Line #6 VideoGame/BlazBlueCentralFiction


1	! As the GrandFinale to the ''Franchise/BlazBlue'' series, all spoilers for preceding entries in the franchise, including ''[[VideoGame/BlazBlueChronophantasma Chronophantasma]]'', will be left unmarked ahead. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned!
2	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/569f347506de01.jpg]]
3	[[caption-width-right:350:The Final Chapter of the Azure.]]
4
5	->''[[GrandFinale Now time to rebel against the end]]''
6
7	''Franchise/BlazBlue: Central Fiction'' is the fourth and final main entry of Creator/ArcSystemWorks popular fighting game franchise. As with every new title, it comes with many new features and mechanics. There are two main mechanics like '''Active Flow''', which rewards continuous offense with a 10% damage increase and happens once per round; Active Flow also makes your Burst stock recover faster. The second is '''Exceed Accel''', which is a new, Overdrive only LimitBreak that every cast member possess, which does further damage (as well as gain new visuals) in Active Flow. Both seem to be inspired by the Vorpal and Infinite Worth EXS mechanics from ''VideoGame/UnderNightInBirth'', a game which Arcsys themselves published on consoles.
8
9	The game's setting has gone back once again to the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi, but also includes areas from the Ikaruga Federation introduced in ''Chronophantasma''. This time, however, things are...different. ''Very'' different. Several aspects of history have been suddenly and drastically changed, and everything is at odds with what we've come to know. And to top it all off? ''We're back in the year 2199.'' Prepare for a retelling of ''Calamity Trigger'' like you've never seen before, and for the long, twisting saga of Ragna the Bloodedge to reach its conclusion at last.
10
11	The cast have once again been re-balanced, with the addition of four new characters for the Arcade version:
12
13	* '''Hibiki Kohaku''': Kagura Mutsuki's BattleButler, who utilizes his family's traditional assassin techniques and ninja-like movement to confuse his opponents.
14	* '''Naoto Kurogane''': A CanonImmigrant from the ''Bloodedge Experience'' novel series. He is searching for the Azure to undo his transformation into a vampire and can utilize his blood as a weapon.
15	* '''Nine the Phantom'''[[note]]Was initially an unplayable boss before she was an update on December 3, 2015[[/note]]: Jubei's wife, Kokonoe's mother, and one of the Six Heroes. She was recently revealed to be alive after being thought dead for years, but her true motives remain unknown. Nine utilizes powerful magic spells by calling upon the powers of the elements themselves to overwhelm her enemies.
16	* '''Izanami'''[[note]]Added in the game's 2nd Act, "Nightmare Memory"[[/note]]: Imperator Librarius of the NOL, de facto ruler of the world. Izanami is an entity occupying the body of Saya, Ragna & Jin's little sister. Her desire is to create a bleak, desolate world where nothing can survive. She utilizes a strange ring-like structure that floats behind her known as the Yasakani no Magatama to summon projectiles and magical barriers.
17
18	On April 12th, 2016, the console version was announced in Famitsu and confirmed there will be additional characters for that release.
19
20	* '''Es''': The main heroine of the ''VisualNovel/XBlaze'' series. Her playstyle is be easy to use, wielding a big sword with good reach. Story-wise, she only appears as small flashes in the beginning before making a big appearance in the middle.
21	* '''Mai Natsume''': The main character from ''Manga/BlazblueRemixHeart'' and its sequel ''Manga/BlazblueVariableHeart''. Her attire and weapon are from the sequel, in which she uses a spear that can be redirected if it misses its target.
22	* '''Susanoo''': A WalkingSpoiler. He fights with a very aggressive and feral style with the ability to unlock more moves. Unlocked by completing the Story Mode or purchased as DLC.
23
24	On July 15th, 2017 at the Evolution 2017 Championship series, Mori revealed a new character would be released as well as updating the balance and system mechanics of the game.
25
26	* '''Jubei''': The last of the Six Heroes finally makes his playable debut. His playstyle revolves around quick movement in conjunction with his claws and pair of Kodachi, aptly named ''Mucro Somnio: Musashi.''
