Anime / Izetta: The Last Witch

A.D. 1940. A maiden soars through the battlefield.

"If I am promised to the princess, then I will fight for her sake."

In an Alternate Universe Europe of 1939, World War II begins as similarly as it did in real life, when the imperialistic nation of Germania invades its neighboring country of Livonia. Soon, the entire continent spirals into a gory symphony of industrialized violence and warfare, with no end in sight.

By the year 1940, the Germanian army set out to conquer the Principality of Eylstadt - a small monarchy with plenty of natural resources but without a strong military force. All signs point to the inevitable - that this country's destruction would become but a footnote in history. However, the principality's crown princess, Ortfiné Frederika von Eylstadt (Finé for short), doesn't want to let her realm go without a fight. She embarks on a quest to the neutral country of Westria to meet with an ambassador of the Britannian Empire and negotiate the terms of their aid. However, she is too late - the Germanian forces have already begun their invasion of Eylstadt, and their agents abduct the princess.

While being flown out to the capital of the Germanian Empire, Neu-Berlin, a mysterious force rocks the plane, allowing Finé to fight back, but she's quickly shot and disarmed. Just as she declares her last words in defiance against Germania, a coffin-like object that was on the plane bursts open, decimating the aircraft and scattering all its contents. That fearsome force is the red-haired Izetta, the last of the witches, and the princess' long-lost childhood friend. Izetta saves the princess at the last second, and together they fly into besieged Eylstadt. Thanks to her sorcery, Izetta makes quick work of an entire Germanian regiment in minutes. Now known as "The Second Coming of the Weisse Hexe", she has become a symbol of hope in a world where opposing the Germanian Empire was but a pipe dream. She demands but one thing for her services: Princess Finé herself.

But for all their good intentions, these powers came with restrictions and oaths for a reason. How many traitors and witch hunters will it take to break Izetta's will? How far will the Germanian Empire push Izetta before she loses control of something so indestructible and unrelenting?

Izetta: The Last Witch (Shuumatsu no Izetta, also known as Izetta, Die Letzte Hexe) is an original, 12-episode fantasy Anime series produced by studio Ajia-Do and Asahi Production. It premiered as part of the Fall 2016 season on October 1st, 2016. It's available for simulcast and streaming on Crunchyroll here. Funimation has released an English broadcast dub for this series, which began on October 19, 2016. Watch it here.

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"If I am promised to the princess, then I will trope for her sake."

• Action Girl:
  • Izetta and Princess Finé have proven to be capable. Izetta's power lets her casually flip tanks, and Finé is no slouch either, jumping off a train and shoulder-charging a Germanian officer with a gun in the first episode.
  • Later episodes introduce the Royal Guard, a squad of female sharpshooters and bodyguards who help Izetta pull off a dangerous ruse.
• All for Nothing: Episode 8 one example played straight and the other zig-zagged.
  • Played straight that despite Eylstadt forces' efforts to keep the secret of Izetta's powers under wraps, they are eventually found out by the Germanian spies.
  • Zig-zagged in regards to the United States of Atlanta. Finé and Izetta's efforts did cause the United States of Atlanta to finally take action against Germania. Unfortunately, they also decided to take action against Eylstadt and they planned on eliminating Izetta. However, thanks to the divided opinion in the US regarding Izetta and Eylstadt, Stanley is unable to do anything except have US troops sent to help defend Britannia. The Allies only really begin taking action against the Germanians once witches and magic are rendered a non-issue when Izetta makes a Heroic Sacrifice and drains Europe's Ley Line network of every ounce of magical energy.
• Alternate History: Pretty much the only points of difference are the names of the countries (Germania=Germany, Livonia=Poland, Westria=Switzerland, Britannia=United Kingdom, United States of Atlanta=United States of America, etc.) and their political systems (Germania is still a monarchy under the authority of the Kaiser). The development and martial progress of WWII itself is identical to the real-world parallel.
