History Anime / KaraNoKyoukai

[[redirect:LightNovel/TheGardenOfSinners]]

[[redirect:LightNovel/KaraNoKyoukai]]

[[redirect:Literature/KaraNoKyoukai]]

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kara-no-kyoukai_350_8971.jpg]]

->''April 1995. I met her.''

''Kara no Kyoukai: The Garden of Sinners'' ("The Edge of Emptiness"/"Empty Boundaries") is a novel by [[{{Nasuverse}} Kinoko Nasu]] of TYPE-MOON/Notes fame; however, it was written before he became involved in the VisualNovel business. While considered by many to be the prototype of ''{{Tsukihime}}'', it is much, MUCH more complex, sometimes to the point of being MindScrew.

Shiki Ryougi is a girl who grew up in a family imbued with supernatural powers. In particular, certain members possess something close to dual personalities; the "male" and "female" sides, who are aware of each other, are both conscious, and essentially the same person with different qualities. This dual consciousness combined with her upbringing has led her to reject other human beings.

When she was in high school, she met a caring classmate, Mikiya Kokutou. During this time, murders are occurring throughout the city, and one night, Mikiya happens upon Shiki standing over a corpse, knife in hand. Despite this scene, Mikiya believes that Shiki couldn't have killed that person. Slowly, Mikiya creeps into Shiki's life, until [[LoveMakesYouCrazy Mikiya grows too close to her]].

''I don't... want to die...''

[[DissonantSerenity A warm smile.]]

''I want to kill you.''

June 1998. Shiki Ryougi wakes up from a coma; her eyes are bandaged. In her mind, she feels only " "--utter void. Her memories are a blur, and she feels disconnected from them, as though they are not her own. Her doctor tells her that it was a car accident. She wants to be rid of those eyes; eyes that stare into the void. A woman stops her, saying that they are "too wasteful to destroy"; after all, they are the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.

''Kara no Kyoukai'' follows Shiki and the ''Garan-no-dou'' detective agency as they meet various, seemingly unconnected aberrations occurring within the city which seem to have something bigger behind them than it first appears. It is one of the earliest works within the {{Nasuverse}}, and as such also introduces most of TheVerse's fundamental concepts, including [[OurSoulsAreDifferent souls]], [[TheLifeStream Akasha]], [[GaiasVengeance Counter Force]], [[FunctionalMagic Magic and Magecraft]], and Origin.

[[AC:Consists of the following novels and stories:]]
* Volume 1:
** ''Panorama: Thanatos''
** ''The First Homicide Inquiry: ...and nothing heart''
** ''Lingering Pain: ever cry, never life''
* Volume 2:
** ''The Hollow: garan-no-dou''
*** "Boundary Goetia": An intermission focusing on Kirie Fujou and Fujino Asagami.
** ''Spiral Paradox: Paradox Paradigm''
* Volume 3:
** ''Records of Oblivion: Fairy Tale''
*** "Boundary Goetia": An intermission focusing on Lio Shirazumi.
** ''The Second Homicide Inquiry: ...not nothing heart''
** ''[[TitleDrop Empty Boundaries]]: ...is nothing id, nothing cosmos'' (the original epilogue)
* ''Future Gospel: recalled out summer'' (an additional chapter and DistantFinale)

Each of the first seven chapters was adapted into a movie by {{ufotable}} from 2007 to 2009, while the epilogue was released as a 30-minute OVA in February 2011.

