Yuji, the main character of the story, is just an average high school student. However, his world is turned upside down when he discovers that he is already dead and does not have much time before he disappears. Fortunately, Yuji is a Mystes who contains a treasure known as the Reiji Maigo. The treasure inside him restores his Power of Existence every night at midnight. With the Reiji Maigo, Yuji has the possibility to live on like an average human as long as he makes sure that his Power of Existence does not run out before midnight. Yuji is kind person who puts others before himself. This often draws much confusion and annoyance from Shana, as prior Torches from Shana's experience exhibited selfish attitudes. However, Yuji's compassion and empathy sow the seeds of attraction between him and Shana.
Shana: I should have hit him at least ten more times.
A God Am I: As Snake of the Festival, with him believing he has the right to destroy and reform the world as he pleases.
Actually, he does not want to destroy the world, nor does he destroy the world. The Flame Haze feared that the Snake of the Festival's tampering with the balance (in order to create a paradise where Crimson Denizens would not need to devour humans' Power of Existence) would destroy the world, but they were wrong.
Angst? What Angst?: Invoked. Kind of. He cares more about people being sad because of him dying than of death itself. To be exact, he's even glad that death would turn him into a Ret Gone, because of his nature as a torch. He does angst about his own identity twice or thrice, but usually whenever he's worried, it's about everybody but himself, who's the resident Tomato in the Mirror.
Big Bad: Eventually becomes the one after ascending as Snake of the Festival and leading Bal Masqué.
Actually, not only are his and the Snake's intentions noble, but they're completely right in believing that their plan will save the world. Which really makes them the...
Chewing the Scenery: When Yuji freaks out and begins screaming in custody of Zarovee. Justified in that he's trying to attract Tanaka's attention, who he knows can alert Margery and Shana to what's going on.
Easily Forgiven: By the end of the series, Yuji has been incredibly ruthless and killed thousands of Flame Hazes and humans in order to end the Forever War. However, Shana forgives him and tells him that she still loves him spite of what he did.
Actually, they (Yuji and the Snake) don't want to destroy the world. They want to rewrite the rules governing the world to create another realm for Denizens to live without needing to devour humans' Power of Existence. Hardly the definition of evil, especially since the final light novel reveals that Yuji was right and the Flame Haze were wrong. And to be fair, Shana still loved Yuji despite being his enemy, and wanted to redeem him.
Forgotten Fallen Friend: During the his reign as Snake of The Festival, all of his human friends (save Yoshida, Keisaku and Eita) starts to forget him, and by the time the final battle between the Flame Hazes and Bal Masque unfolds, even his mother forgot about him, sadly and innocently enjoying her newborn baby as her "only" son.
Good Is Not Nice: Yuji breaks the Crimson Denizen Zarovee's neck with his bare hands! And after he joins the Snake of the Festival, he brutally beats Shana in battle (temporarily traumatizing her) and then imprisons her, drives Margery past the Despair Event Horizon, and demoralizes the Flame Haze army arrayed against him to the point that they prove easy prey for his followers.
Yuji actually began as a Nice Guy. He ends up as this instead after becoming disillusioned about being able to end the war between Flame Haze and Crimson Denizens.
Hopeless Suitor: When he became Snake of the Festival. He has no problem confessing his love to her every two seconds, but Shana doesn't want him that way.
To be sure, she still loves him, she just wants to redeem him before having a relationship with him.
Love Makes You Evil: Eventually it was revealed why Yuji was so willing to become Snake Of The Festival; with his godly powers he planned to make a new earth, a mirror of the current one, but without the Flame Hazes or Bal Masque, and no more people becoming forgotten, torches, nor more wars, he and Shana would be able to live a happy life. That said, the methods for fufilling his dream are beyond extreme, genocides and Sanity Slippage, Yuji claims to be doing all of this for Shana, but it only kept her apart from him.
Subverted, turns out, he's the good guy all along. The Flame Haze, while they have good intentions, are misguided. There are no genocides, all deaths are the result of the war. As much as Yuji likes the Flame Haze, they are trying to kill him and his followers, who turn out to actually be right about the whole saving the world thing.
Meaningful Name: His father later reveals that Yuji actually had an older brother who died at birth. Thus, in memory of the first baby and from the parents' wish, the second baby was given the name Yuji, which means "Second (child) who shall live long".
In the novels, it's clear that he's not that oblivious to Shana's love, but he's rather waiting for her to take the first step, just to be sure... which is weird, since it's traditionally the man who's expected to take this step.
Even without the Snake, Yuji is one, though he does not yet know how to use his power to its full potential. Thanks to Hecate's synchronization with him, Alastor confirmed he has the power of a Crimson God.
Selective Obliviousness: He had to get Hayato's help to realize Kazumi's feeling toward him.
Sharing a Body: With Snake of the Festival, and yet it didn't change Yuji that much — by his own words, "there's no one in his body but him". Shana and friends however insist that the one before them is Snake of The Festival, not Yuji.
