History Anime / AldnoahZero

* CruelMercy: A variation in the final episode, in which [[spoiler:Slaine, despite his crimes and [[PleaseKillMeIfItSatisfiesYou his wish to die]], is left alive and imprisoned instead. Not only is he denied his death wish, forcing him to live with his guilt, but he's no longer able to see his beloved Asseylum.]]

** After the credits of Season 1 Episode 3, Slaine confronts Trillram about the FalseFlagOperation to kill Princess Asseylum. When Trillram confesses, Slaine angrily shoots him dead. It's shown again in Episode 4 via a brief flashback, but if you missed Episode 3's stinger then it comes completely out of nowhere.
** There's another one in Season 2, in which Lemrina decides to pull the plug on the comatose Asseylum. She backs out at the last second, but after she leaves, Asseylum starts to wake up.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In a fight between a reckless, arrogant, inexperienced pilot, and a calm, methodical, ruthless one who has a solid grasp on combat tactics and physics, the former doesn't really stand a chance, regardless of how powerful his mecha is. Mechanically, the physics-defying {{Super Robot}}s still have to exist in a universe where the laws of physics hold sway, and while they might defy those laws they are still subject to them and vulnerable to someone who knows how to exploit that.

* RealityEnsues: In a fight between a reckless, arrogant, inexperienced pilot, and a calm, methodical, ruthless one who has a solid grasp on combat tactics and physics, the former doesn't really stand a chance, regardless of how powerful his mecha is. Mechanically, the physics-defying {{Super Robot}}s still have to exist in a universe where the laws of physics hold sway, and while they might defy those laws they are still subject to them and vulnerable to someone who knows how to exploit that.

** Episode 16 shows that the debris from the space battles [[RealityEnsues needs to be cleaned up]] afterwards.

** In Episode 5, [[spoiler: Inaho grapples with Vlad's Kataphrakt, then jams his Sleipnir into acceleration and ejects. The acceleration sends both machines tumbling into the sea, where Vlad's super-hot [[LaserBlade plasma swords]] contact the cold sea water and [[RealityEnsues instantly trigger a flash steam explosion]] that rips his Kataphrakt apart.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/aldnoah_zero_combo1.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[{{Tagline}} "Let justice be done, though the heavens fall."]]'' [[note]]Top left: [[MechaMooks KG-6 Sleipnirs]]. Top right: [[OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Inaho Kaizuka]]. Bottom right: [[RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething Princess Asseylum Vers Allusia]]. Bottom left: [[CharClone Slaine Troyard]].[[/note]] ]]

The premise of the series is basically every RealRobot action series... with the roles reversed. Picture a group of [[Manga/MobileSuitGundam Zakus]] / [[Anime/ArmoredTrooperVOTOMS Scope Dogs]] pitted against [[Anime/MazingerZ Mazinger Z]] / [[Anime/GaoGaiGar GaoGaiGar]], only the ''villains'' are in the physics-defying, OneManArmy {{Super Robot}}s, while the heroes are in outdated, RedShirtArmy {{Mook Mobile}}s.

* FaceDeathWithDignity: The pilot of the Elysium Kataphrakt in Episode 1 of the Second Season. After a stunned look of surprise when Inaho subverts his defences, he simply smiles in respect before Inaho blows him away with extreme prejudice.

* FrickinLaserBeams: Some of the Vers mechs use these as their primary weapons, such as the Solis and the Herschel. While the Herschel more or less plays the trope straight, the Solis demonstrates a rather [[TruthInTelevision true to life]] version of lasers besides the bright red visibility. They're impossible to dodge, hit instantly, and have a range that reaches out into space from sea level. [[spoiler: They also are unaffected by gravity, which means they can't hit anything beyond the horizon.]]

** The [[FrickinLaserBeams Solis]] is named after Solis Lacus, a dark feature on Mars, commonly referred as "The Eye of Mars" because with the surrounding light area called Thaumasia it resembles the pupil of one. Since solis is Spanish for sun, it’s an exception to the ReligiousAndMythologicalThemeNaming.

