* {{Adorkable}}: Shion is unfailingly polite, naive, socially awkward, and sweet to a fault.
* AngelDevilShipping: [[HoYay Shion and Nezumi]], with no points guessing who's what.
* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: The ending song, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCKxJMkW00g Rokutousei no Yoru]] is really heartwarming. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_rX52bHsvA Meguriai]], the song used in the trailer is also very beautiful.
* ClicheStorm: Mostly to the {{Dystopia}} genre.
* DieForOurShip: Fangirls tend to despise Safu for this reason. However, there has been backlash against that recently. [[spoiler: Especially since the light novel explicitly states that even if Nezumi wasn't in the picture, Shion still wouldn't have romantic feelings for her.]]
* {{Fanon}}: Fanart of Shion's "snake" scar spreading onto his arms and both legs is common, but it in fact only goes from his cheek (or neck in the novels) to his left ankle in a spiral.
* LGBTFanbase: The series has a substantial queer fanbase for being a work featuring male romance outside of the YaoiGenre.
* MemeticMutation:
** [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday THIS ANIME IS VERY HETEROSEXUAL.]][[labelnote:Explanation]]Often a very sarcastic remark about the writing between Shion and Nezumi, considering how very unsubtle the dynamic is.[[/labelnote]]
** [[spoiler: Beejesus.]]
** [[SarcasmMode No homo.]]
* {{Moe}}: Shion, Shion, Shion. ''Especially'' after [[spoiler: his hair turns white]].
* MoralEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Episode 10, the guard Shion killed crossed it when he murdered one of his own men for failing to capture Nezumi and for getting taken as a hostage instead. He planned to kill Nezumi next.]]
* TheWoobie: Poor Shion was [[spoiler: stripped of his status as an elite when he was a kid, just for helping another kid.]] When it looked like he'd pulled his life back together and was living happily, he wound up simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time [[spoiler: and torn away from the people he loves.]]
** In the original novel, it was clearer that Yoming wanted revenge and was willing to screw over people to get it. In the anime, just what the hell did Yoming do to deserve [[spoiler: dying an embarrassing death in the finale]]? All he wanted was justice and start an insurrection on the city that took his family away.