Line #95 Fanfic/AlternateWorlds


1	-> ''"You will live and die in my arms, Tatsumi. Even if you will never love me, you will never leave me, either. I don't want to live life without you... and I certainly won't allow you to live yours without me..."''
2	-->-- '''Esdeath''' to '''Tatsumi'''
3
4	''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10665850/1/Alternate-Worlds Alternate Worlds]]'' is an ''Manga/AkameGaKill'' fanfic by [=HemingwayisBOSS=].
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6	[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin As the title clearly indicates]], this is an AU story. In this case, a Night Raid assassin is found by Tatsumi and his friends and brought back to their village three days before Tatsumi's planned departure to the Imperial Capital. Before the man dies, he gives Tatsumi a bracelet and pleads with Tatsumi not to let "them" have it. "Them" turns out to be [[BloodKnight Esdeath]] and the Three Beasts, who are pursuing the man. Arriving at the village, they demand the bracelet, and despite his misgivings, Tatsumi decides to hand it over. Unfortunately, it attaches itself to his wrist, and Esdeath attacks him. As the fight goes on, the bracelet is revealed to be a teigu called Hermes, and Tatsumi is fully compatible with it, which is proven when his body is encased in a suit of armor that grants him [[SuperSpeed enhanced speed.]] Impressed, Esdeath invites Tatsumi to become her subordinate. Though strongly tempted, Tatsumi refuses, but Esdeath overpowers him and forces him to accept by threatening to destroy his village--though not before his final desperate attack managed to draw a single drop of blood from her, instantly winning her affection. From there, [[FromBadToWorse things get darker]].
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8	[[DeadFic Last updated March 2017]].
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10	A side story, called ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11618977/1/Alternate-Worlds-Shorts Alternate Worlds: Shorts]]'', was created after the release of Chapter 16, for the purpose of adding "deleted scenes" that the author felt wouldn't have fit in the main story. It originally had three chapters before going dark, but the third chapter was deleted for being too graphic.
11
12	----
13	!!This fanfic has examples of:
14	* AbductionIsLove: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed.]] Expecting someone to fall in love with you after you kidnap him, hold his loved ones hostage, commit all sorts of atrocities right in front of him and expect him to play along, and generally behaving like an obnoxious spoiled brat goes about as well as any sane person would expect. Of course, Esdeath is insane, so she fails to grasp this (see DramaticallyMissingThePoint).
15	* AboveGoodAndEvil: Esdeath, being a SocialDarwinist, believes that there is no such thing as good or evil, only the strong and the weak.
16	** A good demonstration of this belief is after Tatsumi calls her a monster when he discovers that she buried the Northern civilians alive; she laughs and declares that she is not a monster, but an animal.
17	* ACupAngst: Mine doesn't like it when people remind her of her lack of cleavage.
18	* AdaptationRelationshipOverhaul: Canon!Tatsumi didn't hate Esdeath initially and tried to probe her for any signs of hidden goodness that he could bring out, and only came to detest her after he realized how evil she was and when she tried to break his resistance by callously informing him that one of his friends had died. Alternate!Tatsumi hates Esdeath with every fiber of his being from the get-go due to being exposed to how evil she is much more quickly than his canon counterpart.
19	* AdaptationalHeroism: [[DownplayedTrope A very minor case,]] but an offhand internal comment by Esdeath in Chapter 4 indicates that she wouldn't mind Tatsumi becoming her ''equal'' at some point; whereas canon!Esdeath intended for him to be strong, but still weaker than her and completely under her thumb.
20	* AffablyEvil: Daidara.
21	* AlmostDeadGuy: In a flashback, after getting wounded by an elk, Sayo cannot walk back to her and Tatsumi's village, so Tatsumi decides to carry her, as camping out could draw danger beasts or cause them to freeze to death. He walks for over an hour through freezing snow and his own fatigue, but despite his determination, he collapses "two-dozen full steps away from the closest house" and nearly dies from fatigue and hypothermia, though luckily Sayo manages to call for help in time.
22	* AnIcePerson: Esdeath, ''duh''.
23	* AngerBornOfWorry: Tatsumi's habit of courting death pisses Esdeath off for this reason.
24	* AnimalMotif: Esdeath compares Tatsumi to a wolf. This is backed up by a dream he has in Chapter 14 in which [[spoiler: he turns into a wolf and fights another one that is clearly meant to represent Esdeath]] and [[spoiler: the wolf-pelt pajamas he wore as a baby]].
25	* AppealToForce: Esdeath's [[FauxAffablyEvil charisma]] and [[BeautyIsBad looks]] have no effect on Tatsumi, so she always has to use threats and violence to get him to do her bidding. She's well aware that this won't work forever (especially since she wants him to fall in love with her) and is ''desperate'' to win his loyalty and affection, but she only makes things worse.
26	* {{Archenemy}}: Tatsumi hates Esdeath with every fiber of his being and is obsessed with destroying her. Esdeath, in turn, is desperately determined to corrupt him and make him fall in love with her, both of which fuel his antipathy.
27	* AscendedExtra: [[spoiler:Sayo and Ieyasu.]]
28	* AssholeVictim:
29	** The three Imperial soldiers Tatsumi attacked for raping a Northern girl.
30	** Pretty much everyone that Night Raid kills.
31	** The bandits that Esdeath and Tatsumi killed may have been this, given the fact that they assaulted several caravans and had at least one sex slave.
32	* AssShove: Esdeath traps a bandit in a block of ice, then telekinetically squeezes it before summoning an ice pike out from under him, impaling him through the rectum and going up through his stomach.
33	* AtLeastIAdmitIt:
34	** In stark contrast to the other Jaegers, who are either [[PsychoForHire insane psychopaths]] or [[KnightTemplar self-righteous hypocrites]], Bols freely admits that his actions while serving the Empire have been immoral, that there is no justification for them, and that he deserves whatever grisly fate the rebels have planned for him.
35	** Daidara is more or less the same, despite being an unrepentant BloodKnight. He's not one for mindless butchery or torture--unlike Nyau--and he harbors no illusions about what his duties entail--unlike River. He even acknowledges that he deserves his fate before succumbing to his wounds and dying in Tatsumi's arms, which makes the latter actually feel somewhat bad for him.
36	* AttemptedRape: In Chapter 2, mere hours after they meet, Esdeath steals a kiss from Tatsumi, sticks a hand down his pants, and finally tries to get him to initiate sex out of adrenaline-fueled rage, though he just barely manages to regain control before any clothes get removed, much to her disappointment.
37	* AxCrazy: Esdeath, as usual.
38	** Nyau as well.
39	** And who could forget Zank the Beheader?
40	** Seryu gives an absolutely psychotic smile and an insane EvilLaugh after [[spoiler: killing Mine]].
41	* BadBoss: Esdeath uses the stick when it comes to controlling Tatsumi. Unusually for this trope, she always tries to employ the carrot first (because she's in love with him), but his (justified) grudge against her causes him to always reject it, so the stick is all she has.
42	* BaitTheDog: [[spoiler: At Tatsumi's insistence, River gives a Northern tribeswoman the cross emblem on his tie, which will ensure that the Imperial soldiers won't try to rape her. He later tells Esdeath what the girl looks like, and Esdeath kills her out of spite.]]
43	* TheBaroness: Esdeath, full-stop. In addition to the usual stuff, she ''clearly'' gets a buzz from forcing Tatsumi to submit to her.
44	* BadassNormal: [[spoiler: Ieyasu]] is this due to being the only Night Raid member without a teigu. Yet, he successfully tricks Kurome into entering an abandoned building alone [[spoiler: and manages to [[GoForTheEye take out her right eye.]]]]
