History VisualNovel / KoihimeMusou

When OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Kazuto Hongo chases after a thief, who steals and breaks an ancient mirror at his school campus, he's transported back to ancient China. Are we good so far? Now, take the ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' story and GenderFlip nearly all male characters from the original epic into {{action girl}}s of varying degrees of affection for Kazuto, and you get the perfect harem VisualNovel called ''Koihime†Musou'', developed by [=BaseSon=]. All principal heroines in the game are [[{{Expy}} expies]] of the (male) generals from the original epic and the former's names are derived from the latter's by reading the original Chinese characters in their names as kanji. Additionally, all of them have a true, "private" name usually reserved for close friends, and several sport a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_style_name courtesy name]]. European {{eroge}} publisher [=MangaGamer=] acquired the localization rights and released an English version on February 28, 2011.

A remake of the visual novel ''Shin Koihime†Musou'' was released with more characters added in from ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' and following suit by [[GenderFlip genderflipping]] them. Not only does it pay more attention to the original epic but it also allows players to choose which faction to ally with, rather than the preset one in the original game.

* ''Koihime†Musou'' (2007 in Japan, 2011 worldwide): A mostly original story based on the ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'', featuring the major generals of the period. Albeit presenting itself as an adaptation of the Three Kingdoms, it quickly takes its own route to become more of a standard UnwantedHarem story with few references to the original epic. OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Kazuto Hongou ends up in the Three Kingdom period after attempting to stop a thief, and circumstances led him to become the leader of the temptative Shoku Kingdom, alongside the famed warriors Kan'u and Chouuhi, taking the identity of Ryuubi in all but name. Because of its status as an original story, it has several instances of EarlyInstallmentWeirdness and bordering on PornWithoutPlot.
* ''Shin Koihime†Musou'' (2008): A broad retelling of the first game and more closer to the original epic. In this version, the prologue in the present time and the thieving is removed altogether to have Kazuto simply being transported to another world in his sleep. This time, the player is given the choice to join one of the titular three Kingdoms of Shoku, Gi, and Go. Several new characters fill in their ranks, most notably Ryuubi as the leader of the Shoku Kingdom, and Sonsaku as the leader of the Go Kingdom who replaces her sister. Almost none of the first ''Koihime'' plot remains, aside from a couple of side characters who appear in an additional story unlocked after clearing the three routes.
* ''Shin Koihime†Musou ~Moeshouden~'' (2010): The third and final installment of the original series, which the battle sequences found in prior games for the purpose of focusing entirely on the UnwantedHarem aspect.
* ''Shin Koihime†Musou -Kakumei-'' (2017-2019): Three remakes of ''Shin Koihime†Musou'', each centering on one of the titular kingdoms while adding characters from ''Eiyuutan'' and more historical battles.
** ''Souten no Haou'' (2017): Centered on Gi and Sousou's ambition to unite China by force.
** ''Son Go no Ketsumyaku'' (2018): Centered on Go and the Son family of warriors in their struggle to preserve their legacy among the warring kingdoms.
** ''Ryuuki no Taimou'' (2019): Centered on Shoku and Ryuubi's attempts to unite China with peace and diplomacy.

* ''Shin†Koihime Eiyuutan 1-2-3'' (2015-2016): A collection of short and humorous stories set in various timelines in the aftermath of ''Shin Koihime†Musou'', with updated art and new artists. It also features another bunch of new characters from the original epic for the three Kingdoms and the Imperial Kan Court.
* ''Shin†Koihime Eiyuutan 4-5-Gaiden'' (2022-2023): A second collection of short stories for Go, Gi, and the Imperial Kan Court.

* ''Otome Taisen Sangokushi Engi'' (2011): A fighting game for arcade machines and PC. It was adapted for [=PlayStations=] 3 and 4 on January, 2016 under the new title ''Koihime Enbu''. Degica games has released this adaptation for overseas [=PCs=] via Steam, alongside a third version, ''[=RyoRaiRai=]'', in 2018.
* ''Web Koihime†Musou: Battle Maidens'' (2012): A web-based strategy game, free to play with {{microtransactions}}. It's been jokingly said that it is like {{VideoGame/Evony}}, except that it actually has girls. [[ScrewedByTheNetwork Plans to release the game overseas crashed abruptly when Beanfun, the distributor, had its Europe and US branches closed by Gamania, its parent company]].
* ''Sengoku†Koihime'' (2013): A SpiritualSuccessor set during the [[JidaiGeki Sengoku period]]. It stars Kazuto's nephew many years after the original, except [[GenreSavvy his uncle specifically trained him to prepare for his arrival in the Sengoku period]], leading to a much stronger, much smarter protagonist.

* CherryBlossoms: Where Ryuubi, Kan'u and Chouhi make their pact, a la the novel.

* ICallItVera: Kanu's Seiryuengetsutou (Green Dragon Crescent Blade), Ryofu's Houtenkageki (Heaven Piercer) and Chouhi's Viper Spear among others.

* ImAHumanitarian: In one of [[spoiler: Enshou's]] side-stories in the original visual novel, she gets caught by commoners [[spoiler: after the collapse of her country]] and is nearly cooked and fed to Kazuto. [[spoiler: She is only saved by Koumei.]] This is a reference to the Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms, which the visual novel is based off of. Specifically, Liu Bei is fed [[spoiler: the wife of a commoner]]. More than that, Kazuto explicitly references this, probably having remembered it from the novels. However, the commoners would never [[spoiler: feed their wives to him.]] Which is where [[spoiler: Enshou]] comes in...

* LuminescentBlush: Prevelent with all the girls, though Kan'u makes the best use of this trope.
* MassivelyMultiplayerCrossover: The franchise appeared alongside three other {{Eroge}} series in ''Twinkle Queen'', a FightingGame that was released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii in August 2010

* {{Motifs}}: The three factions use several common motifs to distinguish themselves, including:
** AnimalMotifs: Some of the Shoku generals use prominent animals from eastern mythology like dragons, tigers, and phoenixes.
** ChessMotifs: The factions respective strategists are often shown playing Xiangqi, the Chinese version of chess. One's skill at Xiangqi is used to demonstrate intelligence and level of strategic ability.
** ColorCodedArmies: Shoku tends to be jade and white, with [[ColorMotif gold and other colors]] mixed in depending on the individual personality of the character. Gi is mostly purple and black, although they recruit a lot of vagabonds and mercenaries who wear different clothing. Go is varying shades of red and pink.
** MetallicMotifs: Enshou and her retainers are shown wearing gold or gold-plated armor, to signify both her delusions and the great wealth of her territory.
** SymbolMotifClothing: Gi armor incorporates a lot of FashionableAsymmetry while Go characters tend to favor dresses and clothing with a lot of flowy bits.

--> Kakouton: "Do you mean that she was punished for her own impulsiveness?"
--> Soujin: "She's kind of like Shun-nee."
--> Kakouton: "Ugh..."

* TooLongDidntDub: Because all translations insist on using the direct Japanese equivalents of the characters' actual Chinese names, most of the international audience don't even know it's based on Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms, and those who do have an incredibly hard time following along trying to keep track of who everyone's supposed to be.
* {{Tsundere}}: There's at least one in every faction in the visual novel, but Bachou, Sousou and Sonken stand out the most.
* UnderBoobs: Ukin in her battle outfit in the visual novel, and in some angles of the anime. Naturally, Chouryou, since she wears a {{sarashi}}.

* WaifFu: Almost all girls in response to going up against mooks, most notably Chouhi, Kyocho and Ten'i.

%% Please only trope BleachedUnderpants versions of this work

* BleachedUnderpants: The first game originated as a Windows eroge, which had the sex scenes removed starting with the [=PS2=] port.

** ''Gaiden'' makes a new spin on the usual formula: Kazuto ends up in the care of the Kan Imperial Court, instead of the three kingdoms. As China prepare to fall into full-blown civil war, Chancellor of State Toutaku wants him to use his knowledge of the future to prevent such a fate, against all of the other warlords keen on taking down the Imperial Court.

** ''Gaiden'' makes a new spin on the usual formula: Kazuto ends up in the care of the Kan Imperial Court, instead of the three kingdoms. As China prepare to fall into full-blown civil war, Toutaku wants him to use his knowledge of the future to prevent such a fate, against all of the other warlords keen on taking down the Imperial Court.

** ''Gaiden''

A remake of the visual novel ''Shin Koihime†Musou'' was released with more characters added in from ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' and following suit by [[GenderFlip genderflipping]] them. Not only does it pay more attention to the original epic but it also allows players to choose which faction to ally with, rather than the preset one in the original game. A third and possibly final installment for the visual novels was released on July 23, 2010, entitled ''Shin Koihime Musou ~Moeshouden~'', with the intent on dropping the battle sequences found in prior games for the purpose of focusing entirely on the UnwantedHarem aspect.

