History Anime / AngelBeats

* {{Bishoujo}}: The entire female cast.

* SugarAndIcePersonality: Angel

* MistakenForGay: Hinata, to the point of it being a [[RunningGag running gag]].

*** Though whether he's really mistaken about Naoi is [[YourMilageMayVary questionable]]...

* CouchGag: The anime has a clip of the current episode in its opening sequence - excepting, of course, the episodes that skip the credits.

* CuteShotaroBoy: Ooyama

* IKnowThatGun: [[http://www.imfdb.org/index.php/Angel_Beats! You probably do.]]

The TV series is licensed by SentaiFilmworks, the founders of ADVFilms, for the North American release. No surprise, considering that they've [[VisualNovel/{{Clannad}} picked up]] [[{{Kanon}} many Key titles]] [[{{Air}} in the past]]. The series is released with an English dub with the first episodes being shown at Anime Boston. The English dub was released on DVD in July, 2011. Can be [[http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Anime/Angel-Beats/Watch viewed]] on the AnimeNetwork.

** In episode 10, Yui is seen to own plush toys of [[{{Air}} a brontosaurus, a small white dog]], and [[VisualNovel/{{Clannad}} a baby boar]]. All from other Key titles respectively.

* HeelFacePirouette: [[spoiler:Angel spends a few episodes with the SSS after being disgraced as student council president by the group in episode 5 and then gets her position back (courtesy of Otonashi) in episode 9.]]

** Girls Dead Monster is an actual FiveManBand.

Otonashi wakes up suddenly to find that he can't remember anything, not even his full name. Before he even has time to get his bearings, a purple-haired girl with a sniper rifle informs him that he is dead and asks him to join her rebellion against God... God is nowhere to be seen, however. The world they are in seems like an enormous Japanese boarding school populated by soulless, though realistic and harmless, "NPC"s who act like ordinary students and faculty. The only apparent enemy of the self-named Shinda Sekai Sensen (Afterlife Battlefront) is the student council president, a short, white-haired girl they call Tenshi (Angel), who wields supernatural powers in an effort to force the SSS to behave like the normal students. Every real person who has submitted to this behavior has disappeared forever, so the SSS members are understandably unwilling. The ''Angel Beats!'' anime is the story of Otonashi's time in this strange afterlife, as he learns about his situation, interacts with the others in the SSS and Tenshi, waits to regain his memories, and decides what to do after he does.

** [[spoiler:By Episode 12, a majority of the cast has disappeared as well.]]
*** To enumerate:[[spoiler: The remainder of Girls Dead Monster ([[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Angel_Beats_-_12_-_Large_02_8336.jpg Hisako, Sekine and Irie]]), [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Angel_Beats_-_11_-_Large_25_1864.jpg the unnamed members of the SSS]] and [[BadassGrandpa Chaa.]]]]
*** [[spoiler:In episode 13, the rest of SSS and all the main cast finally ascend.]]
** [[spoiler:Takamatsu is apparently cured of being an NPC off-screen, with Yuri mentioning ''once'' that it could happen if your emotions were strong enough.]] This was never referred to earlier, and is never mentioned again.
*** [[spoiler:There was a reference in episode 12 when Yuri was overrun by the shadows.]]
** It might be neither. [[spoiler: In the final episode, Otonashi and Angel/Kanade finally pass on. After the credits, no words are exchanged and you can't see their eyes, but Otonashi is seen reaching out to Kanade. [[YourMileageMayVary It's subject to interpretation]] on whether this is reincarnation or coming back to life.]]
**** [[spoiler:Would have to be Reincarnation considering Kanade has Otanashi's heart so he obvioulsy can't come back.]]

** Yuri had [[spoiler: her siblings killed in front of her by robbers when she was a kid.]]
*** Don't forget the worst part: [[spoiler:it was Yuri's "fault" that they died because she couldn't find money in the house to give to the robbers. They probably would've killed them all regardless, but that doesn't really help Yuri's feelings of guilt.]]

*** [[spoiler:How ironic that that's what this trope is named...]]
*** [[spoiler: How ironic is "Non-romantic example", for that matter?]]

** Justified. Since it was a spray of bullets, she had to have hit several towers; monitors just make a more visual impression.

*** Does it not bother anyone that their memories result in guns that most American Gunsmiths have no understanding of, let alone the gun-phobic Japanese everyman? Take for example the abundance of Soviet/Warsaw-Pact weapons used by the SSS.
**** They probably watch a lot of anime.
**** [[spoiler: [[FridgeBrilliance Or they were soldiers/mercenaries and dealers]] who came by these weapons when the USSR collapsed and the resulting surplus of weapons were distributed throughout the black market. Age doesn't seem to be indicative of how old you were in death; [[OlderThanTheyLook Chaka]] is a good example of this, [[AllThereInTheManual as he had a wife before he came to the School]].]]

* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: [[spoiler:Could've happened to Angel when Guard Skill - Absorb took effect.]]
** [[spoiler: Takamatsu's soul was eaten by those shadows. As a result, he is now an NPC with no soul, unable to leave this world any way. We are told he gets better, but not shown.]]

** [[spoiler:Except if you get caught by the Shadows...]]

* [[spoiler:DecoyProtagonist: Arguably Yuri, who looks to have been demoted from the main love interest to give way for Tenshi/Kanade.]]

* DisappearsIntoLight: Averted; no disappearance is ever actually shown. [[NothingIsScarier It's actually quite jarring, they're there for several shots, and then the camera cuts to a wider angle and they're gone.]] The creepiness may justify why the SSS is so reluctant to do anything that could make them disappear.

* FlowerMotifs: [[spoiler:Angel's Hand Sonic version 4]].
** To elaborate, and even move into WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic, [[spoiler: Hand Sonic Version 4]] is a lotus flower, a traditional Buddhist symbol for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva bodhisattva]] - [[FridgeBrilliance enlightened ones who forgo ascension to help others do the same]].
*** This would actually be a subversion, though, since [[spoiler: Kanade didn't remain there just to help others along; she was there to say thank you to Otonashi, whose heart she received in a transplant after her death, saving her life. Once she does thank Otonashi, she moves on, even when he openly suggests they both remain behind to help others like Yuri and the SSS find peace and move on. Indeed, particularly if the alternative version of the epilogue is to be believed, this symbolism apply more to [[TheMessiah Otonashi himself]]]].

** [[spoiler: Except she's eventually recognized as an ally when she gets her position back]].

** [[spoiler:Very much subverted in later episodes, with Angel becoming an ''ally.'']]

** [[spoiler:...For about one episode.]]
** [[spoiler:Kanade uses Harmonics to recall all of the Red Angels. Judging from the cliffhanger at Episode 8, this won't end well at all.]]
** [[spoiler:Several times in the ninth episode. First there's the train crash. Then Otonashi discovers that the tunnel has caved in in front of them. Searching for help, he discovers that the tunnel is also blocked in the other direction. Promptly thereafter, he falls to the ground, coughing, and finds the humongous bruise on his stomach... OhCrap.]]
** And when things finally seem to settle down again, [[spoiler:malevolent shadows attack everybody and even have the ability to turn them into [=NPC=]s]]. Oh crap.

*** [[spoiler: That is debatable - her condition was such that she probably wouldn't have lived much longer anyway.]]

** [[spoiler: Otonashi's first name is Yuzuru, which can mean "to string (an instrument)". YxK pairing confirmed?]]
** [[spoiler: To further the above point ; Otonashi means "no sound", Yuzuru means "to string" an instrument, and "Kanade" could be read as "playing" an instrument. His little sister Hatsune's name also means "First sound". It could be said that Otonashi was an instrument that was properly strung, but could never play any sound, but Kanade finally played it.]]

** [[spoiler: Technically that would class as a CareBearStare, but Yuri's reaction to it certainly throws it into here.]]

** [[spoiler: It's not so much another ending as it is a little side story took place between Otonashi's reincarnation.]]

** When he was holding up the falling block in Episode 2, he was actually singing lyrics to a song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFn1kAUY9cU replaces his lines with the actual song.
*** That's just [[FridgeBrilliance brilliant]].

** Episode 8. [[spoiler: Well done, Yuri, you managed to complete a program that will stop the [[CloningBlues Red Angels]]! ...By [[SplitPersonalityMerge painfully merging all of them with the original]]. Oh well. Enjoy your MindRape, Kanade!]]
** As of Episode 12 - [[spoiler:why are shadows coming to life and devouring the souls of the members of the SSS? Because Yuri cares about them too much.]]
*** An alternate interpretation would be [[spoiler:Yuzuru and Kanade's growing feelings for each other. After all, Yuri and the SSS have been around for quite a while already. Why come out now of all times when they could have done so before?]]

** [[spoiler:This appears to be the plot point of Episode 12, where Yuri goes after someone she suspects is using the Angel Player program to transform the [=NPC=]s into shadow [=NPC=]s.]]

** ''Angel'', of all people, gets her own F strike as well.
** Any proof to Angel saying something like that?

* [[spoiler:ReincarnationRomance: Implied between Otonashi and Kanade]]
* RemixedLevel: Guild appears in Episode 8 as well as 2.
** [[spoiler: But in episode 8, the walls are dirty, the traps are activated, and a multitude of [[AxCrazy Clone Tenshi]] are there, guarding Kanade.]]

** Episode 13.

** [[ThreeHundred TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!]]

** Actually, [[spoiler:in episode 9, while [[strike:Takeyama]] Christ was being aided by some of Yui's friends in translating the totally-in-Queen's-English [=AngelPlayer=] user manual, TK was relegated to guarding Otonashi and Tachibana. Why? Because, as Hinata points out, "TK's not good with English." Whether you think this makes it a subversion, or simply furthers the trope, is up to you.]]
*** [[spoiler:Presumably, the problem is that he would not be able to ''translate'' the English.]]
* SurvivorGuilt: [[spoiler: The source of Yuri's issues.]]
* SwissArmyWeapon: [[spoiler: Angel's 4 versions of Hand Sonic.]]
** [[spoiler: As of episode 10 she has added a 5th version.]]

