History Manga / KagerouNostalgia

[[caption-width-right:246:Top to bottom: [[KidSamurai Kazuma Shudo]], [[HighlyVisibleNinja Fuwa]], [[WhiteMage Shiranui]], [[ArcherArchetype Mizuki Kamurougi]], [[BlackKnight Goki]]. Not pictured--[[TheHeart Akira]]]]

** The captain of the 4th Ninja Squad is somewhere between this and a DarkActionGirl. Her morality's ambiguous to say the least.

* {{Ancestral Weapon}}: Kidou's sword, Rai's spear, Kamui's bow, Shiretsu's naginata, and Kagerou's {{BFG}}, are all kept in a shrine in Hikami Castle, and are used in Chapter 8 to reawaken Kazuma and Fuwa's memories. So far, Kazuma, Fuwa, and Mizuki have all begun to use their respective ancestral weapons as their own. Shiranui has yet to pick up Kagerou's gun, and while Akira owns Princess Mio I's staff and fan she has no idea how to use them. [[spoiler:Goki, in the meanwhile, uses Shiretsu's naginata in his murder of Princess Mio XI, then escapes with it]].

* ArcherArchetype: Mizuki is an icy, aloof distance fighter, who prefers to act on his own, relies on stealth, and rarely asks for the opinions of others.
* {{Arranged Marriage}}: Mizuki Kamurogi and Princess Mio XI. Judging from his devotion to her, willingness to serve as her right-hand man in ''Kagerou-Nostalgia'', utter horror when ([[spoiler:Goki murders her at the start of ''The Resurrection'']]), and [[spoiler:subsequent suicide attempt]] it was likely a {{Perfectly Arranged Marriage}}, at least on his part.

* TeensAreShort: Most adults tower over the protagonists.

* [[AbusiveParents Abusive Parent]]: Fuwa's dad; possibly Mizuki's stepfather.
* {{Action Girl}}: ([[spoiler: Ran/Ranmaru]]) appears to have been one of these before her {{Gender Bender}}. She was one of the last survivors on a battlefield that had been utterly devastated by Gessho's troops, and managed to survive a bout against Rikimaru while she was still an unpowered human. That one battle was enough to convince Gessho that he wanted her as part of his forces. She was pretty good. From the looks of things the original Princess Mio was one as well.

* {{Armour is Useless}}: Averted thus far with Ranmaru and Rikimaru who cover themselves in plate from head to foot and have yet to sustain any serious injuries, while dealing out absolutely horrific damage in response.

* BigBrotherMentor[=/=][[spoiler:CoolBigSis]][=/=]ParentalSubstitute: Ranmaru to Goki. Rikimaru also helps out in this regard, though not to quite the same degree as Ranmaru, who actually threatens to abandon Gessho if he harms Goki.

* {{Blade on a Stick}}: The preferred weapons of Gessho's top three soldiers: Ranmaru, Rikimaru, and [[spoiler:Goki]]. Fuwa has also begun to use his ancestral Spear of Rai as his main weapon, while Goki has Shiretsu's Naginata.
* {{Body Horror}}: Pick one of the monsters on Kuroda or Gessho's payrolls.

* {{Character Development}}: All of the main cast have had some, but Kazuma is the best example. When he first appears he's an alienated, antisocial freak, who {{hates being touched}} and maintains an aloof, superior attitude as a means of emotional self-defence. By the first volume of ''The Resurrection'', he's the leader of group, willingly holds Akira's hand to help her activate her spiritual powers, and has a vested interest in keeping both his friends and the Hikami Clan alive. He's also lost a lot of his {{angst}}, though none of the attitude.

* {{Child Soldiers}}: Kazuma is the straightest example, operating as a mercenary since before his fourteenth birthday, but the main cast can all be seen in this light. Shiranui is a demon-killing priest at fifteen, ([[spoiler: Mizuki]]) is essentially Hikami's commander-in-chief by ''The Resurrection'' , Fuwa's been a ninja since his preteens and was a monster hunter before that, and [[spoiler:Goki]] has been working for Gessho for almost as long. Even [[TheHeart Akira]] is starting to have altogether too much experience with battlefields. They fall somewhere between the "Precociously Talented" and "Just Plain Tragic" types, having the skill of the former, but the horror and sense of futility associated with the latter.