45	* BattleCouple: What Esdeath dreams she and Tatsumi will eventually become. So far, they've only fought side-by-side once, and it ended so quickly that there is no indication of how well they compliment one another.
46	* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor: Tatsumi had planned to enlist in the Imperial Army in order to to ensure his village didn't starve. In the time-span of ''one day'', he gets the Empire's most powerful and influential general as his patron, who gladly gives him as much money as he could ask for, a high position in the Royal Court, and a super-powerful weapon that he is completely compatible with--something that only happens in the rarest of cases. And the cherry on top? She's a smoking hot babe who is ''obsessively'' in love with him and would eagerly suck his dick if he just asked. The downside? She's a bloodthirsty, psycho-sadistic nutcase who terrifies him on a regular basis, frequently bullies and abuses him (sometimes sexually) because he refuses to embrace her insane philosophy, and threatens his village with extermination to keep him from leaving her.
47	* BelievingTheirOwnLies: Esdeath truly, unironically believes that she is helping Tatsumi achieve his goal of providing for his village, despite openly threatening to destroy it at least twice early on in the story. That's not even getting into the heavy implication that she intends to destroy it at some point anyway out of jealousy.
48	* BerserkButton:
49	** River does not like it when people insult Esdeath.
50	** Esdeath's mere existence seems to be one for Tatsumi, though he's careful enough to rein in his temper unless she ''really'' pushes his buttons, something she has a talent for.
51	** Esdeath ''really'' doesn't like it when Tatsumi intentionally puts himself in mortal danger, especially after she pieces together that he's trying to get himself killed just to stick it to her.
52	* BetterThanSex: Esdeath internally notes that the total control she has over Tatsumi ''while having sex with him'' is better than the act itself.
53	* BigEater: Honest. From the moment he shows up and every scene he's in afterward (so far), he's always eating and drinking. Esdeath even jokingly states that he'll kill himself from overeating, and implies he may have a stomach ulcer (this might be a joke too).
54	* BigDamnHero:
55	** Tatsumi saves a Northern girl from being raped by Esdeath's men, killing one of them in the process. He later saves a carpet merchant from being beaten up (or killed) by a group of crooked cops.
56	** Tatsumi does this again when he saves Bols and his family from Gensei.
57	** Bulat stops Kurome from killing [[spoiler:Ieyasu]], then proceeds to beat the tar out of her, Wave, and Seryu.
58	* BlatantLies: Esdeath's father claimed that her uncle was killed by a danger beast while the two of them were hunting together. It's painfully obvious whom the real killer is.
59	* BloodKnight: Esdeath and Daidara.
60	* BloodLust: Esdeath very nearly orgasms when she discovers that Tatsumi managed to scratch her hard enough to draw a single drop of blood, which she licks up while moaning erotically. It's the decisive factor that leads to her falling in love with him.
61	* BreakTheCutie:
62	** [[DefiedTrope Defied]] by Tatsumi whom, though psychologically scarred by what Esdeath puts him through, remains determined to never be corrupted by her.
63	** [[spoiler: Sayo's]] first mission as a member of Night Raid is to kill two greedy nobles in the presence of their son/nephew. [[spoiler: She]] carries it out, but is clearly torn up about it.
64	* BullyingADragon:
65	** A guardsman named Hirake refuses to take orders from Esdeath. [[DoNotTauntCthulhu This]] costs him [[OffWithHisHead dearly]]. To be fair, Esdeath's internal monologue suggests that he is one of Budo's subordinates, thus he would utterly despise her for her brutal nature and partnership with Honest, which would give him a justification for being contemptuous towards her, foolish as it may have been.
66	** Tatsumi does this by constantly refusing to follow the precise script that Esdeath has planned for him. Then again, her massive crush on him and her being unwilling to kill him out of pride give him an effective shield, something they are both aware of.
67	* BuriedAlive: [[spoiler: The Northern tribe.]] Esdeath threatens Tatsumi's village with this fate to keep him from betraying her.
68	* CallBack: In Chapter 2, Esdeath tries to get Tatsumi to initiate sex out of HotBlooded rage, but his contempt for her trumps his hormones and he ultimately refuses. In Chapter 15, he pulls a similar trick on her while taking advantage of her desperation to get even a little closer to him, and because she's obsessively attracted to him, it works.
69	* CharacterCatchphrase: Esdeath's seems to be "I insist," which she says in a threatening tone whenever Tatsumi tries to refuse one of her "requests" or "invitations."
70	* ChickMagnet: Tatsumi. [[spoiler:Ieyasu]] even calls him this--of the worst kind, since his primary admirer is [[PsychoForHire Esdeath]]. Tatsumi is not amused.
71	* ChivalrousPervert: Lubbock and, [[spoiler: according to Sayo, Ieyasu.]]
72	* ClingyJealousGirl: Esdeath, due to being a yandere. After learning that Tatsumi saved a Northern tribeswoman from being gang-raped by her men, she kills said girl because she thinks that Tatsumi should not care about any woman other than her. He also hesitates to assist a SexSlave he rescued from some bandits that he and Esdeath just killed, knowing that such an act would arouse Esdeath's jealousy.
73	* ContrivedCoincidence: [[spoiler: Tatsumi and Esdeath had the same fighting teacher]].
74	* CombatPragmatist: During his second fight with Akame, Tatsumi makes it his first priority to wrest Murasame from her hands and dispose of it. After accomplishing this, he dives after her into the pool he threw it in and tries to drown her (his armor allows him to breathe under water for some reason). [[spoiler: It almost works, but then Mine shoots the underside of the pool from a lower deck, allowing Bulat to resuscitate Akame.]]
75	** In his rematch with [[spoiler: Gensei, Tatsumi exploits the old man's injuries from Gensei's fight with Bols, getting to the high ground - the roof of Bols's house - and throwing tiles at him. After a few of them connect, Gensei is forced to let his guard down, allowing Tatsumi to rush in and fatally wound him.]] Tatsumi even [[LampshadedTrope lampshades]] this by declaring that he is "fighting dirty."
76	* ComicallyMissingThePoint: When Esdeath tells Tatsumi to strip, he thinks she's planning to rape him. Actually, she just wanted to check his body to see if she left any bruises on him from their first fight. When Esdeath realizes what he was thinking, she is very amused... [[spoiler: and later tries to fulfill that fantasy after leading him into the forest and pinning him against a tree. Luckily, she becomes distracted by a pair of Danger Beasts.]]
77	* CoolOldGuy:
78	** The chief of Tatsumi's village.
79	** Tabach as well.
80	* CoolSword:
81	** Tatsumi's sword gets an upgrade, courtesy of Esdeath's blacksmith. When Esdeath gives it to him, she notes that the blacksmith was impressed at how well-made it already was and asks who made it. Tatsumi admits that he did.
82	** And who could forget Murasame?
83	* TheCorrupter: Esdeath's biggest goal is to find as many potentially strong people as she can and "save them from their own weakness", i.e., get them to forsake whatever ideals they were raised on and become psycho-sadistic hedonists like her.
84	* CovertPervert: PlayedForDrama. Esdeath makes it clear that she wants to do more than just kissing with Tatsumi, but knowing that the AxCrazy general wants him that way just increases his general terror of her. [[spoiler: When they do eventually have sex, he has to initiate it himself as part of the mission.]]
85	* CruelAndUnusualDeath: [[spoiler: Nyau, in addition to getting cut up, is pulled into a set of gears by Lubbock, causing his body to get crushed between them. Of course, he deserves every bit of it.]]
86	* CurbStompBattle:
87	** Every Tatsumi vs. Esdeath scene thus far, though notably, each time he does manage to inflict slightly more damage on her than the previous time.