* TraumaCongaLine: Virtually every SSS member went through this in their prior life, but some had it worse than others.
** For Yuri, [[spoiler: having her home ransacked by thieves, and having her 3 siblings held hostage, then having killed one at a time every 10 minutes because she felt she was too slow/not strong enough to save them]].
** For Naoi, [[spoiler: being in the shadow of his much more successful brother, and after said brother's death, he was forced to essentially turn into his brother, but wasn't good enough, causing his father to scorn him. And when his father grows ill, he's unable to keep his father's legacy going due to his lack of talent/skills.]]
** For Otonashi, [[spoiler: his little sister dies. Then he gets into a train accident. Then when he tries find an escape route, he finds out that the survivors are completely caved in with very limited supplies. And then he finds out he's gotten some pretty serious injuries when blood starts to show through his shirt. And finally, he dies just moments before the rescue crew manages to breakthrough the rubble.]]
** For Iwasawa, [[spoiler: growing up in a broken home, and having little direction/guidance in life until she discovered music. Then working hard to try and make it in the world, only to have an old injury from her abusive father kill her later.]]

* [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?]]: Episode 5, [[spoiler:the SSS trying to get Angel the lowest grade on the exams.]]
** Episode 7, [[spoiler:Angel goes fishing.]]
** Episode 8, [[spoiler:Killing time during class.]]
** Episode 10, [[spoiler:Yui plays soccer.]]
--->[[spoiler: '''Yui:''' I'm still going, bitches!]]
** Episode 11, [[spoiler:Angel adds a non-functional decoration to her Guard Skill.]]
** The {{OVA}}, [[UpToEleven ALL OF IT!]]

** The Whole OVA.
*** To be precise, the OVA is an [[UpToEleven Apocalypse of Ham]] [[HamToHamCombat where the characters try to out-ham each other]] with [[strike: Ham]] '''Tension''' Meter included. [[spoiler: Shiina wins]], and then [[spoiler: everyone but Yuri loses]].

** Though, as mentioned above, it seems to have failed, given how [[spoiler:Yuri already seems to know about it]].

** It might be neither. [[spoiler: In the final episode, Otonashi and Angel/Kanade finally pass on. After the credits, no words are exchanged and you can't see their eyes, but Otonashi is seen reaching out to Kanade. [[YourMilageMayVary It's subject to interpretation]] on whether this is reincarnation or coming back to life.]]

* [=~Chekhov's Boomerang~=]: [[spoiler:"My Song"]]

* [=~Chekhov's Gunman~=]: [[spoiler:Angel]]'s eyes turn red when [[spoiler:she activates Harmonics and]] makes mincemeat of Monster Stream. Blink and you'll miss it. By the end of the episode, a red-eyed, hostile [[spoiler:Angel]] appears.

* GratuitousEnglish: "Angel Beats", "Girls Dead Monster", ''everything'' out of TK's mouth (despite having a native English speaker for a voice actor)...
** Most of TK's lines are actually {{Shout Out}}s to many other things.
*** They're all lyrics of songs, actually. Which also explains why he's dancing all the way through.

* [=~Hey, It's That Voice!~=]

* HoYay: [[HoYay/AngelBeats Has its own page]].

* LesYay: [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/angel_beats_heaven_s_door/v02/c013/18.html Iwasawa]] [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/angel_beats_heaven_s_door/v02/c014/29.html and]] [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/angel_beats_heaven_s_door/v02/c014/30.html Hisako]] in the manga. However, there appears to be no trace of it in the anime.

** [[VisualNovel/{{Clannad}} Nagisa]]/[[{{Mai-HiME}} Mai]]/[[VisualNovel/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi Rena]] is [[spoiler: Otonashi's sister]].

The LightNovel was the first adaptation to see publication in November 2009, spanning seven chapters and one special until its completion in May 2010. The series was authored by Jun Maeda and illustrated by [=GotoP=], and published by ASCII Media Works in ''Dengeki G's Magazine''.

A {{Manga}} adaptation quickly followed the LightNovel, under the title ''Angel Beats! The 4-koma'', first published in December 2009. Also authored by Jun Maeda and illustrated by Haruka Komowata, the {{manga}} was again published by ASCII Media Works in ''Dengeki G's Magazine''. The manga is currently ongoing.

Finally, a second {{manga}} was published, coinciding with the completion of the LightNovel series. This manga, ''Angel Beats! Heaven's Door'', is again written by Jun Maeda, illustrated by Yuriko Asami, and once again published by ASCII Media Works in ''Dengeki G's Magazine''. First seeing publication in May 2010, this manga series is also ongoing.

The TV series is licensed by SentaiFilmworks, the founders of ADVFilms, for the North American release. No surprise, considering that they [[VisualNovel/{{Clannad}} picked up]] [[{{Kanon}} many Key titles]] [[{{Air}} in the past]]. The series is released with an English dub with the first episodes being shown at Anime Boston. The English dub was released on DVD in July, 2011. Can be [[http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Anime/Angel-Beats/Watch viewed]] on the AnimeNetwork.

* AllThereInTheManual: ''LightNovel/AngelBeats'' is essentially a mixed media project. Much of the background between Yuri and "Angel", including the SSS's formation, plays out in the LightNovel.

* DeathAsComedy: Remember DeathIsCheap in ''LightNovel/AngelBeats''.

[[redirect:LightNovel/AngelBeats]]

[[redirect:Literature/AngelBeats]]

[[quoteright:311:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/ab1_2018.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:311:(From left) [[OnlySaneMan Otonashi]], [[{{Expy}} Yu]][[TheMelancholyOfHaruhiSuzumiya ri]], and [[EmotionlessGirl An]][[WhiteHairedPrettyGirl gel]].]]

''Angel Beats!'' is a LightNovel, {{Anime}} and {{Manga}} series by KeyVisualArts.

Otonashi wakes up suddenly to find that he can't remember anything, not even his full name. Before he even has time to get his bearings, a purple-haired girl with a sniper rifle informs him that he is dead and asks him to join her rebellion against God . . . God is nowhere to be seen, however. The world they are in seems like an enormous Japanese boarding school populated by soulless, though realistic and harmless, "NPC"s who act like ordinary students and faculty. The only apparent enemy of the self-named Shinda Sekai Sensen (Afterlife Battlefront) is the student council president, a short, white-haired girl they call Tenshi (Angel), who wields supernatural powers in an effort to force the SSS to behave like the normal students. Every real person who has submitted to this behavior has disappeared forever, so the SSS members are understandably unwilling. The ''Angel Beats!'' anime is the story of Otonashi's time in this strange afterlife, as he learns about his situation, interacts with the others in the SSS and Tenshi, waits to regain his memories, and decides what to do after he does.

The LightNovel and {{manga}} serve as a prequel to the anime, following the character Hinata and detailing the formation of the SSS.

The LightNovel was the first adaptation to see publication in November 2009, spanning seven chapters and one special until its completion in May 2010. The series was authored by Jun Maeda and illustrated by [=GotoP=], and published by ASCII Media Works in ''Dengeki G's Magazine''.

A {{Manga}} adaptation quickly followed the LightNovel, under the title ''Angel Beats! The 4-koma'', first published in December 2009. Also authored by Jun Maeda and illustrated by Haruka Komowata, the {{manga}} was again published by ASCII Media Works in ''Dengeki G's Magazine''. The manga is currently ongoing.

A ThirteenEpisodeAnime installment of the work, simply named ''Angel Beats!'' and again written by Jun Maeda and directed by Seiji Kishi for studio P.A. Works, began airing on April 3, 2010 and finished June 26. A Special Episode called [[Music/LedZeppelin Stairway to Heaven]] was included with the 7th and final BD/DVD volume released on the 22nd of December 2010.

Finally, a second {{manga}} was published, coinciding with the completion of the LightNovel series. This manga, ''Angel Beats! Heaven's Door'', is again written by Jun Maeda, illustrated by Yuriko Asami, and once again published by ASCII Media Works in ''Dengeki G's Magazine''. First seeing publication in May 2010, this manga series is also ongoing.

A VisualNovel has been announced and is waiting to be greenlit.

The TV series is licensed by SentaiFilmworks, the founders of ADVFilms, for the North American release. No surprise, considering that they [[{{Clannad}} picked up]] [[{{Kanon}} many Key titles]] [[{{Air}} in the past]]. The series is released with an English dub with the first episodes being shown at Anime Boston. The English dub was released on DVD in July, 2011. Can be [[http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Anime/Angel-Beats/Watch viewed]] on the AnimeNetwork.

