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* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Hikawa, like an animal, violently rapes Lee early on in making her his subordinate to assert his dominance over her.
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* RichesToRags: [[spoiler: After Shigenobu takes everything from him, Hikawa is forced into living in a filthy shithole in hiding since the former also blew up his mansion. Also, this ironically befalls Shigenobu after the timeskip with Gozo Mido's death, as he's reduced to being homeless.]]
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* {{Sadist}} Capella, Neith, and Hikawa are all extremely sadistic monsters and relish in hurting others.
* SanitySlippage: Hikawa regularly drinks Spirits even when he doesn't have to, and Gomez suggests knocking it off, implying it's possibly the source of his ever degrading sanity.
* SanitySlippage: Hikawa regularly drinks Spirits even when he doesn't have to, and Gomez suggests knocking it off, implying it's possibly the source of his ever degrading sanity.
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* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler: As he braces himself for a renewed fight with Birdy, Salamander sends a fireball towards their direction that combusts into a violent explosion, ending Hikawa for good.]]
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* MasterSwordsman: Hikawa is incredibly skilled with the use of a personal Nodachi, pulling it out on special occasions and swiftly killing his runaway experiments in one blow. He brandishes the same sword in his final battle with Birdy and gives her a battle for her life.
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* MyGrandsonMyself: [[spoiler: In reality, "Shogo" is really an alias; Seichiro Hikawa was posing as his own grandson.]]
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* ANaziByAnyOtherName: [[spoiler: Hikawa, a veteran of Imperial Japan as Seichiro Hikawa, has an end goal is to forcibly reclaim Japanese lands from the foreign "invaders" and restore his nation to its former Imperialistic glory.]]
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* ObviouslyEvil: Hikawa dresses in all black, has HellishPupils, is introduced sipping wine in a decaying mansion from the shadows, and is referred to as a "vampire" by kids that snuck around his house and claimed to see someone. And that's just the start of it.
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* OldDarkHouse: Hikawa mainly lives in a remote ancient mansion falling apart at the seams. The house is referred to as "cursed" by children that dared to go near it. Officially, it belongs to Seichiro Hikawa, his grandfather, thus Shogo inherited it from him. [[spoiler: Considering Shogo is actually Seichiro, it's his house from the start.]]
* OlderThanTheyLook: [[spoiler: Seichiro Hikawa whose youth was rejuvenated by Christella Revi's backing, is pushing his 90s but looks to be in his 30s. When he takes another sip of Spirits after the ordeal with Shigenobu, he rejuvenates to look even younger, appearing to be in his 20s as a boyish man.]]
* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler: Hikawa undergoes this after being fatally wounded by Birdy, but he doesn't get to do anything with it before he's killed by Salamander.]]
* OlderThanTheyLook: [[spoiler: Seichiro Hikawa whose youth was rejuvenated by Christella Revi's backing, is pushing his 90s but looks to be in his 30s. When he takes another sip of Spirits after the ordeal with Shigenobu, he rejuvenates to look even younger, appearing to be in his 20s as a boyish man.]]
* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler: Hikawa undergoes this after being fatally wounded by Birdy, but he doesn't get to do anything with it before he's killed by Salamander.]]
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* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Hikawa and many others from the Ministry of Health and Welfare, as well as the imperalistic Empire remnants, are very sexist and possess condescending views on commoners.
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* ProfessorGuineaPig: Hikawa has extensively experimented on himself, turning himself into the first successful superhuman, granting him his youth, SuperStrength, and other perks at the escalating cost of his already nebulous sanity.
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* RapidAging: [[spoiler: If Hikawa doesn't periodically dose himself on Spirits, Seichiro will revert to being a man in his 90s. This is why he becomes desperate enough to plead with Shigenobu in giving him his lab and resources back.]]
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* DissonantSerenity: Revi never loses her dispassionate demeanor, even staring death in the face. However, when she is truly angry, she is capable of giving a bone-chilling Death Glare.
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* DissonantSerenity: Revi never loses her dispassionate demeanor, even staring death in the face. However, when she is truly angry, she is capable of giving a bone-chilling Death Glare.DeathGlare.
* DramaticIrony: Posthumously. Hikawa, a completely selfish and evil man who thought he was much greater than he was, happened to lay the foundation for well-intentioned Christella Revi and her allies to fight against a conspiracy far greater and eviler than Hikawa could ever have hoped to be. By the epilogue, [[spoiler: the fruits of his labor ironically steer humanity on a better path as it's used to protect the innocent.]]
* DramaticIrony: Posthumously. Hikawa, a completely selfish and evil man who thought he was much greater than he was, happened to lay the foundation for well-intentioned Christella Revi and her allies to fight against a conspiracy far greater and eviler than Hikawa could ever have hoped to be. By the epilogue, [[spoiler: the fruits of his labor ironically steer humanity on a better path as it's used to protect the innocent.]]
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* FangsAreEvil: Hikawa has huge, unnatural canines that are visible when he's flashing a SlasherSmile. And saying he's evil is an understatement.
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* FauxAffablyEvil: Surprisingly, despite how insane and cruel he is, when addressing civilians (often to lure them into his clinic), Hikawa is capable of presenting himself in a gentlemanly and charming manner.
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* ForTheEvulz: Although Hikawa does have an end goal, he commits many horrific acts of pure evil simply to sate his bloodlust or pester his rival Shigenobu. Deconstructed in a realistic way when his acts of gratuitous cruelty [[spoiler: alienate all his allies, funding for his research is suspended permanently, and he is sentenced to execution.]]
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* HatedByAll: Everyone associated with Hikawa, barring Mido, either despise or deeply fear him, often both.
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* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: [[spoiler: As a result of his stupidity in bullying Shigenobu around, he suspends all funding for Hikawa and attempts to arrest him. In the fallout of the battle between Shegenobu's men, his small army of mutants, and Birdy and Ondine, Hikawa is reduced to a homeless fugitive deprived of resources to even control his Rapid Aging. He attempts to plead to Shigenobu to take him back in, to which he vehemently refuses, forcing Hikawa to make him consent through violence. Even then it doesn't last long as Hikawa is killed in a joint alliance between enemies and former allies alike.]]
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* ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice: [[spoiler: Hikawa pierces through Birdy's chest with his sword in their last battle, mortally wounding her. In her subsequent crazed state, she returns the favor by impaling her entire arm through his torso.]]
* ItsAllAboutMe: Bacillus and Hikawa are defined by their lack of foresight and intense selfishness, and it's commentated on by Gomez in conversation with Revi.
* ItsAllAboutMe: Bacillus and Hikawa are defined by their lack of foresight and intense selfishness, and it's commentated on by Gomez in conversation with Revi.
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* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler: Sayaka gives one to Tsutomu in the manga's closing chapters.]]
* BigBad: [[EvilutionaryBiologist Shogo Hikawa]] for the first half of the manga, [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters Christella Revi]] for the second half.
