Dances with the Dragons (されど罪人は竜と踊る, Saredo Tsumibito wa Ryuu to Odoru) is a light novel series, written by Labo Asai, starting publication in 2003. It was originally published by Kadokawa Shoten until 2008, where Shogakukan has published the series to the present day, featuring 21 volumes. An Animated Adaptation by Seven Arcs Pictures premiered on April 5, 2018. It can be watched legally on Crunchyroll.
Not to be confused with A Dance with Dragons.
Dances with the Dragons provides examples of:
- Affectionate Nickname: Gayus calls Jivunya "Jiv".
- Alas, Poor Villain: As Nidvolk lays dying, she muses that she only wanted to be with her beloved once more, and expires hoping they meet each other on a different life
- As Long as It Sounds Foreign: Most of the characters, though special mention goes to Gigina Jerde Dolk Melios Ashley Boeuf.
- Awesomeness by Analysis:
- Gayus quickly deduced Cardinal Molden was using a Body Double simply by analyzing the body language.
- Gigina can do this during a battle if he wants to.
- Bad Boss: Gayus and Gigina's boss is constantly belittling them, cutting off their pay and blaming them for disasters they didn't want to cause.
- Brains and Brawn: Gayus is the Brains while Gigina is the Brawn.
- But for Me, It Was Tuesday: When Nidvork attacks Gayus and Gigina in vengeance for killing her mate, the two of them don't even recognize the name of her beloved when she says it. Needless to say, she was pissed.
- BFS: Gigina carries a sword as long as he is tall, contrating Gayus, who carries a more conventionally sized sword.
- The Chessmaster: Cardinal Molden proves he's this when he arranges for assassins to try and kill him in order to expose a traitor in his ranks. He also uses the opportunity to discredit the Dragon Empire and get rid of the traitor without issue. He even goes as far as to hire the Liwe brothers and use Gigina and Gayus as bait in order to attract Nidvolk.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Nidvolk not only easily kills Genon (who was in a pseudo-dragon form), she utterly wastes the Liwe brothers.
- Despair Event Horizon: Remedius lost it when he saw all his comrades die one by one, knowing the Jushinki he created was used by a dictator who was sponsored by the Dragon Empire, made him give his body to the dragon Zhuo Lu.
- Disproportionate Retribution: When Gayus accidentally breaks a chair Gigina built, the latter tries to kill the former with his BFS.
- The Dragonslayer: Gayus and Gigina become famous across Eridana for killing a black dragon.
- Drives Like Crazy: The one time Gigina drove a car, he crashed into a table with fruit. Cuello is even worse.
- Dying Declaration of Hate: The final message of Remedius, who at point had been driven into despair by the loss of his comrades, was a long rant yelling everyone to die right after explaining he planted a jushinki biological bomb on an island full of people.
- Everyone Is Related: Not only Jabeira is acquainted with Jivunya, Czhan is her cousin. Mouldeen and Queen Zenovia are cousins as well
- Eyepatch of Power: Jesper Liwe Raqi wears one over his right eye.
- Facial Markings: Gigina has a blue mark over his right eye.
- Fair-Play Villain: The Great Magatsushiki are bonded to the rules of the one who summoned them, and will only act on their determined hour.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Umarum is basically Saudi Arabia minus Islam (but with Middle-Eastern-esque architecture and and clothing) and with a banana republic dictator instead of a monarchy and with jushiki supplies instead of oil.
- Gravity Master: Nidvolk can control it, and she's very good at it.
- Hot Scoop: Azrel is a newspaper photographer, and quite pretty as well.
- I'm a Humanitarian: Zhuo Lu, the Man-eating Dragon of the Desert obtained his power by eating people. Remedius eventually devoured his dead comrades and let himself be possessed by the dragon to enact his revenge on the Dragon Empire and Rhazel.
- Interrupted Intimacy: In episode 2, right when Gayus and Jivunya are about to get intimate, he receives a call from work and he's forced to leave. It happens again in episode 6, under almost identical circumstances.
- Mad Doctor: Czhan is an excellent medic, but in her first scene she asks Gayus if she can transplant him an animal part, or enlarge his penis.
- Magitek: Magic has been developed to the point it can be explained by scientific means and channeled through weapons.
- Mêlée à Trois: The fight between Gigina, Gayus and the Liwe Raqi siblings is soon enough joined by Nidvork.
- Mood-Swinger: Jabeira constantly switches her mood between friendly and angry.
- Official Couple: Gayus with Jivunya.
- Origins Episode: The anime's final episode delves into Gayus' backstory, exploring the beginning of his relationships with Gigina and Cuello.
- Our Demons Are Different: The Magatsushiki are considered demons of ancient times, although they look more like an Eldritch Abomination.
- Higher ranking ones on the other hand are sentient and perfectly capable of human speech, putting them in the Humanoid Abomination territory.
- Overly Long Name: Gigina Jerde Dolk Melios Ashley Boeuf.
- Perpetual Poverty: Between Gigina's expenses in furniture and Gayus' boss being a jackass whenever things look bad, the pair are constantly struggling with money.
- Polar Opposite Twins: Jesper is tall, serious and wears an eyepatch, while Berdrit is short, cheerful and prefers fighting using portals.
- Serious Business: Gigina's obsession with improbable furniture.
- Sibling Team: The Liwe Raqi siblings.
- Smart People Play Chess: Remedius Levvi Rahzel was a known prodigy of this world's equivalent, and even in captivity he still replays past matches in his memory.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: Most of the talks between the main duo alternate between this and Volleying Insults.
- Specs of Awesome: Gayus' glasses can analyze his opponents.
- Stronger with Age: Dragons become stronger the longer they live. Nidvork is theorized to be easily 900 or even 1000 years old.
- Sword Beam: Jushikiists can fire magical blasts from the tips of their bladed weapons.
- The Only One Allowed to Defeat You: Nidvork saves Gayus and Gigina from the Liwe brothers so she can kill them in revenge for slaying her mate.
- Urban Fantasy
- Villainous Harlequin: Amupura, one of the Great Magatsushiki, looks like one.
- Vitriolic Best Buds: Gayus and Gigina regularly squabble, insult, and belittle one another Like an Old Married Couple, yet when the chips are down they always have each other's back.
- Voice of the Legion: Nidvork speaks with a deep echo in the english dub version.
- Voluntary Shapeshifter: Dragons can change to human form if they want to.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: Molden Ogus Gyunei is willing to use some pretty ruthless methods if it means preventing a war between the Alliance of the Seven Cities and the Dragon Empire.
- Your Terrorists Are Our Freedom Fighters: The Aurora Hammer uses terrorism to fight against the dictator of Umarum.
