Anime / Sands of Destruction

Clockwise from top left: Rhi'a, Morte, Naja, Toppy, Kyrie, Agan.

In a World… where beastmen are the dominant species and normal humans are treated like second-class citizens (or worse), a girl named Morte claims to want to destroy this world. Wielding a large weapon in one hand and a sphere called the "Destruct Code" in another, she is the leader of the one-person "World Destruction Committee." Reluctantly joining her in this quest are a human boy named Kyrie who used fake cat-ears to get a job until Morte accidentally revealed his identity, and a short bear named Toppy.

However, the beastmen have their own "World Salvation Committee," an armed group which seeks to capture or kill Morte before she can figure out how to unlock the Destruct Code.

Originally a Nintendo DS game that received an Animated Adaptation.

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World Destruction: Sekai Bokumetsu no Rokunin contains examples of:

• Action Girl: Morte and Rhi'a fall under this category. They each fight more often than any other character in the series.
• Action Girlfriend: Morte is like this toward Kyrie (sort of; their romantic feelings are slow to develop, particularly on her side). Of course Kyrie can't hold his own in battle.
• Action Survivor: Kyrie was just happy to finally have a job when he was caught up with the World Destruction Committee.
• Adaptational Wimp: Kyrie is a cowardly non-combatant here rather than the Reluctant Warrior that he is in the manga and game. Agan and Naja are also hit with this to a lesser extent, as while they're both shown to be capable of at least holding their own somewhat, they largely sit out of combat and aren't suggested to be particularly skilled fighters.
• Adapted Out:
  • In the video game, Taupy has a wife/live-in girlfriend named Muffy who occasionally speaks to the team when you drop by his house. Here she shows up in a flashback as someone Taupy once unsuccessfully hit on.
  • The Primal Lords are completely skipped and never mentioned, despite the fact that the game made it clear that they are necessary for the world to survive (thus killing them would be a good way to destroy the world, or at least hasten its end) and that they are part of the key to the Destruct Code's power.
• Advertised Extra: Agan. The Japanese subtitle, Sekai Bokumetsu Rokunin, translates to "The Six People Who Will Destroy the World". He's one of those six, but he just shows up every couple episodes and occasionally helps out.
• Alien Sky: The night sky has two moons, a larger and a smaller one. In the final episode, there are also two suns in the sky (which would explain why the world has so much desert).
• Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: The Destruct Code turns out to be this for Kyrie. It's a storage medium that allows him to remember who he really is and what he's capable of doing: turning everything to sand.
• And the Adventure Continues: The final episode ends with Kyrie realizing who he really is, nearly destroying the world before Morte stops him. The two of them decide that, rather than turning everything to sand, they'll travel the world with Taupy and help make it a better place.
• Animal Disguise: Kyrie is wearing a humanoid cat disguise when Morte finds him waiting tables at a restaurant. This is for practical purposes as humans are second class citizens compared to beastmen and the disguise allows Kyrie to get employment at a better establishment. It also keeps the more feral predatory beastmen from trying to eat him.
• Animal-Eared Headband: Kyrie likes wearing cat ears. He eventually convinces Morte to wear rabbit ears, though she's less amused and only doing it out of necessity.
• Animated Actors: A DVD Omake shows the characters as ordinary, modern-day Japanese teenagers who portray characters who happen to have the same names as them.
• The Anime of the Game: An unusual variation in which the game was conceived first, but midway though, it was decided that an anime would be a good way to promote the game, so a second team was split off to produce it and it aired shortly before the game's release, despite being created later. This is a possible reason it's such an Alternate Continuity: if each team was only given a rough starting point and then allowed to develop in their own way, things would naturally take very different shapes if they didn't keep in close contact.
• Anime Theme Song:
  • Opening: "ZERO" by AAA^note They also did the Japanese game's opening, but it was changed in the English translation
  • Closing: "Kaze no Kioku ~ To the End of the World ~" by Aimmy
• Artifact of Doom: Morte carries around with her a little black sphere called the Destruct Code, which supposedly has the ability to destroy the world. However, she has no idea how to use it though it seems to react to Kyrie. Those who have played the game know that Kyrie is the actual "Destruct Code". The sphere is actually a device that Kyrie had used to store his memories (see The Fog of Ages).
• Art Shift: The anime can get weird in some episodes, such as when Morte decides to throw Toppy at the warden in the third episode, it's shown in extremely minimalistic line art.
• Ax-Crazy: Rhi'a seems fairly calm and cool, but once you piss her off, she sprouts horns, wings, and a wicked tail and tries to kill your face.

