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aka: Sakura Taisen 4 Koi Seyo Otome

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"Maidens who pledged their lives to steel, cut through evil and show the way to justice!"

"Hashire kousouku no Teikokukagekidan!
Unare shougeki no Teikokukagekidan!"
Translation
—From Geki! Teikokukagekidan, the original theme song

Sakura Wars is a video game franchise created by Oji Hiroi of Red Entertainment and developed by Sega, which started in 1996. The games eventually branched out into OVAs, several TV series and a film. The games, now at their sixth release in the series, are a combination of Dating Sim and tactical combat, and have a near-fanatical following. Though most have seen no release outside Japan, the first two games were officially released in Russia in 2006 and 2008 respectively, and the fifth game was released in North America on March 30, 2010 and in Europe a month later. The first four games were also released in Chinese and Korean alongside several spinoffs.

The series primarily takes place in the Roaring Twenties, but with one key twist: Instead of World War I, an occult conflict called the Demon Wars took place in 1918, pitting hellish creatures from another plane of existence against a plucky band of humans. Although the humans won, half the band was lost. With international approval, Japan continues advancing its groundbreaking steam-powered technology, preparing for the demons' inevitable return.

In Japan, these preparations take the form of the Imperial Combat Revue. Their elite squad of warriors, the Flower Division, is equipped with steam-powered battle armor called Kobu as well as the weapons and skilled needed to fight the demons. Due to a quirk in the part-magical technology of the Kobu, all the members of the Flower Division (save for their commanding officer) are women. By taking advantage of a pun in Japanese ("Teikoku Kagekidan" can mean "Imperial Combat Revue" or "Imperial Opera Revue" depending on the kanji used), the Flower Division make their headquarters underneath the Imperial Theatre in Tokyo, where they maintain their cover identities as stage performers when not slaying demonic forces. This allows for a lot of music in between the battle scenes, and no small amount of incidental comedy. In due time, their successes lead to the formation of the Paris and New York Combat Revues, who fight similarly (albeit with their own unique spin on things).

The series has a total of five OVA series covering the daily lives and struggles of the different combat revues. Radix handled the animation for all but one of them. The first two focus primarily on the Tokyo Flower Division with Ouka Kenran (The Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms) revealing how the team was originally established and Gouka Kenran (The Radiant Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms) highlighting the familial unity of the girls. These were dubbed in English by ADV Films who hired a cast that gave both series a more multicultural feel to them. The themes in both stories were reused for the third and fourth OVA series starring the Paris Flower Division. The third series, licensed by Funimation, had been released with the subtitle of École de Paris. Soon enough, the fourth series Le Nouveau Paris followed suit. The fifth OVA series (based appropriately enough on the fifth game) was titled New York, New York with AIC producing the animation like they did in So Long, My Love. It depicted the New York Star Division facing a new threat after the events of the fifth game.

In addition to the OVAs, there is a movie, released in 2001. Like the episodes of the second series, the film is also a self-contained story in the same continuity (no Alternate Continuity here) and leaves no hanging plot threads behind; the new character introduced here even goes on to appear in the later Sakura Wars V game. The movie also substantially expands the world of Sakura Wars beyond Japan, exploring in greater depth the dynamics of the prototype team fielded in wartime Europe. The movie takes place just after the end of the third game (Paris) and before the beginning of the fourth (which ended the "Tokyo arc"). This makes extensive use of CGI effects, particularly for the Kobu. Pioneer Entertainment licensed and dubbed the movie instead of ADV Films (Note: Funimation now owns the license to the film, along with other titles by Geneon), along with different voice actors and fewer attempts to provide diverse accents that ADV did.

There is also a TV series version which is an Alternate Continuity from the OVAs. Produced by Madhouse and aired in Japan in 2000, it follows the plotline of the first game but with multiple (and major) alterations, particularly in the personalities of the villains and some of the principals themselves. The TV series bears an overall darker tone than even the original games.

The manga, which was released in Japan from 2003 to 2021, adapts the first game again albeit with minor alterations inspired by the TV series. Much of the first half had been released in English by Tokyopop, though the rest were not translated after most of the company's operations ceased. A motion comic production of the manga was also done by TOMOTOON and released in August 2013.

Sakura Wars is a legendary license and is one of the few franchises to make a truly successful expansion into nearly every form of media. The series' voice actors regularly performed (up to 2008) in sold-out Broadway-style "live shows" and radio dramas (all set in the Sakura Wars universe), and a Sakura Wars cafe/store stood in the Sega amusement center in Tokyo until its closing in March 2008.

An attempt to localize the series for digital distribution sprung up, though no updates have been made since 2021. There is also a completed fan translation for the Saturn version of the first Sakura Wars game by Iwakura Productions.

Ichiro Ogami, Sakura Shinguji, Erica Fontaine, and Gemini Sunrise also made an appearance in Project × Zone, a crossover game produced by Bandai Namco Entertainment, Sega, and Capcom. They return for the sequel as well, bringing none other than Segata Sanshiro with them.

At SEGA FES 2018 (over a decade after the release of Sakura Wars V), a sixth mainline entry was finally announced, also titled Sakura Wars and released in December 2019 in Japan, with an international release in April 2020. An animated adaptation of the game was announced at the 2019 Tokyo Game Show, as well, and also premiered in April 2020.

On October 15, 2021, it was announced that Ogami, Sakura, Erica, Gemini and Shinjiro Taiga will be part of the first DLC for Super Robot Wars 30, marking the first official appearance of the franchise in the popular Super Robot Wars franchise after only showing up in Super Robot Wars X-Ω

Character tropes go on to the Character Sheet.