Now with its very own [[Characters/KaraNoKyoukai Character Page]]. You can read the novels' translation [[http://emptyboundaries.wordpress.com/2011/07/25/kara-no-kyokai-translations-2/ here]], translated as "Empty Boundaries".
%%Put both the novel translation and the common translation for future reference.
----
!!The series as a whole provides examples of:
* ActionMom - [[spoiler: Ryougi Shiki in "Mirai Fukuin"]]
* AdaptationDistillation - The author of the original novels had hoped to rewrite several of the stories to be less "clumsy". Then he read the script for the first movie, and concluded that there was no need- they'd already addressed his concerns by cutting out most of the excesses.
* AdaptationDyeJob - Touko, who has blue short hair in the original novels and long red hair in the movies and more recent artwork, to make her look more like her [[{{Characters/Tsukihime}} sister]].
* AllThereInTheManual
* AlternateContinuity - WordOfGod states that there can only be one user of the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception, which means either [[{{Tsukihime}} Tohno Shiki]] has them, or this Ryougi Shiki. In addition, Aozaki Touko's goal contradicts with the existence of the True Ancestor Arcueid, also from {{Tsukihime}}.
** Should be noted that there can only be one user not because it's physically impossible to have two users of the [[GlowingEyesOfDoom Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]], but because it's so highly improbable for two to exist at the same time.
** It should be noted though that though these interferences omit True Ancestors from the Kara no Kyoukai universe. Tohno/Nanaya Shiki should still exist because the Demon Hunters still exist in Kara no Kyoukai (though he would be much younger than Mikiya or Ryougi as he was born in either 1983 or 1982).
*** However, [[FridgeBrilliance with no True Ancestors, there would be no Michael Roa Valdamjong]], meaning [[spoiler:SHIKI would not invert and Nanaya Shiki would never get his eyes.]]
** It should also be noted that these divergences can be explained somewhat with the existence of yet another one of the Sorcerers, namely [[CoolOldGuy Zelretch]]. He rules over "alternate possibilities" and travels between realities, so it is possible that [[{{WMG}} he actually helps Aoko move between the Tsukihime and Kara No Kyoukai dimensions]].
*** Aoko even has a motivation for wanting to get the hell out of the [=KnK=] dimension, seeing as how, you know, her sister utterly hates her.
*** There are implications that both universes have a pair of Aozaki siblings each, so the Touko in Rakkyo may simply be an alternate universe version of a Touko in Tsukihime's universe.
** It should also be mentioned that Nasu is known for FlipFlopOfGod, seeing as he does make stuff up on the spot.
* AmbiguouslyGay - Touko, who blatantly flirts with Shiki the first time they meet.
** Though she might have just been teasing or joking around, considering she decides to go on a date with Kokutou's friend Daisuke later on.
* AnachronicOrder - Chronologically, the story begins in 1995, but the first chapter is set in June 1998. The viewer is thrown abruptly into the story from the middle, without explanation of the powers, relationships, and backstory of the cast, which is elaborated upon later. Familiarity with the {{Nasuverse}} helps.
* AncientTradition - The Ryougi Family, as well as other members of the Demon Hunter's Association.
* AnthropomorphicPersonification - [[spoiler:Shiki is the void/origin itself.]]
* AgentMulder - Akimi Daisuke, but he never actually finds anything.
* ArtificialLimbs - [[spoiler:Ryougi Shiki]]'s left arm, which allows her to touch spirits. [[spoiler:Her original was torn apart by Asagami Fujino.]]
* AnAstralProjectionNotAGhost: [[spoiler: The ghostly antagonist of the first chapter/movie turns out to be an out-of-body experience of a bedridden, blind girl named Fujou Kirie.]]
* AudibleSharpness - Done to excess in the film adaptation.
* AxCrazy - To an extent, Ryougi Shiki, although she's more knife crazy. Cornelius Alba is a whole lot of crazy, but with sorcery instead of an axe. [[spoiler:Lio Shirazumi]] is around five thousand different kinds of crazy, Ax Crazy being one of them.
* BadassAbnormal - [[spoiler:Lio Shirazumi]] in the seventh movie, after his origin had been awakened.
* BadassNormal - Ryougi Shiki, who is still technically human; this doesn't stop her from leaping off tall buildings.
** Don't forget Mikiya;[[spoiler: Lio crushes his leg and then, just to be a complete dick, stabs it as well. And then, after refusing to take a drug that will prevent him from dying due to the effects of another drug, Lio stabs Mikiya ''in the face''. Does any of this stop Mikiya from walking on said leg and then clawing his way to Shiki? Hell no.]]
*** [[spoiler: One possible explanation is that the drug he used did the effect of a painkiller to him. But it's still far-fetched.]]
*** What's special about Mikiya isn't that though, but his ability as a investigator and as a human. [[spoiler:He is able to find Touko with pretty much no info on her whatsoever, as well as be able to get close to and understand majority of the cast, including Shiki and even most antagonists.]]
* BadExportForYou - Subverted. The upcoming BluRay boxset release, which features Japanese ''and'' English subtitles in ''both'' Japan and United States. However, the boxset costs around ''$400'' and the films will not have English dubs in them, which many fans find this to be a really big ripoff (and the American fans are much ''luckier'' than the Japanese fans).
* BareFistedMonk - Araya started as this. ItGotWorse.
* BattleMoonWars - Included in this game, ALONGSIDE Shiki Tohno, purely because of RuleofCool.
* BerserkButton - Touko is usually pretty calm, but if you call her a "dirty red," calmness turns to TranquilFury and you're dead. It's her policy. But that's not even her real BerserkButton. Calling her a rotten red is just a way of mocking her and saying she plays second fiddle to her little sister. Her ''real'' BerserkButton is her [[SiblingRivalry little sister]]. Lets just say their rivalry has gotten [[MoralEventHorizon rather bad]] a good few times in the past.
** It is also amusing to note that since the fifth movie came out, calling her a "dirty red" or simply mentioning that name on certain [[{{Imageboards}} imageboards]] bears a similar result to saying [[{{Candlejack}} Candleja]]
* {{Bifauxnen}} - Shiki is described as both "handsome" and "beautiful".
* BigBad - Araya Souren, who is pretty much responsible for everything bad that happens to Shiki after meeting Mikiya in high school; [[spoiler:Lio Shirazumi, the true culprit behind all of the grisly murders in the city.]].
* BloodKnight - Shiki
* BornInTheWrongCentury - Shiki. Full stop. She might not show any desire to have been born in another century (or any desire, period - well, aside from killing), but...
** ...she's a modern day warrior woman who only feels alive in a fight to the death.
** ...her weapons of choice are the tanto (knife) and katana (sword).
** ...she wears a traditional kimono whenever possible.
* BringMyRedJacket - Shiki, oh yes. Shorter than the usual BadassLongcoat, but it definitely counts.
* ButterflyOfDeathAndRebirth - Go on, guess what insect is in the opening a lot. You'll never guess.
* {{Chiaroscuro}} - ''Kara no Kyoukai'' loves shading, and shading loves ''Kara no Kyoukai''.
* ChekhovsGun [[ChekhovsSkill (And Accompanying Skill)]] - It is mentioned in the second chapter that [[spoiler:Ryougi Shiki possesses a sword and is trained in its use by her father]]; it is later used in the fifth chapter, [[spoiler:though it is broken in the end.]]
** Also, in the first chapter, it mentions the Fujino case. Guess what chapter three is centric to?
* ChickMagnet - Before [[{{Tsukihime}} Shiki Tohno]] and [[FateStayNight Shirou Emiya]], there was Mikiya Kokutou. I mean, his own sister is in love with him!
* ConvenientComa - A big part of the overarching story; what led to and what happens during the coma, and the repercussions after the awakening.
* CoolOldGuy - Akitaka, the Ryougi manservant.
** ...Er? He's not ''that'' old...
* {{Crossdresser}} / VillainousCrossdresser - [[spoiler:In the 7th chapter, Lio Shirazumi styles his hair like Ryogi's, and wears a dress to resemble her. It also doesn't help the fact that he's batshit insane. The fact that he looks downright frightening in a rather silly looking skirt says ''a lot''.]]
* CursedWithAwesome
* ADayInTheLimelight - The sixth movie puts side character Azaka in the spotlight.
* DeathGlare - Ryougi Shiki; those glowing blue eyes help.
* DeathIsCheap - [[spoiler:Aozaki Touko]]
* DefrostingIceQueen - Ryougi Shiki
* {{Determinator}} - Ryougi Shiki
* DifferentAsNightAndDay
** Ryougi Shiki's two personalities; the male is carefree and [[JapanesePronouns talks like a guy]], while the female is brooding and uses {{Keigo}}.
** You can tell Aozaki Touko's mood by her glasses; if they're on, she's a CoolBigSis, but if they're off, she gets... unpleasant.
* DissonantSerenity - Several characters.
-->''She bends down and touches the blood flowing on the ground; streaks it across her lips. The blood drips down and her body trembles in ecstasy. The first lipstick Shiki has ever worn.''
* [[spoiler: EarnYourHappyEnding]] '' A prayer is something overflowing with the good news of the future...''
* EnvironmentalSymbolism
* EvilEye- Several characters possess Mystic Eyes, with abilities ranging from "Suggestion" to the famous "Eyes of Death Perception." By extension, this also includes HellishPupils. Most are [[GlowingEyesOfDoom quite colorful when activated]]. [Insert ''{{Dune}}'' reference here].
* EvilFeelsGood
* {{Expy}} - Oh boy, where to start? Quite a few Type-Moon characters have their origins (if only in appearance) in this series.
** Mikiya is borderline indistinguishable to Shiki Tohno.
** Tomoe Enjou looks rather a lot like Shirou Emiya.
** For that matter, Mikiya's cousin Daisuke Akimi is the inspiration for Kiritsugu Emiya.
** Azaka bears a resemblance to Akiha from Tsukihime. In addition, when we see her as a child in the sixth movie, she looks a lot like Rin Tohsaka.
** Lio Shirazumi is probably the precursor to both SHIKI (being a sort of 'mirror image' of the protagonist Shiki) and Nero Chaos, what with the whole 'beast' thing he's got going on.
*** Nero Chaos was also evidently inspired by Araya Souren, going by their rather similar outfits and the weird lines they have on their faces. Hell, they even have the same VA in the movies/Melty Blood.
** Fujino Asagami. Purple-haired character who suffers [[spoiler: sexual abuse]]? Sounds like Sakura to me.
** YMMV on this, but Mikiya's friend Gakutou looks a little bit like Arihiko.
** It's probably easier to list the characters who aren't Expies of someone or other.
* FanNickname - Asagami Fujino to "Fujinon."
** Apparently even Kinoko Nasu ''himself'' refers to her in this way.
* FanTranslation - Of the light novels, it [[OrphanedSeries stopped in the middle of Chapter Five]] when it was announced that it would actually be published in English. [[{{Vaporware}} Pity it hasn't happened yet]].
* FinalBoss (as much as a light novel/movie series can have a FinalBoss) - Surprisingly, it's not [[spoiler:[[BigBad Souren Araya]]]]; it's [[spoiler:Lio Shirazumi]].
* FunctionalMagic - Magecraft in defined as "artificial reenactment of Magic", requiring EquivalentExchange, whereas Magic is "achieving the impossible" (eg. Operation of Parallel Worlds).
* GenreBusting: It's a mix of romance, horror, UrbanFantasy, murder mystery, and action.
* GirlWithPsychoWeapon - Shiki
* GirlyRun - Azaka
* GlowingEyesOfDoom - The mystic eyes in the movies. The original novels never gave any indication that her eyes glowed, changed color, or anything.
** It's likely a visual cue for the audience.
*** Shiki's eyes glow ''once'' blue in the novels, when she's considering killing Enjou Tomoe because she's restless. She decides against it.
* GrayEyes - Shiki again. Interestingly, in ''MeltyBlood'' she is one of the few characters whose eyes ''don't'' glow red (Demon) or blue (Anti-Demon) in the opening "Versus" screen of each battle.