* BulletsDoNotWorkThatWay: Beyond ImprobableAimingSkills, to cut Slaine loose (announced as a debt repaid to Slaine's father), Saazbaum just turns around, points the handgun and severs the chain of Slaine's handcuffs with a single shot from a few feet distance. Slaine's cuffed hands were not even raised, just hanging in front of him. And nobody got hurt in the process.

* StrayShotsStrikeNothing: Averted in Episode 15: that barrage of bullets Slaine shoots at seemingly nothing in space comes back and does hit something significant... ''[[ChekhovsGun six hours later.]]''

* EverythingsBetterWithPrincesses: [[spoiler: She's murdered by members of her own government in the first episode in order to cause a war with earth. We find out in the next episode that it was a body double who died, however.]]
** Lemrina in season 2.

* ConspicuousCG: The various mecha in the show. Most of the vehicles also are this, such as the cargo truck that Rayet drives in episode 3.

''Aldnoah.Zero'' is a sci-fi action anime which began airing on [[Summer2014Anime July 5, 2014]], created by Creator/GenUrobuchi (''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica, LightNovel/FateZero, Anime/PsychoPass''), animated by Creator/A1Pictures (''Manga/BlackButler, Manga/FairyTail, Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic'') and with a soundtrack by Music/HiroyukiSawano (''Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn, Manga/AttackOnTitan, Anime/KillLaKill'').

** In Episode 5, [[spoiler: Inaho grapples with Vlad's Kataphrakt, then jams his Sleipnir into acceleration and ejects. The acceleration sends both machines tumbling into the sea, where Vlad's super-hot [[LaserSword plasma swords]] contact the cold sea water and [[RealityEnsues instantly trigger a flash steam explosion]] that rips his Kataphrakt apart.]]

* AltumVidetur: Averted; the series tagline is the English translation of [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fiat_justitia_ruat_caelum a famous Latin saying.]]

* AceCustom: Subverted and arguably ''inverted'' with Inaho's Sleipnir-class Kataphrakts. Its [[HighlyConspicuousUniform Highly Conspicuous Paintjob]] of bright orange makes it stand out enormously from the regular RedShirts in their military green/gunmetal machines, and the Martians clearly ASSUME that it's some sort of elite custom machine. In truth, however, it's just an obsolete trainer, one of many handed over to schools for use in live-fire exercises - it's entirely down to Inaho's intellect and ability that it repeatedly goes toe-to-toe with the martian SuperRobot level Kataphrakts. Even when he's given the option to upgrade to a newer model, he refuses, stating that the main advantage it has over the older model is better armor (which wouldn't have helped against any of the overpowered Martian weapons they've encountered), and while the additional weight from that is compensated for by a superior powerplant, it has pretty much the same performance as the Sleipnir, so he might as well stick to what he's familiar with.

* MonsterOfTheWeek: Every one of the Versian Knights' Kataprakts is highly customized with it's own appearance, weapons and gimmicks. Inaho's battles against them are not unlike facing {{Robeast}}s from a SuperRobot show.

* ShaggyDogStory: Slaine's entire plotline is just a series of Shaggy Dog Stories. First, [[spoiler:he tries to inform the Emperor that Asseylum is still alive, only to have it turn out that Saazbaum already convinced him that Slaine is lying. Second, Slaine steals a plane, finds the Watdatsumi, and helps Inaho defeat Femianne, only to get shot down by Inaho and later captured by Cruhteo. Third, he withstands continuous torture at the hands of Cruhteo before he finally tells him Asseylum is still alive. Cruhteo is on the verge of stopping the war to get to the bottom of the conspiracy when Saazbaum kills Cruhteo and kidnaps Slaine. And we haven't even reached the halfway point in the series yet!]]

The premise of the series is basically every RealRobot action series... with the roles reversed. Picture a group of [[MobileSuitGundam Zakus]] / [[Anime/ArmoredTrooperVOTOMS Scope Dogs]] pitted against [[Anime/MazingerZ Mazinger Z]] / [[Anime/GaoGaiGar GaoGaiGar]], only the ''villains'' are in the physics-defying, OneManArmy {{Super Robot}}s, while the heroes are in outdated, RedShirtArmy {{Mook Mobile}}s.