Nothing to do with the manga called Sakura Discord.


    Games 
  • Sakura Wars (1996): The one that started it all. In 1923, Ichiro Ogami, a fresh-faced Imperial Navy Ensign, is assigned to the Imperial Combat Revue, a clandestine organization dedicated to defending Tokyo from the threat of demonic invasion. Joining him are swordswoman-in-training Sakura Shinguji, haughty aristocrat Sumire Kanzaki, feisty Okinawa-born martial artist Kanna Kirishima, French psychic prodigy Iris Châteaubriand, Chinese scientist Kohran Li, and Russian sharpshooter Maria Tachibana. The first game to be developed for the Sega Saturn.
  • Hanagumi Taisen Columns (1997): A Sakura Wars-themed version of Columns. The only Sakura Wars game that is on an arcade system, that being Sega's ST-V.
  • Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die (1998): Two years after the first game, a new demonic threat arrives, pressing the Imperial Combat Revue back into service. This time, they are joined by Orihime Soletta, an Italian actress; and Reni Milchstraße, a German tactical genius.
  • Sakura Wars GB (2000): A spin-off on the Game Boy Color set between the first and second mainline games, wherein the Player Character is a new recruit to the Imperial Combat Revue who works with Ogami and the rest of the Flower Division to keep the peace.
  • Hanagumi Taisen Columns 2 (2000): A sequel to Hanagumi Taisen Columns and the only Columns game for the Dreamcast, and the first Sakura Wars game in overall to be released on said system.
  • Sakura Wars 3: Is Paris Burning? (2001): When a supernatural menace threatens Paris, Ogami is dispatched to the City of Lights to aid the fledgling Paris Combat Revue. Under his command are Erica Fontaine, a clumsy but spirited nun; Glycine Bleumer, a noblewoman; Lobelia Carnili, a notorious criminal; Hanabi Kitaoji, a grieving widow; and Coquelicot, a Vietnamese orphan. The first game to be developed by Overworks for the Dreamcast.
  • Sakura Wars GB 2 (2001): The sequel to the first Game Boy Color spinoff. Set after the second game, the Player Character is, once again, a Combat Revue newcomer fighting to protect Tokyo. Unique to this game is the ability to customize your own spirit armor.
  • Sakura Wars 4: Fall in Love, Maidens (2002): No sooner does Ogami return from his mission to Paris does a new threat emerge in the form of a golden spirit armor terrorizing the capital! It will take the combined might of the Imperial and Paris Combat Revues to save the day!
  • Sakura Wars: In Hot Blood (2003): A remake of the first game developed by Overworks and the first to be developed for the PlayStation 2.
  • Sakura Wars Story Mysterious Paris (2004)
  • Sakura Wars V: Episode 0 ~Samurai Daughter of the Wild~ (2004): A prequel to the fifth game that centers around Gemini Sunrise's exploits before joining the New York Combat Revue.
  • Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love (2005): In 1928, Ogami's nephew Shinjiro Taiga, a fresh-faced Navy graduate, is dispatched to America to aid the fledgling New York Combat Revue. Joining him in protecting the Big Apple are Gemini Sunrise, a Texan cowgirl and samurai aficionado; Cheiron Archer,note  a Harlemite gangster-turned-lawyer; Rosita Aries,note  a feisty bounty huntress from Mexico; Subaru Kujo, a mysterious and androgynous Japanese actress; and Diana Caprice, a frail but spirited physician. The first game to be developed by Sega's GE2 division, it was also the first to be localized in North America and Europe for the PS2 and the Wii.
  • Dramatic Dungeon: Sakura Wars — Because You Were There (2008): A Gaiden Game for the Nintendo DS that brings together the Imperial, Paris, and New York Combat Revues to contend with a new demonic threat that has left our heroes unable to use their spirit armors! Taking place after the events of the fifth game, it would be the last game in the original series before the soft reboot...
  • Sakura Wars (2019): In 1940, a new generation of the Imperial Combat Revue, led by Seijuro Kamiyama, must rise to protect Tokyo. Under the guidance of Sumire Kanzaki, a founding member of the previous Revue who had retired from the front lines, he is joined by Sakura Amamiya, a fan of Sakura Shinguji; Hatsuho Shinonome, a hot-blooded shrine maiden; Azami Mochizuki, a prodigious shinobi-in-training; Anastasia Palma, a reknowned Grecian actress; and Clarissa "Claris" Snowflake, a Luxembourg-born scholar and magician. The first game to be developed by Sega's reorganized CS2 division for the PlayStation 4, it was also the first to be localized by Sega themselves.
  • Sakura Revolution Blooming Maidens (2020-2021): A Defunct Online Gaiden Game released for smartphones, and the franchise's first mobile entry to date. In 2011, Japan is recovering from an attack on the imperial capital made 16 years prior. Using a form of energy known as "Mirai", the country appeared to be on the road to reconstruction, but after activating the New Captial Tower, demons known as "Kouki" began to appear and the cherry blossoms stopped blooming. To protect and entertain the people, the government created the Great Imperial Combat Revue B.L.A.C.K., but their current peace is a false one. A separate Imperial Combat Revue, along with new recruit Shino Sakura, rose among the people to expose the conspiracy and take back Japan.

