Being made to fit into canon, many of the tropes within the Character Page of Date A Live apply here. When adding tropes, please limit the description of the tropes that also apply in canon to reduce length, and instead add more description for the tropes that are more (or less) prominent in canon, or are exclusive to this fic. Still under construction.
open/close all folders
Protagonists
Shido Itsuka
Shido Itsuka (Born:Shinji Takamiya)
- "What should I do? These hands... what can they do for them?"
- Adaptational Angst Upgrade: A minor one during the Recap Episode part of Chapter 1. Shido is actually afraid of sealing the Spirits further due to the possibility of him going berserk again like he did in Volume 12, but it ultimately didn't change his opinion that it must be done.
- All Your Powers Combined: He already has this to a limited extent in canon, but once Rio enters the picture, Shido is about as powerful as he was when he went berserk in Volume 12.
- Becoming the Mask: Rio's "Aspect of the Sephiroth" has this effect on Shido. As it transforms him into one of the Spirits he has sealed, he has full access to all their power and essence - essentially integrating them into his psyche.
- Berserk Button: The dream he has in the first chapter. Whenever he thinks or is reminded of the dream, he is pissed. Most notably in Chapter 2, when it drives him into a short-lived rage as he chases "Phantom".
- Chapter 18 reveals another one; do not take advantage of the Spirits. Rio actually has to calm him down when he heard about Material B's fate and how the Marinas are created from her.
- Butt-Monkey: Not as much as canon, but he still gets his moments, especially when Kotori and Kurumi is involved.
- Cast from Hit Points: Using any of the Angels he possess will damage his body, although Camael's Healing Factor fixes him up back again. Averted as of Chapter 11, courtesy of Rio within him.
- Determinator: This actually gets deconstructed in Chapter 5. Shido takes saving Spirits very seriously and will not stop even if it endangers his life. Therefore, he has nothing to say against Miku when she does the exact same thing to try and save Kurumi against his wishes.
- Freak Out: When he sees Rinne's Spirit form for the first time. He gets it much worse than the others, as he recalls a memory of himself getting killed by Rinne upon seeing her, which traumatizes him enough to put him into a coma.
- Girl of My Dreams: It's heavily implied that the mysterious voice that appears on Shido's dreams is Rinne, judging from their exchange.Mysterious Voice: Don't forget... don't forget about me. Promise me, Itsuka Shido.
- Chapter 5 confirms this, through another vision in which Rinne, in her Spirit form, tells Shido to die before killing him with Paradise Lost, as a particularly plot-important Continuity Nod to Rinne Utopia.
- The Heartless: Rio is this to Shido, from Chapter 6 onward. Rinne theorizes that Shido is capable of creating these from his Spirit mana whenever his powers go unstable.
- I Gave My Word: Just like canon, when he makes a promise, he will go to hell and back to keep it. When he promises he will date Rinne in Chapter 3, nothing can change his mind. Even when Kotori and Origami try to talk him out of it in Chapter 8 and 9 respectively, he refuses to change his mind despite his own fear of Rinne.
- Insistent Terminology: Just like canon, Shido is a human who can use Spirit powers, and not a Spirit. Rinne and Kurumi both support this claim.
- Love at First Sight: Shido rejects the idea of this trope, as Chapter 4 shows.
- Love Epiphany: Played with as he is unsure whether or not the strange feelings he has around Rinne are love or not in Chapter 4. It gets more and more complicated as the series goes on.
- Manly Tears: Shido cries at the end of Chapter 3, as seeing Rinne fades into light reminds him of something painful, that he can't quite recall. It is a Continuity Nod to how he reacts to her disappearance at the end of Rinne Utopia.
- Mysterious Past: His awareness of his lack of childhood memories is one of the reasons why the dream he has in Chapter 1 infuriates him.
- Nice Guy: The main reason why he is such a Chick Magnet is that he is endlessly loyal and supportive to any Spirit he encounters.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Most of Shido's internal conflict in the story is caused by his awareness that he is not acting as he is supposed to be.
- Shido knows that being angry because of a dream he had is not rational, but he can't help it.
- Shido is utterly baffled when he experiences familiarity with the name "Rinne Sonogami" in Chapter 3, and is even further shocked when he feels a strangely intimate connection with her. He is constantly troubled by this throughout the story, even more so after he gets a vision in which Rinne murders him in Chapter 5.
- Shido realizes that he begins acting like Tohka after Rio transforms him into her with "Aspect of the Sephiroth" in Chapter 14 and like Miku in the next chapter, although he is only mildly worried about this one.
- Immediately after the above example in Chapter 16, Shido once again acts like a womanizer like in Volume 12, which made him worried about his state of being. It is a side effect of an enormous mana flowing through him because of his transformations, but Rio reassures him that it is only temporary. Interestingly, he actually takes advantage of this to woo Rinne, something he would never normally do.
- Past-Life Memories: Implied to be the reason behind his dreams and his connection with Rinne.
- Promoted to Parent: He is already borderline this trope for Kotori in canon, but he becomes this in full for Rio after her birth.
- Supreme Chef: Even more so than in canon, as Chapter 5 has each of the Spirits he sealed (minus Kotori, Miku and Nia) praise him for the new recipe of pasta he made for dinner. He attributes it to the new "training" Kotori subjected him into.
- Taught by Experience: Shido is able to identify the melody he heard in Chapter 1 as supernatural in nature by comparing it to Gabriel's music.
- Training from Hell: In Chapter 5, Shido reveals that after the date with Nia, Kotori subjects him to even more training to increase his skills - and not just dating this time.
- Trauma Button: Shido meets Rinne's Spirit form for the first time, and has a vision. In the vision, Rinne murders him, which causes a trauma-induced coma.
- Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Shido's trauma-induced coma is the direct cause for Rio's birth, as explained by Reine in Chapter 7.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: Courtesy of Natsumi's "Kaleidoscope" and Rio's "Aspect of the Sephiroth".
- Will Not Tell a Lie: He mentally notes in Chapter 4 that he will not lie about something when he is directly asked.
Rinne Sonogami
Rinne Sonogami
- "Please, don't forget about our promise."