* BigBadWannabe: Hikawa owes an unspecified debt to Christella Revi (later revealed to be providing him the Spirits that de-aged him and advanced his research.), which he resents. He desires to surpass her expectations by forming his own evil immortal army. Due to his impulsive stupidity, however, he ultimately accomplishes nothing and dies an ignoble death after all his tenuous allies and enemies unite against him.
** His ex-subordinate Lee Shanfa is also this; growing fed up with Hikawa's abuse and trying to strike out on her own with the fundamentals of his plans, whatever she was trying to accomplish is personally squashed by Gomez to bury anything related to Hikawa for good.
* BishounenLine: [[spoiler: When Hikawa de-ages himself to somewhere around his early 20s after he goes into hiding, he becomes a pretty faced man.]]
* BigBad: [[EvilutionaryBiologist Shogo Hikawa]] for the first half of the manga, [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters Christella Revi]] for the second half.
* BigBadWannabe: Hikawa owes an unspecified debt to Christella Revi (later revealed to be providing him the Spirits that de-aged him and advanced his research.), which he resents. He desires to surpass her expectations by forming his own evil immortal army. Due to his impulsive stupidity, however, he ultimately accomplishes nothing and dies an ignoble death after all his tenuous allies and enemies unite against him.
** His ex-subordinate Lee Shanfa is also this; growing fed up with Hikawa's abuse and trying to strike out on her own with the fundamentals of his plans, whatever she was trying to accomplish is personally squashed by Gomez to bury anything related to Hikawa for good.
* BishounenLine: [[spoiler: When Hikawa de-ages himself to somewhere around his early 20s after he goes into hiding, he becomes a pretty faced man.]]
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* BodyHorror: The fruits of [[EvilutionaryBiologist Hikawa's]] labor are not pretty, to say the least.
* BigDamnKiss: [[spoiler: Sayaka gives one to Tsutomu in the manga's closing chapters.]]
* BigBad: [[EvilutionaryBiologist Shogo Hikawa]] for the first half of the manga, [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters Christella Revi]] for the second half.
* BigBadWannabe: Hikawa owes an unspecified debt to Christella Revi (later revealed to be providing him the Spirits that de-aged him and advanced his research.), which he resents. He desires to surpass her expectations by forming his own evil immortal army. Due to his [[StupidEvil impulsive stupidity]], however, [[spoiler: he ultimately accomplishes nothing and dies an ignoble death after all his tenuous allies and enemies unite against him.]]
** His ex-subordinate Lee Shanfa is also this; growing fed up with Hikawa's abuse and trying to strike out on her own with the fundamentals of his plans, whatever she was trying to accomplish is personally squashed by Gomez to bury anything related to Hikawa for good.
* BishounenLine: [[spoiler: When Hikawa de-ages himself to somewhere around his early 20s after he goes into hiding, he becomes a pretty faced man.]]
* BigBad: [[EvilutionaryBiologist Shogo Hikawa]] for the first half of the manga, [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters Christella Revi]] for the second half.
* BigBadWannabe: Hikawa owes an unspecified debt to Christella Revi (later revealed to be providing him the Spirits that de-aged him and advanced his research.), which he resents. He desires to surpass her expectations by forming his own evil immortal army. Due to his [[StupidEvil impulsive stupidity]], however, [[spoiler: he ultimately accomplishes nothing and dies an ignoble death after all his tenuous allies and enemies unite against him.]]
** His ex-subordinate Lee Shanfa is also this; growing fed up with Hikawa's abuse and trying to strike out on her own with the fundamentals of his plans, whatever she was trying to accomplish is personally squashed by Gomez to bury anything related to Hikawa for good.
* BishounenLine: [[spoiler: When Hikawa de-ages himself to somewhere around his early 20s after he goes into hiding, he becomes a pretty faced man.]]
* BloodKnight: You would be hard pressed to find a fighter in this series that doesn't openly enjoy fighting in some capacity. The sole exception is [[MartialPacifist Gomez.]]
* BodyHorror: The fruits of [[EvilutionaryBiologist Hikawa's]] labor are not pretty, to say the least.
* ComedicSociopathy: Downplayed. There's nothing remotely comedic or amusing about Hikawa, but the sheer depths of his callousness once caused some of his colleagues to break out into comedic expressions when his response to de-escalating a disaster he caused is to simply propose making it harder on them.
* DecompositeCharacter: Shogo Hikawa's appearance and enmity with Birdy is based on the Hikawa of the OVA series, but his grandfather is the one who sports the given name of "Seichiro", with this one being named "Shogo". [[spoiler: Ultimately, subverted, as this time, Hikawa decided to pull a MyGrandsonMyself and the characters are one and the same.]]
* DiscOneFinalBoss: Hikawa for the first half of the saga.
* DomesticAbuse: Hikawa demeans Lee Shanfa, his secretary, in every way he can from emotional to sexual abuse.
* DramaticShattering: Like in the OVA, when Gomez reminds him of his debts, Hikawa shatters his wine goblet with two fingers after he leaves.
* DomesticAbuse: Hikawa demeans Lee Shanfa, his secretary, in every way he can from emotional to sexual abuse.
* DramaticShattering: Like in the OVA, when Gomez reminds him of his debts, Hikawa shatters his wine goblet with two fingers after he leaves.
* EvenEvilHasStandards: Gomez is frequently taken aback by the depravity of some of his clients, namely Hikawa and Bacillus, or other villains like Capella. Although it's subverted in that the audience discovers Gomez isn't evil at all as the story progresses.
** Inverted with Hikawa. Every one of his associates is appalled by his evil, especially Gomez. Hikawa himself has no standards, whatsoever, and his depravity knows absolutely no bounds.
* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: Hikawa has a morbid sense of humor to go with his snark. It only disgusts or creeps out others.
* EvilIsPetty: Being evil for petty reasons is one of the main things that define Hikawa's personality besides being a sadistic maniac.
** Inverted with Hikawa. Every one of his associates is appalled by his evil, especially Gomez. Hikawa himself has no standards, whatsoever, and his depravity knows absolutely no bounds.
* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: Hikawa has a morbid sense of humor to go with his snark. It only disgusts or creeps out others.
* EvilIsPetty: Being evil for petty reasons is one of the main things that define Hikawa's personality besides being a sadistic maniac.
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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Gomez is frequently taken aback by the depravity of some of his clients, namely Hikawa and Bacillus, or other villains like Capella. Although it's subverted in that the audience discovers Gomez isn't evil at all as the story progresses.
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* AdaptationalBadass: Hikawa here compared to his relatively ineffectual OVA counterpart is stronger, smarter, and generally more of a threat in every way.
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* AndThereWasMuchRejoicing: [[spoiler: Everyone is relieved when Hikawa finally dies.]]
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* ArchEnemy: Hikawa is a poignant one to Chigira, having ruined his ordinary life and changing the course of his destiny forever. Chigira feels unless Hikawa is dead, he simply cannot move on with his life.
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** Gozo Mido, the minister of Japanese health and welfare, whose mind has been irrevocably twisted by Hikawa's experiments on preserving his life.