** Not all characters who have red eyes are demons (Right, Arcueid?) and not all blue eyed characters are anti-demon. (Right, Akiha?) Then again, Asagami Fujino has red eyes and she's a normal human... albeit with a freakish ESP ability that borderlines on magic.
* TheGrimReaper - Shiki is likened as one, thanks to her ability to kill anything she cuts coupled with her ability to cut ''anything''.
** She's even explicitly called a "Death God" by Touko during Book/Episode 5, "Paradox Spiral."
* HeroicSociopath - Shiki, with ''both'' the Heroic ''and'' the Sociopath played up very much.
* ImplacableMan - Araya Souren.
* InTheBlood - Many characters in the story belong to families who are listed under the Demon Hunter's Association detailed in ''{{Tsukihime}}''. [[spoiler:Families in this group tend to partially have monstrous blood, which is partially the reason for their supernatural abilities.]]
** ...And where did you hear this? That's never been stated in canon just about ''anywhere.''
*** Some of the families are mentioned in ''Kagetsu Tohya'' along with their blood during a side story about the [[spoiler: destruction of the Nanaya family]].
* InvisibleToNormals - Minor supernatural beings (eg. ghosts, fairies) generally can't be seen as they are not powerful enough to manifest.
* JapanesePronouns - Shiki notably uses the ''aggressive-masculine'' pronoun of "Ore" to refer to herself in spite of being the portrait of a classical dignified Japanese Lady.
** Actually, Shiki only does this [[spoiler: due to her male SHIKI personality dying, and attempting to take on traits of him to compensate for its death.]]
* KnifeNut - Shiki, very much so. [[spoiler: Not that she has anything against swords though, as shown in her fight against Souren.]]. [[spoiler:Lio Shirazumi]], although he isn't limited to just a ''knife'' nut per say.
* LastOfTheirKind - [[spoiler:Both Asagami Fujino and Fujyo Kirie are implied to be the last supernatural member of their respective families, and Kurokiri Satsuki is the last person ''on Earth'' that can use the Unified Language.]]
* {{Leitmotif}} - In the movies, a specific tune (heard with lyrics [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Ug3lTXXH0g here]] is usually associated with Shiki (see also ThemeMusicPowerUp). The villains in part 5 also get Leitmotifs representative to their personalities (that [[AxeCrazy Alba's]] sounds vaguely like "Hall of the Mountain King" may be a reference to {{M}}).
** Shiki's {{Leitmotif}} even finds it's way into MeltyBlood Actress Again as her stage's music.
* TheLifestream - Akasha, the Root of everything and nothing, the beginning and the end, the Swirl of Origin, etc. TheNothingAfterDeath would be more appropriate a description,though you're still sort-of conscious in it.
* LinearWarriorsQuadraticWizards
* MagiBabble - Almost a given with any {{Nasuverse}} work.
* ManBehindTheMan - Araya Souren.
* ManipulativeBastard - Araya Souren again, [[spoiler:Lio Shirazumi]].
* MeaningfulName - Several characters, but in particular, Ryougi means "two equal sides of opposites", and Shiki, "method" or "equation".
* NighInvulnerability - [[spoiler:Aozaki Touko is a genius dollmaker who can create perfect copies of her own body which awaken when her current "container" is destroyed.]] Araya Souren is also close to indestructible, [[spoiler:due to his origin of "Stillness" and having a Buddha's remains grafted onto his left arm - combined, these even blocked the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception]]. For a little while, at least.
** Not only that, but in the original novels, he still had a considerable lifespan left ''after Shiki pierces him in his death dot.''
*** That's typival NasuVerse logic - the longer something has existed and the more magically powerful, the longer it will take to "die" completely when killed. There's some Dead Apostle Ancestors who have been dead for ''millennia'' and still exist.
* NoCureForEvil - Subverted, Araya is very good at healing, he repairs Fujino's cracked vertebrae and restores her sense of feeling. Yes, this is an ''evil'' act. [[AndIMustScream Araya knows good and well why...]]
* NoExportForYou - It ''[[HopeSpot looked]]'' like this might be averted when Del Rey Manga announced they were going to publish the novels (which stopped the FanTranslation). However, this was announced in ''2008''. [[{{Vaporware}} As of this writing, it's 2010.]] One enterprising fan wrote an e-mail and [[http://nrvnqsr.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=display&board=walk&thread=4204&page=5#411902 got this is as response]]. As for the movies...well the the new edition will have English subtitles, at least!
** And now [[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-12-13/aniplex-usa-adds-kara-no-kyoukai-the-garden-of-sinners this is going to be averted]] when Aniplex USA had recently announced that they are going to release the entire movie series in a boxset...with a price of $400 without an English dub.
*** And the Japanese fans need to pay this for around ''$620''. The American fans are ''luckier.''
* NoSocialSkills - Shiki, to a degree.
* NothingIsScarier - The series as a whole provides many instances of HighOctaneNightmareFuel, but the parts that just follow one character walking alone in [[SceneryGorn decaying/highly industrial]] [[CityNoir urban environments, by night,]] [[DarknessEqualsDeath in almost complete darkness]], really take the prize.
** [[spoiler: ...And then she finds a body that's very obviously just fallen from the top of a building with still very fresh blood under it from the impact...]]
* TheOjou - Shiki. Also, Ouji Misaya in Book/Episode 6.
* OldSchoolBuilding - The sixth book/movie's climax takes place in the abandoned school building in the Reien Girls' Academy.
* OneSteveLimit: You have Ryougi Shiki, and then you have her alternate personality, also named Shiki.
* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent - Mikiya in the beginning.
* OurDemonsAreDifferent - {{Nasuverse}} makes a distinction between Eastern ''oni'' and "real" demons.
* ParanormalInvestigation
* PetTheDog - Shiki does something roughly resembling this at times (mainly involving Mikiya). Hey, its ''Shiki'' we're talking about, we have to make ''some'' concessions with our standards.
** She also quite literally pets the dog in Oblivion Recorder, when Azaka's roommate's pet collie becomes attached to her.
* PragmaticAdaptation - The film cut out a good number of things from the novel, and yet manages to garner a generally positive reception.
* PsychicPowers - Several types. It is fundamentally different from Magecraft in that it is not a learned ability, but a one-time mutation.
** [[MySignificanceSenseIsTingling Clairvoyance]] - [[spoiler:Asagami Fujino eventually gets to this.]]
** [[MindOverMatter Telekinesis]] - [[spoiler:Asagami Fujino's main ability.]] "...Bend."
** [[TeleportersAndTransporters Teleportation]] - One character gets close; "true" spatial warping, however, is said to be the domain of true Magic.
* SceneryPorn - There are some ''very'' nice landscapes shown, even though they tend to be of decrepit buildings and city areas.
* SplitPersonality - Or rather, "United Independent Personalities." [[spoiler:The Ryougi Family has the supernatural ability of dual personalities, which resulted in Shiki having both a (dominant) female side and a male side. Shiki's male side ''dies'', which gives her a connection to death while she's still alive. What's left is the hole that is her so-called "Third Personality."]]
* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil - Averted; the BigBad and the mastermind behind most of the story has only one proper appearance in the fifth chapter.
* TheStoic - Araya Souren, and Shiki; [[spoiler:her disinterest in other human beings started it, but it's her connection to the Root that made her empty.]]
* StoryBreakerPower - Ryougi Shiki discusses the full extent of her powers in the original epilogue to the novels. To be honest, StoryBreakerPower is an understatement.
** Basically, [[spoiler:because she's connected to the void/origin, she is considered a part of it, and thus has power over anything in the void/origin - which is ''everything''. She claims to be able to do everything from rewriting natural laws to ''creating an entire new world to replace the current one''.]]
** [[spoiler: Ryougi Shiki = SuzumiyaHaruhi?]]
* SugarAndIceGirl - Shiki.
* SuperDeformed - The hilariously cute opening stop motion "don't smoke" warnings to each movie.
* SuperSpeed and RequiredSecondaryPowers - Done to extremes. [[spoiler:Araya Souren can dodge a bullet after it has been fired. Ryougi Shiki can move faster than Araya's eyes can track, not to mention attacking so fast that he didn't even realize his arm was cut until it fell off.]] They even added something like a sonic boom in the film adaptation.
* SuperWeight - Lets rank 'em.
** ''Muggle Weight'' - Kokuto Mikiya (UnfazedEveryman), Enjou Tomoe (OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent)
** ''Iron Weight'' - Shirazumi Lio (Although it was magically enabled, he's pretty much got a fairly weak CharlesAtlasSuperpower), Ouji Misaya (can cause LaserGuidedAmnesia via her [[TheFairFolk fairy]] {{Familiar}}s)
** ''Super Weight'' - Fujyou Kirie (MindControl), Kurogiri Satsuki (MindControl), Kokuto Azaka (KillItWithFire)
** ''Lottery Weight'' - Asagami Fujino (Super [[MindOverMatter Telekinesis]], clairvoyance), Cornelius Alba (High-speed spellcasting, powerful puppets), Aozaki Touko ({{Immortality}}, superpowered puppets, rune magic), Ryougi Shiki (mystic eyes superpower, highest-ranking SuperSpeed)
** ''Deus Weight'' - Araya Souren (ImplacableMan, {{Immortality}}, NighInvulnerable, ForceField, SuperSpeed, crushing space-time attack, RealityWarper inside the temple)
** ''Author Weight'' - [[spoiler:Ryougi Shiki's Third Personality]]
* ThemeMusicPowerUp - Partially played straight - whenever Shiki begins doing something particularly epic, a suitably epic background track starts up; the music used in these scenes changes from movie to movie, if not from scene to scene, but manages to stay relatively similar overall (the tracks from her showdown [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvEQX27TLyU with Araya Souren]] and her fight [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1fMEgjrEQ0 with Asagami Fujino]] are great examples).
* TheyWereHoldingYouBack: Done to Mikiya.
* TitleDrop - The epilogue, which also explains what "The Boundary of Emptiness" is. [[spoiler: It is Shiki's third, but original personality, the Void, Akasha, the root of everything itself.]]
* TranquilFury
* TomboyishName - The "Shiki" in Ryougi Shiki is a neutral name, hence Tohno Shiki of {{Tsukihime}}.
* TookALevelInBadass - Shiki does this ''twice'' against Araya Souren. What's more badass than regular Shiki? That would be [[spoiler:Shiki with a sword]]. And what's even more badass than that? [[spoiler:Shiki's third personality]].
** Rumor has it that [[spoiler:Shiki's skill with the sword is just on par with Fujimura Taiga from FateStayNight. But then again Shiki has her [[EvilEyes eyes]]... but wait, what if [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass Taiga became Shiki]]?]]
*** 1. That's not a rumor. That's [=KnK=] Chapter 2 DVD commentary. 2. That's under normal circumstances, like the [[spoiler:practice match Ryougi Shiki had with her father]], not when Shiki is out for blood like [[spoiler:against Araya Souren]].
*** We also have to consider that Taiga is actually really good to begin with, but just can't compare to the kinds of absurdly powerful beings walking around in Fate.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood - Bottled water, of all things, for Shiki (it's the only thing we ever see in her fridge). She says multiple times that she hates sweet food.
* {{Tsundere}} - Shiki towards Mikiya.
* UnfazedEveryman - Kokutou Mikiya, completely normal guy working for a magus.
** All things considered, he might as well be considered a BadassNormal.
* XanatosGambit - As perpetrated by Araya Souren.
* YamatoNadeshiko - Averted. There are several times when Shiki is described like one, but she's really just a [[DissonantSerenity Dissonantly Serene]] BloodKnight KnifeNut.
* {{Yandere}} - Shiki for the trifecta!
** She's actually been labeled by Nasu as ''tsun'''gire''''', which seems to fit particularly well. For the non-Japanese speakers out there, that's tsun (cold, aloof) and [[CuteAndPsycho gire]] (cut), which is indeed quite appropriate.

