History Manga / HeavenlyDelusion

* DentedIron: Kiruko’s body is in this condition [[WalkingTheEarth due to having spent many years on the road]] in post-apocalyptic Japan.

* LossOfIdentity: This happened to [[spoiler: Kiruko]] in the aftermath of [[spoiler: [[BrokenPedestal Robin]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raping her]]]]. During chapter thirty three, [[spoiler: Kiruko had a vision where she saw Haruki sleeping while Kiriko was talking to him in secrecy, which made Kiruko realize that she was able to see Kiriko’s memories now. [[HopeSpot This gave her hope that “Kiriko” wasn’t dead]]... because “Haruki” [[YankTheDogsChain wouldn’t have to suffer a traumatized existence anymore]]]]. Furthermore, in chapter thirty four [[spoiler: she told Maru that [[KilledOffForReal “Haruki” was gone forever]], having been smashed apart before she was brought back by Maru. She went on, stating she was weak; needed to be constantly saved by him despite being his bodyguard; and that everything she believed had been lies. [[HeroicBSOD As a result, Kiruko no longer knew who she was]]. However, Maru responded by telling her that he didn’t care about “Haruki” or “Kiriko,” he loved Kiruko - the woman he had traveled with since the beginning of their journey - [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre that she was smart, strong, and not everything she believed in was complete lies]]. Finally, he promised he would continue to help her while she learned more about who she was as a person, dedicating himself to protecting her from now on. [[HealTheCutie This helped Kiruko regain some much needed self confidence]], who decided to rip up a picture she had of Haruki and Robin, [[CharacterDevelopment officially casting off that part of her life for good]]]].

** Kiruko was threatened by bandits early on, seeing her as the only chance in a long time they would get to rape a beautiful woman, showcasing how people in harsh and lawless conditions may take advantage of situations where authorities are no longer around to commit heinous actions against the innocent. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, she ends up being raped later by her former BigBrotherMentor, Robin, who had taken care of her sister and herself when she was still a boy named Haruki five years ago. Kiruko had trusted and respected Robin for many years, which meant [[RapeIsASpecialKindofEvil being raped by him]] ripped apart her self confidence and made her [[HeroicBSOD break down almost completely]]. The entire scene was illustrated with brutally realistic details to showcase [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil how horrifying rape is]], but especially when done by [[EtTuBrute someone you had trusted beforehand]]]].

** In chapter four, the Post-Disaster storyline had a scene where Kiruko was examining her own body and attempted to kiss her own reflection in a mirror, but ended up bailing when an innkeeper started to approach her, plus Maru discovered a large stitch wound on her head when he helped dry her hair. Then during chapter seven a man from the “Tomato Heaven” vineyard thought Kiruko was a famous kart-racer named Kiriko Takehaya, who went missing years ago, but she denied the resemblances. [[spoiler: It’s later revealed in chapter nine that “Kiruko” is an alias for Haruki Takehaya, the brother of the aforementioned Kiriko Takehaya whose body Haruki’s brain is currently inhabiting due to a [[MedicalHorror medical procedure done by a doctor]] - one that he knew five years ago. When he tried to kill a Man-Eater who could turn invisible before it attacked his sister during one of her kart races, his experimental crossbow weapon [[NoSell failed to bring it down]], thus most of his body was eaten before his sister managed to pull his body out. However, when Haruki awakened, he saw his sister’s body in a mirror reflection, and panicked while screaming he was Haruki instead - much to the confusion of the people in the room who tried to correct him by saying Haruki had passed away. After recovering, Haruki took up the name “Kiruko” and set out on a journey to discover the truth, deciding to look for the doctor as well as Robin - a missing man who once watched over the orphanage that Haruki and Kiriko resided in. It’s also revealed that [[BrotherSisterIncest Haruki had a secret one-sided crush on his sister]], which is why Kiruko was admiring her body in a lustful manner]].

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Several for plotlines that come into play later:

** Chapter Four had Kiruko examining her own body and attempting to kiss her own reflection in a mirror, but ended up bailing when the Innkeeper started to approach her, plus Maru discovered a large stitch wound on Kiruko’s head when he helped dry her hair off. Then during Chapter Seven a man from the “Tomato Heaven” vineyard thought Kiruko was a famous kart-racer named Kiriko Takehaya, who went missing first years ago, but she denied the resemblances out of shock. [[spoiler: It’s later revealed in Chapter Nine that “Kiruko” is an alias for Haruki Takehaya, the brother of a girl named Kiriko Takehaya whose body Haruki’s mind is currently inhabiting due to a [[MedicalHorror medical procedure done by a doctor]] - one that Haruki knew five years before the “Apocalyptic Storyline” began. When he tried to kill a Man-Eater who could turn invisible before it attacked his sister during one of her kart races, his experimental crossbow weapon [[NoSell failed to bring it down]], thus most of his body was eaten before his sister managed to pull his body out after scaring the Man-Eater off by crashing her kart into it. However, when Haruki awakened, he realized he was in his sister’s body after looking into a mirror, and panicked while screaming he was Haruki instead - much to the confusion of the people in the room who tried to correct him by saying Haruki had passed away. After recovering, Haruki took up the name “Kiruko” and set out on a journey to discover the truth. He decided to look for the doctor responsible for his predicament as well as Robin - a missing man who once watched over the orphanage that Haruki and Kiriko resided in. It’s also revealed that [[BrotherSisterIncest Haruki had a secret one-sided crush on his sister]], which is why Kiruko sometimes admires her body in a lustful manner]].
** During the nursery segments, we are shown that Kona is a masterful artist... but his artwork bears an uncanny resemblance to the Hiruko monsters. [[spoiler: Later on, a grown up Shiro who goes by the name Dr. Usami revealed to Maru and Kiruko that the Hiruko monsters were once human, but they died from an illness that eventually warped the corpses into the monsters we see today. Considering the children in the nursery had special abilities and many of these monsters use similar abilities to the children, it’s likely many of them became the Hiruko monsters we see in the Post-Disaster storyline]].