* {{Crapsack World}}: The alternate version of feudal Japan that the kids inhabit sucks hard. Eighty percent of it is ruled by Kuroda, who allows his soldiers to butcher random villages just for the Hell of it. The rest of the country is poor, hard-pressed, and shrinking, relying on mercenaries and a few spiritually powerful children to maintain independence. Corrupt lords continue to support Kuroda and the People Hunts, whether openly or secretly. People who oppose the Hunts get arrested to avoid provoking him. And so far, the heroes haven't been able to change much. By ''Resurrection'' the clan they were trying to protect is all but destroyed, their army and infrastructure are in ruins, ([[spoiler: one of their own has betrayed them and killed their leader]]), another member is losing his mind from stress, and the group is scattered far and wide. They haven't even managed to kill a single major villain. Perhaps Kazuma puts it best: "In the end...we were powerless. Again. We fought like mad, but all that's ever left is the devastation." It's going to take a lot of effort before this world even remotely improves.

* {{Doomed Hometown}}: Kazuma is the sole survivor of the attack on his village. Also true for the town that he is first shown defending. To be fair to him, the second one would have been destroyed a lot sooner if it wasn't for his efforts. The town of Sufu, where Fuwa lives, also gets totalled.

* [[EmotionlessGirl Emotionless Boy]]: Goki, who has a grand total of two settings: violence, and apathy.

* {{Evil Redhead}}: [[spoiler:Goki]] is one of these so far. His ancestor Shiretsu, on the other hand, was not.

* TheFaceless: [[spoiler:Goki]] during his first appearance.

* FemmeFatalons: Bima, the demonic [[TheVamp Vamp]].

* FunPersonified: Fuwa tries to be this, though there's more than a little [[StepfordSmiler stepford in his smile]].
* GangstaStyle: Shiranui has fired his guns this way, most notably in his first appearance when he uses them to incapacitate Shimari.

* GreaterScopeVillain: Possibly King Haku of the Yu. Depends entirely on whether he is a separate entity, or if [[TheBigBad Gessho]] is his host.

* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Kagerou was bisected by Haku as he tried to deliver the finishing blow to the Yu King's spirit.

* {{Hates Being Touched}}: Kazuma has a bad case of this during the first couple of chapters, to the point where he'll instantly attack anyone who so much as makes contact with him. There's a reason that even his fellow mercenaries think he's psychotic.

* {{The Hero}}: Kazuma Shudo. There may not be a full team in place, but Kazuma is definitely this. Somewhere between ''Kagerou-Nostalgia'' and ''The Resurrection'' Kazuma has gone from Shiranui's bodyguard to being the leader among the five kids, if not Hikami itself ([[spoiler: that remains Mizuki's job]]). Both Shiranui and Fuwa come to him to request leave, Akira turns to him for advice and leadership, and in combat situations he even gives orders to Mizuki. On top of that, he's the protagonist to boot.
* HeterosexualLifePartners: Subverted by [[spoiler:Rikimaru and [[GenderBender Ranmaru]]]].
* {{Highly Visible Ninja}}: Fuwa. He's in bright yellow and purple.

* {{Hot Blooded}}: Kazuma again. Charges monsters with just a sword? Check. No respect for personal safety? Check. Ready to fight at the drop of a hat? Way check.

* ImAHumanitarian: Some of Kuroda's demons seem to fall into this category. Hell, some of Kuroda's ''[[SociopathicSoldier soldiers]]'' seem to fall into this category.
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy: The reason why Mizuki never calls out Princess Mio XI for her obvious crush on Shiranui.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Kazuma, although it's initially ''very'' well hidden. More like [[AxeCrazy psychotic]] JerkAss with a [[HiddenHeartOfGold Heart of Gold]], really. He's evolved into a more typical example by ''The Resurrection''.

* {{Katanas Are Just Better}}: Oddly enough, no. Kazuma uses one during the first few chapters, but by ''The Resurrection'' has upgraded to the distinctly Western-looking {{BFS}} he inherited from Kamui.
* {{Kid Hero}}: The main cast are in their mid-teens, and are stuck with the job of being the leaders of a resistance movement, the defenders of Hikami, and one of the few groups to oppose the People Hunters. Destiny sucks.
* {{Kid Samurai}}: Kazuma used to be one. You know, before monsters [[DoomedHomeTown killed his entire town]] and [[ImAHumanitarian ate his sister]]. Good-bye wannabe dojo instructor, hello [[ChildSoldier child]] [[HiredGuns mercenary]].
* KilledOffForReal:Shimari, Bima, [[spoiler:Princess Mio XI]]

* LoveHurts: Minor example with [[spoiler:Rikimaru's crush on Ranmaru]]. It's left him pretty depressed. See [[spoiler: GenderBender]] for why.

