History Manga / Needless

The manga (which is serialized in [[Magazine/ShonenJump Ultra Jump]]) debuted in 2004 and ended in 2013, and an anime adaptation by Creator/{{Madhouse}} aired in the summer of 2009. The anime has been licensed for US distribution with an English dub track by Creator/SentaiFilmworks, and is [[http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Anime/Needless/Watch available online]].

%%* {{Shinigami}}: [[spoiler:[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Seto/Set]].]]
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Is it Disc or Disk? Arca or Aruka?

** So, so much. Although the EDs and episode 6 take it to near-extremes.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Every fragment/ability in the series is listed with Kanji and a good English equivalent.

%%* {{Gainaxing}}: So, so much...

* LaResistance: The resistance that Cruz was in. ''[[KillEmAll Was]]''.

* FishOutOfWater: the very presence of police officers in a somewhat still stable society in Tokyo, Blade and friends had a hard time trying to figure out what ''these people are'' while raiding the city, since in The Black Spot ThereAreNoPolice it was a completely new experience to the team.

* {{Kawaiiko}}: Mio, who comes dangerously close to [[TastesLikeDiabetes tasting like diabetes]].

* PantyShot: Several dozen an episode.
** [[spoiler:Subverted in the two flashbacks episodes 20 and 21 where there isn't a single one.Blade points it out in the preview.]]
** [[spoiler:Ever since Cruz started cross-dressing, he's gotten panty shots in droves, ''showing bulging junk and everything''.]]

* TheTokyoFireball: The birth of the Black Spot.

* WorldWarIII: In the backstory.
* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: A LampshadeHanging occurs because both Eve and Setsuna have literally blue hair and similarly blue outfits, and they as well as Disc [[BreakingTheFourthWall comment about how having]] [[{{Expy}} very similar characters in an anime]] [[BreakingTheFourthWall is not exactly a good thing]].

** The final chapter gives us probably one of the most disturbing shots in the manga. [[spoiler:Gido tries to rush towards the dimensional gate as it closes. He's too late and the gate closes on him. The following page shows that it ''bisected'' him and gives us a [[http://www.mangareader.net/needless/113/22 good view]] of all his organs.]]

* UnsoundEffect: The most common is "dramatic" for when something dramatic happens or someone's just being overblown, but also [[http://mangafox.me/manga/needless/v15/c105.5/9.html "pleasant"]] used for punching someone in the face.

* RearrangeTheSong: The Killer Girls IdolSinger trio that appears in episode 19 are singing a song that is, on closer inspection, a remixed version of the [[ThemeTuneCameo second ending theme]].

* MasterOfThreads": Kafka's Needless Fragment is called "Kandata String". It allows him to create and control string of enough tensile strength to cut through people, rocks, metal and even entire buildings.

%%* BadassGrandpa: BQ, Geppetto's living doll

* LateArrivalSpoiler: The Fourth Elite. The story talks about how Simeon's Fourth Elite has never been seen, and how they wear a mask to hide their face. When they finally do show up, the series makes no attempt to hide the color of their hair and eyes, making it painfully obvious who it is. The 3rd disc menu of the dub blatantly reveals it, as do the next episode preview of the episode right before TheReveal.. as does the episode title of said episode.

The manga debuted in 2004 and ended in 2013, and an anime adaptation by Creator/{{Madhouse}} aired in the summer of 2009. The anime has been licensed for US distribution with an English dub track by Creator/SentaiFilmworks, and is [[http://www.theanimenetwork.com/Anime/Needless/Watch available online]].

* AccidentalPervert: A RunningGag in episode nine.
* ActionGirl
** Eve Neuschwanstein.
** Every female character in the show qualifies, really. The only one who doesn't do much fighting is Disk, and even she has some [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6BI-xxsam0 serious firepower]].
* AdamAndEvePlot: and they're not subtle about it. More specifically Eve was created for the sole purpose of bearing Blade's children, as said by Gido in Vol.7, due his DNA structure not being compatible with that of normal humans and other Needless. [[spoiler:Adam Neuschwanstein might be the result of Gido's project... maybe]].