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* BadBoss: At best, Hikawa intimidates his scientific colleagues to keep them in line. At worst (which is near all the time), he throws the lives of his soldiers away to test "results" in droves, claiming he has a bottomless supply of disposable men readily available. Hikawa is also horrifyingly abusive towards his right hand, Lee, beating her for failure and constantly finding new ways to compromise her dignity, such as stripping her down and groping or even raping her while giving her a verbal beatdown.
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* BeyondTheImpossible: [[spoiler: Hikawa, a human (albeit empowered), mortally wounds Birdy, an Ixorian that many aliens would have difficulty in scratching.]] Notably, no one else in the series since has come closer to killing her.
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* BigBadWannabe: Hikawa owes an unspecified debt to Christella Revi (later revealed to be providing him the Spirits that de-aged him and advanced his research.), which he resents. He desires to surpass her expectations by forming his own evil immortal army. Due to his impulsive stupidity, however, he ultimately accomplishes nothing and dies an ignoble death after all his tenuous allies and enemies unite against him.
** His ex-subordinate Lee Shanfa is also this; growing fed up with Hikawa's abuse and trying to strike out on her own with the fundamentals of his plans, whatever she was trying to accomplish is personally squashed by Gomez to bury anything related to Hikawa for good.
* BishounenLine: [[spoiler: When Hikawa de-ages himself to somewhere around his early 20s after he goes into hiding, he becomes a pretty faced man.]]
** His ex-subordinate Lee Shanfa is also this; growing fed up with Hikawa's abuse and trying to strike out on her own with the fundamentals of his plans, whatever she was trying to accomplish is personally squashed by Gomez to bury anything related to Hikawa for good.
* BishounenLine: [[spoiler: When Hikawa de-ages himself to somewhere around his early 20s after he goes into hiding, he becomes a pretty faced man.]]
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* BackFromTheDead: Undine after the timeskip, in a way, her consciousness now overlapping with a comatose Sayaka's.
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* BadGuysDoTheDirtyWork: Revi's Marionettes work primarily as assassins for Gomez when peace isn't an option. In particular, Salamander [[spoiler: kills Bacillus and finishes off Hikawa when he gets an upper hand in his brutal fight with Birdy.]]
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* BodyguardingABadass: Revi's Marionettes primarily provide 24/7 backup for Gomez; Gomez himself is one of the strongest fighters in the series. However, they are useful in ways Gomez cannot always account for, such as surveillance or the protection of his family. [[spoiler: When both he and Revi are in prison in the epilogue, they along with Chigira become his family's permanent guardians.]]
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* MeaningfulName: All four of Revi's Marionettes are closely named after Japan's four great spirits governing the major elements of soil, fire, water, and wind.
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* QuirkyMiniBossSquad: Birdy faces several of these across the story: A group of technologically advanced US Pentagon agents, Revi's Marionettes, and the elite Empire guard.
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* RightHandAttackDog: Compared to the other Marionettes that have integrated into human society, Undine spends most of her time patrolling through the lakes of Revi's forest HQ, killing any suspicious trespassers.
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* SuperSpeed: [[spoiler: Gray Cephon's, aka Gomez, trademark power.]] Doubling with SuperReflexes on another level from other Ixorians.
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* UndyingLoyalty: Subverted with Gomez towards Revi. [[spoiler: Gomez expresses to Birdy that although he agrees wholeheartedly with Revi's endgame, he is watching her very carefully to determine whether she herself is truly just or simply a petty criminal - at which point, he will ditch her on the spot. His loyalty to Chigira, however, is undying to the point he covertly frees Birdy from captivity, going directly against Revi's interests, simply because it deeply hurt Chigira to see her in such a state.]]
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* UnscrupulousHero: Gomez is eventually revealed to be this. He might oversee Revi's work, which involves turning a blind eye to some heinous crimes, [[spoiler: but he is always watching her to determine if she is on the just path or not.]]
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* WithMyHandsTied: In one of the most memorable scenes, Gomez agrees to let Chigira fall into Birdy's custody if she can take him down. He proposes only using his right hand to fight her, much to Birdy's outrage. What follows is Birdy throwing all her weight around with Gomez not even budging before catching and breaking her arm.
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* WorldsStrongestMan: It's evident Gomez is not only implied to be the strongest Altan on Earth but one of the strongest characters in the series (if not the strongest). He defeats Birdy in a mock fight standing still with one arm, and other villains that attempt to pick a fight with him are left terrified after the encounter.
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* HumanityIsInfectious: Gomez explains to Birdy when he arrived on Earth, he had nothing, not even clothes starting off. Through his cover job and new family on Earth, he comes to cherish his friends and family as what's most important to him.
* InterspeciesRomance: Gomez and Revi are Altans, but both have human sons and daughters.
* LightningBruiser: Just about every Ixorian is this by human standards, even [[WeakButSkilled Nechla.]] The sole exception is Tunica, who was not bred for combat.
* MartialPacifist: Despite his strength, Gomez only fights if his hand is absolutely forced. He otherwise leaves violence to Revi's marionettes.
* MuggingTheMonster: As a result of his pacifistic and unassuming demeanor, numerous characters like Bacillus think they can threaten and belittle Gomez for their demands. All of them pay the price, dearly, some with him not even lifting a finger.
* MurderIsTheBestSolution: Gomez has little to no tolerance for loose ends that threaten his security. This is a key reason as to why Birdy dislikes him.
* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler: Gomez cites his role in personally killing Maxwell Peridan as one of the greatest regrets of his life.]]
* MyGreatestFailure: [[spoiler: Gomez cites his role in personally killing Maxwell Peridan as one of the greatest regrets of his life.]]
* NakedOnArrival: Gomez when he landed on Earth.
* NobleDemon: Gomez may work for Christella Revi but harbors no real ill will. He lends advice and helps Birdy on a number of occasions. He also undermines the interests of villains like Hikawa should they prove to be enough of a threat to his values.
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: As an Altan, it's highly unlikely Gomez's real name is Georg Gomez. However, even Revi only refers to him as Gomez, leaving his true identity a mystery. [[spoiler: It's Gray Cephon, an Ixorian ex-Federation investigative agent.]]
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: [[spoiler: This is what Gomez's relationship with Revi amounts to at its core. Originally being assigned to arresting Revi as a federal agent before being swept up in her conspiracy, he never let go of his mission. Until he and Revi accomplish their mutual goals of defeating the Sanctum Sanctorum, he will never let her die, nor will he let anyone else (Birdy) take her in.]]
* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: [[spoiler: This is what Gomez's relationship with Revi amounts to at its core. Originally being assigned to arresting Revi as a federal agent before being swept up in her conspiracy, he never let go of his mission. Until he and Revi accomplish their mutual goals of defeating the Sanctum Sanctorum, he will never let her die, nor will he let anyone else (Birdy) take her in.]]
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* ParentalSubstitute: Megius and Skelezzo have served as father figures to Birdy since her childhood, and with Violin's death fully took the responsibility of being her guardians until adulthood.