• Big Bad: Alligator Master, who seeks to obtain the Destruct Code to increase his power.
• Blade Brake: Morte uses her sword for one in episode 10.
• Catchphrase: Toppi repeatedly says "There are two kinds of *blank*". Kyrie eventually parodies it, causing Toppi to say that there aren't two kinds of that. It’s even the title of every episode.
• Chekhov's Gunman:
  • That guy that appears near the end of the trailer (after the beastlords)? Totally unimportant.
  • An early episode introduces us to a fake World Destruction Committee who are using the fearsome reputation and their (vague) resemblance to the actual members of the group to get free food. Many, many episodes later, we see a wanted poster featuring those three instead of the real World Destruction Committee. Turns out, the Alligator Master mistakenly thought Taupy was a Bear instead of a Little Bear due to these posters, and so the robots will still obey him.
• Cast Full of Pretty Boys: With a 2:1 gender ratio and three of the four male characters being rather attractive humans and a Half-Human Hybrid (the fourth is a bear, of course, though even he may be considered attractive for his species), there's no question the cast is full of pretty boys. DVD Bonus Material acknowledges this by making Agan a model, Naja his up-and-coming rival model, and Kyrie an apparently-random choice for the world's third-best-looking man (behind Agan and Naja, of course).
• Child Soldiers: Reve was, at most, twelve when he joined the Golden Lions and was killed in the fighting. ^{spoiler mathematics} Morte is his older sister and sixteen at the time of the anime. Kyrie lost his memory four years prior, at the same time and in the same place that Reve lost his life. To have been younger than Morte, Reve had to be no more than twelve four years ago. Flashbacks show him seemingly a couple years younger than his sister, meaning he may only have really been ten or eleven.
• Clap Your Hands If You Believe: The Destruct Code activates whenever someone wishes hard enough that the world would be destroyed. But first, he has to be in possession of his memory storage medium and know who he is.
• Cooldown Hug: In the final episode, the Destruct Code activates and Morte has to do this to stop Kyrie from destroying the world. It's implied it was a cooldown kiss. Considering everyone else who got close enough to touch him turned to sand, she's lucky he has better control of his powers in this adaptation.
• Create Your Own Villain: The Ferals are directly responsible for Morte seeking to destroy the whole world in order to end their reign: she was perfectly content until they wiped out her family. After that, she made it her personal mission to end the world. Considering they have several members of the World Salvation Committee tasked solely with finding her, she's obviously quite the thorn in their side. Compounding this is the fact that most Ferals don't seem to think much about killing anyone who opposes them, meaning those who actually did the killing are probably completely unaware they're the ones who set her off.
• Creepy Monotone: Awakened Kyrie talks like this, in addition to being extremely stoic, to the point of falling into uncanny territory. Shown to have a kind heart however.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Awakened Kyrie versus the entire World Salvation Committee and the Eagle Master.
• Cute Machines: The sentient robots in the anime have a very unassuming demeanor. Even the fighting robots are small and cute.
• Cuteness Proximity: Whenever he's in sight of a little kid, Toppy with undoubtedly become a victim of this.
• Desert Punk: Seems to fall here, as while the color palette is brighter and machinery is less important than your typical punk fare, the world's oceans are made of sand and our heroes are essentially swashbuckling wanderers (despite Morte claiming she's out to end the world, the team actually seems to do a whole lot more good than harm wherever they show up).
• Disguised in Drag: In the first episode, Kyrie ends up drugged and dressed as a village's sacrifice. They wanted Morte, but she didn't eat the drugged food and they figured any outsider was better than losing one of their own girls.
• Distressed Dude: Kyrie. First episode, he gets drugged and is going to be the sacrifice of the village if not for Morte and Toppi saving him.
  • Every other episode he tries his best to prevent this, but every other episode results in him being captured ALONG with Morte and Toppi. However, its to be noted that whenever Morte or Toppi get captured with him, it's always Kyrie's fault because he gets held as a hostage or gets knocked out first.
• Dragged by the Collar: Kyrie gets dragged along by Morte in the opening, kind of like how she dragged him into this whole "World Destruction" mess.
• Easy Impersonation: The fake World Destruction Committee only look vaguely like the protagonists, but are able to pass as them because the wanted posters are horrible caricatures and really could be of either group.
• Exposed to the Elements: Averted by the World Destruction Committee when they visit the Winter Continent; Morte and Kyrie buy coats from Agan so they won't freeze, and Taupy claims he'll be fine because he's a bear. Played straight by their pursuers; Naja and Rhi'a might be able to excuse themselves for being a half-wolf and a dragon, respectively, but the Alligator Master also wears only his normal robes, despite alligators being cold-blooded.
