Fanfic / Queen of Shadows

Queen of Shadows: A Tale Across Ages is a Jackie Chan Adventures fanfic, and a part of Project Dark Jade.

Originally written by one of the project's co-founders, Nocturne no Kitsune (though it was simply called Queen of Shadows at that point, hence the page name), after he dropped out of sight, Eduard Kassel, the other co-founder, adopted it and added the "A Tale Across Ages" tag to the title.

This fic diverges from canon at the end of the Demon Portal arc, where Shendu's plan to rewrite reality spirals out of control, leading to Jade ending up in the body of a Shadowkhan Queen in Feudal Japan. Now, Jade has to keep her true identity secret from her "loyal forces" and find a way to get her old life back before her identity is discovered, or some other fate befalls her.

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Tropes present in this story:

• Absurdly Youthful Mother: Since Jade created the new generation of Shadowkhan, she is considered by them to be their mother. The new Shadowkhan are all physically older than her.
• Accidental Truth: Jade's excuse for if she gets caught in her escape attempt is that she merely wants to see the world outside the Fortress, which she considers half-assed and sure to get her true identity discovered. To her shock, it works perfectly, as the Queen she's replaced really has been chafing at living in a Gilded Cage.
• Action Girl:
  • Yasashi is a female samurai.
  • Jade is annoyed to find she isn't one, and her generals won't let her be one.
• Adaptation Expansion:
  • Like a number of Dark Jade fics, the story fleshes out the personality of the Oni Generals more.
  • Chapter 6 goes into greater detail on Shendu's empire and how he rose to power.
• All There in the Manual: See Bilingual Bonus.
• Ambiguous Situation: When Shendu finally appears in Chapter 10, it's unclear if he remembers the old reality or not.
• Ambition Is Evil: Jirobo's ambition leads him to try and control the Queen herself.
• An Arm and a Leg:
  • During the First Battle of Awaji, Yasashi cuts off one of Tsume's claws, while Gurando breaks the other off with his mace.
  • Sanshobo chops off the arms of kitsune leader Deshi when ambushing his tribe.
  • Himitsu gets his arm below the elbow shot off by one of Rosuto's arrows. He regrows it thanks to a potion, only for Gurando to rip it off again. Then he reattaches it upon entering his short-lived Super Mode.
  • Kuro takes one of Kyouaku's hands during their duel at the Second Battle of Awaji.
  • During the Battle of Tobe, Ikazuki takes off Yasashi's fighting arm during their duel. And a little later on, the Weaver stabs Jade through the knee to try and stop her escaping.
• Ancestral Weapon: Yasashi wields her family's ancestral naginata, Houko.
• Anger Born of Worry: Hiruzen towards Jade, first when he catches her training, and even more later when her botched escape attempt almost kills her.
• Animalistic Abomination: The Weaver, the entity living under Rokutaro's castle, is a talking spider made of crystal.
• Anti-Hero: The members of the Shogunate in the Shadows turn out to be this, at best.
• Asian Fox Spirit: At least a few clans of kitsune are allied to the Shadowkhan. As part of the celebration of the Kyushu conquest, one of them donates a member (Koeri) to serve as Jade's slave handmaiden.
• Astral Projection: Jade learns how to do this under Sanshobo's guidance.
• As You Know: The ritual for creating new Shadowkhan starts with Sanshobo ceremoniously reciting the origins of the race. Ikazuki comments to himself that every Shadowkhan already knows this, as its one of the first things they learn.
• Badass Bureaucrat: Technically all the Generals, due to being as much administrators as warriors, but Ozeki seems to be the only one who enjoys it.
• Bad Boss: Shendu, to absolutely no one's surprise, incinerating a slave after she performed for him, with the implication that he does it regularly. And he "rewards" his loyal minion the Grand Eunuch by surrounding him with beautiful women he can't physically enjoy.
• Badass Pacifist: Nonki is called "The Peaceful Musician", but in his first scene, he uses his music to hypnotize a Jerkass noble and his entourage and then rob them blind. And later, he's able to go toe-to-toe with Hiruzen.
• Barbie Doll Anatomy: Jade briefly wonders if this is the case with male Shadowkhan.
• Battle Amongst the Flames: The First Battle of Awaji starts with the Gani burning down the town outside the castle as a terror tactic.
• Battle in the Rain: The Second Battle of Awaji turns into one of these as the land-based portion concludes, as the human forces conjure a massive storm as their navy heads towards a clash with the Shadowkhan's.
• Be Careful What You Wish For:
  • Shendu wanted to reshape reality, but didn't end up with control over the outcome. It still apparently helped him, though, but Jade's rise to power might still bite him in the ass eventually.