Click here to see a drawing depicting her during Chapter 16's release. note
- Code Name: "Ruler"Angel: Cassiel (Lyre/Strings)Astral Dress: Elohim Mikarov
- Ability Mixing: In Chapter 8, Kurumi mentions Rinne's Cassiel can be used in tandem with Zafkiel to allow the latter's Seers ability to be reasonably utilized. In the same chapter, she also mentions "Labyrinth of Fate and Time", a combination technique which utilizes both of their Angels, although she is yet to mention what it does specifically.
- The Ace: Downplayed. While Rinne is still quite capable in a lot of things, she is not as intelligent as Kurumi and often relies on her partner's capabilities. She is the more powerful and dangerous in terms of Spirit powers, however.
- Affably Evil: Rinne isn't even remotely evil, but this is how Shido, Kotori and the rest of Ratatoskr view her after analyzing her behavior; a very stable and non-malevolent Spirit who aids Kurumi for some reason.
- Anti-Villain: Strictly villain in name only. The only reason Rinne even qualifies is because she is absolutely supportive of Kurumi, who is also this trope. Even then, she does not tolerate Kurumi's more questionable actions.
- Berserk Button: Mistreating or even badmouthing Kurumi around her is not a good idea unless you want to face her wrath. Kotori can attest to this fact.
- Big Brother Is Watching: "Web of Causality". Cassiel summons an ethereal dark portal from which innummerable amount of "Strings of Fate" manifest from. Only Rinne's eyes and Kurumi's clock eye can perceive the intangible element, and only Rinne can interpret the Strings. Using this, she is capable of observing the thoughts and actions of anyone she has ever seen, no matter where they are. It does have its limits however, in that Rinne cannot observe someone whom she hasn't physically seen yet and it can only observe the current thoughts and actions of people, so it is possible for Rinne to miss information when the ability is not active.
- Black Eyes of Evil: As Phantom shows in Chapter 10, Rinne's eyes turn pure black in her Inverse form.
- Declaration of Protection: Rinne makes one for Kurumi in Chapter 12, it also remarks Rinne's desire to see Kurumi "saved".Rinne: There are people who won't give up on you.
- Deliberately Monochrome: Seems to be her Inverse form's theme. Her purple Astral Dress becomes black and visibly tighter, and all of its previously golden markings and emblem become silver in color.
- Despair Event Horizon: Rinne crossed this some time after becoming a Spirit, entering her Inverse form. The details haven't been revealed, but Kurumi was already with her at the time to save her, although even Kurumi became afraid of Inverse Spirits because of the event. Rinne is traumatized by the memory ever since.
- Determinator: The lengths she is willing to go for finding out the truth between her and Shido is irrational; so far only Kurumi and her Trauma Button can put her into a stop.
- Disappears into Light: She does this in Chapter 3 as her method of transportation, to contrast Kurumi's Casting a Shadow powers. She also inverts this trope in Chapter 11 when she appears from masses of light behind Kurumi to greet Shido.
- The Dreaded: For Shido, Tohka, Yoshino, Origami and Kotori. Doubles as a Continuity Nod, considering Rinne killed them all at least once in Eden.
- Easy Amnesia: Suffers this when she was turned into a Spirit. Kurumi was the one who restores her memory, roughly four years before the story began.
- Elegant Classical Musician: Her canon design is already very elegant - a clock dress which exposes her back, a headdress and long hair reaching her ankles, and an almost see-through veil covering her face to add an air of mystery, all in purple and rose colors laced with actual gold - and the very first thing we see her doing in the fic is playing a musical serenade with her lyre, which turns out to be her Angel as well. Chapter 9 further shows her ability to sing, as a Continuity Nod to Rio Reincarnation, where Rinne is said to be talented at singing.
- The Fettered: Very much so. She may be more than a bit obsessed with finding out the mystery regarding Shido and herself, but she refrains from crossing anyone in this cause. It's also deconstructed, as her plans to find out her connection with Shido is slowed down considerably because of this.
- Fish out of Water: Downplayed, but judging from what Rinne states in Chapter 4, she seems fairly sheltered, seeing as the anime festival she and Kurumi attend together is her first.
- Girl of My Dreams: The voice that speaks to Shido in his dreams is heavily implied to be Rinne. Not that she knows about this.
- Heroic BSoD: A brief one in Chapter 8 when she realizes that she cannot achieve her goal due to a possibility of Inversion.
- Heroic Self-Deprecation: Rinne more or less admits that she is an idiot when compared to the much more experienced Kurumi.
- Heterosexual Lifepartners: With Kurumi, arguably even closer than that.
- I Just Want to Be Normal: Deep down, Rinne longs for a normal human life that she has lost. This is why Rinne treasures Kurumi's company and is obsessed with Shido, since being with them makes her feel like she was a normal girl. By extension, this same desire also leads Rinne to refuse Kurumi's endgame (a Set Right What Once Went Wrong type Reset Button Ending, not unlike the True Ending of Rinne Utopia), because Rinne doesn't want to let go of the relationships her Spirit life had given her; namely, her friendship with Kurumi and connection with Shido. That being said, Rinne is willing to forsake this trope if it fulfills her other motivation, see I Want My Beloved to Be Happy below.
- I Owe You My Life: Chapter 8 reveals that Kurumi saved Rinne from her Despair Event Horizon some time in the past. Chapter 12 further shows just how grateful Rinne is for that.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Just like the original, the happiness of the people she loves matter greatly for Rinne. This is the main reason why she stays by Kurumi's side - despite their conflicting methods - because she refuses to let Kurumi be alone. True to this trope, Rinne still doesn't approve of Kurumi's way of life and personally wishes to be able to change it for her. This reaches its peak in Chapter 12; Rinne is only content with Kurumi's Reset Button Ending if both of them are okay with it and would be happy at the end. The instant Rinne realizes that Kurumi feels that she doesn't deserve happiness because of her actions, and thus might actually be unhappy with her own end game, Rinne vows that she won't give up on saving Kurumi.
- To a lesser extent, this applies to Shido as well.
- Lampshade Hanging: Notes that Shido usually gets in to trouble due to his harem's instability, and that he even has a harem.
- Let's Get Dangerous!: Chapter 16 has Rinne altering her general appearance and Astral Dress for combat purposes, and reveals the true form of her Cassiel, Laharos to wield against the DEM. Funnily enough, she actually activates this in response to Shido flirting with her.