    Anime 

    Novels 


The series provides examples of:

    open/close all folders 

    A-C 
  • 2D Visuals, 3D Effects: OVA 3 and later, using the same style as Is Paris Burning?, dubbed Neo-CG. This also applies to most of the series, with the TV series adaptation being a notable exception to this.
  • Actor Allusion:
  • Aliens Speaking English: All of the characters speak Japanese in the original games, including the Paris Combat Revue (based in Europe) and the New York Combat Revue (based in North America).
  • All for Nothing: By the beginning of the 2019 Sakura Wars, it's clear that the efforts of the original Combat Revues were all for naught since the demons have returned to attack Tokyo and the Imperial Combat Revue is now a shell of its former self, at least until Sumire contacts Kamiyama to lead the team.
  • All There in the Manual: The first illustration book details that the demons were originally caused by Hōjō Ujitsuna's failed experiment back in 1524. They were first detected in 1536.
  • All Your Base Are Belong to Us:
    • In chapter 6 of Sakura Wars (1996), Crimson Miroku invades the Imperial Theater so that the Hive of Darkness will cause chaos in Tokyo.
    • In Sakura Wars 2: Thou Shalt Not Die, Keigo Kyogoku has Shiro Amakasa and the Imperial Japanese Army stage a coup d'etat and invade the Imperial Theater, temporarily forcing the Imperial Combat Revue into hiding.
    • In Sakura Wars: The Movie, Douglas-Stewart has the Imperial Japanese Army take over the Imperial Theater after Ikki Yoneda is captured. Fortunately, it doesn't last long thanks to Yokihiko Ota's help.
    • In chapter 4 of Sakura Wars (2019), Yaksha launches a full scale assault on the Grand Imperial Theater.
  • Alternate History:
    • It's uncertain exactly when the world of Sakura Wars diverged from ours, though it may have been several centuries ago; at one point in the manga, Yoneda finds references in an old history text to a war fought between Japan's samurai and supernatural enemies resembling the demonic entities. Possibly a case of Parallel History, as many nations and events seem to be identical or similar to our world; for example, Yoneda is cited as being a great hero of the Russo-Japanese War, and Maria comes to the team as a veteran of the Russian Civil War.
      • There was also a mention that the British Empire (aka the British Colonial Empire) exists in the ST world.
    • The most immediate divergence though would be the Demon Wars of 1918, which take the place of World War I.
      • Hiroi also mentioned that the ST verse does not have the Great Kanto earthquake nor a pro-ultranationalist military in the government.
    • Another bigger divergence in the 2019 Sakura Wars, as it takes place in 1940, while still in the Taisho era.note 
  • Anachronic Order:
    • The first OVA, The Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms, was released from 1997 to 1998 and takes place before and during Sakura Wars, with the last two episodes being released after Thou Shalt Not Die.
    • The second OVA, The Radiant Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms, was released from 1999 to 2000. While the first episode takes place during the original Sakura Wars, the rest of the OVA takes place during Thou Shalt Not Die.
    • The École de Paris and Le Nouveau Paris OVAs were released long after Is Paris Burning?.
  • And the Adventure Continues:
    • Thou Shalt Not Die ends with Ogami being sent overseas to Paris to lead a new Flower Division there.
    • Towards the end of Is Paris Burning?, Ogami receives an order to return to Tokyo soon. Once the Paris Combat Revue finally defeats Salu, Ogami leaves Paris for Tokyo to reunite with his friends from the Flower Division, as established in Sakura Wars: The Movie and Fall in Love, Maidens.
    • At the end of Fall in Love, Maidens, Yoneda gives Ogami his katana and deems him the new commander of the Flower Division.
  • Anime Accent Absence: Averted in the dubs of the various OVAs and TV series, but strikingly obvious by comparison in the (Pioneer) dub of the movie.
  • Anime Theme Song: One of the catchiest anime songs of the nineties — a bizarre but effective mix of rock, pre-war J-pop, and idol charm, with an oddly compelling martial aspect.
  • Anyone Can Die: If the series wants you dead, regardless of who you are, you die.
  • Arc Words:
    • "A Taisho era tale to touch hearts."
    • "Bang! To the rooftops!"
  • Artistic License – History:
    • There was no World War I, yet the Russian Revolution of 1917 still somehow happened despite the fact that Russia's constant failures in WWI were the chief reasons that the revolution happened in the first place. If not for the war, Russia would probably turn into a constitutional monarchy, since that was where it headed after the revolution of 1905.
    • There's also alcohol being served openly during Prohibition, although it could be argued that in this timeline Prohibition never happened.
    • In So Long, My Love, it's stated that Jazz originated in Harlem. While it's true that Jazz was especially popular in Harlem, it was really invented in New Orleans.
  • Badass Creed: From the theme song.
    [Sakura] "We will fight for justice!"
    [Maria] "Even if we have to risk our lives for the sake of this war!"
    [Kanna] "We will stand our ground!"
    [Iris] "Someday, this imperial capital..."
    [Kouran] "Till the day the evil disappears..."
    [Sumire] "We will continue to fight in this war!"
    [All] "We are the Imperial Flower Attack Group!"