* BookEnds: The plot of season 1 is kicked off by an attempted assassination of the VERS Princess, which doesn't succeed. [[spoiler:It ends with another attempted assassination of the VERS Princess, which ''almost'' succeeds.]]

** The Stygis fighters that Vers fields in the second season are this, in comparison to their Kataphrakts. They might not have a physics defying super ability and tough armor but they are fast, come in groups, and are armed wit a lot of guns.
* BrickJoke: In Episode 1, Inaho makes scrambled eggs when his sister wanted a rolled omelette. At the end of the episode, he is reading a supermarket flyer [[UnusuallyUninterestingSight during the Martian princess' arrival parade]] and notices that eggs are on sale. One episode later, during [[spoiler: the evacuation of the city after the Martian attack,]] he's making a rolled omelette.

* CarFu: Well, it was a spaceship, but Femieanne's Kataphrakt gets run over by it in episode 7. She somehow survives the impact, though a follow-up shot in her weak spot destroys her suit.

* CasualDangerDialogue: Inaho seems strangely calm when he tells his friends they should run away from the parade area when he sees a missile flying by.

* CerebusRollercoaster[=/=]MoodWhiplash: Episodes typically follow a pattern of happy --> bleak --> really awesome before ending in bleak, in that order. Only time will tell if this holds for the second season.

* CliffHanger: Episode 11 ends on one, with the Deucalion severely damaged, and the fate of those aboard the ship unknown.
** Season 1 as a whole probably has one of the biggest cliffhanger endings in recent anime history.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: The Kataphrakt training class in episode 1 sees Inko primarily training on the heavy anti-materiel sniper rifle. [[spoiler: In episode 3, she's on the same rifle to snipe out the bridge under the Nilokeras's feet.]]

* FunWithAcronyms: The OS used in the series is named '''A'''ccuracy '''S'''ystem '''I'''mage '''M'''odule for '''O'''ptimum '''V'''elocity, referencing [[Creator/IsaacAsimov this guy]].

* ImperialStormtrooperMarksmanshipAcademy: In Episode 6 a bunch of guys shooting at Slaine can't hit him. Even though he's on a (very slowly) ascending cable into a sky carrier going up in a straight line.

* KilledMidSentence: In episode 11, while doing an orbital drop, Inko prays that none of the attacks from the Martian landing castle hit her. One of the soldiers dropping alongside her tells her she shouldn't be so scared, as bullets are more likely to hit a jittery target than a calm one. He tells her to relax, and the attacks should simply go around them. Then he gets hit by one of said attacks and blows up while he's in the middle of talking.

* MacrossMissileMassacre: Both sides of the fight utilize missile attacks, though the Earth forces attacks don't do any harm to the VERS mecha. The assassination of the Princess is carried out using an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M270_Multiple_Launch_Rocket_System M270 MLRS]] disguised as a civilian truck, though the man firing the weapon launches the missiles only one to two at a time.

** Now standard issue for all UE Kataphrakts as the battles move into space. Mounted on the shoulders, the pack now comprises thrusters and ''Shingeki no Kyojin''-style wire pivot systems, giving the Kataphrakts the overall appearance of classic Mecha Wings.

* MidSeasonUpgrade: Interestingly, the major upgrade is not for the main characters, but rather [[spoiler: the ''Wadatsumi'' gets beached at Tanegashima, and its crew quickly upgrades to the ''Deucalion'' after its Aldnoah Drive is activated.]]

* MildlyMilitary: 2nd Lt. Marito is apparently allowed to drink alcohol while supervising trainees.
** [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in-universe. Marito has seemingly gotten in trouble for drinking on the job before, but due to the shortage of capable instructors, it's overlooked for the time being.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:Inaho ends up antagonizing Slaine, who had helped them earlier and could have been a valuable ally to them. Of course, he had no idea what Slaine's endgame was, and Slaine was refusing to tell him. Ultimately, the whole thing is a misunderstanding caused by both parties being on edge - Slaine refuses to trust ''anyone'' but the Princess herself, while Inaho has no idea that Slaine isn't technically even a Martian and is as opposed to the war as anybody else.]]