Two SpinOff games exist in the franchise. The first one, ''Otome Taisen Sangokushi Engi'', is a fighting game for arcade machines and PC. It was adapted for [=PlayStations=] 3 and 4 on January, 2016 under the new title ''Koihime Enbu''. Degica games has released this adaptation for overseas [=PCs=] via Steam. The second, ''Web Koihime†Musou: Battle Maidens'', is a web-based strategy game, free to play with {{microtransactions}}. It's been jokingly said that it is like {{VideoGame/Evony}}, except that it actually has girls. [[ScrewedByTheNetwork Plans to release the game overseas crashed abruptly when Beanfun, the distributor, had its Europe and US branches closed by Gamania, its parent company]].

In 2014, a new sequel to the series was announced, ''Koihime Eiyuutan'', which sees the addition of several new heroines, based on figures from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and was released in 2015. Later on, three remakes of ''Shin Koihime†Musou'' dubbed ''Kakumei'' were released from 2017 to 2019, each of them focusing on the three Kingdoms of Gi (''Souten no Haou''), Go (''Son Go no Ketsumyaku'') and Shoku (''Ryuuki no Taimou'') respectively, closely following the storyline of ''Shin'' with heroines from ''Eiyuutan'' and a greater focus on the original epic. Another bunch of additional stories were released in 2022 and 2023, as ''Eiyuutan 4'', ''Eiyuutan 5'', and ''Eiyuutan Gaiden'', focusing respectively on the Kingdom of Go, Gi, and the Imperial Court of Kan.

Its SpiritualSuccessor ''[[https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-10-17/sengoku-koihime-game-zexcs-opening-anime-streamed Sengoku Koihime]]'' is set during the [[JidaiGeki Sengoku period]]. It stars Kazuto's nephew many years after the original, except [[GenreSavvy his uncle specifically trained him to prepare for his arrival in the Sengoku period]], leading to a much stronger, much smarter protagonist.

See also ''VideoGame/SuzukuriDungeonKarinInTheMountain'', a SimulationGame and [[ADungeonIsYou dungeon management game]] which features characters of the ''Koihime'' series in an entirely different genre and setting.

In 2014, a new sequel to the series was announced, ''Koihime Eiyuutan'', which sees the addition of several new heroines, based on figures from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and was released in 2015. Later on, three remakes of ''Shin Koihime†Musou'' dubbed ''Kakumei'' were released from 2017 to 2019, each of them focusing on the three Kingdoms of Gi (''Souten no Haou''), Go (''Son Go no Ketsumyaku'') and Shoku (''Ryuuki no Taimou'') respectively, closely following the storyline of ''Shin'' with heroines from ''Eiyuutan'' and a greater focus on the original epic.

* {{Bishonen}}: Kazuto, Saji and Ukitsu.
* BladeOnAStick: Most of the girls wield polearms.

* WeaponOfChoice: Rather than the standard tropes, the Shu faction tends to favor polearms, the Wu faction largely use swords and the Wei faction bucks this trend by each having their own weapon. Anyone using an oversized regular weapon or toy is probably a comic relief character.

* AbsoluteCleavage: Apparently a trademark fashion of the Wu faction.

* {{Seinen}}
* SheIsTheKing: Moukaku

* UpperClassTwit: Enshou and Enjutsu

* NiceHat: Worn by some of the girls, most prominently Sonken. The majority of the girls get one in the original visual novel's harem ending

When OrdinaryHighSchoolStudent Kazuto Hongo chases after a thief, who steals and breaks an ancient mirror at his school campus, he's transported back to ancient China. Are we good so far? Now, take the ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' story and GenderFlip nearly all male characters from the original epic into {{action girl}}s of varying degrees of affection for Kazuto, and you get the perfect harem VisualNovel called ''Koihime Musou'', developed by [=BaseSon=]. All principal heroines in the game are [[{{Expy}} expies]] of the (male) generals from the original epic and the former's names are derived from the latter's by reading the original Chinese characters in their names as kanji. Additionally, all of them have a true, "private" name usually reserved for close friends, and several sport a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_style_name courtesy name]]. European {{eroge}} publisher [=MangaGamer=] acquired the localization rights and released an English version on February 28, 2011.

A remake of the visual novel ''Shin Koihime Musou'' was released with more characters added in from ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms'' and following suit by [[GenderFlip genderflipping]] them. Not only does it pay more attention to the original epic but it also allows players to choose which faction to ally with, rather than the preset one in the original game. A third and possibly final installment for the visual novels was released on July 23, 2010, entitled ''Shin Koihime Musou ~Moeshouden~'', with the intent on dropping the battle sequences found in prior games for the purpose of focusing entirely on the UnwantedHarem aspect.

Two SpinOff games exist in the franchise. The first one, ''Otome Taisen Sangokushi Engi'', is a fighting game for arcade machines and PC. It was adapted for [=PlayStations=] 3 and 4 on January, 2016 under the new title ''Koihime Enbu''. Degica games has released this adaptation for overseas [=PCs=] via Steam. The second, ''Web Koihime Musou: Battle Maidens'', is a web-based strategy game, free to play with {{microtransactions}}. It's been jokingly said that it is like {{VideoGame/Evony}}, except that it actually has girls. [[ScrewedByTheNetwork Plans to release the game overseas crashed abruptly when Beanfun, the distributor, had its Europe and US branches closed by Gamania, its parent company]].

In 2014, a new sequel to the series was announced, ''Koihime Eiyuutan'', which sees the addition of several new heroines, based on figures from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and was released in 2015. Later on, three remakes of ''Shin Koihime Musou'' dubbed ''Kakumei'' were released from 2017 to 2019, each of them focusing on the three Kingdoms of Gi (''Souten no Haou''), Go (''Son Go no Ketsumyaku'') and Shoku (''Ryuuki no Taimou'') respectively, closely following the storyline of ''Shin'' with heroines from ''Eiyuutan'' and a greater focus on the original epic.

* WorldOfActionGirls

* RapunzelHair: Many of the girls have hair ranging from waist-length to practically touching the ground, even from full standing height. Some, particularly those with the longest, are kept in ponytails. In the ''Shin Koihime'' game, Sonken's hair reaches ground level, but she [[spoiler:[[ImportantHaircut shears it off]] after Sonsaku is KilledOffForReal]]

* {{Meganekko}}: Kaku, Shuyuu, and Rikuson, but Koumei also sports a pair in some SuperDeformed sequences. ''Shin Koihime'' introduces Kakuka and Ukin, as well as Ryomou, who sports a unique monocle.

* {{Ninja}}: Go Kingdom has these
* OjouRinglets: Enshou and Sousou.

Its SpiritualSuccessor ''[[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-10-17/sengoku-koihime-game-zexcs-opening-anime-streamed Sengoku Koihime]]'' is set during the [[JidaiGeki Sengoku period]]. It stars Kazuto's nephew many years after the original, except [[GenreSavvy his uncle specifically trained him to prepare for his arrival in the Sengoku period]], leading to a much stronger, much smarter protagonist.

See also [[VideoGame/SuzukuriDungeonKarinInTheMountain Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain]], a SimulationGame and [[ADungeonIsYou dungeon management game]] which features characters of the ''Koihime'' series in an entirely different genre and setting.

See also [[VideoGame/SuzukuriDungeonKarinInTheMountain Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain]], a SimulationGame and [[ADungeonIsYou dungeon management]] which features characters of the ''Koihime'' series in an entirely different genre and setting.

See also [[VideoGame/SuzukuriDungeonKarinInTheMountain Suzukuri Dungeon: Karin in the Mountain]], a SimulationGame which features characters of the ''Koihime'' series in an entirely different genre and setting.

In 2014, a new sequel to the series was announced, ''Koihime Eiyuutan'', which sees the addition of several new heroines, based on figures from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

* LostInTranslation: In "Kougai Makes a Plan to Deceive her Allies", Bachou tosses a rope to Chouun and says she got it from Koumei. The camera then does a dramatic zoom on Chouun's face, and she yells[[note]] ''According to the Crunchyroll subs''[[/note]] "It's a rope of Koumai's?!" A stunned Bachou then does a comedy pratfall. It's obvious ''some'' kind of pun happened, but the translator apparently couldn't be bothered coming up with a Woolseyism or just putting a translator's note on it.

* ZettaiRyouiki: It's easier to say who ''doesn't'' wear it, namely, Chouhi and Keifa

In 2014, a new Sequel to the series was announced, Koihime Eiyuutan, which sees the addition of several new Heroines, based on figures from Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

* HairDecorations: Several of the girls have these, and given it's the Three Kingdoms era, expect elaborate hair styling.

'''For individual character tropes, see the [[Characters/KoihimeMusou full character list]]'''.

* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters: A huge number of characters and most belong to a particular faction. [[TruthInTelevision Pretty inevitable, really]]: one thing ''Koihime Musou'' inherits from the original novel is a nearly every episode introduces a new character right from the start. Emphasized the strongest in the opening and ending for ''Otome Tairan'', which manages to fit in everyone from the ''Shin Koihime'' game, even if it takes them the entire opening to do it.

%%
%%Please do not add tropes relating to the original 18+ PC game, per the content policy.
%%
[[quoteright:275:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/koihime_anime_cast.png]]
[[caption-width-right:275:[[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters This is the smallest primary cast lineup we're able to find.]]]]