  • Bait-and-Switch Credits: The intro for In Hot Blood features the Revue launching into space and engaging in combat. This never happens in the game.
  • Batman Gambit: The Grand-Mère and Ambassador Sakomizu do this in the events of the École de Paris OVA by leveling empty houses near Lobelia's hideout to cut off several escape paths, which leads her into an ambush conducted by the Préfecture de Police de Paris. This was followed by the use of ultrasonic devices to pin Lobelia onto the wall. Following her escape into the sewers, more Préfecture de Police de Paris officers ambush her there with rifle grenades and cryotorpedoes to get her guard down and severely lower her spirit energy by making her use her pyrokinesis powers. Ambassador Sakomizu fires an anti-spirit bullet from a sniper rifle to paralyze her so that the police can easily capture her before she is incarcerated in prison, which would lead to her recruitment in the Paris Combat Revue by the time of Is Paris Burning?.
  • Big Bad: Various including:
  • Big Good:
  • Bilingual Bonus: Anyone who speaks Sanskrit will understand the chant the Hive of Darkness performs.
  • Bittersweet Ending: This is a staple of the series.
    • Sakura Wars (1996) — Satan has been sent back to hell, the Hive of Darkness is obliterated and Tokyo is saved, but Ayame commits a Heroic Sacrifice and ascends into heaven.
    • Thou Shalt Not Die — Kyogoku is dead, the Black Demons are no more, Musashi has been destroyed and Tokyo is saved once again. But Ogami has to leave for France to lead the Paris Combat Revue, and Kazuma and Yamazaki are Killed Off for Real.
    • Is Paris Burning? — Salu has been defeated, the Paris Phantoms are no more and Paris is saved. However, Ogami must return to Tokyo to rejoin his allies.
    • Fall in Love, Maidens — Nagayasu's spirit has been purified but the Mikasa has been destroyed, the Rose and Wind Divisions retire and the Paris Combat Revue has to return to France.
    • Le Nouveau Paris — The Paris Combat Revue defeat the count and his plans to destroy Paris, but it's implied that a lot of death and destruction has been done by the time Erica used her spirit powers to "save" him. While Paris rebuilds the Eiffel Tower, the count's benefactor responsible for breaking him out of confinement is still on the loose in France.
    • Samurai Daughter of the Wild — Patrick Hamilton is dead and Gemini saves Texas, but Gemini has to bid her friends farewell and leave for New York.
    • Sakura Wars (2019) — Both Sotetsu Genan and Yaksha are dead, Tokyo is saved once again, Sakura Amamiya has achieved her goal to become an actress, the Imperial Combat Revue gains the respect of the other Combat Revues as well as the adoration of the public. But the Archdemon is still out there and the original Combat Revues are still trapped in Shadow Tokyo.
  • But Not Too Foreign: Despite the Five-Token Band trope being a major selling point of the series, many of the cast are either Japanese or of partial Japanese descent.
    • The first team only had two characters without any Japanese descent, with blond-haired, blue eyed Maria being half-Japanese.
    • In Thou Shalt Not Die, Orihime Soletta, is half-Italian, half-Japanese. The other newcomer Leni is wholly German, however.
    • Is Paris Burning? has Hanabi Kitaoji, a half-French, half-Japanese noble.
    • In So Long, My Love, which is set in New York, not only is the main character Japanese, but so are Subaru and the merchant you can get special bromides from. Mission Control member Anri is also half-Japanese, and Sunnyside and Gemini are Americans who are fans of Japanese culture.
  • The Captain: Ogami, Shinjiro and Kamiyama are talented, but just fresh out of OCS and have no practical experience yet.
  • Child Soldier: Most members of all three Flower Division s are, at the oldest, in their late teens or early twenties. Iris and Coquelicot are the most notable, being preteens.
  • Chilly Reception: Ogami and Shinjiro in the games and Sakura in the Alternate Timeline TV series and the canon OVAs. Ogami and Shinjiro are both belittled and used as errand boy as part of a Secret Test of Character, while Sakura is mocked and looked down upon as a newbie Country Mouse.
  • Circling Birdies: Erica in Sakura Wars: Ecole de Paris
  • Colon Cancer: From the second to the fifth game, the franchise became known for adding subtitles, which also extends to the film.
  • Color-Coded Characters: Very much so. Not only their uniforms, but also their outfits, and sometimes even their special attacks, to an extent. The uniforms worn by the revues' captains as well as their kobus are all colored white.
  • Continuity Nod:
    • The manga has many of these, sometimes bordering on Discontinuity Nods — like a lighthearted Take That! at the redesigned Kobu from the PS2 version of the first game.
    • Sumire's first scene in 1 has her asking Ogami to get a replacement fork for the one she dropped. Guess what Sumire's first event with Ogami involves, in the third game?
    • The angel who shows up during Erica's special skill in Is Paris Burning? looks rather familiar. That's because it happens to be Ayame.
    • Ogami asks why the Baragumi are still staying with the Flower Division, and their response to his question is pretty much familiar if you've ever heard Geki!Tei in full.
    • One of the training Blanches seen in Ècole de Paris has markings indicating that Douglas-Stewart was the main manufacturer. Guess who gets involved as a major bad guy in the animated film.

