rachel the cook and most of Keiji's squad survives till the end]] and Keiji is a much more sane & balanced individual [[ThePowerOfLove thanks to his love for Rita]]...which makes the ending even more of a TearJerker & {{bittersweet|Ending}}.]]
* AlliterativeName: Jacket pilots are referred as "Jacket jockeys."
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Keiji has fallen in love with Rita over hundreds of loops, but Rita only ever knows him a single day at most before he loops again. It's implied Rita felt the same way for Lt. Hendricks.
* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:In-Universe. Some consider Keiji NewMeat that turned out to be humanity's greatest warrior. Others consider him an unstoppable monster who cares nothing for his allies and a KarmaHoudini who gets away with [[spoiler:''murdering'' humanity's greatest warrior]] because [[AndTheAdventureContinues the war goes on]] and he's too valuable to execute.
* AppropriatedAppellation: Someone graffitis KILLER on Keiji's Jacket, which he never bothers to remove.
* ArmorIsUseless: The Jacket suits are necessary for soldiers to be able to wield weapons that have a chance of damaging individual mimics. They're completely useless for taking a hit, though.
* AteHisGun: Immediately after waking in the past for the fourth time, Keiji asks for his friend's pistol, sticks it in his mouth and pulls the trigger, just to find out if he really is time-looping.
* AttackAttackAttack: Probably the only battle strategy the Mimics use. Despite this, they were still able to destroy much of Earth's defense force thanks to their [[spoiler:ability to send their memory to the past]].
* TheBerserker: [[spoiler:After killing Rita, Keiji apparently went ''berserk'' on the Mimics attacking the base, wiping them all out practically single-handed. This earns him the nickname "Killer Cage".]]
* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Keiji manages to break out of the loop, but Rita dies just as they were forming a relationship, and his exploits have resulted in him being ostracized by his comrades, as well as having to coldly "sacrifice" all of his squad members. Plus, the war and the fate of humanity is now on his shoulders.]]
* BlackComedy: Much like [[Film/EdgeOfTomorrow the later Hollywood adaptation]], a number of Keiji's loops are played for laughs. A notable early loop involves Keiji getting [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere fed up with the loops]], asking Yonabaru for his gun, and promptly [[AteHisGun shooting himself in the mouth]], only to be looped back to thirty seconds prior.
* BlessedWithSuck / CursedWithAwesome: Imagine being able to relive the day when you get painfully killed over and over until you figure out how to survive. Though it is not stated, Kiriya [[spoiler:and Rita]] knows it is both a blessing and a curse.
* BloodKnight: In their introductory meeting, Rita told Shasta that she was glad she lived in a world full of war. Rita herself admits she's skilled as a great warrior but does have some inner doubts about whether becoming a warrior would have been her own choice of destiny.
* BookEnds: The opening scene has Rita comforting a dying Keiji. [[spoiler:The denoument has Keiji returning the favor after their fight.]]
* BottomlessMagazines: Averted, which is why Rita and Keiji use a battle axe. The pile driver is the only effective anti-Mimic weapon for an individual soldier, and it only holds 20 rounds.
* BreakTheCutie: Rita's {{Backstory}}. [[spoiler:She was raised in [[DoomedHometown the Midwest]]. At age fifteen she watched both her parents get murdered horribly by [[AliensAreBastards Mimics]]. Shortly after she steals the identity of a refugee to enlist in the [=UDF=] for {{Revenge}}. During the Florida campaign she gets caught in the [[AndIMustScream loop]]. Eventually she escapes the loop and even discovers another [[ThereIsAnother Looper]] only to realize she has to kill them.]]
* BrokenAce: [[spoiler:Rita and Keiji, by the nature of the loop.]]
* ButNotTooForeign: Sergeant Ferrell, a Japanese-Brazilian, immigrated to Japan after his family farm was destroyed by the Mimics.
* CasualDangerDialogue: Various characters use this to calm down their panicking fellow soldiers.
* CensorSteam: Used to obscure Rita's nudity during the early moments of her time loop resetting, as it happens while she's in the shower.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Due to the constant combat experience, Keiji and Rita develop enhanced reflexes and agility.
* ChekhovsGun: There's a minor event that is described as happening in every loop that Keiji survives long enough to reach - him helping a drunk Yonabaru into his bunk. [[spoiler:When it doesn't happen (on account of Keiji spending the night with Rita), it's a sign that the upcoming loop is going to be very different.]]
