History Anime / GunXSword

* [[spoiler: Joe Lutz]] is a far more unambiguous example, as he tries to manipulate Van and Wendy into giving up their journey under the guise of giving them friendly advice.

* MookFaceTurn: A couple of the Claw's henchmen decide to rebel against him upon learning of Saudade's of Sunday true purpose and coming to the conclusion that the Claw was OmnicidalManiac. However this is ends up being [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] by the fact that:

** [[StarterVillain Lucky]] seems pretty sane guy, obsession with luck aside. However, his VillainousBreakdown has him petulantly screams at Van, demanding for him to give him back the luck he "stole" like a child who got their favorite toy taken away.

* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:The Claw can be seen as one, depending on whether or not you think his [[Creator/FredRogers Mister Rogers-esque]] persona is[[AlternateCharacterInterpretation for real or just a mask to manipulate his subordinates]]]]

* ManipulativeBastard: [[spoiler:The Claw, Joe Lutz]].

* BadassNormal: Characters like Carmen99 who manage to kick ass without armors. Ray's Volkain is this compared to the armors of the Original Seven: it's a mining armor that's been modified to carry guns.

** The whole reason they joined the Claw in the first place was because they thought he was after WorldDomination and they still planned on pursuing that goal after dispatching the him, making their rebellion more of a case of EvilVersusOblivion than anything else.

%%* FragileSpeedster: Priscilla's Brownie.

** They had completely misinterpreted his endgame in thinking that he wanted to commit genocide, when what he was really planning was [[a mixture of a ResetButton and an AssimilationPlot.]]

* MookFaceTurn: Done by The Claw's minions after they figured what Saudade of Sunday's functions were for.
** Subverted in that they mistook the Claw for an OmnicidalManiac and thinking that he wanted to commit genocide, when what he was really planning was an AssimilationPlot.

* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. The protagonist is obsessed with taking revenge on the Claw to the detriment of personal connections, but when he finally does take revenge, the somewhat HardTruthAesop is "revenge feels great". [[spoiler: However, he walks off while everyone else is celebrating, displaying some uncertainty about what's next. Having solved his quest does seem to leave him directionless, and we never see him express joy over the deed after it is done. It's like the show is taking the middle ground: vengeance is great and all, but like anything, if you fixate on it to the exclusion of all else, you won't have a purpose once you achieve it.]]

* WhamEpisode: Episodes 12 and 13.
** Episode 24, big time. [[spoiler: Ray gets KilledOffForReal, Van is nowhere to be found the whole episode, and our last view of Priscilla and the El Dora guys is them lying unconscious or maybe dead, their armors buried under rocks and offline {{mook}} armors, respectively.]] Just to ratchet up the tension a bit, it averts TrailersAlwaysSpoil, since there ''isn't'' one.

* VengeanceFeelsEmpty: [[PlayingWithATrope Played with]]. The protagonist is obsessed with taking revenge on the Claw to the detriment of personal connections, but when he finally does take revenge, the somewhat FamilyUnfriendlyAesop is "revenge feels great". [[spoiler: However, he walks off while everyone else is celebrating, displaying some uncertainty about what's next. Having solved his quest does seem to leave him directionless, and we never see him express joy over the deed after it is done. It's like the show is taking the middle ground: vengeance is great and all, but like anything, if you fixate on it to the exclusion of all else, you won't have a purpose once you achieve it.]]

* {{Revenge}}:''The'' motivation of most of the heroes; this is possibly the only anime where this ''isn't'' presented in an always-negative light. The treatment of revenge in ''Anime/GunXSword'' is complicated: Ray's pursuit of revenge is depicted as destructive ''and'' self-destructive, since he [[IDidWhatIHadToDo does what he thinks he needs to]] regardless of the cost. This contrasts Ray with Van, who despite gunning for the same man for the same reason has some standards, such as not ruining properties or killing innocents. It's also worth noting that Joshua remains opposed to vengeance throughout the series, and he [[spoiler: nevertheless plays a key role in putting an end to the Claw's plan--through nonviolent means--in the last battle]]. In the end, "Revenge" in the series isn't about whether or not it's the right way to bring about closure, but whether or not you end up ruining other people's lives while you do it.

* DrinkOrder: A subverted version, as badass Van typically drinks milk and can't handle alcohol. Similarly, Ray only drinks water; but it's not specified as to whether he's also a [[CantHoldHisLiquor teetoler]] or if he really just wants a clear head.

* BedmateReveal: Played with. Although the scene in question clearly invokes the image of a "morning after" scene --with Van waking up apparently alone, then shown to be sleeping next to Wendy-- it's subverted because they are in separate-but-adjacent beds, and it's clear that nothing sexual happened. The suggestiveness continues, though, because Van's waking up is followed up by a non-sexual version of [[spoiler: NotStayingForBreakfast, complete with lingering/regretful farewell look]].