The animated [[BleachedUnderpants adaptation]] turns it into YuriFan bait by [[CipherScything removing Kazuto altogether]]: there are actually very few notable men in any of the episodes. The anime's plot is secondary to gratuitous but surprisingly classy {{fanservice}} and keeps very little from the original novel. It basically consists of the expies of the "Five Tiger Generals" (google it already) coming together from across China to band against the anarchical rule of [[{{Mooks}} generic bandits]].

The anime based on the first game aired in the summer of 2008, and a second season ''Shin Koihime Musou'' aired in the fall of 2009. The third season, ''Shin Koihime Musou ~Otome Tairan~'' aired in the spring of 2010. Prior to ''Shin Koihime'', an animated follow-up {{OVA}} was released with the seventh DVD volume, set in a [[HighSchoolAU modern Japanese high school]] (but without TheOneGuy again). A sequel to the OVA was released on July 7, 2010, where the characters went on a trip to a southern island.

[[AC:Depending on region, the broadcast episodes can legally be seen for free at Crunchyroll:]]
* ''[[http://www.crunchyroll.com/Koihime-Musou Koihime Musou]]''
* ''[[http://www.crunchyroll.com/Shin-Koihime-Musou Shin Koihime Musou]]''
* ''[[http://www.crunchyroll.com/shin-koihime-musou-otome-tairan Shin Koihime Musou - Otome Tairan]]''

Compare ''Manga/IkkiTousen''. Especially since, as of 2010, ''Koihime'' and ''Ikki Tousen'' are collaborating on the basis of their similar setups.

* AbsoluteCleavage - Apparently a trademark fashion of the Wu faction.
* AccentAdaptation - BloodKnight Chouryou in the Japanese version had a Kansai dialect. The [=MangaGamer=] translator went on the record saying "[he] didn't really bother with making her speech 'accented' this time around, instead focusing more on the personality she conveyed through it."
* ActionGirl - Pretty much any girl that wields a weapon, even some that don't, such as Chinkyuu punishing a stranger for getting too close to Ryofu.
* ACupAngst -- Batai and others are jealous of the older girls' large chests
* AgeLift: Some of the cast of characters are a different age than their originsl counterparts.
* TheAlcoholic - Gengan's portrayed as one in ''Otome Tairan''; the locals claim she's seldom seen sober.

* AlternateUniverse - [[spoiler: According to Chousen in the first game, Kazuto didn't travel back in time, but rather entered an alternate world, whereas his home is an "original" alternate history from which that alternative history sprang. Moreover, Chousen mentions the existence of more than one alternate reality, each with different possible scenarios happening, including the scenario of the original ''Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms''. Potentially, this implies that every storyline in the entire franchise (i.e. the {{Visual Novel}}s, the {{Animated Adaptation}}s, the [=OVAs=], manga and the {{Omake}}s) are all canon]].
** [[spoiler:He also mentioned a real "true world" (real life) where all the concepts serve as a base for all the "alternate worlds" and that someone in the "true world" might be watching Kazuto, he also mention the creation of other "alternate worlds" based on that world. It's the player, and the new worlds are either the new game pluses or the sequel.]] In short, every time someone comes up with a fictional idea, they create another universe, an "alternate history", following the script of that person's thoughts. And every time someone thinks up another idea from someone else's story, another alternate history branches off from the first alternate history.
* AmazonBrigade - The Five Tiger Generals, but by ''Shin Koihime'', all factions have their little own brigade, even if they're not named.
** Kakoton's "BlackKnight" brigade in the final episode of season one probably counts; the same goes for Kakouen's "Black Cavalry".
* AmazonChaser - Infamous as the beautiful, legendary "Black-Haired Bandit Killer", but as a RunningGag, anyone who meets Kan'u in person ends up thinking she's not as stunningly beautiful as the "legendary warrior" she's rumored to be, or [[MistakenForAnImposter don't believe she's the real deal at all]]. Also a case of subverted InformedAttractiveness. In the ''Shin Koihime'' anime, the gag's taken further when only her [[RapunzelHair long, black hair]] gets complimented
* AnachronismStew - Female military and political leaders, modern underwear, maid cafes. This isn't a particularly realistic depiction of ancient China.
* AnimalStereotypes - Bachou's a horse, Chouhi is compared to either a tiger or a pig, and Chouun to a butterfly.
* AnnoyingYoungerSibling - Chouhi and Sonshoukou; Batai probably counts.
* AntiFrustrationFeature - Losing a battle gives you the option to redeploy your troops. This gives you reinforcements to your original troop count.
* BabiesEverAfter - [[spoiler:The ending of the Go (Wu) faction in the ''Shin Koihime'' game, where all the girls (except Sonshoukou, who's too young, and Sonsaku and Shuuyu, who're dead) become mothers to a daughter each, with Kazuto as the common father]].
** [[spoiler:Also, Kan'u and Ryuubi in the Shu ending of the PSP game]].
* BackToBackBadasses - Kan'u and Chouhi in the season one opening, Kan'u and Chouun, Chouhi and Bachou, Batai and Gien in the ''Otome Tairan'' opening.
* BaitAndSwitchCredits - The opening to season one reveals a person obscured by a snow storm. Many viewers assumed that it was Kazuto; it was really [[spoiler: the Fake Ryuubi]].
** A phoenix was shown in season one's opening; it has never appeared in the series at all.
* BattleAura - Kan'u and Bachou, among others
* BeachEpisode - The ''Shin Koihime'' OVA
* BerserkButton - Do ''not'' call Kyocho "small", mention Sousou's health issue, play dirty in front of Chouryou, or damage Koumei's ink stone given to her by her teacher Shibaki.
* {{Bifauxnen}} - What's up with Kan'u wearing a tie?
** Bachou speaks like a man and in the "right situation" can be mistaken for one.
** Gien's the series stated tomboy.
* BigBallOfViolence - Used in the first season and OVA endings, when Bachou tries to steal Chouhi's food.
* BigBrotherAttraction[=/=]BigSisterAttraction -- Gien's attracted to Ryuubi due to a striking resemblance to her dead older sister. In an anime-exclusive, Kan'u idolized her dead older brother, and her attraction to [[spoiler:the Fake Ryuubi]] is primarily because he reminds her so much of him, until [[spoiler:he's revealed to be a ConMan]]
* BigDamnHeroes - Chouun's re-entry in episode 7, ''everyone's'' in episode 12 of season one.
* BigEater, HyperactiveMetabolism - Chouhi and Bachou, but Kyocho outperforms both because she's a freaking pro at eating contests.
** Batai in ''Shin Koihime'' was willing to go head-to-head in a tug-of-war with Bachou for a piece of meat.
** Gengan's just as great a BigEater herself in ''Otome Tairan''. Perhaps that's how she got her GagBoobs?
*** And none of them seem to gain a pound despite eating like horses.
** A hilarious aversion occurs when Gengan invites the gang to a ''second'' diner after they've already stuffed themselves at one diner. Naturally, Chouhi accepts, while Ryuubi, Koumei, and (of all people) Batai frantically decline with all sorts of excuses.
* BigThinShortTrio - The nameless recurring {{mooks}}.
* {{Bishonen}} - Kazuto, Saji and Ukitsu.
** Kada Genka in ''Shin Koihime'', [[spoiler:False Ryuubi]] and Kan'u's brother in the anime.
* BladeOnAStick - Most of the girls wield polearms.
* BleachedUnderpants - The first game originated as a Windows eroge, which had the sex scenes removed starting with the [=PS2=] port.
* BloodlessCarnage
* BlueWithShock - Kan'u and Chouhi after they found out the monster that caused them to faint was merely a puppet.
** Kada when Sousou threatens to cut off his head in the ''Shin Koihime'' finale.
* [[spoiler: BodyDouble - In the final attack against Ukitsu, Ryuubi wearing a green version of Kaichou Kamen's mask tries to stab him, but he knocks her down with a magic spell, leaving her dangling on the ledge of his mobile base. But when he takes off her mask, it's actually Choukaku posing as Ryuubi, wearing Ryuubi's outfit and wielding a false sword. The real Ryuubi, wearing a different outfit and wielding the real magical sword, suddenly appears from behind Ukitsu after jumping out of the giant "bento" box Chouhi was carrying, and before he can escape, Choukaku grabs his feet causing him to fall on his back, and Ryuubi hurls her sword at him, [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice impaling him]].]]
* BookDumb - Enshou and most of the En faction. Chouhi might count, since she can't read.
* BrickJoke - Played very straight in episode 8 of ''Otome Tairan'': Chouhi develops her double trap again as a way to catch Moukaku. Anyone who've seen the first episode of season one will likely remember Kan'u falling for it; in fact, she cements this trope by sneezing herself.
* BridgeLogic - Played straight in episode two of season one.
* BreakingTheFourthWall - [[spoiler: Chousen of all people explains in the late game to the game protagonists that the universe they are in is an alternate universe created by the "true" universe i.e. OUR universe. He even gives a callout of the game's basic premise, calling out the game devs' thought process of "what if we make a story where all the generals from ROTK were gender bent into girls?" and the kicker? Chousen even acknowledges that the events happening around Kazuto are being observed even as he's explaining all of this by another entity...YOU, THE PLAYER.]]
* BrokeEpisode - Episode three of season one.
** When a girl in this series is broke, you can usually expect a {{Meido}} scene to follow.
* CastHerd, LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters - A huge number of characters and most belong to a particular faction. [[TruthInTelevision Pretty inevitable, really]]: one thing ''Koihime Musou'' inherits from the original novel is a nearly every episode introduces a new character right from the start. Emphasized the strongest in the opening and ending for ''Otome Tairan'', which manages to fit in everyone from the ''Shin Koihime'' game, even if it takes them the entire opening to do it.
* CatGirl - Moukaku and the Nanman girls making up her royal household run around in barbarian-style cat outfits. They also end every sentence with "[[VerbalTic nya]]".
** After Kashin is cured of her feline condition in episode nine of ''Otome Tairan'', she doesn't lose the cat ears. This doesn't help her get rid of the Nanman girls, either.
* CensorSteam - {{Lampshaded}} a lot in the HotSpringsEpisode, partially subverted in the collective DVD volumes, where it's "semi-censored". ''Shin Koihime'' manages to enable censorship...through use of ''rays of sunlight''.
* CharmPerson - The Chou Sisters make use of this at first for [[MundaneUtility gifts from their fans]], but there are more sinister applications that come to light.
* ChefOfIron - Sousou in the ''Shin Koihime'' anime, but Ten'i fits the bill better (the "Ordinary" type): [[spoiler:she originally worked in a tavern, then was brought in by Sousou after hearing how good her cooking is, upon which she unknowingly demonstrates her strength by subduing a raging bull, grabbing it by the horns and hurling it into the stratosphere]].
** [[spoiler: Kashin at the end of ''Otome Tairan'' was credited for preparing a HUGE turkey (or at least it resembles one) by Ten'i]].
* ChekhovsGun - Remember Ryuubi's sword coming from that dragon when she saved that village back in ''Shin Koihime'', and given to her at the beginning of ''Otome Tairan''? Apparently, it's the only thing that can kill the [[spoiler: [[InvincibleVillain nigh invulnerable]] [[EvilSorcerer Ukitsu]]]].
** Kada explains that [[spoiler: when a dragon hatches from its egg and ascends into the sky in the middle of a lightning storm, it leaves behind a claw that can eventually become a sword. If that sword is wielded by a someone of noble birth and having a strong will, it can slay any evil opponent no matter how invulnerable]].
* CherryBlossoms - Where Ryuubi, Kan'u and Chouhi make their pact, a la the novel. They also seem to do a lot of their bonding under the trees.

