History Webcomic / ImTheGrimReaper

* TheFogOfAges: Whilst talking to Scarlet, Brook mentions how he tends to update his blog frequently, as he tends to forget things easily.
* TheGrimReaper: Reapers are damned souls who struck a deal with Satan, who permits them to remain in the mortal world as long as they kill a certain quote of sinners per day. Visually, only Scarlet fits the classic image, as she wears a long, hooded black coat and uses a scythe in combat.
* TheNothingAfterDeath: While Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory all exist in this series' universe, this trope still awaits the most evil sinners. The Ninth Circle of Hell is an endless void where the worst of the worst are left alone with themselves for all eternity.

* AbsurdlyLongWait: Played for drama. [[spoiler: When Liam discovers Ana’s body and calls emergency services, he discovers that not only is there a waitlist, but it’ll take 25 whole days for anyone to come investigate. It plays a major role in his SanitySlippage.]]

* ActionGirl: Scarlet is very good at using her scythe...however, as badass as she is, she’s still a new reaper and lacks experience.

* AlasPoorVillain: Scarlet can’t help but feel bad for [[spoiler: Ana, who despite killing her own child, had a terrible life and thus made bad choices which led to her fate. Chase disregards this, saying she never should’ve gotten to that point and feels no sympathy for her.]]
** Despite Satan proving himself the Avatar of Evil, we discover that his origin story is ''genuinely'' sympathetic. [[spoiler:The crime that Satan committed to become the first-ever sinner in Hell? '''None whatsoever'''. He was sentenced to Hell ''moments after he was born'', personally ''tortured'' with the first Sinner's Mark in existence, and left wondering for ages why he continues to exist no matter how much evil he perpetuates! All because God wanted some kind of answer about the meaning of existence!]] No wonder he's a total psychopath!
* AloneWithThePsycho: Played with. Scarlet, unknowingly, with [[spoiler: Jordan, who she doesn't know is a serial killer.]] The two quickly switch places when [[spoiler:Scarlet literally cuts him in half in a dark alley.]] A second example is the flashback where Chase [[spoiler:interrogates a man who murdered his wife and is using his children as hostages unless all charges against him are dropped. They switch roles when, after Chase gets all the information he needs, Chase shoots the man in the head three times, all on camera, knowing the consequences.]]
** Happens to Brook in season 3 when [[spoiler: he gets stuck in a trap set by Judah that slices him into pieces.]]
* AllAccordingToPlan: Apparently part of Chase’s plan when he and Scarlet go back to the Red Spades to find her file was to [[spoiler: meet Brook somehow and talk to him and maybe sway him to their side, which he does after being captured by him after he “fell” for an obvious trap.]]

** What Scarlet finds out with her second sinner. The Red X appears on sinners, be it a murderer or a thief, a sinner is a sinner. After discovering this she tries to find out more about her targets to make sure she is actually killing a vile person rather than someone that just stole something quick to eat.
** Averted when the Sinner is actually in Hell though, as the Devil places sinners in the Levels of Hell fitting for their crime. When Scarlet sees a Serial Killer only going to Level 6, she is horrified to wonder what she did to justify being sent to the 9th.

* AndIMustScream: The fate of anyone sentenced to the last circle of hell, since it's a void empty of any sensation or other people and you can't even sleep, being left with just your thoughts for the rest of eternity. It's little wonder Scarlet is so desperate to avoid it.
* AnimalMotifs: Both Scarlet and Chase are associated with cats, with Chase even having an ImagineSpot of her as a CatGirl once. Brook’s ribbons and mask immediately bring bunnies to mind, down to being called the rabbit reaper.
** Scarlet ends up being associated more with [[spoiler: wolves]] than cats.

* ArtShift: Chase’s backstories have different ones. [[spoiler: The one where he details his abusive ex starts off with a bright, pastel color palette before slowly turning back into the series’ usual tones.]] His backstory regarding how he got his X starts off with muted colors, but as it goes on his mother’s colors become brighter...while his stay muted.

