Line #62 ComicBook/Fence


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/fence_cover_image.png]]
2	''Fence'' is a comic book series created by writer C.S. Pacat (author of the ''Literature/CaptivePrince'' series) and artist Johanna the Mad, published by Creator/BoomStudios under the "Boom! Box" brand.
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4	The series is a SportsStory focused on the world of competitive fencing. There are two main characters who also happen to be rivals: Nicholas Cox, a HotBlooded young fencer, and Seiji Katayama, a cool and collected fencing prodigy. They both attend the prestigious Kings Row, an all-boys boarding school where they both compete for a slot on the elite fencing team among a colorful cast of characters made up of spoiled rich kids, tough coaches, and flirty jocks.
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6	The series borrows a lot of tropes from SportsAnime, complete with a [[ShownTheirWork pretty accurate depiction of fencing]]. It also has a heaping amount of BoysLove content, with numerous gay characters along with the HomoeroticSubtext between the two main characters. Unsurprisingly, it quickly picked up a [[YaoiFangirl fanbase]] and after the initial 12 issues were released, the series was announced to be continued in OGN (original graphic novel) form, along with two written prose novels (titled ''Striking Distance'' and ''Disarmed'') that were released in 2020 and 2021.
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8	[[SimilarlyNamedWorks Not related]] to the play ''Theatre/{{Fences}}'', written by August Wilson in 1984, or its 2016 film adaptation.
9	----
10	!!This series includes the following tropes:
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13	[[folder:# - H]]
14	* TheAce: ''Fence'' has a number of characters who fit this trope, and a few of them are teammates with the protagonist Nicholas.
15	* AllThereInTheManual: The fencing parameters, preferences, and other tidbits regarding the main cast are listed in their profile images made available online. The comic's original print also includes [[https://applesandbannas747.tumblr.com/post/690803584455065600/back-during-the-original-print-of-fence-the copies]] of the characters' transcripts and Coach Williams's assessment of their skill levels.
16	* AloneAmongFamilies: During tryouts, Nicholas and Seiji are all alone as the rest of their future teammates families arrive to cheer them on. For Nicholas, this cuts him deeply due to his own family situation.
17	* AlwaysIdenticalTwins: Seemingly played straight by the Levantis twins at first glance, though ''Redemption'' reveals they have contrasting personalities that set them apart.
18	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: More often than not, this ends up being the case for several different characters including Nicholas. Not even Seiji is immune as Jesse's shadow continues to haunt him right after their separation.
19	* AmbiguouslyBrown: A number of characters whose ethnicity are unknown or can't be alluded to fulfill the trope.
20	* AmbiguouslyGay: Both Nicholas and Seiji, who constantly think about each other and have yet to state if they're romantically interested in women, though the writer does confirm the former to be bisexual. This is in stark contrast to Aiden, Harvard, and almost every other boy attending Kings Row.
21	* {{Animesque}}: While not as blatant in many works invoking the trope, some volumes of ''Fence'' have the cast being depicted SuperDeformed style for comedic effect.
22	* ArtEvolution: The art style used in the ''Rise'' and ''Redemption'' volumes are a step up from the original series.
23	* AttackAttackAttack: Subverted in that fencing is more than just being able to overwhelm the opponent through sheer offense, but also parry their counterattacks and make tactical moves depending on the discipline chosen.
24	* AudienceSurrogate: Nicholas and the less experienced students serve this role as they are given lectures involving the finer details of fencing, sports mentality, and even team dynamics from Coach Williams or other characters.
25	* AwesomenessByAnalysis: Coach Williams of Kings Row often does this to give readers more insight on the fundamentals of the sport. She even properly assesses the traits of each competitor, giving them instructions on what they can do to improve themselves. Aiden himself is shown to be quite skilled at observing other fencers and taking advantage of their weaknesses.
26	* {{Backstory}}: Every major character has one that details their motivations for joining Kings Row's fencing team to begin with.