* CipherScything - As stated in the article, the animated [[BleachedUnderpants adaptation]] removes Kazuto altogether.
* CombatCommentator - Appears during Enshou's tournaments and in the OVA's student council competition.

** [[TheCaptain Leaders]]: Self explanatory, these are Kazuto (or Ryuubi), Sousou, and Sonken (or Sonsaku)

* ConjunctionInterruption - When Chouhi or any of the characters try to object to a plan, they're usually cut off before they can finish.
* {{Cosplay}} - Done during all of Enshou's ridiculous tournaments.
** The Nanman Barbarians all wear tiger costumes.
** In the ''Shin Koihime'' game, most of the girls turn into {{Cosplay Otaku Girl}}s, ranging from FrenchMaid to PlayboyBunny outfits.
** [[spoiler: In ''Otome Tairan'', Enshou cosplays (or more technically speaking, plays) as Sousou during a play, down to the outfit, hairstyle, and flat-chested look (using a {{Sarashi}}, which took a lot of work to put on Enshou by Bunshuu) while Ganryou plays as Keifa, and Bunshuu plays as Kakouton. All while Kan'u, Sonshoko, and Rikuson play as the Yellow Turban leaders. To top it all off, Shutai plays as the WishfulProjection version of Kan'u]].
* ContinuityNod - Several small events get referenced throughout the anime series. For example in the last episode of Shin Koihime Musou, Chinkyuu has a chess match with Kaku. The latter appears to be winning handily until Chinkyuu's pet dog knocks over the game board. In ''Shin Koihime Musou ~Otome Tairan~'', Chinkyuu has a match with Keifa and Chinkyuu gestures for her dog to disrupt the game again but this time Keifa had one of her comrades distract the dog... Other smaller examples are Enjutsu using the cup that Koumei traded for Ryuubi's sword in all subsequent episodes and the pit traps Chouhi used on Kan'U which is subsequently used on Moukaku.
* CovertPervert - Koumei; she manages to rope in Houtou in the ''Shin Koihime'' game.
** [[spoiler: Gien in ''Otome Tairan'' episode nine when Batai tricked her into blurting out (while trying in vain to [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial cover up]]) quite a few suggestive thoughts she has towards Ryuubi, who happened to be right next to her and heard everything]].
* CranialEruption - Gien gets this as punishment for being "overzealous" with Ryuubi when she was helping her bathe.
** Chouun back in ''Shin Koihime'' for embarrassing Kan'u in front of {{mooks}}.
* CrossPoppingVeins - Many characters
* CuteLittleFangs - Chouhi and the Nanman Barbarians.
* CutenessProximity - Shutai tends to lose it around cute critters, especially cats.
** [[spoiler: In ''Otome Tairan'', Kan'u herself becomes "infected" by this trope after Shutai invites her to play with a lounging cat, and explicitly plays it straight herself at the end of ''Otome Tairan'' towards the Nanban Barbarians]].
* DancingTheme - ''Otome Tairan's'' ending, with loads of SuperDeformed.
* DayInTheLife - One episode in ''Shin Koihime'' chronicles the Chou Sisters rise to stardom.
* {{Delinquents}} - Chouryou; Chouhi's like this initially, but calms down a bit.
** Gien in ''Otome Tairan'' began as one; apparently her ego's so high she wanted to show off her skills by being a troublemaker, which is the reason for all those {{Cool And Unusual Punishment}}s from Gengan. She cools off and is forgiven by her master after saving Ryuubi from a second AttemptedRape.
* DeathGlare - Chouun will give one to whosoever dares to even look at her TrademarkFavoriteFood. Somewhat [[{{Flanderization}} flanderized]] progressively throughout the anime.
** Chouhi gives a REALLY scary one to scare away a tiger in ''Otome Tairan''.And then she gets it stuck...
* DistractedByTheSexy -- OVA: [[spoiler:Enshou attempts to do this to Sousou. It ''works'']].
** Gien nearly gets maimed by Chouhi after letting the sight of a flushed, panting Ryuubi get to her.
** [[spoiler: The Nanman Barbarians and Gien [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNyT6kdkN90 getting lured into a trap]] by a {{Gainaxing}} Ryuubi]].
* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything - All over the place!
** One example would be Sonsaku telling Shuuyu that her "rear gate isn't well defended".
* DoubleEntendre - Chouhi when mentioning her relationship with Kan'u.
** Lampshaded by Sousou in the ''Shin Koihime'' anime to Kan'u:
---> "You and I are close, so we should be "friendly" with each other."
** The whole damn series uses this humor often.
* EroticEating - A particularly gratuitous scene in the ''Shin Koihime'' anime involving candy. Lampshaded a moment later by Chouun:
--->"Oh. We weren't supposed to lick them and make sucking noises?"
** Bachou just before she has her MushroomSamba moment.
* EvilDebtCollector - {{Mooks}} in episode 7 of season 1.
* [[ExpressiveShirt Expressive Hair Ornament]] - Chouhi's tiger hairpin always mimics her facial expression. Teiiku in ''Shin Koihime'' has an egg-shaped ornament that does something similar.
* EyeCatch - Some are cute, others are funny, the rest are just plain ecchi, mostly after the ending. Also done in a well-edited manner for the Series/IronChef episode in ''Shin Koihime''.
* EyepatchOfPower - Kakoton gets one ([[{{Eyescream}} and a snack]]) after getting shot in the eye by an archer (game only).
* {{Facefault}} - Many characters in response to certain characters, namely Chouun and Chouhi's randomness and ridiculousness. This usually leads to PantyShot moments.
* FanBoy - Yellow Turbans toward the Chou Sisters
* FanGirl - {{InUniverse}}: Ukin and Ryuubi to the Chou Sisters; Ryuubi again to Chouun while in her PaperThinDisguise
* {{Fanservice}} - Everywhere; you can't go 30 seconds without encountering a moment.
* FanserviceWithASmile -- See {{Meido}} entry
* FinalSpeech - Although Bachou's father Batou sustained a [[spoiler:fatal head injury from falling off his horse while drunk]], he was able to request [[spoiler:the way he died be kept a secret because the truth would shame his family]].
* FireBreathingDiner - Gakushin with her mystery meal to Chouhi, Koumei and Mao in the ''Shin Koihime'' anime; surprisingly, Gakushin herself seems unfazed by the lava-like heat.
* FirstNameBasis - Somehow, ''Shin Koihime's'' first episode is dedicated just to this trope...
* FlashBack - Kan'u, Bachou, and Chouhi among others; Chinkyuu gets a WholeEpisodeFlashBack in ''Shin Koihime''.
* {{Foreshadowing}} - In ''Otome Tairan'', there's a close-up of Koumei's chipped ink stone. We find out later that [[spoiler:Chouhi's]] the one who damaged it.
* FriendlyAddressPrivileges - Being given permission to refer to someone by their ''mana'' or private name, is a big deal. It implies that you two are either TrueCompanions or like family to them. An entire episode was devoted to Bachou getting permission to use Chouhi's private name.
* {{Gainaxing}} - Occasionally happens to some of the girls with large breasts, but especially to Kan'u (even when slicing a radish [[spoiler: and in ''Otome Tairan'' when sneezing]]) and Chouryou (done guilty just by walking).