The Flame Haze are wrong.
Shout Out: It could be just me, but Snake of the Festival Yuji and Id have a lot in common.
Take Over the World: Destroy it, reform it and finally take it; those are his goals as the Snake of the Festival.
Not destroy the world or rule the world actually. He created a duplicate earth for the Denizens to live on, and the Snake of the Festival leaves Yuji to sleep now that his task is done.
The Strategist: Yuji discovers the secret behind Friagne's Dance Party weapon, the secret behind Sabrac's invulnerability and how to defeat him, and how to end the Forever War and save numerous humans, Flame Haze, and Denizens.
They Do: Yuji and Shana end up in a romantic relationship at the end of the series.
Token Good Teammate: Originally, Shana and the other Flame Haze cared more for preserving the balance over protecting innocent lives, making them more Lawful Neutral than Lawful Good. Yuji was the only one who cared about protecting people, but his influence turns Shana, and, to a lesser extent, Margery and Wilhelmina to his way of thinking. And then, when he merges with the Snake of the Festival and leads Bal Masqué, he (and the Snake) are the only ones to care about protecting human lives. The rest of Bal Masqué could care less about humanity, and one of them, Hecate, is renowned for casually murdering humans.
Tomato in the Mirror: He has to find out that he's a torch, the outburning flame of a person who lost the majority of his/her lifeforce to a Tomogara. Usually that would mean that he's doomed to be become a Ret Gone, but a MacGuffin is protecting him from this fate.
Yandere: A subtle one at first, especially in the novels towards Shana. Becomes a full-fledged one after becoming the Snake of the Festival. Then Lord help you if you stand between him and Shana.
To put it another way: he's going to destroy and recreate the universe just so Shana doesn't have to fight anymore.
He doesn't destroy the world, he creates a duplicate world for the Denizens to live peacefully on.
Yuji's classmate. She has a crush on him, but is a bit too shy to tell him directly. When Shana becomes her love-rival, she vows to tell Yuji her feelings and to let him decide between her and Shana.
Barehanded Blade Block: Played straight in one of Shakugan no Shana-tan OVAs, where she casually blocks Shana-tan's sword with her fingers.
Die for Our Ship: invoked In an unfortunate example, it's nearly literal, as she uses a Treasure Tool that would use up her existence to summon the Crimson Lord Pheles to the battlefield that ... Although it turns out that it is the singleminded dedication one must have in order to be willing to die that summons Pheles, and her death is not actually required.
Feminine Women Can Cook: She often makes bento for Yuji — which is an ability that Shana will not have.
Hair Decorations: Of course with her cute white ribbon and two pair of red hairclips. But in some episode she wear something else cuter like on the episode where Ike confesses to her.
Yuji's friend since Junior High School. Carries the title "Megane-man" ("Glasses Man"). He is secretly fond of Yoshida; however, as Yuji's loyal (and best) friend, he is the one who helps her to show her feelings toward Yuji.
Genre Savvy: At least with regards to the "slice-of-life" aspects of the story. Ike gets increasingly annoyed at Yuji as the story progresses for how much of a Chick Magnet he turns out to be and how Oblivious to Love he is, and even calls him out on it.
Serious Business: His frankly ludicrous level of planning for the theme park visit; that entire episode is largely poking fun at how seriously Ike takes things in general. The dramatic battle music even plays when something goes wrong.
Yuji's mother. She can seem gentle but she's strong and very intelligent. Her husband, Kantaro, works outside the country. Chigusa remains ignorant of Shana's and Yuji's true nature, but becomes a source of good advice for Shana on matters where Alastor can not counsel her. The Crimson Lord himself acknowledges and bows to her wisdom after a phone call between the two of them when he posed as Shana's guardian.
A somewhat Lonely Rich Kid who, along with his friend Eita, wind up becoming Margery's retainers\henchmen. He's rich, and his house pretty much becomes Margey's by extension, and both he and Eita have a thinly veiled crush on her, albeit his is stronger.
Bodyguard Crush: Margery may not need him in that capacity, but he has feelings for her as if he were her bodyguard and he did fall for his protectee.
Subordinate Excuse: He's more accurately this. Though it was initially a barely hidden sexual attraction at first for both himself and Eita, he started gaining actual feelings for her.
Dogged Nice Guy: Has unbelievable patience in regards to Margery. He gets her hangover medicnine whenever she drinks herself half stupid, he often helps onto the couch or into bed after she nearly collaspes from her booze drinking, and whatever she wants he does without fail. In short, he is VERY devoted to her for good or ill.
Likes Older Women: The woman he loves is physically about twice his age (in reality she is hundred of years older than him).
Lonely Rich Kid: He's not deprived of friends, but he does have a small social circle.
May-December Romance: With Margery. A rare example that's also Mayfly December Romance; biologically, Margery is well into her twenties at the youngest, and could easily be in her thirties.