88	** Bulat demolishes Wave effortlessly.
89	** During the above fight, Tatsumi gets his ass handed to him by Gensei.
90	* CuteAndPsycho: Kurome.
91	* CutenessProximity: Esdeath often has to resist the urge to glomp the hell out of Tatsumi (more than usual, at any rate).
92	* CynicismCatalyst: The current police chief lost his faith in the system after a previous one tried to be a straight cop and was brutally murdered for it, along with his entire family. He's as disgusted as Tatsumi about the corruption in the capital, but can do nothing about it.
93	** Hakim's death embitters Esdeath to the point of where she tosses aside any and all ideals other than the ones taught by her clan.
94	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Bols is given one in this story. He was born and raised in a brutal prison, and after he proved compatible with Rubicante, he was shanghaied into Imperial service under penalty of being sent back to prison if he disobeys his orders.
95	** Chapter 15 hints that Dr. Stylish's primary reason for becoming a MadScientist was to bring a loved one back from the dead.
96	* DeadpanSnarker:
97	** Tatsumi, though terrified of Esdeath, is still perfectly willing to be sassy and insulting towards her. Even as early as Chapter 2, his sense of humor is viciously sarcastic.
98	** Esdeath isn't above snark from time to time, as shown in Chapter 1:
99	-->'''Esdeath:''' (after Tatsumi rejects her initial offer) I'm sorry you feel that way. It's a pity I can't force you. (slaps her forehead as though she just remembered something) Oh wait, ''of course'' I can force you. (attacks him)
100	* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler: In the manga, Mine is still alive. Here, Seryu claims her life.]]
101	* DeathSeeker: By Chapter 13, Tatsumi would welcome death at the hands of Night Raid, if only to spite Esdeath. She eventually figures this out and becomes enraged by it, going on a rant about how Tatsumi belongs to her and that he is a fool for not wanting to be with her.
102	* DeconstructionFic: Esdeath's crush on Tatsumi was PlayedForLaughs in canon, the comedy coming from the weirdness of such a bloodthirsty and murderous individual acting like a lovestruck schoolgirl around a teenage boy. Here, it's not funny at all. While the lovestruck schoolgirl behavior is retained, the story also shows that being in a relationship with a SocialDarwinist BloodKnight is not going to be a pleasant one unless you have those qualities too, and since Tatsumi doesn't, Esdeath (who deludes herself into thinking that he is no different from her deep down, and that she only needs to bring it out) keeps trying to instill them in him using the most brutal methods she can think of; and when her attempts inevitably fail, she blames him for it and abuses him even more. What's worse is that this ''isn't'' a case of AdaptationalVillainy: canon!Esdeath fully intended to [[TheCorrupter corrupt]] Tatsumi into becoming a bloodthirsty killer like her while also intending to bully and dominate him into being completely subservient to her--she just never got the chance because he would always escape before she could start.
103	* DefiantToTheEnd: [[spoiler: Numa Seika.]]
104	* DespairEventHorizon: Tatsumi arguably crosses this [[spoiler: upon discovering what Esdeath did to the Northern tribe after the city was stormed]].
105	* {{Determinator}}:
106	** Tatsumi is downright obsessed with his desire to never allow himself to be corrupted by Esdeath, no matter what she does to him.
107	** [[InvokedTrope Invoked,]] but ultimately [[SubvertedTrope subverted]] by Esdeath herself. While she acknowledges in Chapter 4 that corrupting and seducing Tatsumi may not be the cakewalk she expected, she arrogantly proclaims that she isn't the type to give up after "the first adversity--or the thousandth." However, as her attempts to get closer to Tatsumi only manage to make him despise her even more, it becomes clear that, despite her outward confidence, she really didn't expect him to be ''that'' resistant to her charms and is running out of patience.
108	* DidntThinkThisThrough: Esdeath beats Tatsumi to a bloody pulp before forcing him to become her subordinate by taking his village hostage, and yet it never occurs to her (beyond a brief monologue in Chapter 2 that she quickly forgets about) that he might hold a long-term grudge over that.
109	* DidYouJustFlipOffCthulhu: After the fight with Zank, Esdeath tends to Tatsumi's wounds while trying to charm him. He's not impressed for even a second and tells her where to stick it. She doesn't take it well.
110	** Later, after the fight on the ''Ryuusen'', he viciously accuses her of not caring about anyone but herself and that she doesn't know what love is, much to her shock.
111	* DirtyCop: Captain Ogre was one, obviously. His successor, though nicer, also accepts bribes, though only because he knows that trying to be a good cop will put his family in danger.
112	* DomesticAbuse: One of the ''many'' reasons why being Esdeath's lover is an unenviable position.
113	* DontYouDarePityMe:
114	** In Chapter 9, Run expresses sympathy for Tatsumi's situation when the latter explains what Esdeath has been subjecting him to, only for Tatsumi to declare he doesn't want pity--he just wants to go home. The same happens in reverse when Run gives a few details about his own backstory.
115	** In Chapter 13, Tatsumi gets shot in the head by a bandit (his armor causes it to bounce off, but the impact knocks him down). After brutally killing the bandit, Esdeath rushes over to Tatsumi and sincerely asks if he's alright; but because Tatsumi hates her guts, he angrily brushes her aside and gets up by himself, while internally noting that the genuine concern she expressed means nothing to him.
116	* DoubleStandardAbuseFemaleOnMale: Averted to hell and gone. None of the things Esdeath does to Tatsumi are portrayed as in the right or funny, but only serve to show how depraved she is.
117	* DoubleStandardRapeFemaleOnMale: Averted, just like the above. Esdeath's sexual come-ons are depicted as creepy rather than enticing.
118	* TheDragon: Tatsumi is forced to be Esdeath's, and he hates every second of it, much to her bewilderment.
119	* DragonWithAnAgenda: [[spoiler:Tatsumi becomes this trope after being convinced to play TheMole for Night Raid.]]
120	* DramaticallyMissingThePoint: See EvilCannotComprehendGood and LackOfEmpathy. Esdeath just can't seem to get it in her head that Tatsumi's staunch refusal to be her lover is because he sees her for the depraved scumbag she is, plus the [[{{Understatement}} minor]] detail that he is only tolerating her presence because she is holding his village hostage, meaning he won't see her as anything more than his kidnapper and enemy. She either (a) [[NeverMyFault blames him]] for not being a bloodthirsty psychopath like her or (b) thinks that she's going about seducing him the wrong way and seeks advice from Bols, but that won't really work because she either refuses to explain the circumstances behind her "relationship" with Tatsumi or flat-out lies about them. Adding on to the latter is the fact that, as of Chapter 2 of the Shorts, Bols has gotten the full story from Tatsumi, which will likely have a negative effect on what kind of advice he'll offer in the future.
121	* TheDreaded: Esdeath is this obviously.
122	** Akame is also this to Tatsumi. Ever since their first confrontation he has had nightmares about her, when he gets drunk he sees her, lays awake at nights staring at his window waiting for her, he fully believes that she is his own personal grim reaper and almost wishes she would just kill him.
123	*** The only thing that allows him to actually fight her is his will to survive and when it looked like she killed Run, who at that point is the only person Tatsumi considered as a friend.
124	* DrowningMySorrows: Tatsumi tries to get drunk whenever Esdeath isn't around just so he can try to forget he even knows her. The second time he does this, he nearly kills Run in a drunken rage.
125	* GildedCage: Tatsumi is trapped in one, having access to all the money and prestige he could ever dream of, but is simultaneously stuck in an abusive relationship with a sadistic sociopath who is holding his village hostage.