** [[spoiler: In ''Otome Tairan'', [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNyT6kdkN90 Ryuubi does this on purpose]] [[DistractedByTheSexy to lure the Nanban Barbarians into a trap]]. It works a little too well: Gien follows suit and gets caught in the same trap. Cue SuspiciouslySpecificDenial on why it happens]].
** [[spoiler: It especially looks hot on Riten when she's on horseback charging into battle and wielding a [[ThisIsADrill huge drill-lance]] in the last episode of ''Otome Tairan'']].
* GeniusBruiser - several of the characters have shades of this in the VisualNovels such as Kan'u, Chouun and Kouchuu. All of them are pretty formidable fighters but Kan'u is essentially her kingdom's Minister of War and runs their military apparatus, Chouun unofficially handles Military Intelligence and covert warfare while Kouchuu is a brilliant civil administrator who pretty much runs the day to day affairs of the provinces under their control freeing Koumei to work on infrastructure improvements and "big picture" projects. In the anime Ryoumou in particular has trained as both a Son Family elite bodyguard and as an apprentice strategist, marrying both BrainsAndBrawn in one character.
* GenkiGirl - Kyocho, though she isn't the only one.
* GhostlyGoals - In ''Shin Koihime'', the deceased mother of an orphan befriended by Ryuubi and company comes back to teach the selfish Enjutsu not to disregard the living or the dead.
* GirlInABox - Played for laughs in ''Otome Tairan'': Batai hides in a huge box labeled "Bento" (which fools Chouhi enough for her to bring it unquestioningly) so she could [[TagalongKid tag along]] with the team's expeditions (and she does it twice, though Koumei sees through the ruse both times). [[spoiler: Later done with Ryuubi with the exact same box in order to sneak her towards Ukitsu in the final battle]].
** Done in a "two-for-one-special" method by Kan'u and Chouun in the first season episode two in order to sneak into the bandit's mountain hideout, with a few [[HilarityEnsues funny moments]] along the way.
* GirlsAreReallyScaredOfHorrorMovies - While it's true Kan'u and Chouhi are brave, strong warriors, put a horrifying supernatural monster in front of them, and watch them scream their heads off and run for the hills. [[spoiler: Of course, there are no monsters in ''Koihime Musou'']]. A scary story from Chouun's enough to give them cold feet.
** Done to SugarWiki/{{Funny|Moments}} lengths in ''Shin Koihime'': [[spoiler:a mechanical puppet used as a prank causes both of them to cling onto Chouun for dear life, resulting in an accidental [[ThanksForTheMammary boob grab]] and a [[StandardFemaleGrabArea knee to her crotch]], sending Chouun into [[TheImmodestOrgasm simultaneous ecstasy]]]]
* HairDecorations - Several of the girls have these, and given it's the Three Kingdoms era, expect elaborate hair styling.
* HexagonalSpeechBalloon
* HiddenBuxom -- [[spoiler: Enshou has to make herself appear this way in ''Otome Tairan'' in order to {{Cosplay}} as Sousou, and Bunshuu struggles with tightening the {{Sarashi}} around Enshou's huge chest for well over a minute in the ensuing dressing-up scene]]
* HighSchoolAU - The OVA included on the seventh DVD of all three seasons. Notably, the high school is St. Francesca, the same school in one of [=BaseSon=]'s previous visual novels, ''Harukoi*Otome''.
* HistoricalGenderFlip - There are downsides, like Chousen and Himiko being turned into HardGay; however, the true aversions are Kada Genka, Saji, Ukitsu and Sonshoukou.
* {{Homage}} - In the OVA, the scene with Kayuu and Chouryou at the cruise ship's bow is a homage to ''Film/{{Titanic 1997}}''. It ends humorously though.
* HonorBeforeReason - Kan'u and Bachou and many others
** [[spoiler: Toutaku takes it to the extreme in ''Otome Tairan'': after Sousou refuses to dispense any kind of punishment to her for the supposed crimes of her kingdom, she declares to commit {{Seppuku}}. She is stopped by a cunning ploy by Kakuka (who brings out the severed head of the imitation Toutaku), and Chouun, who uses Toutaku's [[KingIncognito Queen Incognito]] activities to portray Toutaku as [[MistakenForAnImposter "Tonton the dillusional peasant"]], making Sousou dispense a different kind of "punsihment" that Toutaku finds more "acceptable"]].
* HopelessSuitor - It's highly unlikely Ryuubi will ever answer Gien's feelings.
** Sousou could be considered one with regard to Kan'u. As of the last episode of ''Otome Tairan'', Chouryou, the BloodKnight, seems to have fallen for Kan'u as well. And judging from Kan'u's reaction, Chouryou seems to fit this trope well.
* HotBlooded - Bachou, but to a lesser extent, Chouhi, who ''can cure colds by going berserk''
** As well as Kada in the ''Shin Koihime'' anime, to a point where ''he even sneezes hot-bloodedly''. Still, considering [[Creator/NobuyukiHiyama who voices him]]...also, it's '''[[LargeHam THE WAY OF FIVE GRAINS!!]]'''
** Batai and Gien in the ''Shin Koihime'' game seem to fight over almost anything, even if it's something silly and mundane.
* HotSpringsEpisode - Episode nine
* IAteWhat - Subverted when Ten'i hinted to Kan'u's group what the main ingredient in her meat buns were, they freaked-out when they thought she meant [[spoiler:people]], when really she meant [[spoiler:chicken]]; they're very relieved when they found out that it was the latter. Later on it's implied Bachou might've added something extra to the fish for dinner...
* ICallItVera - Kanu's Seiryuengetsutou (Green Dragon Crescent Blade), Ryofu's Houtenkageki (Heaven Piercer) and Chouhi's Viper Spear among others.
* IGaveMyWord - Kan'u does this frequently when making promises; Sousou constantly reaffirms her promise to Kan'u to get her to "cooperate"
* IKnowWhatWeCanDoCut - Episode 12 of ''Shin Koihime'' employs this
* IdolSinger - Choukaku, Chouhou, and Chouryou from ''Shin Koihime'' (AKA the leaders of the Yellow Turban Rebellion), complete with makeshift microphones, though we don't actually get to hear them singing during their "live performances" in the game. The anime, however, sports them with magical ones and play this trope straight
** Kan'u and Chouhi become such in a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEQHxnjKBts promotional video]] before the airing of ''Shin Koihime''
*** A special DVD release shows this video to be a full-fledged concert, with the two girls soon joined by several others of the Shu Faction: Ryuubi as a third IdolSinger, Bachou on bass, Kouchuu on keyboards, Koumei on drums, and [[strike:Chouun]] Kacho Kamen on lead guitar
** [[spoiler: At the end of ''Otome Tairan'' during the victory celebration, the Chou Sisters, Kakuka, Enjutsu, Choukun, Daikyou, Shoukyou, and the Nanban Barbarians perfom as IdolSingers, and sing the ED of ''Otome Tairan''. They are later joined by Kan'u, Ryuubi, Gien, Batai, and Chouryou of the To faction.]]
* ImagineSpot -- Different characters when thinking about MIA friends
** Keifa develops an incredibly ecchi one, [[ExtremeDoormat involving licking Sousou's feet and being stepped on]]
* InTheHood -- Chouun at various times, though Kan'u does this earlier at the beginning of the series