- Magic Music: Cassiel's lyre invokes this with some of its powers. In the beginning of the story Rinne plays it to signal her arrival to Tenguu City, and to lure Kurumi out for meeting. Only Shido, Kurumi, Phantom, and possibly Westcott can hear it. Since Kurumi describes the music as "an elegant performance that only Spirits can hear" in chapter 11, it implies that only full-powered Spirits can perceive the sound.
- Morality Chain: For Kurumi. Rinne will not allow her friend to kill anyone or commit any crime when they are together. Downplayed, since she cannot stop her whenever they are not together, something that Rinne laments frequently.
- Multiform Balance: Seems to be the case with Rinne's "combat form" in Chapter 16. While her Angel unlocks its true form in much the same way Tohka's Sandalphon becomes Halvenhelev, Rinne loses parts of her Astral Dress, and even her hair becomes shorter (although still qualifies for the trope as it still easily covers her back)
- Fanservice Pack: Definitely. As the concept art shows above and the description neatly notes, Rinne loses the veil covering her face as well as most of the curtains on her headdress, which emphasizes her Sexy Backless Outfit. Her clock dress also becomes a Minidress of Power, leaving a good amount of her legs bare on top of a pair of golden stilettos. Even Shido was rendered speechless upon seeing it until Rinne herself snaps him out of his daze.
- Mundane Utility: Rinne uses her Touch Telepathy abilities to chat with Kurumi in Chapter 12 and 14.
- Mysterious Past: Played with. Thanks to Kurumi's Pensieve Flashback ability, Rinne is fully aware of her background as a human who turned into a Spirit, and has her memories of her life when she was human. However, Rinne's connection with Shido proves that there are more about her than what even Kurumi could uncover with her time powers, something Rinne wants to find out.
- Nice Girl: Not unlike Shido, Rinne almost never thinks about herself because she is always considerate of others.
- No-Sell: Rinne does not know about it, but she is immune to Westcott's omniscient Demon King even before she involves herself with Shido, the current owner of Rasiel and the paradox it caused.
- "Not So Different" Remark: Rinne eventually realizes that she and Kurumi aren't so different when it comes to how selfish and absurd their desires are. Rinne is fully aware how selfish she is for wanting a normal life without forsaking her life as a Spirit. Kurumi's true intention with changing the past isn't only for vengeance, but also because she doesn't want to live with the consequences of everything she had done - both the good things and the bad things she had caused. Rinne's awareness of this is the ultimate push she needs to make up her mind and save her friend.
- Not So Stoic: It's actually rather difficult to break Rinne's composure, especially as she rarely expresses anything other than consideration or concern for others. This makes her emotional moments much more notable;
- In Chapter 3, she is just as overwhelmed as Shido is when introducing herself.
- In Chapter 8, the possibility of Inversion almost makes her break down in fear of her plan failing.
- In Chapter 9 and 10, Phantom and Kotori manages to draw out her emotions with different ways respectively.
- In Chapter 12, Rinne is barely holding herself from lashing out at Kurumi because of her frustration with her friend.
- In Chapter 16, Rinne is almost unable to handle Shido's blatant teasing and flirting; she has to verbally cut him off with a transformation to recover and turn the tables.
- In Chapter 18, Rinne is noticeably angered by the truth about Material B and how the DEM uses her to create the Marinas.
- Only Friend: Rinne and Kurumi are this for each other.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Rinne tends to induce this trope to nearly the entire cast, usually because of the vague connection she has with the rest of the cast.
- Past-Life Memories: Implied to be the reason behind Rinne's connection with everyone, Shido in particular. Her goal is to confirm whether or not this is truly the case or not.
- Perpetual Smiler: Rinne almost always keeps her smile at all times, even when she should not. To a degree that, if she is not smiling, it counts as her Not So Stoic moment.
- Pet the Dog: It's safe to say that Rinne is the complete opposite of Lack of Empathy.
- Rinne forbids Kurumi from eating anyone's lifespan whenever she is around... and offers her own Spirit mana as a trade-off.
- To achieve her goal, Rinne can simply kidnap Shido when she manages to lure him out alone in Chapter 3. However, the thought didn't even cross her; Rinne merely wants Shido to open up and trust her enough so that he willingly agrees to help her.
- Despite being aware of Ratatoskr's (only half-justified) distrust at both her friend and herself, Kotori's in particular, Rinne remains polite and truthful when she and Kotori have a face-to-face conversation in Chapter 10.
- Playing Hard to Get: As Shido boldly flirts with her in Chapter 16 and 17, Rinne retorts by calling him a gigolo, transforms into her combat dress to render Shido speechless, and generally tease him in ways Kurumi would approve of (including pulling physical pranks on him).
- Purple Is Powerful: Rinne's Astral Dress and Angel are primarily purple in color, and Kurumi claims that Rinne is more powerful than her in terms of Spirit powers. Even more pronounced as her pink hair turns dark purple in her Inverse form.
- Razor Floss: Cassiel's lyre possesses ten strings with purplish glow which can extend in length and move freely; basically functioning as this trope. Kannazuki observed that they can tear through even Territory-protected aircraft with ease in Chapter 13.
- When Cassiel transforms into Laharos, the lyre transforms into a pair of ribbons wrapped around her arms, each weaved by dozens of the lyre strings. They hover in the air and serve as extensions of Rinne's own body; each of the ribbons can dissolve into strings and reform as Rinne sees fit. In this form, they are extremely deadly, seeing as a single string alone can slice through Combat Realizers and when put together they can mutilate even Spirits into bloody pieces. They can also be delicate when Rinne wants them to, seeing as they can ensnare and restrain Shido without harming him.
- Red Baron: Her Angel Cassiel is also known as "Fate Shaman". It is then revealed to possess a true form much like Tohka's Sandalphon and Halvenhelev, named Laharos which means "Prophecy of Ruin".
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: In the original, Rinne's eyes only turn red when she is in Spirit form. Here however, Rinne can turn her eyes red at will even in human form, as she uses it to intimidate Kotori during their encounter in Chapter 10.
- Reality Warper: Cassiel's primary power is to observe and manipulate destiny, as well as possibilities. It has displayed observation, synchronization and probability manipulation powers, so far.