Mayfly December Romance: Unless he ends up achieving his goal of becoming a Flame Haze Margery will almost certainly outlive him.
By the second season, he even considers becoming a Flame Haze himself just to be better able to support her.
By the third season, he attempts to join Outlaw, the Mission Control organization for Flame Haze in general. Unfortunately, they decide to hold him hostage in an attempt to convince Wilhelmina to report in and not to go rogue.
Ship Sinking: Margery tries to keep him and Eita at arms length by telling them about her Dark and Troubled Past. In Eita's case, it works, but it backfires rather epically for Keisaku.
Subverted further in the light novels, where they become an Official Couple.
The Rival: To Yuji, albeit due to the fact he resents not being action capable like Yuji. Actual hatred for Yuji himself is not present.
Mistaken for Gay: In the first season's OVA, while visiting a hot spring Tanaka and Keisaku race each other up a set of stairs, which, unbeknownst to them, local tradition says guarantees marriage between any two people who go up it together. Ogata, who is crushing on Tanaka, is understandably upset about this and Hilarity Ensues for the rest of the episode as she tries to derail Tanaka and Keisaku's budding "relationship".
One of Yuji's classmates. She is tomboyish, extraverted, and very social. She often suggests that the group do things together when everyone else is too shy.
* Applied PhlebotinumAfter Margery accidentally kills her. She was able to get better because they were inside a Fuzetsu.
Huge Schoolgirl: Not huge, but she stands a head taller than Shana, Kazumi, or Konoe. She is also the only freshman allowed to play in the volleyball game.
She was Yuji's classmate. She dies when Friagne's Rinne Marianne appears on her way home, essentially killing everyone in the vicinity of the attack, except Yuji, who is rescued by Shana. Shana makes a Torch of Yukari, and everyone who was involved, that same day. Unfortunately, her flame burns out on the next day and her existance disappears as a result. Shana then uses the remains of Yukari's existence to shift the perception of others' identification of Yukari Hirai as herself.
Back from the Dead: In the final novel, she is revived by Kazumi, who uses her memories of Yukari's power of existence.
Ret Gone: Semi-averted. She would have disappeared completely after her Power of Existence was consumed, if Shana didn't take her identity, thus preserving everyone's memories about her.
Badass Normal: If you think about it. A single Mystes (which is merely a Torch that contains a Treasure Tool) able to strike fear into the hearts of Denizens and even Lords.
Death Seeker: He wanders Japan searching for someone worthy of Nietono no Shana.
The former Mystes and one of the creators of the Reiji Maigo. The Reiji Maigo was created to ensure eternal life to Johann and for Pheles to cease consuming humans. However, due to a fight against the Bal Masque's assassin Sabrac that severely wounded Johann, she sealed her lover into the Reiji Maigo. She was unaware that Sabrac had also placed the Silver into the Hougu simultaneously. Reiji Maigo then transported itself into Sakai Yuji, who is currently possessing it.
Gadgeteer Genius: As mentioned above, helped invent the Reiji Maigo and invented bandages that cancel out Sabrac's deadly Stigma. Unfortunately, the latter did not stick.
Hannibal Lecture: A rare non-evil example. After being released from the Reiji Maigo, Johann delivers one to Snake of the Festival Yuji. Ironically, Johann is not criticizing Snake of the Festival Yuji's goals, which are noble, or even the means by which he's trying to achieve said goals. He's condemns Yuji as too selfless and too logical. Johann rebukes Yuji for not trusting enough in the power of love and emotions, and for his intent to separate himself from Shana as penance after the creation of Xanadu. He disagrees with Yuji's belief that in order for everyone else to have happiness, he by necessity needs to sacrifice his own. He'd rather Yuji forego the penance (which ultimately does happen) and be with Shana.
Star-Crossed Lovers: With Pheles. Pursued by the relentless Sabrac until he succeeded in mortally injuring Johann, which forced Pheles to place Johann's soul in the Reiji Maigo. The Reiji Maigo, being a Treasure Tool, relocated to a new Torch, Sakai Yuji, setting the stage for the entire series. When Pheles attempts to force Johann and Yuji to switch places (Johann would take Yuji's Power of Existence and have a body, while Yuji would be locked within the Reiji Maigo), Johann convinces Pheles to let him go. In the final light novel, Johann is released from the Reiji Maigo (without harming Yuji) and he finally is reunited with Pheles.
Shana is the female lead and a Flame Haze. In the beginning of the show, Shana is solely concentrating on her duty as a Flame Haze. Fighting all the time she doesn't even bear a name. One day, during another fight, Shana meets Yuji. She sees Yuji as nothing more than another Torch though, an object interesting only because of its status. However she slowly opens up to him, coming to think of him as an actual person. Going through many different battles together, Shana eventually comes to fall in love with Yuji. Yuji eventually names Shana after her Sword, Nietono no Shana. Shana has a funny habit of saying 'Urusai' ('Shut up!') three times in a row whenever Yuji makes a remark which disturbs her way of seeing things. Also Shana is very fond of melon bread.