27	* BatmanGambit: Realizing that Nicholas and Seiji can help each other grow, Coach Williams creates situations where the two are forced to interact despite their initial hostility with one another. It results in both boys forming an actual rapport which steadily improves over time.
28	* BattleOfWits: The story thoroughly emphasizes that fencing is just as much a battle of wits as it is a physical sport through the various tactics and mind games employed by many fencers.
29	* BelligerentSexualTension: Nicholas and Seiji don't get along at ''all'', and yet can't stop thinking about each other; Seiji seems especially enamored after [[spoiler:he's nearly beaten by Nicholas in a match]].
30	* BetaCouple: Though they're not officially couple, both Harvard and Aiden are treated as this to further contrast them from Nicholas and Seiji.
31	* BickeringCouplePeacefulCouple: Nicholas and Seiji are obviously the bickering couple while Harvard and Aiden are the more peaceful pair.
32	* BirdsOfAFeather: This surprisingly happens when some of the main characters get to know their rivals from other schools during the training camp at Halverton.
33	* BoardingSchool: Many of the schools in the story including Kings Row are this. In Nicholas's case, it's a huge benefit for him as his previous home was shown to be very dilapidated.
34	* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Aiden and Seiji have a debate over how they should conduct themselves during the training camp at Halverton. Aiden believes they need to hold back in order to not give the other schools info that could be used against them while Seiji counters that depending too much on trickery will only cause them to neglect honing their skills.
35	* BreakTheHaughty: Lots of characters undergo this with Seiji being the most prominent recipient of the trope.
36	* CastFullOfGay: There are a ''lot'' of gay/bi students attending Kings Row. The explicitly gay main characters include Aiden, Harvard, and Dante, and there are several minor characters that happen to swing that way too (namely, Aiden's fanboy squad). Nicholas and Seiji obviously have some sort of attraction towards each other, but neither has declared themselves straight or gay.
37	* CastFullOfPrettyBoys: The story is filled to the brim with many attractive boys with more showing up as the story progresses further.
38	* CastOfSnowflakes: Just about every character has something that makes them both unique and interesting.
39	* CentipedesDilemma: Nicholas experiences this early on after the amount of fencing information he acquires becomes almost too much for him to handle, causing his performance to worsen from the pressure. But with some encouragement from Coach Williams, he's able to move past that and regain his drive to improve.
40	* CentralTheme:
41	** Experiencing failure is necessary in order to grow and improve. This is something Nicholas lives by as he quickly learns from his mistakes and adapts to give himself a better chance of success. Meanwhile, Seiji struggles to tolerate failure due to his perfectionist streak, though he does get better with help from his teammates.
42	** Winning isn't everything. There are things people only learn or gain by not obsessing over victory. Throughout the story, Seiji had been constantly plagued by the defeats he's experienced. But along the way, he forms a genuine bond with Nicholas and comes to realize that seeing how far they'll go together is more important than siding with the strongest team.
43	* ChallengingTheBully: During the training camp arc, Nicholas is given the opportunity to duel against the guy who mocked him in the first volume. While it ends in defeat for him, he's not the least fazed about it as every defeat is a learning experience for him.
44	* CharacterDevelopment: Nicholas and Seiji have the lion's share of character development due to the story putting more focus on their relationship. That being said, other characters like Eugene, Bobby, and even Harvard come into their own with help from the team.
45	* CharacterFocus: While Nicholas and Seiji do take up more attention in the story, each major character is given some attention here and there to allow for personal growth.
46	* ChildhoodFriendRomance: Both the comics and novels reveal that Harvard and Aiden are on the verge of this with one another, yet they refuse to act on it completely out of a paralyzing fear of potentially ruining their bond.
47	* ChildhoodFriends: Harvard and Aiden, and they have another childhood friend in Arune who attends another school. Also applies to Seiji and Jesse who attended the same fencing camp together during their formative years.