- Stripperiffic: For some reason, Rinne's idea of casual clothes is a blue mini-skirt and a pink blouse made of gauze.
- Superpower Lottery: Both Kurumi and Rinne claim that the latter is even more powerful than the former, which says a lot considering Kurumi's strength.
- Superpowered Evil Side: Rinne has entered Inverse form some time before the story even began. It's implied that if it were not for Kurumi, she wouldn't have reverted back to normal.
- Synchronization: "Fate Connection". Rinne can connect her own String of Fate with someone who is currently touching Cassiel. She can share her senses, memories, and even her vision of Web of Causality provided the physical contact is maintained.
- Chapter 17 reveals that her Fate Connection possesses two different forms; "Intertwining Souls" and "Sacrificial Bonds" - the former links a two-way connection in order to share her "destiny" with the target (mostly to perform Touch Telepathy mentioned above), while the latter establishes one-way connection for Rinne to drain the lifeforce and Spirit mana from its target much like Kurumi's City of Devouring Time.
- Tears of Joy: Rinne tears up in happiness when Kurumi comes up with a way to save her plans from being completely ruined in chapter 8.
- The Tease: Not as much as Kurumi, but she still does this from time to time in her mannerisms and speech. Rinne states that this is because Kurumi rubs on her.
- Trauma Button: Her Inversion. Just the possibility of it happening to her is enough to drive her into a Heroic BSoD.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Rinne and Kurumi are not above teasing, snarking, and joking with each other. Rinne in particular likes to tease her partner about her Old Shame.
- Winds of Destiny, Change!: "Dance with Destiny". It is not yet shown directly, but it seems this ability manipulates the probabilities of events happening. She seems to arrange the coincidences happening in the series using this power.
Unaffiliated Characters
Kurumi Tokisaki
Kurumi Tokisaki
- "Ara, I am a type of person who doesn't believe even [myself]. Why would I believe in you?"
- Code Name: "Nightmare"Angel: Zafkiel (Clock)Astral Dress: Elohim
- Ability Mixing: In Chapter 8, Kurumi mentions Rinne's Cassiel can be used in tandem with Zafkiel to allow the latter's Seers ability to be reasonably utilized. In the same chapter, she also mentions "Labyrinth of Fate and Time", a combination technique which utilizes both of their Angels, although she is yet to mention what it does specifically.
- Anti-Villain: Kurumi is a truly odd mix of Noble Demon and Well-Intentioned Extremist in canon. Here, this gets deconstructed in two ways.
- Only a few characters are aware of her motivations In-Universe, and none of her behavior helps to make her look symphathetic to others. As a result, the only ones who see her as an Anti-Villain are the ones who are willing to look past her facade and see her true nature (Shido, Rinne and Phantom); the rest sees her as a monster not worthy of any consideration.
- On the other hand, as Shido and Rinne are able to see Kurumi's more human and symphathetic side, this motivates the two of them to push Kurumi into performing a Heel–Face Turn, something that Kurumi desperately wants to avoid.
- Arch-Enemy: The First Spirit, Takamiya Mio, whom Kurumi suspects to be Phantom, is this for her, so much that Kurumi dedicates her entire existence to undo the First's birth.
- Ax-Crazy: Notably downplayed, she is less of a psycho here than in canon, possibly due to Rinne's influence before even meeting Shido in the story. She is still Kurumi however, as she still displays questionable behavior such as complete nonchalance over committing crimes if she can get away with it.
- Awesome, but Impractical: Fifth Bullet, Hei. Kurumi could see glimpses of the future with it, but the sheer number of visions would strain her mind. Rinne's Cassiel could mitigate the strain by calculating and mapping out the alternate possibilities, making it more feasible to use.
- Berserk Button: Do not make fun of Rinne around her if you know what's good for you. She almost attacks Phantom when the entity impersonates Rinne, only stopping because Kurumi senses the real Rinne's arrival on Tenguu City. When Kurumi finds out that Phantom tried to manipulate her friend, she lets out a Skyward Scream in rage.
- Best Served Cold: Kurumi's main motivation is a personal vendetta against the First Spirit. Kurumi wanted to travel 30 years into the past because she originally wanted to kill the progenitor of all Spirits with her bare hands, but upon finding out that it was beyond her power, Kurumi settles on killing the people who summoned the First instead - Westcott, Ellen, and Woodman — in order to rewrite history and prevent the First's summoning.
- Brutal Honesty: Kurumi Will Not Tell a Lie, but this isn't always a good thing. She verbally kicks Rinne in the gut with this trope in Chapter 8.
- Cast from Lifespan: The consequences for her Superpower Lottery. She mitigates this with her City of Devouring Time.
- Casting a Shadow: Her secondary powers.
- The Chessmaster: She is very intelligent in canon, but here she gets to show it off by coming up with a very complex plan to cover for Rinne's own completely ruined plan in Chapter 8.
- Cosplay Otaku Girl: Her In-Universe Old Shame is that she used to be this, with extra emphasis on both the cosplay and the otaku part. There are signs that she still enjoys it, as seen when she actually keeps her cosplay outfit from five years ago, and even knows that an anime festival is held inside one of Tenguu City's malls.
- Declaration of Protection: Kurumi makes one for Rinne in Chapter 8.Kurumi: I refuse to see you suffer in despair. Not when I can do something about it.
- Determinator: See The Unfettered below.
- Elegant Gothic Lolita: Her gothic preferences is given more focus here. Not only she prefers Lolita clothing, she also displays some knowledge in classic culture: she is able to recognize Rinne's music as a serenade in Chapter 1 merely by listening, and her monologue shows her knowledge about the music.
- Et Tu, Brute?: Kurumi is aware that Rinne would have liked her to give up on her goal, but she thinks that Rinne can tolerate that. Upon finding out just how much Rinne wants to see her being saved in Chapter 12, Kurumi feels betrayed, and is upset enough to the point that she questions her own righteousness with her path.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Kurumi herself knows better than anyone that she is no saint, but even she is disgusted by the Deus Ex Machina's treatment of Material B, and their method to create Marina from Material B's body.
- Evil Laugh: Very often, either in the form of unnerving giggles, or full-blown maniacal laughter.