27
28	Unlike previous entries, the game's Arcade mode is divided into three different acts, the first of which was available on release, named ''Phantom of Labyrinth'', released in Japanese Arcades on November 19th, 2015. The last two acts were released with updates after the game's initial release, with the second act being called ''Nightmare Memory'', released on January 28, 2016. The third act, named ''The Replacement Blue'', was released on March 31, 2016. A subtitled version of the first trailer can be seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WtGQvjaaOf0 here]]. The console versions released on October 6th, 2016 in Japan on the Platform/Playstation3 and Platform/Playstation4 consoles. ''Aksys'' once again provides the localization ([[NoDubForYou alas, without a dub this time]]) and brought the US version of the game over on November 1st, 2016, with ''P-Qube'' following suit with the PAL version on November 4th, 2016. The PC/Steam version of BB:CF was released on April 26, 2017, and it contains all DLC (Characters/Colors/Etc.) so far from the console versions included (except for Jubei, as he's DLC for the Steam version).
29
30	A Switch version by the name of [=BlazBlue=]: Central Fiction - Special Edition was announced at Tokyo Game Show 2018. It will be released in JP and NA on February 7th, 2019 and in EU/PAL on February 8th 2019. Like the Steam version, it will include all the DLC so far with Jubei included, along with the "Switch"-type character colors (Red/Blue) based on ''VideoGame/BlazBlueCrossTagBattle''.
31
32	At [[MediaNotes/FightingGameCommunity CEO 2021]], it was announced that the PC port of ''Central Fiction'' would be receiving an update to upgrade the game's noticeably shoddy delay-based netcode to the more industry standard rollback netcode, along with ''Cross Tag Battle'' getting the same for its PC and [=PS4=] versions.
33	----
34
35	!!'''REBEL 4, ACTION!'''
36	* AlternateUniverse: The world in this game seems to be one to the previous games due to the Embryo's influence. Only a few members of the cast are aware of this fact (in particular, Relius is doing his own research over its nature) due to most of them believing they're just living their lives normally. [[spoiler:It's revealed in Act 2 that this trope is actually played with: It's the same time and the same place but a "different causality".]]
37	* AmbiguousSituation: It's up in the air on what ''exactly'' happened near the end. [[spoiler:What kind of "Saya" Ragna is talking to when he addresses the Master Unit, considering The Origin (the girl in the Master Unit) was merged with Noel and also took on Ragna's sister's memories and soul? Does that mean her consciousness, or a part of it, is still there? When Ragna talks to Amane for the last time and disappears, what exactly happened? Do they walk into the Azure Gate? Is Ragna really ''in'' the Master Unit or just close to it? Did something happen between Ragna and the True Azure? What does the Tsubaki and Rachel scene at the end imply? What happened to Ragna's disappearing sword in TheStinger? Is Ragna even "alive" at this point?]]
38	* AndNowForSomeoneCompletelyDifferent: Like in the previous game, the story mode plays like this, though in a different way: Every episode is divided into sub-stories that focus on different characters (and thus you'll play a lot of different characters).
39	* ArcWords: Expect to see "dream/desire" come up a lot. Act 1 has Nine trying to see the cast's desires while Act 2 has Izanami challenging the Qualified so they could take the Azure to materialize everyone's dreams, and Act 3 has people getting worked up about their dreams and Ragna vowing to devour everyone's wishes. It also shows up in what the "Central Fiction" refer to, i.e "the dream that god observes".
40	* ArtEvolution: The art itself remains unchanged, but this time around the devs have created new stills of the character that they use to frame the standard dialogue scenes differently, such as framing a shot from behind of one character standing between an attacker and someone they're protecting. They also make use of the pre-existing sprites to do this as well to great effect.
41	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler: The ending shows that the NOL is slowly rebuilding the world while most of the cast have moved on to more peaceful lives and most of the antagonists have finally been defeated. However, Ragna has erased himself from everyone's memories and his fate is unknown.]]
