History Webcomic / EightBitTheater

* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/03/04/episode-256-one-backstab-after-another "Meanwhile, in the royal room of royalty..."]]

** The description on that is hilarious: Make your swords [[ComicBook/ImmortalIronFist become like things unto chainsaws.]]

* NotSoDifferent: [[spoiler:White Mage ends up giving the Dark Warriors credit for the few good things the Light Warriors did out of petty spite, just like something the Light Warriors themselves would've done. In the epilogue she even acknowledges that what she did was just as childish and mean-spirited as their behavior, and is trying to give them they credit they earned to make amends (though none of the Light Warriors particularly care).]]

%%* DisguisedInDrag: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/01/16/episode-237-light-warriors-queens-of-the-desert/ Upon crashing into female barracks.]]

%%* DistractingDisambiguation

%%* DroppedABridgeOnHim: The Other Warriors.

%%* DyingDeclarationOfHate: Thief delivered one to Black Mage when BM turned on his teammates late in the series.

%%* EatMe: Unintentionally done by Red Mage to Kraken.

%%* EmoTeen: Vilbert.

%%* EvilMentor: Sarda.

%%* EvilSorcerer: Black Mage

%%* FluffyTheTerrible: The "parrot" (dragon) Muffin.

%%* FranchiseZombie

%%* GainaxEnding: Faked.

%%* GISSyndrome

%%* GroinAttack: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/03/09/episode-670-gettin-tchaikovsky-wit-it/ "Inna NERTS!"]]

** The defeat of Chaos is even ''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/20/episode-1221-longest-set-up-in-webcomic-history/ worse]]''. [[spoiler:He gets killed offscreen (not even a good distance away, just ''[[BehindTheBlack barely]]'' offscreen) [[NonProtagonistResolver by one character who had been missing for a while and three characters who had NEVER SHOWN UP BEFORE THAT POINT]].]] This was done to resolve a BrickJoke that had been set up ''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/20/episode-007-kamehameha-or-something/ nine years earlier.]]''

%%* ChuckCunninghamSyndrome: Remember Queen Jane?

** Not surprisingly at all, the point is something that Fighter comically misses on a frequest basis. From [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/09/13/episode-329-peaceful-transfer-of-power/ Episode 329]], right after Thief says he is leaving the group and Black Mage appoints himself the new leader:

* DamselInDistress: Averted. Princess Sara has been distressed so many times, she's picked up a few things and helps her captor.

* TheDitz: A lot of people like brain capacity, like King Steve (tried to drill for ''mana''). Bikke counts, too. Fighter is a ''[[SubvertedTrope subversion]]'' in that he's truly stupid but actually the most effective and competent of the Light Warriors.

* KarmicButtMonkey: Black Mage, who's a CompleteMonster ComedicSociopath. As [[WordOfGod Brian Clevinger]] said (paraphrased); "The universe exists to hurt Black Mage".

%%* FamousLastWords: [[spoiler:I am Sarda. [[AGodAmI My will be done.]]]]

* OneWingedAngel: [[spoiler:Sarda]] might have [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/10/03/episode-1180-the-next-stage/ just done this]], but that could just be his real face.
** Turns outs it's more of a GiantSpaceFleaFromNowhere (but at least with some foreshadowing throughout the series and relevance to the original game). His form right before that was more of a proper OneWingedAngel.

* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Earlier strips had King Steve serving as a George W. Bush parallel, though done in an extremely [[RefugeInAudacity over the top]] Strawman representation; drilling for Mana in wildlife preserves, father also a ruler, bit of a warmonger, and low popularity.
** The "father also a ruler" part is justified. He's a KING.
*** Though, ironically, King Steve himself doesn't know that.

** Also what happens to anyone who triggers Barbarian's Berserker Mode.

* NormallyIWouldBeDeadNow: Invoked in a NoFourthWall manner by Red Mage. He's not the {{Determinator}}, he's not MadeOfIron... he just 'forgets' to write down any damage he takes.

* NotNowKiddo: Black Mage is guilty of this on several occasions. A few times to Fighter, but once to Lich, while he and the rest of BM's party discussed the plan to kill Lich's son, Vilbert. Right in front of Lich. And Black Mage didn't even bother to look at Lich while he said that.

** Earlier, after being shot to Dragoon's flying island, Thief avoids crashing via DoubleJump. Meanwhile, Fighter [[StoneWall crashes but tanks the damage]], Black Mage casts Feather Fall, and Red Mage... just crashes horribly. And then [[GeniusDitz a healing potion he left behind in midair crashes on]] ''[[GeniusDitz him]]''.