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!!#1: "Overlooking View"/"Panorama" (September 1998)
The first chapter abruptly focuses on a mysterious series of apparent suicides, as schoolgirls begin throwing themselves off of a certain abandoned building without reason. Ghosts are seen [[strike:flying]] floating in the area.

* ContinuityNod - Kind of backwards, but there's a scene in which the events of the third movie are reported on by the news on TV. Novel readers and people rewatching the movies will catch it, but otherwise it'll pass by without notice.
** When Touko is [[spoiler:fixing Shiki's artificial arm]] she makes a nod to the third movie's antagonist.
* EvilHand - [[spoiler:Shiki's artificial arm]] gets remotely possessed by a ghost and tries to choke and throw her off a building.
* LeaveTheCameraRunning - There is a very ''long'' scene of Shiki ([[spoiler:with one arm]]) eating ice cream that takes about a minute and a half. It's supposed to be symbolic and a PetTheDog scene about Shiki and Mikiya's relationship, but to some viewers comes off as a little silly.
* ProductPlacement: Said ice cream is prominently stated to be Haagen-Dazs in both the movies and the original novel.
** And Shiki's fridge is shown as being empty except for the ice cream and several bottles of Volvic water.
* SophisticatedAsHell: Mikiya
-->"She is either an eminent virtuoso, or just a big weirdo."
* [[spoiler:SpoilerOpening]] - Who was the girl on the ceiling that commits suicide at the end of the opening credits? [[spoiler:Kirie Fujyou, the current antagonist.]]
* StringyHairedGhostGirl - Kirie, with [[spoiler:the subversion that she's not actually dead...yet]].
** You know how these tend to be NighInvulnerable in most stories? Yeah...against Shiki, not so much.
* SuicideIsPainless - Basically the entire story has to do with this concept.
----
!!#2: "Murder Speculation (Part 1)"/"The First Homicide Inquiry" (August 1995)
This chronologically-first chapter shows the initial meeting of high school classmates Ryougi Shiki and Kokutou Mikiya. As he gets closer to Shiki, Mikiya finds out about her dual personalities. Meanwhile, Mikiya's cousin, police detective Akimi Daisuke, warns him of a serial killer who stalks the town at night, leaving behind gruesome corpses. Only one piece of evidence has been left behind: the badge of attendance for their school.