Absolute Cleavage: Demonstrates this twice with her Badass Longcoat. Once after beating up Yuji for dropping in while she was changing, and again when her school uniform is slashed neatly down the chest by Sorath.
The Ace: She's the best athlete in the school and gets perfect grades without ever needing to study. Following The Spartan Way and being the vessel of a god probably has something to do with it.
Badass Longcoat: Shana frequently forgoes the sleeves and wears it as a Badass Cape. Technically a fragment of Alastor's wing, and contains Hammerspace where she stores weapons.
Break the Cutie: Snake of the Festival Yuji utterly beats Shana down, captures her, strips her powers, enslaves and chaines her; ALL OF THIS after he already confessed his love for her and is still confessing at any time given, because for the now twisted God making his lover powerless is better to protect her while he builds a new world. She got better though and even became his mistress while the Flame Hazes were preparing the ultimate comeback.
Drop What You Are Doing: Shana drops the cell phone she's using when Margery informs her over the phone that the immensely powerful Crimson Lord they sensed entering Misaki City is Yuji, who had been missing for several weeks.
Empathic Weapon: Nietono no Shana, due to containing Tenmoku Ikko's spirit.
Fiery Redhead: Literally, but only when she activates her Flame Haze powers. Normally, her hair is dark black-brown.
First Kiss: An entire episode is devoted to explaining her the "milestone" nature of this. She reacts as expected.
Flaming Hair: While normal in form, when she activates her Flame Haze powers her hair is colored like a blazing flame with ember like sparks flying off.
No Social Skills: Especially evident when she doesn't know about kissing.
Older than They Look: But probably not by much, seeing as she became a Flame Haze outside of a very modern-looking city. She's small and flat, but it's never specified what age she was when she stopped aging, she could easily have been eleven or twelve, or she could have been in her late teens... The point is, assuming she doesn't end up Killed Off for Real, she'll eventually become Really 700 Years Old.
Sacrificed Basic Skill for Awesome Training: Shana is the penultimate Flame Haze, but her training left her crippling ill-equipped to deal with life when it came to things besides combat. While there are some humorous consequences to this (such as her innocently asking Yuji and his family how babies were made), the trope is played very seriously as well. In the early story arcs, her incomprehension of her growing feelings for Yuji caused a lot of angst and frustration on her part.
Sweet Tooth: Melon bread in particular, but any sweet food in general. In manga omakes depicting Shana's first encounter with Sophie Sawallisch, Sophie attempted to find a nickname for Shana (this occurred before she encountered Yuji and was dubbed "Shana" by him). She fires off a series of pet names and notices that Shana reacts to some of them, only to realize that's responding not because she likes the names, but because some of them have sweet connotations like "Candy". Shortly after, Shana responds to a coming ice-cream truck with such seriousness that Sophie at first assumed that she somehow sensed a Crimson Denizen that escaped her notice.
In the Shakugan no Shana manga, Yuji offers her coffee, which she promptly spits out proclaiming that she's never tasted anything so bitter...after Yuji had emptied several packets of sugar into it.
In the first episode of Shakugan no Shana S, Shana consumes several pounds of ice cream. She was in Yuji's body at the time, and Yuji's body doesn't quite have the same tolerance for so much junk food as Shana's.
Trademark Favorite Food: Melon bread. I mean, good gods. She's rarely seen eating anything else, and the few times she smiles is before and while eating the stuff.
What Is This Thing You Call Love?: The Spartan Way was skimpy when it came to romance; never even being taught what love was helps explain why she reacts to her obvious feelings the way she does. At one point, she starts asking everyone how babies are made, which makes for some really awkward moments...
Less humorously, this trope was a major issue in the early part of the series, where her growing feelings, which she did not understand, caused angst, frustration, and self-doubt that Margery and Friagne ruthlessly exploited in their fights with her.
The Crimson Lord to whom Shana is bound. He expresses his will through a pendant as his divine vessel, called Cocytus. Alastor is considered to be one of the strongest of all Lords or Denizens; in fact, he is one of the true Gods of the Crimson Realm. But even so, he tries to keep the Denizens from consuming Power of Existence. Alastor is like a father-figure to Shana and cares for her, as he had watched over the future Flame-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter as she grew up.
Technically, Alastor resides within Shana, the amulet, or Cocytus, is his mouthpiece.
God Is Flawed: Alastor does have his short comings. His emphasis on raising Shana to be the perfect Flame Haze meant that Shana was very ignorant of human interactions and relationships. The worst example of this was how Shana used to strip naked in front of others and let Alastor purify her instead of bathing, something Sophie Sawallisch managed to shame her out of (thankfully before she met Yuji). And, more seriously, Alastor made the mistake of imprisoning the Snake of the Festival in the Abyss out of fear that the Snake's plan would fail catastrophically, a fear that thousands of years later proved misplaced.