42	* TheChosenMany: The "Qualified" are this, apparently, people who are chosen to live in the next world and to have their wishes granted through the Azure. Most of the playable characters are Qualified, with the exception of [[spoiler:Ragna and Litchi.]]
43	* CanonWelding: The biggest example in the entire franchise. Besides obviously being a continuation of the storyline, ''Central Fiction'' ties together all side material and plot elements that had gone previously unacknowledged in the main games into this GrandFinale.
44	** Naoto Kurogane's inclusion and his search for Raquel has him reference several details from the light novels in relation to the main series. The game is also the GrandFinale of the ''Bloodedge Experience'' series, which was LeftHanging.
45	** One of the new stages is the Phantom Field from ''VisualNovel/{{XBlaze}}'', Es is a playable character for the console version and [[spoiler: Es already appeared in a brief cameo in Naoto's Arcade Act 2 ending.]]
46	** Nine may or may not be using [[spoiler: "Burning Red", the Crimson Grimoire]] from ''Remix Heart'', and main character Mai Natsume herself is a playable character in the console version.
47	* ChekhovsGun: Hihi'irokane, Tomonori (Jubei's brother)'s SoulCuttingBlade featured from the Phase 0 novel becomes important in this game. [[spoiler:Terumi specifically sought it in order to excise Hakumen's soul from the Susanoo Unit, so he can take the armor for himself. Platinum (under Trinity's request) also made a replica of the blade to be used later - by Jin, right after he takes on the Susanoo Unit after Ragna takes Terumi out of it.]]
48	* ClothingConcealedInjury: In one scene of the story mode, Hazama opens his shirt, revealing that he has a hole torn in his chest where his heart should be.
49	* ContinuityNod: In-game dialogue has been altered to reflect the changes that have occurred in the story.
50	** Due to [[spoiler: Ragna having amnesia]], he doesn't recognize or negatively react to half of the cast such as Jin, Terumi, or Hakumen. It's reverted in Act 3.
51	** [[spoiler:Trinity no longer resides within Platinum]] due to the events of the [[VideoGame/BlazblueChronophantasma last game's]] ending.
52	** The Six Heroes theme no longer plays in matches involving Hazama or Platinum with the other heroes [[spoiler: due to Terumi and Trinity respectively no longer residing within either character.]]
53	* CoolGate: At the start of the story mode, Noel is said to have caught a glimpse of a big gate, which other characters like Jin and Rachel are pestering her about. It's the same gate in the Forbidden Gate stage. [[spoiler:It's the gate that guides towards the True Azure, located in where the "old world" was once located.]]
54	* CurbStompBattle: [[spoiler: Once he's in his true form of Takehaya Susano'o once more Terumi effortlessly delivers these in rapid succession to Ragna, Jubei, Tsubaki, Jin, and Noel.]]
55	--> '''Ragna:''' Damn you...he's even ''stronger'' than [[TheDreaded Azrael]]...''Cough''
56	* DarkerAndEdgier: Much darker than the previous installments. There are three terrifying characters in Nine the Phantom, Izanami and Susanoo, all with disturbing goals of their own: Nine wants to destroy the world and make a new one where she and Celica can live happy without regard to anyone else, [[spoiler:Hibiki is revealed as an insane killer with a deep-seated desire to kill Kagura]], and Izanami aims to "give death to the world". [[spoiler:Then there's Terumi outright killing Hakumen and taking his armor to become the being he originally was: Takehaya Susanoo, who plans to destroy all creation.]]
57	** The various endings on some characters on all acts are much darker due to [[CharacterDevelopment character developments]] as the story progresses.
58	** Everyone has been warped into the Embryo and it's implied that the real world is in ruins and facing an impending apocalypse. The conflicts between the characters have become increasingly complex. Master Unit Amaterasu is also more closely involved this time.