For any character-related tropes, please see the [[Characters/AngelBeats characters page]]
----
!!Tropes associated with Angel Beats:
* AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil: [[spoiler: At the very least, the new StudentCouncilPresident has a good number of mooks at his disposal.]]
** That is more because [[spoiler: Naoi can hypnotize people. [[AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil Absurdly Powerful]] [[StudentCouncilPresident Student Council]] [[IncrediblyLamePun President?]]]]
* ActorAllusion: [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]] is a [[ChildSoldier kid]] committed to fighting off against [[spoiler:Angels]] using husks of steel as his bidding, while trying not to lose his sanity and/or self in the process. When Naoi, [[MegumiOgata with the same voice actor]], is shown [[spoiler:completely deranged on a bloodied battlefield]], [[DeconReconSwitch what is the main line]] [[GenreSavvy Otonashi]] [[{{Reconstruction}} delivers]]?
* AdultsAreUseless: Yuri essentially believes the teachers are this way.
** And she's right, considering that they don't seem to notice, well, anything that happens during the exams.
* AllThereInTheManual: ''Anime/AngelBeats'' is essentially a mixed media project. Much of the background between Yuri and "Angel", including the SSS's formation, plays out in the LightNovel.
* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: [[spoiler:Yuzuru to Kanade, towards the end of Episode 13.]]
* AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence: Angel believes that this is what happens to people when they disappear, but she won't force them into it. [[spoiler:In episode 9, Otonashi comes to believe this as well and is determined to save the rest of SSS]].
** [[spoiler:By Episode 12, a majority of the cast has disappeared as well.]]
*** To enumerate:[[spoiler: The remainder of Girls Dead Monster ([[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Angel_Beats_-_12_-_Large_02_8336.jpg Hisako, Sekine and Irie]]), [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Angel_Beats_-_11_-_Large_25_1864.jpg the unnamed members of the SSS]] and [[BadassGrandpa Chaa.]]]]
*** [[spoiler:In episode 13, the rest of SSS and all the main cast finally ascend.]]
** [[spoiler:Takamatsu is apparently cured of being an NPC off-screen, with Yuri mentioning ''once'' that it could happen if your emotions were strong enough.]] This was never referred to earlier, and is never mentioned again.
*** [[spoiler:There was a reference in episode 12 when Yuri was overrun by the shadows.]]
** It might be neither. [[spoiler: In the final episode, Otonashi and Angel/Kanade finally pass on. After the credits, no words are exchanged and you can't see their eyes, but Otonashi is seen reaching out to Kanade. [[YourMilageMayVary It's subject to interpretation]] on whether this is reincarnation or coming back to life.]]
**** [[spoiler:Would have to be Reincarnation considering Kanade has Otanashi's heart so he obvioulsy can't come back.]]
* AwesomeButImpractical: Angel's Hand Sonic Version 4 is a blade in the shape of a giant lotus flower.
** It does work (in episode 6), actually, so it's not ''that'' impractical.
* BackToBackBadasses: Very briefly, but Noda and Hinata in Episode 11.
* BaseballEpisode: Episodes 4 and 10
* BattleInTheRain: Subverted. [[spoiler:We only get to see the aftermath of the [[CurbStompBattle fight]] between the SSS and the student council.]]
* BattleRoyaleWithCheese: Episodes 2 and 8. Emphasis on the cheese.
-->'''Hinata''': Why does this look like the end of a shonen manga?!
** Also, the [=OVA=] has a 'cavalry battle' between two teams of [=NPC=] students and the [=SSS=]. Again, emphasis on the cheese.
* BelligerentSexualTension: Hinata and Yui
-->'''Yui''': [[spoiler:(After threatening Hinata into a HeroicSacrifice)]] Senpai, wait for me...\\
'''Otonashi''': Do you love him or hate him?
** Definitely {{Foreshadowing}} if you saw [[spoiler:Episode 10]].
* [[BetterToDieThanBeKilled Better to Disappear Than Be Assimilated]]: With the appearance of [[spoiler:shadow [=NPC=]s]], Otonashi's resolution to help everyone overcome their emotional baggage now has a lot more pull with the [=SSS=].
* BigDamnHeroes: Episode 12 has [[spoiler:everyone left in the Battlefront joining the fight against the shadows.]]
* BishieSparkle: Otonashi pulls this off momentarily in episode 4 to mock Hinata.
** Also, [[ShirtlessScene Takamatsu]] in episode 5's ending, and most of the other times he appears shirtless (which is often).
* {{Bishounen}}: Majority of the male cast.
* {{Bishoujo}}: The entire female cast.
* BlackComedy: Those traps seems painful... until you realize that people can't die (permanently) here. And thus it's OK to get killed again and again.
-->'''Yui:''' Even death doesn't cure idiocy.
** They're still painful. Dying hurts.
** Yui accidentally [[spoiler: hanging herself]] in the fourth episode is damn hilarious.
* BladeBelowTheShoulder: [[GratuitousEnglish Guard Skill - Hand Sonic]]
* BladeRun: Shiina in the ED.
* BlandNameProduct: Angel apparently uses the [[{{Microsoft}} Macrosoft Winding XO]] OS, which has [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advanced_Encryption_Standard DES]] 128-bit encryption. [[MemeticMutation She's a PC]].
** In the same episode, "Bolvic" brand bottled water.
*** "Bolvic" water reappears in Episode 9,[[spoiler: and it was vital to the survival of train wreck survivors.]]
*** It's filled with [[{{Memes/Advertising}} Bolcanicity!]]
*** Episode 9 also features "Poaky".
** The members of Girls Dead Monster use [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_amps Harshall]] and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartke Markte]] brand amplifiers.
* BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine: Iwasawa and Hisako in the manga.
* BondOneLiner: TK when fighting [[spoiler: the Shadows]].
** "I kiss you."
** "[[BobDylan Knockin' on Heaven's Door]]"
* BratsWithSlingshots: [[spoiler: Hand Sonic Version 5. Subverted in that Tenshi is not a brat]].
* BreakTheCutie: It seems that any cutie out there has been/will be broken by the end of the series.
** Yuri had [[spoiler: her siblings killed in front of her by robbers when she was a kid.]]
*** Don't forget the worst part: [[spoiler:it was Yuri's "fault" that they died because she couldn't find money in the house to give to the robbers. They probably would've killed them all regardless, but that doesn't really help Yuri's feelings of guilt.]]
** Iwasawa [[spoiler: had an abusive Dad and generally a broken household. She found her savior in music, but that was taken away from her when her Dad hit her causing her to lose her voice and ability to play first, then die.]]
** Angel has a lesser example but [[spoiler: her rank as Student Council President was taken away, the teachers and students have lost all respect for her, and her comfort food was taken away from her all because of the SSS's actions.]]
*** It's also sad when you realize that [[spoiler: Angel is a human like the rest of SSS and was just trying to fulfill her duties as Student Council President. Her reputation and life in the afterlife are ruined because she was trying to play by the rules.]]
** What about Yui? [[spoiler:In her past life, she was completely paralyzed and unable to do the cool things she saw on TV, hence her boundless energy.]]
** Anyone who qualifies as a cutie in the [=SSS=] counts, given that [[spoiler: an unhappy life is a prerequisite to arrive in this afterlife]].
* BreatherEpisode: Episode 4 is rather lighthearted compared to the drama-filled episode 3. Episode 8 piles on the BlackComedy just before [[spoiler: episode 9 shows us how Otonashi actually died]].
* BringMyBrownPants: Never actually happens, but all through episode 8 Yui keeps saying she's going to wet herself out of nervousness or fear.
-->'''Hinata:''' Don't care.\\
'''Yui:''' Care, damn you!
* BunnyEarsLawyer: Shiina is a hypercompetent ninja. She is also very [[StrangeGirl strange]].
* ButtMonkey: Most of the SSS members take turns at the role, but Hinata by far is the most memorable.
* CallBack: In the manga, [[spoiler: Hisako reveals her regret when alive was being unable to prevent her band's lead singer from committing suicide]]. [[spoiler: Both Iwasawa and Yui disappear in episodes 3 and 10, respectively]].
* CallForward: In Episode 2, TK's butchered Japanese while holding up the {{Descending Ceiling}} could be a nod [[spoiler:to the next time they visit the Guild to retrieve Angel, and Otonashi attempts a {{Cooldown Hug}}]].
* CallingYourAttacks: Angel.
* CardiovascularLove: [[RoomFullOfCrazy An entire room covered with it.]]
* CatchPhrase
** Shiina: "How foolish."
*** "This is so stupid" in the English dub.
** Yuri: "Operation Start!" ([[{{Engrish}} "Oppo-ray-shun... Start-o!"]])
** Takeyama: "Call me Christ!"
** Yui: "What an idiot."
** TK: "Get chance and luck!"
* CaughtTheHeartOnHisSleeve: Non-romantic example--Angel grabs Otonashi's shirt to prevent him from leaving an exam. (He ends up achieving the objective he had in mind by talking to her, anyway.)
*** [[spoiler:How ironic that that's what this trope is named...]]
*** [[spoiler: How ironic is "Non-romantic example", for that matter?]]
* [=~Chekhov's Boomerang~=]: [[spoiler:"My Song"]]
* ChekhovsGun: [[spoiler:Kanade stabbing Otonashi in the 'heart' in Episode 1, combined with her hospitalisation in Episode 9.]] The relevance of these doesn't become clear until 5 minutes before the end of the final episode.
** Not to mention the [[spoiler:heartbeat monitor on the eyecatch.]]
* [=~Chekhov's Gunman~=]: [[spoiler:Angel]]'s eyes turn red when [[spoiler:she activates Harmonics and]] makes mincemeat of Monster Stream. Blink and you'll miss it. By the end of the episode, a red-eyed, hostile [[spoiler:Angel]] appears.
* CleanPrettyReliable: Mostly {{Averted}} though the part of the trope where [[spoiler:the person doing the CPR, in this case Otonashi, gives up before an ambulance can get to the scene]] is probaby {{Justified}} [[spoiler:what with Otonashi himself suffering from the massive internal bleeding that would eventually kill him at the time. Combined with the fact that rescue crews wouldn't show up for several days yet.]]
* CloningBlues: [[spoiler: In episode 7, an alternate Tenshi appears due to Harmonics. But that Tenshi can clone itself, and so on and so forth.]]
* ClothingDamage: Death may be [[DeathIsCheap cheap]], but it'll still mess up your threads.
* {{Combos}}: Noda in his first meeting with Otonashi, complete with hit counter.
* ComputerEqualsMonitor
** Justified. Since it was a spray of bullets, she had to have hit several towers; monitors just make a more visual impression.
* ContinuityNod: Episode 8, during the SSS's second trip to Guild, Noda [[spoiler:dies first]] again and [[spoiler:Otonashi and Yuri are the last two]] again.