* DramaticPause - Several minutes worth at the end. And good Lord, they were gripping.
* CliffHanger - [[spoiler:The chapter ends with Shiki about to kill Mikiya with a smile on her face.]] See TimeSkip.
* EnemyWithin - Shiki herself doesn't care, but her male side is essentially a BloodKnight.
* HiddenEyes - [[spoiler:Shiki when she goes partially AxCrazy]].
* LoveAtFirstSight - Except...
** LoveHurts - Poor Mikiya. [[LoveMakesYouCrazy Has a somewhat different effect for Shiki, though.]]
* MistakenForMurderer - Done straight and serious.
* ShoutOut - Two plushie cat dolls, one black and one white, both with ribbons]] are won by Kokutou in a UFO Catcher game to give to Shiki; these are Len and White Len from MeltyBlood in cat form. Appropriately, this is when Shiki tells him about [[spoiler: her multiple personalities.]]
** Only in the {{OVA}}s, though. The cameo didn't happen in the original novels... probably because the original novels predate TsukiHime, and thus, MeltyBlood.
* SnowMeansDeath - "April 1995. I met her."
* SnowMeansLove - "April 1995. I met her."
* TimeSkip - The end moves the story back to July 1998.
----
!!#3: "Lingering Sense of Pain"/"Lingering Pain" (July 1998)
Ryougi Shiki's first case after her awakening from the coma. The unassuming Asagami Fujino, a girl unable to feel pain, experiences life for the first time in the passion of killing. As Aozaki Touko and Kokutou Mikiya investigates the truth behind this murderer, Ryougi Shiki hunts her down, leading to a confrontation between the two very different kinds of Mystic Eyes.