* LossOfIdentity: This happened to [[spoiler: Kiruko]] in the aftermath of [[spoiler: [[BrokenPedestal Robin]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raping her]]]]. During chapter thirty three, [[spoiler: Kiruko had a vision where she saw Haruki sleeping while Kiriko was talking to him in secrecy, which made Kiruko realize that she was able to see Kiriko’s memories now. [[HopeSpot This gave her hope that “Kiriko” wasn’t dead]]... because “Haruki” [[YankTheDogsChain wouldn’t have to suffer a traumatized existence anymore]]]]. Furthermore, in chapter thirty four [[spoiler: she told Maru that [[KilledOffForReal “Haruki” was gone forever]], having been smashed apart before she was brought back by Maru. She went on, stating she was weak; needed to be constantly saved by him despite being his bodyguard; and that everything she believed had been lies. [[HeroicBSOD As a result, Kiruko no longer knew who she was]]. However, Maru responded by telling her that he didn’t care about “Haruki” or “Kiriko,” he loved Kiruko - the woman he had traveled with since the beginning of their journey - [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre that she was smart, strong, and not everything she believed in was complete lies]]. Finally, he promised he would continue to help her while she learned more about who she was as a person, dedicating himself to protecting her from now on. Needless to say, [[HealTheCutie this helped Kiruko regain some much needed self confidence]]]].

Tokio tries to address this to the teaching robot, but the question disappears on paper as fast as it appeared. Later, Tokio brings this up with the nursery's director as well, who claims that the only thing beyond the walls is hell. Still, several of the children including Tokio wonder what goes on beyond the walls, all the while living mundane lives doing school work and learning how to control their supernatural abilities.

** Kiruko was threatened by bandits early on, seeing her as the only chance in a long time they would get to rape a beautiful woman, showcasing how people in harsh and lawless conditions may take advantage of situations where authorities are no longer around to commit heinous actions against the innocent. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, she ends up being raped later by her former BigBrotherMentor, Robin, who had taken care of her sister and herself when she was still a boy named Haruki five years ago. Kiruko had trusted and respected Robin for many years, which meant [[EtTuBrute being raped by him]] ripped apart her self confidence and made her [[HeroicBSOD break down almost completely]]. The entire scene was illustrated with brutally realistic details to showcase [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil how horrifying rape is]], but especially when done by [[EtTuBrute someone you had trusted beforehand]]]].

* HateSink: [[spoiler: Robin, after he [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raped]] Kuriko; [[BullyingADragon mockingly told this to Maru]] when they faced off; and the authorities of the town later discovered Robin had been performing experiments on an innocent woman who was missing some of her limbs by connecting her to a Man-Eater - with said woman having possibly been raped by him too]].
* JerkassHasAPoint: In chapter thirty two, [[spoiler: while Robin was raping Kiruko, he decided to [[BreakThemByTalking mess with her]] by questioning who she really was: “Haruki” or “Kiriko.” Terrified, she kept insisting she was “Haruki” due to the circumstances of her body’s brain switch with Haruki Takehaya. However, Robin pointed out that even if it’s Haruki’s brain in Kiriko’s body, it’s a woman’s body that Robin was violating, henceforth why he didn’t care who she considered herself to be. This broke Kiruko, who had believed she was “Haruki” because of the memories she had from his brain, so when she started to see memories of “Kiriko” later on Kiruko realized [[LossOfIdentity she didn’t know who she was anymore]]]].

* LittleUselessGun: Played with regarding the "Murder Beam". On the one hand, it only has four shots before the battery dies; takes thirty seconds to charge up before it can be used; and misfires often, much to Maru and Kiruko’s chagrin since the gun won’t regain a misfired shot. On the other hand, when it works, it can be seen as the [[RayGun laser gun]] equivalent of the [[Film/MenInBlack Noisy Cricket]].

* MonsterIsAMommy: Inverted with an innkeeper who stopped Maru and Kiruko from killing a flying Man-Eater. She claimed the bird-like creature had her son’s memories after it ate him, which she backed up by stating the Man-Eater attacked a group of bandits who threatened her life and chose to spare her, making her believe it will protect her. [[spoiler: Gruesomely subverted when the flying Man-Eater sliced her into pieces shortly after she said this and began eating her remains.]]

* LightningBruiser: Maru. He’s able to take punches from adults to the face like they slapped him with a pillow, dish out serious hurt of his own, is skilled at martial arts from his days in Post-Disaster Tokyo (plus learned a few moves from Kiruko), and can run unusually fast for a human being. Kiruko [[LampshadedTrope lampshades]] this after watching him take on a group of bandits by himself in chapter twenty seven - despite one of them being armed with a crossbow and standing from a safe distance - making her realize that if they ever fought he could probably defeat her with ease even if she fought back with the “Murder Beam.” [[spoiler: Given that Tokio was revealed in the Nursery storyline to have given birth to twins, Maru is looking for someone who looks like him, plus Tokio had supernatural powers, it’s possible that Maru’s enhanced physicality isn’t because of training alone.]]
* LittleUselessGun: Played with regarding the "Murder Beam". On the one hand, it only has four shots before the battery dies and misfires often - much to Maru and Kiruko’s chagrin since the gun won’t regain a misfired shot. On the other hand, when it works, it can be seen as the [[RayGun laser gun]] equivalent of the [[Film/MenInBlack Noisy Cricket]], not to mention they won’t mention these weaknesses to unsuspecting bandits who find out that the gun isn’t just for show.
* LossOfIdentity: This happened to [[spoiler: Kiruko]] in the aftermath of [[spoiler: [[BrokenPedestal Robin]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raping her]]]]. During chapter thirty three, [[spoiler: Kiruko had a vision where she saw Haruki sleeping while Kiriko was talking to him in secrecy, which made Kiruko realize that she was able to see Kiriko’s memories now. [[HopeSpot This gave her hope that “Kiriko” wasn’t dead]]... because “Haruki,” who was traumatized to the core, [[YankTheDogsChain wouldn’t have to exist anymore]]]]. Furthermore, in chapter thirty four [[spoiler: she told Maru that [[KilledOffForReal “Haruki” was gone forever]], having been smashed apart before she was brought back by Maru. She went on, stating she was weak; needed to be constantly saved by Maru despite being his bodyguard; and that everything she believed had been lies. [[HeroicBSOD As a result, Kiruko no longer knew who she was]]. However, upon telling all this to Maru, he responded by telling her that he didn’t care about “Haruki” or “Kiriko,” he loved Kiruko - the woman he had traveled with since the beginning of their journey, [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre that she was smart; strong; and not everything she believed in was complete lies]]. Finally, he promised he would continue to help her while she learned more about who she was as a person, dedicating himself to protecting her from now on. Needless to say, [[HealTheCutie this helped Kiruko regain some much needed self confidence]]]].