126	* EasilyForgiven: In Chapter 15, Esdeath places Tatsumi under surveillance because of his habit of courting death. When he nearly gets killed again and she tears him a verbal new one for getting into deadly situations on purpose, he responds by having sex with her. After they are finished, he asks if she has forgiven him, and she responds "For everything. Several times over."
127	* EatingTheEyeCandy: Esdeath does this several times, usually when Tatsumi gets injured during a fight. She insists on tending to his wounds herself, but she deliberately draws out the process so she can probe and caress his body.
128	* EntitledBastard: Esdeath, as well as the below trope, seems to be this in general, thinking that anything she can take by force is automatically hers by right, and if said "thing" is a person, then he/she/they should just shut up and do what she wants. An especially jarring example occurs in Chapter 6, where she openly expects Tatsumi to completely forget about all the horrible things she has done to him (and made him do) up to that point and "open up to [her]." He tells her to screw off.
129	* EntitledToHaveYou: Esdeath labors under the delusion that Tatsumi belongs to her and has no right to reject her advances. He does ''not'' agree.
130	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes:
131	** Bols is a loving husband and father. The "evil" part is somewhat subverted because he hates what he does but knows that it will keep his family from being killed by the empire.
132	** Dr. Stylish seems to genuinely love the mysterious person he keeps inside a liquid chamber in his lab. A dead/dying wife or daughter, perhaps?
133	* EvenEvilHasStandards: Daidara is a BloodKnight through and through, but he is absolutely disgusted by Nyau's habit of cutting off and collecting the faces of his victims.
134	* EvilCannotComprehendGood: Esdeath simply refuses to comprehend that her thuggish way of "recruiting" Tatsumi, in addition to his own morals being in total opposition to hers, would make him hate her guts and spurn her advances no matter what she offers him. She either blames him for "provoking" her, or assumes she's going about seducing him the wrong way and asks for advice from Bols... while also flat-out ''lying'' to him about the nature of their relationship. On top of that, she endlessly curses Tatsumi for caring about "lesser beings", but if he did stop caring, she'd have no leverage over him.
135	* {{Expy}}:
136	** Esdeath is pretty damn similar to [[Anime/GuiltyCrown Mana Ouma]], right down to having lustful feelings towards [[spoiler:someone who could very well be her half-brother]].
137	** Bols' backstory makes him one of ComicBook/{{Bane}}.
138	* EyeScream: [[spoiler: Ieyasu]] gouges Kurome's right eye out with a shuriken.
139	* EyesAlwaysAverted: Starting with Chapter 3, Tatsumi makes a point to ''never'' look Esdeath in the eye, even when talking directly to her. This infuriates her--both because it's a sign of contempt and because his eyes make her feel like she's amongst her clan again, so she ''really'' likes looking at them--and she often tries to force him to look at her, but he either looks ''through'' her or jerks his head away, pissing her off even more. He ''finally'' looks her in the eye when they're having sex in Chapter 15, much to her delight.
140	* FatBastard: Honest. The author really seems to enjoy emphasizing the man's massive girth whenever he's around.
141	* FauxAffablyEvil:
142	** Esdeath. She tries to be AffablyEvil, she really does. Unfortunately, she does a very bad job of hiding her psychopathic and sadistic nature (if she's even trying to hide it), and she quickly drops the act whenever she hears or sees something she doesn't like, such as Tatsumi rejecting her advances and telling her to fuck off, for example.
143	** Prime Minister Honest. In front of Makoto, he portrays himself as a benevolent adviser. He's anything but, and when Makoto leaves the room, the mask comes off.
144	* FetishizedAbuser: ''Ye gods'', is Esdeath one!
145	* FootsieUnderTheTable: Esdeath subjects Tatsumi to this while they have dinner with Honest in Chapter 8, to his thorough embarrassment.
146	* ForcefulKiss: Esdeath pins Tatsumi against a tree and gives him a passionate kiss in the second chapter. He's repulsed and aroused by this. Later, after [[spoiler: they get into an argument about their "relationship,"]] she starts to do this more often [[TakeThatKiss just to taunt him]].
147	** During one argument, after threatening his village again, she forces Tatsumi to prove his allegiance by kissing her.
148	* FourEyesZeroSoul: Dr. Stylish. He claims that he views his creations as though they were his children. It's a damnable lie, and Esdeath sees it. Subverted when Chapter 15 implies he's trying to save a loved one.
149	* FragileSpeedster: [[ZigZaggedTrope Zig-zagged]] with Hermes. While it does boost Tatsumi's speed greatly, it doesn't seem to increase his stamina much. Then again, it should be noted that almost everyone he's fought while wearing it is pretty damn strong.
150	* FriendlyAddressPrivileges: Esdeath wants Tatsumi to talk to her casually, but he always speaks to her in a formal tone (unless he's angry) just to annoy her.
151	* HannibalLecture:
152	** After pinning Tatsumi down a third time, Esdeath gives a SocialDarwinist speech to justify her actions. Tatsumi doesn't buy it, but can't do anything about it since she's more powerful than him, so he doesn't respond.
153	** Gensei delivers a brief one to both Bols and, later, Bulat, stating that warriors cannot have normal lives or families, and that they will eventually become used to killing, even enjoy it.
154	** River delivers one to Tatsumi in an attempt to make him loyal to Esdeath. He fails miserably, with Tatsumi telling him to get stuffed.
155	* HatedByAll: Esdeath is universally loathed by the Imperial Guards, and by extension, so are her subordinates. This makes sense, as their commander is Budo, who despises the corruption in the Empire that Esdeath, due to her partnership with Honest, is largely responsible for.
156	* HeroKiller: [[spoiler: Seryu kills Mine.]]
157	* HesBack: Esdeath seems to have intimidated Tatsumi into (partial) submission at the end of Chapter 9. Come Chapter 13, though, he's regained some of his old defiance and snark, to her frustration.
158	* HiddenDepths: Run seems convinced that Esdeath does truly love Tatsumi, but doesn't know how to properly express it. Chapter 16 implies that Esdeath ''does'' have a deeply buried conscience, or at least could have developed one had her MoralityPet (and second father-figure) not been killed so quickly. The fact that she shed a SingleTear the morning after she has sex with Tatsumi only adds to the confusion.
159	* HoneyTrap: In order to regain Esdeath's trust and get River off his back, Tatsumi reluctantly has sex with the sadistic general at the end of Chapter 15. It works better than he expected: she forgives him for every transgression and offense he's committed against her up to that point "several times over", and is so thoroughly on cloud nine that she trusts him completely from then on, without the ''slightest'' hint of suspicion.
160	* HopeSpot: [[spoiler: After the battle on the ship, it looks like every member of Night Raid is going to survive... until Seryu shoots Mine in the back.]]
161	* HorribleJudgeOfCharacter: River thinks that Esdeath will eventually grow out of her petty sadism, destroy the corruption that is plaguing the empire, and rule over it as empress. He's ''dead'' wrong, and Esdeath, whom is fully aware of River's beliefs, bluntly tells him (while he is in a coma, thus he likely can't hear her) that, while she does not intend to serve Honest indefinitely, she will ''never'' become what River wants her to be.
162	* {{Hypocrite}}:
163	** River berates Tatsumi for [[spoiler: attacking a group of Imperial soldiers who were raping a Northern girl, even though Esdeath had given them her blessing]], to which Tatsumi responds that he's killed other Imperial soldiers before "with Esdeath-sama's blessing." River tries to dismiss the latter as "criminals," to which Tatsumi snarls "And these ones aren't!?" Later, he angrily tells Seryu that she has no right to speak of "justice" when he is hardly any better.