* AmazonBrigade or LovelyAngels (3 persons!), TerribleTrio: Simeon's all-female Squad. They also star in the ED credits.

* [[spoiler:AndTheAdventureContinues]]
* [[strike:AfterTheEnd]] ApocalypseNot: The Third World War destroyed major cities in the world including [[TheTokyoFireball Tokyo]], but nearly all of the world has been rebuilt and functions normally as depicted in Needless Zero. However, Black Spots remain as they were many decades ago.
* AndThisIsFor

* ArtShift: The Blade vs. Kuchinashi fight shifts into an odd sort of rough sketch style before reverting to normal.

*** Perhaps the animators got lazy and decided to leave it in storyboard format.
* AssKicksYou: Mio uses both variations as her signature attacks.
** However in a battle in Blade vs the Girl Squad, he was smiling as Mio's slowly land on his face.

* AutobotsRockOut: 24/7

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler:Anyone who is cloned and has their original memories is considered this. Uten, Kafka, and Teruyama were brought back as clones.]]
** Double hits. [[spoiler: The real Teruyama has revived by Mio. Fans rejoice.]]
** [[spoiler: Same goes with Seto and Solva, after Blade gain god powers.]]
* BadassAdorable: Most of the girls.
* BadassBiker: Eve.
* BadassGrandpa: BQ, Geppetto's living doll
* BadassInDistress: Even captured, she just don't stop to show her badassery. Just ask Arclight.
* BadassLongcoat: Adam Blade, Adam Arclight. Blade's longcoat is [[RuleOfCool torn]].
* BadassPreacher: Blade.
* BadassTeacher: More like Badass Dean, but Madam Black, the headmistress of St. Rose Academy, definitely qualifies.
* BattleAura

* BigBad: Adam Arclight. [[spoiler:Partially. The Adam Arclight that Team Blade have been fighting the whole time was a clone. The real Adam Arclight is actually Saten who shares the BigBad spot with Gido, the leader of the 666.]]

* BizarreBabyBoom, CursedWithAwesome: The titular Needless, who are banished to the Black Spot.
* BlasphemousBoast: When Kafka claims, that his [[RazorFloss Razor Wire]] could only be cut by God and Adam Blade actually cuts through them, he counters, that is makes him stronher than God.

** Kana:"You're (Hatfield) not the main character of this MUSTACHE ARC!!!"
* BringMyBrownPants: Mio wets herself when Satan walks up to her (it's hard to see in the shadow).
* ButtMonkey: [[strike:Cruz]] Yamada.
* CallingYourAttacks: Practically anyone who can fight is prone to this.

*** Disc:'''Shout out a skill name and hit people!'''
*** Cruz:Wouldn't I be revealed instantly?

* CatchPhrase: "It's judgment time!" "Your sentence... IS DEATH!"

* ChildrenAreInnocent: Subverted with Uten and Mio. And See-chan[[spoiler:Adam Cyclops]] from NEEDLESS 1.5
* {{Confessional}}: Subverted with Momiji Teruyama's introduction, the booth winds up getting destroyed.
* ClothingDamage: Eve is a frequent victim...as if her outfit wasn't {{Stripperific}} enough already.

* CoolShades: Blade's. If they were a bit more pointy and orange, they'd look almost like [[Anime/TengenToppaGurrenLagann Kamina's]].

* ContinuityCameo: [[spoiler:Adam Neuschwanstein]], Adam Blade's [[spoiler:rumored future clone/transexual form/daughter from NEEDLESS 1.5]], makes an appearance in the 82th chapter of the main series, a very brief and almost purposeless one.