• Artistic License – Politics: Despite the repeated Handwave of the absurdity of the situation, the way neutrality works in the show's setting is fairly unrealistic; The moment Westria allowed uniformed Germanian soldiers to search trains on Westrian soil with impunity, move around the country freely, arrest, abduct and kill Eylstadtian diplomats in front of the Britannian ambassador, and lastly even basically take over a good chunk of the Westrian capital during what was meant to be an international summit, Westria essentially gave up her neutral status, as any of these incidents was tantamount to her relinquishing sovereignty to a foreign power during times of war. In any Real Life scenario (for contrast and comparison, see the Altmark Incident^note where neutral Norway caved to both German and British incursions; this ultimately resulted in the German invasion of Norway and Operation Creek^note where British commandos raided a German spy ship in neutral-but-British-friendly Portugese Goa, yet took enormous pains to maintain Implausible Deniability and keep Portugal out of the war), this would have marked the point of Westria becoming an Axis satellite state - if not in the eyes of Westria or the Axis, then certainly in the eyes of the Allies. This is also the reason why Real Life Swiss neutrality has a reputation for being fairly hawkish.
• Art Shift: At one point, we see a Golden Age superhero comic about Izetta drawn in a Western style.
• Bait-and-Switch Lesbians: In promotional materials Finé and Izetta are often depicted with intertwined fingers and longing gazes, implying that they will become involved romantically. This never happens in the show proper though, despite large amounts subtext heaped upon them, especially during the latter half.
• Bittersweet Ending: Izetta manages to defeat Sophie and rids all magic in the world which renders all of the weapons that the Germanians have been working on with Sophie's power useless. Afterwards, the allies are able to defeat the Germanian Empire about a year later rather than four or five in the real World War II. However, it comes at great cost to Izetta. She survives her sacrifice and is shown to be alive and well in a picture◊, but she's paralyzed from the waist down and requires a wheelchair, and she lives with Lotte while Finé visits whenever she can. Additionally, Finé doesn't believe the peace in Europe will last forever, but she plans on to keep up her efforts to make everlasting peace a possibility one day.
• Blackmail: The Germanians intended to force Finé's nation to surrender by threatening to kill her. Fortunately, she escapes with the help of Izetta, so they never get to attempt this.
• Bling-Bling-BANG!: The Germanian officer in the first episode who takes Finé captive uses a golden Luger P-08. For some inexplicable reason, the gun has the words "Who Dares, Wins" inscribed on it, which is the motto of the British SAS.
• Blood Magic: One of the ways Izetta can channel her magic. A few drops of blood scattered on the snow lets her call forth spears of ice strong and fast enough to impale a fighter plane.
• Book Ends: The first episode begins with Finé encountering Izetta at a pond as children. The finale ends with Izetta residing in a house by the same pond with Finé visiting her.
• Breather Episode: Episode 4 scales down on the action and instead spends time introducing new characters as well as exploring Izetta's past and the nature of her powers.
• Cast from Hit Points: It seems that using the Magic Stone, a crystal that could drain ley lines to prevent other witches from using magic in a certain area, does a toll to the user's body. It's to the point where if Germania wants to weaponize it with Sophie, they must create more bodies in the case when Sophie's original body deteriorates from over-use.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: The Germanian military dishes one out in the first half of Episode 3. They are then on the receiving end of one once Izetta joins the fight. Once Izetta was out of the picture however, Germanian forces were able to capture Eylstadt's capital in only two hours.
• Darkest Hour: Episode 9. Sophie uses her gem to drain the magic out of the Sellun Corridor, and Izetta crashes and gets captured. Without her, a massive Germanian aerial fleet invades deep into Eylstadt's airspace and paratroopers seize the capital of Landsbruck. The status of Finé and the rest of the Eylstadtian senior command is unknown as they were last seen fleeing from Sophie bombing the royal palace.
• Diabolus ex Machina: Episode 8. Rickert and Laurence are both shot and killed and it looks like Eylstadt's Royal Guards will be able to keep the secret of Izetta's magic under wraps. But the cart driver that earlier unwittingly delivered Rickert and Laurence into the castle suddenly turns out to be another Germanian spy, and he takes the intel off of Laurence's body before any of the Royal Guards arrive. There was no indication anywhere that the Germanians even had a third spy in the country.
• Dreaming of Times Gone By: The first scene of the series is Princess Finé dreaming of her first meeting with Izetta before being woken up.
• End of an Age: Witches and magic in general are in decline by the time of WWII to the point where people believe magic is myth (as if the title pointing out that Izetta is the last witch wasn't obvious enough). However, the end of magic is truly and permanently brought about thanks to Izetta voluntarily draining all of the magic energy from the planet.
• Fantasy Conflict Counterpart: The show's conflict is blatantly based on World War II.
• Fatal Family Photo: Subverted. A young private named Jonas on the Eylstadt side looks at a photo of his family during Episode 3. Before he can be killed by Germanian soldiers, he is saved by Izetta, and he is seen still alive at the end of the episode.