* BrokenBird - Asagami Fujino
* CryCute - [[spoiler: Asagami Fujino yet again.]] Even when discounting the fact she is voiced by [[MamikoNoto Noto Mamiko]] she is '''so''' adorable in this scene you would '''still''' wanna reach into the screen and hug her.
* DrivesLikeCrazy - When Touko gets behind the wheel Mikiya's reactions tell us that she's like this. We find out in the 5th movie that she never went to driving school, which explains a lot.
* FanDisservice - The scenes of Fujino [[spoiler:being abused and raped by the delinquents]].
* FeelNoPain - Asagami Fujino, both physically and emotionally, though she keeps this a secret from everyone else so they don't think she's abnormal. She was even [[spoiler:repeatedly raped by a gang because of her passivity and this unwillingness to tell anyone about her 'pain']]. She starts getting her sensation back in fits [[spoiler:after one of the gang hits her with a baseball bat. The pain makes her feel more alive... and murderous. They die messily.]] It turns out that the lack of pain was the result of [[spoiler:her father medicating her as a child to seal her psychic powers before they got out of hand]].
* PetTheDog - In an odd way; Shiki [[spoiler:lets Fujino live by killing her appendicitis]], which by her standards is petting the dog.
* RedEyesTakeWarning - Fujino.
* ScaryShinyGlasses - Kokutou, of all people. Granted, [[spoiler:he's being told how one of his former friends and his buddies abused Fujino]], so he's disgusted.
* {{Tearjerker}}: [[spoiler: '' "I... don't want to die... I want to live more... I want to feel more... I want to talk with him more... I want to love him more... I want to be here longer... I don't want... to die... Oh it hurts... It Hurts so bad I want to cry... Can I cry?" '']]
* [[{{Yandere}} Yangire]]: Although just as dangerous as Shiki is, Fujino remains one of the more sympathetic examples of this trope in anime.

----
!!#4: "Hollow Shrine"/"The Hollow" (June 1998)
Ryougi Shiki awakens from her coma, and is immediately restrained after attempting to gouge out her own eyes. For two years, she has been staring into " " - not just "emptiness", but a complete void without meanings, forms, or concepts. And she is alone - SHIKI has disappeared. Chronologically the second chapter, this chapter covers Shiki's recovery, the consequences of her coma, and her struggle to survive while submersed in death.