** [[spoiler: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]]]. [[spoiler: Kiruko’s trust and respect for her BigBrotherMentor Robin carried on throughout a good chunk of her life, even way back when she was still a boy named Haruki Takehaya. Many of Robin’s teachings were even sayings that she used when teaching Maru a thing or two about survival in the wilderness. So when Kiruko finally found Robin once more and told him everything that happened with Haruki’s brain being transferred to Kiriko’s body, Kiruko believed that everything was going to ok once more because Robin was with her now. That is, [[MoodWhiplash until Robin tricked Kiruko into going into a vacant room with a bed by herself, handcuffed her to prevent her from escaping, and took her clothes/belongings while she was taking a shower to ensure she would have no weapon to defend herself with]]. It turned out that [[BitchInSheepsClothing Robin had been a twisted man the entire time]] who saw “Haruki” now as a beautiful woman, not the kid he helped raise years ago, so he decided to rape Kiruko. Afterwards, her faith and trust in Robin [[HeroicBSOD was completely shattered]] as her mind [[BreakTheCutie started to break down from the trauma of being raped and betrayed]] by her [[BrokenPedestal childhood idol]]]].
*** [[spoiler: [[ReconstructedTrope Reconstructed]]]]. [[spoiler: When Maru became worried about Kiruko and how long she had been gone, he fought off several of Robin’s men in order to find her when they tried to stop him. Worried about the graphic tales the men had given him about Kiruko being an “old flame” to Robin, Maru realized that Kiruko was in serious danger, and upon finding her naked and bound by her wrists he realized that Robin [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil had raped her]]. After Maru [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge nearly killed Robin in retaliation]], the former walking away only because Kiruko begged him not to execute Robin, Maru realized that Kiruko was now traumatized by the whole ordeal. She confessed to Maru she believed “Haruki” [[KilledOffForReal was gone now]], having been erased when the trust “Haruki” had in Robin was horribly betrayed, and now she didn’t even know who she was anymore since she was starting to gain some of Kiriko’s memories. However, Maru declared that he didn’t care about “Haruki” or “Kiriko,” he cared about Kiruko because he loved her and would always protect her. At that point, [[HealTheCutie Kiruko embraced Maru while she cried]], then later ripped up the old photograph of Haruki and Robin she had kept as well as threw the pieces into a river; this was her final way of saying goodbye to her old life as “Haruki” and the trust she once had in Robin. From that point on, Kiruko realized that while people she trusted with her life could betray her, that didn’t mean she couldn’t still trust others, thus she became closer to [[BigDamnHeroes Maru]] since he [[{{Determinator}} proved he was willing to go to hell and back to save her life]]]].

* HateSink: [[spoiler: Robin, after he [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raped]] Kuriko; [[BullyingADragonmockingly told this to Maru]] when they faced off; and the authorities of the town later discovered Robin had been performing experiments on an innocent woman to feed a Man-Eater - with said woman having possibly been raped by him too]].

* WhamLine: Chapter Seven has [[spoiler:Kiruko telling Maru that her body is female... but her brain is a male's]]. [[spoiler: That became debatable in later chapters when Kiruko found out she could see memories from Kiriko, who Kiruko’s body belonged to, making it possible she is a woman in mind after all.]]

** Child prostitution was featured at one point in the Post-Disaster storyline with a thirteen year old girl named Totori, who made a move on Maru in the hopes of getting easy money. What worried him the most was that she was nonchalant about asking him, which made him realize she had been doing this for a while.

* WhamLine: Chapter Seven has [[spoiler:Kiruko telling Maru that her body is female... but her brain is a male's]]. [[spoiler: That became debatable in later chapters when Kiruko found out she could see memories from Kiriko, who Kiruko’s body belonged to, making it possible she is a woman after all.]]

** Kiruko was threatened by bandits early on, seeing her as the only chance in a long time they would get to rape a beautiful woman, showcasing how people in harsh and lawless conditions may take advantage of situations where authorities are no longer around to commit heinous actions against the innocent. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, she ends up being raped later by her former BigBrotherMentor, Robin, who had taken care of her sister and herself when she was still a boy named Haruki five years ago. Kiruko had trusted and respected Robin for many years, which meant [[EtTuBrute being raped by him]] ripped apart her self confidence and made her [[HeroicBSOD break down almost completely]]. The entire scene was illustrated with brutally realistic details to showcase [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil how horrifying rape is]], but especially when done by someone you had trusted beforehand]].