164	** Esdeath's father taught her to never steal something from a fellow clan member, yet he might have had an affair with his brother's wife.
165	** Esdeath herself grabs this trope in Chapter 14 when she notes that an Imperial Guard has no right to desecrate [[spoiler:Gensei's]] corpse since he wasn't the one who killed him, yet earlier, she tried to desecrate Numa Seika's corpse even though Tatsumi killed him.
166	* IdiotBall: During his conversation with Stylish, Honest makes no serious attempt to make sure that no one can hear them talking, thus a bedridden Tatsumi hears every word they say. He hasn't used this information yet, but it [[ChekhovsGun could prove pivotal later]].
167	* IfICantHaveYou: Esdeath informs Tatsumi that if he will not submit to her, she will break him. She also (supposedly) did this to a wolf pup she grew fond of but couldn't have by poisoning it.
168	* IgnoreTheFanservice: Initially [[AvertedTrope averted]] then played straight. At first, Esdeath's subjecting of Tatsumi to MarshmallowHell and grabbing his crotch would get a blush out of him (something he's not proud of), but after a while, it has ceased to arouse him, and his only response is annoyance or, depending on his mood, anger.
169	* IHaveYourWife: Esdeath keeps Tatsumi subservient to her by threatening to destroy his village.
170	* ILoveYouBecauseICantControlYou: [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] Esdeath ''can'' force Tatsumi to do her bidding, but she, with increasing desperation, wants him to reciprocate her feelings for him completely of his own free will. His stubborn refusal to do so, in spite of everything she offers and all the abuse she subjects him to, only makes her more determined and desperate.
171	* InLoveWithYourCarnage: Upon discovering that Tatsumi's last desperate attack actually cut her and drew blood, Esdeath declares that she has fallen in love with him.
172	* IntoxicationEnsues: Coupled with MushroomSamba. After lacing his drink with a powder given to him by [[spoiler:Syura]], Tatsumi gets very drunk and has a series of [[NightmareFuel terrifying hallucinations]] consisting of the innocent people he killed (or indirectly caused the deaths of), resulting in him nearly killing Run in a drunken rage.
173	* {{Irony}}: Esdeath mocks Tatsumi for caring about others, but it's only ''because'' he cares about others that she has any leverage over him (which she repeatedly exploits). If he did become an unempathetic sociopath like her, she'd have ''nothing'' to threaten him with.
174	* ItsAllAboutMe: Esdeath doesn't truly care about anyone but herself. Everything she does is motivated by her hedonism and selfishness.
175	* JustAKid: River seems to believe this trope applies to Esdeath, thinking that she will grow out of her sadism as she gets older and use her power to purge the Empire of corruption. He is ''very'' wrong.
176	* JustEatHim: Kuro tries to eat Bulat. It fails ''badly''.
177	* KickTheDog:
178	** Esdeath ''loves'' doing this, with Tatsumi often being said dog, though she [[NeverMyFault blames him for it]]. It's also heavily implied that she killed the Northern girl Tatsumi saved out of spite, and that she apparently forced him to watch.
179	** Seryu advocates violently putting down a workers' strike after their beloved boss was murdered on Honest's orders (the killers tried to frame Night Raid, but the workers weren't fooled). Tatsumi quickly squashes that notion.
180	** Tatsumi breaks an angry merchant's fingers to get him to leave. While the merchant in question seemed like a jerk, it should be kept in mind that his complaints were completely justified, as he was clearly a victim of the empire's corruption.
181	* KickTheSonOfABitch:
182	** When Tatsumi sees a group of Imperial soldiers raping a Northern tribeswoman, he immediately attacks them, killing one and heavily injuring the others. They all deserved it.
183	** Tatsumi's beatdown of a group of crooked cops also counts.
184	** When Esdeath believes that Tatsumi is suffering from stress due to [[spoiler: Nyau and Daidara's deaths]], he laughs scornfully and declares that he doesn't care about them and that they deserved it.
185	** The destruction of the Partas Clan was a huge one.
186	** [[spoiler: Sayo]] gives a particularly vile noble a KarmicDeath by inflicting the same torture he infliced on his victims.
187	** River's NoHoldsBarredBeatdown at Esdeath's hands. Granted, her motives are hardly heroic (and she is responsible for making him said son of a bitch in the first place), but it's still refreshing to see the butt-kissing little hypocrite get smacked around for once.
188	* KissingCousins: [[spoiler:Tatsumi and Esdeath...or they could very well be [[BrotherSisterIncest half-siblings]].]]
189	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Mine.]]
190	* KnightTemplar: Seryu Ubiquitous. She's InspectorJavert ON STEROIDS!
191	* LackOfEmpathy: Esdeath cares nothing for the people she kills or the lives she ruins. As far as she's concerned, they deserved to die for being weak. It's one of the many qualities she possesses that makes Tatsumi detest her, and she can't understand why.
192	* LargeHam:
193	** Dr. Stylish. He's quite flamboyant, to say the least.
194	** Honest, too. Pun intended.
195	* LecherousLicking:
196	** Esdeath licks Tatsumi's face after kissing him for the first time in Chapter 2.
197	** Tatsumi later does this, though in his case, it's licking drops of Esdeath's blood off his own cheek after biting her lip, and he was only doing it to provoke her into ravishing him--which she does.
198	* LieBackAndThinkOfEngland: As Esdeath sexually abuses him in Chapter 2, Tatsumi tries to think of Sayo. Mercifully, Esdeath is distracted by some Danger Beasts before she can violate him.
199	* LoopholeAbuse: After Esdeath makes it clear that she will tolerate no more insubordination from him in Chapter 9, Tatsumi responds by actively ''charging'' into dangerous situations rather than retreat from them in the hopes of ''finally'' being put out of his misery, which technically isn't disobedience. Esdeath [[VillainousBreakdown hits the roof]] after realizing this.
200	* LoveMakesYouDumb: By Chapter 15, Esdeath has become so desperate for Tatsumi to return her affections--and so enraged by his habit of courting death just to stick it to her--that she beats River to a bloody pulp for losing track of him, and then attacks the rest of the Jaegars (minus Stylish, who's absent) when they attempt to intervene, thus potentially dealing a severe blow to their group's morale and their opinion of her. Immediately afterward, when Tatsumi shows up and finally provokes her to lose her virginity to him, she's so over the moon about it that she sweeps all of his past offenses against her under the rug right there and then and becomes convinced that he completely returns her feelings without the slightest hint of suspicion.
201	* MadScientist: Dr. Stylish.
202	* MamaBear: [[spoiler: Tatsumi's mother erupts like a volcano when she realizes that Esdeath is responsible for his disappearance.]]
203	* MamasBabyPapasMaybe: [[spoiler:Tatsumi's mother is Esdeath's aunt, and his father is either Esdeath's uncle or her dad. Her uncle's suspicion about this leads to a confrontation with his brother, one that leads to the former's death.]]
204	* MarshmallowHell: Esdeath subjects Tatsumi to this occasionally, much to his annoyance.
205	* MasochismTango: A rather creepy version. Tatsumi hates Esdeath and tenaciously refuses to indulge her plans for him beyond what he can't avoid. This angers her and fuels her desire for him, which leads to her forcing him to do things that only serve to strengthen his contempt for her. His insults get progressively more vicious, while the punishments she subjects him to become more aggressive.
206	* MeaningfulName:
207	** Tatsumi's teigu is called Hermes. Three guesses what its [[SuperSpeed primary power]] is.
208	** Tatsumi's name means "Sleeping Dragon," a nod to his untapped potential.
209	** The original translation of Esdeath's name, Esdese, means "I am an S(sadist)."