- Expendable Clone: Kurumi still treats her clones (which are temporal clones created from her past memories and experiences) as mere expendable pawns here. Perhaps even more so than canon, since she explicitly orders her clones to commit suicide and even kill each other just to return their memories to her for quicker information gathering. It also made the lives of her clones — one of them in particular — harder than it should be.
- Friendly Enemy: She has become this toward Shido and the Ratatoskr, but only Shido is willing to see her as such; others see a Manipulative Bitch.
- Girly Skirt Twirl: Kurumi seems to love spinning on her heel, resulting in this trope. She does this especially when discussing about matters that need careful thought with Rinne.
- Guns Akimbo: As per canon, her Angel's long and short hands are a musket and a flintlock, respectively.
- Gun Twirling: She does this when she not-so-jokingly threatens to shoot Rinne in Chapter 4.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Like in canon, Phantom's antics annoy her greatly. Her very presence is enough to make Kurumi frown. Ditto for Takamiya Mio or the First Spirit, whom Kurumi suspects to be the same entity as Phantom.
- Heel–Face Turn: What Shido and Rinne are trying to make her do. One of her clones has already done this back in Volume 3, and although she was killed twice, she returns yet again in Chapter 11.
- Heterosexual Lifepartners: With Rinne, possibly even more intimate than it appears.
- Lack of Empathy: One of her biggest issues is her inability to understand the emotions and feelings of others on a personal level. Since she shuts her emotions away, she literally does not give a damn about the lives she took or ruined, and even with Shido and Rinne whom she does care about, she has trouble comprehending their desires since both of whom are motivated by sentimental emotions toward her. This is most obvious at Chapter 12, in which Kurumi is shocked that Rinne actually treasures the bond they have together more than her own wish.
- Large Ham: Kurumi used to be this trope when she was still a Cosplay Otaku Girl, and still displays some shades of it from time to time, especially when she is at her craziest.
- Lampshade Hanging: Kurumi points out how odd it was that Westcott found out about Tohka due to Yoshino watching a drama, and Origami being possessive over Shido.
- Magical Eye: Her golden clock eye represents her lifespan, it ticks counter-clockwise when she is devouring lives and clockwise as she uses her Time Master abilities. Interestingly, Kurumi can also see (but not interpret) the 'Strings of Fate' coming out of Rinne's Angel when the latter activates her 'Web of Causality'.
- Morality Pet: Rinne is one for her; Kurumi takes a break from her murderous streak, and even keeps herself from upsetting Rinne (and that means avoiding any and all sorts of her more questionable actions) whenever they are together.
- Mysterious Past: Not the focus of the story, but no one save for herself and Rinne knows about her background; how did she become a Spirit and how did she develop a grudge against the First Spirit.
- Nice Girl: Only for Rinne, and to a lesser extent, Shido.
- Only Friend: Kurumi and Rinne are this for each other. Especially meaningful for Kurumi, as she is the more aloof and anti-social among the two.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Unlike most others in the story, her OOC behavior is voluntary. Kurumi keeps her Ax-Crazy and sadistic tendencies in check whenever she is with Rinne. Heck, Rinne describes Kurumi as "like a normal girl" when they are having fun together in an anime festival during Chapter 4, 5, and 6.
- Pet the Dog: Chapter 8 shows the extent Kurumi is willing to physically, mentally and emotionally help her partner, culminating in her Declaration of Protection.
- Reset Button Ending: The consequence of her endgame. If she successfully prevents the First Spirit from being summoned, then the plot would be resolved, as there will be no Spirit at all and everybody would live normal lives. Kurumi thinks that achieving this is Rinne's secondary motivation to help her. The keyword here is "thinks" - it isn't completely true, as Kurumi finds out later in Chapter 12.
- Sadist: Not a fully straight example. Kurumi loves to inflict pain, crush the hopes, and take the lives of others, especially if she thinks they deserve it. However, she is fully aware of how reprehensible she is, and considers herself an irredeemable villain because of that.
- Set Right What Once Went Wrong: Her goal in a nutshell. She wants to kill the people who summoned the First Spirit thirty years ago, to prevent it from being summoned and the Spirits from existing in the first place, as a form of her vengeance against the First Spirit who wronged her in the past.
- Shadow Walker: Kurumi's primary method of transportation apart from Flight. She cannot teleport through shadows, but she can pass through physical objects such as the ground, walls, entire buildings, etc.
- The Tease: It's not Kurumi if she doesn't have this.
- This Is Unforgivable!: Her attitude towards her own mission and goal. This is mostly obscured by her sadistic tendencies as she clearly enjoys what she does. In truth, Kurumi feels that she doesn't deserve happiness of any kind or form due to her villainy.
- Time Master: Her main powers.
- The Unfettered: How Rinne describes Kurumi's current state of mind. For the sake of her goal, Kurumi won't let anything get in the way. Chapter 12 shows that she still cares for Rinne, but it doesn't deter her determination to reach her goal at all; Kurumi believes that by removing the First Spirit out of existence, Rinne will ultimately be happier as a normal human. Although, their argument at the end of said chapter puts some doubt in her resolve, and thus her current status as this trope is questionable.
- Villains Out Shopping: Well, anti-villain, but this trope is almost taken literally when Kurumi decides to go out with Rinne for an anime festival in a mall for three chapters straight (4 - 6).
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Kurumi and Rinne are not above teasing, snarking, and joking with each other. Kurumi in particular loves to mock Rinne when she is nervous, or teases her Nice Girl attitude.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Kurumi acknowledges herself as one in this fic. Doesn't stop her from viewing herself as beyond redemption though, and she refuses to allow herself (and her future selves) be happy for that.
Phantom
Phantom
- "I never deceived anyone with words."
- Adaptational Villainy: A minor example, but Phantom noticeably enjoys mocking Kurumi in the first chapter, which the canon Phantom does not actively do (although Phantom in general is very sarcastic).
- Cryptic Conversation: Not unlike with Shido back then in Volume 1 and 12, this is how Phantom speaks with Rinne in Chapter 9.
- A Form You Are Comfortable With: Phantom's ability to use Rinne's appearance is brought up in Chapter 1, and in Chapter 9 where she impersonates Rinne's Inverse form.
- The Heavy: Her role here is mostly the same as in canon; to provide cryptic information to Kurumi and latter, Rinne.