* BreakThemByTalking: In chapter thirty two, [[spoiler: [[BrokenPedestal Robin]] did this to Kiruko [[ForTheEvulz for his own amusement]], questioning if she really knew she was still “Haruki” just because she had his brain in her body, or if “Kiriko” was still around somewhere inside Kiruko’s mind - [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil all the while raping her]]. Combined with her seeing memories from “Kiriko’s” point of view later made a traumatized Kiruko realize [[JerkassHasAPoint Robin had raised a considerable point]]]].

* LittleUselessGun: Played with regarding the "Murder Beam". On the one hand, it only has four shots before the battery dies and misfires often - much to Maru and Kiruko’s chagrin since the gun won’t regain a misfired shot. On the other hand, when it works, it can be seen as the laser equivalent of the [[Film/MenInBlack Noisy Cricket]], not to mention they won’t mention these weaknesses to unsuspecting bandits who find out that the gun isn’t just for show.
* LossOfIdentity: This happened to [[spoiler: Kiruko]] in the aftermath of [[spoiler: [[BrokenPedestal Robin]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raping her]]]]. During chapter thirty three, [[spoiler: Kiruko had a vision where she saw Haruki sleeping while Kiriko was talking to him in secrecy, which made Kiruko realize that she was able to see Kiriko’s memories now. [[HopeSpot This gave her hope that “Kiriko” wasn’t dead]]... because “Haruki,” who was traumatized to the core, [[YankTheDogsChain wouldn’t have to exist anymore]]]]. Furthermore, in chapter thirty four [[spoiler: she told Maru that [[KilledOffForReal “Haruki” was gone forever]], having been smashed apart before she was brought back by Maru. She went on, stating she was weak; needed to be constantly saved by Maru despite being his bodyguard; and that everything she believed had been lies. [[HeroicBSOD As a result, Kiruko no longer knew who she was]]. However, upon telling all this to Maru, he responded by telling her that he didn’t care about “Haruki” or “Kiriko,” he loved Kiruko - the woman he had traveled with since the beginning of their journey, [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre that she was smart; strong; and not everything she believed in was complete lies]]. Finally, he promised he would continue to accept and help her while she learned more about who she was as a person, dedicating himself to protect her from now on. Needless to say, [[HealTheCutie this helped Kiruko regain some much needed self confidence]]]].

* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: Maru’s confrontation with [[spoiler: Robin after the former discovered the latter had raped Kiruko]] started off different than most. While Maru is a CombatPragmatist who usually goes for quick and decisive blows, he instead trapped [[spoiler: Robin]] in a corner, throwing him back into a wall whenever he tried to get around Maru. Annoyed, [[spoiler: Robin]] told off Maru, telling him not to underestimate his opponent, but Maru still held [[spoiler: him]] pinned to the corner regardless. [[spoiler: The reason is because [[TranquilFury Maru was pissed]] and wanted to show Robin what it felt like to be helpless, similar to how he had raped Kiruko and made her feel the same way. When he finally snapped and tried to attack Maru, he forced back Robin with little difficult and proceeded to give him a [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown violent beat down]] in vengeance for violating the woman Maru loved. The only thing stopping him from killing Robin was Kiruko herself stepping in and ordering Maru to stop, much to his dismay, but he obeyed and left an unconscious Robin on the ground while Maru and Kiruko escaped with her belongings back in tow. However, Maru decided in secrecy that if given the opportunity, [[ThisIsUnforgivable he will kill Robin]]]].

** [[spoiler: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]]]]. [[spoiler: Kiruko’s trust and respect for her BigBrotherMentor Robin carried on throughout a good chunk of her life, even way back when she was still a boy named Haruki Takehaya. Many of Robin’s teachings were even sayings that she used when teaching Maru a thing or two about survival in the wilderness. So when Kiruko finally found Robin once more and told him everything that happened with Haruki’s brain being transferred to Kiriko’s body, Kiruko believed that everything was going to ok once more because Robin was with her now. That is, [[MoodWhiplash until Robin tricked Kiruko into going into a vacant room with a bed by herself, handcuffed her to prevent her from escaping, and took her clothes/belongings while she was taking a shower to ensure she would have no weapon to defend herself with]]. It turned out that over the past five years [[FaceHeelTurn Robin had become a twisted individual]] who only saw “Haruki” now as a beautiful woman, not the kid he helped raise years ago, and decided to rape Kiruko. Afterwards, her faith and trust in Robin [[HeroicBSOD was completely shattered]] as her mind [[DarkestHour started to break down from the trauma of being raped and betrayed]] by her [[BrokenPedestal childhood idol]]]].
*** [[spoiler: [[ReconstructedTrope Reconstructed]]]]. [[spoiler: When Maru became worried about Kiruko and how long she had been gone, he fought off several of Robin’s men in order to find her when they tried to stop him. Worried about the graphic tales the men had given him about Kiruko being an “old flame” to Robin, Maru realized that Kiruko was in serious danger, and upon finding her naked and bound by her wrists he realized that Robin [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil had raped her]]. After Maru [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge nearly killed Robin in retaliation]], the former walking away only because Kiruko begged him not to execute Robin, Maru realized that Kiruko was now traumatized by the whole ordeal. She confessed to Maru she believed “Haruki” [[KilledOffForReal was gone now]], having been erased when the trust “Haruki” had in Robin was horribly betrayed, and now she didn’t even know who she was anymore since she was starting to gain some of Kiriko’s memories. However, Maru declared that he didn’t care about “Haruki” or “Kiriko,” he cared about Kiruko because he loved her and would always protect her. At that point, [[HealTheCutie Kiruko embraced Maru while she cried]], then later ripped up the old photograph of Haruki and Robin she had kept as well as threw the pieces into a river; this was her final way of saying goodbye to her old life as “Haruki” and the trust she once had in Robin. From that point on, Kiruko realized that while people she trusted with her life could betray her, that didn’t mean she couldn’t still trust others, and became closer to [[BigDamnHeroes Maru]] since he [[{{Determinator}} proved he was willing to go to hell and back to save her life]]]].