48	* ClothingConcealedInjury: Some scenes in the comic show characters with bruises on their skin after finishing particularly grueling matches. This is TruthInTelevision as its often commonplace for fencers to sustain such injuries when fencing regularly.
49	* ColorMotif: The comic uses blue for both the logo and intro pages. While the color itself usually symbolizes calmness or confidence, it is also associated with same-sex romance between men. And given the heavy amount of HomoeroticSubtext in the story, the latter meaning may be more appropriate.
50	* CombatCommentator: While Coach Williams often does this to provide additional insight on fencing in general, other characters will sometimes join in during certain matches.
51	* ConstructiveCriticism: One of the ways Coach Williams helps her students is to provide them with feedback on how they can overcome their weaknesses and become more effective at fencing. Nicholas benefits from this the most due to his inexperience.
52	* CurbStompBattle: Nicholas finds himself at the receiving end of this more often than not. However, it becomes less of an occurrence as he gains enough experience to make up for some of his flaws and bad habits.
53	* DefeatMeansFriendship: Averted by Nicholas and Seiji who remain hostile to each other even after the latter beats him repeatedly. It takes time for them to start warming up to one another.
54	* DownerBeginning: ''Fence'' begins with Nicholas participating in an exhibition match while down on his luck due to living in poverty.
55	* DumbJock: Averted hard as many of the athletes depicted in this story are intelligent enough to apply tactical maneuvers and learn from their mistakes. Played straight with Nicholas whose grades are downright abysmal in every subject except physical education.
56	* EatingTheEyeCandy: Bobby has a tendency to "appreciate" Seiji's handsome countenance to the point of viewing him with a CrushFilter whenever they interact.
57	* {{Escapism}}: Nicholas uses his passion for fencing as a way to distract himself from his horrid home life. Unlike most examples, he's able to find fulfillment from improving in the sport after earning a scholarship to Kings Row.
58	* EstablishingTeamShot: The other schools' teams are introduced this way later on in the story.
59	* EveryoneWentToSchoolTogether:
60	** Seiji and Jesse attended the same fencing club together and were supposed to enroll in the same high school until their falling out.
61	** Harvard was classmates with Arune during their time at grade school together.
62	* ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin: ''Fence'' is basically a story about, you guessed it, fencing.
63	* ExplainingYourPowerToTheEnemy: Averted by many of the rival fencers who try to stay mum about their team tactics while trying to uncover the strengths and weaknesses of the Kings Row team.
64	* {{Expy}}: The creators have stated that the anime ''Anime/{{Haikyuu}}'' has been a major inspiration for the series and characters, even the buildup of the stories are the same.
65	** NaiveNewcomer Nicholas/Hinata goes against TheAce Seiji/Kageyama, who is expected to win the opening tournament in their debut match. Nicholas/Hinata hopes they can somehow pull out a win, only to be handed a crushing defeat. Seiji/Kageyama taunts their hopes of success while Nicholas/Hinata swears they will defeat them. Months pass and Nicholas/Hinata enters a low-ranked high school with the optimism of facing their rival, only to find Seiji/Kageyama attending the same school and now having to learn how to work together.
66	* FamedInStory: Many characters and their schools are well-known among those involved in the world of fencing. Both Jesse and Seiji happen to be the most famous which makes the latter's choice to enroll in a mediocre school like Kings Row all the more shocking.
67	* FamilyOfChoice: Nicholas comes to see his fencing team as this which is understandable considering how miserable his own family life has been so far.
68	* {{Fanservice}}: Averted as most of the characters are underaged.
69	* FiveTokenBand: The cast of ''Fence'' is racially diverse, both in and out of Kings Row: Seiji is Japanese, Eugene is Filipino, Harvard is African-American, Aiden is white, Nicholas is ethnically ambiguous with white heritage, Bobby is Hispanic, Kally is presumably Middle Eastern or South Asian.