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* ParentalSubstitute: ParentalSubstitute:
** Megius and Skelezzo have served as father figures to Birdy since her childhood, and with Violin's death fully took the responsibility of being her guardians untiladulthood.adulthood.
** Gomez becomes this to Chigira with the consent of his grandmother, freeing him from Hikawa's clutches and taking him in as his pupil and eventual surrogate son.
** Megius and Skelezzo have served as father figures to Birdy since her childhood, and with Violin's death fully took the responsibility of being her guardians until
** Gomez becomes this to Chigira with the consent of his grandmother, freeing him from Hikawa's clutches and taking him in as his pupil and eventual surrogate son.
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* PunchCatch: Gomez does this in his mock fight with Birdy, subsequently breaking her arm. [[spoiler: When he meets up with Skelezzo again, the latter tries to sucker punch him as part of his signature AttackHello greeting. Gomez easily catches his fist and remarks he never changes.]]
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* StrongAndSkilled: Gomez is not vastly physically superior to Birdy, but incredibly skilled and disciplined in fighting. As Birdy's ineffectual barrage of wild attacks fails to do anything to Gomez in their first "fight," he thoroughly criticizes her for being Unskilled, but Strong. He later trains Chigira to do more than just throw his weight around with his newfound powers.
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* EnigmaticMinion: Gomez is this to a T, as his kind heart and preference for diplomacy betray his dark allegiances. He is a complete enigma to Birdy, who assumes he must be evil due to serving Revi. As he thoroughly demonstrates this is not the case, she is left even more dumbfounded about who or what he really is.
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* FamilyMan: Outside of his job, Gomez is a devoted family man, [[MoralityPet and his Earth family means everything to him.]]
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* FingerTenting: Gomez in moments of deep contemplation often does this.
* {{Foil}}: As we learn more about Gomez, it's clear no one resembles Birdy more than him despite her grievances with the man. [[spoiler: Both were mentored by and have a close relationship to Skelezzo, and just like her, Gomez was once an idealistic Federal agent. His original mission of being tasked to arrest Revi even draws parallels to Birdy's current mission. However, through discovering the truth of the world, Gomez gradually took to unscrupulous means to achieve his ideals. Birdy, meanwhile, never lost her sense of idealistic justice even in her darkest hours. This even extends to their fighting styles: [[StrongAndSkilled Gomez is disciplined and extremely skilled]]; Birdy [[UnskilledButStrong simply throws her weight around.]] All in all, Gomez is a male counterpart to Birdy on an openly darker path, but without having truly lost his heart along his journey.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In his mock fight with Birdy, Gomez demonstrates an eerie ability to FlashStep at such speed Birdy couldn't even tell what happened. [[spoiler: This is his power as the Ixorian Gray Cephon.]]
* FriendlyEnemy: Gomez gradually becomes this to Birdy. While he's still on Revi's side and does his job of showing muscle in front of her, he otherwise has no animosity towards Birdy and provides advice if not outright helping her on occasion. By the last chapters, he can't even be considered an enemy as much as a playful rival.
* {{Foil}}: As we learn more about Gomez, it's clear no one resembles Birdy more than him despite her grievances with the man. [[spoiler: Both were mentored by and have a close relationship to Skelezzo, and just like her, Gomez was once an idealistic Federal agent. His original mission of being tasked to arrest Revi even draws parallels to Birdy's current mission. However, through discovering the truth of the world, Gomez gradually took to unscrupulous means to achieve his ideals. Birdy, meanwhile, never lost her sense of idealistic justice even in her darkest hours. This even extends to their fighting styles: [[StrongAndSkilled Gomez is disciplined and extremely skilled]]; Birdy [[UnskilledButStrong simply throws her weight around.]] All in all, Gomez is a male counterpart to Birdy on an openly darker path, but without having truly lost his heart along his journey.]]
* {{Foreshadowing}}: In his mock fight with Birdy, Gomez demonstrates an eerie ability to FlashStep at such speed Birdy couldn't even tell what happened. [[spoiler: This is his power as the Ixorian Gray Cephon.]]
* FriendlyEnemy: Gomez gradually becomes this to Birdy. While he's still on Revi's side and does his job of showing muscle in front of her, he otherwise has no animosity towards Birdy and provides advice if not outright helping her on occasion. By the last chapters, he can't even be considered an enemy as much as a playful rival.
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* GentleGiant: Gomez is very tall and built like a brick house but pacifistic unless he feels his family is threatened. The same applies to a lesser extent with the Marionette, Gnome.
* TheGlassesComeOff: When Gomez is seriously angered or needs to demonstrate his conviction, he takes his shades off and sees others eye to eye, as seen in his initial meeting with Chigira.
* TheGlassesComeOff: When Gomez is seriously angered or needs to demonstrate his conviction, he takes his shades off and sees others eye to eye, as seen in his initial meeting with Chigira.
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* HeelRealization: After getting to know him enough and witnessing his abuse of Chigira, Gomez comes to understand what depraved scum Hikawa is and begins to take measures to stop him, starting with taking Chigira away from him.
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* LastNameBasis: Chigira is almost never referred to by his first name, Kazuyoshi.
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* BlondesAreEvil: Subverted with Gomez. If nothing else, despite his occupation, he's a HairOfGoldHeartOfGold the more we learn of him.
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* EnemyMine: Gomez forms a truce with Birdy to end Hikawa once and for all after he proves to be too much of a threat to remain alive.
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* EvenEvilHasStandards: Gomez is frequently taken aback by the depravity of some of his clients, namely Hikawa and Bacillus, or other villains like Capella. Although it's subverted in that the audience discovers Gomez isn't evil at all as the story progresses.
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* BerserkButton: Harming Gomez’s family is asking to get yourself killed.
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* BerserkButton: Harming Gomez’s family is asking to get yourself killed.killed, as Bacillus painfully found out.
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* BerserkButton: Harming Gomez’s family is asking to get yourself killed.
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* ChekovsGunman: Early on in the manga, an Ixorian with long hair is seen in a page explaining what they are. It isn't until late into the timeskip we find out that is [[spoiler: Gomez as Gray Cephon.]]
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* ChekovsGunman: ChekhovsGunman: Early on in the manga, an Ixorian with long hair is seen in a page explaining what they are. It isn't until late into the timeskip we find out that is [[spoiler: Gomez as Gray Cephon.]]
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* AlliterativeName: '''G'''eorg '''G'''omez; the initials make up the name of his import company cover.
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* BeardOfEvil: Gomez has a noticeable mustache to compliment his sunglasses for a shady look, although it's subverted in that he is far too complex and compassionate to be considered remotely evil.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Gomez only engages in violence if his family is threatened or if he is sufficiently pestered. Numerous characters, including Birdy herself, find out the hard way it's not good to genuinely anger him.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: Gomez only engages in violence if his family is threatened or if he is sufficiently pestered. Numerous characters, including Birdy herself, find out the hard way it's not good to genuinely anger him.