** Mentioned as running through the land. It is stated that Black Mage is a living Nexus.
** It's not just that Black Mage is a living Nexus personified, but that apparently his mind/soul ''itself'' is the Nexus, such that his physical body acts as a RestrainingBolt. Hence when he dies and gets rid of his physical body, ''his powers increase'' (vis a vis [[spoiler:RULING OVER HELL)]]. He is ''not'' happy that the universe is trying its very hardest to keep him alive (probably so he doesn't end all creation.)

* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:The Light Warriors (especially Black Mage), after all the atrocities they commit, ultimately escape any kind of punishment. The only upside is that White Mage keeps them from stealing the credit for saving the world... by making sure it goes to the Dark Warriors.]]
** [[spoiler:Arguably played with, if not subverted: they've all been [[BroughtDownToNormal drastically de-leveled]] to their base classes, and Black Mage seems to be destined to forever wander the world with Fighter (a reward for Fighter, a punishment for Black Mage). Sarda himself pointed out there's nothing he could've done at that point that they hadn't done to themselves already, to say nothing of what HE had already done to them. They got off lightly (and Thief and Red Mage seem to be doing decently well), but it's "lightly" in the sense that [[ShaggyDogStory they'd already been thoroughly punished for the length of the ''entire comic'', culminating in being robbed of their power and (wholly undeserved) glory at the last moments.]]]]

** Surprisingly enough, this trope is applied to Thief and Black Mage. Black Mage is a nightmarishly insane killer easily able [[PersonOfMassDestruction to cause ridiculous amounts of mass-destruction]], and whose gut reaction to any situation is a cross of KillEmAll and KillItWithFire. Thief may be a ManipulativeBastard whose idea of morality is as flexible and self-rewarding as any one of his contracts, but at least he can ''control'' (or at least direct) a lot of Black Mage's indiscriminate destruction. If he's not there to lead the group, Black Mage tends to take charge and things tend to go downhill pretty damn quick.

--->'''Red Mage:''' I can't believe 'Thief' was the moral compass that kept us from becoming a pack of roving murderers

** The Light Warriors' solution to most anything, really.

%%* KilledOffForReal: Black Belt.

** Red Mage and Dragoon. [[ThereCanBeOnlyOne Muffin wants to be]], but when pointed out there are a fair number of dragons still out there despite her claims, she grudgingly admits she wasn't quite as thorough as she'd like.

* HiredGuns: Black Mage's comment in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/04/15/episode-016-the-quest-to-assault-the-elderly/ this strip]] implies that this is what he and Fighter were before the events of the comic.
* HoldingOutForAHero: [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2007/05/08/episode-843-the-superman-complex/ Discussed.]] Truth is the Light Warriors just killed all the city guards so there is no one to fight backand people are unaware about the threats of the world except there is four idiots who steal and murder them.

* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: Fighter.

* HyperspaceMallet: The WeaponOfChoice of White Mage, used when Black Mage ([[spoiler:or Kary]]) sufficently [[BewareTheNiceOnes pisses her off]].
%%* {{Hypocrite}}: [[spoiler:Sarda]]. In the end, he's little better than Black Mage.

* IgnoredEpiphany: Black Mage has had a few, [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/05/31/episode-289-a-change-of-heart/ this]] being the most notable. Later, he becomes cunning enough to fake having an Epiphany.

* ImmortalImmaturity: Seems to be the rule for folks like the elves. Sarda's got a very bad case.

** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/10/31/episode-763-going-for-the-hi-score/ Fighter likes to play Breakout.]]
*** Actually, it was supposed to be [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/10/21/episode-759-space-invaders/ Arkanoid]].

* CherryTapping: The first attack to hit [[PhysicalGod Sarda]]? Bikke throwing the Water Orb at him. It didn't do much, but it was the only time anyone (besides himself) was able to do ''anything'' to him.

** And Ranger can quad-wield ''bows'', to fire twelve arrows at the same time! ...Not that it helps against a PhysicalGod.

* EvilLaugh:
** Sarda's "muhuhaha".
** He pulls off an absolutely epic one [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/08/15/episode-1163-the-best-medicine/ here]].

* FantasticRacism: See ElvesVsDwarves above. The elves also have a lowered perception towards humans and basically anything that isn't an elf.
* FakeUltimateHero: ZigZagged [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/03/20/episode-1224-a-legend-is-born/ with.]] [[spoiler:Black Mage, Thief, and Red Mage were pretending to take the credit for destroying Chaos, [[DefiedTrope so in order to prevent that]] White Mage [[InvokedTrope set up the Dark Warriors]] as "The very real Light Warriors"]]

* FateWorseThanDeath: Sarda's pretty much decided that killing the Light Warriors over and over again isn't as fun after dozens of times. So he's pretty much decided to just let them do whatever they want and only make life miserable for them when he's bored. This is subverted, however, because the Light Warriors actually prefer it to certain death.