* ChekhovsGun: The corpse being carried in one scene. It becomes the zombie that will attack Shiki later.
* ContinuityNod: Fujyo Kirie (from the first movie) can be seen in the background in one scene.
** The nurses comment that Tohko is replacing Araya as a counselor at the hospital.
** There's also the post-credits scene, showing how Araya Souren is connected to the first three parts.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: When Shiki first wakes up the fact that her hair is now past shoulder-length lets us know she's been asleep for a long time. Add an ImportantHaircut later and you know she's serious.
* EyeScream: One of the first things Shiki does upon waking up is try to claw her own eyes out, as the result of a FreakOut upon realizing what her eyes can see.
* OutOfClothesExperience: While in the Void Shiki is depicted as being completely nude.
* SoundtrackDissonance: There's a rather eerie scene in which a recovering Shiki is being attacked by a zombie in her hospital room, overlayed by Mikiya (elsewhere) singing "Singing in the Rain" (possibly a ShoutOut to AClockworkOrange).
----
!!#5: "Paradox Spiral" (October-November 1998)
Enjou Tomoe flees his apartment after killing his parents and unexpectedly finds sanctuary at Shiki's place. Tomoe then finds that his parents have apparently failed to stay dead, and that's only the first sign of the abnormalities surrounding the building. Things get bloody messy, and Touko meets some old acquaintances. This movie is notable in that [[spoiler:Shiki kills off the BigBad of the series here, while the following two movies explore the loose and still-unused plot threads]].
* AlasPoorYorick - [[spoiler:Touko Aozaki]] gets this treatment. [[spoiler:[[IGotBetter She gets better]]]].
* AllThereInTheManual - The concepts in this movie are a ''lot'' clearer after reading the novels. The movie is also more passive over the fact that [[spoiler:Tomoe escaping and Shiki and Tohko getting involved (most of the plot, really) were caused by the Counter Force manipulating them to have the situation resolved.]]
* AnachronicOrder - Deserves separate mention here. The movie plays out in three "arcs"--one from Shiki's perspective, then one from Mikiya's, and lastly a finale tying the two together--divided by title cards with a hand-sketched appearance. Several short scenes are repeated verbatim, such as Mikiya's surprise at Shiki's locked apartment door, with others shown from different perspectives. The long flashback as [[spoiler:Shiki breaks out of Araya's confinement]] fills in some gaps towards the end.
* AndShowItToYou - Araya ''rips out'' [[spoiler:Touko's]] heart, which is [[BeatStillMyHeart still beating]], and yet, being the Nasuverse, they still manage to have a philosophical conversation. [[spoiler:Touko gets better]].
* BloodlessCarnage - Despite the large amount of blood elsewhere in the movie, the scene near the beginning of Tomoe killing his mother is oddly lacking. [[spoiler:This lack of blood is actually a critical clue to what's really going on]]. This also works as an effective MindScrew.
* BrainInAJar - [[spoiler:Everyone in Tomoe's apartment is just a puppet, with their brains actually kept alive in a pile of jars in the basement]].
* CardCarryingVillain - Cornelius Alba in the anime only. The novel gives him more depth.
* ContinuityNod - Done very literally in-story with a completely different (and ''important'') meaning: while Shiki is basically [[spoiler:''in'' Akasha and viewing all the moments]] the Counter Force had an influence on the situation, she sees the moment she first met Mikiya -- and "that her" stops talking, ''looks up at the screen where [[spoiler:Shiki is watching from Akasha]], and smiles at her.'' This is a '''''huge''''' plot detail.
* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu - Enjou didn't have a chance against Araya. But ''damn'' did he tell him off.
* EldritchAbomination - The ''thing'' in Touko's briefcase. Sometimes it just resembles a traditional [[{{Obake}} bakeneko]]. Others....
* EvilForeigner: Araya isn't exactly nice but it's Alba with the Western name and appearance who's ''really'' disgusting.
* {{Expy}} - Cornelius Alba is basically the most disgusting parts of [[CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory Willy Wonka]] and [[AClockWorkOrange Alexander De-Large]] rolled into one humanoid mass; combining the arrogance and bad-fashion sense of both. He even goes as far as to gleefully sing ''Bethoven's 9th Symphony 4th Movement,'' the favourite tune of Alex from AClockWorkOrange, when he [[spoiler:tried to murder Mikiya in a chillingly sadistic torture scene.]]
** Maybe not so coincidentally, Mikiya himself has sung ''Singin' In The Rain,'' the song that Alex sung while raping a writer's helpless wife, ''twice'' in the film series.
* EyeScream
* GeniusLoci - Araya has fused with his apartment.
* [=~If It's You, It's Okay~=] - After thinking for a minute, Kokutou decides that he'd probably like Shiki the same regardless of her gender. Though he does add that he's pretty happy that she's a girl.
* InnBetweenTheWorlds - The Cafe Between Life and Death.
* InnocuouslyImportantEpisode - Sure, the plot seems weak and confusing now, but it'll all make sense once the seventh movie actually shows you what the heck was going on!
* LimitedWardrobe - In an apparent LampshadeHanging, Shiki is shown to own three of the same jacket.
* MalevolentArchitecture - Araya's apartment building is made this way on purpose, to drive people crazy.
* MeteorMove - After fighting with Shiki and realizing that she is stronger physically, [[spoiler:Araya teleports from the tenth floor (where they both are) down to the the grounds outside. Shiki goes to the nearest opening, jumps down--from the tenth floor, I remind you--and lands sword-first right on top of him. Though the impact breaks the usually [[KatanasAreJustBetter invincible Japanese Sword]] and knocks Shiki out in process.]]
** And even then (in the movie, at least) she was only saved by the BigBad's Mobile Bounded Field (kind of like a shield) taking most of the landing impact (it's slightly implied he activated it on purpose for that reason).
* MindScrew - Of truly epic proportions. Without reading the novels, you really need to see this film at ''least'' twice to even get a rough idea about what the blazes is going on. A great case of AllThereInTheManual (listed above). Half the reason for the mind screw is not just because of the mind screw nature, but because the movie left out parts that are necessary to put everything together, leaving you with a general sense of "wtf" as you try to put together the gaps.
* PetTheDog - Shiki goes somewhere between this and ClingyJealousGirl (but not quite - she is ''very'' hard to categorize) when she starts stabbing her pillow in frustration while griping about Mikiya's absence to Tomoe.
* SingleStrokeBattle - Shiki vs zombie. ... Zombie explodes in half.
* SnowMeansDeath - [[spoiler:When Araya dies]]
* StartOfDarkness - A flashback/dream of Araya's shows him standing in the aftermath of a bloody conflict 200 years ago, looking at the corpse of a little boy who got caught up in it. He resolves that since he cannot save anybody, he will at least [[spoiler:collect and record the deaths of people and reach the origin so he can end this world so there can be no more meaningless deaths]].
* TheManBehindTheMan - [[spoiler:Araya reveals to Shiki that he engineered her conflicts with Fujino and Kirei as a part of his XanatosGambit to reach [[TheLifestream Akasha]].]]
* TomatoInTheMirror - [[spoiler:The Tomoe who interacts with Shiki is a fake, as he himself confirms when he finds the BrainInAJar with his name on it]].
* WhyDontYouJustShootHim - Subverted. Araya mercilessly ''destroys'' [[spoiler:Tohko, but keeps her head alive]] on purpose - she's [[spoiler:created an exact duplicate of her own body and linked them to herself. Whenever she is "killed" the other body awakens, allowing her to come back - when Alba crushes her head, she comes back]]. ''With a vengeance''.
----
!!#6: "Oblivion Recorder"/"Records of Oblivion" (January 1999)
Azaka and Shiki go to the Reien Girl's Academy to find the culprit behind a rash of disappearing memories caused by "fairies".