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* BigDamnHeroes: [[spoiler: Gomez takes a triumphant return with Sylph to the story to stop a rampaging Nechla from killing Birdy and Revi when all hope is seemingly lost.]] Cue ass kicking after.
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* ChekovsGunman: Early on in the manga, an Ixorian with long hair is seen in a page explaining what they are. It isn't until late into the timeskip we find out that is [[spoiler: Gomez as Gray Cephon.]]
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* CoolShades: Gomez is almost always wearing an awesome pair of shades. They grant him enhanced vision and awareness of his surroundings, making them more than just sunglasses. Sometimes the audience even get a glimpse of how high tech they are from his point of view.
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* CruelMercy: [[spoiler: Gives Nechla brain damage over killing her, specifically stating it would be crueler to let her live with that and the shame of failure. Plus, it's the only other option to maintain her silence in front of Revi, considering Birdy does not want Gomez killing Nechla.]]
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* CurbStompBattle: Gomez is so unbelievably strong that any rare fight he gets into ends with his assailant often brutalized and cowering with no effort from him.
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* DragonInChief: Gomez oversees all of Revi's operations on Earth and she implies he has been protecting her all his life. [[CurbStompBattle We find out what that means when Birdy picks a fight with him.]]
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* TheDreaded:
** Eventually, Gomez becomes something of a boogeyman to Lee Shanfa and her gang after he curb-stomped all of them at once as a warning to stay away from his family. The mere mention of his sighting then on causes them to change plans, citing they can't ever beat a monster like him.
** Nechla terrifies Birdy deep down with her infamy as an assassin.
** Eventually, Gomez becomes something of a boogeyman to Lee Shanfa and her gang after he curb-stomped all of them at once as a warning to stay away from his family. The mere mention of his sighting then on causes them to change plans, citing they can't ever beat a monster like him.
** Nechla terrifies Birdy deep down with her infamy as an assassin.
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* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Christella Revi was a poor Altan child who was forced to attend a private boarding school dedicated to the department of worship due to his potential. Although the life of a clergyman wasn't what Revi desired, he befriended Altans Maxwell Peridan and Tunica Cephon during his days at the school. Tunica, an Ixorian bound to the church had no knowledge of the outside world or how normal people were. Revi quickly became close friends with Tunica but ragically, Revi and Tunica were caught in the middle of an Altan terrorist bombing, and the latter perished due to being unusually frail for an Ixorian. Blaming Revi for her fate, the Cephon science department was pressured by the church to bring Tunica back by fusing her consciousness into a comatose Revi. The operation failed, with Revi waking up to be the only mind in his body. However, Revi gained all of Tunica's memories and powers, becoming hyper-intelligent and rising to become the head of the Ministry of Science despite being an Altan. After seeing through Tunica's darkest memories and files of her creation, Revi began an investigation into the department of worship and the sanctum they serve. Revi lost his position in the Ministry of Science before his first term even ended, being falsely accused of leaking high-grade weapons to Altan terrorists and forced to resign. After Maxwell was excommunicated and slaughtered in his own uprising, Revi lost faith in diplomacy and became a terrorist dedicated to violently finding justice for herself and her people.
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* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Christella Revi was a poor an atypical persecuted Altan child who was forced to attend a private boarding school dedicated to the department of worship due to his potential. Although the life of a clergyman wasn't what Revi desired, he befriended Altans Maxwell Peridan and Tunica Cephon during his days at the school. Tunica, an Ixorian bound to the church had no knowledge of the outside world or how normal people were. Revi quickly became close friends with Tunica but ragically, tragically, Revi and Tunica were caught in the middle of an Altan terrorist bombing, and the latter perished due to being unusually frail for an Ixorian. Blaming Revi for her fate, the Cephon science department was pressured by the church to bring Tunica back by fusing her consciousness into a comatose Revi. The operation failed, with Revi waking up to be the only mind in his body. However, Revi gained all of Tunica's memories and powers, becoming hyper-intelligent and rising to become the head of the Ministry of Science despite being an Altan. After seeing through Tunica's darkest memories and files of her creation, Revi began an investigation into the department of worship and the sanctum they serve. Revi lost Losing his position in the Ministry of Science before his first term even ended, being falsely accused of leaking high-grade weapons to Altan terrorists and forced to resign. After terrorists, Maxwell was excommunicated and slaughtered in his own uprising, by federal agents. Revi subsequently lost faith in diplomacy and became a terrorist dedicated to violently finding justice for herself and her people.
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* YouCouldHaveUsedYourPowersForGood: Birdy claims Revi could have done so much more good as the head of the Ministry of Science. She agrees but explains how she was forced to resign, meaning she didn't exactly have a winning hand.
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* WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds: Christella Revi was a poor Altan child who was forced to attend a private boarding school dedicated to the department of worship due to his potential. Although the life of a clergyman wasn't what Revi desired, he befriended Altans Maxwell Peridan and Tunica Cephon during his days at the school. Tunica, an Ixorian bound to the church had no knowledge of the outside world or how normal people were. Revi quickly became close friends with Tunica but ragically, Revi and Tunica were caught in the middle of an Altan terrorist bombing, and the latter perished due to being unusually frail for an Ixorian. Blaming Revi for her fate, the Cephon science department was pressured by the church to bring Tunica back by fusing her consciousness into a comatose Revi. The operation failed, with Revi waking up to be the only mind in his body. However, Revi gained all of Tunica's memories and powers, becoming hyper-intelligent and rising to become the head of the Ministry of Science despite being an Altan. After seeing through Tunica's darkest memories and files of her creation, Revi began an investigation into the department of worship and the sanctum they serve. Revi lost his position in the Ministry of Science before his first term even ended, being falsely accused of leaking high-grade weapons to Altan terrorists and forced to resign. After Maxwell was excommunicated and slaughtered in his own uprising, Revi lost faith in diplomacy and became a terrorist dedicated to violently finding justice for herself and her people.
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* ThatManIsDead: Towards the end of the manga, Revi [[spoiler: casts aside his identity as Suisho Hinomiya and coldly tells Towa to simply forget that person was ever real and move on with his life.]]
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* TranquilFury: Apart from exactly one outburst, in the instances Revi is upset, it is always this coupled with a DeathGlare.
* TrulySingleParent: Who Towa's father exactly is is left to interpretation.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: Revi almost always wears a new outfit for every occasion.
* TrulySingleParent: Who Towa's father exactly is is left to interpretation.
* UnlimitedWardrobe: Revi almost always wears a new outfit for every occasion.
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* WellIntentionedExtremist: Christella Revi is fighting an evil conspiracy in the form of the Sanctum Sanctorum to free the galaxy from their machinations. In a twist of sharp irony, however, [[spoiler: the Sanctum Sanctorum is this as well: the reason they lord themselves as absolute gods and subvert free will is solely to ensure "mortals" do not repeat the same mistakes of Satyajit Shyamalan. In the end, their conflict vs Revi is best summarized as OrderVsChaos.]]