• Eye Patch Of Power: Taupy and Yappi. Not so much that it gives them power, but that they're ridiculously bad ass.
• Faceless Mooks: The World Salvation Committee's soldiers all wear white and blue uniforms with bird-like, white masks that conceal their eyes.
• Fantastic Racism: Like its predecessor, but still in a Mood Whiplash.
• Fast Ball Special: Morte uses Taupy for this to take down the warden of the prison they're trying to break out of.
• Fertile Feet: In the opening sequence, Morte, of all people, leaves a trail of flowers as she walks. Yes, the same Morte who wants to destroy the world. No, we don't know why, either.
• The Fog of Ages: Kyrie. As the "Destruct Code" he's been alive since the creation of the world, and he carried around a small black sphere with which to store his memories. When he lost it four years prior, he developed amnesia as a result.
• Gangsta Style: Rhi'a occasionally combines this with Guns Akimbo.
• Gonk: Fake Kyrie's kinda... ugly.
• Gun Fu: Rhi'a in the opening.
• Guns Akimbo: Rhi'a wields dual pistols.
• Hammerspace: Actually averted. While the original video game had Morte pulling her BFS out of nowhere, here she's shown to always be carrying it wrapped up in cloth using a leather strap. If she isn't currently holding it, it's likely somewhere nearby, leaning against a convenient wall or tree; she never simply produces it from thin air and then has it vanish after the fight.
• Hero Antagonist: The World Salvation Committee.
• Highly-Conspicuous Uniform: The World Salvation Committee wears pale blue and white uniforms in a world that's largely desert (including the ocean). They also occasionally wear white bird masks. Of course, these are just grunt-level Mooks. Higher-ranking members like Naja get to wear their own clothes.
• Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: Each episode title begins with "There are *insert number* kinds of *insert episode subject*". That number is usually two, though episode ten is titled "There are 108 Laws of Robotics".
• Interspecies Romance:
  • The prison episode features a B-plot about a canine beastman who has fallen for a human girl who was falsely imprisoned.
  • Naja is the product of one, though his half-blood parentage is barely commented on in this adaptation.
  • Kyrie and Morte, with the revelation that he's Not Quite Human.
• It's Not You, It's My Enemies: Morte pulls a non-romantic version on Kyrie and Taupy, attempting to convince them to leave because the World Salvation Committee is hunting her and she understands if they'd rather not get involved. They decide to stay, of course.
• Kissing Discretion Shot: The final episode implies this with Morte and Kyrie.
• Late-Arrival Spoiler:
  • The opening sequence shows a brief clip of Awakened Kyrie, though it's very short and if you haven't played the game, you may mistake it for sunset lighting just making his hair look red.
  • Morte's precise reason for wanting to end the world isn't explored until fairly late in the anime, but the back of the DVD case spells it out quite plainly.
• Magic Skirt: Considering how often Morte jumps around, you think you'd see up her skirt. You don't except for perhaps during the opening of the anime. In the first episode, she even crouches facing towards the camera, but under her skirt is just pitch black. Rhi'a flies and somehow manages to not flash anyone.
  • Subverted in one episode where it steadily rips open higher and higher. Morte isn't happy when she finds out.
  • A DVD Omake notes that a particular fight scene wasn't used in the show because Morte accidentally flashed her panties at the camera. Apparently a Magic Skirt takes work to maintain. She's also occasionally shown to hold it down when she has to sit on the ground.
• Maybe Ever After: While there has been little in the way of deliberate flirting or outright interest beyond friendly ompanionship shown over most of the series, in the final episode, Morte and Kyrie share an Almost Kiss that may have been The Big Damn Kiss^note the camera was too far away to tell if their faces were touching or simply very, very close, followed by a very happy embrace. When they realize others are watching, they suddenly jump apart and are self-conscious they were touching each other, something they'd never been before.
• Mayfly–December Romance: Kyrie, the Destruct Code, has been alive since the creation of the world and still looks barely past puberty. The human girl he develops feelings for is apparently very normal in regards to her expected lifespan. However, this isn't commented on. It's possible that Kyrie lost his immortality when the Destruct Code broke in the final episode, meaning he'd age along with her like a normal human.
• Mood Whiplash: A little less inconsistent on the mood, but it still has moments where transitions start to jump without notice. This is unfortunately a side-effect of attempting to deconstruct Fantastic Racism while having a light-hearted premise and attempting to attract a younger crowd. The early prison escape, for example, is able to keep a firm Darker and Edgier mood while toning down the Lighter and Softer. The episodes that contain the "Cave of Memories", however, are pure Mood Whiplash.
• Never Trust a Title: Sekai Bokumetsu Rokunin translates to "The Six People Who Will Destroy the World". Well, two of those six are actively working to save the world, and another three don't want to destroy the world; they're just stuck with the one girl who does. And the world isn't destroyed in the end, either.