** Black Mage, on those occasions he's not consumed with omnicidal rage. He's been known to discuss [[WhoWouldWin super hero deathmatches]] with Red Mage (in which it can be noted that Black Mage always picks the villain to win while Red Mage always chooses the hero of the matchup).

** In an earlier strip Red Mage and Black Belt [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/09/25/episode-334-car-talk-and-retribution/ pretended to know anything about repairing airships]].
* FinalBoss: Chaos (after a lot of bickering over whether it should be Sarda, Black Mage, or the Light Wrriors as a group.)

** Black Mage used to be at least selective about what he stabbed and/or nuked. Gradually he got to the point at which he just kills everything at all times. Also, Fighter got considerably dumber over the years, where he was once just kind and easy to trick in the early comics. However, given the number of times he's been stabbed in the head, this might technically count as CharacterDevelopment.
** Also, Red Mage's cross dressing and "animal husbandry" have become the [[IncrediblyLamePun butt]] of jokes centered around him.
* FlatWhat: Black Mage and Sarda use this more often than the rest of the cast. And once more by Lich, after Black Mage's NotNowKiddo moment.

** Black Mage is one to Garland. Both are {{Card-Carrying Villain}}s, but while Black Mage plays the part of an OmnicidalManiac held back only by his ButtMonkey status, Garland is a MinionWithAnFInEvil AntiVillain who gets somewhat less fairly punished by the universe for existing, at least until he switches to less destructive hobbies. Furthermore, while Black Mage readily turns on his teammates if he gets the chance, Garland at least tries to be AFatherToHisMen, and is more held back by his team not reciprocating than anything.

''an [[AndThisIsFor enraged]] White Mage [[DropTheHammer crushes]] the bag and its contents to bits''\\

*** Less cool than the above but [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/01/21/episode-651-thief-of-time/ Thief's class change]] [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2009/09/19/episode-1174-oh-thats-what/ 523 chapters from the future]].

*** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2001/03/20/episode-007-kamehameha-or-something/ "Four white mages? It'll never work...]][[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/02/20/episode-1221-longest-set-up-in-webcomic-history/ Oh, goddammit it [sic]."]] Yes, that's over 1200 strips and nearly nine years' worth of foreshadowing.

* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Used a few times. There is, for example, Black Mage trying to ask White Mage out in the second half of [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/06/29/episode-435-hes-a-fighter-not-a-diplomat/ this strip]] or Red Mage's battle with dragon in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/08/26/episode-455-self-fulfilling-stupidity/ this one]].

** When the Light Warriors discover that Matoya and Bahamut are going out. Let's just say that Black Mage tries to choke on his own vomit and leave it at that.

* GreaterScopeVillain: Chaos is an evil EldritchAbomination and embodiment of decay that is the whole reason behind the Light Warriors' quest. Although he ''does'' desire to end (''and'' eternally torment, however that works) existence for no real reason, he does not come into play until the real BigBad, [[PhysicalGod Sarda]], accidentally brings him about. Who was himself indirectly created by Black Mage.

* TheDitz: King Steve. Bikke, too. Fighter is a ''[[SubvertedTrope subversion]]'' in that he's actually the most effective and competent of the Light Warriors.

* DontExplainTheJoke: Red Mage does this a lot when no one laughs at his jokes. Of course, this just makes things worse...

** Fighter and Drizz'l. Then taken to ludicrous extremes when Fighter begins quadruple-wielding through sword-chucks. Scary part is, it ''works''.

* DumbIsGood: Fighter. Or perhaps it's "Dumb isn't absurdly selfish, utterly disconnected from reality, or an OmnicidalManiac." Dumb is... ''relatively'' good.

* DyingDeclarationOfHate: Thief delivered one to Black Mage when BM turned on his teammates late in the series.

%%* EldritchAbomination: Ur and the Eye-stalk.

* DestructiveSaviour: That is, when they're saving. Which gets less frequent as time goes on.

** Every single plan Red Mage has ever come up with. Occasionally they do. They culminate in [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/01/29/episode-1215-so-stupid-its-brilliant/ this]], which doesn't quite work out.
** Fighter's tend to work the same way. Emphasis on the ''work'' part.

** He was drilling for mana. You can't drill for mana. YOU CAN'T DRILL FOR MANA!
*** Turns out, you ''[[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2010/03/20/episode-1224-a-legend-is-born/ can.]]''