    D-F 
  • Defeat Equals Explosion: Whenever an enemy or boss is killed in battle, they often explode violently.
  • Demonic Invaders: The existence of the Kouma and their attempted attacks on Earth. Official material suggests that they started to appear first in pre-Meiji Japan.
  • Determinator: Everyone to an extent, but mostly Ogami. In 4, there is a part where the boss disables everyone's Kobu, so everyone else is down except for him, and he has a few seconds left before he himself gets taken out of the fight. So what does he do? Fly right into the enemy's face, stab at it with his Kobu's swords, then get out of the pilot's seat moments after his Kobu has been totally wrecked, only to stab his sword at the monster's face. Followed by an Unflinching Walk out of the explosion that occurs.
  • Dialogue Tree: Complete with timer to complicate the system; sometimes letting the timer run out [saying nothing] is the right thing to do!
  • Establishing Character Music: When a main female character is introduced, their leitmotif plays in the background.
  • Evil Tower of Ominousness:
    • In Is Paris Burning?, Salu transforms the Great Oak Tree into a giant fortress to the point where it even towers over the Notre Dame Cathedral.
    • Azuchi Castle takes over most of New York in the final chapter of So Long, My Love.
    • By the end of the 2019 Sakura Wars, Sotetsu Genan has set up his fortress in the center of Tokyo's National Stadium.
  • Finger-Snapping Street Gang: In the second OVA, there's a trio of gangsters who consider the most important part of being a gangster to be rhythmic snapping and posing in unison. Their "patrol" consists solely of performing dance moves on a dock.
  • Five-Token Band: The five ladies in your squadron in the fifth game consist of a white Country Mouse, a Sassy Black Woman, a young Hispanic bounty hunter, an Asian super-genius, and an ill girl in a wheelchair.
  • Foregone Conclusion:
    • In The Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms, anyone who is familiar with the first game will know that the Hive of Darkness and Aoi Satan will not only survive the events of the OVA since they die in the game proper; Sakura's training with Arataka will succeed and she will leave Sendai for Tokyo; and Ogami will replace Maria as the Flower Division's captain.
    • The fact that Ayame surviving the entirety of the first OVA and first episode of The Radiant Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms is made clear, since she dies at the end of Sakura Wars.
    • Also for The Radiant Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms, anyone who has played Thou Shalt Not Die were able to figure out that Ogami will be leaving for Paris; and based on the fact that Ogata and Orihime have a loving relationship in the fourth episode, it’s safe to presume that they already reconciled.
    • Iris makes up with Leni in the second episode of the The Radiant Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms since they perform together in The Blue Bird during Thou Shalt Not Die.
    • Since École de Paris takes place before and during Is Paris Burning, we already know that Erica, Glycine and Coquelicot will join the Flower Division in Paris; Lobelia will be detained in preparation for her recruitment; and Salu will survive the events of the OVA.
    • In Le Nouveau Paris, Erica will step down as captain since we know that Ogami will still be the captain by the time of Fall in Love, Maidens.
  • Framed for Heroism: In The Radiant Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms, there is a point where Kohran, in costume as a character she plays on the radio, faces down a mecha with a prop gun; Maria is actually the one who makes the shot.

