History Anime / RahXephon

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Mostly averted, and then you see Quon... [[spoiler: Her sister Maya, too.]]

It's 2015, and OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Ayato Kamina lives in a sharply delimited world. Three years earlier, something happened that enclosed Tokyo in an impenetrable shell. As far as Ayato and the other inhabitants of the city are concerned, the rest of the world simply vanished, and they are all that is left. His painting, and getting by day-to-day while his widowed mother spends all her time on her secret job for the government are more important to him. At least, until mysterious invaders pass through the barrier and attack Tokyo with advanced fighters while strange, sculpture-like war machines protect the city.

* {{Fanservice}}: The entire last half of Chapter 3 of the manga shows three female characters wearing nothing but bikinis. It even goes as far as to show Haruka Shitow and Sayako Nanamori stripping right in front of Ayato.

* PhenotypeStereotype: Cathy, the hot-tempered, non-spiritual, rock-and-roll playing American.

* BoringInvincibleHero: In twenty-six episodes, only once does the Rah Xephon suffer more than a scratch, and even then, the fight is barely more than a few seconds. That said, neither side is really trying to win via force of arms...

* TheHeavy: While [[spoiler:[[BigBad Lord Bähbem]] and his AncientConspiracy are behind most of the things that drive the plot]], The Mu are the primary antagonists fought throughout the series.

* EvilAlbino: Makoto Isshiki.

** Plus, any dream sequences can get a touch [[WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic symbolic]]. [[TropesAreTools In a good way]].

Inspired by the 1970s mecha show ''Anime/{{Raideen}}'' and heavily influenced by [[http://www.wattpad.com/121643 science fiction literature]] (''Literature/TheDandelionGirl''), most Western audiences will compare it to ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Where ''Evangelion'' is about dysfunction and despair cloaked in Kaballah and Judeo-Christian imagery, ''[=RahXephon=]'' is about transcendence and revelation; blending music, gorgeous imagery and Mayan lore to produce a result that is thematically the total opposite of ''Evangelion'''s bleakness. Despite the two series having plot points which are [[FollowTheLeader suspiciously similar]], ''[=RahXephon=]'' stands in its own right as a SuperRobot series. Also when the two of them are in the same game, expect the game to have them share some sort of link. It's by watching Raideen using his God Voice attack that Ayato unlocks RahXephon's Voice attack.

* BelligerentSexualTension: Played with. Megumi and Ayato show signs of this from basically the fourth episode, including most of the cliched signs, but while Megumi seems to actually be interested about midway through, she can't catch a break (see below). Played with for a less jerkass Ayato (who becomes so through CharacterDevelopment) and a far more deredere Haruka.

* DramaticIrony: See HilariousInHindsight. Played with [[spoiler: Asahina]].

* MayDecemberRomance: After a certain point, it ''seems'' like this for [[spoiler: Ayato and Haruka]]. Turns out to be ''much'' more complicated.

Inspired by the 1970s mecha show ''Anime/{{Raideen}}'' and heavily influenced by [[http://www.wattpad.com/121643 science fiction literature]] (''Literature/TheDandelionGirl''), most Western audiences will compare it to ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Where ''Evangelion'' is about dysfunction and despair cloaked in Kaballah and Judeo-Christian imagery, ''[=RahXephon=]'' is about transcendence and revelation; blending music, gorgeous imagery and Mayan lore to produce a result that is thematically the total opposite of ''Evangelion'''s bleakness. Despite the two series having plot points which are [[FollowTheLeader suspiciously similar]], ''[=RahXephon=]'' stands in its own right as a SuperRobot series. Also when the two of them are in the same game, expect the game to have them some sort of link. It's by watching Raideen using his God Voice attack that Ayato unlocks RahXephon's Voice attack.

* BattleButler: Episode 15 features one wielding what appears to be an MP5.

Character tropes go on the ''[=RahXephon=]'' [[Characters/RahXephon character page]].

See also ''Anime/EurekaSeven'' and ''Anime/StarDriver'', other mecha productions by Creator/StudioBONES (the latter of which takes quite a few cues from [=RahXephon=]).

Character tropes go on the [=RahXephon=] [[Characters/RahXephon character page]].

'''There be spoilers below!'''

* XMeetsY: ''Raideen'' meets ''Evangelion'' while replacing Kabbalah with Mesoamerican lore and Freudian elements with existential and musical ones.

Inspired by the 1970s mecha show ''Anime/{{Raideen}}'' and heavily influenced by [[http://www.wattpad.com/121643 science fiction literature]] (''Literature/TheDandelionGirl''), most Western audiences will compare it to ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. Where ''Evangelion'' is about dysfunction and despair cloaked in Kaballah and Judeo-Christian imagery, ''[=RahXephon=]'' is about transcendence and revelation; blending music, gorgeous imagery and Mayan lore to produce a result that is thematically the total opposite of ''Evangelion'''s bleakness. Despite the two series having plot points which are [[FollowTheLeader suspiciously similar]], ''[=RahXephon=]'' stands in its own right as a SuperRobot series.

* BeamSpam: Kuku's massive (2.6 '''km''' long) Dolem "Largo." Used to maximum effect to shoot down a MacrossMissileMassacre, where it literally just ''rains'' down beams non-stop for a half-second.

* GrandTheftMe: this is how Bähbem manages to stay alive for so long.

* Fanservice: The entire last half of Chapter 3 of the manga shows three female characters wearing nothing but bikinis. It even goes as far as to show Haruka Shitow and Sayako Nanamori stripping right in front of Ayato.

* {{Expy}}: Several characters have a definite resemblance to those of ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' with fewer mental problems. In particular, Haruka is a lot like Misato, being similarly a competent military official with some ManChild mannerisms, although Haruka isn't really a HardDrinkingPartyGirl- her best friend is. Said friend also happens to wear the same cross necklace Misato has.
** More specifically: Ayato=Shinji, Haruka=Misato, Quan=Rei, Megumi=Asuka, Sayoko=Ritsuko, Elvy=Asuka/Misato, Futagami=Kaji, Kunugi=Gendo, Watari=Fuyutsuki/Gendo, Maya=Yui/Gendo, Bähbem=Keel, Asahina=Hikari/Kaworu, Mamoru=Toji/Kaworu, The [=RahXephon=]=Evangelion Unit 01, The Mu/Dolums=The Angels, TERRA=NERV, The Bähbem Foundation=SEELE.

* SpiritualSuccessor: To the 70's SuperRobot series ''BraveRaideen''.

** [[spoiler:Bähbem]] considers himself a god by way of creating [[spoiler:the RahXephon system.]]