** The Hellas Kataphrakt uses it's six mounted arms for this. Also an example of CripplingOverspecialization due to the fact that that's its ''only'' attack, though it has an alternate mode that can be used if all six arms are destroyed.

** [[spoiler:Season 2 is one big ShaggyDogStory for Slaine: he spends the entire war conquering Earth so that Asseylum will rule with Aldnoah and Earth's resources, only for Asseylum to take over Mars herself, marry his most hated rival (where even Inaho would be a better choice), and willingly donate Aldnoah drives to Earth which does far more good than conquering it first. This drives Slaine to attempt to commit suicide in an epic final dual against Inaho, only for Inaho to choose imprisoning him for life instead. So Slaine came back to Earth, in chains, while his love interest married the worst possible candidate, all while fostering her rule using the least amount of warfare.]]

* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Count Mazurek, whose name derives from a traditional Polish dance. The subs spell it in the aforementioned way, which is correct in Polish, while the Japanese narration clearly says "Mazurka", after the more popular spelling, usually used outside of Poland.

* UndergroundCity: United Earth HQ is not only big enough to house thousands of refugees, it's so big that aircraft can fly around the base at top speed.

''Aldnoah.Zero'' is a sci-fi action anime which began airing on [[Summer2014Anime July 5, 2014]], created by Creator/GenUrobuchi (Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica, LightNovel/FateZero, Anime/PsychoPass), animated by Creator/A1Pictures (Manga/BlackButler, Manga/FairyTail, Manga/MagiLabyrinthOfMagic) and with a soundtrack by Music/HiroyukiSawano (Anime/MobileSuitGundamUnicorn, Manga/AttackOnTitan, Anime/KillLaKill).

The premise of the series is basically every RealRobot action series... with the roles reversed. Picture a group of [[MobileSuitGundam Zakus]] / [[Anime/ArmoredTrooperVOTOMS Scope Dogs]] pitted against [[Anime/MazingerZ Mazinger Z]] / [[Anime/GaoGaiGar GaoGaiGar]], only the ''villains'' are in the physics-defying, OneManArmy {{Super Robot}}s, while the heroes are in outdated, RedShirtArmy, {{Mook Mobile}}s.

The premise of the series is basically every RealRobot action series... with the roles reversed. Picture a group of [[MobileSuitGundam Zakus]] / [[Anime/ArmoredTrooperVOTOMS Scope Dogs]] pitted against [[Anime/MazingerZ Mazinger Z]] / [[Anime/GaoGaiGar GaoGaiGar]], only the ''villains'' are in the physics-defying, OneManArmy {{Super Robot}}s, while the heroes are in outdated, RedShirtArmy, MookMobile {{Real Robot}}s.

The premise of the series is basically every RealRobot action series... with the roles reversed. Picture a group of [[MobileSuitGundam Zakus]] / [[Anime/ArmoredTrooperVOTOMS Scope Dogs]] pitted against [[Anime/MazingerZ Mazinger Z]] / [[Anime/GaoGaiGar GaoGaiGar]], only the ''villains'' are in the physics-defying, OneManArmy {{Super Robot}}s, while the heroes are in outdated, RedShirtArmy, [[MechaMook Mecha Mook]] {{Real Robot}}s.

* ScrewThisImOuttaHere: In Episode 2, two Kataphrakts are fighting right in front of an APC carrying Inaho and the other refugees. The driver abandon the vehicle and is killed by a falling debris for his troubles.

* {{Hypocrite}}: The Vers Empire accuse [[HumansByAnyOtherName Terrans]] of destroying the Earth with their pollution and over-development. They also accuse Terrans of jealously keeping of the food and water all for themselves. So the Empire wants to save the Earth, by attacking the planet and they ending up causing monumental damage to the environment. As Slaine and Saazbaum guess, all the food and water extracted from the Earth will probably go to the knights and nobility, leaving the hungry Martian masses with nothing.