70	* FlawlessVictory: For high-tiered fencers like Seiji and Jesse, dealing with inexperienced or amateur opponents is of little trouble for them. The fact that Nicholas was able to slightly mar Seiji's perfect streak is what causes the latter to take a growing interest in him.
71	* FoeRomanceSubtext: There seems to be a bit of it as far as certain rivalries are concerned. It's even more prominent between Seiji and Jesse due to their shared past.
72	* FollowingInRelativesFootsteps: Nicholas, Jesse, and Kyle are eager to follow in the footsteps of the legendary fencer Robert Coste who happens to be the father of the first two and the latter's uncle.
73	* FriendlyRivalry: The Kings Row fencing team ends up forming friendly rivalries with some of their opponents from Macrobertson and Halverton.
74	* GamingAndSportsAnimeAndManga: ''Fence'' is a Western take on this genre.
75	* HardWorkHardlyWorks: Mostly averted throughout the story, though Aiden comes across as a rare exception due to his undeniable fencing talent. However, Aiden's lackadaisical work ethic comes back to bite him at Halverton where he's outshined by almost half of the participants there.
76	* HeroicSecondWind: In the middle of their match against MLC, Harvard decides to have Nicholas replace him due to their opponents not having much information to use against the latter. This results in Nicholas not only triumphing, but also spurring both Eugene and Seiji to turn the odds in their favor.
77	* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: This is how some perceive Seiji as once he decides to enroll in Kings Row rather than Exton. Kings Row also counts considering that they produced a number of excellent fencing athletes in the 80s before declining over the years.
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80	[[folder:I - V]]
81	* IShallTauntYou: Several fencers including Aiden make use of taunts in order to rile up their opponents and leave them more vulnerable. Of course, characters like Nicholas and Tanner tend to be immune to these mind games despite their more temperamental personalities.
82	* IndividualismVsCollectivism: ''Fence'' presents an interesting twist on the trope by having the Japanese Seiji adhere to the individualism aspect of fencing (at first). Meanwhile, the American Nicholas finds himself gravitating more towards collectivism as he comes to appreciate its benefits in the form of new friendships and connections.
83	* InstantExpert: Averted by Nicholas whose lack of training and finesse puts him at the bottom of the team's ranking. It becomes even more glaring when he attends the training camp at Halverton and gets outclassed by most of the other fencers there.
84	* InterclassFriendship: Some of the bonds established throughout the story are between characters from different backgrounds and economic statuses. This is best demonstrated by Nicholas and Seiji who gradually come to see one another as friends in later volumes.
85	* JustFriends: Aiden is clearly into Harvard and wants him as more of a friend, but Aiden refuses to date him because he doesn't sleep with teammates. When Jay asks Aiden why he has this policy, Aiden explains it's so he "doesn't mess up the one good thing he has in his life" as he fondly looks at Harvard.
86	* ALessonLearnedTooWell: A humorous example occurs in ''Rise'' when Nicholas experiments with flicking his opponents too much, resulting in Eugene and Terrell angrily finger-jabbing him in retaliation.
87	* LGBTRepresentationInMedia: ''Fence'' has a plethora of this with Nicholas and Seiji's rivalry skirting the line between rivalry and affection, Aiden's hidden feelings for Harvard, Bobby expressing himself through crossdressing, and Kally having been raised by two mothers.
88	* LoserFriendPuzzlesOutsiders: As Nicholas and Seiji's relationship grow stronger, some people can't help but wonder what it is the latter sees in the former. Even Jesse is perplexed by their dynamic upon meeting Nicholas the first time.
89	* LoveTriangle: The comic gradually portrays the relationship between Nicholas, Seiji, and Jesse as this with Nicholas and Jesse as rivals competing for Seiji's attention. Seiji himself still pines for Jesse, but slowly warms up to Nicholas as the gap between them starts to narrow.
90	* MasculineFeminineGayCouple: Dante (the masculine one) and Bobby (the feminine one) are a more platonic version of the trope, though the former is hoping to make into an actual romantic one.