  • Double Subverted later when the portrait really does lead to Jonas' death.
• Fantasy Counterpart Culture: As mentioned in other places, this is set in a blatant mimicry of World War II Europe. The in-series names for the countries show pretty good research. Besides Britannia and Germania:
  • Livonia (Poland): The counterpart for Poland, is the name of a nation that lasted from the 1100's to the end of World War I. Livonia was made up of the present-day countries of Latvia and Estonia, and many of the nobles of Livonia became part of the Polish nobility. Additionally, there are some cultural similarities between Latvia and Estonia and Poland.
  • Thermidor (France): After the French Revolution, France adopted the "French Republican Calendar," which was decimal-based. All months and days had new names. One of these new months (between 19 or 20 July and 18 or 19 August) was called Thermidor. Furthermore, the overthrow of Maximillien Robespierre, which ended the Reign of Terror, took place in the month of Thermidor and is today known as the Thermidorian Reaction, the Revolution of Thermidor, or just Thermidor.
  • Eylstadt (Tyrol, part of Austria): The land called Eylstadt in the series was not an independent nation at the start of World War II as depicted on the show, but the location shown on the map in the first episode, establishes that Eylstadt is the counterpart of the combination of the Austrian regions of North Tyrol and Vorarlberg. The map correctly shows the region of South Tyrol to be a part of the counterpart of Italy, instead of part of Austria, which occurred at the end of World War I. Eylstadt is described as being Alpine, which fits nicely with Tyrolean hats (also called Alpine hats) and yodeling which is often associated with the region.
  • Westria (Switzerland): Westria is placed as Switzerland, and is similarly neutral.
  • Kingdom of Nord (Norway): Nord is basically Norway in all but name down to the Sognefjorden, and just like the real Norway they're also invaded by Germania and has their monarch and government taking a refuge in Britannia.
  • Romulus Federation (Italy): The Romulus Federation is mentioned as Germania's primary ally, and Eylstadt geographically sits between where Germany and Italy would be, which is why Germania is invading Eylstadt in the first place. In addition, Romulus is the name of one of figures responsible for the creation of Rome.
  • United States of Atlanta (United States of America): Atlanta is the name of one of the USA's largest and most influential major cities, in addition to the country being across the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Louisiana: A representative from the country of "Louisiana" was present in Episode 8 which strongly implies that the United States in this universe never really expanded beyond the Atlantic coast.
    • Alternatively, it's the alternative name for Canada as a healthy proportion of French Colonial Louisiana was part of Canada in the early 18th Century.
  • Volga Federation (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics): The Volga Federation is noted to be a powerful country to the east of Germania which they have a non-aggression pact with. And just like in real life, Germania intends to break the pact. "Volga" comes from the name of the Volga River, which is the longest river in Europe and is considered to be Russia's national river that runs all the way from Central Russia to the Caspian Sea.
    • At the end of the series Volga breaks its non-aggression pact with Germania after Atlanta launches a successful landing into occupied Thermidor, similarly to how Stalin was planning to break Molotov-Ribbentrop pact and invade Nazi Germany as soon as they would launch their ultimately cancelled Operation Sea Lion. The ending also heavily implies that Volga and Atlanta are now headed towards Cold War.
• Foreshadowing: The series makes use of this numerous times. In the first episode when Izetta is awakening, what appears to be magical energy is gathering around the plane. In the second and third episode, there appears to be fluctuations in how power Izetta's powers are depending on her location. It is revealed in the fourth episode the Witch's power doesn't come from within but rather from the magical energy found in ley lines. If she is in a location without ley lines, she can't use her magic.
• Freeze-Frame Bonus: In Episode 12, just before the final credits roll, a picture of Izetta and Finé◊ is shown. If one looks closely enough, the building behind them is the palace from Landsbruck and it's shown to be damaged. They haven't been back in the capital of Eylstadt ever since Episode 9 after Sophie and Germania took control of it. This means that the picture could not have been taken any time before the final battle, thus foreshadowing Izetta's survival after her attempted Heroic Sacrifice.
• Ghostapo: There appear to be multiple levels of this in the Germanian Empire. Berkman and Rickert belong to the Special Unit which gathers intelligence for the Kaiser, including on occult phenomena. There is also a secret branch within the military called the Workshop, which is identified with occult symbology.
• Gratuitous German: The Germanian capital is misspelled "Neue Berlin"; "Neuberlin" would be the correct name (some fansubbers spell it "Neu-Berlin", which is also correct).