** Hinata comments on how he and Yuri founded the SSS Battlefront, which is a nod to the manga/novels, given how it is not mentioned anywhere in the anime itself.
* ContrastMontage: [[spoiler: Three smiling children - ''[[ItsAllMyFault three kid-sized coffins]]'' - three smiling children - ''[[ItsAllMyFault three kid-sized coffins]]''...]]
* ContrivedCoincidence: Pretty much the only explanation how Otonashi so coincidentally picks up Angel's meal ticket.
* CooldownHug: [[spoiler:Otonashi]] attempts this with [[spoiler:Kanade, but fails]]. Earlier on, he succeeds with [[spoiler: Naoi]].
* CoolGun: The SSS actually uses real world firearms. [[spoiler: They are created using memories of their past life.]] You can see all the firearms featured in the series [[http://www.imfdb.org/index.php/Angel_Beats! HERE]].
** In the first episode, Yuri is first seen aiming a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CheyTac_Intervention [=CheyTac=] Intervention]] sniper rifle at Angel.
** Since he's a new recruit, Otonashi's primary weapon is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glock_pistol Glock 17]].
** Matsushita sometimes carries an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MG3 Rheinmetall MG3]] heavy machine gun.
** Yuri wields a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TDI_KRISS_Super_V TDI Vector]] SMG and an [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4A1#M4A1 M4A1 CQB-R]] equipped with a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_C-Mag Beta C-Mag]] in episode 12.
** Plus her [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beretta_92 Beretta 92 INOX]] that is her standard sidearm.
** [[http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Angel_Beats_-_12_-_Large_07_9686.jpg Ooyama's rifle]] is a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remington_700 Remington 700]] lacking a bipod.
*** Does it not bother anyone that their memories result in guns that most American Gunsmiths have no understanding of, let alone the gun-phobic Japanese everyman? Take for example the abundance of Soviet/Warsaw-Pact weapons used by the SSS.
**** They probably watch a lot of anime.
**** [[spoilers: [[FridgeBrilliance Or they were soldiers/mercenaries and dealers]] who came by these weapons when the USSR collapsed and the resulting surplus of weapons were distributed throughout the black market. Age doesn't seem to be indicative of how old you were in death; [[OlderThanTheyLook Chaka]] is a good example of this, [[AllThereInTheManual as he had a wife before he came to the School]].]]
* CouchGag: The anime has a clip of the current episode in its opening sequence - excepting, of course, the episodes that skip the credits.
* CrazyPrepared: In episode 6 [[spoiler:Yuri hands Otonashi a Walkie-Talkie in the beginning of the episode figuring if things went to hell she could contact Otonashi, who would be near Angel, and get him to ask Angel for help. Guess how things went. Guess who Otonashi happened to be sitting next to.]]
* {{Crossdresser}}: If you consider the conformists' uniforms, you'll realize the SSS boys are wearing modified girls' uniforms (designed to ''not'' look like this trope).
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: The entire SSS - the frequency of idiots in the group seems to be directly proportional to the amount of asskicking they're capable of. [[WhiteHairedPrettyGirl Not]] [[ImmuneToBullets that]] [[TheJuggernaut it]] [[NighInvulnerability helps.]]
* CryCute: Ooyama
** [[spoiler: Yuri in Episode 12, after seeing her dead siblings comfort her.]]
** Despite being a boy, [[spoiler: Naoi]]'s tears in the final episode were very cute. And sad.
* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler:Naoi stomps the SSS by using [=NPCs=] as mooks and human shields, preventing them from being able to fight back effectively.]]
* CurtainsMatchTheWindow: This applies to many of the characters.
* CuteBruiser: Tiny little Yui pulls off a German Suplex on [[OneHeadTaller Otonashi]]... after several failed attempts.
* CuteLittleFangs: Yui.
* CutenessProximity: Shiina. Ahem, [[http://dft.ba/-shiina CUUUUUTTTTEEEEE]].
** Angel is described as having this weakness as well. In the [=OVA=], she [[spoiler: abandons a Student Council meeting to question the SSS, who are causing a ruckus, and gets sidetracked by harvesting some "cute turnips"]].
* CuteShotaroBoy: Ooyama
* CyberneticsEatYourSoul: [[spoiler:Could've happened to Angel when Guard Skill - Absorb took effect.]]
** [[spoiler: Takamatsu's soul was eaten by those shadows. As a result, he is now an NPC with no soul, unable to leave this world any way. We are told he gets better, but not shown.]]
* DangerouslyShortSkirt: Each of the {{Action Girl}}s have one, combined with ZettaiRyouiki.
* DarkAndTroubledPast: Every character more or less [[spoiler: because it is a prerequisite to enter the afterlife.]]
* ADayInTheLimelight: Episode 10 mainly features Yui.
** And Iwasawa in Episode 3.
* ADeathInTheLimelight: [[spoiler: See above.]] Not quite "death", but close enough.
* DefeatMeansFriendship: So far, both [[spoiler:Naoi]] and [[spoiler:Kanade]] have been [[DefeatMeansFriendship befriended]].
** In the prequel novel, we have Chaa, Noda (somewhat) and Shiina.
* DeathByOriginStory: Justified ''and'' exaggerated.
* DeathCourse: SSS's secret supply route is protected by one.
* '''DeathIsCheap''': [[spoiler:Unless you come to terms with your actual death that is. Then you disappear]].
** [[spoiler:Except if you get caught by the Shadows...]]
* DeathAsComedy: Remember DeathIsCheap in ''Anime/AngelBeats''.
** This gets especially jarring in Episode 2, where after the rest of the SSS has been killed off in a various of manners played for laughs, [[spoiler:Yuri tells Otonashi about how her three siblings were killed by robbers, and this time no one's laughing.]]
* [[spoiler:DecoyProtagonist: Arguably Yuri, who looks to have been demoted from the main love interest to give way for Tenshi/Kanade.]]
* DeflectorShields: Angel has her own personal one capable of deflecting [[strike:bullets]]pretty much any kind of projectile, including grenades.
* DeniedFoodAsPunishment: [[spoiler:Yurippe does this to the all members of the SSS in the OVA.]]
* DescendingCeiling: One of the traps on the way to Guild.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:The murder of Yuri's family, which is why she's fighting God in the first place. It's worth noting that the murders serve as a MoralEventHorizon for the perpetrators.]]
* {{Determinator}}: The traps on the road to Guild, which took out all but two of the [=SSS=], will only slow down Angel. [[spoiler: Taken UpToEleven when it's revealed that she's not any kind of divinely-powered superbeing, but an ordinary (if dead) high school girl]].
* DisappearsIntoLight: Averted; no disappearance is ever actually shown. [[NothingIsScarier It's actually quite jarring, they're there for several shots, and then the camera cuts to a wider angle and they're gone.]] The creepiness may justify why the SSS is so reluctant to do anything that could make them disappear.
* DisneyDeath: [[spoiler:Yuri is caught by the shadows in episode 12 but unlike Takamatsu barely escapes with her soul.]]
** [[spoiler:Episode 13 reveals that Takamatsu was able to break free like Yuri did, eventually.]]
* DistractedByTheSexy: Happens to Otonashi in episode 2 while [[spoiler: [[ItMakesSenseInContext climbing Yuri after they nearly fell down an area where the floor caved in on them]]]]. Hinata was not as lucky, but his was a noble sacrifice, as spoken by Yuri after he apparently grabbed a part of her he shouldn't have.
* DodgeThis: In episode 11.
-->'''TK:''' I kiss you. [[GunsAkimbo *hail of lead*]]
* DoingInTheWizard: Episode 3 implies that [[spoiler:there may be nothing divine or supernatural (at least compared to the SSS) about Angel at all. This is confirmed in episode 11, raising the issue of whether God really exists or not]].
* DrivenToMadness: Yuri's "penalties" are said to have this effect on people, though she denies haven ever given any that bad.
* DwindlingParty: Sort of, considering how [[spoiler:more and more characters disappear]].
** Played straight in episode 2 and 8, even though {{death is cheap}}.
* DysfunctionJunction: ''Everyone'' here is messed up. No exceptions. [[spoiler: Though Otonashi's worst problem is just amnesia. Before his death is revealed, [[NothingIsScarier not knowing makes you really wonder what happened. ]] ]]
* EarlyBirdCameo: Yui can be seen in episode 1, trying to take pictures of Girls Dead Monster before their Operation Tornado performance. She is not named or introduced until episode 3.
* EasyLogistics: It turns out people in the afterlife can literally create any item they can think of out of dirt if they can remember it well enough. With this ability, SSS was able to create a massive underground factory to manufacture their weapons and ammunition.
** Hilariously subverted when they try to use a large cannon on Angel, only to have it explode on them because while they may have known what a cannon looks like, they didn't know the mechanics inside it to make it work properly.
* EatingLunchAlone: [[http://i42.tinypic.com/a48zk2.jpg A very tearjerking example]] thanks to [[spoiler: the mechanics of ascension in this afterlife]].
** Kind of subverted because it's just Otonashi's imagination of something that possibly happened to Angel.
* ElaborateUndergroundBase: The Guild.
* EpiphanicPrison
* EvenTheGuysWantHim: Naoi constantly seeks Otonashi's approval in an overly-friendly way and even Hinata has his fair share of moments where he seems interested in Otonashi especially early on.
* [[EverybodysDeadDave Everybody's Dead, Dave]]: This ''is'' the afterlife, after all.
* TheEveryman: Otonashi
** Not necessarily. After seeing [[spoiler: his backstory]], he becomes more or less the leader of the group, being logical, intelligent and strong-willed.
* EvilLaugh
-->'''Yusa:''' [[LampshadeHanging Yuri-san, you sound like a villain.]]
** It happens again in Episode 12. [[spoiler: Right before she denies becoming God that is a CMOA.]]
** Yet again in the DVD Bonus Episode. This time she even learns how to do it like a professional, by [[spoiler:mimicing [[CodeGeass Lelouch]]]], and seems very glad to be lampshaded by Yusa one more time.
* EvolvingCredits: As characters are replaced and removed through various circumstances, the OP and ED, both of which focus on showing off the characters, change accordingly.
** Also, when characters interact in the show in a noteworthy way, it also reflects the interaction. Examples include Yui strangling Hinata as per episode 4, and Takamatsu not wearing a shirt to show off his (surprising) 8-pack from episode 5.
** Some episodes don't even show the typical ending, replacing it with more footage.
** PlayedForLaughs in the [[WorldOfHam OVA]], if you watched the OVA itself, that is.
* ExcitedShowTitle