210	* MercyKill:
211	** Tatsumi's killing of Numa Seika in battle is this in hindsight, since Esdeath planned to torture the prince to death.
212	** When Tatsumi refuses to kill a group of captured bandits, Esdeath impales one on a pike (see AssShove) and proceeds to extensively torture the others, prompting Tatsumi to behead them (against Esdeath's orders to slit their throats) out of pity.
213	* TheMole: [[spoiler: Tatsumi becomes this for Night Raid at the end of the first act in exchange for Najenda's promise that the rebels will ensure the safety of his village.]]
214	* MoralityPet: Hakim was Esdeath's.
215	* MurderTheHypotenuse:
216	** Esdeath's father killed her uncle after the latter accused him of sleeping with his wife, [[spoiler: which he may very well have done]].
217	** Esdeath herself is willing to kill any woman Tatsumi shows concern for.
218	* MythologyGag:
219	** Esdeath abruptly steals Tatsumi's first kiss.
220	** Esdeath becomes obsessed with one of Tatsumi's particular trait. In canon, it was his pure, innocent smile; here, it's his eyes, which make her feel like she's back amongst her clan whenever she looks into them [[spoiler:because, unbeknownst to both of them, he's actually her cousin or her half-brother]]. And also like canon, her own actions ironically lead him to cast aside that trait (or spitefully deny her a chance to see it).
221	** Tatsumi lands a punch to Esdeath's solar plexus, marking the first time anyone has managed to score a hit on her. Unfortunately, while it ''does'' hurt her, she doesn't get knocked on her ass and ''brutally'' retaliates.
222	** Tatsumi's fly is down and others laugh at his expense when it's pointed out to him.
223	** Daidara is killed on the ''Ryuusan'', his killer dies not long after, and their teigu is inherited by a younger, less experienced member of Night Raid. [[spoiler:In this case, Mine is shot by Seryu, and Sayo inherits Pumpkin]].
224	** Esdeath forces Tatsumi to accompany her to retake a fortress that's been hijacked by bandits. Whereas they simply watched the other Jaegers carry out the operation in canon, they do it themselves here. Esdeath rounds up the last of them and tries to get Tatsumi to slit their throats, but he [[MercyKill decapitates them]] instead.
225	** Esdeath arranges for someone to babysit Tatsumi, they lose track of him, and they get brutally punished for it after a frantic search for him gets nowhere. Unlike in canon, where Esdeath [[TranquilFury kept her cool]] while punishing Wave (and had Kurome carry out the actual work), she [[VillainousBreakdown blows her top]] and beats River into a coma with her bare hands while shouting at him, then attacks Wave and Run when they try to intervene, only ceasing when Kurome (ironically) steps in to ''defend'' Wave.
226	* NeverMyFault: It never seems to occur to Esdeath that her brutal, childish, sadistic, and overbearing nature would drive Tatsumi away from her. In her eyes, he's just being weak and/or naive, and all of her KickTheDog moments towards him are his fault for refusing to be her lover.
227	* NoodleIncident:
228	** The night before the attack on the Northern capital, Esdeath "invites" Tatsumi into her tent and orders him to strip, all while wearing little to no clothing herself. The next time Tatsumi is seen outside the tent, he is fully clothed and looks rather sullen. Hmm...
229	*** [[spoiler: Chapter 9 confirms that nothing happened.]]
230	** While talking to Tatsumi, Run bitterly notes that his village was "already buried." Anyone who has read the manga knows what he's talking about, and those who don't... well, [[YouDoNotWantToKnow you don't wanna know]].
231	** In order to properly seduce Esdeath, Tatsumi [[spoiler: takes lessons from Chelsea, whom has used her teigu to assume Esdeath's appearance. It has since been confirmed that they did not have sex.]]
232	*** [[spoiler: Not with Chelsea's real body anyway...]]
233	* NoSenseOfPersonalSpace: As far as Esdeath is concerned, Tatsumi doesn't ''have'' any personal space since he belongs to her.
234	* NotGoodWithRejection: Esdeath feels like pulling her hair out every time Tatsumi rejects and insults her. While she initially takes it in stride out of an arrogant belief that he'll eventually come around, she quickly begins to lose her patience as her attempts at seduction get her nothing but contempt and open disrespect. This eventually culminates in her literally ''screaming'' in Tatsumi's face that he belongs to her after deducing that he's actively trying to get himself killed as a big middle finger to her.
235	* NotSoDifferentRemark: Esdeath tries playing this card against Tatsumi. He tells her to shove it.
236	* NotSoStoic: Esdeath tries to maintain her composure at all times, but Tatsumi's refusal to play ball in her court agitates her. It starts small and barely noticeable, but starting with Chapter 9, her haughty and authoritative demeanor begins to crack, and come Chapter 15, she finally snaps and displays open rage at his defiance and his suicidal behavior.
237	* OneWingedAngel: Koro, Nyau, and River all have one.
238	* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: [[spoiler: Kurome becomes enraged when she learns that Tatsumi supposedly killed Akame [[note]] ''She's not dead (yet), but he doesn't know that until later.'' [[/note]], an honor she wanted for herself, and plans to kill Tatsumi later as a way of "defeating" her sister.]]
239	* ThePeepingTom: A female example. During the Northern campaign, Esdeath would regularly "happen upon" Tatsumi while he is bathing, according to Chapter 11.
240	* PerpetualFrowner: Aside from an early scene in the first chapter, Tatsumi never smiles.
241	** [[AvertedTrope Averted]] in Chapter 14 after he [[spoiler: briefly reunites with Sayo and Ieyasu.]] Later on, a jibe from Chelsea actually gets a genuine laugh out of him.
242	* PetTheDog:
243	** Tatsumi rescues a Northern village girl from Imperial soldiers, and later helps Tabach smuggle Numa Seika's corpse out of the Northern capital so that it can be given a proper burial.
244	** [[spoiler: Esdeath leaves a baby Tatsumi with a group of traveling merchants, thereby unknowingly saving him from the destruction of the Partas Clan and ensuring that he is raised in a more caring atmosphere. She also acted as a midwife when her aunt was giving birth to him.]]
245	** Esdeath's friend, Kaname made a pair of wolf-pelt pajamas for [[spoiler: baby Tatsumi]] to keep [[spoiler: him]] warm.
246	* PrecociousCrush: Bols' daughter, Gnomey, seems to have a crush on Tatsumi.
247	* PropertyOfLove: Played darkly here. Esdeath treats Tatsumi, whom she claims to be in love with, more like a possession than a true significant other. Tatsumi even bitterly describes himself as her "pet", and she enjoys labeling him as "hers".
248	* PsychopathicManchild: Esdeath tries to cultivate a stern visage, but when she doesn't get her way, she's capable of throwing quite the temper tantrum.
249	* PunchClockVillain: Bols. He ''hates'' what the empire makes him do, but knows that if he disobeys his orders, he will be sent to prison and his family will be targeted by Esdeath.
250	* RapeIsASpecialKindOfEvil: Tatsumi firmly believes this, and will respond to any act of rape he sees with extreme violence, regardless of the consequences.
251	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: In Chapter 9, after the battle on the ''Ryuusen'', Tatsumi accuses Esdeath of not caring about anyone but herself. When she tries to say that she loves him, Tatsumi won't even let her finish the sentence: he scathingly states that she doesn't know what love is and storms out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
252	* RidiculouslyCuteCritter:
253	** Koro... until we see its Berserker form.
254	** Winter the wolf pup.
255	* {{Sadist}}: Esdeath. Hell, the original translation of her name, Esdese, means "I am an S(sadist)."