* LittleUselessGun: Played with regarding the "Murder Beam". On the one hand, it only has four shots and misfires from time to time. Furthermore, when it does misfire, it loses the shot, which has put Maru and Kiruko in serious danger when they knew they only had one shot left to deal with a vicious opponent. On the other hand, when it works, it can be seen as the laser equivalent of the [[Film/MenInBlack Noisy Cricket]], not to mention Maru and Kiruko won’t mention these weaknesses to unsuspecting bandits who find out the gun isn’t just for show.
* LossOfIdentity: This happens to [[spoiler: Kiruko]] in the aftermath of [[spoiler: [[BrokenPedestal Robin]] [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil raping her]]]]. During chapter thirty three, [[spoiler: Kiruko had a vision where she saw the body of Haruki with Kiriko talking to him while sleeping, which made Kiruko realize that she was able to see the memories of Kiriko. When Kiruko believed that meant it was possible that the “Haruki” persona was losing presence in her mind and instead being taken over by the body’s original mind, that of “Kiriko,” she felt relieved because it meant that “Kiriko” might still be alive]]. Furthermore, in chapter thirty four [[spoiler: she realized that it was possible “Haruki” was truly gone from her mind. Whether due to the trauma she suffered at the hands of Robin, or having taken place over time, it was possible that “Kiriko” was the true persona floating around in Kiruko’s mind. As a result, Kiruko no longer knew who she truly was. After all, having Haruki’s memories didn’t mean he was the one in control, rather that she could access his memories from his brain the same way she could now access the ones from Kiriko’s body. However, upon telling this to Maru, he responded by telling her he didn’t care about “Haruki” or “Kiriko,” he instead loved Kiruko, the woman he had traveled with since the beginning, and he would be with her even if she didn’t think she was “Haruki” anymore.]].
* MonsterIsAMommy: Inverted with an innkeeper who stopped Maru and Kiruko from killing a flying Man-Eater. She claimed the bird-like creature had her son’s memories after it ate him, which she backs up by stating the Man-Eater attacked a group of bandits who threatened her life and chose to spare her, making her believe it will protect her. [[spoiler: Gruesomely subverted when the flying Man-Eater sliced her into pieces shortly after she said this and began eating her remains.]]

*** [[spoiler: [[ReconstructedTrope Reconstructed]]]]. [[spoiler: When Maru became worried about Kiruko and how long she had been gone, he fought off several of Robin’s men in order to find her when they tried to stop him. Worried about the graphic tales the men had given him about Kiruko being an “old flame” to Robin, Maru realized that Kiruko was in serious danger, and upon finding her naked and bound by her wrists he realized that Robin had raped her. After Maru [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge nearly killed Robin in retaliation]], the former walking away only because Kiruko begged him not to execute Robin, Maru realized that Kiruko was now traumatized by the whole ordeal. She confessed to Maru she believed “Haruki” [[KilledOffForReal was gone now]], having been erased when the trust “Haruki” had in Robin was horribly betrayed, and now she didn’t even know who she was anymore since she was starting to gain some of Kiriko’s memories. However, Maru declared that he didn’t care about “Haruki” or “Kiriko,” he cared about Kiruko because he loved her and would always protect her. At that point, [[HealTheCutie Kiruko embraced Maru while she cried]], then later ripped up the old photograph of Haruki and Robin she had kept as well as threw the pieces into a river; this was her final way of saying goodbye to her old life as “Haruki” and the trust she once had in Robin. From that point on, Kiruko realized that while people she trusted with her life could betray her, that didn’t mean she couldn’t still trust others, and became closer to [[BigDamnHeroes Maru]] since he [[{{Determinator}} proved he was willing to go to hell and back to save her life]]]].

* BreakThemByTalking: In chapter thirty two, [[spoiler: [[BrokenPedestal Robin]] did this to Kiruko [[ForTheEvulz for his own amusement]], questioning if she really knew she was still “Haruki” just because she had his brain in her body, or if “Kiriko” was still around somewhere inside Kiruko’s mind - [[RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil all the while raping her Kiruko]]. Combined with her seeing memories from “Kiriko’s” point of view later made a traumatized Kiruko realize [[JerkassHasAPoint Robin had raised a considerable point]]]].

* BigOlEyebrows: Kiruko is drawn with these sometimes.

* JerkassHasAPoint: In chapter thirty two, [[spoiler: while Robin was raping Kiruko, she warned Robin that he was raping “Haruki” instead of “Kiriko” due to the circumstances of her body’s brain switch with Haruki Takehaya that Robin was aware of. However, Robin pointed out that even if it’s Haruki’s mind in Kiriko’s body, it’s a woman’s body that Robin was violating, henceforth why he didn’t care what she considered herself to be]].

* AfterTheEnd: The Post-Disaster storyline follows this theme in particular, showing how the humans still alive in Japan fifteen years after an unknown disaster occurred are getting by with living..

** During the nursery segments, we are shown that Kona is a masterful artist... but his artwork bears an uncanny resemblance to the Hiruko monsters. [[spoiler: Later on, a grown up Shiro who goes by the name Dr. Usami revealed to Maru and Kiruko that the Hiruko monsters were once human, but they died from an illness that eventually warped the corpses into the monsters we see today. Considering the children in the nursery had special abilities and many of these monsters use similar abilities to the children, it’s likely many of them became the hiruko monsters we see in the Apocalyptic Storyline]].

* WalkingTheEarth: Many people in the “Post-Crisis” storyline do this, [[DisasterScavengers but have no choice]] [[AfterTheEnd given the circumstances]]; Maru and Kiruko are merely two people in a long list of wandering survivors.