  • The instructions on the Stielhandgranate are misspelled, too.
  • Finé's favorite café is spelled "Kirsch Baum", but "Kirschbaum" would've been the correct spelling.
• He Knows Too Much:
  • Berkman executes a few of his own mooks when they notice Izetta in the capsule; her existence is top-secret.
  • Sieg pulls this off on Private Jonas for discovering their deception operation at Veile Pass (and by extension, Izetta's inability to use magic in certain areas). Unlike Berkman, however, he at least made the bare minimal effort to obtain his consent and apologizes.
• History Repeats: A member of the Elystadt royal family meets and befriends a witch. The chance encounter causes the witch to become loyal to the member of royalty. When Elystadt royalty needed the witch's help, the witch helped them. Eventually, the member of Elystadt royalty and the witch fall in love. This story fits both the Prince and Sophie's story as well as Finé and Izetta's story. But unlike the original story, Izetta and Finé do get a happy ending together.
• Homoerotic Subtext: There is a lot of this towards Izetta and Finé, especially in Episode 7 where they share a room and bed. The circumstances surrounding Finé's coronation bear some similarities to a wedding ceremony as well, from Izetta waiting alone in a chapel-like chamber, the white dress she wears, and the end of the ceremony, where she lifts Finé into a bridal carry. Then there's their magic broom ride during Episode 11 that really puts the "subtext" part under fire.
• Hostage Situation: Germania planned on making Princess Finé a political hostage, but Izetta's awakening derailed it.
• Istanbul (Not Constantinople): See Fantasy Counterpart Culture above.
• Instant Death Bullet: Averted. Tobias, one of Finé's bodyguards, is shot by Berkman while being chased on the train, and it takes a while before he finally succumbs to his wound. Played straight for Princess' other bodyguard, Hermann. It is justified since he was most likely shot through the heart.
• Inter-Service Rivalry: A Germanian fighter pilot cracks a joke at the expense of the army and their blitzkrieg tactics when remarking on how long it has taken to start the conquest of Eylstadt. In Episode 3, a Germanian air force general and army general continually make bets on which of their forces will win the current battle.
• Intertwined Fingers: Promotional artwork features Izetta and Princess Finé depicts the two of them as intertwining their fingers in midair. It also features prominently in the show's ending sequence, and in various moments throughout the series.
• Kaiserreich: Germania has elements of this, see A Nazi by Any Other Name below.
• Kissing Discretion Shot: The flight scene in episode 11 has an implied kiss between Finé and Izetta just after the shadowed shot against the moon, but they fall out of the frame before we can see it.
• Lady and Knight: Finé, the brave, galant and charismatic High Queen, is protected by her friend Izetta, who happens to be an insanely powerful witch and bears Undying Loyalty to her Princess. As bonus points, Izetta is usually white-clad. Unsurprisingly, their relationship produces truckloads of Les Yay.
• Last Moment Together: Episode 11 has Izetta and Fine talking with one another the night before the Final Battle, which both of them know is likely going to become a Suicide Mission, given the massive odds against them. It becomes a Subverted Trope in the following episode when its revealed that despite almost being killed, Izetta manages to survive her Heroic Sacrifice and reunite with Fine, albeit heavily injured and with the loss of the use of her legs.
• Last Stand: The Eylstadt soldiers at Coenenberg were expected to do this. Since they were outnumbered and outgunned, with no hope for reinforcements, they were only expected to buy some time for some citizens to evacuate nearby towns. Finé is quite distraught upon finding out about this, which then prompts Izetta to fight the Germanians on her own despite Finé asking her not to get involved.
• The Magic Goes Away: In order to stop Sophie's goals from achieving fruition, and the Germanian Empire's wonderweapons projects for good, Izetta decides to drain the entirety of Europe's, and possibly, the world's Ley Line network of magical energy. She successfully pulls it off, causing Sophie to die a Disney Villain Death, the Germanian's supply of Hexenium to be rendered completely useless, and the United States of Atlanta to finally side with Eylstadt now that the threat of witches and magic is no more.
• Maybe Ever After: Between Izetta and Finé in Episode 12.
• Military Mage:
  • Izetta proves to be a very useful asset to the Eylstadtian armed forces, already managing to singlehandedly take out several Germanian planes and tanks even just in the first half of the series.
  • Sophie ends up fulfilling the same role for the Germanian Empire once she is fully revived, helping the Germanian Army overrun Eylstadt's capital Landsbruck in only 2 hours. She later helps power their wonder weapons projects and helps them bomb the Britannian capital with them.