* CrystalDragonJesus: The Second.
** CloneJesus: The goal of [[strike:Shimeji]] Simeon. Adam Blade can supposedly become this if he memorizes enough Fragments... If he's smart enough to actually do that.
* CuteAndPsycho: Solva
* CuteBruiser: Mio, whose ability is "[[SuperStrength Power]]".
* CuteMute: Bishoujo Squad member Kuchinashi. [[spoiler: [[IAmNotLeftHanded Subverted]].]]
** Everyone: [[spoiler:'''KUCHINASHI JUST SPOKE!?!''']]
* DeathIsCheap: [[spoiler: Pretty much anyone can be cloned and brought back through such a manner. Though [[CameBackWrong how]] [[CameBackStrong they]] [[BrainwashedAndCrazy come]] [[SendInTheClones back]] is a different story]].
** Though, the author just forgot to revive [[KillTheCutie some]] [[DiscOneFinalBoss people]].
* DefeatMeansFriendship: [[spoiler:Solva]] in a flashback.
* DelayedReaction: Many, many times.

* DistressedDamsel: Eve, as of episode 6.

* TheDragon: Saten is the strongest of the [[QuirkyMinibossSquad Quirky Miniboss Squad]], [[spoiler: as proven when he reveals he is [[DragonWithAnAgenda also]] part-God and [[TheStarscream obliterates Arclight and the 666]] [[GeckoEnding in the anime]].]]
** CoDragons: Saten and Rira in the manga.
* DueToTheDead: in the anime while Setsuna keeps an impassive face when Blade threw the corpse of another member of the Pretty Girl Squad, [[spoiler: Kurumi]], at her; Mio and Kuchinashi take the time to compose the corpse into a serene pose as Setsuna faces Blade down.
* EnigmaticMinion: Saten.
** Well, at least until episode 22 came around...
* EyeCatch: A voice growls [[TitleDrop "NEEDLESS"]].

* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Arca]]

** [[spoiler: Teruyama. Though it turns out it's a clone of the original who is dead.]]

* {{Fanservice}}: So, so much...Although the EDs and episode 6 take it to near-extremes.

** For Part II, the fanservice for [[spoiler: WholesomeCrossdresser Cruz]] escalates ever single chapter. The latest one even has [[spoiler: the front of his skirt ripped off, exposing his panties, ''with bulge and everything''.]]

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Subverted. [[spoiler: Arca]] complains that [[spoiler: "Our family name is not Yamada"]] to a comically surprised Eve... While in the background, [[spoiler: Cruz]] is holding his RECENTLY CUT OFF ARM in pain.
* {{Gainaxing}}: So, so much...

* GenderEqualEnsemble: The main team for the majority of the series consists of four men (Blade, Cruz, Gido and Teruyama) and four women (Eve, Disk, Seto and Solva). Later on in the series, Mio more or less permanently joins the group while Saten slips in and out of it, keeping the gender ratio relatively stable. Completely thrown out of balance in the final chapters, however, where [[spoiler: Setsuna and Kuchinashi join the main group, Gido and Saten, who are revealed to be the BigBadDuumvirate, are killed off, Blade becomes trapped in Eve's body and Cruz becomes a girl, making Teruyama the only man on a team of 8 women.]]

* GirlOnGirlIsHot: This is the most reasonable explanation for why the first ED is the way it is.
** And/or because of Blade's personal tastes.
* AGodAmI: Arclight. [[spoiler: Judging from the history of the NEEDLESS world, what he said is not very far from the truth. Ouch.]]

* GoodAllAlong: [[spoiler: Arca sacrifices herself to save Cruz.]]

** Disc: DESTROY EVOLUTION!!!

* {{Gorn}}: Thankfully the anime largely averts this, but [[spoiler: in the manga, Eve really destroyed Arclight's head with her drill... only to see it reform in front of her.]]

* HammerSpace: Even if Kuchinashi is [[spoiler:stripped off, she still has her pen and paper to write down her words.]]

* HealingFactor: Part of Eve's doppelganger power. Not energy conserving. [[spoiler:Also, Adam Arclight.]]