* {{The Man Behind the Man}}: To the public, General Kuroda is the one to be feared, a military dictator who's managed to take control of most of Japan, ordered the slaughter of thousands, and is Hell bent on the conquest of the few remaining holdouts. But the one who's really in charge is Kuroda's "strategist", Lord Gessho.

* {{The Mole}}: ([[spoiler:Goki]]) is an especially damaging one. He became a key member of the group, playing on their shared past together to keep anyone from becoming suspicious, before ([[spoiler:murdering Princess Mio XI on Gessho's orders, and abandoning the group as Hikami collapses around them.]]) Later chapters suggest that he at least partially regrets this, and his moral agency, as well as the sincerity of his initial turn, is all up in the air, given Gessho's constant manipulations of his emotions, both through words and magic.

* {{Nice Job Breaking It Hero}}: Shiranui suffers through a particularly horrific one in the early chapters. He and Kazuma are staying with a woman whose husband left, planning to travel to the capital and assassinate Kuroda, leaving her and their daughter behind. The husband subsequently returns with a band of mercenaries and massacres the town; when his wife confronts him and accuses him of People Hunting, he does not seem to understand what she is talking about. Shiranui realises that the man has been tainted by the darkness in the capital and purifies him. ([[spoiler: Horrified by what he has done the husband promptly murders his wife and daughter, and then commits suicide while Shiranui looks on, unable to bring himself to stop the killing by shooting another human being.]]) Nice job breaking it, priest.
* {{No Export For You}} : The first chunk of the story is only available in Japanese. Only minimal amounts of the story have be translated online creating giant [[IncrediblyLamePun plot holes]].
* NotSoStoic: [[spoiler: Mizuki]] for a few seconds after [[spoiler: Princess Mio's death]]. [[BigBad Gessho]] gets a scary one during [[AChatWithSatan a chat with]] Shiranui.
* NumberTwo: Mizuki to Princess Mio XI.
* OffingTheOffspring: [[spoiler: Gessho]] seriously (as in grabs by the throat and starts throttling) contemplates doing this to [[spoiler: Goki following the revelation that Goki is Shiretsu's reincarnation]]. He relents at the last minute and they hug instead. Of course, as flashbacks in Chapter 15 establish, they're not actually related. Fuwa's dad rather comically attempts this against him in a flashback.

* {{Only One Name}}: Fuwa doesn't have a first name. His mother died before she could tell his father what it was and Fuwa was too young to remember it, and his father was too lazy to give him a new one. Shiranui also lacks a full name.

* OneWingedAngel: Gessho starts shifting into this randomly during the middle of a conversation with Shiranui. Also counts as a ''very'' freaky NotSoStoic moment.
** [[TheVamp Bima]] also does this during her fight against Kazuma, Fuwa and Shiranui.

* PastLifeMemories: All of the main cast possess at least some of these, though how many seem to vary.

* {{Power Tattoo}}: Shiranui has several, designed to prevent demons from tainting his pure soul.

* PrincessClassic: Princess Mio XI

* {{Protectorate}}: Shiranui to Kazuma, and the Hikami clan and their lands for all of the reincarnated heroes.

* RapeAsBackstory: Maybe. Shimari is heavily implied to have done ''something'' to Kazuma, and the rather uncomfortable imagery in the flashbacks, coupled with Kazuma's issues with being touched would heavily suggest molestation, but it's never made entirely clear.

* {{Red Eyes Take Warning}}: Kazuma is not a bad guy. But we wouldn't reccommend picking a fight with him either. He's a scary, scary little punk when he's angry. And he's angry a lot.

* ScarfOfAsskicking: Sported by Kazuma
* SealedEvilInACan: King Haku. Probably.
* ShellShockedVeteran: Kazuma, of the ChildSoldier variety.

* {{Sociopathic Soldier}}: Many of Kuroda's troops, as well as the various [[PsychoForHire mercenaries]] they hire to assist them. Then again, you've got to be pretty evil to join a People Hunt, let alone brag about it the way a lot of them do. Where does Kuroda hire these guys?