* ExecutiveMeddling: Orignally written for 26 episodes, Executives abruptly cut it down to thirteen, forcing several loose ends to be tied up hurriedly and some subplots being unresolved. The Director was not happy about this ''at all,'' plus this decision has helped contribute to a lot of the flak this show has gotten.
* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: [[spoiler: Yuzuru Otonashi had PeekABangs. He soon realizes that his ill sister had more life and hope than he did, and that she had a purpose. He cuts his hair and applies for medical school.]]
* {{Expy}}: Yuri has been called a "rip-off" of Haruhi Suzumiya by some pissed off fans of [[SuzumiyaHaruhi The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya]]. Some fan artist took note of this and [[http://danbooru.donmai.us/post/show/673173/angel_beats-banner-brown_eyes-brown_hair-crossover this piece of fan art]] was born. (WARNING: link to site is NSFW).
-->'''Comment on Picture:''' So Yuri finally gets to fight God.
** This serves as the driving force of a [[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6149731/1/ crossover fanfiction between the two franchises.]]
** Takeyama looks exactly like [[{{Earthbound}} Jeff]]. Numerous other characters, such as Naoi, also have uncanny resemblances to those of other shows.
* EyeScream: [[spoiler: PlayedForLaughs in the manga. Out of irritation, Yuri stabs Hinata's eyes out using chopsticks.]]
* EyesOfGold: Angel [[spoiler: a.k.a. Tachibana Kanade]], and Naoi.
* {{Facepalm}}: Otonashi does this in episode 10.
* FateWorseThanDeath: SSS believes that if you conform to the rules you may get reincarnated as lowly creatures like barnacles.
** Also, Yuri's "punishment games". The only one we see, in the [=OVA=], ends with [[spoiler: all of the SSS dead of dehydration]].
** And now getting [[spoiler:assimilated by a Shadow [=NPC=] and being turned into an [=NPC=]]], thereby being stuck in that world forever.
--->'''Hinata''': That's worse than death...
** To put it more in perspective, [[spoiler:the SSS believes that [=NPC=]s have no souls. Therefore, being turned into one by a Shadow means that it has devoured your soul!]]
* FemaleGaze: The SSS are quite {{Bishonen}}, but it's the [[ShirtlessScene shirtless scenes]] that seals the deal.
* FieryRedhead: Yui can act out if she is pushed enough. See RoseHairedGirl and GenkiGirl below.
* FinaleCredits: Normally, the credits sequence shows Yuri slowly being surrounded by the various members of the SSS. At the end of Episode 13, [[spoiler:the sequence ''starts'' with all the characters present, and they start to disappear one by one, until only the five characters that were in Episode 13 remain. Then they, too, disappear, in the same order they vanished in the episode, with Otonashi going last.]]
* FirstEpisodeResurrection: Otonashi, several times.
* FirstNameBasis: [[spoiler: Between Otonashi and Kanade, starting in episode 7.]]
* FiveManBand: As of Episode 11.
** Yuri is TheHero
** Hinata is TheLancer
** Naoi is TheSmartGuy
** Kanade is TheBigGuy
** Otonashi is TheChick
** Girls Dead Monster is an actual FiveManBand.
* FlowerMotifs: [[spoiler:Angel's Hand Sonic version 4]].
** To elaborate, and even move into WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic, [[spoiler: Hand Sonic Version 4]] is a lotus flower, a traditional Buddhist symbol for [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodhisattva bodhisattva]] - [[FridgeBrilliance enlightened ones who forgo ascension to help others do the same]].
*** This would actually be a subversion, though, since [[spoiler: Kanade didn't remain there just to help others along; she was there to say thank you to Otonashi, whose heart she received in a transplant after her death, saving her life. Once she does thank Otonashi, she moves on, even when he openly suggests they both remain behind to help others like Yuri and the SSS find peace and move on. Indeed, particularly if the alternative version of the epilogue is to be believed, this symbolism apply more to [[TheMessiah Otonashi himself]]]].
* FondMemoriesThatCouldHaveBeen: [[spoiler:After Hinata says he would have married Yui despite her paralysis, we see images of them meeting in their previous lives and falling in love. Yui disappears shortly after, having found peace]].
** There's also at least one theory that [[spoiler: TheStinger is not a DistantFinale but Otonashi's desperate imaginings of a world where he knew Kanade while alive]]. Most find it too depressing to consider.
* FriendlyEnemy: As long as [=SSS=] doesn't cause any havoc in the school, Angel will not treat them as an enemy but rather as ordinary fellow students.
* FridgeBrilliance: Yui's interruption during the climax of the baseball match [[spoiler: If Hinata caught the ball and disappeared then, Yui would most likely be unable to resolve her main regret in life, the inability to be cared for by someone else. Thinking that her disability would prevent anyone from caring for her, she thought she would end up alone without her mother, but Hinata promises to marry her, even in the next life, and even if she was still unable to move in her next life.]]
* FridgeHorror: When Angel goes to attack Guild the SSS members are able to escape by blowing the entire underground up and trapping her under tons of rock. Since DeathIsCheap she must have woken up under it all or survived the fall. Either way she had to dig herself out.
* FridgeLogic: I'm not sure if this is explained somewhere, but [[spoiler: Kanade, who had received Otonashi's heart in a transplant, somehow managed to establish her system in the afterlife before Otonashi even arrived there.]]
** [[spoiler: Considering Otonashi came in through different circumstances and defied the rules of the afterlife world, one could argue that he was probably put there long after he died, and considering that heart transplants has a 14% mortality rate in women for the first year alone, it might not have even been all too long. Still, it's a bit of a stretch.]]
* FromACertainPointOfView: [[WomanInWhite Angels]]? [[LightIsNotGood Horrible, vile things]].
* FunnyAneurysmMoment: Yui prevents Hinata from winning his team's baseball game in episode 4. Six episodes later, [[spoiler:Hinata helps her move on by promising to marry her in her next life even if she's paralyzed in that life too, meaning if it weren't for him ''she'd be stuck in Purgatory for a long time!'']]
* GenkiGirl: Yui.
* GenreSavvy: Played for laugh and lampshaded multiple times.
* GilliganCut: In episode 2, Fujimaki tells Otonashi that he will be the next to get (temporarily) killed by an anti-Angel trap. Cut to Fujimaki showing off his SuperDrowningSkills in a water trap while Yuri, Shiina, and Otonashi escape unharmed.
* GoodIsDumb:
-->'''Yuri''': That's right. Our main weakness is that we're stupid.
* GoryDiscretionShot: Several of the more potentially gruesome deaths in episode 2 aren't fully shown onscreen.
** VomitDiscretionShot: Ooyama can't hold his stomach after seeing Matsushita get minced by the LaserHallway.
* GratuitousEnglish: "Angel Beats", "Girls Dead Monster", ''everything'' out of TK's mouth (despite having a native English speaker for a voice actor)...
** Most of TK's lines are actually {{Shout Out}}s to many other things.
*** They're all lyrics of songs, actually. Which also explains why he's dancing all the way through.
* GrievousBottleyHarm: Played for drama. Poor [[spoiler:Iwasawa]]...
* GirlsWithGuns
* GunsAkimbo: TK and Naoi in episode 11, Yuri in Episode 12.
* GunsAreWorthless: Against Tenshi's Distortion shield. Lampshaded.
-->'''Matsushita:''' Dammit! This is why guns are useless!
* HesDeadJim: [[spoiler: In episode 3, Iwasawa comes to terms with her past, disappears, and leaves her guitar behind. She's also omitted from the end credits of that episode.]]
* HealingFactor: While immortal, everybody can still be seriously hurt. If they are injured or die, they will eventually heal and revive regardless of how much damage their bodies have taken. The [=OVA=] shows that they will even revive after dying of starvation or dehydration.
** They do still feel pain, so this provides an incentive to stay out of harm's way.
* TheHeartless: The Shadow [=NPC=]s
* HeavySleeper: Angel sleeps through [[spoiler: a kidnapping, an earthshaking battle and a surprisingly loud conversation between Otonashi and Yuri]].
* HeelFacePirouette: [[spoiler:Angel spends a few episodes with the SSS after being disgraced as student council president by the group in episode 5 and then gets her position back (courtesy of Otonashi) in episode 9.]]
** [[spoiler: Except she's eventually recognized as an ally when she gets her position back]].
* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Naoi, to an extent.]]
* HeroicBSOD: Shiina in response to her CutenessProximity weakness, as well as the thought of a newbie (Otonashi) outlasting her in Guild's DeathCourse.
* HeroicSacrifice: Played with, since nobody actually stays dead.
-->'''Yuri''': "TK's sacrifice will be-"\\
'''Otonashi''': "You guys sacrificed him."
** Played straight in episode 9, where [[spoiler:Otonashi ignores his own injuries to help the other train crash survivors, and spends his final moments filling out a donor card]].
* [=~Hey, It's That Voice!~=]
** [[{{Bakemonogatari}} Nadeko]][=/=][[{{Durarara}} Anri]][=/=][[BGataHKei Mayu]][=/=][[DarkerThanBlack Suou]] is Angel.
** [[{{Bakemonogatari}} Koyomi]][=/=][[SayonaraZetsubouSensei Mr. Despair]][=/=][[{{Durarara}} Izaya]][=/=][[{{Working}} Souma]]/[[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Shinji]][=/=][[{{Gundam00}} Tieria]] is Otonashi.
** And [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Shinji Ikari]] is Naoi, [[spoiler:the new StudentCouncilPresident]]. And self-proclaimed god.
** [[GundamWing Heero]]/[[CodeGeass Xingke]] is Fish Saitou.
** [[{{Clannad}} Nagisa]]/[[{{Mai-HiME}} Mai]]/[[VisualNovel/HigurashiNoNakuKoroNi Rena]] is [[spoiler: Otonashi's sister]].
** [[NeonGenesisEvangelion Kaworu]] is [[spoiler: the final boss]]
** [[FullmetalAlchemist Fuhrer King Bradley]] is the computer technician.
** Holy mother of crap, they got [[CowboyBebop Ed]] to sing the ending theme. . .
** [[SoulEater BLACK STAR]] IS OOYAMA!!!
* HiddenEyes: TK's are always obscured by his wide bandana.
* HighSchool: Although it's technically in...y'know, purgatory.
* HotBlooded: Noda, personality-wise. Now if only he could get his hands on a [[HumongousMecha mecha]].
* HopelessWar: SSS and Angel will probably be fighting each other forever since neither side can truly die.
** [[spoiler:Very much subverted in later episodes, with Angel becoming an ''ally.'']]
* HowWeGotHere: The manga starts out with the framing of Hinata explaining to Otonashi how he met Yuri and how the SSS got founded.
* HoYay: Hinata and Otonashi. Later, Otonashi and [[spoiler: Naoi]].
*** LesYay: Towards the end there's some between [[spoiler: Yuri and Kanade]].
** Especially prominent in the drama [=CDs=]. The second even plays with Noda/Hinata/Fujimaki, as does the [=OVA=].
--->'''Noda:''' Wherever there are two guys [[UnusualEuphemism playing catch]], someone's gotta hit!