* HeelFaceTurn: [[spoiler:Mio, teaming up with Yamada after the Eden's Piece massacre.]]

** Let's not forget Saten, [[spoiler: or should I say Kannazuki Kyouji, Dr Gido's assistant?]]

* HeroicSacrifice: Aruka. [[spoiler: Subverted, it's just a facade to defect to Simeon.]] [[spoiler: Later played straight in the manga.]]
** A more straightforward example is [[spoiler: when Yamada had to drag Eve out of the underground junkyard while climbing as it collapsed..]]
*** [[TheCavalry Also subverted]].

* IfItsYouItsOkay: This exchange between Cruz and Kuchinashi (with her sketchpad)...
-->'''Kuchinashi''': Don't worry, I'm not [that] interested in guys.
-->'''Cruz''': I'm pretty sure "that" is written really small in there!
-->'''Kuchinashi''': ...guys who make good traps are a-ok.

* ImColdSoCold: Cruz says this in episode 17 after [[spoiler: being burned/stabbed close to the heart by his sister and enemies.]]

** [[spoiler:That last one didn't stick.]]

** Just remember Blade's reaction when he sees her.

* LittleMissBadass: Bishoujo Squad member Mio.
* LoomingSilhouetteOfRage
* LoopholeAbuse: It's a commonly known fact that all Needless only have one ability. What is Adam Blade's ability? [[PowerCopying Copying the abilities of other Needless, allowing him to freely use them.]] And it's a loophole he gleefully abuses. [[spoiler: As it turns out, Adam Arclight and Saten share the same ability]]
* LotusEaterMachine: Kuchinashi's Lilith Temptation.

* MasterOfIllusion: Uten's "Bermuda Apport" power allows him to make things invisible. It's a somewhat limited ability, but he uses it quite effectively. [[spoiler: His clone has a stigmata and is now capable of making anything invisible.]]
* MindControl: [[spoiler:Kurumi.]]
* MsFanservice: Eve.
* MoodWhiplash: Everyone is worried when a holographic screen showing [[BigBad Adam Arclight]] appears on the sky, and right before he finishes introducing himself...the guy takes four naked girls to the head. Cue the "We're having technical problems" screen with a poorly-drawn cartoon rabbit and turtle with a ''very'' childish background before switching back to the ominous mood again. This is aided by the fact that Arclight wasn't used for humor up until that scene... nor after.
*** Should be noted that, when Arclight comes back online, his fist [[spoiler: is covered with ''blood.'']]
** Done a ''lot'' more after that. There will be a dramatic moment... then suddenly it's comedy for a bit. [[spoiler: Subverted after the flashback we get of Blade, Eve, Gido, Arclight, and even Kyouji's past, where humor disappears.]]
* NearDeathExperience: [[spoiler:Yamada had one, after he was sliced by his [[FaceHeelTurn big sister Arca.]] The guys that were already dead even greets him "Welcome to Hell" and reserves a seat for him in their Mahjong table.]]

* TheNickNamer: Eve.
* {{Nosebleed}}, WingdingEyes: Blade + young girl = this.

* NumberOfTheBeast: The 666 Committee [[spoiler: which oversee Arclight and Simeon's actions. They're all Needless and lead by Gido]].

** [[spoiler:To be fair, they are both clones of the Second, and he didn't have much information to go on.]]

* OurAngelsAreDifferent: [[spoiler: They're EldritchAbomination aliens from another galaxy which spread the virus that is the Edens seed]].

** [[spoiler:Ever since Cruz started cross-dressing, he's gotten panty shots in droves, ''showing bulging junk and everything''. Looks like the artist is a trap fetish.]]
* PlayingWithFire: Momiji Teruyama, Arca Schild, and to a degree, Saten.
* {{Postmodernism}}: In spades.