* TheStoic: Mizuki and Goki both have shades of this, with Goki being genuinely bereft of emotion, while Mizuki is cold as a concious choice. When Shiranui walks away from him at one point without explaining or saying a word Kazuma accuses him of "Pullin' a Mizuki." This is some time after Mizuki gave Kazuma a lecture on how life can only hurt you, if you choose to care about other people.

* TheStrategist: [[BigBad Gessho]] pretends to be one for [[EvilOverlord Kuroda]].

* {{Tattooed Crook}}: Kuroda's two bodyguards are covered in tattoos. Including ones that resemble [[ExtraEyes additional eyes]]. [[EyesDoNotBelongThere Creepy pair]].

* UndyingLoyalty: Mizuki to Princess Mio XI, Rikimaru to Lord Gessho.

* TheVamp: Bima, one of the demons from the first half, who attempted to seduce both Shiranui and Kazuma. Made worse given that they're in their teens and look younger, while she was at least (physically) her twenties or thirties. It almost works too, at least until Shiranui's tattoos kick in.

* EpicFlail: Ranmaru's weapon is somewhere between this and a BladeOnAStick. The staff can break apart while remaining joined by a chain.

* {{The Chick}}: Akira. She's the weakest member of the group, and has the least experience with her spiritual pressure. She's also the most emotionally sensitive, and is concerned with the feelings of the other members. She has required help from both Shiranui and Kazuma to so much as activate her abilities, yet is still an integral part of the group. She even has the royalty connection thanks to her status as the reincarnation of Princess Mio I [[spoiler:and is now serving as Hikami's figurehead]].

* TheHeart: Despite his poor interpersonal skills, Shiranui plays this role in the team, with Kazuma, Fuwa, Mizuki, Akira, and Goki, all feeling an exceptionally strong attachment to him that helps bind them together as a unit. Given their reactions in flashbacks, it seems that Kagerou played a similar role on the original team.

[[caption-width-right:246:Top to bottom: [[KidSamurai Kazuma Shudo]], [[HighlyVisibleNinja Fuwa]], [[WhiteMage Shiranui]], [[ArcherArchetype Mizuki Kamurougi]], [[BlackKnight Goki]]. Not pictured--[[TheChick Akira]]]]

* {{Child Soldiers}}: Kazuma is the straightest example, operating as a mercenary since before his fourteenth birthday, but the main cast can all be seen in this light. Shiranui is a demon-killing priest at fifteen, ([[spoiler: Mizuki]]) is essentially Hikami's commander-in-chief by ''The Resurrection'' , Fuwa's been a ninja since his preteens and was a monster hunter before that, and [[spoiler:Goki]] has been working for Gessho for almost as long. Even [[TheChick Akira]] is starting to have altogether too much experience with battlefields. They fall somewhere between the "Precociously Talented" and "Just Plain Tragic" types, having the skill of the former, but the horror and sense of futility associated with the latter.

* BareYourMidriff: The Captain of the 4th Squad. She even has a hole cut in the back of her cloak so she can show off on both sides.

* ArmourPiercingSlap: Subverted. Akira slaps Mizuki in the face when he mocks Kazuma's dead father, and he allows her to. It does nothing, however, to change his attitude, and he doesn't believe he has it coming--it's just that he doesn't care enough to respond.

* {{Simple Staff}}: Shiranui uses one. When he isn't shooting people.

* {{The Hero}}: Kazuma Shudo. There may not be a full FiveManBand in place, but Kazuma is definitely this. Somewhere between ''Kagerou-Nostalgia'' and ''The Resurrection'' Kazuma has gone from Shiranui's bodyguard to being the leader among the five kids, if not Hikami itself ([[spoiler: that remains Mizuki's job]]). Both Shiranui and Fuwa come to him to request leave, Akira turns to him for advice and leadership, and in combat situations he even gives orders to Mizuki. On top of that, he's the protagonist to boot.

* {{Everythings Better With Princesses}}: Played straight with Princess Mios I and XI. [[spoiler:Right up until XI died, anyway.]] Akira, the reincarnation of Princess Mio I is now attempting to do the same, with limited success.

* {{Jerkass Facade}}: As discussed above, Mizuki. He's even managed to fool himself.

* ItsAllAboutMe: Mizuki claims that there is nothing that is important to him other than himself. He's [[JerkassFacade full of it]].