• Mind over Matter: Most the powers displayed by Izetta and Sophie seem to be telekinetic in nature.
• Mirrored Confrontation Shot: Between Berkman and Finé◊ with Izetta in the middle.
• A Nazi by Any Other Name: Germania seems to be a combination of this trope and Kaiserreich. Being a blatant alternate World War II involving witches, the country of Germania is loosely based on the real life Nazi Germany with some elements of Imperial Germany added into the mix. It is stated the country is an absolute monarchy with a Kaiser.
  • They even took the Nazi salute "Sieg Heil" and changed it into "Sieg Reich" (since the Germany of this universe is still a monarchy).
  • In episode #10, concentration camps at least for political opponents are explicitly mentioned.
  • In episode #11, an SS is explicitly mentioned.
• Neutral in Name Only: The nation of Westria, analogous to the real-life Switzerland, is technically a neutral nation in the ongoing war being waged by the Germanian Empire across Europe. However, it has a small number of Germanian troops deployed within its borders for unknown reasons, which turns out to be a problem for the protagonists and their allies when Germania sets its sights on Eylstadt. Throughout the series, the Germanian troops deployed here constantly try to prevent Eylstadt from trying to negotiate or even meet up with Allied diplomats and military officers there.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: A rather epic case of this happens in the first episode due to the Germanian soldiers choosing to transport a partially awakened Izetta and Princess Finé on the same plane apparently unaware of their connection. Germania planned on making Princess Finé a hostage to force her country to give up their resistance and somehow controlling Izetta's Person of Mass Destruction magic. However, their plans fell apart after Izetta hears and sees Princess Finé which causes her to fully awaken. Had they simply transported the girls separately, Germania almost certainly could have taken over Eylstadt via the invasion that was already in progress and possibly found a way to manipulate Izetta for their own ends.
• No Name Given: Numerous Germanian characters have appeared on screen in the first two episodes and only two of them have been named within the series. Three if you count the promotional material naming the Germanian pilot as Bassler.
• Noodle Incident: Izetta begins the story as a captive of the Germanians and in the process of being delivered to Neu-Berlin. How they managed to capture her is never explained, other than it being mentioned that she wiped out a whole company of infantry in the process.
• No Swastikas: Despite being the counterpart of Nazi Germany, there is no sign of swastikas in the Germania Empire. Instead, they use a Iron Cross-inspired dagger for their national symbol. This is a justified trope though, as this takes place in an alternate Europe with Germany still being a monarchy, and including swastikas would more or less get the anime banned in Germany.
• "Not So Different" Remark: Rickert tells Bianca how they both are loyal to their country before she kills him.
• Not With the Safety On, You Won't: In Episode 1, Finé manages to grab the Germanian officer's pistol during turbulence caused by Izetta's awakening. She was ready to shoot, but the safety was on and she was shot before she could unlock it.
• Oh, Crap!: The Germanian officer briefly drops his Smug Snake act when Izetta destroys the plane. The Germanian fighter plane pilots also experience this during the second episode upon witnessing Izetta's power.
• Outside-Context Problem: Izetta is this to any group of soldiers she's up against, because no one but her and Finé's inner circle really knows the extent or versatility of her magic. Once the Germanian command confirm that her power is real, the Emperor assigns Berkman to finding her weaknesses.
• Person of Mass Destruction: Witches have generally been considered to be this, and for good reason. In episode 3, Izetta destroys several Stuka planes and disables sixteen tanks by herself in a matter of minutes, singlehandledly changing the course of the battle.
  • Sophie ups Izetta on the ante. Completely destroying Eldystadt's defenses with just a flick of a finger and a lot of bombs.
• Power Crystal: The Magic Stone, half of which is wielded by Sophie and the other half later given to Izetta. It allows a witch to drain a region's ley lines entirely, storing the magic in the stone so that the wielder can draw magic from it at any time and place they wish while also robbing other witches of their ability to use magic in the drained region.
• Pseudo-Romantic Friendship: Finé and Izetta's friendship is heavily romantic, to the point that to most viewers there's hardly any doubt that they are in love. But in the absence of actual confirmation like a love declaration or a kiss, it technically remains ambiguous.