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* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Birdy lays this out on Revi when they finally have a heart-to-heart talk, saying that no matter how much she suffered, it gives her no right whatsoever to indiscriminately ruin the lives of innocent people like herself, angrily telling Revi that she took her mother from her in the Central Tower attacks.
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* GreaterScopeVillain:
** Revi is this for the first half of the manga, financing and lightly supporting Hikawa from the shadows but otherwise not being active in the plot.
** [[spoiler: The alternate universe Satyajit Shyamalan casts a shadow over the entire series, being indirectly responsible for everything, and the concept of the character is retroactively this for the entire franchise.]]
** Revi is this for the first half of the manga, financing and lightly supporting Hikawa from the shadows but otherwise not being active in the plot.
** [[spoiler: The alternate universe Satyajit Shyamalan casts a shadow over the entire series, being indirectly responsible for everything, and the concept of the character is retroactively this for the entire franchise.]]
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* HeWhoMustNotBeNamed: Due to her actions, Revi is vilified in Federation-aligned nations. The mere mention of her name is considered taboo and inspires dread.
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Invoked, literally. Birdy states that, despite her FreudianExcuse, her acts of terror across multiple star systems have made Revi a metaphorical monster. She responds by saying she's aware of this, but one must "become a monster to defeat monsters."
* HeWhoFightsMonsters: Invoked, literally. Birdy states that, despite her FreudianExcuse, her acts of terror across multiple star systems have made Revi a metaphorical monster. She responds by saying she's aware of this, but one must "become a monster to defeat monsters."
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* HumanityIsSpecial: [[spoiler: When discussing with Megius about the fate of the galaxy at large in the epilogue, Revi says this about humanity, stating she believes in the potential of children like Towa, Chigira, and Sayaka to guide humanity from their past mistakes.]]
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* LivingLegend: Among Altans, Revi is viewed as a legendary figure that rose to prominence despite being a third-rate citizen. Even now among the oppressed populace, she is viewed as a hero that inspires hope among the downtrodden Altans.
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* AMillionIsAStatistic: Revi casually tells Birdy that she is willing to use multiple billions of lives as a means to an end if she achieves her goals of freeing the galaxy from the tyranny of the Sanctum Sanctorum. [[ShutUpHannibal Birdy responds telling her to not say such stupid things.]]
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* NonActionBigBad: In a WorldOfBadass like this, Revi distinctively has no fighting ability whatsoever.
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* TheSociopath:
** Hikawa is a monstrously evil psychopath likened to pure evil by numerous characters.
** Subverted with Revi. Despite all the implications of being a discompassionate extremist who would sacrifice anything and anyone to achieve her goals, it's thoroughly shown that Revi has the capacity for genuine empathy and remorse.
** Hikawa is a monstrously evil psychopath likened to pure evil by numerous characters.
** Subverted with Revi. Despite all the implications of being a discompassionate extremist who would sacrifice anything and anyone to achieve her goals, it's thoroughly shown that Revi has the capacity for genuine empathy and remorse.
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* TenderTears: [[spoiler: Revi weeps for Maxwell in private when she is inches from her ultimate goal.]]
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* EvilutionaryBiologist: Hikawa, with an emphasis on EVIL. Revi and Agni are also this, but nowhere near as bad.
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* NecessarilyEvil: How Gomez and Revi continuously justify their actions. [[spoiler: They're completely in the right as intentions go, and they're not above thinking their means aren't evil. By the end, they willingly take lives of atonement when it's all said and done.]]
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* DefectorFromDecadence: [[spoiler: Chigira largely forgoes his loyalty to Revi in volume nine after learning of her plans for Birdy, but his loyalty to Gomez remains undying.]]
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* DefectorFromDecadence: DefectorFromDecadence:
** Revi was originally the head of the Federation's Ministry of Science before defecting for unspecified reasons.
** [[spoiler: Chigira largely forgoes his loyalty to Revi in volume nine after learning of her plans for Birdy, but his loyalty to Gomez remains undying.]]
** Revi was originally the head of the Federation's Ministry of Science before defecting for unspecified reasons.
** [[spoiler: Chigira largely forgoes his loyalty to Revi in volume nine after learning of her plans for Birdy, but his loyalty to Gomez remains undying.]]
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* DissonantSerenity: Revi never loses her dispassionate demeanor, even staring death in the face. However, when she is truly angry, she is capable of giving a bone-chilling Death Glare.
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* DeathSeeker:
** [[spoiler: Nechla pleads for Birdy to kill her after she kills Kashu, provoking her further to make sure she does not hesitate.]]
** [[spoiler: What Gomez speculates is that Revi plans on confronting the Sanctum Sanctorum with dying fully on mind. He won't see to that, reminding her she must pay for her vast amount of crimes with him in court.]]
** [[spoiler: Nechla pleads for Birdy to kill her after she kills Kashu, provoking her further to make sure she does not hesitate.]]
** [[spoiler: What Gomez speculates is that Revi plans on confronting the Sanctum Sanctorum with dying fully on mind. He won't see to that, reminding her she must pay for her vast amount of crimes with him in court.]]
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* CruelToBeKind: [[spoiler: After Birdy makes progress on Revi's whereabouts, Megius repeatedly, harshly tells her to resign from the force. This is because Megius knows Sanctum Sanctorum will get involved and is deeply concerned for Birdy's safety.]] It doesn't deter her, and Megius soon joins in on an independent investigation into the department of worship.
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* CruelToBeKind: CruelToBeKind:
** [[spoiler: After Birdy makes progress on Revi's whereabouts, Megius repeatedly, harshly tells her to resign from the force. This is because Megius knows Sanctum Sanctorum will get involved and is deeply concerned for Birdy's safety.]] It doesn't deter her, and Megius soon joins in on an independent investigation into the department ofworship.worship.
** [[spoiler: Not wanting Towa to grieve or even follow him to his death, Revi callously tells him to forget all about the mother he knew before departing to confront the Sanctum Sanctorum.]]
* CynicismCatalyst: The slaughter of Maxwell Peridan and his entire monastery shook Revi to the core, beginning her descent into terrorism.
** [[spoiler: After Birdy makes progress on Revi's whereabouts, Megius repeatedly, harshly tells her to resign from the force. This is because Megius knows Sanctum Sanctorum will get involved and is deeply concerned for Birdy's safety.]] It doesn't deter her, and Megius soon joins in on an independent investigation into the department of
** [[spoiler: Not wanting Towa to grieve or even follow him to his death, Revi callously tells him to forget all about the mother he knew before departing to confront the Sanctum Sanctorum.]]
* CynicismCatalyst: The slaughter of Maxwell Peridan and his entire monastery shook Revi to the core, beginning her descent into terrorism.
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* TheAtoner: Revi and Gomez, by the end, [[spoiler: willingly turn themselves in and gracefully take their life sentences after achieving their goals.]]
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* BenevolentBoss: Megius to Birdy. He cares for her well-being, has nothing against Altans, and it's noted any other commanding officer would have fired her long ago for her reckless way of working.