** Kashin in ''Otome Tairan''
** Also [[spoiler: Shuutai when she infiltrated the To kingdom in episode 10 in order to rescue Toutaku; and Kayuu, who turned out to be the mysterious hooded person walking past a grieving Kaku in episode 9, and then making a BigDamnHeroes appearance in episode 10 before [[BigReveal taking the hood off]]]]
* ImprobablyFemaleCast -- ...Until [[spoiler: the fake Ryuubi]] shows up...[[spoiler:and then it goes back to being one after he leaves]]
* ImAHumanitarian - In one of [[spoiler: Enshou's]] side-stories in the original visual novel, she gets caught by commoners [[spoiler: after the collapse of her country]] and is nearly cooked and fed to Kazuto. [[spoiler: She is only saved by Koumei.]]
** This is a reference to the Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms, which the visual novel is based off of. Specifically, Liu Bei is fed [[spoiler: the wife of a commoner]].
*** More than that, Kazuto explicitly references this, probably having remembered it from the novels. However, the commoners would never [[spoiler: feed their wives to him.]] Which is where [[spoiler: Enshou]] comes in...
* IneffectualDeathThreats -- Kan'u constantly employs this when encountering bandits
** Bachou states she will kill Sousou but has since given up on it after asking a favor to provide reinforcements in the season one finale
** Sousou keeps claiming she'll have Kada's head, but he seems safe...at least for the moment...
* InnerMonologue -- Kan'u, Bachou and Chouryou, to name a few
* InnocentInnuendo -- In ''Shin Koihime'', when Kouchuu mentioned to everyone that Riri heard Bachou making strange noises when she was alone in her room, Chouun jumps the gun, thinking she was having ADateWithRosiePalms.
-->'''Chouun:''' *completely straight face* [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments She was using her fingers to climb the stairs to Heaven?]]
-->'''Kan'u:''' *chokes on her wine*
* IsThatCuteKidYours -- Chouhi (and sometimes Koumei) is repeatedly mistaken for Kan'u's daughter. This is usually followed by a flustered Kan'u blurting out [[CelibateHero she has never done anything that would lead to a child]].
* ItTastesLikeFeet -- [[spoiler: The "antidote" for Kashin's poison, concocted by Shokatsuryou from the ingredients prescribed by Kata. It stinks so bad everyone very quickly pulled way back, with about half of them holding their noses, once it was brought to the main room by Shokatsuryou (who was already cringing while bringing it out). It doesn't help that it's colored green too. Lampshaded by Chouhi, and especially oh so much by Chouun:]]
-->[[spoiler: It's like you took a pair of underwear someone wore for three years, and you boiled it in cat pee]]
* JerkAss -- Chouun acts this way toward Kan'u and Chouhi sometimes. [[spoiler:The fake Ryuubi, most definitely]]
* {{Joshikousei}} -- In the OVA, all the girls wear these
* KiAttacks -- Kada and his needles, Kousonsan in her fight against Enshou, Gakushin when fighting the stone soldiers
* LapPillow -- Chouhi does this to both her older sisters, Chouryou to Gakushin in the ''Shin Koihime'' game
* LargeHam -- When it comes to beating up bandits, Kan'u loves announcing it with hams. Chouun's pretty good at making up fabulous stories and entrance speeches, too
** Played hilariously in the ''Shin Koihime'' anime: when Chouun introduces Kan'u to the bandits by "hamming her up" with embarrassing stuff, she gets a [[CranialEruption lump on the head]] from Kan'u in response, the bopping hidden by a RelaxOVision)
** '''THE WAY OF THE FIVE GRAINS!''' [[Creator/NobuyukiHiyama That is all.]]
* TheLawOfConservationOfDetail -- You have to be colorblind not to be able to tell who is or will be important
* LettingHerHairDown -- Kan'u normally keeps her hair in a side-ponytail, but lets her hair down on a few occassions. Likewise, Bachou usually ties her hair in a regular ponytail, but does this trope when she wears a girly dress in one of Enshou's silly competitions
* LighterAndSofter - Compared to the original novel and some other "adaptations" such as ''Manga/IkkiTousen''. For one, very few characters are outright evil and several of the villains of the original novel have heroic upgrades.
* LookBehindYou -- Played totally straight with [[BearsAreBadNews a bear]]
** [[spoiler: Then again in ''Otome Tairan'' with a [[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever demon possessed Payapaya]].]]
* LostHimInACardGame -- Sonshoukou bet Kan'u in a contest against Sousou, while Sousou bet herself as well as Kakoton and Keifa
* LoveBubbles -- During Sousou and Keifa's scene in the OVA, or when Koumei thinks Bachou and Ryuubi were together in ''Otome Tairan''
* LuckyCharmsTitle -- Actually, the show's title is "Koihime'''†'''Musou"
* LuminescentBlush -- Prevelent with all the girls, though Kan'u makes the best use of this trope
* MagicalGirl -- Ryuubi, Kan'u, and Chouhi become these in the ''Shin Koihime Musou'' OVA. Which is also a ShoutOut to ''Anime/DemashitaPowerpuffGirlsZ'' - Aside from the color motifs, Ryuubi takes after Hyper Blossom (complete with the ribbon), Kan'u is modelled after Rolling Bubbles (her attack involves shooting "Carbonated Water"), and Chouhi takes after Powered Buttercup (complete with a [[DropTheHammer hammer]], with its head made of Daikon).
* [[strike:ManipulativeBastard]]
** ConMan -- [[spoiler:The fake Ryuubi; all he does is try and talk a good game and he even fails at that when challenged]]
** To some degree, Enjutsu follows this, [[spoiler:who conned her cousin Enshou into giving her Ryuubi's sword in exchange for an invisible garment "only seen by smart people"]] Though it's important to note Enjutsu tends to be manipulated by her own aide, [[TheManBehindTheMan Choukun]] And fortunately for the heroines, Enjutsu gets out-manipulated by Koumei
* MassivelyMultiplayerCrossover - The franchise appeared alongside three other {{Eroge}} series in ''Twinkle Queen'', a FightingGame that was released for the UsefulNotes/NintendoWii in August 2010
* {{Meganekko}} -- Kaku, Shuyuu, and Rikuson, but Koumei also sports a pair in some SuperDeformed sequences. ''Shin Koihime'' introduces Kakuka and Ukin, as well as Ryomou, who sports a unique monocle
** Interestingly, Ryomou in ''Otome Tairan'' is the only one shown having an explicit case of being BlindWithoutEm. This goes as far as to give some people a false impression she's ill-tempered because of her tendency to squint
* {{Meido}} -- Meido cafes in Ancient China = win...or not, especially when Ryoufu attempts to work in one
* {{Metafiction}} -- According to Chousen, [[spoiler:the world of ''Koihime Musou'' exists because someone wrote the story of ''Koihime Musou'' by looking at the ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' and wondering what it would be like if Sousou and her generals were all lovers and Sonken and Shuuyu were actually enemies. The bit about the genderflipping goes unstated, but the implication is there.]]