** LesYay between Hisako and Iwasawa in chapter 14 and the omake in the ''Heaven's Door'' manga, with Iwasawa hugging Hisako, saying things like "I need you" (which Hisako reciprocates) while poised over her, testing Hisako's breasts' sensitivity, accidentally ending up with a nude Hisako poised over her...
* HugeGuyTinyGirl: [[spoiler: Otonashi and Kanade.]] Very much obvious when he hugs her in the last episode.
** She's so small because [[spoiler: her heart condition inhibited her growth. She's still about the same age as the rest of the cast.]]
* IdiotHair: Yui. Ironically it is Yui who often calls others an idiot.
* IdentityAmnesia: A common side effect for those that had brain trauma as part of their death.
* IHaveTheHighGround: [[spoiler:Red Angel.]]
* IKnowThatGun: [[http://www.imfdb.org/index.php/Angel_Beats! You probably do.]]
* IndyEscape: One of the Guild's anti-Angel traps is a giant rolling boulder of doom.
-->'''TK:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Fuckin' crazy!]]
* InMediasRes: The anime series starts off when the SSS is already established. The newly released manga series starts off from the very beginning, even before the creation of the SSS.
* InstantAwesomeJustAddNinja: Shiina
* ImagineSpot: Otonashi. Whenever a new operation is introduced, he think it's ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin.
* ImmortalityHurts: The characters can regenerate from anything, and some of the deaths are quite painful.
* ImpairmentShot: Done in the third episode to illustrate [[spoiler:the effects of Iwasawa's stroke.]]
* IronicEcho: In episode 2, Otonashi starts to feel a little uncomfortable with Hinata's rather chummy nature and asks if he's gay or not, which Hinata angrily denies. In episode six, [[spoiler: Otonashi runs over to Hinata, who's severely injured. He makes a note of the fact that he ran to him first, and asks the same question as Otonashi did four episodes back.]]
* ItGotWorse: [[spoiler: After Angel resigns from her position, the acting student council president takes a much more hardline stance against SSS.]]
** [[spoiler:...For about one episode.]]
** [[spoiler:Kanade uses Harmonics to recall all of the Red Angels. Judging from the cliffhanger at Episode 8, this won't end well at all.]]
** [[spoiler:Several times in the ninth episode. First there's the train crash. Then Otonashi discovers that the tunnel has caved in in front of them. Searching for help, he discovers that the tunnel is also blocked in the other direction. Promptly thereafter, he falls to the ground, coughing, and finds the humongous bruise on his stomach... OhCrap.]]
** And when things finally seem to settle down again, [[spoiler:malevolent shadows attack everybody and even have the ability to turn them into [=NPC=]s]]. Oh crap.
* ItsAllMyFault: [[spoiler:Yuri blames herself for not being able to save her siblings. Needless to say, nobody else does.]]
** And perhaps to a lesser extent - [[spoiler:Hinata for failing a decisive catch.]]
** [[spoiler:Yuri]] again after [[spoiler:accidentally sending Kanade into a coma by dumping 100 aggressively violent copies of herself into her mind.]]
** [[spoiler: Otonashi after his sister's death. Difference is, it actually ''is'' his fault, even though he had good intentions at the time.]]
*** [[spoiler: That is debatable - her condition was such that she probably wouldn't have lived much longer anyway.]]
* IWillProtectHer: Played straight when Hinata promised Yuri to protect her no matter what and does so in the light novel. Seemingly subverted in the beginning when Yuri tells him she's already dead.
* IWillPunishYourFriendForYourFailure: This happens to Yuri's siblings after she fails to find anything valuable for the crooks who broke into her house.
* KnifeNut: Angel's primary weapons are blades that extend from her forearms. Yuri shows that she's also very skilled at knife fighting.
* LargeHam: [[spoiler: [[NoIndoorVoice Everyone]] in the OVA]] It MakesSenseInContext...
* LaserHallway: One of the anti-Angel traps.
* LastMinuteHookup: Some fans think this way of the [[spoiler:suddenly surfacing romantic feelings between Kanade and Otonashi]].
* LesYay: [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/angel_beats_heaven_s_door/v02/c013/18.html Iwasawa]] [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/angel_beats_heaven_s_door/v02/c014/29.html and]] [[http://www.mangafox.com/manga/angel_beats_heaven_s_door/v02/c014/30.html Hisako]] in the manga. However, there appears to be no trace of it in the anime.
* LetsGetDangerous: In Episode 12, [[spoiler:the entire SSS gets to be awesome fighting the Shadows. Even Ooyama does something impressive!]]
* LettingTheAirOutOfTheBand: Both the traditional music-fading-out and the music-stopping-abruptly variety. PlayedForLaughs.
* ALighterShadeOfGray: [[spoiler:The SSS went from a band of [[LaResistance rebels]] trying to take down the God that destroyed their lives to a group of self-centered teenagers blindly lashing out at the world in about three episodes.]]
** They were lashing out at the world from the beginning.
* LiteralChangeOfHeart: One of the heroic examples: [[spoiler: Otonashi donates his heart to Tenshi after dying]].
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: SSS has a ''lot'' of members. See the [[Characters/AngelBeats character page]] for details.
* LockedInAFreezer: Episode 9.
* LotusEaterMachine: Episode 12, [[spoiler:Yuri imagines life as an ordinary student while the Shadow consumes her. Luckily, she breaks out of it and is saved in the nick of time.]]
* LoudOfWar: Guard Skill - Howling.
* LoveConfession: Yuri's plan for Ooyama during the exams. Angel tells him to name a time and a place, which effectively stuns him until the teacher tells him to sit down.
** And in the end [[spoiler:Otonashi and Kanade confess their love for each other]].
* MarshmallowHell: Episode 2, Otonashi [[spoiler:climbs Yuri when they all fell down the trap. He has to grab on, he ends up hugging her, and gets some in his face. He even comments on how she smells good.]]
* MasochistsMeal: Mapo Tofu, to the point that the only one who can eat it is [[spoiler:Kanade]].
* MeaningfulName: Aside from a few of the characters, [[spoiler:the series itself]]. To elaborate, the finale revealed two key things: [[spoiler:Kanade's regret tying her to the Purgatory-world was that she never got to thank Otonashi for his heart, which kept her alive.]]
** [[spoiler: Otonashi's first name is Yuzuru, which can mean "to string (an instrument)". YxK pairing confirmed?]]
** [[spoiler: To further the above point ; Otonashi means "no sound", Yuzuru means "to string" an instrument, and "Kanade" could be read as "playing" an instrument. His little sister Hatsune's name also means "First sound". It could be said that Otonashi was an instrument that was properly strung, but could never play any sound, but Kanade finally played it.]]
** [[spoiler: Another piece of symbolism to 'Otonashi' is simply that, lacking a heart in the literal sense, Otonashi has no heartbeat]].
* {{Megane}}: Takeyama, while Takamatsu is more [[StoicSpectacles standoffish]]. See StoicSpectacles below.
* MindControlEyes: Sported by the [=NPC=]s Naoi hypnotized into fighting for him.
* MindRape: [[spoiler: Naoi attempts to use his hypnosis ability to implant fake happy memories into Yuri's mind so that she can disappear. Unfortunately for Naoi, things don't exactly go as planned]].
** [[spoiler: Technically that would class as a CareBearStare, but Yuri's reaction to it certainly throws it into here.]]
** Done to Hinata in Episode 7 [[spoiler:when Naoi hypnotizes him to think he's worse than a clothespin]]. Surprisingly, HilarityEnsues.
** Naoi attempts to do so again to Hinata in Episode 11, except this time [[spoiler:to make him think that he is ''toilet paper'']]. Fortunately, Otonashi stops him.
* MissionControl: Lots of SSS members work away from the front lines or behind the scenes, most notably Takeya, who gathers intel for the team. Yuri does this from time to time as well.
* MistakenForGay: Hinata, to the point of it being a [[RunningGag running gag]].
** He brings it upon himself, really.
** He reverses this on Otonashi in Episode 6 when [[spoiler: they were getting massacred by the Student Council.]]
** Naoi, to the point where Otonashi doesn't even [[MelodramaticPause comment on anything Naoi says.]]
*** Though whether he's really mistaken about Naoi is [[YourMilageMayVary questionable]]...
* MonsterSobStory: [[spoiler: Naoi, most noticeably in episode 6.]]
* MoreDakka: Not that they work against [[ImmuneToBullets Angel]]...
* MouthfulOfPi: Call him [[RunningGag Christ]].
** Played straight to the point of it affecting one of the listeners physically.
--->'''Ooyama:''' Stop, stop! That guy's an idiot!
* MultipleEndings: [[spoiler: After the credits of the final episode, reincarnated Otonashi and Kanade are shown meeting when Otonashi hears Kanade humming Iwasawa's "My Song." A short segment entitled "Another Epilogue" replaces this scene with one depicting Otonashi still in the afterlife helping another soul discover how to move on.]]
** [[spoiler: It's not so much another ending as it is a little side story took place between Otonashi's reincarnation.]]
* MundaneAfterlife: Subverted thanks to the SSS's insistent tries to wreak havoc and prevent their own disappearance.
* MusicalThemeNaming: Most of Angel's abilities, such as Harmonics and (Hand) Sonic. Also, Distortion, Overdrive, and Delay are various guitar effects.
* MyFriendsAndZoidberg: In Episode 8, during everyone's [[spoiler: HeroicSacrifice to stop an Angel clone]], Naoi is sadly unnoticed (Yui doesn't even know his name).
-->'''Naoi''': "You're all imbeciles. With the exception of Otonashi-san, of course."
* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: A minor version when Otonashi realizes that preventing Hinata from catching the baseball probably wasn't a good idea.
* MyHovercraftIsFullOfEels: TK, [[SurprisinglyGoodEnglish when speaking Japanese.]]
** When he was holding up the falling block in Episode 2, he was actually singing lyrics to a song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFn1kAUY9cU replaces his lines with the actual song.
*** That's just [[FridgeBrilliance brilliant]].
* {{Nakama}}: In the manga, [[spoiler: Hinata decides to stick with Yuri to fight against God even though she just kicked him off the rooftops]]. More generally, the [=SSS=] themselves.
* NamesTheSame: Yui, she's the singer and guitarist in a band and plays a Gibson (Les Paul) SG guitar. [[KOn Remind you of anyone]].
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: [[spoiler:They manage to oust Angel from her positions as student council president, which allows a person who's ''infinitely worse'' to take the position]].