91	* MenDontCry: Averted as many notable characters including Nicholas shed tears during agonizing moments of defeat.
92	* MomentKiller: A hilarious instance happens during the training camp arc when Aiden interrupts Nicholas and Seiji's private moment on account of the entire team bunking in the same room.
93	* MonochromePast: Deliberately invoked in some of the volumes when flashing back to moments that happened way before the story's events.
94	* NoSell: Aiden's mind games don't work on Nicholas, who is generally just too dense to get what Aiden's doing. But beyond that, Nicholas focuses on the fact that Aiden beat Seiji, so beating Aiden is like beating Seiji.
95	* {{Novelization}}: ''Fence'' has spawned two novels written by Sarah Rees Brennan with the first one being given the subtitle of ''Striking Distance'' and the second one called ''Disarmed''.
96	* ObliviousToLove: Bobby has an obvious crush on Seiji, who is too focused on fencing to even bother noticing. Meanwhile, Dante is seemingly crushing on Bobby ''big time,'' not that Bobby notices.
97	* OneGenderSchool: The schools introduced in ''Fence'' are all comprised of male students, though female teachers and coaches do prominently appear as well.
98	* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: This is what partially drives both Nicholas and Seiji to be better fencers than they currently are. Nicholas in particular wants to be the one to defeat Seiji and refuses to let anyone including Jesse get in the way of that goal.
99	* ParentalNeglect: Both Nicholas and Aiden are victims of this, and its only worsened their personal flaws and issues.
100	* PerformanceAnxiety: Due to their inexperience in actual duels, Nicholas and Eugene end up being impeded by performance anxiety at certain points. Nicholas is able to shake it off by relearning how to fence more naturally while applying the things he's learned from others while Eugene only gets better after receiving a confidence boost from his own teammates.
101	* PrivilegeMakesYouEvil: Averted with many characters who attend more expensive schools like Exton and Halverton. In Kyle's case, it's downplayed as he's more of a bullying jerk with a [[SmallNameBigEgo large ego]].
102	* PutMeInCoach: Subverted by Eugene and Nicholas who separately ask Coach Williams to put the other in the team's reserve spot, thinking the other deserves it more. Fortunately, the coach is able to convince the school to create two spots instead of one, allowing both boys to join the team together.
103	* RealPlaceBackground: ''Fence'' is based on real-life US state Connecticut.
104	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
105	** Seiji, being a dedicated prodigy in fencing, has a habit of handing these out like candy. Him giving one to Nicholas is what spurs the latter to try and surpass him.
106	** Aiden and Seiji give each other one during the training camp at Halverton, though it eventually gives way to them being more friendly with one another after Seiji acknowledges his own flaws.
107	** Kyle hands several towards Nicholas who merely brushes it off out of annoyance.
108	* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Coach Williams and the coaches from the other schools are this to varying degrees. Harvard also has this mentality as captain which makes him well-liked among his peers.
109	* RedOniBlueOni: Nicholas's passionate and strong personality contrasts with Seiji's icy demeanor. Likewise, Aiden's capricious nature matches well with Harvard's stern but caring side.
110	* RemovingTheRival: Scott of Halverton High attempts to remove Seiji as a rival by attempting to coax him into joining his school instead. Unfortunately for him, he outright refuses thanks to a bonding experience with Nicholas.
111	* RivalryAsCourtship: Nicholas and Seiji's rivalry evolves into something more at a gradual pace to the point where they become much closer as a result.
112	* RoommateDrama: The protagonists are each others' roommates. Nicholas with Seiji, Harvard with Aiden, and Bobby with Dante. While each pair has their own hang-ups, only Bobby and Dante seem to be the most stable while Nicholas and Seiji are the most volatile.
113	* RousingSpeech: Coach Williams tends to hand these out to the team in order to further motivate them.
114	* RunningGag:
115	** Whenever Kyle mentions his cousin Jesse either directly or implicitly, two of his acquaintances playfully mock the things he might end up saying.