** During the nursery segments, we are shown that Kona is a masterful artist...but his artwork bears an uncanny resemblance to the Hiruko monsters. [[spoiler: Later on, a grown up Shiro who goes by the name Dr. Usami revealed to Maru and Kiruko that the Hiruko monsters were once human, but they died from an illness that eventually warped the corpses into the monsters we see today. Considering the children in the nursery had special abilities and many of these monsters use similar abilities to the children, it’s likely many of them became the hiruko monsters we see in the Apocalyptic Storyline]].
* JerkassHasAPoint: In Chapter Thirty Two, [[spoiler: while Robin was raping Kiruko, she warned Robin that he was raping a man instead of a woman due to the circumstances of the mind switch that Robin was aware of. However, Robin pointed out that even if it’s Haruki’s mind in Kiriko’s body, it’s a woman’s body that Robin was violating, henceforth why he didn’t care what she considered herself to be]].

[[caption-width-right:350:Maru and Kiruko]]

However, neither of them are your average survivors. Maru can kill Man-Eaters using an ability he calls the [[CallingYourAttacks “Maru Touch,”]] allowing him to enter a spiritual-like place inside the monster’s very being and kill them by crushing what appears to be a heart-like core within, so long as he can physically touch the Man-Eater. Combined with [[MadeOfIron unusually tough durability]] and martial arts honed by his time on the streets of post-apocalyptic Tokyo, he became a self-made survivor in his own right. Meanwhile, Kiruko is armed with her “Murder Beam,” a special (if somewhat unreliable) [[RayGun laser gun]] that can kill most things in one shot and is also capable of inflicting heavy damage on the Man-Eaters themselves. [[TaughtByExperience With her own survival instincts honed by years of travel]] as well as the teachings her BigBrotherMentor Inazaki Robin passed onto her in the past, she has survived many grim scenarios in order to find her place in the world.

There are two PlotThreads that the story follows. The first one, “Post-Disaster,” features Maru’s and Kuriko’s adventures in a post-apocalyptic setting that ended up this way as the result of an unknown calamity, which had occurred fifteen years in the past from that point. The second one, “Nursery,” features several children in a special nursery surrounded by walls who have special abilities. However, learning more about either one of them will spoil details in the other due to several plot twists taking place over the course of the story, so tread lightly. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.

** Kiruko was threatened by bandits early on who saw her as the only chance in a long time they would get to rape a beautiful woman, showcasing how people in harsh and lawless conditions may take advantage of situations where authorities are no longer around to commit heinous actions against the innocent. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, she ends up being raped later by [[BrokenPedestal Robin]] who had taken care of her sister and herself when she was still a boy named Haruki five years ago. Kiruko had [[BigBrotherMentor trusted and respected Robin for many years]], which meant being raped by him [[MoodWhiplash ripped apart her self confidence]] and made her [[HeroicBSOD break down almost completely]]... until [[BigDamnHeroes Maru saved her]] by beating up Robin and his cronies.]]
* AfterTheEnd: One of the two main storylines that plays out involves this as its setting in Japan.

* CrapsackWorld: The world outside of the nursery is this in a nutshell.

* LittleUselessGun: Played with regarding the "Murder Beam". On the one hand, it only has four shots and it likes to jam. On the other hand, when it works, it can be seen as the laser equivalent to the [[Film/MenInBlack Noisy Cricket]].

* MonsterIsAMommy: Inverted with an innkeeper who stops Maru and Kiruko from killing a Man-Eater, who claims the monster is her son. [[spoiler:Immediately subverted when the Man-Eater cuts her into pieces and eats her.]]

* WhamLine: Chapter Seven has [[spoiler:Kiruko telling Maru that her body is female... but her brain is a male's]].

Tokio tries to address this to the teaching robot, but the question disappears as fast as it appeared. Tokio brings this up with the nursery's director, who claims that the only thing beyond the walls is hell, but Tokio as well as several of the children there still wonder what goes on beyond the walls.

Meanwhile, the outside world has gone to hell in more ways than one. Not only has civilization devolved into bandits; scavengers; and other scoundrels, there is something more feared than all of that: horrific creatures known as "Hiruko", or Man-Eaters. In what used to be Tokyo, a fifteen year old teenage boy named Maru [[{{Foreshadowing}} (who looks a lot like Tokio)]] travels with his bodyguard, a young woman named Kiruko.

However, neither of them are your average survivors. Maru can kill Man-Eaters using an ability he calls the [[CallingYourAttacks “Maru Touch,”]] allowing him to enter a spiritual-like place inside the monster’s very being and kill them by crushing what appears to be a heart-like core within, so long as he can physically touch the Man-Eater. Combined with [[MadeOfIron unusually tough durability]] and martial arts honed by his time on the streets of post-apocalyptic Tokyo, he became a self-made survivor in his own right. Meanwhile, Kiruko is armed with her “Murder Beam,” a special (if somewhat unreliable) laser gun that can kill most things in one shot and is also capable of inflicting heavy damage on the Man-Eaters themselves. [[TaughtByExperience With her own survival instincts honed by years of travel]] as well as the teachings her BigBrotherMentor Inazaki Robin passed onto her in the past, she has survived many grim scenarios in order to find her place in the world.

Maru is on the hunt for two things: someone who looks just like himself and a place his previous guardian called “Heaven.” Meanwhile, Kiruko tags along to protect him as part of her job she was hired for, but is also searching for several people she knew - including Robin - hoping to discover what happened to them after they disappeared five years ago under mysterious circumstances. But the tasks before them on their journey are easier said than completed, not to mention there are other dangers on the road besides the Man-Eaters...

