The titular Luck Stealer and Hound
Luck Stealer (ラック スティーラー) is a Japanese fantasy triller action-adventure shōnen manga series written and drawn by Hajime Kazu.Yusei Kurusu is "Luck Stealer", a Japanese assassin with the ability to drain a target of their "luck" and leave them only with misfortune. Soon after the target dies following an unfortunate series of events (example: a collapsing roof, an out of control car, or falling sign). He does so in order to sustain his daughter, Karin, who was born without any luck, and will die if Kurusu does not keep giving her it. She is the only person who can "receive" Kurusu's luck as she can’t make it on her own.The manga started in 2007 by Kazu Hajime which serialized in Shonen Jump. The manga balances between his brutal jobs and him doting Karin, as well as solving the mystery behind his powers and her condition. The series ended in 2012 with 10 volumes.
Luck Stealer contains the following tropes:
- Abusive Parents: A common occurrence special mention goes to the step-father in chapter 1 and the target in chapters 21 and 22.
- After-Action Healing Drama: When one of Kurusu’s targets stabbed him and he used most of his strength to get the target’s beat up daughter to the hospital and collapsed in Flamingo. His recovery in the hospital is played for full drama.
- Always on Duty: As an assassin does Kurusu work around the clock which ruins precious time he could have had together with Karin.
- Anyone Can Die: Most of save from Roa and Rain does all of Roa’s crew die.
- Assassin Outclassin': A stupid contest held between Kurusu and Sakura’s bosses of whose assassin could kill the target first. Sakura kills the target but Kurusu defeats Sakura but spares him, which leads Sakura to kill his boss and join Carllucis in hope of hunting down Kurusu to restore his honour.
- Attempted Rape: Shows up in the first chapter to show the dark tone. It was more like a threat than the actual act itself though.
- Bad Guy Bar: Flamingo is the bar facade of the assassin agency Kurusu works in.
- Black-and-Gray Morality: Kurusu only kills people who has risen to power only due to luck and used this power to harm others. Quite a few of them are Villains With Good Publicity with no other way of taking them down.
- Clue, Evidence, and a Smoking Gun: Hiyama is the only one bothering checking the witness statements after the “accidents”, leading him straight to Kurusu. But after being saved by Kurusu he begins to see him as a god and resigns from the force as he doesn’t want to get in his way.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: In one chapter, Amasaki ties up a target, places a tennis ball in his mouth, ties him up, gags him so he can’t spit the ball out so he will eventually drown in his own puke.
- Con Men Hate Guns: Played with, criminals in this manga love guns, the assassins save from Kawai usually doesn’t use them which plays it straight.
- Contract on the Hitman: In chapter 32 It’s a diversion to make Kurusu get away from Carllucis.
- Hand of Death: When the focus is on bare hands touching another human, like shaking hands, you know something is about to happen.
- Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster!: Quite a few targets are yakuza with a bit too high image of themselves.
- Darker and Edgier: Than most ‘’Jump’’ manga of it’s time.
- Dead Man's Trigger Finger: Two targets die by kicking their minions making their fainted bodies pull the trigger and shooting them perfectly.
- Disposing of a Body: Kurusu’s targets all look like they died in an accident leaving no need to do this. Amasaki’s sadistic nature makes it so that not all of his targets needs disposing as it looks more like a night of BDSM gone wrong. Other days he casually calls some employees from somewhere to clean it up.
- Drama Bomb Finale: Played straight.
- Earn Your Happy Ending: After many hardships is their happiness truly earned.
- Emergency Stash: When Carllucis is after Kurusu, Nagatou leads him to this with a cunning plan.
Hajime Kazu herself isn’t sure what happened to the money, and claims they kept it around for later. - Final Battle: Between Karin and the high priest of Carllucis.
- The Gloves Come Off: Quite literally when Kurusu gets ready for business.
- Immortality Field: Swapping places who hasn’t had their luck stolen or walking over and standing where Kurusu stood when stealing your luck is one of few ways to survive. You must however stand there for a while for your luck builds up again, anywhere else isn’t safe.
- Hallway Fight: The targets often run out in the hallway in whichever building they are in, either to meet their fate or Kurusu running after them.
- Heroic Lineage: The Gracia has a sacred lineage with powers that can be used to heal people from any illness or injury, Roa believes Kurusu not only to be a descendant but also being the latest incarnation, the first turns out to be true, but he’s not the Geacia, Karin is.
- How Dad Met Mom: It’s not framed like that kind of story but chapter 14 begins with how Kurusu met his late wife.
- Instant Death Bullet: Despite reflecting everywhere does a target’s own bullet kill him despite bouncing around for quite a while.
- Lightning Glare: As a Funny Background Event in chapter 3 between Kurusu and Hirose.
- Messianic Archetype: The Gracia is a holy person with strong powers, both of healing and destruction. They can apparently fulfil any wish and are pure of heart. Basically a Physical God.
- Monster of the Week: With said monsters him taking down being humans rather than fantastical beasts. But after volume 8 the focus shifts.
- No One Should Survive That!: After saving Himiyama from a fire, Himiyama accepts Kurusu as a god, foreshadowing him being related to the Gracia.
- Religion of Evil: Carllucis started as a group of followers of the Gracia and his followers, but after a while the followers started started getting power hungry and used the Gracia to manipulate people. Exhausted the latest Gracia 600 years ago lost their powers and ran away, and the lineage got lost in time. They have been looking for the latest descendant ever since in hope of Taking Over The World.
- Resignations Not Accepted: Resigning from Flamingo will according to the contract make them come after you, and kill you, your family, your friends, the family of your friends, and their friends, might have been a reference to ‘’Metal Wolf Chaos’’.
- Shout-Out: In chapter 32, Kurusu crosses a busy road like Mulan’s grandmother to get pursuers off his tail.
- Stealth Hi/Bye: Often used by assassins in this manga, they appear and disappear as quickly again.
- Supernatural Martial Arts: Kurusu’s co-workers believing his powers to be this, both believing it to be some sort of Kamehameha to his disbelief.
- Swiss-Cheese Security: Often the targets doesn’t know that someone’s after them and just stand around without bodyguards, other times they have multiple guards at one door and only 1 at another, leaving that guard easy to knock down.
- Train Escape: Used in one chapter.
- Uncertain Doom: Roa’s comrades.
