History Anime / ZoidsChaoticCentury

* RunningGag: Moonbay referring to ''[[InsistentTerminology her]]'' Ultrasaurus, and Irvine correcting her.

* {{Bokukko}}: Reese likely qualifies, between her early outfit (the later catsuit, less so) and using "boku" in the Japanese version.

* TheResolutionWillNotBeTelevised: Famously averted with the last season when it aired on Cartoon Network. The show aired in the early morning hours, but the last four episodes of the series were not broadcasted; they just started playing reruns for whatever reason. Demand from the fans was high enough that the last four episodes aired on the Toonami block as “The Final Four.”

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: When Van steals his Shield Liger back when it was confiscated by the Republic, he tries to use its missile launchers only find there is no ammo. As Irvine points out, confiscated Zoids have their weapons disarmed.
** The Geno Saurer has to anchor itself to fire its [[WaveMotionGun Charged Particle Cannon]] due to the recoil. Van realizes this weakness in his fight with Raven at the end of the first season, and when Raven tries to turn the Geno Saurer to aim at Van, the recoil damages his Zoid.
** After Rudolph is kidnapped by Rosso and Viola, he makes an attempt at escaping. Rosso doesn't even make much effort to stop the boy as he runs away. He just walks after Rudolph and lets him realize that if he were to escape his captors, he would leave himself stranded in the middle of nowhere with almost no chance of rescue.
** The main characters want to avoid getting involved with the Republic or the Empire. In fact the military of the Republic is initially hostile to them, though this fades after they assist in stopping a battle with the Empire.
** The Guylos Empire is called TheEmpire but that doesn't mean it's evil. Beyond Prozen and his followers, the characters from the Empire are good people just like in the Republic.

''Chaotic Century'''s story follows Van Flyheight, a teenager who spends much of his time {{Hover Board}}ing around the local desert ruins for kicks. One day, he's pursued by a local bandit and forced to flee into said ruins, where he discovers a set of PeopleJars in a previously inaccessible part of the structure. In one, he finds a [[RobotBuddy small and unusually intelligent dinosaur-like Zoid]]; from another emerges [[GirlInABox a young girl]], who proves to have [[MysteriousWaif no memory of her past]] but experiences [[OracularUrchin occasional visions of a mysterious nature]]. Van promptly names the girl Fiona (which she called herself when initially asked her name, but seemed to forget as soon as she said it) and the Zoid Zeke (after his father's Command Wolf). Zeke proves to have mysterious powers of his own when he instantly revives an old, abandoned Shield Liger, allowing Van to fight off the bandit and return home.

* GirlInABox: Fiona's first appearance is half this, half PeopleJars.

-->-- OnTheNextEpisodeOfCatchphrase

* TookALevelInBadass: Over the course of Chaotic Century, Van goes from a lucky kid with an Organoid to a capable pilot in his own right. The TimeSkip takes it UpToEleven; by Guardian Force, he's one of the top Zoid pilots in the world with formal military training including hand-to-hand combat.

* RapunzelHair: Prozen's hair goes down to his knees.

* FiveManBand: By the time of Guardian Force, Van and his closest human allies settle into this dynamic. The [[FighterMageThief frontline fighters]] are Van the idealistic StockShonenHero, ByTheBookCop heavy artillery specialist [[TheSmartGuy Thomas]], and pragmatic stealthy speedster [[TheLancer Irvine]]. They're supported by the no nonsense StoneWall Moonbay who pilots their BaseOnWheels, and Van's LoveInterest the compassionate MysticalWaif Fiona. Van and Fiona are also somewhat SempaiKohai junior counterparts to Irvine and Moonbay as their respective best friends, with relative newcomer Thomas as a fifth wheel.
** They're also joined by their somewhat sentient zoids, and Zeke Van's RobotBuddy TeamPet (despite actually being [[BondCreatures Fiona's Organoid]]), whose reactions to things is often used for ComicRelief (when he's not acting as an AmplifierArtifact for Van's Zoid).

* VillainousBSOD: Raven begins the season in one of these after Van destroys his Saber Tiger.

* FiveManBand:
** TheHero: Van, the protagonist and leader of the group.
** TheLancer: Irvine, whose cynicism and pragmatism acts as a counterpoint to Van's energetic idealism.
** TheSmartGuy: Thomas (added in Guardian Force) is the one who comes up with the group's tactics when they're more complex than "find bad guys, shoot them".
** TheBigGuy: Moonbay, an [[BoisterousBruiser enthusiastic]] woman who pilots the [[StoneWall incredibly tough but weaponless]] Gustav for most of the series, but really comes into her own when she upgrades to [[spoiler:the Ultrasaurus, a [[BaseOnWheels mobile base]] with [[WaveMotionGun enormous firepower]]]].
** TheChick: Fiona, the most [[TheHeart emotionally aware]] and [[WomenAreWiser wisest]] member of the group (who is also least useful in combat, acting as a GuyInBack to Van when she fights at all).
** TeamPet: Zeke, Van's RobotBuddy (despite actually being [[BondCreatures Fiona's Organoid]]), whose reactions to things is often used for ComicRelief (when he's not acting as an AmplifierArtifact for Van's Zoid).

* SheIsAllGrownUp: Fiona, compared to Chaotic Century.

* RealityEnsues: When Van steals his Shield Liger back when it was confiscated by the Republic, he tries to use its missile launchers only find there is no ammo. As Irvine points out, confiscated Zoids have their weapons disarmed.

* RegentForLife: Prozen is all over this.
* SleepCute: Van and Fiona do this in Moonbay's Gustav.