59	** To further emphasize this, there are only ''four'' Gag Reels and only one of them is completely new; the rest are rehashes of old Gag Reels, like the story just doesn't want to give you fresh laughs and prefers you concentrate on serious matters. The usually comedic "Teach Me, Miss Litchi" segments are also gone and the recaps usually covered by the segments are done by Kokonoe at the start of Story Mode, and ''not'' in any silly forms like her old "Help me, Professor Kokonoe!".
60	* TheDayOfReckoning: Izanami aims for this, called Doomsday or exactly Day of Reckoning in the opening, where the world will end. The game depicts what the characters are doing [[JustBeforeTheEnd in the time before this day]], mainly trying to stop Izanami.
61	* DidNotGetTheGirl: Despite having ''three'' possible love interests, Ragna doesn't hook up with any of them [[spoiler:because Noel is his resurrected sister, Celica dies and he erases Rachel's memories of him. Oh, and he disappears from reality.]]
62	** Likewise, [[spoiler:after spending the whole franchise chasing after Roy, Litchi found out that he never really want to be saved anyway, thus she has to content herself with coming home empty handed but still able to live on a normal life with the other people that she cared and cared for her, just without him. And likewise, to respect that, Bang stops pursuing Litchi's romantic feelings and contents himself with the two of them being JustFriends while he fully commits himself to the rebuilding of Ikaruga Federation.]]
63	* EarnYourHappyEnding: After all of the horror and trauma that the cast endure throughout the entire series, nearly everyone gets a happy and satisfying ending, living their lives and rebuilding the world. [[spoiler: All except Ragna, who had to erase his own existence for everyone to get said happy ending, Carl, who becomes like his father and Nu, who remains catatonic after losing her only purpose in life.]]
64	* EasilyForgiven: [[VideoGame/BlazBlueChronophantasma Previously]], Bang was heartbroken when Litchi attempted to steal his Rettenjou and endangered the world for the sake of 'a world where Roy lived' while working with Relius. By the time his memory returns in this game, Bang has completely forgotten about that and [[spoiler:gave his all to help Litchi get over her problem with Arakune/Roy, to the point of fighting Arakune to spare her the burden of killing a loved one.]] Considering [[IdealHero the kind of person Bang is]], it makes sense.
65	* EpisodicGame: As mentioned before, the game's Arcade mode is divided into three parts.
66	* ExpendableAlternateUniverse: Deconstructed. [[spoiler:Due to the events prior to and in the game, all of the other "world possibilities" have disappeared, and that includes where Naoto came from. Raquel tells him to find a way to save his world.]]
67	* FighterMageThief: Naoto, Nine, and Hibiki respectively all seem to fit within each of the archetypes based on their playstyles.
68	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Makoto's Act 3 Arcade Mode has Relius tell her that a strong enough soul can give birth to a "new possibility". Note how souls and the Azure are connected in the universe. [[spoiler:This foreshadows the ending where Ragna, with his Azure powers, is going to make "new possibility" with the Azure, taking on the Master Unit and becoming the new "god" with new possibilities he took from other people, i.e what the previous "god" lacks.]]
69	* ForkFencing: in Ragna's gag reel (Spectacles of Eros Finale), Kokonoe, Nine and Trinity ended up doing this with their spoons when they all try to spoon-feed Ragna with their questionably-okay food.
70	* GambitPileup: While the villains' plans all involve the destruction of the Master Unit, their means of achieving it and what they want out of it differ in key ways:
71	** Both Nine and Relius want to destroy the Master Unit to RestartTheWorld and install a new Master Unit. The difference is that Nine desires a world for herself and Celica, using [[spoiler:her specially-made Nox Nyctores, Requiem]] as the Master Unit, while Relius desires to replace all humans with "perfect dolls" and plans to use Ignis as the Master Unit.
72	** Izanami wants to create a "world of death" where every death is final and the world will slowly turn into a desolate place.
73	** Terumi [[spoiler:and subsequently Susanoo]] just wants to destroy everything. [[spoiler:Susanoo adds that he then wants to create a world where he's feared more than the Black Beast itself.]]