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Alastor was instrumental in defeating the Snake of the Festival during the first war with Bal Masqué, fearing that the Snake would inadvertently destroy Earth and the Crimson Realm in his attempt to create a paradise for the Crimson Denizens. Unfortunately, the Snake's plan was workable, and Alastor's actions meant that the Forever War would continue meaninglessly for three thousand more years.
In his defense on that, the circumstances in which he imprisoned the snake of the festival carried more risks than the later succesful attempt since the first time around the snake of the festival was trying to build Xanadu on top of the human world instead of in the abyss which had much greater oppurtunity for disaster if something went wrong. Also it's specifically stated that it was by being forced to live side by side with humans for so long that the Denizens came to respect humans which ultimately lead to the rule of not consuming humans to either be desired or accepted by all the Denizens at the final moment of Xanadu's creation. Long story short while three thousand years of war certainly wasn't ideal it did lead to a much more stable foundation for Xanadu which now also had a true chance at becoming a paradise for all parties involved
It would have been built in, not on the human world. And if the Denizens learned to respect humans by living amongst them for so long, how much better would it have gone if they had a place to live in which they did not need to eat humans to survive?
On or in the human world amount to the same thing, it would have upset to balance to an enourmas degree and could have gone horribley wrong very easily while abyss Xanadu had a far less chance of effecting the human world at all and old habits die hard, you think that one day if you suddenly stop getting hungry that you wont eat anymore or that just because they dont need to they wont sink back into old habits out of boredom? Bal masque represented the nicest of the Denizens, imagine how much of a damn they gave about human life BEFORE three thousand years of respect building. Ultimately YMMV on how much this trope applies to Allastor in pretty much the same that YMMV as to how good/bad the Denizens/Flame Haze are.
Margery is a tall, "well-endowed" and mature blonde Flame Haze with a drinking habit. She uses the book Grimoire, which is the divine vessel through which Marchosias, to whom she is bound, expresses his will. Her main powers focus around chanting spells and turning into a werewolf. She casts spells by chanting "Improvisational Poems of Slaughter".
Despair Event Horizon: She nearly crosses it after the Snake of Festival reveals to her what the Silver actually is. However, her feelings for Keisaku manage to save her from it and give her a new reason to live.
Everything's Worse with Bears: Her fighting form is some sort of cross between a bear and a wolverine. It's also purple.
Gag Boobs: During the festival. It's pretty ridiculous.
Go Mad from the Revelation: She suffers a mental breakdown after Snake of Festival Yuji explains to her that the Silver is actually a projection of her emotions, a mirror of her hate towards everyone who abused her and has done the things Margery secretly wanted to do to them on her behalf. Her realization of her feelings for Keisaku are the only thing that prevent from crossing the Despair Event Horizon and gives her another reason to live.
The Power of Hate: Her hatred for Crimson Denizens is her reason for being (until a certain point, at least). She does not distinguish between good Denizens and evil Denizens.
Unstoppable Rage: When Yuji casts a fuzetsu during Pheles's attack, revealing his silver flame. She goes absolutely insane.
The Crimson Lord to whom Margery is bound. He expresses his will through the divine vessel Grimoire, which takes the form of a book. He talks wildly, makes comments without remorse, and often teases Margery, often earning a retaliatory punch. He does genuinely care about her, however, perhaps not in the form of friendship, but as a companion in battle.
Vitriolic Best Buds: Marchosias and Margery regularly abuse each other verbally, but when Shana defeats Margery after she attempts to kill the Crimson Denizen Lamies, he threatens to kill Shana and Yuji if they harm her.
A young lady that wears a maid's uniform all the time and the one who took care of Shana during the girl's training. She is bound to "Crown-and-Sash of Fantasies" Tiamat, whose will resides in the divine vessel Persona, which shifts forms between a headband, and a mask when in battle.She is one of the great Flame Haze from the age of the great war, fighting alongside her friend, Mathilde Saint-Omer (the previous "Flaming-Haired, Blazing-Eyed Hunter"). Her ability is the power to control an infinite number of ribbons which appear from around her. Wilhelmina, who always speaks in an overly formal and polite manner, has nearly no expression.
Chekhov's Gunman: A distinctive, heavily-burdened Meido is occasionally shown trudging through exotic locales without any explanation; she eventually appears in the main setting and is introduced as an important character. In the movie, she walks past the camera (and turns to look at it) in two news reports in the span of a day — one in the Gobi Desert and one on Mount Everest.
Heartbroken Badass: Wilhelmina was in love with Merihim, a Crimson Lord who in turn was in love with Mathilde Saint-Omer, Shana's predecessor as the Flame-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter, who was in love with Alastor. Merihim died protecting Shana from the Denizen Orgon, never returning Wilhelmina's affections, even platonically. Part of Wilhelmina's resentment towards Yuji and distaste for Shana's budding relationship with him is her fear that Shana might end up like her.