    G-M 
  • Gaiden Game: A few of them, although the most notable are Sakura Wars Story ~Mysterious Paris~, where players assume the role of a Japanese private eye named Kojiro Akechi and Miki Akechi, a dancer at the Chattes Noires. This was followed by Sakura Wars V Episode 0 ~Kouya no Samurai Musume~, where players play Gemini prior to her arrival in New York City and Dramatic Dungeon Sakura Taisen ~Kimi aru ga tame~, which takes place a year after the events of Sakura Wars V, including the OVA.
  • Game Changer: Without Ichiro Ogami, Shinjiro Taiga and Seijuro Kamiyama's involvement, the Imperial, Paris and New York Combat Revues would never have eradicate the demons threatening the cities.
  • Gatling Good: Erica's upgraded Kobu F2 sports a Gatling gun. Still comes with a cross.
  • Gender Flip: From 2010 to 2011, Red Entertainment created a two-game series called Scared Rider Xechs for the Playstation 2 (later ported to PSP). The series is a reverse harem equivalent of the Sakura Wars franchise. The game includes similar graphics, and mechs are involved in the storyline.
  • Gratuitous French: Played with in the original Sakura Wars games, but also prevalent in the Japanese and English versions of the École de Paris OVA.
  • Heroic BSoD: Happens to Ogami and his nephew Shinjiro after being recruited to join with the Tokyo/New York Fighting Troupes. They had a hard time at first since they were suppose to be officers in the IJN before they were relegated to employee duties, but they eventually got over it.
  • Heroic Sacrifice:
    • Ayame saves Ogami and his friends at the cost of her own life.
    • In Thou Shalt Not Die, Kazuma Shinguji willingly sacrifices himself to stop Kyogoku from killing Sakura.
  • Historical Villain Upgrade: Oda Nobunaga is the demonic Big Bad of Sakura Wars V.
    • You can say the same for Ranmaru, Tenkai, Ōkubo Nagayasu and Tutankhamen.
  • Honest Axe: Rikkarita in Sakura Wars 5 is fond of asking criminals, "The gold gun or the silver gun... which do you want to get shot with?"
  • Iconic Sequel Character:
    • Thou Shalt Not Die introduced Orihime Soletta, Leni Milchstraße, Kaede Fujieda, Yuichi Kayama, Kotone Seiryuin, Yokihiko Ota, Kikunojo Oka, and Keigo Kyogoku.
    • Is Paris Burning? gives us Erica Fontaine, Glycine Bleumer, Coquelicot, Isabel "Grand-Mère" Lilac, Norimichi Sakomizu, Mell Raison, Jean Leo, Ci Caprice, and Salu.
    • Sakura Wars: The Movie has Ratchet Altair, Brent Furlong, and Patrick Hamilton.
    • Fall in Love, Maidens introduces Ōkubo Nagayasu.
    • Samurai Daughter of the Wild has Gemini Sunrise, Juanita Cushing, Brad Basileus, and Chamber Westwood.
    • So Long, My Love has Shinjiro Taiga, Michael Sunnyside, Cheiron Archer, Rosarita "Rosita" Aries, Subaru Kujo, Diana Caprice, and Oda Nobunaga.
    • The 2019 Sakura Wars introduces Seijuro Kamiyama, Sakura Amamiya, Hatsuho Shinonome, Azami Mochizuki, Anastasia Palma, Clarissa "Claris" Snowflake, Kaoru Rindo, Komachi Oba, Reiji Shiba, Yang Xiaolong, Huang Yui, Arthur, Lancelot, Elise, Margarete and President G/Sotetsu Genan.
  • Iconic Sequel Song: Kohei Tanaka's score contains several instantly recognizable leitmotifs and themes for the characters. The Paris Combat Revue's theme, "Under the Imperial Flag", makes its debut in Sakura Wars 3: Is Paris Burning?. "Earth Warriors", the New York Combat Revue's theme, also appears in Sakura Wars: So Long, My Love.
  • Ink-Suit Actor: Akio Suyama and Chisa Yokoyama are really similar to Ogami and Sakura respectively in Real Life, especially in theater plays.
  • Just Train Wrong: Despite the Combat Revues in Tokyo and Paris having bullet trains as a mode of transportation, there are a few things wrong with that. Japan developed the high-speed railway lines in 1964, with France following in 1981. They also weren't powered by steam, which ended around the same time that the bullet trains were being developed.
  • Katanas Are Just Better: Quite a few characters wield long swords.
  • Late-Arrival Spoiler: Players of the English release of the fifth game may feel like this is in effect as staple concepts are barely explained in the beginning. Being the fifth in a popular series, it assumes familiarity with them and the other divisions. Even some of the promotional material assured those who have somehow played earlier games that all of the systems they're familiar with and more are in this game but gave no such assurance for those new to the series.
  • Leitmotif: Inverted as whilst the characters each have themes they usually change for each game — that is if the characters appear in more than one game.
  • Market-Based Title: The franchise is known as Sakura Taisen in Asia. Outside, it's known as Sakura Wars.
  • The Masquerade: The reason why the Japanese, French and American government allowed for the secret existence of the various anti-demon Combat Revues.
  • Mile-Long Ship: The Mikasa is about 8 kilometers (5 miles) long.
  • The Musical: This starts to get confusing as it becomes a case of "A Show Within A Show Within A Show" at times. Aside from the in-game musicals performed by the various teams there have actually been several musicals performed in Takarazuka style (although it should be noted that these musicals do feature the majority of the male voice actots playing their respective characters too). What makes it even more special is that, unlike a lot of musicals based on anime/games, all the voice actors respectively play their characters leading to some very funny scenes such as the seiyuu who plays Ogami being extremely short and Iris' voice actress makes a joke on it since she is taller than him. Usually a musical takes the form of two parts. The first part is a story that focuses on the characters themselves and the second part actually has the characters perform a play/musical such as Blue Bird. The latter got significantly longer as the musicals progressed. The Flower Division team naturally had the most musicals. The Paris and New York troupes did not get that many. In fact the Paris troupe only had one mini-musical made.
    • Also noteworthy is the special stage show (and OVA) to say good bye to Sumire and her voice actress Michie Tomizawa, when Tomizawa decided to leave the franchise.
      • Technically speaking though that didn't happen so much musical wise as she continued (and still does) to make guest appearances and even attends the live events. Voice acting-wise it's actually Orihime's voice actress Maya Okamoto who now doesn't attend them since she now lives in the USA when she moved there after 1999 to study theater note .
  • Mythology Gag: Maria's White Russian commanding officer Yuri having a physical resemblance to Ken Nakajima. Considering that Kosuke Fujishima did have a hand in character designs for the first five games, this is not a surprise.