* MistakenForGay --
** Kan'u and Chouhi's relationship when Chouhi tells people about their "vow of sisterhood" and that they "pledged their relationship in bed"
** Bachou and Ryuubi were seen in a "compromising" position in ''Otome Tairan''
* MistakenForPregnant -- Kada mistakes Sousou for this when questioning her about her "illness". Ryuubi in ''Otome Tairan'' uses it for comedic effect
* MoodWhiplash -- ''Otome Tairan'' begins with General Kashin being fed what appears to be poison; [[spoiler:turns out it can make a person look like a CatGirl]], then it cuts off to CherryBlossoms
* {{Mooks}} -- The bandits exist solely for the purpose of having their asses handed to them by the heroines ''in every damn engagement''

* MusclesAreMeaningless - Very few characters are drawn with a muscular physique but some of the more diminutive characters are among the physically strongest such as Chouhi or Kyocho. The exceptions are Himiko and Chousen although for [[HardGay other reasons]].
* MusicalEpisode - Done in the ''second season finale''. There's even a sing-off, and a song to ''stop the war against the Yellow Turbans''. In fact, this lead fans to believe season two was a "musical season", which then lead to an OVA of Kann'u and Chouhi singing at a stadium. Apperantly, writing group Go Zappa were quite into music for this season.
* MythologyGag - In the some of the anime endings, the girls are seen wearing new outfits. Several of these are from the visual novels such as Koumei's "fairy" outfit.
* NiceHat - Worn by some of the girls, most prominently Sonken. The majority of the girls get one in the original visual novel's harem ending
* NightmareFuel
** {{InUniverse}} example: Chouun makes a face so that her friends can remember her by. While the camera only reveals the girls' disturbed reactions, the Blu-Ray release decidedly ''censors'' her face, preventing the audience from seeing it. It's probably too disturbing that the animators dare not show it
** In-game and full {{Expy}} example: [[spoiler: During the battle against To faction early in the game, Shunran gets shot in the eye by an enemy's arrow. Instead of letting it get her down, as a show of incredible baddassery she takes the arrow out with the pierced eyeball and eats the eyeball, just like her counterpart in the original novels!]]
* {{Ninja}} -- Go Kingdom has these
* NoPeriodsPeriod --
** Averted for a pun in the first OnTheNext of ''Otome Tairan''
** Averted when Kada questions Sousou about her "illness", mistaking "it" not happening for a month to refer to this
* NotWhatItLooksLike -- [[spoiler: In ''Otome Tairen'', Koumei stumbles into Bachou and Ryuubi half-naked and in a compromising position, leading her to think they did something together and runs off in embarrassment. It becomes worse when Ryubi starts acting strangely, namely her forced diet after being self-conscious about her figure, leading everyone to somehow think she's pregnant with Bachou's child! [[HilarityEnsues Further exacerbated]] when Ryuubi's found writhing in pain due to food poisoning, which is mistaken for going into labor!]]
* OjouRinglets -- Enshou and Sousou
* OneSteveLimit --
** Subverted somewhat in the ''Shin Koihime'' anime: [[spoiler:the fake Ryuubi stole the [[AncestralWeapon real Ryuubi's sword]] and name to try to become famous. The real Ryuubi appears in ''Shin'' trying to find the stolen blade to regain her lineage (and to [[HilariouslyAbusiveChildhood stop her mother from throwing her into a river]]). Cue Kouchuu and Bachou barging in weapons ablazing at Ryuubi, thinking it's the fake]]
** Both the ''Shin Koihime'' game and anime introduces IdolSinger Chouryou, not to be confused with the BloodKnight Chouryou
* OnlyOneName -- Simultaneously played straight and subverted: all characters have their family names mashed together with their given ones, but each has at least two ''more'' given ones
** This is out of a TranslationConvention for all RoTK adaptations in Japan; where the full name of the character is considered as a ''family name'' for all facts and purposes, and the "given name" would be assigned to the courtesy name.
* OnlySixFaces -- The recurring bandit gangs parody this: the same three bandits -- a short guy, a fat guy and a skinny guy seem to be in charge of ''every'' bandit gang, but they never recognize the main characters
* OutOfFocus -- Happens pretty much everytime with Kouchuu, despite being an {{Expy}} of the one of Shu's 5 Tiger Generals (Huang Zhong), as she usually relegates herself guarding the city while the rest travel on adventures.
* OvershadowedByAwesome - This generally involves the Shu generals where they typically can defeat all comers or at most can force a draw (except for games where you are allowed to play as other factions for obvious reasons). It really hits when Ryofu enters the battlefield though; in the anime not even Chouun, Kan'U and Chouhi working together can phase her.
* PantyShot -- Many characters; Bachou makes for a very memorable one during her training with Batai, at which the latter laughs
* PaperThinDisguise -- After being separated from the group, Chouun reappears during a BigDamnHeroes moment wearing a [[Manga/BusouRenkin papillion mask]], dubbing herself Kacho Kamen (Butterfly Mask); it only fools Chouhi
** In the first game, however, she manages to fool ''everyone'', sans Koumei and Kazuto, while in ''Shin Koihime'', it becomes a fad when Chouun gets Koumei and Ryofu to wear similar masks. Even Chousen joins in the fun
** The mask returns in the ''Shin Koihime'' anime. When Ryuubi's so fooled she becomes enamoured with Kacho Kamen and blatantly tells the later undisguised Chouun of such.
** Chouun tries the "recruitment" path at the end of the ''Shin Koihime'' anime with the Chou sisters; the ending begins dragging because Chouun was late to the party.
** [[spoiler: At the end of ''Otome Tairan'', Ryuubi gets a green version of Kachou Kamen's mask from the disguised Chouun. In the bid to kill Ukitsu, it's Choukaku who's actually wearing it, and it's enough to fool Ukitsu into thinking she's Ryuubi.]]
* PetitePride -- Sousou and Keifa, who're fairly flat-chested, are instead proud of their bust size, or at least claim to be, stating size isn't the only important factor: shape, color, and sensitivity matter, too.
* PluckyComicRelief -- Chouhi among other characters
* PottyEmergency -- Bachou suffers multiple of these. It's even a large part of episode eleven of ''Shin Koihime''.
* ThePowerOfRock -- The battle against the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the ''Shin Koihime'' anime finale is fought not with weapons, but with songs. The Chou Sisters vs. Enjutsu, Choukun and Kakuka, though almost everyone else joins in for song [[ThePowerOfFriendship powered by friendship]]
* PromotionToParent -- Kan'u tries to ''avoid'' this at all costs, but everyone she meets keeps [[IsThatCuteKidYours thinking she's Chouhi's mother]].
** When she convinces others she isn't, people usually start seeing their relationship [[GirlsLove in a totally different light]], which she finds ''worse''
* PsychoLesbian -- Sousou is a borderline case, since she does get better, but some of her actions in the first season are ... rather questionable.
* RapunzelHair -- Many of the girls have hair ranging from waist-length to practically touching the ground, even from full standing height. Some, particularly those with the longest, are kept in ponytails. In the ''Shin Koihime'' game, Sonken's hair reaches ground level, but she [[spoiler:[[ImportantHaircut shears it off]] after Sonsaku is KilledOffForReal]]
* RelationshipReveal -- Sonsaku/Shuuyu
* RelaxOVision -- Used humorously for concealment of certain "stuff"
** Once in the OVA when the announcers tried to explain why Kacho Kamen was in Chouun's place in one of the contests. Of course, the audience knows it's the same person, but it cuts the conversation short (implying it was supposed to be a secret) and the show proceeds to a much later scene
** Used again in the ''Shin Koihime'' anime when Chouun is introducing Kan'u to the bandits and starts saying something really embarrassing about her. [[RelaxOVision ROV]] cuts the talk short; moments later, the scene returns with Chouun now sporting a [[CranialEruption lump on her head]]
* TheRival -- Chouhi positions herself as one to Koumei, with all due {{subtext}}. Chouhi also has a fierce rivalry with Sonshoukou. And, of course, Chouhi and Bachou's friendly competitiveness
** Gien and Batai are bitter rivals as of ''Otome Tairan''. However, in the last episode, Batai charges into battle paired with Gien, proclaiming that she wields her spear alongside the person who she has entrusted her life to.
* RuleSixtyThree
* SchoolgirlLesbians - OVA
* ScoobyDooHoax -- ''Shin'' episode 8. Lampshaded when Aisha points out that when dealing with monsters, the old guy you met in the junkyard at the beginning of the episode is usually behind everything.
* [[spoiler: SealedArmyInACan -- Ukitsu's ultimate plan in ''Otome Tairan'' is to bring to life the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta_Army Terracotta (Clay) Army]] hidden underneath the city capital, using the fully charged ''Crucial Keys to the Way of Peace'', and conquer China. [[KeystoneArmy They are ultimately defeated by sealing the ''Crucial Keys'']].]]

* {{Seme}} -- Chouun asks Chouhi and Kan'u which of them is the "seme" and "{{uke}}", clearly having her own ideas of their sisterhood, which doesn't help Kan'u when Chouhi states she'd rather be the seme of the two
** In one episode preview, Kouchuu "teaches" that girls with blond curls (namely, Sousou) are the seme, while girls with a side-ponytail (specifically, Kan'u) would be the uke. Man, they really aren't subtle about this, are they?
* SeriousBusiness -- Eel sandwiches, apparently the main source of strife in the OVA
* ShoutOut -- Happen a lots
** Chouun explains she became Kacho Kamen following death, meeting with Series/{{Ultraman}} and getting resurrected. [[spoiler:[[BlatantLies It's a lie, of course]]]]
** [[spoiler: She actually becomes a variant of Ultraman in the ''Shin Koihime'' OVA in order to battle the [[AttackOfTheFiftyFootWhatever gigantic Octopus-Payapaya]]; she [[HenshinHero powers up by donning her Butterfly Mask]]. However, she is quicky defeated via titillation.]]
*** In same episode, after Ryuubi, Kan'u and Chouhi were those rings they turn into [[Anime/DemashitaPowerpuffGirlsZ those wannabe Japanese girls]]
** Chouun herself may be an ShoutOut to [[Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion Rei Ayanami]]. Both have blue hair, red eyes and Chouun's spear suspiciously resembles the Lance of Longinus
*** Appearance-only though, considering her personality is about as far on the other side of [[ExtremeDoormat Rei's]]
** Also Kada Genka's [[strike:[[Anime/GaoGaigar HIKARI]]]] "[[DisappearsIntoLight GENKI NI NAREEEEE!!!!]]"
** One of the spells used by the Chou sisters bears a remarkable resemblance to the [[{{LightNovel/Slayers}} Dragon Slave]]
** A CG in the latest game, moeshouden, shows Kazuto with with 6 other {{mooks}} from the various factions [[VideoGame/MonsterHunter hunting]] a dragon which painfully looks like Raviente
** Keifa's crush with Sousou is abit similar to ''VideoGame/KessenII'' where Female Xun Yu also has a crush on Cao Cao
** In Shin Koihime Musou, Enshou attacks very similar to that [[Manga/JoJosBizarreAdventure Spam Punch]]. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, Kousonsan defeats her with [[Manga/SaintSeiya "White Horse Comet Fist!!"]].]]