* PowerPerversionPotential: Disk's Scan ability can gather information about anyone they might encounter. Blade's first question? [[spoiler: "Can you give me girl's measurements?"]] It's used that way [[ChekhovsSkill half-way through the series]] to "punish" Setsuna, Mio, and Kushinashi.
** [[spoiler:When Blade attains God-Powers, he resurrects Solva and Seto "naked". Then at the final part of the story...]]
* TheProfessor: CoolOldGuy Gidou.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Many Needless gangs in the Black Spot are exactly this, as mentioned in [[AllThereInTheManual Needless Zero]]. [[spoiler: In the current manga arc, Yamada had to gather everyone -- from murderous living doll to serial killer drop-out to mad young girl genius to a cyborg head to ward off an invasion by Simeone Clone Squad led by his sister.]]

* RetIrony: Lampshaded by Teruyama in the preview segment at the end of Episode 18.

* RuleOfCool: Overloaded with it.

* {{Shinigami}}: [[spoiler:[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Seto/Set]].]]

* SpiderTank: Testaments.
* SpiritualSuccessor: to ''Anime/{{Scryed}}''.
* {{Stripperiffic}}: Riru's outfits. Eve's normal attire also comes very, VERY close.

* SuperMovePortraitAttack: Including {{Combination Attack}}s.
* SuperSpeed: Bishoujo Squad member Setsuna.

* TalkingIsAFreeAction: And for Kuchinashi, writing is, too

* TestosteronePoisoning: Oh ''god''.

* TimeSkip: Even before ''Imai Kami'' started working on Needless in a official magazine like ''Ultra Jump'' he had the whole storyline set in his mind years ago, back then he just wrote a few doujinshi stories and ''Needless 1.5'' is one of them, Kami confirmed that the story is set 2 years after the current plotline; Needless 1.5 was collected officially in the Needless Zero volume which is filled with prequel - before the current Needless - stories after said "sometime" in the future chapter. The chapter itself doesn't explain much it just features a girl who [[spoiler:looks a lot like Blade]], her name is [[spoiler:Adam Neuschwanstein]] and she lives with [[spoiler:Eve in the same regular church]], [[spoiler:Blade]] is nowhere to be seem, the girl just fights a few Testaments and nothing really relevant happens. As Kami said the story is only set 2 years after the current Needless is hard to presume [[spoiler:Adam Neuschwanstein's]] conection with [[spoiler:Blade]] and [[spoiler:Eve]] as she is shown to be around the same age as [[spoiler:Eve]] in the current Needless, she might be a clone as she has [[spoiler:Blade's collar and a fragment on her forehead]], or a gender-bent [[spoiler:Blade]], or a [[spoiler:daughter]] with an absurd growth spurt...
** [[spoiler: Based on the events of the final Chapter, the girl is actually Blade who had fused with Eve resulting in her current appearance]]

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Eve's Super ''De''rodoro Drink. Note that it's different from Super ''[[SpellMyNameWithAnS Do]]''[[SpellMyNameWithAnS rodoro]] ("Muddy") Drink - which is probably the generic version or somesuch. The former contains [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_energy 5000 kcal(!) per can]]; Eve needs much more than that to use her [[VoluntaryShapeshifting Doppelganger]] Fragment.

* TwinkleSmile: Blade in the first opening, while [[ShirtlessScene showing off his six-packs]].

* VaporWear: [[spoiler: Arca]], whilst in her Simeon costume. Lampshaded by Cruz in the preview segment at the end of episode 17.

* WhamEpisode: Chapter 108 [[spoiler: has Arclight reveal that he plans to spread Edens seed across the world via clones to wipe out most of mankind and evolve the remaining ones, aliens are trying to appear on earth through a imprisoned dimensional gateway that is slowly breaking through its cage with mankinds only chance of fighting against them is by evolving via the edens seed, Solva and Seto are dead, and Gido is the leader of 666.]]