• Non-Action Guy: Kyrie definitely. The other male members Agan and Naja rarely fight but they had at least one instance where they can knock the villains out of the way whereas Kyrie just whines the entire time.
• The Nose Knows: Averted: while other adaptations have Ferals commenting that humans and half-humans smell terrible, here Kyrie and Morte are able to pass as a cat and rabbit, respectively, with only an Animal-Eared Headband. Nobody comments that they stink.
• Not What It Looks Like: Toppy gives Kyrie mouth-to-mouth after he nearly drowns in sand in episode 8. The standard confusion happens.
• Oddly Small Organization: The World Destruction Committee consists of three people, total. Though it is hinted that the World Salvation Committee actually started to believe their own propaganda, and began referring to the three protagonists as "three members OF the World Destruction Committee".
  • The game has the World Destruction Committee being less than ten people in number.
• Omnicidal Maniac: Morte does want to destroy the world. Then averted at the moment of truth, when she decides the world isn't so bad after all.
• Opening Narration: Each episode begins with one; though it's not read aloud in the anime proper (just splashed on the screen), the Abridged Series has Morte read it.
  A planet where the seas are filled with sand.
  A world where beasts live as men.
  A world where men are ruled by beasts.
• Opinion-Changing Dream: In the final episode, while trapped in the Cave of Memories, Morte dreams of her family. While she desires to stay with them and forget the real world, they convince her that not only should she return to live life, but that the world doesn't need to be destroyed after all - just changed, through her life and what she accomplishes with her friends.
• Out of Focus: Both Naja and Agan compared to in the other versions of the story. Whereas Naja receives enough plot focus away from the rest of the main party in both the manga and video game that he could be called the Deuteragonist of them in his own right, here he's little more than Rhi'a's more reserved and calculating partner, and his background, a major part of both his character and the overall narrative in other adaptations, is only alluded to briefly. Agan has it even worse, going from one of the main characters to a bonafide supporting player who only shows up occasionally.
• Pensieve Flashback: While trapped in the Cave of Memories, Morte dreams of when her brother told her he was leaving to join the Golden Lions and screams at her younger self to not let him go because he'll be killed; naturally, the memory doesn't hear her and simply plays out the way it originally happened. A later dream averts this, as she actually becomes her (even younger) self and is able to interact with the other characters in her dream.
• Really 700 Years Old: Rhi'a/Lia is actually about 300 years old, and Kyrie has been alive since the creation of the world.
• Redemption Equals Death: Subverted in the case of Elephas Rex, who thankfully doesn’t die.
• Ridiculously Cute Critter: Taupy counts. Kinda.
  • Much to his dismay.
• Robot Buddy: 28 functioned as this for Taupy in one episode.
• Sand Is Water: We have a sand submarine (which filled an entire episode), sand boats, sand pirates...
• Security Blanket: Kyrie claims he never lets his Animal-Eared Headband out of sight. Of course, this is probably less to do with feeling personally attached to it and more that it keeps him from facing the brunt of the Fantastic Racism of the land.
• Spared by the Adaptation: Elephas Rex came to oppose the World Destruction Committee in the game, mostly just to add in another boss battle. Here he remains a largely-neutral ally and thus remains alive. Kyrie also doesn't try to sacrifice himself to save the world, and thus doesn't need to be resurrected.
• Suggestive Collision:
  • In episode seven, Taupy angrily shoves off Kyrie's hand, causing him to lose his balance and fall on Morte. She isn't amused, and he's just afraid she's gonna hit him.
  • In the opening, Morte drags Kyrie along by his collar and drops him on top of Rhi'a. She slaps him, of course.
• Taking the Bullet: In the final episode, Kyrie shields an unconscious Morte from falling rocks using his back. It smarts a bit, but he quickly brushes it off.
• Team Chef: Kyrie is a damn good chef, despite all appearances.
• Team Mom: Kyrie, despite being useless battle-wise, is fairly domestic.
• That Came Out Wrong: After Morte rips her skirt, Kyrie suggests they visit the hot springs together, intending to mend her skirt while she bathes. Unfortunately, Morte keys in on the word together and isn't amused at the implications.^note This despite the fact that Japan is well-known for having separate baths for men and women, and it's not at all uncommon for couples or friends to visit a bathhouse "together" and in fact not see each other for the duration of their visit. Kyrie quickly backpedals.
• Theme Naming/Idiosyncratic Episode Naming: The titles typically start with 'There two kinds of (insert thing here)'.
  • There Are Two Kinds of People in the World
• There Are No Therapists: The entire plot might have been averted if someone had realized that a teenage girl who loses her entire family might develop a crazy homicidal streak if left to her own devices. Of course, it's somewhat unclear exactly what level society is at (though most technology seems fairly modern), so it's possible that therapy just hasn't been invented - or that the show is loosely based on Japan, where seeing a therapist is still rather taboo.

