"A long, long time ago in the east, there was a country called Jushin. In Jushin there lived secret agents known as Angyo Onshi. Angyo Onshi were special envoy designated by the king. They disguised themselves and roamed the country correcting corrupt governments and brought people to justice. However, Jushin has been destroyed, but there is still one Angyo Onshi wandering..."
— Opening lines
"ANGYO ONSHI OMEDASHIDA!!!!"
— by every angyo onshi known in the storyline
Shin Angyo Onshi (or Tale of the Phantom Blade Master) is the story of Munsu, one of the few surviving men of the fallen empire Jushin. He also happens to have been one of Jushin's Angyo Onshi, operatives who wandered the countryside in disguise, righting wrongs and triumphing over evil with the power of his magical medallion and an army of phantom soldiers. Despite the destruction of Jushin (by his own hand, so the stories go) Munsu carries out his duty out of a sense of loyalty to the king that he supposedly killed and a burning desire for revenge against the man who masterminded everything - Aji Tae.
This series provides examples of:
Action Girl: Sando, Marlene von Lucid and Miss Hwang.
A Father to His Men: Munsu. Every one of his subordinates held respect for him, and many wanted his forgiveness after they turned evil
Actually, I Am Him: Subverted in the first chapter when the character the audience is led to believe is the Angyo Onshi is revealed to be the Evil Queen, and the Jerkass Munsu is revealed to be the the Angyo Onshi in disguise. Given a very disturbing and dark twist later on with Aji Tae and Munsu's friend the King.
Adaptation Distillation: The Movie follows the first three to four chapters of the Manga, and tells almost nothing about the actual plot of the series.
Back-to-Back Badasses: Subverted in the final fight when Eul Paso, Hwang, and Su are all surrounded by Aji Tae's Forces, while they do win, in a moment of pure Badass, two thirds of them are killed in the resulting explosion
Badass Abnormal: Tae Yu. Originally, he was just a fast swordsman, before becoming an all powerful summoner after training under Mito. Won Sul also counts, being just a simple badass swordsman before breaking his sword and making his own from willpower He then ascended again when he became an immortal zombie
Badass Back: Won Sul never looks back at his dead opponents. and Aji Tae Kills many without even looking at them
Badass Beard: Mito-Sama, Subverted in the fact that he can't use a sword, and double subverted when it is discovered he can use magic better than even Lou.
Badass Boast: "The Legendary General Munsu will wipe you clean off the face of the earth," Said to a guy who destroyed an entire kingdom because he felt like it. See Throwing Down the Gauntlet.
Badass Longhair: We all remember Munsu when he was a general. Damn. Aji Tae also fits this trope. And Lou. And Bae Rong. And Tae Yu. And the unnamed Sword Master. And Tae Yu. And, well, you get the point. subverted in the fact that Wonsul with his short hair is the most badass of all
Badass Normal: Munsu, who is a man with Asthma who has no real supper powers other than his Mahai. However, he still is able to Kill a giant Snake Sorceress, fight against monsters much more powerful than him. The young ruler from chapter three who later reappears with a sword and a rifle and almost sacrifices his arm without flinching in order to kill Lou also counts.
Cultured Badass: Lou and Aji Tae. Strangely enough, the heroes never seem to be cultured.
Handicapped Badass: Munsu, who suffers from asthma through a majority of the series until he starts dying of course. Lou can't see out of one his eyes, and Miho can't see at all
Heartbroken Badass: again, Munsu, who had to kill his own lover even after taking on her incurable asthma, before proceeding to punch the black out of the bad guy's hair. Won Sul also fits as heartbroken after killing the tiny child that he played with when he was a child. the coming back from the dead after his best friend was killed didn't help either.
Big "NO!": Munsu, when Aji Tae kills the nameless soldier
Bishōnen: Many of the characters could qualify for this trope
Bittersweet Ending: Aji Tae has been defeated and the world can begin to try and rebuild, but the fight came at the cost of Munsu and a majority of the supporting cast.
Blessed with Suck: Won Sul. He has a horrible family after his close brother dies and his father believes that he is a hollow comparison, believing he should be the one who died, He kills the tiny little girl who he played with in a field when he was young. He kills former friends when they turn on him after the war because they can not get used to peace. Then he works with the lord only to discover he is Aji Tae. He then turns against him, only to be turned into a pin doll, then watch everyone be killed, and then to be banished to the other end of the country. Then he is brainwashed to work for the man he most hates, dies, and then is pulled back to become an immortal zombie who can not die no matter how much he wants to, then he is blown up again, and has the rest of his body turned into a giant rampaging monster, who is finally killed. And that's the short version.
Bodyguard Crush: Sando has one on Munsu and later, on Aji Tae
Body Horror: The giant boob dragon that Won Hyo summons, Won Hyo himself when he is half demon, and Won Sul when he is monsterfied, and even to a lesser extent before that. Also, anything Lou does.
Character Development: Have you read the series. One time characters get freaking development.
Chekhov's Gun: The needle with the mandrake extract on it. Who knew it would save his life when he most needed it. Also Aji Tae's cape, which got stuck under Munsu's heel in the final fight and ultimately cost Aji Tae his life.
The Coats Are Off: Averted. Munsu does look pretty bad ass without his coat, but he never takes it off, and Won Sul becomes a giant horrible monster when his coat is removed.
Dark Action Girl: Aji Tae's shapeshifting bodyguard Mago. Depending on how you view them, Hong Gildong and Marlene von Lucid can count for a bit. Also, later on: Sando
Darkest Hour: The end of the Hong Gildong Arc and the Final Fight
Deal with the Devil: anyone who deals with Aji Tae is doing this. Lou and Gallimard do so pretty literally.. Of course, Hae Mo So and Munsu may have done it in the past...
The Dragon: Lou Ells fulfills this role for Aji Tae. At one point, so did Yeong Sil and Sando does later on, before her Heel Face Turn back to Munsu's side.
Fallen Hero: Most of Munsu's old comrades in the Kaidaten war crossed the Despair Event Horizon after Jushin's collapse, and by the time our story happens they've become underlings of Aji Tae, ironically the one who was responsible for the country's fall.
Also the three legendary generals of Jushin, one of whom even had his giant statue erected in the capital, who return to life to fight as Aji Tae's underlings. Now they're all Blood Knights, who finds pleasure and satisfaction in fighting.
Sinister Minister: Gallimard, one of Aji Tae's henchmen. A demonic former priest.
Rape as Drama: Subverted in the first chapter, where it appears the local guard's corrupt commander has had his way with one of the prisoners. It's Munsu, who used his time alone with her as an excuse to break her out and have some very consensual sex in the process.
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