Heroic BSOD: When Wilhelmina thought Shana died using her ultimate technique, she could not stand on her own. More humorously, she enters one when Yuji, in Shana's body (something she was unaware of), unabashedly proclaims that "she" loves her. While this is true, Wilhelmina's stoicism and Shana's Tsundere traits meant that this was never openly stated by either of them. Wilhelmina is frozen in shock, not sure how to respond, when Yuji and Shana make their get away before she can deduce their body swap.
Parental Substitute: Is the closest to a mother figure that Shana has ever had, and practically raised her from childhood. For example, Shana's love of melon bread? It's her fault.
Tiamat also has a habit of adding short two-word comments to Wilhelmine's sentences.
What the Hell, Hero?: Afraid that Yuji was distracting Shana from her purpose as a Flame Haze, she attempted to kill him and remove the Reiji Maigo. Shana was not pleased about this.
Contracted with "Steadfast Sharp Peak" Behemoth whose will resides in the divine vessel Sabia (the bracelet he wears), Khamsin is supposedly one of the oldest Flame Hazes in history, but looks like a young boy that hasn't reached his pre-teens yet. Unlike most Hazes, Khamsin acts as a tuner, dispelling the distortion caused by battles between the Flame Haze and Tomogara.
Rebecca Reed is a Flame Haze, one of the Outlaws. Her contractor is the "Widened Eye of Incineration" Balar, whose will resides in the golden bracelet she wears, the divine vessel Cruach.
Running Gag: Early on — being showered by fire sprinklers, startled by her explosion.
Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right: Upon hearing about Shana and Wilhelmine's troubles, she takes off to help them, despite the Outlaws in general refusing to intervene.
There Was a Door: She tends to blast doors rather than opening them.
A Great War veteran and the supreme commander of the Flame Haze Army. She is bound to "Thunder Blade of Banishment" Takemikazuchi, who expresses his will through the divine vessel Donner, a blue-star shaped cross on Sophie's veil. Her flame itself is not flame at all, but lightning.
Pyrrhic Victory: Sophie's killing of Decarabia, and her victory over his forces in general, awesome though they were, was this. Due to Decarabia's enormous amount of power, Sophie had to use most of her energy to kill him. This proved unfortunate, since Decarabia was not performing a Last Stand, but a Delaying Action. Sophie and the Flame Haze were left exhausted from their fight with Decarabia and his soldiers, which is precisely when a much larger Bal Masqué army arrives. The ensuing battle turns into a rout so devastating for the Flame Haze that, with the exception of Shana and a few like-minded individuals, the Flame Haze are knocked out of the war.
The Mentor: While Alastor, Wilhelmina, and Shiro taught Shana how to be a Flame Haze, their single-minded focus on combat left her woefully inadequate when it came to social skills and norms. Sophie set about rectifying this and taught Shana basic social skills and encouraged her to be more open to her emotions. Ultimately, Yuji would have an even greater impact than Sophie when it came to causing Shana to embrace emotions and view herself as more than just a Flame Haze, but Sophie laid some groundwork for it. Thus, Shana came to see Sophie as her primary source of advice when it came to emotions (while Yuji caused her open up to her emotions, the personal nature of Shana's emotions, especially since it concerned him, precluded her going to Yuji for advice).
Shock and Awe: Unusually, her "flame" takes form of purple lightning.
Along with his peer Alastor, the Snake of the Festival is the most powerful of the Crimson Gods. The leader and founder of Bal Masqué, he attempted to create a paradise for Crimson Denizens with unlimited Power of Existence to feed on. Fearing that his plan would disrupt the balance and destroy both Earth and the Crimson Realm, an army of Flame Haze and Crimsons Lords (Alastor among them) defeated him, sealing his body in the Abyss and his soul in the Reiji Maigo. His followers continued to work relentlessly for three thousand years to restore him, with the Reiji Maigo often being at the crux of their plans. This causes several clashes between Shana, Yuji (who carries the Reiji Maigo within him), and their allies and Bal Masqué. Ultimately, Yuji is convinced by the Snake of the Festival, speaking to him from within the Reiji Maigo, to merge with him and help him accomplish the establishment of Xanadu, pitting Yuji against his beloved Shana.
God Is Evil: When he first appears (merged with Yuji), the Snake of the Festival appears to be this, particularly due his ruthless nature and due to the fact that Shana and the Flame Haze are the protagonists. However, the final light novel reveals that...
The Maker: He is the God of Creation, and he's capable of creating powerful Treasure Tools and entire worlds (though Earth and the Crimson Realm were not created by him).
The veteran Flame Haze bound to "Peaceful Shield of One's Scales" Zirnitra, whose will resides in the divine vessel Tábor, a thumb-sized silver cup. He is known by alias of Sirotci and is the one who coins the name "Flame Haze Army" during the Great War.