- Pet the Dog: In her conversation with Rinne, Phantom outright tells Rinne that she will be better off not knowing the true connection between her and Shido, and subtly tries to dissuade her, even though Phantom resorts to using Rinne's own fear of Inversion against her. This is as close as she possibly can be to showing sympathy toward someone.
- Telepathy: One of Phantom's signature quality is that her distorted voice is telepathic: every single person who have heard her voice always describes it as being heard inside the head as opposed to reaching the ears. It's part of her set of Psychic Powers, along with her ability to manipulate memories and enter people's minds when unconscious.
The Sealed Spirits
Kotori Itsuka
Kotori Itsuka
- "Don't say things like 'my life is always in danger' or stuff like that."
- A Day in the Limelight: The story quite notably puts a considerable amount of focus on Kotori, and several chapter segments are told from her POV instead of the above characters. One of the more dramatic plot points early on focuses on how Kotori wants to meet Rinne directly, for unspecified yet easily guessable reasons.
- Clingy Jealous Girl: Apart from her jealousy at Rinne for apparently 'stealing' her brother, Kotori also reacts badly when she sees Shido with Rio, a little girl who appears like, and claims Shido as, her father, and is ready to kick him in the chin for that.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Kotori does not take it well when she realizes Shido might be well and truly attracted to Rinne.
- Jerkass to One: Justified and understandably so. Kotori doesn't trust Kurumi at all for being a threat to the lives of Shido and other people, and is unwilling to give any sort of consideration for the Spirit of Time despite being one of Ratatoskr's capture targets like any other Spirit. Naturally, this extends to Rinne, who seems to be a close ally to Kurumi.
- A Mother to Her Men: As per canon, Kotori takes the safety and wellbeing of her crew and her fellow sealed Spirits seriously. She is truly upset when she realizes Miku is blaming herself for Shido's coma, and her order for the sealed Spirits to go back home was not considering their feelings.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In Chapter 6, the moment Kotori lays eyes on a picture of Rinne's face in Spirit form, she suddenly becomes terrified and puts away the camera. Kotori wonders how Rinne manages to scare her, and questions whether it's also why Shido suddenly went unconscious after seeing the same thing earlier in the chapter.
- Tsundere: Taken into new heights once Kotori suspects Shido of being in love with, or at least attracted to, Rinne. She is vehement on meeting the mysterious Spirit and tries to rationalize it in any way possible to justify herself.
Tohka Yatogami
Tohka Yatogami
- "I am with you!"
- Demoted to Extra: Downplayed given she is consistently mentioned and the story still shifts to her POV once in a while, but Tohka is noticeably less prominent here than she is in canon.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In Chapter 5, the moment Tohka lays eyes on the face of Rinne's Spirit form, she becomes terrified and notices her instincts telling her she's in danger.
Yoshino
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In Chapter 5, the moment Yoshino lays eyes on the face of Rinne's Spirit form, she suddenly becomes scared, much to her worry and confusion.
Yamai Sisters
Miku Izayoi
- It's All My Fault: Miku blames herself about being partially responsible for Shido's coma after Chapter 5. She only recovers out of it after Origami assures her otherwise in Chapter 14.
- Tears of Joy: Miku breaks down in tears upon seeing Shido after he woke up from the coma that she is partially responsible for in Chapter 14.
Natsumi
Origami Tobiichi
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In Chapter 5, the moment Origami lays eyes on the face of Rinne's Spirit form, she freezes in fear; leaving her unable to take a picture of the Spirit she stalks. This leads Origami to question who Rinne really is.
Nia Honjou
- The Unseen: Nia hasn't physically appeared in the story beyond multiple mentions of her name, likely justified by the fact she's still recovering from what happened to her during the events of Vol 13.
The Ratatoskr
Reine Murasame
Kannazuki Kyouhei
- Nerves of Steel: As per canon. He remains calm even as he negotiates with Rinne and Kurumi, face-to-face and quickly regains his composure even when surprised during Chapter 13 and 14.
The Deus Ex Machina Industries
Sir Isaac Pelham Ray Westcott
Ellen Mira Mathers
Spoiler Characters
Spoiler Character #1
Rio
- "Papa, you didn't create me alone. There's Mama, too!"
After being traumatized by a brutal memory of Rinne murdering him, Shido falls into a coma. As his emotional state is too unstable, his massive amounts of Spirit mana reacts and creates a new identity, similar to what happened to Shido in Rinne Utopia and Mayuri Judgment as well as Volume 12.
This new identity manifests as a Spirit who doubles as the living embodiment of Shido's Spirit mana. Usually she remains dormant as energy in Shido's body, but she can take a physical form of a Spirit at will.
Rio lacks a name at first, but a chapter after her birth she is given one by Shido, who combines a syllable from his name with Rinne's. Since then, Rio takes the role of both a Spirit Advisor and an Enigmatic Empowering Entity for Shido.
- Code Name: "Irregular"Angel: UnknownAstral Dress: Unknown
- Affectionate Nickname: Much like in Rio Reincarnation, Rio creates nicknames for people she likes. Papa for Shido, Mama for Rinne, etc. Notably, she refers to both the original Kurumi and one of Kurumi's clones as Kurumin.
- Badass Adorable/Little Miss Badass: Notable since she is both a Token Mini-Moe even smaller than Kotori, Yoshino and Natsumi and also the most powerful Spirit yet introduced, second only to the First Spirit.
- Becoming the Mask: The side effects of Rio's "Aspect of the Sephiroth" is that Shido takes the personality of the Spirit he transforms into in order to control their powers to their fullest extent.
- Cheerful Child: Although less so because Rio exhibits more Troubling Unchildlike Behavior compared to the original, Rio still openly expresses her thoughts and whims befitting a child.
- Cryptic Conversation: An unintentional example due to her childishness. Rio seems to know the circumstances of her own birth, but her way of talking really makes little sense to everyone.
- The Empath: Rio is extremely sensitive to magical and Spirit energy, and the emotions conveyed through them. On multiple occasions Rio reacts to Shido's mood changes, even when she manifests out of Shido's psyche. In physical form, she proves herself able to detect Hraesvelgr (a Realizer-powered stealth helicopter which is both completely silent and invisible to the naked eye) when it flies at an altitude above most buildings, before Kurumi and Rinne (who are there with her) can sense anything. In Chapter 18, Rio shows her detection isn't limited to her physical form either, as she proves herself capable of identifying the lack of an Angel connected to the Marinas while remaining inside Shido.