* AuthorAppeal: Graveweaver has stated multiple times that the comic is made up of things she loves, and has even gone so far as to call the comic "completely self-serving"

* BackstoryHorror: [[spoiler: On his 18th birthday Brook was strangled to death by his sister inorder to prevent him from inheriting the family fur business.]]
** It is implied that something horrible happened to Chase in his childhood based on dialogue between his step-mother and biological mother.
*** As a child, after his dad's death, Chase's mom [[spoiler: killed both of his siblings and tried to kill him in a murder-suicide. However, she fell down the stairs and stabbed herself before she could kill him.]]
* BatterUp: [[spoiler: Liam killed a random old man with a baseball bat and nearly tries to kill Chase so he can become a sinner, be killed by Scarlet, and be sent to hell with Ana.]]
* BeneathSuspicion: All of the sinners shown so far look like normal people.

* BlackAndGreyMorality: While the sinners are certainly awful, the main characters include a developing BloodKnight with a demonic side who works for the devil, and a former detective with a mysterious past and manipulative streak who shouldn’t be trusted with a gun. They aren’t exactly the pinnacles of virtue.
* BlandNameProduct: Fatecraft is a portmanteau of ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'' and ''VideoGame/{{Warcraft}}'', the game itself being shown to resemble the latter.

* BlatantLies: When Jordan asks Scarlet what her name is, she doesn't remember it nor has she come up with one. She stumbles over her words until she says "Scarlet." He seems to buy it.
* BloodKnight: Scarlet certainly seems to be displaying some of these tendencies, becoming more willing and almost happy to take out sinners.
** Much more notable in the case of [[spoiler:Ashe, the oldest reaper: While the other reapers are required to kill one sinner per day, Ashe has a limit of 10 per day instead.]]
* BreatherEpisode: We get these on occasion. A notable example is episode 34, which happens after [[spoiler: Scarlet and Chase team up to take out sinners and Satan has Brook tell him everything he knows about them]] and has Scarlet and Chase talking and being friends.
** Another notable example is episode 50, which happens after the major revelation of [[spoiler: Scarlet's real name, Ante Nora, being revealed.]] It involves Scarlet and Chase playing FateCraft together.
* BroughtDownToNormal: Just as Scarlet is about to lose control of her demon, she manages to forcibly recover it, only for her to stop feeling her demon at all and become little different from a normal human. [[spoiler: She manages to get it back after killing a sinner.]]
* CainAndAbel: [[spoiler: Brook's sister's dislike of him eventually turned murderous in order to prevent him from taking control of the family fur business.]]
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: How Scarlet and Chase viewed each other in the beginning. For her, he was a way to uncover her past and find a steady stream of sinners, but if he found out too much she was more than willing to kill him. For him, she was a way back onto the police force by being his lead in Case X, but he was also willing to kill her if need be. [[spoiler: They eventually do become genuine friends, especially once they team up to kill sinners.]]

* CatGirl: Chase imagines Scarlet as one upon her reveal of her horns and tail.

* ContemplateOurNavels: The characters talk about their views on morality and the very nature of sin often.

* CowboyCop: What Chase is implied to have been when he was a detective.

* CuteLittleFangs: Scarlet gets these after becoming a grim reaper. She doesn't find them cute, but Chase does [[CatGirl in his own way.]]
* CynicismCatalyst: Scarlet’s comes very early in the story. At first, she’s more apprehensive about killing sinners, but when the dorky young man she meets who’s marked as one turns out to be [[spoiler: a cold-blooded serial killer,]] she quickly becomes more jaded and willing to do the job.
* [[spoiler: DeadlyNosebleed: Whenever Chase doesn't take his pills for an extended period of time, he can be seen having a nosebleed]]
* DeadpanSnarker: Scarlet, oh so much. Chase has his moments as well. And especially Satan.
--> '''Satan''' (to '''Scarlet'''): '' "Ah, I guess you are kind of old...Oh, um, I mean I'm sure we can work around it with the outfit. Don't look so worried.''"
* DealWithTheDevil: Scarlet makes one to avoid being sent to the last circle of hell [[spoiler: Stated by Satan to be how all reapers become such]].