A young girl who holds a contract with a Crimson Lord with two personalities named Outreniaia and Vetcherniaia, "Forerunner of Daybreak" and "Successor of Twilight", respectively. Her choice of divine vessels, named Zorya, is two arrowheads that she uses as hair accessories.
Cool Plane: She uses a plane made of fire for transportation.
Split Personality: Sort of — her contractor is a Crimson Lord with two personalities who use separate (albeit complementing) vessels.
Sale Habichtsburg
Sale Habichtsburg
Puppeteer of Devilish Skills
Voiced by: Shinobu Matsumoto (JP)
The Flame Haze contracted to "Gorgeous Hanging Strings" Gizo, who expresses his will through the divine vessels Länge and Saite, a pair of wooden crosses.
Neutral No Longer: Initially, they don't join any of the warring sides. It changes when one of them is killed by Bal Masque.
The Nicknamer: They use special titles for Flame Hazes and Crimson Lords, different from their "standard" ones.
Non-indicative Name: They are not gods, and neither are their contractors; "The Four Gods" only references the Theme Naming.
Theme Naming: Their contractors are named after Aztec gods: Tlaloc, Quetzalcóatl, Tezcatlipoca, and Chalciuhtlicue.
Centerhill
Invoker of Brightened Dew
Voiced by: Yutaka Nakano (JP)
The Native-American Flame Haze contracted to "Drum of Exceptional Love" Tlaloc, whose will resides in a a squarish-shaped stone medal as his divine vessel. He and his contracted Crimson Lord are widely feared by many Denizens, calling him a "monster". In all four, he is least excels in combat and fighting.
Field Power Effect: His Unrestrictied Spell Tlalocan, which covers an area with heavy rain, allows him to Flash Step freely inside its limits, and turns slain Denizens into trees.
Heroic Sacrifice: He stays to fight Sydonay to allow others to retreat, despite losing an arm earlier.
Reluctant Warrior: He is said to be the least willing and able to fight of the Four Gods.
Sacrificial Lion: He is killed by Sydonay, causing the other Gods of Earth to enter the war.
The Native-American Flame Haze who runs the Outlaw disguised as a news agency in New York. He is contracted to "Flute of Enlightenment" Quetzalcóatl, whose will resides in a stone medal with engravings as his divine vessel.
We are the stars. We are the singing stars. We are the stars who sing with dazzling light. We are the birds. We are the birds who show disapproval. We fly the sky free. Therefore, we, the stars and the birds... ...Turn into a burning galaxy.
The Native-American Flame Haze who is contracted to "Pipe of Hesitation and Fear" Tezcatlipoca, whose will resides in a pointed stone medal as his divine vessel. He runs one of the Outlaw branch in the United States after the clash between the Four Gods of Earth and fellow Flame Haze known as the Civil War.
The Native-American Flame Haze who is contracted to "Bell of Cleansing Flutter" Chalciuhtlicue, whose will resides in a undulating contour-shaped stone medal as his divine vessel.
Entitled "General", he stayed outside of the Bal Masque, preferring the freedom to do as he pleases, with "personal bodyguard" as his hobby. Upon finding the Reiji Maigo, he's returned to the Bal Masque, leading the Denizens in their war with the Flame Hazes. A shapeshifter, he usually looks like a tall, middle-aged man with sunglasses and dark-colored suits.
Arch-Enemy: Margery may view Silver as her archnemesis, but Sydonay and Margery often end up fighting each other whenever the two are present in the same battle.
Morph Weapon: His Treasure Tool, a spear that can change shape and size at will.
Reincarnation: The Snake of the Festival spends most of his time sleeping while waiting for the Crimson Denizens' desires and faith to grow strong enough to awaken him so that he might grant their wish. Each time, Sydonay (if he has perished) and the rest of the Trinity (if the other members of the Trinity have perished) are reborn to prepare the way.
Suicide By Cop: After the successful creation of Xanadu, Sydonay decided to stay behind, both to help Sakai Yuji, as well as to die so he can be together with Hecate.
Entitled "Priestess", Hecate is a small girl with a Nice Hat, a staff and a white cape, who controls the movements of Seireiden, the base of the Bal Masque. Melancholic and quiet, frequently lamenting herself as "empty", she habitually prays, but to nothing in particular, which Bel Peol finds odd.
Caught the Heart on His Sleeve: Konoe to Yuji, all the time because she's an apparition sent by Hecate to monitor him. Non-romantic example, but the other characters think it is.
Cloudcuckoolander: As Konoe. She's usually seen chasing birds and butterflies, when she's not spilling her books on the floor and wondering why they won't come up again.
Heroic Sacrifice: In order to fully awaken the Snake of the Festival's power so that he might create Xanadu, she has to sacrifice herself. It is not without some hope, as her spirit resides with her master until the time comes for her to be reborn.
Hopeless Suitor: Hecate also joins the loser side about the same time she starts developing strong feelings for Yuji. That was when he already became Snake of the Festival and had only Shana in his mind.