* CripplingOverspecialization: Keiji feels that this is the Mimics' one weakness, as their [[spoiler:reliance on looking into the future, and acting solely on that foresight]] means that humanity can learn faster than they can, and that humans can specialize in other ways (as mechanics, or soldiers, or inventors, etc.) that Mimics can't with [[WhenAllYouHaveIsAHammer their shiny hammer]].
* DidTheyOrDidntThey: The novel is ambiguous about how close Keiji and Rita got during the night they spent together [[spoiler:before she died]], although the manga is quite clear that [[spoiler:[[AvertedTrope they just sat up talking all night]]]].
* TheDreaded: Rita "the Full Metal Bitch" Vrataski is respected and admired by her fellow soldiers. [[spoiler:Keiji [[TheBerserker "Killer Cage"]] Kiriya is ''feared.'']]
* DyingDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler:Keiji tells Rita he loves her as she's dying... from injuries he inflicted.]]
* FiveRoundsRapid: Instead of using an entire military arsenal, the UDF rely mostly on PoweredArmor with what are essentially small arms. They're even stated that the small arms were issued with the intent of having tank support but fail to receive it. Lack of air support is at least explained by the Mimic's ability to shoot them out of the sky very easily, and can avoid aerial bombardments due to knowing the future.
** The manga does include a few shot of some kickass {{Spider Tank}}s on the humans' side.
* FriendOrFoe: Result of heroes {{Roaring Rampage Of Revenge}}
* FromNobodyToNightmare: [[spoiler:Keiji enters the loop as a not particularly exceptional soldier. He exits it as "Killer Cage" Kiriya, second recipient of the Order of the Valkyrie, with the highest Mimic kill total ''period'' - he killed more Mimics in his first battle than Rita in her entire career. His fellow soldiers are shown to have a good amount of fear of him afterwards.]]
* FutureFoodIsArtificial / OnlyElectricSheepAreCheap: The HostileTerraforming of most of Earth's agricultural areas means that nonessential crops like coffee aren't grown much. Rita's hand-ground coffee made from natural beans is the only luxury she allows herself, not because she MustHaveCaffeine but because it's a reminder of her deceased father who passed on his love of natural coffee to her.
* GeniusBruiser: Rita, though not explicitly stated. [[spoiler:After getting stuck in the loop, she figured out how it works, which Mimics are responsible for it and the strategy to get out of it, all by herself.]]
* GroundhogDayLoop: Keiji [[spoiler:and Rita (but not in Keiji's loop) are stuck repeating the same 30 hours]].
* GuiltFreeExterminationWar: The Mimics are going to kill every last human being unless humans manage to destroy all the Mimics first.
* GunsAreWorthless: Played very straight. The Jacket's 20mm rounds does little damage to the Mimics' armor; Heavier mounted guns can hardly hit them due to their speed. The [[PileBunker pile-drivers]] are capable of killing the Mimics in one shot, but can only be used at near point-blank range.
* HighlyConspicuousUniform: Rita's crimson Jacket and Keiji's sky-blue one. It is explicitly stated that they want their Jackets to draw attention and let everyone know they are still alive and kicking.
* HostileTerraforming: [[spoiler:This is the true purpose of the Mimics.]]
* InMediasRes: The manga begins as Keiji is gasping out his last breaths from a loop.
* InnocentAliens: Ruthlessly subverted in the narration of "what probably happened". [[spoiler:The aliens decide to terraform the Earth without checking to see if it's inhabited by intelligent life, because sending a radio signal and waiting 80 years for a reply would take too long. Worse, even if the Earth ''is'' inhabited by intelligent life, the aliens decide that they should terraform the planet anyway, reasoning that civilization is always built on the sacrifice of the natural world, so xenocide is no big deal. Though there was a faction of the aliens that opposed the terraforming on ethical grounds, the ruling government ignored their protests and went ahead with the plan anyway.]]
* JavelinThrower: The Mimics' main weapon is a large spike called a Javelin round which they generate from inside their bodies and shoot out at bullet-like speeds.
* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Rita at the very end.]]
* KillTheCutie: [[spoiler:Rita and the cook, Rachel.]]
* LonelyAtTheTop: Rita Vrataski. At the end, [[spoiler:she escapes that fate, and Keiji takes her place]].
* MeaningfulEcho: [[spoiler: [[TearJerker "I'll stay with you until you die."]]]]
* MsFanservice: Rachel the cook is very endowed, and her default outfit is short shorts and a shirt tied under her bosom to expose her belly.
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: Minor example occurs after Keiji sees results of his rampage.