** Episode 8. [[spoiler: Well done, Yuri, you managed to complete a program that will stop the [[CloningBlues Red Angels]]! ...By [[SplitPersonalityMerge painfully merging all of them with the original]]. Oh well. Enjoy your MindRape, Kanade!]]
** As of Episode 12 - [[spoiler:why are shadows coming to life and devouring the souls of the members of the SSS? Because Yuri cares about them too much.]]
*** An alternate interpretation would be [[spoiler:Yuzuru and Kanade's growing feelings for each other. After all, Yuri and the SSS have been around for quite a while already. Why come out now of all times when they could have done so before?]]
* NoblewomansLaugh: Yuri does it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aduSGRn_sG0&feature=related at least]][[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ff5coI6PqM0&feature=related twice in the anime]]. Complete with hand near mouth. The other person talking to her over the walkie even [[LampshadeHanging asks if she's the villain for doing such a laugh.]]
* NoFourthWall: The drama [=CDs=]. The characters' commentaries in the second disc point out all the incontinuities in the "NG" takes.
* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: In his spare time, Naoi beats up [=NPCs=] in order to stay in this world.
* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: Averted; death presents no objective risk, so nobody really sweats it.
* NonSingingVoice: MiyukiSawashiro voices Iwasawa, and EriKitamura voices Yui, but neither of them sing for their own characters, even though they have sung in other series.
* NiceHat: Yuri wears one while issuing commands at headquarters. Naoi has a nice one too, as part of his uniform, and Angel wore one in episode 7 in the garden.
* {{NPC}}: The majority of Non-SSS students are explicitly considered to be these, but not all, as it [[spoiler: seems like [[DesignatedVillain Angel]] and [[StudentCouncilPresident Ayato Naoi]] aren't despite not being SSS-members. At least, until they joined the SSS.]]
* OffhandBackhand: Otonashi and Matsushita pull this off in Episode 12, Otonashi with his Glock and Matsushita with his actual hand.
* OhCrap: Otonashi's face when he discovers that [[spoiler:the train tunnel is blocked on both ends and there's no signal.]]
* OminousMultipleScreens: Although they end up [[spoiler: covered in hearts]]...
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: No one seems to know what Angel's real name is. (Except, one of them actually does.) She stops getting called Angel later, though.
** TK. He's basically a gag character with his random english/stoner accent, and he [[spoiler:vanishes with the rest of the SSS in episode 12 without us learning his real name.]]
* OntologicalMystery
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The {{Ninja}} (who is TheQuietOne) says something in the 10th episode. Everyone is shocked by this.
** No one bats an eye when she speaks again a few episodes later. By that point, things [[ItGotWorse have gotten much worse]], though.
* OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent: Takes on a ''whole'' new meaning in this series. The "ordinary students" are the {{NPC}}s of the school. They have no souls, acting as model students under Angel and God. The SSS are acting against Angel and God, souls intact and rebelling against what had been dealt them in their former lives. This situation is highlighted by the different uniforms between the two factions of students.
* TheOtherDarrin: A few of the minor characters in the dub had different voice actors for early and later episodes.
* PeekABangs: [[spoiler: Otonashi, before his sister died]]
* PlayingTennisWithTheBoss: Noda does this... during a baseball game. To his own teammate, no less.
* PlotArmor: Episode two, Otonashi.
* PoorCommunicationKills: [[spoiler:Kanade and the entire reason the [=SSS=] are in Purgatory. [[UpToEleven We're talking so bad that a war broke out because she was bad at getting her point across]], and since nobody truly dies due to physical injuries, this war has lasted a ''long'' time.]]
* [[ThePowerOfRock The Power Of]] [[strike:[[ThePowerOfRock Rock]]]] [[ThePowerOfRock A Ballad]]: Stopped the teachers intent on shutting down the concert in their tracks.
** This is most likely what [[MemeticBadass TK runs on.]]
* ThePowerOfLove: [[spoiler:In this case, it breaks the system - anyone who fell in love in the afterlife might stay there forever, never accepting the need to move on and thus never reincarnating.]]
* PowersAsPrograms: [[spoiler:When the SSS break into Tenshi's room, they discover that she's been modeling her powers on her computer, using the software [=AngelPlayer=]. Yuri later finds a ''manual'' for it. '''''[[AllThereInTheManual There is a manual for warping reality]]'''''. Too bad it's [[LostInTranslation in English]].]]
** [[spoiler:This appears to be the plot point of Episode 12, where Yuri goes after someone she suspects is using the Angel Player program to transform the [=NPC=]s into shadow [=NPC=]s.]]
* PrecisionFStrike: TK: "[[Music/GunsNRoses Fuckin' crazy!]]"
** ''Angel'', of all people, gets her own F strike as well.
** Any proof to Angel saying something like that?
* ProductPlacement: Key Coffee is most likely a {{shout out}} to {{Key Visual Arts}} (bearing their logo and all), but it is still suspect since it's also a [[http://www.keycoffee.co.jp real life Japanese brand of coffee]].
** Iwasawa plays a Fender Stratocaster, Hisako plays a Fender Jazzmaster, Yui has a Gibson SG, and Sekine plays a G&L bass.
* ProngsOfPoseidon: [[spoiler: Angel's Hand Sonic version 3]]
* PurelyAestheticGlasses: Takamatsu. Yuri points out in the first episode 'Even though he's adjusting his glasses to look smart, he's still an idiot.'
* RageAgainstTheHeavens: [[spoiler: Subverted. The characters ''wish'' they could RageAgainstTheHeavens, but they can't seem to find any. Their efforts only end up hurting themselves.]]
* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Hinata and Otonashi's baseball team in episode 4.
** Pretty much all the SSS.
--->'''Naoi:''' You're all idiots. [[HoYay Except Otonashi of course!]]
*** The anime tends to play hopscotch with the line between {{Subversion}} and DoubleSubversion on this one.
* LaResistance: The SSS.
* RecurringLocation: Guild appears in Episodes 2 and 8.
** [[RuleOfThree We're going back for Episode 12!]]
*** Sort of [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Yuri, complaining that it's "Guild AGAIN?"
* RedemptionDemotion: [[spoiler:Naoi]] goes from credible villain to yet another comic relief character when he makes his HeelFaceTurn.
** He's still scarily competent, to the extent that he's effectively Yuri's second-in-command.
* [[RedemptionEqualsDeath Redemption Equals Disappearance]]: [[spoiler:Yuri in episode 13.]]
** This is the entire purpose of the afterlife, as well.
* RedEyesTakeWarning: When Naoi activates his hypnosis.
** [[spoiler:The evil Tenshi clones, too.]]
* [[spoiler:ReincarnationRomance: Implied between Otonashi and Kanade]]
* RemixedLevel: Guild appears in Episode 8 as well as 2.
** [[spoiler: But in episode 8, the walls are dirty, the traps are activated, and a multitude of [[AxCrazy Clone Tenshi]] are there, guarding Kanade.]]
* ReplacementSibling: [[spoiler:Naoi]]
* ReverseGrip: How Noda swings his baseball bat. He hits a home run with it, too.
* RhetoricalQuestionBlunder: At the beginning of the first episode, Otonashi demands that Angel prove he can't die. So she stabs him in the chest.
-->'''Yuri:''' To be fair, you were kinda asking for it.
* RoseHairedGirl: Yui, and Iwasawa as well.
* RustProofBlood: After Otonashi wakes up in the nurse's office after being [[HeGotBetter offed for the second time so far]], his shirt is still sopping wet.
* SayMyName: Episode 8, whenever someone in the SSS [[spoiler:pulls a HeroicSacrifice to stop an Angel clone]], the rest of the SSS have a SayMyName shot for the character in question. Lampshaded, no less:
-->'''Everyone:''' TK!\\
'''Hinata:''' What's with this last-chapter-of-a-shonen-manga scenario?!
** Lampshaded hilariously during [[spoiler: Naoi]]'s turn, right after he [[spoiler: [[KickTheDog hypnotizes Ooyama into thinking he's a clown and sending him to get stabbed by a Red Angel]]]].
-->'''[[spoiler:Naoi]]:''' *gets stabbed*\\
'''*Dead Silence*'''\\
'''Hinata:''' Someone say something.\\
'''Yui:''' I don't know his name...
** Episode 13.
* SceneryPorn: The Christmas lights on the trees - then the main Christmas tree itself - on the main street where Otonashi lived in his former life. [[spoiler: He snuck out his younger sister from the hospital so they could see them together.]]
* ShooOutTheClowns: The Shadows appear ''immediately'' after [[spoiler: Yui disappears.]]
* ShoutOut: Episode 3 references two of HayaoMiyazaki's films, with Otonashi trying to imagine what Angel's base looks like by showing (mosaic-censored) images of the titular structures from both ''[[CastleInTheSky Laputa: Castle In The Sky]]'' and ''Film/HowlsMovingCastle''.
** The school vending machines, aside from a full line of BlandNameProduct drinks, also carry Key Coffee, bearing the studio logo.
** TK seems to love referencing popular media, from two lines of song lyrics to:
--->'''TK:''' [[spoiler: [[{{Terminator}} I'll be back.]]]]
*** Also this one as mention in Episode 8.
--->'''TK:''' [[spoiler: Hey yo! Check this out! [[{{Michael Jackson}} It's a moonwalk, a moonwalk]]]], headspin!
** The title of the eighth episode is "DancerInTheDark".
** In episode 10, Yui is seen to own plush toys of [[{{Air}} a brontosaurus, a small white dog]], and [[{{Clannad}} a baby boar]]. All from other Key titles respectively.
** Episode 10's title "Goodbye Days" relates to Jpop artist YUI's song of the same name. It's sung in her movie, Taiyou no Uta, with similar implications to Angel Beats Yui's past. [[spoiler: Both characters had an illness which contributed to their death, not living the life they wanted to.]] Can you guess who disappeared this episode?
** [[ThreeHundred TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!]]
** Episode 12 has the title, Knockin' on Heaven's Door, shouted out by TK. Even the other characters recognise it as a reference to Bob Dylan.
*** The ending of episode 12 has been compared numerous times to [[spoiler:''TheMatrixReloaded'']].
** In Episode 3, TK says "Get chance and luck!", which is a line from one of the ending themes to CityHunter.
** The BaseballEpisode contains a lot of them to VisualNovel/LittleBusters, ranging from obvious ones, like Yuri's ActorAllusion EvilLaugh, to not so obvious ones, like how Hinata missing the baseball went exactly like how Haruka randomly missed a catch in practice.
** In episode 7, the monster that Otonashi imagines when hearing 'Operation: Monster Stream' is a large, red, dragon-like monster, with a striking resemblance to a [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter Rathalos]]
* ShownTheirWork: All of the guns in the series are accurately modeled after their real-world counterparts.