    N-Z 
  • Nepharious Pharaoh: Sakura Wars: New York has King Tut trying to take over New York City. During The Roaring '20s. And the only people capable of stopping him are a Magitek Steampunk spec-ops team who masquerade as a theatre troupe.
  • Ninja: Ninjas appear in various forms throughout the series, with the 2019 game having one among the heroes with Azami Mochizuki.
  • Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot: Musical theatre + Humongous Mecha + Turn-Based Strategy + Dating Sim.
  • Noblewoman's Laugh: Sumire, Glycine from Is Paris Burning? and Fall in Love, Maidens
  • Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Played straight in The Movie and with Orihime and Leni in the OVAs.
  • Nothing Is the Same Anymore:
    • As of Thou Shalt Not Die, Ogami is dispatched to lead a new combat revue in Paris to help fight off the Paris Phantoms.
    • After Sakura Wars: The Movie, Ratchet Altair forms another combat revue in New York City.
    • As of the 2019 Sakura Wars, the World Luxury Operatic Federation has been formed and there are more Combat Revues based in Shanghai, London and Berlin.
  • Old Save Bonus Use the same Memory Card on your PS2 that you saved Sakura Wars with to play Is Paris Burning? and Samurai Daughter of the Wild, and oh boy you'd be in for a world of fun!!
  • Once an Episode:
    • Every game in the series traditionally features a date with the person with the most trust points available.
    • The games also feature a gigantic Final Boss battle, usually in a lair of sorts.
  • The One Guy: Ogami for the first four games, Taiga for So Long, My Love and Kamiyama for the 2019 Sakura Wars. 2019 also has Xiaolong as the One Guy for the Shanghai Combat Revue, and Arthur for the London Combat Revue.
  • Out of the Inferno: Ogami did this once after his Kobu was totaled in Fall in Love, Maidens.
  • Pimped-Out Dress: Many of the stage outfits, and some of the girls' evening dresses.
  • P.O.V. Boy, Poster Girl: The series features Sakura in all of its marketing and packaging, but Ogami is the player character and protagonist.
  • The Power of Love: The player characters often fall in love with the girl who has the most trust points at the end of the games.
  • Prequel:
    • The first OVA series, The Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms, is primarily a prequel to the original 1996 game.
    • The first episode of École de Paris serves as a prequel to Is Paris Burning?.
  • Psychic Powers: Most everyone, with Iris and Erica being the most overt. Diana also is supposed to have such strong powers that they're physically harmful to her, but she rarely has overt displays of them.
  • Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits: Each of the main teams in the series is made up of disparate people from across the world who ultimately come together to protect the world:
    • The original Flower Division of the Imperial Combat Revue consists of a fresh-faced Imperial Navy graduate, a clumsy swordswoman, a haughty aristocrat, a Russian war veteran, a cheerful French girl with Psychic Powers, a Chinese Mad Scientist, an Okinawan Tomboy martial artist, an Italian actress, and a German Child Soldier.
    • The Flower Division of the Paris Combat Revue was originally led by the aforementioned Navy soldier and consists of a clumsy nun, a haughty Blue Blood, a Vietnamese circus magician, an Italian-Romanian Boxed Crook, and a Japanese-French widow in mourning.
    • The Star Division of the New York Combat Revue consists of the nephew of the aforementioned Navy soldier, a clumsy Texan cowgirl, a Harlemite gangster-turned-lawyer, a Mexican bounty huntress, an androgynous Japanese savant, and an ill niece of the commanding officer.
    • The new Flower Division consists of a Navy captain, another clumsy swordswoman, a Tomboy Miko, a Ninja, a Luxembourger libromancer, and a Grecian actress.
  • Real Life Writes the Plot: The reason why the Sumire OVA was developed, given that her voice actress Michie Tomizawa was going to get married and retire.
  • Reformed Criminal:
    • Lobelia Carlini was an infamous outlaw from Paris who was serving a thousand-year jail sentence before she joined the Flower Division.
    • Sagiitta Weinberg/Cheiron Archer served as the leader of the Centaur biker gang before becoming a lawyer.
    • Hatsuho Shinonome was the leader of a vigilante gang before she became a founding member of the new Flower Division.
  • The Roaring '20s: The first five games and the film take place between 1923 and 1928.
  • Rollerblade Good: Strangely enough, while Kobu have wheels built in their feet, only Glycine is shown using this feature in both combat and cutscenes.
  • Rousseau Was Right: The games fairly unambiguously take the position that humans are innately good and just need proper guidance and support to avoid going astray. Genuine evil comes from external forces like demons or The Undead.
  • Rule of Cool: Everything from punching acid out of the way from launching robots and airships from underneath city streets.
  • Running Gag:
    • One of the main heroines tripping over herself due to their clumsiness.
    • Erica is repeatedly arrested by the police for running around in town with her machinegun. Also Erica's tendency to smash her head against poles, doors, or whatever nearby. This happens when she sleeps.
    • Sumire and Kanna getting into arguments.
    • Kayama showing up with a guitar to impress Ogami and the girls, despite having little knowledge of playing it.
    • Rosarita using her pet weasel as emergency food.
    • Shinjiro being forced to dress up as Peppermint or being given new nicknames by Michael.
  • Saved by Canon:
    • The Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms is set before and during the original game, so Ayame Fujieda, Aoi Satan and the Hive of Darkness will survive the events of the OVA.
    • In the first episode of The Radiant Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms, Ayame will also survive the events of that episode since it also takes place during the first game.
    • The École de Paris OVA, which is set during the first half of Is Paris Burning?, ensures that Salu and Douglas-Stewart are going to end up alive and well.
  • Saved for the Sequel: Thou Shalt Not Die and Is Paris Burning? ended with a few plot points dangling to be resolved in the next game.
  • Schizo Tech: 1920s psychotronic steam-tech battlesuits.
    • At one point in the manga, an announcement is made at the beginning of a play: "Also, please turn off your steam mobile phones..."
  • Secret Test of Character:
    • When Ogami is first transferred to Tokyo, he's only told about the theatrical side of the Flower Division, as a test to see whether he's compatible with the group outside of battle, and the kind of person they'd be willing to follow in battle.