* MySkullRunnethOver: As a result of the time loops, Keiji begins suffering migraines. Later on, [[spoiler:Rita is revealed to also have them, and that they're a side effect of their brains being rewritten by the Mimics' tachyon transmissions that allow them to broadcast information through the loops]].
* NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast: Rita "Valkyrie" Vrataski, the Full Metal Bitch. [[spoiler:At the end, Keiji "Killer Cage" Kiriya.]]
* NecessaryDrawback: The battleaxes used by Rita and Keiji are the perfect tool for killing Mimics, but they weigh over 200kg each and the inertial stress of swinging them will tear both Jacket and pilot to pieces if done improperly.
* OneManArmy: Deconstructed, and discussed. Both Rita and Keiji are clearly {{One Man Arm|y}}ies, and it's stated that without Rita humanity would have lost the war years ago, but they're not so powerful as to be able to save ''all'' their teammates, a failing which rips them up inside. Many think that Rita is just used for propaganda purposes. After [[spoiler:Keiji breaks out of his loop]], his incredible battlefield prowess causes his old teammates to regard him warily.
* PassingTheTorch: [[spoiler:Rita to Keiji.]]
* PileBunker: The Jackets' secondary, close-range weapon. Rita and Keiji eschew them in favor of huge battleaxes due to their limited ammo capacity.
* PintsizedPowerhouse: Rita is rather petite; in the manga, she only comes up to Keiji's nose.
* PlanetLooters: [[spoiler:The aliens are actually machines sent by an alien civilization to turn Earth into a place they can populate.]] Although in the narration this is presented as a sort of theory of what "probably happened". We never actually see the aliens in question.
* PoweredArmor: Called "Jackets" herein.
* RecycledWithAGimmick: Is basically ''Film/GroundhogDay'' with PoweredArmor.
* RedBaron: Rita "Valkyrie" Vrataski aka "The Full Metal Bitch" and [[spoiler:Keiji [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "Killer Cage"]] Kiriya.]]
* RedOniBlueOni: Played with between Rita and Keiji. [[spoiler:Ultimately lampshaded with their Jackets -- Rita's is painted crimson, while Keiji has his painted sky blue after his induction into the Special Forces.]]
* RiddleForTheAges: What is [[spoiler:Rita Vrataski's]] real name?
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: After [[spoiler:he's forced to kill Rita to break the loop]], Keiji goes into such a rampage that he barely remembers the resulting fight, in which he kills more Mimics than all of Rita's kills combined.
* SaveScumming: The author's inspiration for the novel. It's the source of Keiji's [[spoiler:and Rita's]] advanced combat skill, and [[spoiler: the Mimics' important advantage. Rita was actually skilled before her looping began, but it was the looping that enabled her to figure out how to finish off a Mimic troop.]]
* SergeantRock: Sergeant Ferrel fulfills this role giving support and [[TheMenFirst taking care of his men]].
* ShakingHerHairLoose: Rachel normally keeps her hair up in a bandanna, but lets it down as she's offering to spend the night with Keiji.
* ShowerScene: Rita's time loop resets to her in the shower.
* ShownTheirWork: A nice thing about the Manga is that there is accurate portrayals of military life. PT that seems like an excessive punishment, very fussy commanders when it comes to gear maintainence, and one very nice touch is when Keiji is confronted in the cafeteria. The guy who assaults him is wearing dogtags with rubber silencers wrapped around the tags. Those are real things that started being made after Vietnam because the sound of jingling dogtags gave away American soldiers' positions.
* SlasherSmile: [[spoiler:Keiji starts sporting these as soon as he realizes that he has the best way to train.]]
* TheSquadette: Downplayed, Rita is by far the greatest fighter the Earth has at its disposal, but among Keiji's Japanese squad there are no women. Men are also referenced as making up the majority of Jacket users worldwide.
* StarfishAliens: The Mimics landed in the ocean, and copied what they found there (Starfish), which they now have much more in common with them than humans. There is little mention of the real aliens though, other than that they require a much different biosphere than us.
* SwitchingPOV: The third chapter focuses on Rita's past and the Mimics' origin. The 8th chapter of the manga adaptation switches to Rita's backstory.
* TakeUpMySword: [[spoiler:Rita to Keiji.]]
* ThereCanOnlyBeOne: [[spoiler: Only one Looper can exist at any time.]]
* TrustPassword: [[WhamLine Green tea after a meal is complimentary in Japan.]] After so many times of asking a variant on this question to people, to finally hear an answer [[spoiler:which means that person is now the looper instead of her]] brings her to tears.
* WhamLine:
---> [[spoiler:'''Rita''': How many loops is this for you?]]

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