* DistantFinale: Which only features [[spoiler: Wendy and Kameo, as well as the Narrator, revealed to be a news reporter interviewing Wendy, with Van turning up at the very end]]. Also a CrowningMomentOfFunny.

** [[spoiler: The Aesop there, if there is one, might actually be closer to 'closure is important if you want to move on with your life'. While Van does wander off to be an aimless drifter, that's also what he was doing before the chain of events that led to the show's plot. And he does end up meeting a more [[SheIsAllGrownUp mature]] Wendy again some time later.]]

* SecondLove: The episode "For Whose Sake?" raises the question of which one of the girls pursuing Van--if any--will be this. [[spoiler: It's subverted when Van leaves at the end, implying it's none of them... But then it's double subverted when he returns to Wendy five years later, implying it's her]].

* LoveTriangle (if not an outright LoveDodecahedron): Develops as the series progresses. Towards the end, it looks like this: Van is still in love with Elena[[spoiler:, but he's also increasingly fond of Wendy]]. Wendy and Pricilla [[spoiler: and Carmen]] love Van. Joshua has a crush on Wendy [[spoiler: but ends up with Yukiko]]. Yukiko seems to be developing feelings for one or both of the Lundgren brothers. The El Dora V aren't in a love triangle, but they seem to carry a torch for Yukiko's grandmother.

* MaybeEverAfter: The end of the romance arc is left ambiguous. It at first appears to be a case of DumpThemAll [[spoiler: Van walking away from his three potential love interests]]. However, the DistantFinale opens up another possibility, hinting that[[spoiler: it's a case of FirstGirlWins, with Van and Wendy becoming an item once she's older]]. Fans may disagree about how likely that possibility is.

** El Dorado V is one big walking shout-out to past SuperRobot series.

** The first episode ("Tuxedo Blowing In the Wind") borrows elements from ''TheRoadWarrior''. Compare Lucky's speeches to those of Lord Humungus and note the way a bus is used to block the entrance to the mall.

*** In particular the Anime/BraveSeries and Anime/GaoGaiGar. It uses the "G-Stone" sound effect during its transformation and strikes a pose from King J-Der's Mega Fusion. The "[[BilingualBonus El Inferno Y Cielo]]" attack in ''VideoGame/SuperRobotWarsK'' even ''looks'' like its namesake from ''Anime/GaoGaiGar''. In the episode of their debut, the enemy pilot who says the robot is outdated? Voiced by NobuyukiHiyama.

* XMeetsY: And no, not just for [[WordSaladTitle the title]], as fitting a title as it may be; often called "''Manga/{{Trigun}}'' with giant robots" as noted in the main article.

** At one point, Van finished an opponent with the V no Giri, ''VoltesV'''s finishing move.

* AffectionateParody: Van's ever-changing surname is a gentle poke at [[{{Trigun}} Vash the Stampede]].

* XMeetsY: And no, not just for [[WordSaladTitle the title]], as fitting a title as it may be; often called "''{{Trigun}}'' with giant robots" as noted in the main article.

* MsFanservice: Well there's Carmen and her 99 cm bust and her ImpossiblyCoolClothes. Fasalina goes into [[FetishFuelStationAttendant the other territory]]. Then we have Priscilla, the DanceBattler.

* DrinkOrder: A subverted version, as {{Badass}} Van typically drinks milk and can't handle alcohol. Similarly, Ray only drinks water; but it's not specified as to whether he's also a [[CantHoldHisLiquor teetoler]] or if he really just wants a clear head.

* BadAss: Van and Ray, most obviously.
** BadassBystander: The townspeople in the first episode. They're oppressed by a gang of heavily armed criminals who, during the course of the episode, bring in a mecha, but when the shooting starts, they pick up weapons and join the fight. While they can't do anything about the mecha, they hold their own against the {{villain of the week}}'s [[{{Mook}} goons]].
** BadassCape: Ray's Armour (Volkain) has one, in the 'shredded wraith-like' variety. See also CapedMecha below for its functionality.
** BadassCrew: The good guys and bad guys form one of each, though the good guy team takes a little longer to form.
** BadassLongcoat: A swallowtail tuxedo, specifically.
** BadassNormal: Characters like Carmen99 who manage to kick ass without armors. Ray's Volkain is this compared to the armors of the Original Seven: it's a mining armor that's been modified to carry guns.

* AManIsNotAVirgin: Averted - Van ''is'', and is actually fairly set on maintaining his chastity; the only major characters to get any are on the villain's side... and surprisingly graphically.
** The announcer at one point even explicitly states the man who did have sex is a "boy" where Van is called a "man".

* SexAsRiteOfPassage: Invoked by the narrator, who says "When no one was looking, a boy became a man." Interestingly enough, this is averted in a later narration; [[spoiler: Michael]] (who at the very least had sex once) is referred to as a boy, while Van (still a virgin) is referred to as a man.