* SmellsSexy: Yuri, according to Otonashi.
* SpamAttack: In episode 1, Noda executes a 100-hit combo because Otonashi refused Yuri's invitation to the SSS, utterly KO'ing Otonashi.
* SpecialEditionTitle: Episode four has the [[ThemeTuneCameo opening sung by Yui]], integrating it directly into the show. There are some CreditsBrandProducts and different visuals, and the visuals that ''are'' retained have a very different aesthetic.
* SplitPersonalityMerge: Played heartlessly straight with [[spoiler:all of the Red Angels merging back into Kanade.]]
-->'''[[spoiler:Red Angel:]]''' [[spoiler:That many of us ruthless clones are going to return? Even as clones, we have our own consciousness. Those won't disappear. They'll be incorporated into her. The spirits of all the clones you attacked will return to her. When she takes in all those at once...she'll pay for it.]]
* TheStinger: [[spoiler: After the credits, Otonashi and Kanade are shown to meet up again in their next lives.]]
* StoicSpectacles: Takamatsu.
* StormingTheCastle: Subverted. In episode 3, SSS decides to stage a raid on Angel's hideout, only for Otonashi to find out that [[spoiler:it's her ''dorm room'']].
* AStormIsComing: The appearance of Monster Stream.
* SugarAndIcePersonality: Angel
* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Michael Rivas, a Japanese-born, but raised in Hawaii, singer and voice actor, does the voice of TK. His pronunciation is perfect, but most of his dialogue still makes no sense because they're all out-of-context song lyrics or quotes from movies.
--->'''TK:''' [[CrowningMomentOfFunny Fuckin' crazy!]]
** Actually, [[spoiler:in episode 9, while [[strike:Takeyama]] Christ was being aided by some of Yui's friends in translating the totally-in-Queen's-English [=AngelPlayer=] user manual, TK was relegated to guarding Otonashi and Tachibana. Why? Because, as Hinata points out, "TK's not good with English." Whether you think this makes it a subversion, or simply furthers the trope, is up to you.]]
*** [[spoiler:Presumably, the problem is that he would not be able to ''translate'' the English.]]
* SurvivorGuilt: [[spoiler: The source of Yuri's issues.]]
* SwissArmyWeapon: [[spoiler: Angel's 4 versions of Hand Sonic.]]
** [[spoiler: As of episode 10 she has added a 5th version.]]
* TapOnTheHead: This trope is a lot more dangerous and a lot more lethal than we think, [[spoiler:just as Iwasawa found out]].
* TeleporterAccident: Apparently [[spoiler:Angel]] did this by accident when [[spoiler:she activated Harmonics]] to save the SSS from Monster Stream.
* TitleDrop: Episode 12. By [[MemeticBadass TK.]]
* {{Tsundere}}: Yuri is like this for Hinata in the manga and light novel, which is the basis for much of the {{ShipTease}}.
** Though to a far lesser extent, she's kinda like this to Hinata in the anime too since she picks on him more than anyone else. Without reading the manga/light novel though, most would just disregard it as him being the ButtMonkey (which he kinda is).
* TokenEvilTeammate: After joining the SSS, Naoi continues to harass everyone (usually [[ButtMonkey Hinata]]) with his hypnosis, as well as constantly insulting the rest of the group ([[HoYay except Otonashi!]])
* {{Tomboy}}: Yui, according to Yuri. After Yui [[spoiler: accidentally chokes herself to death with microphone wiring while auditioning for lead singer in Girls De Mo]] Yuri comments:
-->'''Yuri:''' [Yui] is one hell of a {{tomboy}}. The complete opposite of the cool beauty aura that Iwasawa had.
* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler:Matsushita 5th Dan]] in Episode 12. Granted, he was already {{Badass}}...
* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Angel and mapo tofu, Matsushita and meat udon, Oyama and potato chips.
* TraumaCongaLine: Virtually every SSS member went through this in their prior life, but some had it worse than others.
** For Yuri, [[spoiler: having her home ransacked by thieves, and having her 3 siblings held hostage, then having killed one at a time every 10 minutes because she felt she was too slow/not strong enough to save them]].
** For Naoi, [[spoiler: being in the shadow of his much more successful brother, and after said brother's death, he was forced to essentially turn into his brother, but wasn't good enough, causing his father to scorn him. And when his father grows ill, he's unable to keep his father's legacy going due to his lack of talent/skills.]]
** For Otonashi, [[spoiler: his little sister dies. Then he gets into a train accident. Then when he tries find an escape route, he finds out that the survivors are completely caved in with very limited supplies. And then he finds out he's gotten some pretty serious injuries when blood starts to show through his shirt. And finally, he dies just moments before the rescue crew manages to breakthrough the rubble.]]
* For Iwasawa, [[spoiler: growing up in a broken home, and having little direction/guidance in life until she discovered music. Then working hard to try and make it in the world, only to have an old injury from her abusive father kill her later.]]
* TwinSwitch: Taken to the cruelest lengths possible with [[spoiler:Naoi and his dead brother]].
* TwistedChristmas: [[spoiler:Otonashi's sister]] probably died on Christmas Eve.
* UnnecessaryCombatRoll: Matsushita during the baseball game.
* UnusuallyUninterestingSight: Noda brings his halberd to the baseball games, and even uses it while fielding, but the student council's only concern is that his team entered the tournament illegally.
** Due to the [=NPC=]s being the way they are, this gets taken to another entire level in episode 6. We have a student spring up every minute to use the restroom, a snack-eater, someone who's sleeping across the tables, and a full-blown mahjong game being played out in the back. What does the teacher do? "Please quiet down."
** Also, they don't seem to notice the fact that they carry around ''working firearms'' on campus.
*** Yuri even holds one of the teachers at gunpoint. She has what turns out to be a fairly neutral conversation with him, all the while still pointing the gun at him. He never notices.
* WeHardlyKnewYe: While [[spoiler: Iwasawa]] was the most obvious example [[spoiler: due to vanishing by the third episode]], most of the rest of the SSS fall into this trope. For some reason, they introduce characters in the opening and episode 1. But by the time the series ends, you only get to know about half of the main cast, and they throw some more characters in later that get much more development. Characters like Shiina, Ooyama and Noda don't even get a backstory (and only bare-bones characterization), while [[spoiler: both Yui and Naoi]] get much more screentime and development, even though they're introduced much later. The reason for this is most likely that the show was originally planned for 26 episodes but was then cut down to 13.
* WeNeedADistraction: The SSS has an entire band dedicated to this. That's a literal band, mind you--they distract the student body with a concert. [[spoiler:It's a bummer they keep losing their lead singer, though]].
** And in episode 5, if you can't come up with one, [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fORH60LtOt4 then be prepared to be launched into the roof, complete with slo-mo replay and singing]].
*** Sometimes [[ButtMonkey more than once]].
*** Or throw your dignity away by confessing love.
* WeirdnessCensor: The teachers and [=NPCs=] suffer from a severe case of this. They only pay attention to what's directly in front of them, and they consider it to be normal. SSS even tests the limits of this trope in episode 6.
** No WeirdnessCensor can save the helpless eyes of [=NPCs=] from [[RunningGag Team]] [[ExplosionPropulsion Rocket]].
** Though we get to see what the [=NPCs=] view the SSS's guns as in Episode 11. [[spoiler:Apparently, they are seen as toys.]]
* WelcomeEpisode: As soon as Otonashi opens his eyes in Episode 1, Yuri invites him to the SSS.
* WellDoneSonGuy: [[spoiler: Naoi]]
* WhamEpisode: Episode 5 where [[spoiler:The SSS's operation turns out to be very very successful, reversing the entire power balance between them and Angel.]]
** And then, in the same episode [[spoiler:The new student council president decides to take a more active role in stopping the SSS.]]
** And Episode 9 is the whammest of them all.
* WhatYouAreInTheDark: Otonashi, when he's assisting the train crash survivors. Also, [[spoiler:when Angel wakes up and is still normal, she and Otonashi decide to hide this fact so they can help SSS eliminate their regrets]].
* [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotAwesome What Do You Mean, It's Not Awesome?]]: Episode 5, [[spoiler:the SSS trying to get Angel the lowest grade on the exams.]]
** Episode 7, [[spoiler:Angel goes fishing.]]
** Episode 8, [[spoiler:Killing time during class.]]
** Episode 10, [[spoiler:Yui plays soccer.]]
--->[[spoiler: '''Yui:''' I'm still going, bitches!]]
** Episode 11, [[spoiler:Angel adds a non-functional decoration to her Guard Skill.]]
** The {{OVA}}, [[UpToEleven ALL OF IT!]]
* WorldOfHam: Not 100% of the time, but still. Get enough SSS members together in the same place and ham is sure to result.
** Noda is perhaps the most [[LargeHam dependable source]], with Shiina and Yuri also making strong showings.
** The Whole OVA.
*** To be precise, the OVA is an [[UpToEleven Apocalypse of Ham]] [[HamToHamCombat where the characters try to out-ham each other]] with [[strike: Ham]] '''Tension''' Meter included. [[spoiler: Shiina wins]], and then [[spoiler: everyone but Yuri loses]].
* WouldHitAGirl: Hinata
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: It's probably easier to list the characters who don't have a hair color that makes you doubt your display settings.
* ZeroApprovalGambit: [[spoiler:In order to rid the SSS members of their regrets, Otonashi and Angel agree to have Angel become the student council president again and act as she did before she befriended SSS so that they have a common enemy to fight]].
** Though, as mentioned above, it seems to have failed, given how [[spoiler:Yuri already seems to know about it]].
* ZeroesAndOnes: [[spoiler:When Angel's clones are reabsorbed, they dissolve into this.]]
** If you look closely, the flashes of light around Angel's powers are all zeros and ones.
** Also, the [[spoiler:shadows]] in episode 11 are made of these in a MatrixRainingCode sort of way.
* ZettaiRyouiki: Yuri.
----

** The BaseballEpisode contains a lot of them to LittleBusters, ranging from obvious ones, like Yuri's ActorAllusion EvilLaugh, to not so obvious ones, like how Hinata missing the baseball went exactly like how Haruka randomly missed a catch in practice.

* AllThereInTheManual: AngelBeats is essentially a mixed media project. Much of the background between Yuri and "Angel", including the SSS's formation, plays out in the LightNovel.

* DeathAsComedy: Remember DeathIsCheap in AngelBeats.