• Red and Black Totalitarianism: The Germanian Empire, an Alternate Timeline equivalent for Nazi Germany, features a red flag with a black dagger in the middle. While the majority of their soldiers wear dark gray uniforms, their most elite troops, their version of the SS, wear black uniforms with decorations on them, indicating their status as the Kaiser's personal troops and as Elite Mooks. In addition, there's Sophie, a clone of the original White Witch fighting alongside the regular Germanian Army and Air Force, who wears a black cloak while also having red eyes, red-striped clothing, and a red shield-shaped logo on her cloak's right shoulder.
• Red Herring: In episode 9, the Germanians are revealed to have built artillery vehicles of some sort specifically designed to kill Izetta. They are never shown in action, being used exclusively as a feint to conceal their real anti-Izetta weapon: the White Witch, Sophie.
• Required Secondary Powers: Her magic aside, without superhuman reflexes, there's simply no way for Izetta to be able to defend herself, especially when one considers the velocities of the armaments she has to defend against. One good example would be when she had to defend herself against the shell of the Panzer IV, which is considered "low velocity" despite it exiting the muzzle at 762 meters per second (close to twice the speed of sound). If she was less than fifty meters away from the tank, that meant she had mere milliseconds to react to the shot and then form the sword shield.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Finé personally oversees the retreat of the wounded soldiers to Coenenberg, and gives a speech that stirs the hearts of her soldiers and keeps them from throwing their lives away on a suicidal charge. As of Episode 7, she also serves as Eylstadt's representative to the Allies.
• Ruritania: The Principality of Eylstadt.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: Most of the first episode—after escaping the attack on the train, Finé finally seems to have convinced the ambassador to help defend her country... but then the invasion begins, and she gets captured. Things don't turn around for her until she inadvertently releases Izetta.
  • Izetta and Finé's efforts to get the United States of Atlanta to support them resulted in the Ambassador more or less recommending Izetta's death.
• Shaming the Mob: Finé uses her royal status to save Izetta from an angry mob when they were young children.
• Shout-Out:
  • One of the outfits that Izetta wears while fighting very clearly invokes Nausicaa.
  • The Britanian planes that help Izetta in her Airstrike Impossible are from the 633rd Flying Corps
• Shown Their Work:
  • Slava Makarov — one of the Wargaming.Net executives — is acknowledged in the show's opening credits, and as usual he brings his acute knowledge of WWII-era tanks to the table, such as the Germanians using Panzerkampfwagen III (and of a pretty rare Ausf.E mod, which only a true tank buff would know about) and IV tanks versus the Eylstadtians' out-of-date Renault FTs. His knowledge about aircraft and ships also comes into place throughout the series as well.
    • Eylstadt is shown to be using French equipment, including the Renault FT. This is because the Renault FT is the most widely produced tank in history and was sold globally for decades, even into WWII.
  • During negotiations with Britannia, Finé offers to take part in a political marriage with Prince Henry of Britannia. In real life, there was indeed a Prince Henry in Britain. However, the real Prince Henry was not the ruling monarch, was already married, and would have been 40 years old at the time the series takes place. Of course, political marriages being what they were, the age difference could still be in effect.
  • In the second episode, Basler and his flight use the correct aerial formations that the German Luftwaffe utilized during the war.
  • During the battle in Episode 3, a tank fires its cannon at Izetta. At the last moment, Izetta not only erects a makeshift barrier of swords, but she also angles the shield upwards to help deflect the shell away from her. Sloped armor was a development that was popularized in WWII, which allowed tanks to deflect enemy shells and greatly increase the effectiveness of their armor.^note Deflecting the shells were pretty rare even for the puny early-WWII guns. The main advantage of sloped armor is that it allows for much larger effective armor thicknesses without increasing the tank's weight too much; because most anti-tank shots come from a roughly horizontal direction, the real armor thickness gets multiplied by the inverse of a slope cosine, which, for heavy slopes (as in larger than 30°), may come to twice or thrice as thick.
  • Also in Episode 3 is an excellent aversion of Hollywood Tactics in the form of scene of Germanian infantry using some remarkably accurate fire-and-maneuver tactics.^note Two separate groups of soldiers are seen advancing under the cover of a machine gun forcing the trench-bound Eylstadtian infantry to keep their heads down. This is still the basis of infantry tactics today.
  • Izetta flying using a gun with a long barrel is also this. Originally in myth all that was needed was a hollow cylinder with an opening. The broom we now associate with witches was meant to by a disguise to hide the opening.
  • The gun Izetta flies on is a modified PTRS-41 or Simonov Anti-Tank Rifle, a Russian design. The slight anachronism can be explained by Berkman's remark that the gun is a Germanian prototype.