** Thankfully not shown, but the first case that Chase and Scarlet investigate is of a missing boy. [[spoiler: His mother strangled him, cut him into pieces, and flushed him down the toilet to hide the evidence.]]
** It's revealed that a part of Chase's DarkAndTroubledPast was [[spoiler: his mother killing his two younger siblings after their father's death.]]
* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The Discover version is in mostly black and white, with splashes of color (particularly red, but sometimes pink or other colors) here and there for effect. The featured version is mostly colored, but there are scenes that are like this on occasion

* DoggedNiceGuy: Implied to be the case with Liam and Ana. While they were childhood friends, Liam’s extreme belief in her still being alive and that they're “fated” to be together...is concerning.

* DownerBeginning: We open with Scarlet arriving in Hell.
* EmoTeen: Although she's an adult, Scarlet's grim reaper outfit definitely looks like this, and is even {{Lampshaded}} several times.
** It's revealed that [[spoiler: Chase had an emo teen phase.]]

* EvenEvilCanBeLoved: Liam never stops loving Ana, [[spoiler: not even after he finds out she’d killed her own son.]]
** This could be interpreted as the case with Scarlet and Chase as well; despite being objectively terrible people, they’re the most important people to each other.
* EveryoneCanSeeIt: It says something when Brook, who has had minimal interactions with [[spoiler: Chase, feels bold enough to tease Chase about his relationship with Scarlet, almost even telling him he’s in love to his face...before Chase cuts him off.]]
** A darker example is during the season two finale, when Satan [[spoiler: tells Scarlet that he can tell she fancies someone, and orders her to kill Chase by midnight that night or be sent back to the 9th level forever.]]
* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Calling Scarlet good is a stretch, but the Red Spades leader seriously got ahead of herself [[spoiler: offering Scarlet a job with the Red Spades in exchange for being told what her life was, albeit with sending Chase to the other side of the world so he can’t get involved anymore. Scarlet turned it down, despite the Red Spades leader being convinced she would take it since it was the “only logical option.” Scarlet simply tells her that feelings aren't logical.]]

* ExpositoryHairstyleChange: [[spoiler: After spending 25 years in the 9th layer Scarlet's bob is now a floor-length hairdo.]]

* FaceDeathWithDignity: Played with. The woman who [[spoiler: killed her son was killed too quickly for her to even react, but she accepts her punishment in Hell with grace. ]]

* FaceHeelTurn: Although it’s implied he wasn’t all there to begin with, [[spoiler: Liam was one of the few non sinners in the series.]] [[spoiler: And then he finds Ana’s corpse, and kills someone solely because he guessed if he did, he could be reaped by Scarlet. ]]
* FamilyPortraitOfCharacterization: Scarlet/[[spoiler:Yue’]]s mom’s characterization is built off of the photos she took of [[spoiler: Yue,]] including [[spoiler: one of the two of them which she captioned, “Love You Forever”. ]]
* FanDisservice: Chase’s first shirtless scene was played for laughs. The second one is [[spoiler: while Scarlet is stitching him up after she stabbed him in her demon form.]]
* FateWorseThanDeath: The reapers physically cannot die, though they can definitely still be injured. This is used to its fullest extent when [[spoiler: [[MadScientist Judah]] kindly demonstrates to Brook what it feels like to be liquified. It takes a lot to traumatize a century-old reaper to the point where he can't even look at soup, you know.]]

* FreudianExcuse: [[spoiler: The woman who killed her son is given one: she had parents that squashed her unconventional dreams of becoming a writer, and who pressured her into getting an ordinary life by marrying an ordinary man, who abandoned her shortly after she had their son. When her son became terminally ill and she didn’t have the funds to get medicine, she killed him.]] However, it is presented as less of an excuse, and more of an explanation.
** Satan's "tragic backstory" is that he [[spoiler:was sentenced to Hell ''a few seconds after he was born''.]]
* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: Chase's response to Scarlet after [[spoiler: she confirmed the woman killed her son, claiming that those were her choices and there were still a vast amount of other options she could have taken to take care of him.]]

* FreudianSlip: [[spoiler: The woman Chase and Scarlet are questioning about her missing son. She uses the word “was” relating to him, indicating she knows he's already dead.]]
* TheFriendNobodyLikes: It would appear none of the Reapers like spending any amount of time with Satan.
* GhostAmnesia: Scarlet has no recollection of her life, and much of her goals are finding out who she was.