    • Also, near the end of So Long, My Love, Mr. Sunnyside informs Taiga that he will have to sacrifice one of the members of theStar Division if he is to defeat Nobunaga. In the end, it turns out that the correct choice (and the one Taiga makes) is to ignore Sunnyside and vow to keep everyone alive.
  • Show Within a Show (As part of their cover, the Flower Division put on plays in the Theatre, e.g. "Crimson Lizard" or "Les Miserables"; Sumire's family owns a movie studio which occasionally employs the troupe in films; they also take part in radio dramas and model for characters in manga.)
  • Shout-Out:
  • Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: You'd be hard pressed to find any work produced from the 90s onwards that is this far up the scale of Idealism.
    • That said, Sakura Wars 3 shifts matters a bit further towards cynicism in the introduction of previously mentioned Boxed Crook Lobelia, brought onto the team in exchange for a reduction of her thousand year prison sentence and explicitly threatened with death if she messes up. To quote a line from her first episode.
      Coquelicot: Lobelia... You're making us look like the bad guys...
  • Steam Never Dies: Quite a few trains as well as cars, boats and planes are powered by steam engines, and the series is set during the time where steam-powered vehicles were being phased out.
  • Steampunk: Despite the games being set in the early 20th century, it seems society hasn't moved to Diesel Punk or oil-based fuels yet. Instead, the mechs are powered by steam as well as spirit energy. Things are also closer to the bright and optimistic Gay Nineties versus the actual time period following World War 1 (which never happened here anyway).
  • Stopped Numbering Sequels: While So Long, My Love was originally titled Sakura Wars V, Sakura Wars (2019) ditches the numbering scheme altogether.
  • Sudden Sequel Heel Syndrome: Ayame from the perspective of anyone who watches the OVAs and plays the video games in chronological order.
  • Super Robot Genre: Girls in mystically powered steampunk mechs vs. demons is the premise after all.
  • Suspiciously Similar Substitute: Kaede Fujieda from Sakura Wars 2, for her sister Ayame.
  • Symbolic Blood: Steam seems to be the Kobu equivalent for blood. In the TV series, the Kobus are often seen blowing off steam right after being knocked out or immobilized, regardless of whether there is any visible damage or not.)
  • Team Shot: Deconstructed. After every battle, the heroines (and Ogami) pose for a photo with the tagline "To victory!". Ogami finds this somewhat awkward the first couple of times it happens. Every time new characters are introduced, they also find it incredibly dumb - but a couple of battles later, they're happily joining in. The high-water mark is in the third game, where Ogami is assigned to command a new team of girls - and is left as the only one posing, whilst his new comrades-in-arms recoil in confusion.
    Glycine: Huh? What's that supposed to be?
    Erica: Mr. Ogami, what are you doing?
  • Theme Music Abandonment:
    • The Paris Combat Revue themes were never used for So Long, My Love nor the 2019 Sakura Wars.
    • The New York Combat Revue's themes were also not incorporated into the 2019 Sakura Wars.
  • Theme Naming: Flowers for the Flower Division; stars, constellations and the like for the Star Division.
  • Timed Mission: Some of the missions in both adventure and battle modes must be cleared within a limited time.
  • Time-Limit Boss: Some of the bosses must be defeated within a set time limit. If you let the timer run out, it can trigger a Game Over and force you to restart the battle.
  • The Unwanted Harem: Ogami's relationship with the girls — a leftover from the "dating sim" part of the original games.
  • Virgin Power: Hinted at, though never explicitly stated. The main theme does state that the girls are maidens, and even a member of the PariGumi who gives off an "experienced" vibe — Lobelia — is, in her OAV focus story, explicitly stated to have not done the sorts of things that men and women normally do together when she took men up to her room, and is compared to the Virgin Mary.
  • Video Game Cruelty Potential: Some of the dialogue choices you can make range from jerkish, to outright cruel. Though, in the long-run, making those choices can severely weaken your allies in combat and make the games nigh impossible to complete.
  • Vitriolic Best Buds: Sumire and Kanna could be the poster children for this trope.
  • Weapon Specialization: Mostly everyone.
    • The heroes and and most of the leading women use katana as their weapons of choice, with the Player Character Dual Wielding swords while Sakura Shinguji, Gemini, and Sakura Amamiya use only one katana.
    • The refined, prim, and proper Sumire uses a naginata.
    • Maria, the battle-hardened Russian Revolution veteran, uses firearms.
    • Kohran, the quirky scientist, uses rockets to fight at range, in addition to small remote-controlled robot drones for her Limit Break.
    • Iris foregoes weapons in favor of using psychokinesis.
    • Kanna, the Bare-Fisted Monk, foregoes weapons in favor of hand-to-hand combat. Any weapons she does use often include gauntlets to increase her striking power.
    • Reni, the tactical wunderkind, uses a lance.
    • Orihime, a famous actress, uses Finger Guns to hit enemies with Beam Spam.
    • Erica is the one outlier among the leading ladies in terms of weapon choice: instead of using a katana, she uses an antique cross-shaped machine gun.
    • Glycine, the Viking-descendant noble, uses a halberd.
    • Yamato Nadeshiko Hanabi using a bow.
    • Career-criminal Lobelia uses pyrokinesis in conjunction with massive Wolverine Claws.
    • Coquelicot, a stage magician, uses a magic baton.
    • Tough-as-nails Cheiron uses a chain.
    • Noh acting savant Subaru uses Combat Hand Fans that can conjure powerful winds.
    • Bounty huntress Rosita uses Guns Akimbo.
    • Nature-loving nurse Diana uses syringe-shaped water cannons, in addition to a bird-shaped robot drone to administer healing.
    • Retired Badass Ratchet uses throwing daggers.
    • Tomboyish shrine maiden Hatsuho uses a massive rocket-powered mallet.
    • Ninja prodigy Azami uses a Power Fist that conceals various ninja weapons, in conjunction with martial arts.
    • Book-learned magician Claris uses a Spell Book to cast libromancy spells. Her mecha also has a magic tome. Why? Why not!
    • Cool and collected Anastasia uses Guns Akimbo, including a pistol and a parasol-concealed Hand Cannon.
  • Weddings in Japan: Sakura's participation in a traditional ceremony at the end of The Radiant Gorgeous Blooming Cherry Blossoms OVA.
  • World of Action Girls: Most of the main Combat Revue characters have various scenes where they can kick major demon ass.

"Flower Division... To victory!"

 
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Geki! Teikoku Kagekidan <Shinshou> by the New Imperial Combat Revue

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