- Energy Being: Rio is Shido's Spirit mana given consciousness, similar to Rinne and Mayuri in their respective spin-offs. Rio usually stays within Shido in energy form, but is capable of taking physical form to interact with others. Like Rinne and Mayuri, Rio will also die if her powers are sealed by Shido.
- Enigmatic Empowering Entity: Not much yet is known about Rio, but she is capable of channeling her immense powers to Shido, granting him a degree of control over his powers that rivals the Spirits themselves.
- The Force Is Strong with This One: In physical form, Rio more or less broadcasts her presence to the immediate vicinity with the sheer amount of Spirit energy she exudes. Even Shido can feel the density of Rio's mana through his skin, let alone Wizards or other Spirits.
- The Heartless: Rio (in a roundabout way) explains that she is this, not unlike the original. To be specific, Rio is a manifestation of Shido's longing of Rinne, although unlike in Rio Reincarnation, she is probably not just a small part of Eden this time.
- Like Mother, Like Daughter: Rio is mostly a child version of Rinne in her Spirit form, with minor differences in their color scheme and attire.
- Meaningful Name: This fic explains that Rio is a combination of a sylable from both of her parent's names, which is fitting since Rio is their "daughter" in a sense.
- "Sephiroth" is another name for the Tree of Life in Kabbalah teachings, and it resides in Eden. The names of the ten Guardian Archangels of the Tree are used for the Angels of the Spirits in Date a Live. Considering Rio's Angel is likely similar to her canon counterpart - Eden - then her "Aspect of the Sephiroth" becomes doubly meaningful.
- Nice Girl: As expected from Shido and Rinne's daughter.
- Perpetual Smiler: Rio rarely changes her expression from her default gentle smile, even when irritated.
- The Power of Creation: Spirits in general can conjure their Astral Dresses from their mana and alter its forms in however way they want but they are weakened if they took any other forms other than their original. Rio takes this to its logical extreme as she can literally conjure an object as complicated as a piano from her mana alone, and it seems to be made of gold to boot. Whether she makes use of Natsumi's power of shapeshifting for this is not yet known.
- Shipper on Deck: Just like the original, Rio encourages Shido and Rinne to spend time together as much as possible.
- Spirit Advisor: Ironically plays this role to her own father, constantly pointing out things that Shido forgets or overlooks. Rio also calms Shido down when he gets a panic attack upon meeting Rinne again in Chapter 13.
- Story-Breaker Power: Rio is formed out of the Spirit energy of 8 Spirits. When you remember how ridiculously overpowered Rinne was in Rinne Utopia with half of that number, it's safe to say Rio is this.
- Chapter 14 shows a fraction of Rio's actual strength with her "Aspect of the Sephiroth" in which she channels the powers and essence of Tohka, and as a result Shido is able to transform into Tohka, complete with her appearance, Astral Dress, Angel, personality and all.
- Chapter 18 also has Rio explain that she is very much capable of creating Guardians in much the same manner Rinne did with her Eden in Rinne Utopia, further implying Rio's tremendous power.
- Telepathy: While remaining as energy inside Shido, Rio speaks to Shido directly to his mind, and all of Shido's private thoughts are clear to her. This cements her role as a Spirit Advisor.
- Third-Person Person: Notable since when she hasn't been given a name, she speaks normally, but changes to this once Shido names her Rio.
- Traumatic Superpower Awakening: Rio is this trope for Shido, as a result of losing control of his powers due to a memory of Rinne killing him.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Subtle, but from time to time Rio breaks her Cheerful Child attitude and speaks in a more direct, assertive way. This is especially noticeable when she is reminding Shido of the things he needs to do.
- Voluntary Shapeshifting: She can induce this to Shido with her Aspect of the Sephiroth ability.
- Walking Spoiler: Her very existence makes a significant impact to the story.
Spoiler Character #2
Other Kurumi
- "I see that you don't remember me?"
She makes her debut in Chapter 10, but only introduces herself in Chapter 11 as the 'Kurumi of that day' to Rinne, and later Shido at the same chapter.
'Kurumi' returns again more or less on accident back sometime after Volume 6, after the real Kurumi lost much of her forces against DEM. It made Kurumi rush in replenishing her numbers, and she accidentally brought back this 'Kurumi' to life with her power.
Now considering herself separate from her original self, 'Kurumi' becomes a major ally for Rinne to further the latter's plans.
- Anti-Villain: Type 4, much like Rinne. She sees herself as a mere shadow of the real Kurumi, and now sees that the purpose of her existence is to help Shido and Rinne.
- The Atoner: Seems to be her current motivations, for all the atrocities that she has committed in the past.
- Ax-Crazy: Subverted. She displays disturbing behavior similar to her original to Shido in Chapter 11 and later Kotori in Chapter 12, but they are all playful pretense on her part.
- Back from the Dead: This is the second time she has returned back to life, and just like before it was more or less an accident, or "an act of God" by the real Kurumi and Rinne's words.
- Casting a Shadow: As a clone of Kurumi, this is the only power she has, and even then it is nowhere as powerful as the original.
- The Chessmaster: Just as much as her original self. Even the original Kurumi acknowledges her intelligence for modifying her and Rinne's plans to speed it up and make it more effective.
- Cryptic Conversation: Upon reuniting with Shido at Chapter 11, she initially tries to remind Shido of her by using the same words she said to him during their meeting half a year ago at the Tanabata Festival. Shido gets the clue, and after that she decides to be straightforward.
- Dark Is Not Evil: Very much in effect.
- Girly Skirt Twirl: Much like the original, she also loves doing this.
- Guns Akimbo: Still has Kurumi's signature guns.
- Heel–Face Turn: She has already pulled one since Volume 3.
- Kick the Dog: Much as she tries to rectify it, 'Kurumi' still has severe problems to care about anyone who isn't Shido or Rinne. This is reflected in how she considers the Spirit she and Ratatoskr are aiming to free as a mere object of bargain. Shido calls her out on this.
- Lack of Empathy: Not as bad as the original Kurumi, but unless you have something to do with Shido or Rinne, chances are she does not care.