256	* SadisticChoice:
257	** Doubles with {{Squick}}. [[spoiler: Ieyasu reveals to Air that, while he was being tortured by Aria's family, the matriarch forced him to choose between drinking poisoned water or drinking her urine. He chose the latter.]]
258	** Esdeath is quite fond of forcing this trope upon Tatsumi. It just makes him despise her even more, much to her chagrin.
259	* ScrewTheMoneyIHaveRules: Esdeath would happily give Tatsumi anything and everything his heart desires if he just stopped being obstinate and returned her affections. He viciously spurns all of it (aside from blowing some of the money on alcohol in order to cope with his situation) and only stops short of [[spoiler:openly]] going against her because she's holding his village hostage.
260	* SelfServingMemory: In later chapters, Esdeath acts as though she's done a lot of things for Tatsumi, such as helping him save his village. In reality, she's brought him nothing but misery, and she's holding his village hostage to keep him from defecting.
261	* SexIsViolence: Esdeath thinks so.
262	** Each time Tatsumi manages to land an attack on her, her voice takes a somewhat aroused tone.
263	** In Chapter 2, after they kill a few Danger Beasts, she orders him to "give [her] a show" and starts throwing ice at him, forcing him to dodge and keep going faster until he creates a snowy tornado, fueling her excitement even more. Eventually, Tatsumi gets fed up and tries to tackle her, but she anticipates this and creates an ice wall, which he smashes through before running into her. They roll down a hill for a bit, and after they stop, Tatsumi (who's on top) accidentally grabs one of Esdeath's breasts, causing her to moan in arousal. He gets feral for a second and it looks like he's about to ravish her, but another moan snaps him out of it, and he quickly stops and gets off, much to Esdeath's disappointment.
264	** In Chapter 15, in order to fully gain Esdeath's trust, Tatsumi reluctantly has sex with her. The ensuing romp features biting (ranging from playful nips to "I'm gonna tear off chunks of your flesh"-level action), licking up blood, clothes getting literally torn to pieces, oral pleasuring, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking purple nurples]].
265	* ShaggyDogStory: Najenda {{lampshade\|Hanging}}s this by informing Tatsumi that, even if he bends over backwards to please Esdeath, she would eventually destroy his village anyway [[ItAmusedMe just for the hell of it.]]
266	* ShamefulStrip: Esdeath forces Tatsumi to strip just so she can ogle him at least twice as punishment for rejecting her attempts at seduction.
267	* ShipperOnDeck:
268	** Honest encourages Tatsumi to pursue a romance with Esdeath, believing that it will make her stay in the capital, and thus still work for him.
269	** Bols' is also this for Esdeath and Tatsumi, much to the latter's chagrin despite the man's good intentions. [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone He regrets it]] after Tatsumi explains how she "recruited" him in ''Shorts''.
270	* SingleTear: Esdeath sheds one at the end of Chapter 16. She is absolutely shocked by this and tries to deny it happened, but when a look in a mirror proves her wrong, she tries to will it away before finally getting fed up and wiping it off her face, utterly baffled that she would ever cry.
271	* TheSocialDarwinist: Esdeath.
272	* TheSociopath: Esdeath, even more than in the original since she has no understanding of other people's point of view and is even more selfish. Instead of coming off as a NobleDemon, she behaves more like a SpoiledBrat who will kill people if she doesn't get what she wants and continually [[EvilCannotComprehendGood fails to comprehend Tatsumi's moral compass.]] When this leads to confrontations, she blames everything on him being weak and doesn't think he should have an issue with her casual cruelty. She can be superficially charming, but the moment things don't go her way, that drops pretty quickly. And she treats the object of her affection more like her property than a human being, constantly trying to [[TheCorrupter corrupt him into being a bloodthirsty sociopath like her.]]
273	* SpannerInTheWorks: Esdeath drags Tatsumi away from his village without letting him say goodbye to his family and friends. [[spoiler:This leads to Sayo and Ieyasu venturing to the imperial capital to search for him, getting tortured by nobles, being rescued by--and ultimately join--Night Raid, and convincing Tatsumi to become a rebel spy when they finally reunite with him]].
274	* SparedByAdaptation:
275	** [[spoiler:Sayo and Ieyasu are rescued by Night Raid before Aria and her family can kill them. After recovering, they join Night Raid.]]
276	** [[spoiler: Sheele isn't killed by Seryu, Mine is instead.]]
277	** [[spoiler: Both Bulat and River aren't killed after their battle on the Ryuusen.]]
278	** [[spoiler: Sayo stops Air from committing suicide after killing the latter's rapist.]]
279	** Numa Seika, to an extent. He still dies, but he [[DefiantToTheEnd goes down like a champ]] and receives a proper burial arranged by Tatsumi (his killer)--in stark contrast to his canon counterpart, who was built up as a credible threat, [[UndignifiedDeath but was tortured into complete submission by Esdeath, who then killed him with a kick to the head as an afterthought after chaining him up and forcing him to lick her boot.]]
280	* SpoiledBrat: Esdeath is a [[PsychopathicManchild Psychopathic Womanchild]] who is capable of throwing quite the temper tantrum when she doesn't get what she wants immediately, and if that fails, she will pull an IfICantHaveYou without a moment's hesitation.
281	* StepfordSmiler: Anytime Esdeath tries to give a warm, friendly smile, Tatsumi finds it utterly terrifying because it looks so unnatural and fake.
282	* StockholmSyndrome: Invoked. Esdeath wants to make Tatsumi go through this, but he keeps control of himself however he can.
283	* SugarAndIcePersonality: One minute, Esdeath is nuzzling Tatsumi, kissing him, or nibbling his ear; the next, she's threatening him or forcing him to do something he hates as punishment for spurning her advances.
284	* ThisCannotBe: Seryu is unable to comprehend how and why she lost a fight to Sheele.
285	* TokenGoodTeammate:
286	** Tatsumi. He has no loyalty to Esdeath, hates her behavior (and her), and is absolutely appalled by the empire's corruption.
287	** [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] with Run and Wave, who fancy themselves as belonging to this trope, but are actually WrongGenreSavvy.
288	* ATragedyOfImpulsiveness: Two examples of this trope happening in ''the first chapter'' kick off the plot.
289	** First, the previous wielder of Hermes tries to ambush Esdeath and the Three Beasts. After losing horribly, he makes his way to Tatsumi's village without sufficiently covering his tracks, leading his pursuers straight to it.
290	** Second, when Tatsumi is shown to be compatible with Hermes, Esdeath decides to test the level of said compatibility by attacking him rather than explain what just happened and get his consent to test it, leading to a village-wide fight that gives Tatsumi a ''terrible'' first impression of her and her subordinates. After Tatsumi makes it clear that he has every intention of enlisting in the Imperial Army, but ''not'' under her because of her actions, she could have simply backed off, let him sign up with somebody else, then use her position to have him transferred to her army after his anger towards her has cooled; but she decides to ''force'' him to join her instead, first by beating him to a pulp, and then by holding his village hostage. End result: Esdeath gets a new subordinate, but her actions have completely destroyed ''any'' chance of him being loyal to (much less fall in love with) her; and he's so emotionally shattered by that single experience that he treats her with cold contempt, with her increasingly desperate attempts to get ''something'' out of their "relationship" only making him despise her more.
291	** Third, Esdeath is in such a hurry to separate Tatsumi from his village that she drags him away before any of the other villagers have regained consciousness, leading to [[spoiler:Sayo and Ieyasu]] making a fateful journey to the capital to look for him. See SpannerInTheWorks.
292	* TookALevelInBadass:
293	** [[spoiler: Sayo]] becomes much more dangerous upon [[spoiler:inheriting Pumpkin after Mine's death. She's a natural with long-range weapons and quickly becomes a proficient sniper]].