74	** Of course, this isn't counting the plans of the prime defenders of Amaterasu, such as Rachel, Es, Ragna and most other heroes.
75	* GameBreakingBug: The US release has Mai crash the game if your opponent on netplay chooses her and skips the intro. Review copies crashed even if the intro ''was'' watched, as the patch that added her wasn't released in the US yet. Though chances are these days, that has already been fixed since then.
76	* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: A lot of changes are made in-battle to reflect changes made to the story.
77	** The player does not have access to any unlimited forms in this game. In fact the only three characters that have them anymore are Ragna, Nine, and Izanami. This makes a hell of a lot more sense once you learn that [[spoiler: not only is Ragna is not one of the chosen but despite acting as such in game play Soul Eater isn't a drive but a function of the Azure Grimoire. This means that whereas everyone else is having their souls absorbed by the Embryo just by using their drives Ragna has no such handicap. In the end while everyone is shocked at how much stronger Ragna seems to have become even since ''Chronophantasma'' he only seems to have become so much stronger when the reality is that everyone else is just becoming weaker. Similarly, Nine ''also'' lacks a drive and thus is stronger than everyone else in a world where she was stronger than most everyone else even before that, and it's this reason why Ragna feels he's the one who can stop her.]]
78	** Everybody's in-battle lines against Terumi (Ragna, Nine, Hazama, etc etc) are also used for Susanoo [[spoiler: since they're the same person.]]
79	* GameplayAndStorySegregation: In-story, Susanoo is [[spoiler:every bit the PhysicalGod]] (read: unstoppable) he builds himself up to be; on the gameplay front, he's... not great. His lack of defensive options forces him to constantly be on the offensive, and his offence takes so long to start that a normal character would've won with the amount of hits he takes to get started. His only redeeming feature is a fullscreen poke that helps unlocking one of his seals.
80	* GeniusLoci: In the Story Mode, Kokonoe explains that, if the [[PocketDimension Embryo]] was made from Take-Mikazuchi, a Nox Nyctores, and all Nox have a will, then it can be safely assumed that the Embryo would have a will of its own. Also shown in how the Embryo does a lot of Phenomenon Interventions inside itself.
81	* GodAndSatanAreBothJerks: By the end, this trope ends up in play. Master Unit Amaterasu was considered a benevolent God until it was revealed that [[spoiler:the one at helm of the Master Unit, while sympathetically portrayed as a frightened little girl, has been causing the cycle of repetition without care for anyone else [[ItsAllAboutMe as she keeps trying to get what she wants: Her 'hero' (Ragna) saving her from being put in the Unit]]. At her worst, The Origin/Master Unit Amaterasu's selfishness justifies Nine's [[GoMadFromTheRevelation madness]] and determination to destroy her]]. On the other hand, if the past games haven't told you already, then [[SatanicArchetype Terumi being the Satan figure]] should confirm that ''he's'' a complete jerk too.
82	* GottaCatchThemAll: In Act 3 several characters attempt to collect other Nox Nyctores, notably Nu, Arakune and Nine. Nu wants to use them for achieve a "true merge" with Ragna, Arakune wants to become a Black Beast, and Nine wants to complete Take-Mikazuchi to achieve its true power.
83	* GrandFinale: The last chapter of Ragna's story arc concludes with this game.
84	* HijackedByGanon: The game reveals that [[spoiler:the supposed BigBad from the previous game, Izanami, only came to be by machinations of Terumi and Relius, the former of which is already established as the real BigBad from the second game. Once Izanami is dealt with, Terumi takes center stage and reminds everyone exactly why he's the series' true {{big bad}}.]]
85	* ImmediateSequel: The Story Mode starts right at the Epilogue of the previous game.
86	* InconsistentDub:
87	** The previous game uses the term "Entitled" (by Izanami) to refer to the people who are guaranteed to have their wishes granted in the new world after the Doomsday. This game uses "Qualified" and sometimes "Chosen" instead. This is true because the terms in both games use the same kanji (資格者, "Shikakusha") in the original Japanese.