  • In episode 8, after Adele successfully pulls off a long-distance sniper shot, a very sharp-eyed viewer will see that she is holding her right glove in her left hand. Pulling off a shot that difficult would require her to have absolute control over her grip and trigger, hence the need to have her actual shooting hand's fingers on the gun without a glove in the way.
  • In the final episode, Berkmann survives everything, and is last seen being escorted away by agents of Atlanta with a smirk on his face. In real life, the United States initiated Operation Paperclip to scoop up as many top Nazi scientists as they could before the Soviet Union got them (they got half, and the USSR got the other half). This included giving them blanket amnesties for whatever war crimes they may have committed, the most famous example being Wernher von Braun; for the U.S. his expertise in rocketry was worth overlooking the fact that he had used slave labor to build V-2 rockets.
• Smug Snake: The unnamed Germanian officer who puts a gun to Princess Finé's head remains smug even after she disarms him because he relies on his men to bail him out. He only drops the smug snake status briefly when Izetta unleashes her powers and destroys the plane.
• Stupid Jetpack Hitler: In Episode 6, we're introduced to the their Special Designs Division, which hosts some advanced technology for the time. As it turns out, the Germanian Empire fields weapons and technology that are a bit more advanced than what the actual Nazi regime had, introducing technology that is historically introduced a good 5 or 6 years ahead of when they were developed in the real world. Some good examples include: Tiger I Heavy tanks and Ho IX fighters already being in development and early production as early as 1940, the new plane Captain Basler uses in Episode 7, which is capable of keeping up with Izetta's top speed of 400 kph, as well as the aircraft carrier Drachenfels from the same episode; this is based off of the Graf Zeppelin aircraft carrier that the Nazis were never able to finish building in real life. Not to mention the advanced life suspension tank Izetta was being held in during the first episode... and then the trope hits critical mass in Episode 9 with full-on cloning technology that creates a perfect clone of Sophie, the original White Witch who has been dead for centuries, with her memories and personality intact.
  • It keeps getting bigger and better in Episode 10 with fully functional V1 Flying Bombs in 1940 striking Londenium with pinpoint accuracy^note the real V1s weren't developed until 1944, and they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, though it seems these are magic-guided in this case. and development on a Fantastic Nuke powered by Hexenium, the witch's magical energy.
  • Episode 11 just keeps it coming. Germania doesn't only have nuclear research but a fully functional nuclear device^note it's actually magic-powered, not "nuclear" chemistry to use at whim. And what's the delivery method? A V-2 ballistic missile.
• Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: There are several instances of this throughout the series.
  • Tobias is shot in the stomach, and he does not die immediately, and he is unable to receive proper medical treatment. It takes a while before he finally succumbs to his wound.
  • Princess Finé is shot in the arm at the end of the first episode. During the second episode, she loses a fair amount of blood from her wound which results in her becoming sick and weak as a result. Izetta is forced to use some of her remaining clothing to temporarily patch the wound until she can get proper treatment.
  • After Finé fires Izetta's rifle-broom, the recoil is so powerful, it causes them to nearly spin out of control. Additionally, the barrel becomes too hot to touch, and Izetta has some difficulty landing safely.
  • Episode 3 shows that the Eylstadt military is still stuck in the old ways of fighting the last war: the once tried-and-true strategies of trench warfare and static artillery have become painfully obsolete in the wake of new technologies and tactics being used by the Germanians, namely heavy aerial bombings and blitzkrieg combined arms assaults.
  • Episode 5 shows that despite being shown off in front of numerous reporters and even demonstrating her powers in a few battles, not everyone is going to automatically believe in the existence of a witch, and it would not be enough to convince Germania from invading Eylstadt, especially due to its strategic importance.
  • Episode 7 demonstrates that even with Izetta's great abilities, it doesn't change the fact she can get overwhelmed when there are a fair number of enemies with more advanced technology to combat her.
  • Episode 8 shows that when you have great power it is not only your enemies that feel threatened, your potential allies feel threatened as well showcased by the ambassador of the United States of Atlanta recommending the elimination of both Germania and Elystadt along with more or less recommending Izetta's death.
  • Episode 8 also illustrated how fairy tales don't usually have happy endings or rather the stories fairy tales are based on usually don't.
  • Episode 12 reveals that while Stanley did recommend that the US declare war on Eylstadt as well, thanks to the US being a democratic government, public opinion there is divided on whether or not to consider Eylstadt a threat or to aid them, with many Atlanteans revealed to actually be sympathetic to Eylstadt's plight regardless of the opinion of one ambassador. Ultimately, the only thing Stanley was able to do was send Atlantean troops to Britannia, but only to defend that country against a possible Germanian seaborne invasion.