* GoMadFromTheIsolation: The ninth level of Hell is a void devoid of all senses. It’s the fear of being sent here for eternity that drives Scarlet to become a reaper.
** Played with [[spoiler:in the beginning of Season 3, when Scarlet actually spends a quarter century (of subjective time) in the Ninth Circle]]. She has [[spoiler:incredibly vivid hallucinations, but is aware of what they are]]. After [[spoiler:being freed by Brook, Scarlet initially believes him to be another hallucination, but this is reasonable given the circumstances, and breaks apart as soon as he gives her information that she couldn't have gained otherwise. For the most part, she seems to be pretty stable, albeit traumatized]]. This may be part of the torture of the Ninth Circle, [[spoiler:since Scarlet notes that being unable to drift into unconsciousness was the worst part of her torment. Being ''unable'' to go mad from isolation, and having to endure it consciously for all eternity, seems to be an even worse fate]].
* GreenEyedMonster: Satan ''hates'' it when he isn’t the center of attention. [[spoiler: He even point blank says that he’s jealous that Scarlet’s (whom he views as a plaything) attention has been divided, and that’s part of why he gives her her SadisticChoice. ]]

* GovernmentConspiracy: [[spoiler:God's absence aside, the physical reason the mortal world is falling into ruin is due to the actions of a conspiracy involving the government, the police, the hospitals, and the organized crime group known as the Red Spades. The exact nature of the conspiracy is so complicated that even after becoming the new leader of the Red Spades, Veronica still cannot begin to understand it, only knowing that the Red Spades were created to serve as TheScapegoat for them.]]
* GrossUpCloseUp: [[spoiler: whilst in the ninth layer a gory mass of organs, which then shift into Ante Nora, can be seen descending from the ceiling]]
** ObliviouslyEvil: [[UnreliableNarrator According to God's Akashic records]], [[spoiler:God was born ''without emotion'', only developing it after millennia of creation, and spent eons trying to understand what it was through logical trial and error (beginning with moving each atom in His body and recording the results). This might explain why He created a clone of himself and experimented on it until it became pure evil.]]
* HalfTheManHeUsedToBe: Scarlet has a habit of cutting her victims in two with her scythe. The most notable examples are Jordan, the first sinner, and [[spoiler: eventually Liam, after he has already murdered someone and attempts to kill Chase so she ''has'' to kill him.]]

* HateSink: The Red Spades leader. Unlike other antagonists like Brook and Bernadette or outright villains like Satan, she has no style, funny moments, or class to make her even a little likable.
** Later on, [[MadScientist Judah]] becomes one too, due to Scarlet still being traumatized enough by him during her life as [[spoiler: Ante Nora]] to remember him after [[spoiler: 25 years in hell]], and later on [[spoiler: melting Brook down into ''nothing'' except for his hand.]]
* {{Hell}}: We see a different circle every time Scarlet kills a sinner.
* HellishPupils: Scarlet and Brook both have slit pupils, likely a trait common to all reapers.

* HorrifyingTheHorror: Scarlet’s demon form is powerful enough to scare [[spoiler: Brook]] badly, far more than he would like to admit. It’s implied he would much rather ignore her than risk her going out of control again.
** Judah, despite being a mere human, is able to horrify Scarlet [[spoiler: with what few memories she has of him as Ante.]] Later, [[spoiler: after being sliced into pieces and melted down into liquid except for his hand by him, Brook is even terrified of him.]]

* TheILoveYouStigma: Once Brook joins [[spoiler: Scarlet and Chase, he starts teasing Chase in particular about his and Scarlet’s relationship, even beginning to say “I can tell from a mile away that you’re in lo-” before Chase cuts him off, red faced. ]]

* INeverSaidItWasPoison: Chase is able to [[spoiler: trick a woman into inadvertently using the word “was” in regards to her missing son, basically confirming she killed him.]]
* INeverToldYouMyName: Scarlet gets startled when Liam calls out to her by calling her Grim Reaper, it turns out it's because her Gamer Name on Fatecraft is [=GrimReaper666=] and he never learned her real name.

* InternalReveal: The start of Season 2, Scarlet reveals she is the Grim Reaper to Chase.

* LightDarknessJuxtaposition: Chase and Scarlet’s first “official” meeting has him in the light and her in shadows.
* LineOfSightAlias: Done when the protagonist is asked for her name by another character, Jordan. After mumbling through several names, she sees a red X on Jordan's chest, and blurts out, "Uh . . . Scarlet!" He takes it at face value.