However, neither of them are your average survivors. Maru can kill Man-Eaters using an ability he calls the [[CallingYourAttacks “Maru Touch,”]] allowing him to enter a spiritual-like place inside the monster’s very being and kill them by crushing what appears to be a heart-like core within, so long as he can physically touch the Man-Eater. Combined with [[MadeOfIron unusually tough durability]] and martial arts honed by his time on the streets of post-apocalyptic Tokyo, he became a self-made survivor in his own right. Meanwhile, Kiruko is armed with her “Murder Beam,” a special (if somewhat unreliable) laser gun that can kill most things in one shot and is also capable of inflicting heavy damage on the Man-Eaters themselves. [[TaughtByExperience With her own survival instincts honed by years of travel]] as well as the teachings her BigBrotherMentor Robin passed onto her in the past, she has survived many grim scenarios in order to find her place in the world.

** Kiruko was threatened by bandits early on who saw her as the only chance in a long time they would get to rape a beautiful woman, showcasing how people in harsh and lawless conditions may take advantage of situations where authorities are no longer around to commit heinous actions against the innocent. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, she ends up being raped later on by a man named [[BrokenPedestal Inazaki Robin]] who had taken care of her sister and herself when she was still a boy named Haruki five years ago. Kiruko had [[BigBrotherMentor trusted and respected Robin for many years]], which meant being raped by someone she had trusted [[MoodWhiplash came out of nowhere]] and caused her to [[HeroicBSOD break down almost completely]]... until [[BigDamnHeroes Maru saved her]] by beating up Robin and his cronies. Unfortunately, [[TruthInTelevision in real life many rape victims knew who their perpetrator was and had trusted them beforehand, not knowing the perpetrator had been building up trust with their intended target so they would let their guard down]], which is exactly what Robin did to Kiruko]].

* LossOfIdentity: [[spoiler: Despite having a female body, Kiruko considered herself a man when only Maru was around since technically speaking it’s Haruki Takehaya’s mind/brain in his sister’s body. But over time Kiruko started developing more feminine traits, such having a period in Kiriko’s body after five years had passed since the surgical procedure. Where the trope took place in full effect is during the time when Robin raped Kiruko, who warned Robin that he was raping a man instead of a woman due to the circumstances of the mind switch. However, [[VillainHasAPoint Robin pointed out that even if it’s Haruki’s mind in the body, it’s a woman’s body that Robin was violating]]. While the BreakingSpeech was being given, Kiruko saw her male Haruki self in a mirror clawing at it in desperation until he faded away, leaving nothing more than a terrified woman in the reflection. Even after Maru rescued her, Kiruko admitted that she felt a part of her was now gone, not knowing who she was anymore and agonized over this. Thankfully, Maru managed to calm Kiruko down after he stated that the person Maru had come to love wasn’t Haruki or Kiriko Takehaya, it was Kiruko herself, and he would always accept her]].

Tokio tries to address this to the teaching robot, but the question disappears as fast as it appeared. Tokio brings this up with the nursery's director, who claims that the only thing beyond the walls is hell, but Tokio as well as several of the children there still wonder what goes on beyond the walls. Meanwhile, the outside world has gone to hell in more ways than one. Not only has civilization devolved into bandits; scavengers; and other scoundrels, there is something more feared than all of that: horrific creatures known as "Hiruko", or Man-Eaters. In what used to be Tokyo, a boy named Maru [[{{Foreshadowing}} (who looks a lot like Tokio)]] travels with his bodyguard, a young woman named Kiruko.

However, neither of them are your average survivors. Maru has the ability to kill Man-Eaters using an ability he calls the [[CallingYourAttacks “Maru Touch,”]] allowing him to reach inside the monster’s very being and kill them by crushing what appears to be a heart-like core within, so long as he can physically touch the Man-Eater. Combined with [[MadeOfIron unusually tough durability]] and martial arts honed by his time on the streets of post-apocalyptic Tokyo, he became a self-made survivor in his own right. Meanwhile, Kiruko is armed with a special laser gun she named the “Murder Beam” that can kill most things in one shot and is also capable of inflicting heavy damage on the Man-Eaters themselves. Its only weaknesses are its four shot capacity before its battery need to be recharged and its tendency to misfire on occasion. [[TaughtByExperience With her own survival instincts honed by years of travel]] as well as the teachings her BigBrotherMentor Robin passed onto her in the past, she has survived many grim scenarios in order to find her place in the world.

Maru is on the hunt for two things: someone who looks just like himself and a place his previous guardian called “Heaven.” Meanwhile, Kiruko tags along to protect him as part of her job she was hired for, but is also searching for several people she knew - including Robin - hoping to discover what had happened to them after they disappeared five years ago under mysterious circumstances. But the tasks before them on their journey are easier said than completed, not to mention there are other dangers on the road besides the Man-Eaters...

There are two PlotThreads that the story follows: “Post-Disaster,” which features Maru’s and Kuriko’s adventures in a post-apocalyptic setting as well as “Nursery,” which features several children in a special nursery surrounded by walls who have special abilities, but learning more about either one of them will spoil details in the other due to several plot twists taking place over the course of the story, so tread lightly. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.

* AdultFear: As expected of a series with apocalyptic themes, there are several instances in the manga that plays on the fears of what happens when civilization collapses:

Tokio tries to address this to the teaching robot, but the question disappears almost instantly. Tokio brings this up with the nursery's director, who quickly claims that the only thing that's beyond the walls is hell.

Sure enough, the outside world has gone sideways in more ways than one. Not only has society devolved into bandits, scavengers, and other scoundrels, but there is something more feared than all of that: horrific creatures known as "Hiruko", or Man-Eaters. In what used to be Tokyo, a boy named Maru (who looks a lot like Tokio) travels with his bodyguard, a young woman named Kiruko. They are not your average, scrappy kids. Maru has the ability to kill Man-Eaters by reaching into their cores and crushing them from within while Kiruko is armed with a special, if unreliable, gun that can kill in one shot. As Kiruko searches for two distinct men, one of them a doctor, Maru searches for two things much grander: someone who looks just like him and Heaven itself.