116	** The repeated comments on how Nicholas's form is horrible, with Coach Williams's handwriting getting angrier each time she mentions it.
117	** Coach Williams's obsession with the sabre discipline of fencing.
118	* SaveOurTeam: This is Kings Row's current goal as their fencing team has been declining over the years. While it's expected that Seiji will help them reach new heights during the stateside championship, Coach Williams also knows that Nicholas and Eugene are necessary to bring new life to her cadre of fencers.
119	* SchoolForcedUsTogether: Ends up happening to Nicholas and Seiji when both of them become each other's roommate much to their chagrin. They eventually do make the most out of it as the story progresses.
120	* SchoolRivalry: Rivalries between the different schools are rampant, though Kings Row and MLC take the cake due to their past history together. There's also no love lost between Lowther Hall and Macrobertson Boys School as shown in ''Redemption''.
121	* ShipTease: ''Fence'' has plenty of ship teasing not just from Nicholas and Seiji, but also with other pairs like Harvard and Aiden.
122	* ShirtlessScene: Shirtless scenes do exist, but they're depicted in a non-sexual manner.
123	* ShownTheirWork: C.S. Pacat works with an épée coach in order portray fencing realistically as well as develop the characters' strengths and weaknesses.
124	* SideStoryBonusArt: The comic has its share of side story art with various covers made by different guest artists.
125	* SportsStory: Fencing serves as the core theme of the story as Nicholas and the other students learn more about the techniques and intricacies of the sport.
126	* StringingTheHopelessSuitorAlong: Aiden has a bad habit of doing this with all of his male lovers.
127	* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Despite possessing the drive to succeed, Nicholas ends up suffering a lot of losses as most of his opponents are years ahead of him when it comes to training and experience.
128	* TalentVsTraining: This work is not afraid to delve into the trope's premise, especially when it comes to Aiden's raw talent versus Seiji's years of dedicated training. Nicholas himself exemplifies the idea that talent alone isn't necessarily enough to succeed and that both knowledge and experience are important for self-improvement.
129	* TeamSpirit: Seiji comes to realize the value of teamwork as he starts relying more on Nicholas for motivation and Aiden for feedback.
130	* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Happens when both Nicholas and Seiji participate in a team fencing match against MLC. It goes better than expected due to Harvard's faith in their respective abilities.
131	* ThereIsOnlyOneBed: Harvard and Aiden push their bunk beds together in volume 5, which means Seiji and Nicholas also have to sleep next to each other.
132	* ThisIsMySide: Nicholas and Seiji split their dorm room down the middle. [[SlobsVersusSnobs Seiji keeps his side tidy and organized while Nicholas leaves his disheveled clothes on the floor.]]
133	* TournamentArc: Downplayed by the training camp arc which has the characters personally size up the other schools to understand both their respective strengths and weaknesses. It's eventually played straight by the upcoming stateside championship where many teenage fencers will be going to show off their prowess.
134	* TrainingMontage: The Kings Row fencing team is forced to undergo serious training in order for them to fully unleash their potential. However, only Aiden has managed to skip out on them entirely while still being one of the team's top-tier fencers.
135	* UnderdogsNeverLose: Averted hard by Nicholas suffering multiple losses throughout the story. However, each defeat serves as a lesson for him in getting better which makes whatever victories he earns all the more sweet.
136	* UnresolvedSexualTension: Aiden clearly wants to be with Harvard, but also tries to be JustFriends due to his insecurities as well as not being initially unsure that Harvard likes boys. Harvard himself realizes that he's into Aiden in ''Striking Distance'', but also doesn't want to ruin their friendship.
137	* VictoriousLoser: Nicholas and his teammates are portrayed as this after completing the training camp at Halverton. Despite the losses they incurred there, each match gave them an opportunity to not only work on their respective traits, but also get a glimpse of what the other teams are capable of.

Context ComicBook / Fence