** Not to mention that his right hand man is a coffee stain named Rodney.
*** The Dwarf King is also rather monstrous. In order to shorten the amount of paperwork the bodies of the giant monsters that Black Mage slays will bring, he has the coastal reserve murdered in front of their families and blames the event on the elves.
* CainAndAbel:
** Black Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/02/22/episode-518-iced/ murdered his own brother via an uneven room laced with knives and tiger pits.]]

%%* CardCarryingVillain: Excessively, especially with the Dark Warriors.

* ChekhovsArmoury: And HOW! Have a look around this page for examples.

** [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/11/10/episode-622-now-shut-up/ One example]] is when White Mage attempts to revive a petrified, decapitated Black Belt. The results are [[spoiler:Black Belt bring revived but spewing HighPressureBlood from where his head would be.]]

** After traveling through a poison swamp, poison tundra, and plains of poison, the Light Warriors finally return to the entrance of [[AWizardDidIt Sarda]]'s cave. [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2006/04/20/episode-685-the-final-straw/ He immediately teleports them inside.]]

** Specifically, Sarda, the nearly omniscient, almost omnipotent Wizard Who Did It [[spoiler:who is secretly responsible for setting the events of practically the entire strip into motion]].

** Far later, [[AWizardDidIt Sarda]] gives one:

* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:Sarda has been secretly making the Light Warriors stronger so that he could show them how insignificant they are when their upgrades fail to save them from his wrath. This was all in retribution for having his younger self irreversibly and unbelievably traumatized by Black Mage multiple times. And also because the other Light Warriors did nothing to stop him from doing it]].

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:The villains threatening the world are defeated, everybody is saved, the Dark Warriors are hailed as heroes throughout the land, and Thief becomes the new king of the Elves. However due to the events of the comic the Light Warriors aren't given ''any'' credit for all the crap they went through and the group disbands. Afterwards Red Mage and Dragoon set out to create a "sole-survivor of secret sects" club while Black Mage and Fighter just disappear, with nobody knowing what happened to them (they're actually right back where they were when the comic started). White Mage is trying to find a way to give them the credit they earned but it's left ambiguous if she'll succeed. Still, they were ''also'' prevented from achieving their largely-unsavory post-quest plans, and their various de-powerings have mellowed them out a little, to the point that all of them seem fairly happy about where they've ended up.]]

* AGodAmI: Sarda for most of his appearances, and later [[spoiler:Black Mage and Red Mage.]]

* ShapeshiftingHealsWounds: Black Belt ends up TakenForGranite early on and gets the top of his head sheared off after landing upside-down in a pool of Mountain Dew for a long time. RealityEnsues [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/11/10/episode-622-now-shut-up/ once the petrification effect is reversed]], and he quickly empties himself of blood.

%%* CrapsackWorld

%%* CreativeSterility: Elves.

%%* BrainBleach: In-world: "I would settle for the power to stab out my mind's eye."

%%* InterspeciesRomance: Bahamut and Matoya, Ranger's complex heritage.
%%-->'''Fighter:''' So that's where earthquakes come from.

%%* {{Multishot}}: Parodied by Ranger.
%%* {{Munchkin}}: Red Mage.

%%* NoodleIncident, NoodleImplements: Using ([[InterchangeableAntimatterKeys up]]) a portable hole, an immovable rod, a bag of holding, and an ice spell to escape from an exploding [[CoolAirship Deathtrap]], then [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2003/08/16/episode-320-extrications in the same strip]] [[InventoryManagementPuzzle requiring]] a portable hole, an immovable rod, a bag of holding, and an ice spell to get Black Mage out from under a Giant.

%%* StuffedIntoTheFridge: Viciously parodied with the fate of Ranger's [[DisposableLoveInterest wife]].

%%* WallsOfText: Not ''all'' the time, but sometimes something like [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2004/07/13/episode-441-crescent-fresh/ this]] happens.

* InstantChucks (previously named Sword Chucks)

* OrwellianEditor: Thief's Ninja outfit is based on a red Ninja sprite from ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyIII.'' In the original run of strip 200, and in the first run of the strip where he obtained the class change, Thief's outfit matched said sprite. One strip later, however, the outfit switched from red to black--Black Mage comments on it, but Thief only says that the outfit had ''always'' been black as a LogicBomb. On the same day as the LogicBomb joke, the previous strips were all edited to change the outfit from red to black.

* {{Crunchtastic}}: Black Mage [[http://www.nuklearpower.com/2005/06/23/episode-567-paralinguistics/ once]] concluded that his hatred of Fighter is so great that there is no word strong enough to express it. So--with Red Mage's help--he made up a new one: ''omniloathe''. Obviously Fighter [[CompletelyMissingThePoint missed the point]] and was overjoyed that he and Black Mage had "got best buddy codewords now".