88	** The game also occasionally mistypes Raquel as "Raquelle".
89	** Additionally, story mode and library mode can't agree on whether the "True [=BlazBlue=]" (蒼炎の書, "Sōen no Sho," lit. Book of Blue Blazes) is called the "Azure Flame Grimoire" or the "Azure Flamed Grimoire". One time in arcade mode it is inexplicably called the "Sapphire Tome."
90	* InMediasRes: The arcade mode starts with everyone suddenly being inside the Embryo. The Story Mode explains how that happened: [[spoiler:Izanami activates the Embryo, causing every Qualified to be sucked in.]]
91	* IWillFindYou: Naoto is searching for Raquel, who has disappeared for currently unknown reasons. Rachel similarly is looking for Ragna at the start of the story.
92	** [[spoiler:Rachel]] vows this at the end of the game, promising to find the person[[note]][[spoiler:Ragna]][[/note]] she can't remember.
93	* LaserGuidedAmnesia: Ragna has forgotten who he is. Not just him, but everyone seems to have forgotten most of the events judging by the quotes on their profile in the official website. It makes sense since it's in another timeline....
94	-->''In Tager's Act 2 arcade play'' \
95	'''Kokonoe:''' And finally something... since when have you worked under me? \
96	'''Tager:''' The year 2185... why did you confirm that? \
97	'''Kokonoe:''' No, that's not much of a problem. Feel free to go. \
98	'''Tager:''' ...Roger. (''leaves'') \
99	'''Kokonoe:''' According to my back-up it was the year 2193...
100	** But it would seem Ragna's case is more severe: not only does he forget everything in the previous games, but he can't even remember his own name or moniker compared to everyone else in that very timeline. He does, however, seemingly remember a few things such as him wanting to save Nu (but not ''why'' he wants to) and the Izayoi.
101	** The only ones confirmed to not have amnesia are Izanami, Jin, Terumi, Relius, Azrael, Amane, Hakumen, Rachel, Celica, Izayoi, Naoto, Mu and Nine. Also downplayed with Noel in that, while she does act like she was in ''CT'', she also feels that she has done similar things before. Similarly, Kokonoe knows something is wrong but she doesn't exactly know ''what''. [[spoiler: Hazama counts as well, since it's revealed that he was faking his amnesia.]]
102	** In Act 2, the appearance of Amaterasu in the Embryo makes everyone's memories return.
103	* LateArrivalSpoiler: This game casually mentions the Imperator's true identity, which was a big twist in the previous games. Likewise, this game also spoils the identity of Phantom.
104	* LesserOfTwoEvils: [[spoiler: Sure, Nine's a {{Jerkass}} who wants to destroy the Master Unit and create a perfect utopia for ''only'' her and Celica. However, it's hard not to sympathize with her a bit because her primary targets are [[CardCarryingVillain Terumi]] and Izanami, individuals who killed and revived her as their puppet and who have ''far worse'' motives than hers.]].
105	* MakeAWish: In Act 2, in most characters' routes, after they defeat the boss, they're given a piece of Azure that they use to materialize their wish. [[spoiler:However, the wishes are immediately undone, unconsciously, by the "highest Qualified", Noel, who according to Relius "doesn't desire a change."]]
106	-->'''Izanami''' (''to Terumi''): If you desire the Azure, you'll need to challenge me like the other Qualified do. If you show me your strength, I'll grant you the Azure as a reward.
107	** Near the end of the story mode, it is revealed that [[spoiler:The Azure is just pure power and can turn possibility into reality]], so it essentially exists for this purpose.
108	* MoodWhiplash: In Story Mode, just when Ragna has a light-hearted scene with the Kaka kittens, Bang barges in screaming "This is terrible!" Lash #2: But then the Kaka kittens ask Bang to play with them and he agrees... Lash #3: But then Ragna reminds him that he was so urgent before. Bang promptly stops and apologizes for the kittens, then goes on with the news (that some NOL agents are coming).