* LuminescentBlush: Chase sports a ''major'' one after [[spoiler: using the trolley problem as a metaphor for how important Scarlet is to him; basically, in any scenario, he'd allow that one person to die while the others live, unless it was her in danger. Then he'd let the others die instead.]]
* MasterActor: Chase is able to convince a woman he’s also a parent who lost a child in order to get her to trust him. [[spoiler: It works.]]
* MeaningfulName: Scarlet’s name brings to mind her color scheme and the scar on her face, while Chase relentlessly ''chases'' down answers to Case X.
* MercyKill: [[spoiler: What the woman justifies her murder of her son as.]] The author doesn’t make it clear whether it’s the true reason or not, and leaves it ambiguous as to whether it was justifiable.
* MrExposition: Satan explains a lot about the grim reapers and Hell, since he is her boss. [[YouDidntAsk Doesn’t mean he tells her everything though...]]

* OffingTheOffspring: Revealed to be a major part of Chase’s backstory. [[spoiler: After his father’s death, his mom went off the deep end and killed his two younger siblings and tried to kill Chase in an attempted murder suicide. She fell down the stairs and stabbed herself before she could kill him, however. ]]
* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Scarlet is not her real name. She doesn’t have any memories, so she just calls herself that.
* PimpedOutDress: [[spoiler: Satan, being as petty as he is, changes Scarlet’s usual reaper outfit into a decadent and somewhat revealing dress before they fight at the end of season two.]]
* PintSizedPowerhouse: Scarlet is only 5’3, but is a force to be reckoned with. Brook is even shorter and is an even more formidable opponent.

* PoorCommunicationKills: Amazingly averted in season two [[spoiler: after Scarlet and Chase team up to take out sinners. They actually talk to each other, letting the other know of their thoughts, opinions, etc.]] Notably happens after [[spoiler: Scarlet stabs him in her demon state and she explains what the demon is, and that he’s her link to her humanity. This doesn’t mean that Chase isn’t still hiding some things though...]]
* PowerIncontinence: Scarlet has a very powerful demon inside her that when activated, is nearly invincible. The problem is [[spoiler: that the demon is a single-minded killing machine, slaughtering anything in its way, and Scarlet can’t control it when it starts creeping out and lets it take her over easily.]]

* PyrrhicVictory: Scarlet finally has the Red Spades leader in a position where she can reveal her past when [[spoiler: Chase’s mother arrives to arrest her. Rather than be arrested, the leader commits suicide, taking the secrets of Scarlet’s past with her. On the other hand, Brook has quit the Red Spades and seems to be on their side.]]
** In episode 123 [[spoiler: Scarlet seemingly kills Judah, the man who had caused Ante/Yue's downfall, but not before he succeeds in burning down her childhood home and her mother's photographs.]]

* SceneryPorn: They are a mix of photos and detailed drawings.
* SexualEuphemism: Brook thinks Chase and Scarlet want to be alone to "Dance the Devil's Tango".
* SheIsNotMyGirlfriend: After Brook not only calls [[spoiler: Scarlet Chase’s girlfriend, but even insinuates that they’re sleeping together, Chase turns bright red before saying they don’t have that kind of relationship. And shuts Brook up when he tries to point-blank say he can tell he’s in love with her. ]]
* ShirtlessScene: Played for laughs when Scarlet walks in on Chase changing his shirt. He gets flustered while she couldn’t care less.

** Chase’s tie and Scarlet’s boots and prowess with a scythe are shoutouts to ''Manga/SoulEater''.
** Graveweaver stated that Scarlet's design was inspired by Maka Albarn from ''Soul Eater'', Zack from ''Angels of Death'', and Rukia from ''{{Manga/Bleach}}'', while her demon's appearance is an obvious homage to ''{{Manga/Hellsing}}.''
** Fatecraft, a popular MMO game in-Universe, is a shout-out to both ''Fate/Grand Order'' and ''Warcraft''.
** One panel has a Blink-and-You'll-Miss-It shot showing that Chase has Frostmourne from ''Warcraft'' hanging in his apartment.