* WorldOfHam: In and out of [[HamToHamCombat battle]]. Eve's doppleganging gives the potential for every voice actor to get in on the fun, even for the more subdued characters.

* YouGottaHaveBlueHair: Eve and Setsuna.
** A LampshadeHanging occurs because both Eve and Setsuna have literally blue hair and similarly blue outfits, and they as well as Disc [[BreakingTheFourthWall comment about how having]] [[{{Expy}} very similar characters in an anime]] [[BreakingTheFourthWall is not exactly a good thing]].
* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: [[spoiler:Adam Arclight pulls one on ALL his followers in the anime GeckoEnding.]]

** Actually in the manga it's reviled that [[spoiler:the "Apple of Eden" is what evolved some monkeys into humans, and now the 666 wanted to use it again to evolve humans into gods. The best of the Adam series and Eve project were supposed to be the first to become gods.]]

* HugeGuyTinyGirl: A rare case where this applies to ''every'' character. All of the male characters with the exception of [[DudeLooksLikeALady Cruz]] are drawn as towering musclemen while all of the female characters with the exception of [[TheDragon Rira]] are drawn at the very least as petite and at the very most as [[TokenMiniMoe lolis]].

* {{Lolicon}}: Adam Blade. To an ''EXTREME'' degree.
--> ''LITTLE GIRL. LITTLE GIRL. LITTLE GIRL. Well, she's technically a little girl. LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE GIRL.''
** It seems that even Arclight is too. Well they are brothers AFTER ALL!!
*** This would also explain why he has whole squads of pretty little girls.

* {{Nosebleed}}, WingdingEyes: Blade + loli = this.

* RagtagBunchOfMisfits: Many Needless gangs in the Black Spot are exactly this, as mentioned in [[AllThereInTheManual Needless Zero]]. [[spoiler: In the current manga arc, Yamada had to gather everyone -- from murderous living doll to serial killer drop-out to mad loli genius to a cyborg head to ward off an invasion by Simeone Clone Squad led by his sister.]]

* BadAss: Overflowing with it.
** BadassAdorable: Most of the girls.
** BadassBiker: Eve.
** LittleMissBadass: Bishoujo Squad member Mio.
** BadassGrandpa: BQ, Geppetto's living doll
** BadassLongcoat: Adam Blade, Adam Arclight. Blade's longcoat is [[RuleOfCool torn]].
** BadassPreacher: Blade.
** BadassTeacher: More like Badass Dean, but Madam Black, the headmistress of St. Rose Academy, definitely qualifies.
** TookALevelInBadass: Later on, [[spoiler:[[strike:Yamada]] Cruz becomes one. The most interesting part is that he become one ''while being a WholesomeCrossdresser''.]] [[RefugeInAudacity That's NEEDLESS for you.]]
** Setsuna and Mio, at least. Kuchinashi is later revealed to actually ''be'' a lesbian, and in the manga, is currently crushing over [[spoiler:a crossdressing Cruz.]]
** Also in the DVD version. Where she likes to [[spoiler:Strip naked while sleeping with Cruz.]]

** BadassInDistress: Even captured, she just don't stop to show her badassery. Just ask Arclight.

* AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome: Kafka. When you first meet him, he's the WarmUpBoss. In the alternate past, however, he's a badass [[spoiler:His YouShallNotPass toward the end [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome further cements it.]]]]

* AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome: Kafka. When you first meet him, he's the WarmUpBoss. In the alternate past, however, he's a {{Badass}} [[spoiler:His YouShallNotPass toward the end [[CrowningMomentOfAwesome further cements it.]]]]

* AndTheRest: The second exposition introduces the resistance as "A mysterious priest, Adam Blade! Eve Neuschwanstein! And the rest." followed by a group FaceFault.

* JerkAss: ''Everyone'' except Cruz. Even ''the protagonists'' are JerkAss.
** JerkWithAHeartOfGold / TookALevelInKindness: Most of the characters have mellowed out by the time they are reintroduced in Part II.