• Talking in Bed: Between Finé and Izetta during Episode 7.
• Tanks for Nothing: Zigzagged. Izetta keeps finding new and interesting ways of destroying Germanian tanks. Those are, however, shown to be veritable threats against older tanks, infantry, fortifications, and even Izetta if she isn't careful.
• Tank Goodness: Germania's invasion force consists of a few well-detailed Panzer III and Panzer IVs. Eylstadt themselves also have at hands a few Renault FTs, which turn out to be an Aversion as they are horribly outclassed by their Germanian counterparts.
• The Reveal:
  • In Episode 8, it is revealed the legend of the White Witch has a far more tragic ending that most Eylstadt believes.
  • In Episode 9, it is revealed that the Germanians were working on a clone of the original White Witch.
• There Is Only One Bed: Invoked during Episode 7. While they are in Britannia, Finé arranges it that Izetta and her are sharing the same room and the same bed much to Izetta's nervousness.
• Time Skip: There is at least a three month time skip between Episode 8 and 9 which explains that while Eylstadt was able to enjoy a temporary peace, Izetta traveled to different countries and helped resistance fighters.
• Too Dumb to Live: Or rather, Too Dumbstruck to Live. One of the Germanian fighter pilots is chasing after Izetta in the mountain range. After witnessing a display of Izetta's magic killing one of his comrades, he is so surprised by it that he doesn't pay attention to where he's flying. By the time Bassler warns him of his mistake, he fails to pull up in time, and he crashes into the mountain by his own mistake.
• Traintop Battle: In the very first episode, there’s a chase and gunfight atop a moving train.
• Undying Loyalty: Princess Finé's actions tend to elicit this from many people, including Izetta, her bodyguards, and even people who used to live in Eylstadt.
• War Comes Home: The entire series takes place as the Germanian Empire brings their war to Eylstadt, a neighboring, neutral country to the south of the Empire's borders. The protagonists and their close allies end up having to repel The Empire's attempts to take over the capital city of Eylstadt, Landsbruck. Ultimately, thanks to Germania's top-notch scientific research and breakthroughs, Eylstadt eventually falls, with the Eylstadt Army and many of its civilian populace fleeing into the mountains and forming bands of La Résistance, with the last fourth of the series instead focusing on stopping Germania's wonderweapons projects from wrecking the rest of Europe.
• Wham Episode:
  • Episode 6 ends with Sieg executing Jonas to keep Izetta's secret making him the first relatively major casualty of the series indicating that there would be more to come.
  • Episode 7 ends with Izetta successfully completing her mission, but the battle that took place has given the enemy an idea of what her weakness is.
  • Episode 8 ends with Rickert being killed by Bianca and the other spy being eliminated as well. However, another Germanian spy gets his hands on the information they obtained, so Izetta's secrets will be revealed despite Eylstadt's best efforts. Berkman manages to get his experiment to obtain a sample of Izetta's blood which gives her a reaction. The plan to get the United States of Atlanta to fight for Eylstadt's side backfires when the Ambassador suggests that both Germania and Eylstadt are threats and more or less marks Izetta for death.
  • Episode 9 has Izetta defeated in battle by Sophie, the Germanian clone of the original White Witch, and captured by Germania. Without Izetta, Eylstadt's meager military is no match for Germania, and Sophie herself leads a bombing run against the capital city of Landsbruck which falls 2 hours after the Sellun Corridor is overrun.
• Wham Line: At the end of Episode 9.
  Title Card: Two hours later, Landsbruck fell.
• We Hardly Knew Ye: Both of Finé's bodyguards, Tobias and Hermann, are killed in the first episode, before they get any backstory or development.
• You Are Too Late: Lord Redford, the Britannian ambassador, informs Princess Finé that even though her offer could have changed Britannia's mind about fighting Germania, it does little good due to Germania already beginning its invasion.
• You Can't Fight Fate: Often foreshadowed in relation to Izetta and Finé being likely to repeat the real story of the original White Witch and Prince, mainly in flashbacks of Izetta's grandma and by Rickert openly discussing the trope in episode 8. By the end, they do defy the original legend, as both Izetta and Finé are alive and well, although Izetta can no longer use magic.
• You Shall Not Pass!: Hans's men stay behind to screen the departure of Hans as he carries Izetta to safety.

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