But is the task easier said than done? ...Probably.

There are two PlotThreads that the story follows, but learning more about one of them will spoil the other due to several plot twists taking place over the course of the story, so tread lightly. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.

** Child prostitution was featured at one point in the storyline, which was downplayed by the fact that the thirteen year old girl involved wasn’t fazed by it anymore and saw it as a way to make easy money. This disturbed Maru to no end when he was approached by her in such a manner.
** Kiruko was threatened by bandits early on who saw her as the only chance in a long time they would get to rape a beautiful woman, showcasing how some desperate people in harsh and lawless conditions may take advantage of a situation where authorities are no longer around to punish the wicked. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, she ends up getting raped later on by a man named [[BrokenPedestal Inazaki Robin]] who had taken care of her sister and herself when she was still a boy named Haruki five years ago. Kiruko had [[BigBrotherMentor trusted and respected Robin for many years]], which meant being raped by someone she had trusted [[MoodWhiplash came out of nowhere]] and caused her to [[HeroicBSOD break down almost completely]]... until [[BigDamnHeroes Maru saved her]] by beating up Robin and his cronies. Unfortunately, [[TruthInTelevision in real life many rape victims knew who their perpetrator was and had trusted them beforehand, not knowing the perpetrator had been building up trust with their intended target so they would let their guard down]], which is exactly what Robin did to Kiruko]].

It's pretty plot-twisty, so tread lightly. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.

** Kiruko was threatened by bandits early on who saw her as the only chance in a long time they would get to rape a beautiful woman, showcasing how desperate people in harsh and lawless conditions may take advantage of the situation in order to pursue their lustful desires. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, she ends up getting raped later on by a man named [[BrokenPedestal Robin]] who had taken care of her sister and herself when she was still a boy named Haruki five years ago. Kiruko had [[BigBrotherMentor trusted and respected Robin for many years]], which meant being raped by someone she had trusted [[MoodWhiplash came out of nowhere]] and caused her to [[HeroicBSOD break down almost completely]]... until [[BigDamnHeroes Maru saved her]] by beating up Robin and his cronies. Unfortunately, [[TruthInTelevision in real life many rape victims knew who their perpetrator was and had trusted them beforehand, not knowing the perpetrator had been building up trust with their intended target so they would let their guard down]], which is exactly what Robin did to Kiruko]].

** During the nursery segments, we are shown that Kona is a masterful artist...but his artwork bears an uncanny resemblance to the Hiruko monsters.

* BigOlEyebrows: Kiruko is drawn with these sometimes. [[spoiler:Probably another indication of her unique situation.]]
* CrapsackWorld: The world outside of the nursery.

* WhamLine: Chapter 7 has [[spoiler:Kiruko telling to Maru that her body is female...but her brain is a male's.]]

* AfterTheEnd: At least in regards to the outside world.
* ApocalypseHow: Implied to be continental or planetary in scope with a Societal Disruption level of severity. Humans are intact, but they must deal with creatures of unfathomable levels of creepy.
* ArcSymbol: A bird that's on the handle of Kiruko's gun serves as a clue of sorts for her and Maru to find Heaven.
* BodyHorror: All over the manga. When the Hiruko monsters have you in their grasp, you will NOT have a clean death.

** Chapter 4 has Kiruko examining her own body, attempting to kiss her own reflection, and Maru finding stitches in her head, while Chapter 7 has a man thinking Kiruko is a famous kart-racer named Kiriko Takehaya, who went missing five years ago, but she immediately denies the resemblance out of shock.

''Heavenly Delusion'' (天国大魔境 / ''Tengoku-Daimakyou'') is an ongoing 2018 sci-fi post-apocalyptic {{Seinen}} manga written and illustrated by Masakazu Ishiguro (best known for ''[[Manga/SoredemoMachiWaMawatteiru And Yet the Town Moves]]'') and published by DENPA. There is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D25K5O0CMCc an anime PV]] made to celebrate the first volume's publication.

In a walled-up nursery, children are taught by robots. During a pop quiz, one of these children, Tokio, finds a weird, unexpected question:

Sure enough, the outside world is one that has gone sideways in more ways than one. Not only has society devolved into bandits, scavengers, and other scoundrels, but there is something more feared than all of those: horrific creatures known as "Hiruko", or Man-Eaters. In what used to be Tokyo, a boy named Maru (who looks a lot like Tokio) travels with his bodyguard, a young woman named Kiruko. They are not your average, scrappy kids. Maru has the ability to kill Man-Eaters by reaching into their cores and crushing them from within while Kiruko is armed with a special, if unreliable, gun that can kill in one shot. As Kiruko searches for two distinct men, Maru searches for something much grander: Heaven itself.

''Heavenly Delusion'' (天国大魔境 / ''Tengoku-Daimakyou'') is an ongoing 2018 sci-fi post-apocalyptic {{Seinen}} manga written and illustrated by Masakazu Ishiguro (best known for ''[[Manga/SoredemoMachiWaMawatteiru And Yet the Town Moves]]'') and published by DENPA.

** Chapter 4 has Kiruko examining her own body, attempting to kiss her own reflection, and Maru finding stitches in her head, while Chapter 7 has a man thinking Kiruko is a famous kart-racer named Kiriko Takehaya, who went missing five years ago, but she immediately denies the resemblance.

* MonsterIsAMommy: Inverted with an innkeeper who stops Maru and Kiruko from killing a Man-Eater, claiming the monster is her son. [[spoiler:Immediately subverted when the Man-Eater cuts her into pieces and eats her.]]