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* BigBad: [[EvilutionaryBiologist Shogo Hikawa]] for the first half of the manga, [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters Christella Revi]] for the second half.
* BenevolentBoss: Megius to Birdy. He cares for her well-being, has nothing against Altans, and it's noted any other commanding officer would have fired her long ago for her reckless way of working. Revi is also this, treating her Marionettes and Gomez as if they are equals, often telling them to drop the formalities and talk to her casually.
* BenevolentBoss: Megius to Birdy. He cares for her well-being, has nothing against Altans, and it's noted any other commanding officer would have fired her long ago for her reckless way of working. Revi is also this, treating her Marionettes and Gomez as if they are equals, often telling them to drop the formalities and talk to her casually.
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* AbsoluteCleavage: Revi often wears bath robes with the front completely open in the first half of the manga.
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* AdaptationalGenderIdentity: [[spoiler: Birdy initially assumes that Revi is male based on Federation data, only to be shocked to learn Revi is female — and then learn that Revi was born male and her current gender is because of a failed attempt to save Tunica Cephon's life by merging her with Revi, much like Birdy was able to do with Tsutomu. Granted, the original manga and OVA, like Decode after them, never finished their stories, but given Birdy not only doesn't express confusion about Revi's gender, but also refers to Revi with female pronouns from the start and even recognizes Revi on the spot the first time she sees her on Earth in those, it does suggest that those incarnations of Revi were born female.]]
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* AMotherToHerMen: Revi was willing to sacrifice her life twice to Nechla if it meant she would stop killing her workers.
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* ArmorPiercingQuestion: After telling her whole story and motivations to Birdy, Revi asks if arresting her now will ease her visibly troubled conscience. Stunned, Birdy is unable to answer but is still determined to eventually take Revi to a court of law.
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** In a very tragic way, Tunica's closed life and trauma made Revi conclude that Tunica was brought up as a non-human. She wasn't seen as a living, sentient creature, but a machine and treated as such. This led Revi to enact the ordinary education law for Ixorians, which allowed them to live normal lives as kids. The same law is what gave Birdy her freedom as a child.
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* PhotographicMemory: Tunica's power, which later transferred to Revi following their (faulty) fusion process.
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* RapeAsBackstory: One of the most obscure memories Revi finds during his exploration of Tunica's memory banks is being raped by a vile pedophile clergyman, the sight of which sends Revi into a HeroicBSoD.
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* BrokenBird: Tunica Cephon and Nechla Geeze, both emotionally stunted women indoctrinated into the department of worship. They were both deprived of freedom, emotions, and in the case of Tunica, subjected to heinous sexual abuse.
* DefrostingIceQueen: Tunica and Nechla are initially very cold to Revi and Birdy respectively, but gradually warms up to them.
* HalfTheWomanSheUsedToBe: Tunica's corpse after sacrificing her life for Revi from a terrorist bombing.
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* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Violin and Kashu respectively, one for Birdy and the other trying (and failing) for his lover, Nechla.]]
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* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Violin and Kashu respectively, one for Birdy and the other trying (and failing) for his lover, Nechla.]]]] In Revi's backstory, Tunica shielded Revi from a truck carrying dangerous explosives, knowing she wouldn't survive.
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* IJustWantToBeFree:
** Tunica grows obsessed with Revi's daily stories of the outside world, having never had a life outside the department of worship. After being snuck out several times to see the world, freedom is revealed to have been her truest desire.
** Nechla's truest desire to simply run away from her life as a church assassin with Kashu.
** At its core, Revi's life goal [[WellIntentionedExtremist is to free the universe from the Sanctum Sanctorum and give free will back to all.]]
** Tunica grows obsessed with Revi's daily stories of the outside world, having never had a life outside the department of worship. After being snuck out several times to see the world, freedom is revealed to have been her truest desire.
** Nechla's truest desire to simply run away from her life as a church assassin with Kashu.
** At its core, Revi's life goal [[WellIntentionedExtremist is to free the universe from the Sanctum Sanctorum and give free will back to all.]]
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* MrExposition: Koreie Noah provides much exposition on the history of the Altan monarchs and Etania empire; Maxwell Peridan provides much exposition on the Sanctum Sanctorum and department of worship.
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* NeverGotToSayGoodBye: Before he took the flight to his hometown after being excommunicated, Maxwell promised Revi they would meet again. She solemnly narrates they never did after he departs.
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* NumberTwo: Skelezzo is explicitly this to Megius, and Megius sometims halfheartedly reminds him he is his superior when he questions his orders.
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* PosthumousCharacter: Violin, Maxwell Peridan, and Tunica Cephon are all long dead in the present.
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* CurbStompBattle: While a lot of fights in the series are these, the most notable one played entirely for drama is Maxwell Peridan's failed uprising against the Sanctum Sanctorum. Revi solemnly reminisces that no matter how big his new religion became, they were woefully ill-prepared to engage in combat against the Federation. He and his order were absolutely decimated, and the impact of the incident has left ripples on modern Federation politics.
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* DeathByOriginStory: Violin for Birdy's, Tunica Cephon and Maxwell Peridan for Revi's.
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* DrivenToSuicide: The media states this is what Maxwell Peridan did when cornered, but it was Gray Cephon that did him in.
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* HeKnowsTooMuch: Throughout history, this is what the Sanctum Sanctorum invokes on certain individuals and even entire races for delving too much on the true origins of the galaxy. Notable victims include Etania, the Altan usurper, and Christella Revi and Maxwell Peridan.
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* TheHeretic: Maxwell was always viewed as something along the lines of this, constantly questioning the scriptures of the church and having his own ideas on faith. He eventually becomes this outright to the department of worship, and his legacy as a heretic is used to instill fear into their worshippers. In the present, Revi also has the designation and is marked for assassination.
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* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler: Violin and Kashu respectively, one for Birdy and the other trying (and failing) for his lover, Nechla.]]
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* MamaBear: Violin was fiercely protective of Birdy and invoked a HeroicSacrifice out of love for her. Gomez's wife, Marie, also boldly stands up to Lee and her monsters to protect her daughter Sara despite being a completely ordinary human.
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* OneWomanArmy: Every ActionGirl in the series is this, each demonstrating at least one instance of taking on swathes of enemies single-handedly.
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* RidiculouslyHumanRobot: The Marionettes under Revi and Violin are empathetic and independent it calls into question how much of a robot they really are. This is actually a major plot point late into the time skip.
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* AllLovingHero: Kred Gahow is of the most straight-up heroic characters in a story filled with anti-heroes and unscrupulous good guys. Kred strives for peace and diplomacy, and he will outright defy the corrupt procedures of the Federation to do what's right.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Kred is more or less rejected poitely by Birdy, who has no interest in romance.
* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Kred is more or less rejected poitely by Birdy, who has no interest in romance.
* ButtMonkey: Kred's re-introduction to the story sees him hilariously failing to adjust to Earth customs, being promptly chased around by both Federation agents and local police officers, then getting captured by Neith and sexually assaulted during her interrogation.