- Large Ham: Unlike the original, this Kurumi pretty much indulges in her playful theatrical way of speech for all it's worth, seeing as Shido said that he likes that about her.
- Love Redeems: The ultimate reason for her Heel–Face Turn is that her feelings for Shido outweigh her own desire for revenge.
- Luminescent Blush: When Rinne thanks her for simply existing as proof that Kurumi can still be saved, 'Kurumi' is so touched she can't help but blush.
- Nice Girl: She is overall much nicer than the real Kurumi. She doesn't bat an eye when Kotori blatantly disrespects and badmouths her under her watch, she even stops Rinne from leashing out against Kotori thereafter. 'Kurumi' also openly accepts and compliments Rinne's more emotional side, and is much more willing to show her concern and affection towards her Only Friend than her original (which is saying something!), to say nothing of her behavior towards Shido, whom she has feelings for.
- Redemption Equals Death: She went through it twice, but it is ultimately subverted as she returns again.
- The Tease: Still loves indulging in this, especially to Shido and Rinne.
- Walking Spoiler: Her return kickstarts the major events of the story and moves the plot forward.
Spoiler Character #3
Material B
- "Ah... when will it end? When will I wake up?"
Her codename was first mentioned in Chapter 14, right after Shido, Rio, Rinne, Kurumi, and 'the other Kurumi' meet together with Kannazuki inside Ratatoskr's secret ship Hraesvelgr. Material B is the Spirit their temporary alliance intends to free, and as such her very existence has a significant impact on the plot.
As Shido, Rinne and especially Kurumi fight their way to the bottom of the facility, Material B becomes able to sense their presence, and she goes on to have several monologues about herself. Despite this, it is not until Chapter 19 where Kurumi finally enters her telepathic range that she formally introduces herself as none other than Mayuri, from Mayuri Judgment.
Click here to see the drawing depicting her appearance and true identity after Chapter 18's release. note
- And I Must Scream: Considering how gruesome Nia's torture during her time as DEM's captive, it is safe to assume Material B isn't having the time of her life in the Cage of Judgment, even though she is in a coma. The monologues she has upon realizing three Spirits are coming to her rescue indicate she is still conscious in a dream-like state. Chapter 18 reveals exactly what kind of Cold-Blooded Torture she went through, and Chapter 19 confirms she is feeling every moment without being able to do anything about it.
- Arch-Enemy: Material B's monologues are fairly subdued despite being essentially lamentations about her fate... except when she is thinking about the one who was responsible for her imprisonment. She even swears one of the things she will do after her freedom is to kill "the one who began this destiny".
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Manages to be worse than even Nia's case, which is saying something. Although she is in a comatose state, her tremendous Healing Factor still works, which allows the DEM to repeatedly butcher and dismember her to harvest enough body parts to create an army of flesh puppets. Rinne, Shido and even Kurumi are absolutely sickened when they find out.
- Convenient Coma: Westcott muses in Chapter 15 that Material B was not exactly captured so much as she was discovered - because Material B was already in a comatose state when found. He is also slightly bothered that no amount of effort or torture manages to awaken the Spirit. Rinne and the protagonists learn of this later in Chapter 18.
- The Empath: A very powerful one, at that. Material B's ability to sense magical and Spirit energy is such that she can detect Shido, Rinne and Kurumi while they were still several kilometres above her floor. She is even able to scan the Spirit wavelength, and by extension the emotional state, of Spirits like Kurumi who is able to mask her wavelengths from Ratatoskr.
- Telepathy: Material B is also able to use her Spirit wavelengths to send messages, in much the same way Phantom could. Its range is however much shorter than her detection range, as she is only able to reach Kurumi once the latter is right above her floor. Also, she can't exactly read the thoughts of Spirits, only sense their feelings, meaning her telepathy is far more limited than Phantom's.
- Fate Worse than Death: Her monologues from Chapter 17 to 19 certainly gives off this impression. It is Chapter 19 which firmly establishes her recent 4 years as DEM's captive is nothing short of a nightmare, though: not only she is put through such a brutal Cold-Blooded Torture in which she must have wanted to scream, she is quite literally Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can; her mind is sealed within the Sephira Crystal implanted in her body, thus ensuring her body will live but also preventing her from controlling it. She is effectively a prisoner within her own body.
- Hair-Trigger Temper: Just thinking about the person responsible for her Fate Worse than Death is enough for her to be enraged.
- Healing Factor: Possesses an incredibly powerful one which allows her to survive things like complete dismemberment and even losing her head, as long as she has enough Spirit energy to feed herself. Sadly, this is heavily abused by the DEM and it gives her a serious case of Immortality Hurts.
- Immortality Hurts: To And I Must Scream levels of pain. See Cold-Blooded Torture above.
- Life Drinker: It's an easy detail to miss, but Material B is stated by Rinne in Chapter 18 to passively absorb the magical energy from the Territory the DEM uses to imprison her, which is what fuels her Healing Factor in the first place.
- Nice Girl: Once Kurumi enters her telepathic range in Chapter 19, Material B presents herself as a polite and considerate person, if a bit gullible. And since she is actually Mayuri, this is to be expected.
- No-Sell: Much like Phantom and Rinne, Material B is immune to Westcott's omniscient Demon King. This is one of the reasons why Material B fascinates him so much.
- Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can: Chapter 19 reveals this to be the cause for her Convenient Coma. See Fate Worse than Death above.
- Walking Spoiler: Freeing her from imprisonment by the DEM is the primary objective of the alliance between Rinne and Kurumi with the Ratatoskr, to say nothing of her true identity.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Gives a comment to this effect to Kurumi after they introduce each other. Kurumi predictably refuses to acknowledge it.
Spoiler Character #4
Ars Unit 1: Marina
A mysterious entity who claims to be the security system of the Cage of Judgment, who appears in the form of a large number of identical girls with Astral Dresses and Wizard equipments.She appears out of nowhere in Chapter 16 to intercept Kurumi's advance right in the middle point of the underground facility in the Cage of Judgment, and successfully halted the Nightmare's army of clones, although not the real one.
Her existence has been foreshadowed by Rinne and Kurumi since early in the story, and the revelations about the Marina's true nature in the following chapters are tied to Material B, which makes her just as significant into the plot.