* SiblingMurder: [[spoiler: Brook's sister end's up murdering him, in order to prevent him from becoming head of his families fur business]]
* SinisterScythe: Scarlet’s weapon of choice.

* SuicideByCop: [[spoiler: Liam murders someone to become a sinner so Scarlet will reap him. At first, she refuses, but once he goes after Chase, she wastes no time killing him.]]
* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: In college, Chase fell for a tsundere and they started dating. The relationship turned emotionally and physically abusive and didn’t work out.
* SweetTooth: Scarlet has a strong reaction to her first time eating cotton candy.
** [[spoiler: Whilst trying to convince Scarlet that he's not Satan, Brook talks about his love of sweets.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Brook''': "The cakes with that thick chocolate mousse inside are my favorite"]]

* TheGrimReaper: What Scarlet and Brook are.
* TheNothingAfterDeath: While Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory all exist in this series' Universe, this trope still awaits the most evil sinners. The Ninth Circle of Hell is an endless void where the worst of the worst are left alone with themselves for all eternity.
* ThereIsAnother: [[spoiler: The Devil reveals that there are 2 other Reapers besides her, and didn't tell her until after she was nearly killed by one.]]

* YouMonster: Scarlet has called Satan “the worst” several times. He basically asks her what she was expecting, since he is the devil after all.

* BroughtDownToNormal: Just as Scarlet is about to lose control of her demon, she manages to forcibly recover it, only for her to stop feeling her demon at all and become little different from a normal human.

* DeliberatelyMonochrome: The Discover version is in mostly black and white, with splashes of color (particularly red, but sometimes pink or other colors) here and there for effect. The featured version is mostly colored, but there are scenes that are like this on occasion.

* HornedHairdo: Scarlet has two licks of hair on the side of her head that stand up, giving the image of devil horns, which areater revealed they actually are horns. Perfectly fitting considering she's a reaper for Satan.

* DeathOfAChild: Thankfully not shown, but the first case that Chase and Scarlet investigate is of a missing boy. [[spoiler: His mother strangled him, cut him into pieces, and flushed him down the toilet to hide the evidence.]]

* HornedHairdo: Scarlet has two licks of hair on the side of her head that stand up, giving the image of devil horns. Later revealed they actually are horns.

* MultiColoredHair: Scarlet has black and red hair.

* CainandAbel: [[spoiler: Brook's sister's dislike of him eventually turned murderous in order to prevent him from taking control of the family fur business.]]

* {{Megane}}: Chase wears glasses and is also quite the pretty boy.[[note]]Graveweaver, the author, even stated that she designed Chase as her ideal anime boyfriend.

* WeAreStrugglingTogether: Scarlet and Brooke are both Reapers that know full well Satan is using them for his amusement, however every time they meet they try to kill the other.

* HumansAreTheRealMonsters: Played with. Sinners are everywhere in this series, with their sins varying from almost silly sounding to murder. It is worth noting that Scarlet can only see sinners; she cannot see the virtuous, only archangels can do that.

** Later, [[spoiler:Brook]] does the same in order to [[spoiler:free Scarlet from the Ninth Circle. She can go free, without agreeing to reap Chase, but Brook (who had been a soul from Purgatory, acting as a Reaper to keep ''his sister'' out of Hell) will be judges for his sins as a Reaper and went to the void himself, should he fail to meet his quota]].

* DealWithTheDevil: Scarlet makes one to avoid being sent to the last circle of hell [[spoiler: Stated by Satan to be how all reapers become such]]

* YearInsideHourOutside: Time travels several times faster in Hell than it does in the mortal world. In the 9th Circle Scarlet was in it for 25 years, but on earth it appeared as if only a few months had passed.

* UnfeelingHeavens: God is [[BlueAndOrangeMorality too different]] from humans to [[LackOfEmpathy relate to them]], resulting in an afterlife that seems messed up and unfair to many. Hell is a place of eternal damnation even for 1st Circle sinners, with no hope of redemption or atonement. Heaven is pleasant enough for the most part if you can get in, but good luck with that since God has stopped judging virtuous souls, leaving the virtuous trapped in an eternal wait. In the 9th Circle of Heaven, you apparently cease to exist entirely. If the archangels chose to ascend a virtuous soul while God is not available for judgement, they would automatically go to the 9th Circle.