* ShowSomeLeg -- Chouun plays this in season one. Repeated later by Sonshoukou, except she strips completely down to her underwear
* SkinshipGrope -- Ryofu when she bathed Chinkyuu; according to the latter it "tickled"
** Gien gets so "excited" when helping to bathe Ryuubi that she scrubs her breasts until we hear a [[TheImmodestOrgasm scream]]. We find Ryuubi passed out and needing time to recover from the ordeal
* SlasherSmile -- Kan'u, after a boy threw rocks at her and called her names in season one; also done with Chouun a few times
* SleepCute -- Chouhi effectively blackmails Kan'u into this. Ryofu and Chinkyuu in ''Shin Koihime''
* SmugSnake -- [[spoiler:Fake Ryuubi]]
* {{Sneezing}} -- Happened to Pairen when people mentioned how she had Ryuubi's sword. Also happened to Kada when Chouhi mentioned his name. Used as a RunningGag in Otome Tairan with Kan'u being referenced several times in one episode by Chouhi and crew.
* SorryToInterrupt -- Koumei to Bachou and Ryuubi in ''Otome Tairan''
* SparklingStreamOfTears, OcularGushers -- Chouhi and Keifa at various times
* SpoilerTitle -- In a possible ShoutOut to ''Anime/MazingerZ'', the title of episode two in season one is "Kan'u is going to die with Chouun". [[NeverTrustATrailer Guess what DOESN'T HAPPEN]].
* StealthHiBye -- Ryofu does this to Chinkyuu when she's having trouble sleeping, she just popped-up out of nowhere
** Chouun's reappearance in ''Otome Tairan''
* StrongFamilyResemblance -- Kan'u and her brother, Bachou and Batai
* SuperDeformed -- Usually happens during light-hearted scenes, such as the ending video. Subverted in the DVD versions, though
* SuspiciouslySpecificDenial -- Chouhi claimed she would never become friends with the children in Touka Village after they played a prank on her. They're immediately fast friends in the next scene
** Bachou once told the others she wet herself a little. When asked by Kan'u what she had just said, she tries denying she said anything at all
* SweatDrop -- Kan'u, among others
* TacticalRockPaperScissors - Battles in the visual novels: archers beat spearmen, spearmen beat calvary, calvary beat archers
* TakeMyHand -- Kan'u and Chouun pull this off in episode two of season one
* TalkingInYourSleep -- Bachou, Chouhi, and Moukaku at various times; the latter two have also been known to bite in their sleep
* ATasteOfTheLash -- Chouhi almost received this in the very first episode as punishment for her constant outrageous pranks. In the OVA, Totaku feigns giving Ryofu's puppy this; the reason is so Ryofu's motivated to win the three-legged race
* TeamMom -- Kan'u, especially towards Chouhi and Koumei; Kouchuu in the visual novel.
** It appears Kan'u doesn't want to relinquish the TeamMom position in the anime, given how she absolutely ''doesn't want'' Ryuubi to become the eldest of their sisterhood pact
*** Considering what [[TheDitz Ryuubi]] is compared to Kan'u, it's more or less justified...
* TenMinutesInTheCloset -- [[spoiler: In ''Otome Tairan'' Sonsaku and Shuuyu get into a spat, and Kougai eventually tricks them into going into a storage room together and locks them in to force them to resolve their differences. Next morning they're found [[BleachedUnderpants sleeping together]].]]
* ThemeTuneCameo -- In the finale of ''Shin Koihime'', Kakuka has a flashback of her singing the ED after getting out of the shower, and the group performs the OP during their battle of the idol singers
* [[spoiler: [[ThroughHisStomach Through Her Stomach]] -- Several times througout the series, but most prominently featured at the very ending of ''Otome Tairan'': Sonken to Ryomou when the last piece of the food the latter wanted was taken by Sonsaku; then Sonsaku attempts one to Shuuyu mouth-to-mouth; then much later Chouryou trying it on Kan'u before they are interrupted by Ryuubi.]]
* TokenMiniMoe -- Chouhi and later, Koumei. Kouchuu's daughter Riri might count
* TomeOfEldritchLore -- In the ''Shin Koihime'' anime, there exists a magical book "Crucial Keys to the Way of Peace", with a slight mind of its own, thus even if used for good, will cause misfortune and strife. Was in the possession of [[spoiler:the IdolSinger trio and used by them to further their career, and being sought after by Kada to have it sealed away. Ukitsu took possession of it by the end of ''Shin Koihime'', and used it in ''Otome Tairan'' to bring the [[SealedArmyInACan Terracotta Army]] to life and launch his conquest of China. After Ukitsu is killed by Ryuubi, Kada finally seals it, which in turn causes the Terracotta Army to revert back into ordinary clay statues]].
* [[TooLongDidntDub Too Long Didn't Dub]] -- Because all translations insist on using the direct Japanese equivalents of the characters' actual Chinese names, most of the international audience don't even know it's based on Literature/RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms, and those who do have an incredibly hard time following along trying to keep track of who everyone's supposed to be.
* TrademarkFavoriteFood -- Just makes sure you don't steal Chouun's leftover menma (bamboo shoots); she loves that stuff. Enjutsu's a huge fan of honey and honey water.
** If you look closely at the first ED, you'll notice Chouun is happily eating a huge plate of ''nothing but menma''.
* TrainingFromHell -- Bachou puts her cousin Batai through this in ''Shin Koihime''. Apparently, it's a standard training regimen for their family/village martial art style (or so claimed by the former). Said regiment includes (but not limited to):
** Bunnyhopping with a big weight tied to one's waist, fast upside-down situps while hanging from a tree, swinging a log, and push-ups while having someone sit on one's back - and all this is just warm-up
** Tying oneself to a tree, then jumping into a raging whirlpool - to build resistance against all kinds of movement
** Doing a handstand while circling around a volcano crater
** Playing baseball against Kouchuu's arrows using a decent sized log as a bat - to improve one's ability to track high-speed projectiles
** [[spoiler: In ''Otome Tairan'', Ryuubi starts to become conscious of her figure after a few remarks from Chouhi, and begs Bachou (who Ryuubi is surprised to find having the "perfect figure" despite being a BigEater) to put her through the latter's training regimen, with disasterous results]]
* {{Troperrific}} - For a niche series, that's quite the accomplishment.
* TrueCompanions -- All factions reflect this: their friends/comrades are their family
* {{Tsundere}} -- There's at least one in every faction in the visual novel, but Bachou, Sousou and Sonken stand out the most. In the anime, Sousou tailors to this trope's requirements by the final episode of season one
** In the games, particularly the first game, Kan'u and Shokatsuryou actually exhibit this quite a bit as well, mainly as Type B.
* TwelveEpisodeAnime -- Every season thus far
* TwitchyEye -- Kan'u and others when annoyed
* TwoTeacherSchool -- In the OVA, Sonsei and Kashin are the only teachers, while Kouchuu is the school nurse, and Chousen the principal
* UnderBoobs -- Ukin in her battle outfit in the visual novel, and in some angles of the anime. Naturally, Chouryou, since she wears a {{sarashi}}. Riten in the ''Otome Tairan'' [[strike:OP]] season
** [[spoiler:Rikuson in ''Otome Tairan'' when she cosplays as one of the Yellow Turban leaders]]
* UnusualEuphemism -- In episode 1 of the second season. Bachou kept on trying to have Rin Rin say her true name by practicing on a drawing, a process which Riri saw. When Riri describes what she saw, [[TheTease Choun]] wonders if what Riri saw was, in her words, "[[ADateWithRosiePalms using her fingers to ride the stairs to heaven.]]"
* UnwantedHarem -- Subverted: the series should enter the history of anime as one of the few harems ''without'' a male lead to speak of. The visual novel plays this trope straight, however.
** Well... The visual novel doesn't play it that straight. It's more like an Unwanted Kingdom, and while a lot of girls join you, sometimes desirably, sometimes not... Kazuto definitely wants the ones he goes after, which is any of them you talk to.
** Also subverted with Sousou, who seems to not mind it whatsoever, and maybe even enjoys it.
* UpdatedRerelease -- The [=PS2=] version of the first game has endings for Chouun, Bachou and Kouchuu
* UpperClassTwit -- Enshou and Enjutsu
* VerbalTic -- Chouhi's "Nano da!" and Ukin's "-nano", although she ends some sentences with just "-no"

* VisibleSigh -- Kan'u among others
* VolleyingInsults -- Enshou's team loves to engage Sousou's in such confrontations
* WaifFu -- Almost all girls in response to going up against mooks, most notably Chouhi, Kyocho and Ten'i. Ryofu's strength is the most extreme, though Chouryou's able to ground Kyocho's flail effortlessly
* WalkingTheEarth -- The series is famous for almost always having its main characters on either random adventures, or fetch quests.
** Shia fits this trope well. In the beginning she's a self-described vagabond, who only travels so that she can [[WorthyOpponent fight strong people]] and do part-time jobs so she can afford [[TheAlcoholic her precious alcohol]].
* WeHaveReserves - The vast majority of Enshou's 'strategies' are to charge forward and incur massive casualties. To be fair, this isn't really because she's cruel or villainous, she's just an idiot who ''thinks'' she's an incredible commander.
* WeaponOfChoice - Rather than the standard tropes, the Shu faction tends to favor polearms, the Wu faction largely use swords and the Wei faction bucks this trend by each having their own weapon. Anyone using an oversized regular weapon or toy is probably a comic relief character.
* WhoWouldBeStupidEnough - Apparently you, Kan'u, for falling into a trap meant for {{mooks}} set by kids
** [[spoiler: Ditto with Nanban Barbarian leader Moukaku, who very easily got herself caught in a bleedingly obvious looking basket trap just because it was baited with [[TrademarkFavoriteFood fish]].]]
* WireDilemma -- In Otome Tairan the Nanban Elephant gets turned into a raging beast which no one can defeat, and Chouhi has to cut off its fake tail to get it to return to normal
* WiseBeyondTheirYears, InnocentProdigy -- Koumei; to an extent, Toutaku
* WithFriendsLikeThese -- Chouun loves to tease and publicly humiliate, as well as molest her friends. Batai too, but she adds in blackmail

* YuriFan -- Chouun seems to think Kan'u and Chouhi get along rather, er, "well"
* YuriGenre: Had shades of this as a VN, but became blatantly obvious in the anime.
* ZettaiRyouiki -- It's easier to say who ''doesn't'' wear it, namely, Chouhi and Keifa

* InnocentInnuendo -- In ''Otome Tairan'', when Kouchuu mentioned to everyone that Riri heard Bachou making strange noises when she was alone in her room, Chouun jumps the gun, thinking she was having ADateWithRosiePalms