294	** [[spoiler: Ieyasu]], though still lacking a Teigu, did receive a bag of shurikens from Leone. He quickly adapts to throwing them to the point [[spoiler: that he has enough accuracy to take out Kurome's right eye.]]
295	* TrainingFromHell: The training regimen Esdeath forces upon Tatsumi is predictably brutal. The ''first'' thing she does is have him strike a wooden pole until his knuckles bleed; she makes him regularly spar with Daidara; and she chases him with her dragon--both to increase his speed and to remind him that she can catch him if he tries to run away.
296	* {{Tsundere}}: Kurome towards Wave.
297	* UndyingLoyalty: River to Esdeath. Tatsumi and Bulat both call him a bootlicker.
298	* UnluckilyLucky: Tatsumi has a knack for getting into life-threatening situations, but always manages to come out alive despite everything that happens to (and around) him. This frustrates him, as he would very much like to die just to stick it to Esdeath, much to her fury when she finds out.
299	* UpgradeVsPrototypeFight: Wave pits Grand Chariot against Bulat's Incursio. Considering the different experience level between the two, one can guess how well that turned out.
300	* VillainHasAPoint: Esdeath bluntly points out to Tatsumi in Chapter 3 that being in the army ''will'' involve killing somebody eventually.
301	* VillainousCrush:
302	** Esdeath is just as attracted to Tatsumi as she is in canon. Unlike in canon, it's not PlayedForLaughs.
303	** [[spoiler: The reason why Sayo and Ieyasu survived being tortured long enough to be rescued by Night Raid, according to Chapter 3 of the Shorts, was because Aria found a drawing of Tatsumi in Sayo's satchel, took a liking to him, and tried to force Sayo to reveal his location]].
304	* VillainousBreakdown: Esdeath has one in Chapter 15 after River loses track of Tatsumi during a sewer battle. She proceeds to beat River to a bloody pulp, all while [[ClusterFBomb screaming obscenities at him]]. Later, when Tatsumi unexpectedly appears in her bedroom, she, after getting over her initial shock, slaps him and goes on an egotistical rant, calling him a fool for trying to escape her via death and ''screaming'' that he belongs to her.
305	* VillainousIncest: [[spoiler:Esdeath's attraction to Tatsumi becomes this when it is revealed they are related, either being cousins or half-siblings.]]
306	* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend:
307	** Well, "girlfriend" may be a bit of a stretch (despite her wishing it wasn't), but when Esdeath discovers a bloodied Tatsumi after he kills Numa Seika, she, according to Daidara, looked angry enough to level the city in retaliation. Later, when a bandit shoots him (the bullet bounces harmlessly off his helmet), she nails the shooter to a wall with a large icicle; and after Tatsumi is abducted by Night Raid, she musters the Jaegers, several Imperial Guards, and CDF members to find and rescue him.
308	** After fending off Gensei, Tatsumi is attacked by Night Raid and eventually succumbs to exhaustion. [[spoiler: When Sayo sees him, she orders her comrades not to harm him, and when Leone and Akame attempt to finish him off anyway, she levels Pumpkin at them, which makes them back off.]]
309	** When Esdeath attacks Wave during her epic tantrum in Chapter 15, Kurome gets her to stop by drawing her sword and fixing the Empire's Strongest with a DeathGlare.
310	* WeCanRuleTogether:
311	** After seeing that Hermes is completely compatible with Tatsumi, Esdeath tries to convince Tatsumi to become her subordinate. He refuses, so she [[CurbStompBattle beats the hell out of him]] and [[JoinOrDie holds his village hostage]] to make him comply. But then it escalates: she wants him to fall in love with her (completely of his own volition), and is prepared to grant his every wish in return for that, but he viciously spurns her advances.
312	** River tries to convince Bulat to become Esdeath's subordinate. He fails miserably, but doesn't seem too torn up about it.
313	* WhamLine: We get two.
314	--->'''River:''' Esdeath-sama, you're bleeding!\
315	Which leads to...
316	--->'''Esdeath:''' (dreamily) River... I think I'm ''in love.''
317	* WhatBeautifulEyes: Both Esdeath and Mine have noted just how beautiful Tatsumi's eyes are, with the latter describing them as being "more precious than a hall full of gold" [[spoiler:as she dies]].
318	* WhatDoesSheSeeInHim: Lampshaded ''twice'' in Chapter 15.
319	-->'''Esdeath:''' Do you want to know why I chose you?
320	-->'''Tatsumi:''' My irresistible charm and quick wit?
321	-->'''Esdeath:''' (giggles) That too, I suppose.
322	-->Later...
323	-->'''Chelsea:''' Remind me of what the Ice Queen sees in you again?
324	-->'''Tatsumi:''' (shrugs) My sweet and sunny disposition?
325	-->Chelsea:''' (utterly flat) Clearly.
326	* WhenHeSmiles: Tatsumi still has a charming smile, though good luck getting him to show it to you.
327	* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: [[AvertedTrope Averted]]. [[spoiler: Seryu shoots Mine in the back just as she is about to depart with her comrades]].
328	* WhyDidYouMakeMeHitYou: As far as Esdeath is concerned, it's Tatsumi's fault that she abuses him because he refuses to accept her "love".
329	* WouldHurtAChild: Gensei tries to kill Bols's daughter by throwing her out a window simply to get back at Bols for severely burning his skin. [[spoiler: Tatsumi saves her.]]
330	* WrongGenreSavvy:
331	** Wave and Run think they can reform the empire from within, ''a la'' [[Anime/CodeGeass Suzaku]]. They're dead wrong: it's ''way'' too corrupt, and the people who want to change that, aside from them, are either dead, locked up, or have thrown their lot in with the rebellion. Wave has it even worse since he sees Esdeath through rose-colored glasses and seems to labor under the delusion that Night Raid's targets are innocent people when they are really [[AssholeVictim Asshole Victims]].
332	** In Chapter 2, Esdeath acknowledges the fact that Tatsumi is going to be hostile towards her for threatening his village, yet later on she seems to forget this completely and stupidly believes he will stop caring about his village and accept her "love", and her subsequent tantrums when he predictably refuses to play ball just drive a further wedge between them.
333	* {{Yandere}}: Esdeath. [[spoiler: When she discovers that Tatsumi stopped some of her men from raping a Northern girl, she makes a mental note to kill the girl later for "making Tatsumi care about her," a decision she apparently carried out.]] She later informs Tatsumi that, if he continues to reject her, she will "break" him, just as she did to a wolf pup she liked but couldn't have (by poisoning it). She even goes as far as to say that she cannot live without him, and that she won't allow him to live without her. And then, later on, she vehemently declares that he belongs to her, down to his cells and the air he breathes.
334	* YouHaveFailedMe: In the beginning of Chapter 15, Esdeath tasks River with keeping an eye on Tatsumi. When Tatsumi gets lost in the sewers and the Jaegers return without him, Esdeath sends everyone but River out of the room, then proceeds to [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beat him to a bloody pulp.]]
335	-->'''Esdeath:''' YOU HAD ''ONE'' [[PrecisionFStrike FUCKING]] TASK! AND YOU COULDN'T EVEN DO THAT!
336	* YouRemindMeOfX: Esdeath remarks that seeing Tatsumi "reminds [her] of home." Turns out there's a good reason for this: [[spoiler: they're blood-related.]]
337	* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Every time Esdeath congratulates Tatsumi on something he did, Tatsumi feels either ashamed, angry, or both because it was something particularly horrific that he didn't want to do in the first place. He makes sure that she knows this, and it frustrates her to no end.

Context Fanfic / AlternateWorlds