Nice Hat: So nice, it's the current trope picture.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: While Konoe was gathering memories and feelings during Season 2, she was fascinated by birds and kept having them land on her hands. After Hecate transfers said feelings/memories and the stolen Reiji Maigo into the Statue of Pride, cue a Curb-Stomp Battle between it and Shana/Yuji. Unable to get close enough to attack, Shana tries one last attempt by flying towards the statue. During that attack, the statue sees Shana like a little bird, which causes the it to reach out with its hand instead of attacking her. Shana and Yuji then use this opportunity to reclaim the Reiji Maigo and leave Hecate wondering what the heck just happened.
Reincarnation: The Snake of the Festival spends most of his time sleeping while waiting for the Crimson Denizens' desires and faith to grow strong enough to awaken him so that he might grant their wish. Each time, Hecate and the rest of the Trinity (if the other members of the Trinity had perished) are reborn to prepare the way.
Entitled "Strategist", Bel Peol is a tall, three-eyed woman with an eyepatch over her right eye. Scheming and manipulative, she holds no qualms with sending off her subordinates to die, but she can inspire loyalty in many, all the same.
Blue and Orange Morality: Unlike most Denizens (indeed, most antagonists in general), she enjoys the obstacles that come against her plans, feeling that overcoming challenges makes life interesting.
An assassin infamous for killing Flame Hazes, he was hired by the Bal Masque. As a hobby, he collects bladed weapons, from swords to katanas, and he actively used them in fights, a la General Grievous.
Curb-Stomp Battle: Sabrac throws Wilhelmina around like a rag doll and severely injures Shana before Yuji figures out how to defeat him. In his second battle with the Flame Haze (that we see in the series), he inflicts brutal damage on the Flame Haze before losing his will to fight upon viewing the overwhelming power of the Snake of the Festival.
Despair Event Horizon: Realizing his (relative) impotency when compared to the Snake of the Festival, he chooses to die in the Abyss, the void between Earth and the Crimson World. At the same time, he enjoys his feeling of despair, realizing that it finally caused him to understand and connect with Mare.
Dual Wielding: Sabrac uses twin swords, summoning replacements as they are broken.
Glowing Eyes of Doom: He has permanent glowing eyes (but other than that, no visible face).
Hero Killer: Sabrac was responsible for the death of Pheles' lover Johann. In each of his defeats, it took the combined power of some of the most powerful Flame Haze to beat him, and in the final defeat his loss was due mainly to his being distracted by the Snake of the Festival's emergence.
It Only Works Once: Sabrac alters his Stigma so that Johann's countermeasures no longer affect it.
Power Nullifier: His Unrestricted Spell Stigma is applied to his swords, which nullify a Flame Haze's Healing Factor on any wounds caused by said swords. Stigma actually causes the wound to rapidly worsen as well. Wilhelmina and Shana use bandages specially devised by Johann to cancel out Stigma, but by their next encounter Sabrac has altered Stigma so that the bandages no longer work.
A green-haired Denizen that isn't aligned with the Bal Masque, Pheles fell in love with a man named Johann (not that one). Forged the Reiji Maigo with Johann so she doesn't need to consume other humans' power of existence; she can get enough to survive from Johan without him being in danger of disappearing. She's also friends with Wilhelmina, whom she once saved from a trap set by Sabrac.
A pair of blonde, blue-eyed villains who start sloppily making out any chance they get without care for their surroundings (which leads to an aesop for Shana about what love really is).
One of the Nine Eternal Divine Scales, the nine great Crimson Lords gathered under the organization of Töten Glocke. He was crazily in love with the previous "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter", Mathilde Saint-Omer, who in turn, loved Alastor. After her death, he hid his last portion of Power of Existence which would be used for the last purpose; to test the successor of "Flame-Haired Burning-Eyed Hunter" and changed his shape into the skeleton known as Shiro. He trained Shana along with Wilhelmina and was eventually defeated by her.
Heel Face Turn: Mathilde defeated Merihim in battle and made him promise to train her successor. Due to his love for her, Merihim agreed.
Heroic BSOD: When Shana pranks him into falling into a pit filled with tomato paste, Merihim flashbacks to when he was covered with the mortally-injured Mathilde's blood, and he absolutely loses it.
Heroic Sacrifice: He uses the last of his Power of Existence saving the-girl-who-would-be-Shana from Orgon.
Love Redeems: His Heel Face Turn stemmed from his love for Mathilde. He promised to no longer devour humans to sustain his existence, which ultimately causes his collected Power of Existence to dwindle until he uses up the last of it in one final battle.
The Power of Love: Merihim, as he lays dying, teaches Shana about this.
Multiple-character tropes
Love Triangle: It can be either Shana-Yuji-Kazumi, or Hayato-Kazumi-Yuji.
Really 700 Years Old: All of the Flame Hazes either already are, or eventually will be this, as none of them age. All of the Crimson Lords and Denizens are already Really 700 Years Old.