109	* MythologyGag: Makoto's Arc 1 Arcade Mode has her being beaten by Hazama and getting stepped on. It first happened in the AnimeOfTheGame, then in the novel adaptation.
110	* NotHimself: Several characters becomes this when they're inside the Embryo. What's more confusing is that characters fought in a certain character's Arcade playthrough may display different behaviors from another character's own Arcade play, or even their own (e.g Kagura is his usual flirty/good-leader self in some plays and quite a ruthless one in others). Most of this can be explained by how some characters' memories are reverted, while some are actually just images either they created subconsciously or Nine made.
111	* OnlyTheLeadsGetADownerEnding: The game ends with [[spoiler:Ragna [[RetGone erasing himself from existence and everyone's memory]] so that life can move on because he realizes he is the titular "Central Fiction" that the [[DeusEstMachina Master Unit Amaterasu]] keeps "dreaming" of, and keeps resetting the world for the sake of. The game ends with a WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue where most of the cast (especially Ragna's siblings) live their lives happily]].
112	* OptionalBoss: As of Act 3, If you defeat every single opponent with a certain amount of Distortion[=/=]Overdrive[=/=]Astral Finishes, you are rewarded with being transported to [[spoiler: the place where you fight Take-Mikazuchi at the end of ''Chronophantasma'' for a secret 9th fight, in which you face Unlimited Ragna. Unlimited Nine and Izanami are fought on their stages.]]
113	* PaintingTheMedium: Any time you get the Duel Field background, you'll notice it actually recognises the mode you're playing and always has 'The Wheel Of Fate Is Turning' visible on the stage itself, with glitchy images of the current fight appearing on the monitors.
114	* PreviouslyOn: In the Story Mode's start, Kokonoe helpfully explains to Kagura (and by extension the audience) about the key events of the previous games, right from Ragna entering Kagutsuchi. Kagura lampshades it, saying that everyone would be familiar with them because most of them are pretty big events in-universe.
115	* PunchParry: The opening culminates with [[BigBad Terumi]] and [[TheHero Ragna]] throwing a punch at each other, which then forms the title.
116	* SentientPhlebotinum: Es implies that there's a "will of the Azure" that guides her and tells her that Ragna is the "man of the Azure". [[spoiler:In the end of her Arcade mode, a disembodied voice speaks towards her, implied to be said "Azure will" itself. Interestingly, it shares the same voice as Ragna, albeit deeper.]]
117	* SequelHook: [[GrandFinale This game ties up the major plotlines and concludes the majority of character arcs]], but there are some loose ends that are clearly meant to lead ''somewhere''. Since the devs have been careful to specify this game as the end of "Ragna's story", it's relatively safe to assume that they aren't quite done with the ''[=BlazBlue=]'' setting yet.
118	** [[spoiler:Relius gave Carl the ability to see souls and Hazama likens him to a "bomb" being left in the world. Relius himself also retreats to his own hideout in the Boundary.]]
119	** [[spoiler: Hazama's disappeared into the cauldron.]]
120	** [[spoiler:Rachel is determined to find Ragna, despite not being able to remember him.]]
121	** [[spoiler:Azrael makes it clear that he's only letting his defeat this time count as a loss; he's only trapped once again, not killed or destroyed, and his being released in the future is a very real possibility.]]
122	** [[spoiler:[[TheStinger The very last scene]] shows Ragna's WeaponTombstone gone, then cuts to a message that says "NEXT - α - Awakening the Chaos".]]
123	* SkeletonMotif: Hades Izanami is [[spoiler:the Goddess of Death]] and she has a lot of bones forming her special logo. In her [[LimitBreak Exceed Accel]] her face also briefly turns into a skull with a SlasherSmile.
124	* SpoilerOpening: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFP3pKyg0bI The console version's opening]] spoils a lot of confrontations that occur in story, namely [[spoiler: Jin and Kagura vs. Azrael, Carl getting his left eye struck, the appearance of Susanoo, Ragna and Terumi's final battle over the Azure.]]