This is a pity, as ''Kagerou-Nostalgia'' is a rather well-written take on an old idea: that of resurrection and rebirth. When the series opens, we are in an [[AlternateUniverse AU]] of medieval Japan. Nearly eighty percent of the country has been conquered by [[EvilOverlord General Kiyotaka Kuroda]], and the remaining twenty percent is hard pressed to stay free and unoccupied. We are introduced to [[TheHero Kazuma Shudo]], a 14-year old mercenary hired by one of the nations that is resisting Kuroda. A proficient swordsman (swordsboy?) Kazuma is able to use his spiritual power to fight Kuroda's armies of monsters and People Hunters, sadistic soldiers who live only to slaughter. As the story progresses, Kazuma is introduced to five other teenagers with similar abilities: Shiranui, Fuwa, Mizuki, Akira, and Goki. Gathered together by Princess Mio XI, they begin to realize that they all knew and fought alongside each other five hundred years ago and have since been reincarnated: a fact that makes them a target for Kuroda's [[TheManBehindTheMan mysterious master]], [[BigBad Gessho Kuki]], [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast Shadow]].

* TheBigBad: Gessho Kuki appears to be this so far. What with the whole story about [[SealedEvilInACan sealing King Haku]] though, it's entirely possible that he will be replaced as things progress. Hasn't happened so far though.
** Gessho has been revealed to be "The Shadow", a being of raw evil energy who appeared shortly after Haku's defeat and destroyed the nations responsible for sealing him away. While not as powerful as Haku, The Shadow is still immensely strong and seeks the destruction of all the clans who participated in the sealing.

* CoolMask: Kagerou wore one that covered the lower half of his face, [[{{Naruto}} Hatake Kakashi]] style.

* BadassPrincess: Princess Mio I was one, and Akira appears to be on her way to fullfilling the same role.

* LoveAtFirstSight: [[spoiler:[[TheDragon Rikimaru]] for [[ActionGirl Ran]], who eventually became [[CoDragons Ranmaru]]]]. She was so pretty he couldn't bring himself to kill her, [[spoiler:which grabbed Gessho's attention and resulted in her being [[GenderBender turned into a man]]]]. Good work, lover-boy.

* TheVamp: Bima, one of the demons from the first half, who attempted to seduce both Shiranui and Kazuma. Made worse given that they're in their teens and [[{{Shotacon}} look younger]], while she was at least (physically) her twenties or thirties. It almost works too, at least until Shiranui's tattoos kick in.

* BadassPreacher: Shiranui is a priest (or perhaps more accurately a [[MentorOccupationalHazard priest's apprentice]]). He's also about as BadAss as this [[CrapsackWorld setting]] allows any of its protagonists to be. Given [[BigBad Gessho's]] reaction to his [[ObiWanMoment ghost appearing]] during his interrogation of Shiranui, it's fair to estimate that his master was this as well.

* EyepatchOfPower: Fuwa's boss, Captain of one of the Ninja Squads. He has quite the reputation for {{Badass}}ery in-story.

* {{Gender Bender}}: ([[spoiler:Ranmaru]]). Hoo boy. Where to start. ([[spoiler:Ran]]) was woman, who hated her own gender. So, when she signed on with Gessho she had him change her into a man, ([[spoiler:Ranmaru]]). Sound simple enough? But wait: once a month he changes back into a woman for just one night. Did we mention that ([[spoiler:her partner Rikimaru has a crush on the aforementioned woman?]]) Yeah, it's complicated like that.

* {{Character Development}}: All of the main cast have had some, but Kazuma is the best example. When he first appears he's an alienated, antisocial freak, who {{hates being touched}} and maintains an aloof, superior attitude as a means of emotional self-defence. By the first volume of ''The Resurrection'', he's the leader of group, willingly holds Akira's hand to help her activate her spiritual powers, and has a vested interest in keeping both his friends and the Hikami Clan alive. He's also lost a lot of his {{angst}}, though none of the [[{{Badass}} attitude]].

* {{Evil Redhead}}: [[spoiler:Goki]] is one of these so far. His ancestor Shiretsu, on the other hand, was a RedHeadedHero.

* BiggerBad: Possibly King Haku of the Yu. Depends entirely on whether he is a separate entity, or if [[TheBigBad Gessho]] is his host.