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* IOweYouMyLife: When Revi asks Chigira why he doesn't flee when Nechla has them dead to rights, reminding him she was indirectly behind many of his misfortunes, Chigira states he owes a debt to Revi for healing him when he was an infant, as well as giving him a firm purpose on life now. This reveals despite everything, Chigira does not have any regrets or doubts about the path he has taken.
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* IOweYouMyLife: IOweYouMyLife:
** Kred feels forever indebted to Birdy for saving his life in the Central Tower attacks.
** When Revi asks Chigira why he doesn't flee when Nechla has them dead to rights, reminding him she was indirectly behind many of his misfortunes, Chigira states he owes a debt to Revi for healing him when he was an infant, as well as giving him a firm purpose on life now. This reveals despite everything, Chigira does not have any regrets or doubts about the path he hastaken.taken.
* IrrationalHatred: Even for a racist bully, Kred as a kid took his hatred for Altans to new heights, repeatedly demanding Birdy be incarcerated by police officials for a kindergarten fight.
** Kred feels forever indebted to Birdy for saving his life in the Central Tower attacks.
** When Revi asks Chigira why he doesn't flee when Nechla has them dead to rights, reminding him she was indirectly behind many of his misfortunes, Chigira states he owes a debt to Revi for healing him when he was an infant, as well as giving him a firm purpose on life now. This reveals despite everything, Chigira does not have any regrets or doubts about the path he has
* IrrationalHatred: Even for a racist bully, Kred as a kid took his hatred for Altans to new heights, repeatedly demanding Birdy be incarcerated by police officials for a kindergarten fight.
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* VitriolicBestBuds: Birdy and Tsutomu, while often bickering with one another, deeply care for each other and become close friends. Skelezzo also has this dynamic with Megius despite the sheer differences in their personalities, going all the way back to childhood as best friends.
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* AttackHello: Skelezzo does this generally when Birdy and he reunite. She reciprocates enthusiastically. [[spoiler: It's also something he used to do with Birdy's predecessor, Gray Cephon, AKA: Georg Gomez.]]
* DrillSergeantNasty: Skelezzo is this to Birdy in her youth, as her combat instructor.
* FantasticRacism: A core theme and plot point of the series. The discrimination and abuse that Altans suffer under the Federation's jurisdiction is what drives Christella Revi's actions. Late into the plot, the schism between humans and aliens sets the last arcs in motion.
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* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Ironically, even into the very end, Murto doesn't discover Tsutomu's secret when his high school friends are all in on it.
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* LivingEmotionalCrutch: Kashu is practically all that holds together Nechla's humanity. After being indoctrinated into a twisted life devoid of love and joy, he is the only person in her life even now to show her both.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Ironically, even into the very end,Murto Muroto doesn't discover Tsutomu's secret when his high school friends are all in on it.
* LockedOutOfTheLoop: Ironically, even into the very end,
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* RazorFloss: Kashu's power as an Ixorian is to manifest his bio armor as this. Although he and Nechla [[WhatKindOfLamePowerIsHeartAnyway deemed it a pretty lame power as kids,]] it is very effective and deadly in practice.
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* WhamShot: Maxwell Peridan's forbidden book revealing [[spoiler: Japanese documents written by Sayaka Nakasugi.]]
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** Kashu [[spoiler: almost loses half of his torso along with his arm in his attempts to appeal to a brainwashed Nechla's conscience.]] [[Determinator He trucks along without attending to his injuries to continue trying.]]
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** Kashu [[spoiler: almost loses half of his torso along with his arm in his attempts to appeal to a brainwashed Nechla's conscience.]] [[Determinator [[{{Determinator}} He trucks along without attending to his injuries to continue trying.]]
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* CooldownHug: Tsutomu leaps into Ondine!Sayaka with this and pleading to spare Sayaka, even though she starts clawing at his sides.
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* CooldownHug: CooldownHug:
** Tsutomu leaps into Ondine!Sayaka with this and pleading to spare Sayaka, even though she starts clawing at hissides.sides.
** Kashu tries this to [[spoiler: appeal to Nechla's conscience during her brainwashed rampage. Unfortunately, Kashu manifests in her mind as something trying to lead her astray from her path and she nearly kills him in response.]]
** Tsutomu leaps into Ondine!Sayaka with this and pleading to spare Sayaka, even though she starts clawing at his
** Kashu tries this to [[spoiler: appeal to Nechla's conscience during her brainwashed rampage. Unfortunately, Kashu manifests in her mind as something trying to lead her astray from her path and she nearly kills him in response.]]
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* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: Kashu is melted alive inside Nechla's monstrous form in a futile last bid to reach out to her.]] Even by the standards of this series, it's an exceptionally painful end.
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* {{Determinator}}: Most of the characters in the story are strong-willed badasses that will never give up despite the odds. This includes the villains, notably Hikawa, who is possibly the most tenacious and determined of them all.
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* LetsGetDangerous: After spending most of the story as a spy and apparent NonActionGuy despite being Ixorian, Kashu dons his armor and makes a heroic last stand against [[spoiler: a crazed Nechla]] despite having just lost his arm.
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* AnArmAndALeg:
** Capella gets her left arm melted into a stump after her fight with Salamander. She gets better.
** Kashu [[spoiler: almost loses half of his torso along with his arm in his attempts to appeal to a brainwashed Nechla's conscience.]] [[Determinator He trucks along without attending to his injuries to continue trying.]]
** Capella gets her left arm melted into a stump after her fight with Salamander. She gets better.
** Kashu [[spoiler: almost loses half of his torso along with his arm in his attempts to appeal to a brainwashed Nechla's conscience.]] [[Determinator He trucks along without attending to his injuries to continue trying.]]
Deleted line(s) 56 (click to see context) :
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Nechla and Kashu.
Deleted line(s) 87 (click to see context) :
* GoodAllAlong: Although Kashu oozes shadiness through his occupation as a spy and his relationship with the even shadier Nechla, the timeskip shows he is unapologetically good and an upstanding, hard-working federal agent.
Added DiffLines:
* AnArmAndALeg:
** Capella gets her left arm melted into a stump after her fight with Salamander. She gets better.
** Kashu [[spoiler: almost loses half of his torso along with his arm in his attempts to appeal to a brainwashed Nechla's conscience.]] [[Determinator He trucks along without attending to his injuries to continue trying.]]
** Capella gets her left arm melted into a stump after her fight with Salamander. She gets better.
** Kashu [[spoiler: almost loses half of his torso along with his arm in his attempts to appeal to a brainwashed Nechla's conscience.]] [[Determinator He trucks along without attending to his injuries to continue trying.]]
Added DiffLines:
* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Nechla and Kashu.
Added DiffLines:
* GoodAllAlong: Although Kashu oozes shadiness through his occupation as a spy and his relationship with the even shadier Nechla, the timeskip shows he is unapologetically good and an upstanding, hard-working federal agent.