125	* StayingAlive: [[spoiler:Terumi, who was effectively ''erased from existence'' by Hakumen, reappears here because he managed to "observe" himself, [[LivingOnBorrowedTime but he's only got a week]] to fuse with Hazama again or he'll be erased for real. To make matters worse, Trinity's spell prevents him from fusing with Hazama and Hazama himself has no intention of being his puppet.Cunning mastermind he is, Terumi has a backup plan: The Susanoo Unit.]]
126	* TitleDrop: Much like the other games, the title for this one is central to the plot. It also turns out to be a WhamLine, as Ragna says that [[spoiler: HE]] is the Central Fiction.
127	* TransformationIsAFreeAction: Averted and then subverted.
128	** During the final fight with Azrael, Kagura begins to overwhelm him so Azrael decides to unlock another level of his limiter to even the fight... then Jin decides to just freeze him there before he can finish powering up. Kagura even lampshades asking why didn't he just come in and do that earlier in the fight.
129	** Later on, [[spoiler: Terumi rips Hakumen's soul out of the Susano'o Unit so he can take it for himself.]] It's only ''after'' he starts transforming that Ragna decides to intervene and is quickly brushed aside for his trouble.
130	* VillainHasAPoint: All of the baddies may have selfish goals for trying to destroy the Master Unit, but they were right about how said unit has repeated the world over and over for no good reason and left the world stagnant. [[spoiler:Ragna later gets the point and solves the problem by pacifying the Origin's soul, thus allowing the world to naturally progress.]]
131	* VillainShoes: The only time you ever control one of the antagonists is as [[spoiler: Susanoo]] against Es near the end. It's to emphasize how much stronger he is by comparison.
132	* VillainTeamUp: After hearing Azrael's [[ChallengeSeeker reason]] for fighting, Izanami finds it intriguing enough to want to contract Azrael. She offers an opponent worthy of his tastes: [[spoiler: The Black Beast itself]].
133	* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: [[spoiler:The epilogue shows us what the surviving characters do after Ragna fixes the world:]]
134	** [[spoiler:Noel and Lambda become nuns, taking care of a catatonic Nu.]]
135	** [[spoiler:Makoto and Tsubaki continue to work for the NOL, as well as a reinstated and promoted Jin, who joins Kagura and Hibiki in protecting Homura.]]
136	** [[spoiler:Bang leads his ninjas in the reconstruction of Ikaruga.]]
137	** [[spoiler:With Mai and Kajun's help, Litchi adopts Platinum and brings her to Orient Town. Jubei continues to watch over them from afar.]]
138	** [[spoiler:A newly-masked Carl leaves a Cauldron with Nirvana, walking the same dark path as his father.]]
139	** [[spoiler:Amane continues his observation of the world while traveling with his troupe.]]
140	** [[spoiler:Taokaka returns to the Kaka Village and is greeted by several Kaka kittens and Torakaka.]]
141	** [[spoiler:Kokonoe sends Tager and Bullet on a new mission, while continuing her surveillance on Azrael's cell.]]
142	** [[spoiler:Es goes back to guarding the Azure Gate.]]
143	** [[spoiler:Naoto falls back into his timeline and meets Raquel.]]
144	** [[spoiler:Valkenhayn returns to his service as the Alucard family butler, pouring tea for an absent Rachel, who is on a cliff with Ragna's WeaponTombstone. An "alternate" version of Tsubaki who wields Hakumen's sword visits her, and questions who the sword (Blood-scythe) belongs to. Despite losing her memories of Ragna, Rachel swears to find him.]]
145	** [[spoiler:TheStinger reveals that the Blood-scythe is missing.]]
146	* WhereItAllBegan: This game takes place in Kagutsuchi, the location and setting for the first two games. Many of the stages from previous games have returned, with graphical updates all around. [[spoiler:Except not exactly.]]
147	** [[spoiler:Happens for real at the end of story mode where the protagonists have to return to the Cauldron in Kagutsuchi in order to reach the Azure Gate.]]
148	----

Context VideoGame / BlazBlueCentralFiction