• Three Laws-Compliant: The clockwork robots in episode ten follow a variant of Asimov's laws:
  A robot must obey any order given to it by a beastman.
  A robot must always act in the best interests of beastmen.
  A robot must never obey an order given to it by a human.
• Throwing Your Sword Always Works: Subverted in the opening sequence: Morte chucks her BFS at Rhi'a, but misses; Rhi'a then proceeds to shoot Morte.
• Touch Telepathy: In the final episode, the Destruct Code sphere is able to share Awakened Kyrie's memories with Morte when both are holding it at once.
• Trigger-Happy: Rhi'a. She reaches for her guns whenever she's provoked.
• Tsundere: Because Morte isn't Ax-Crazy as she is in the video game or manga, she would fit this trope more. Type A around everyone.
  • Morte is more of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold; she doesn't have any love interests (note that when she thinks Kyrie is propositioning her, she just gets mad). Rhi'a is a better example, and is type A towards Kyrie.
• 12-Episode Anime: Thirteen episodes released summer 2008 in Japan, and winter 2010 in America, both just before the release of the game in that country.
• Verbal Tic: Taupy ends most of his sentences with the word 'kuma' (and he really wants to get rid of it). When asked by Kyrie and Morte to stop, he says that he can't do it because it's an important part of his tribe's culture. His rival Yappi ends his sentences with the word 'bear'.
• Villain Protagonist: The three members of the World Annihilation Front, though Kyrie and Toppi are just along for the ride.
  • It's worth noting that this a rare case where the "villainous" protagonists are absolutely right. Yes, they want to destroy the world, but its made clear throughout the game that its such a horrifyingly bleak Death World that destruction or recreation really is the best option.
• Wardrobe Malfunction: Episode seven deals with Morte ripping her skirt because Taupy accidentally pushed Kyrie onto her. She doesn't notice; although everyone else does, they're all too scared to tell her.
• Winged Humanoid: Rhi'a gets wings during her dragon transformation sequence.
• Wrecked Weapon: Morte's sword is seen standing upright in the sand with the top broken off in the final episode. It's likely meant to represent that she's finally called off her war on the world and doesn't want to fight any more; she isn't seen with it again in the final scene, even though it's stated that the world is still a rather bitter, dangerous place for humans and carrying a weapon of some sort, even if only for self-defense, is probably still a good idea. The Destruct Code also explodes after Morte begs Kyrie not to destroy the world, though whether this means he loses access to his memories and powers isn't stated (his hair does return to blond, however).
• World of Action Girls: One of the most notable deviations from the video game is the increased emphasis on Rhi'a and Morte's fighting abilities, with both getting into elaborate fights at least Once an Episode. Despite the main cast being made up of four men and two women, Toppi is the only male character who fights consistently, with Kyrie being an outright Non-Action Guy and Naja and Agan almost never involving themselves in combat.
• You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!: In a third-person variation of the trope, Kyrie pleads with Morte not to fight Rhi'a because "that girl is really scary when she gets mad." Kyrie, which of the two were you talking to again?

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There are two kinds of Tropers...kuma