* AnachronismStew: Satsuki Kurogiri's computer has a flat screen monitor expect they weren't invented yet in 1999.
* BadassAdorable: Sure, Shiki may be charming and beautiful, but Azaka-chan fits this trope better as she acts in a more cutesy fashion.
* {{Bowdlerization}}: [[spoiler:The child prostitution and teen pregnancy subplot between Tachibana Kaori and Hayama Hideo in the novel is reduced to drug addiction in the movie. Which is somewhat glaring seeing as they left in Asagami Fujino's [[FanDisservice rather graphic rape scenes]]]] in the third movie.
* BreatherEpisode: Cute and light-hearted, almost as if preparing you for a soul-shatteringly traumatic finale.
** The film adaptation only, mainly due to the focus on Azaka.
* BrotherSisterIncest: Azaka openly states that she's in love with Mikiya, her blood-related brother - during her self-intro narration, no less. She even left home and enrolled at Reien in hopes that their time apart would lead Mikiya to view her as a woman rather than his little sister.
* ClingyJealousGirl: Azaka towards her brother Mikiya.
* DarkMagicalGirl: Misaya Ouji. Is it any wonder she's voiced by NanaMizuki in the movie?
* DartboardOfHate: A plushy-doll variation.
* DrivenToSuicide: Tachibana Kaori. [[spoiler: In the novel, she intended her suicide to be atonement for her and her classmates' sins; see EnjoKosai below.]]
* ElaborateUniversityHigh: Reien Academy
* [[spoiler: EnjoKosai: What Tachibana Kaori's class ended up doing, with ''their teacher'' Hayama Hideo as the pimp. Kaori herself was the last to hold out due to her Christian convictions, and ''[[MoralEventHorizon was raped and impregnated by the said teacher as a result]].'' Both aspects were cut out of the movie.]]
* TheFairFolk: And were '''not''' talking about the packaged-for-kids Christmas version, oh no.
* FoeTossingCharge - Azaka performs one of these against [[spoiler:the big demon flower controlling Ouji]]. She even finishes it off with her best approximation of a [[GunBuster Super Inazuma Kick]].
* GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere: [[spoiler:The random giant flower thing]] in the movie.
* {{Kawaiiko}}: Azaka-chan is a slightly older than usual example, but oh so very cute nevertheless.
* KungFuWizard: Azaka-chan's style of combat. Anyone [[WrongGenreSavvy expecting her to be]] [[GlassCannon a worthless warrior]] in close combat [[SquishyWizard because she practices magic]] is in for a very, '''[[FoeTossingCharge VERY rude surprise.]]'''
* LesYay: Between Azaka and Shiki, at least in the movie. Most notably when Azaka pins Shiki to the bed and straddles her while trying to take away a knife.
* LighterAndSofter: The '''least''' violent entry in the saga.
* TheOjou: Ouji Misaya.
* RomanticTwoGirlFriendship: Implied of Ouji and Tachibana.
* SchrodingersCat: [[spoiler:Tachibana dies in the novel and lives in the movie.]]
* ShoutOut: Azaka mentions she's dogsitting for her roommate Seo. Keen Nasuverse fans will assume she means Seo Akira, Akiha's friend in KagetsuTohya. [[spoiler:When we get to see her at the end of the film, she does indeed appear to be a tously-haired {{Expy}}, although she's evidently not the same one - the DOG'S name is Akira.]]
** In addition, the headmistress of the Reien Girls' Academy is mentioned to be one Mother [[MeltyBlood Riesbyfe, who has a large stringed instrument case]] in her office.
* {{Sneezing}}: Touko does this when Shiki and Azaka find her picture in the yearbook.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Azaka actually respects Shiki, and is quite fond of her; the feeling is mutual on Shiki's part. The girls understand each other enough to laugh at and finish the punch line of each-other's jokes, and marvelously complementing each together in abilities on the battlefield. The '''one''' thing, however, that prevents them from actually openly admitting their friendship to one another is their mutual love for Mikiya.

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!!#7: "Murder Speculation (Part 2)"/"The Second Homicide Inquiry" (February 1999)

The murders from before Shiki's coma resume, and both Shiki and Mikiya are trying to find the killer.

* BookEnds: A number of themes from ''Overlooking View'' (as well as the other five movies) get a reprise here.
* CherryBlossoms: [[spoiler:The post-credits scene.]]
* CryCute: Is ''that'' actually [[spoiler:Shiki]]? My God she's ''adorable.''
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: For the entire course of the movie/novel, Lio has been baiting Shiki into fighting him as a means to unlock her into a life of a murderous existence and be with her. Shiki, for her part, rebuffs him till he starts to target [[MoralityChain Mikiya]] while continuing with his taunts. By the end of it... Oh, he gets his fight.]]
* DepravedBisexual: Forget [[SuzumiyaHaruhiNoYuuutsu Haruhi]] or [[MetalGear Vamp]]... [[spoiler:Lio]] is the new poster child of this trope!
* EarnYourHappyEnding: [[spoiler:A few minutes from the end of the movie, Mikiya is apparently dead from a stab to the face, and Shiki's resigned herself to melancholy after killing Lio. The situation eventually improves.]]
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Mikiya obtains info on the drug-related serial killings by the only drug dealer around who's not selling that particular new cocktail because she thinks it's too damaging for the human body.
* EyeScream: [[spoiler:Mikiya loses his left eye towards the end of the movie. Considering Lio was trying to kill him, he may have gotten off lucky.]]
* FanDisservice: Anything [[spoiler:Lio does to Shiki, especially the drooling all over her part after ripping open her kimono with his teeth. That he's modelled himself after her doesn't make it better.]] Yuck.
** Also anything [[spoiler:[[HoYay he does to Mikiya]], including EyeScream.]]
* {{Fingore}} - Shiki breaks free of the bindings holding her hands by [[spoiler:''gnawing her thumb off!'']] Of course, [[spoiler:that was off her [[ArtificialLimbs artificial hand]].]]
* GeneticMemory: Araya had opened Lio up to his origin, giving him access to the memory of all of his past lives; mostly carnivore animals.
* [=~I'm A Humanitarian~=]: [[spoiler:Lio, the true murderer.]]
* IronicEcho: [[spoiler: Lio's diary starts with one. "April 1995. I met her."]]
* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler:Lio believes that he and Shiki are fundamentally similar, and that Mikiya is the only thing holding Shiki back from a murderous existence.]]
* SnowMeansDeath: [[spoiler: When Lio dies.]]
* SnowMeansLove: "I'm never letting you go."
* StalkerShrine: Featured in the opening credits, and it's hella creepy.
* TheyWereHoldingYouBack: [[spoiler:Lio believes this about Mikiya and Shiki, and tries to murder Mikiya to prove that he and Shiki are NotSoDifferent]]
* VillainousCrossdresser
----

* ArthurDent - Kokutou Mikiya, completely normal guy working for a magus.
** All things considered, he might as well be considered a BadassNormal.

** ''Muggle Weight'' - Kokuto Mikiya (ArthurDent), Enjou Tomoe (OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent)

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/kara-no-kyoukai_2889.jpg]]

* AnAstralProjectionNotAGhost: [[spoiler: the ghostly antagonist of the first chapter/movie turns out to be an out-of-body experience of a bedridden, blind girl named Fujou Kirie.]]

* MindScrew - Of truly epic proportions. Without reading the novels, you really need to see this film at ''least'' twice to even get a rough idea about what the blazes is going on. A great case of AllThereInTheManual (listed above).
** I got it the first time around (having read the novel beforehand), but half the reason for the mind screw is not just because of the mind screw nature, but because the movie left out parts that are necessary to put everything together, leaving you with a general sense of "wtf" as you try to put together the gaps.
*** Anyone who can understand this in one sitting is either a liar or a politician. It's like every Evangelion "WTF?" moment wrapped up into two hours, blended, and served on ice.
**** I got it, but I still felt like I was tripping balls the whole time, and after it was done, I had a migraine. It was worth it.