  • Not "wish", exactly, but in Chapter 8, after observing that there were no Shadowkhan based on anything as terrifying as a swarm, Jade's/the Queen's body almost immediately begins to create such a Tribe. She lampshades this in chapter 12 after creating with Hishu "The Swarm of Shadows", comparing it to a sci-fi nerd dreaming about the Terminator only for one to kick down the door and shoot him.
  • Jade wanted to leave the Fortress, meet the "heroes" and possibly make her way to Tobe. As of chapter 16, she's really regreting that.
• Becoming the Mask: Unknown to herself, Jade has started doing a better job of being the Queen than the actual Queen. The Yojimbo is quite pleased to note what he mistakes for Character Development in her after hearing her reasoning for her behavior at the first meeting she attends.
• Berserk Button:
  • Insulting or threatening the Queen is a universal one for the Shadowkhan.
  • Ikazuki is a true follower of the Bushido code. Heaven help you if he finds out you betrayed said code.
• Big Badass Battle Sequence:
  • The First Battle of Awaji, as a Gani army led by Tsume clashes with the forces of Tobe, led by Yasashi, Murakami, Gurando, and Himitsu.
  • The Second Battle of Awaji is mostly an offscreen event, as the Shadowkhan sweep over the island. However, as they take the final human-held fortress, a large naval battle occurs immediately after.
  • The Battle of Tobe, where all the combined forces of the Shadowkhan invade said city in order to confront the Shogunate in the Shadows and rescue Jade.
• Big Good: The Ben Shui Chosen One still exists in this universe, and is somehow keeping Shendu's Asian empire from expanding westward out of China.
• Big "NO!": Rokutaro's reaction to Jade destroying the Weaver.
• Bilingual Bonus: The author often uses Japanese terms in the dialogue, which he gives translations for at the bottom of the chapter pages.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Bachi, the tanuki that is caught trespassing on Shadowkhan territory, presents himself as a feeble and harmless old man, chased out of more hospitable lands by stronger members of his race. Turns out, he's actually a vicious human eater, who was spying on the Shadowkhan for Himitsu.
• Bizarre Alien Biology: Apparently Shadowkhan don't need to use the bathroom.
• Brought Down to Badass: Jade may have lost a belt level or two of Waif-Fu due to the Queen's body being physically weaker (and not being able to do much to strengthen herself again), but she is still a Genre Savvy Guile Hero, and has (so far) managed to remain undetected as an impostor, is planning how to get out of the situation and is currently learning how to control her new shadow powers.
• Brutal Honesty: Gurando doesn't beat around the bush when he tells his men that most of them probably won't live through the battle.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Nonki comes across as a medieval Japanese hippie, but is actually quite cunning and deep.
• Casting a Shadow: The Shadowkhan. Jade is learning as well.
• Church Militant: The Kamikiri tribe (the Mantis Khan) seem to be all priests, while also undertaking warrior duties.
• Co-Dragons: The Circle of Generals serve as this to the Queen. Though the Yojimbo appears to be first among equals.
• Les Collaborateurs:
  • The Shadowkhan apparently have quite a few of these among the human population of their empire, helping them to keep things running.
  • Shendu has a whole court of obedient human servants.
• Cool Mask: Sanshobo wears a basket mask over his head.
  • Apparently, the Gani tribe wear some kind of mask or helm. Except Tsume.
• Comically Small Bribe: Shendu's "gift" to Jade at the victory banquet? Three gold coins. The Grand Eunuch tries to play it off as a great gesture, since dragons usually guard their treasure so jealously, but Jade and Hiruzen clearly see the insult and disrespect in so little being offered.
• Continuity Nod:
  • Jade references the episode in canon where she became the Queen before she awakens in the new reality, and The Histories of Eternal Shadow reminds her of the Demon Archive from the same episode.
  • When reminding herself that she doesn't need her fighting skills to get stuff done, Jade remembers the events of the canon pilot, where she used only wits to Out Gambit Tohru and keep the Dark Hand from getting the Rooster Talisman.
  • Jade compares the feeling of almost being killed by first Bachi, then Yasashi only for the Shadowkhan to rescue her, to her first time as the Queen when the Shadowkhan showed up to defend her from Hak Foo.
• The Corruption: The more that Yasashi uses the mask made from Tsume, the more unstable and aggressive she becomes. This finally reaches its breaking point during the Battle of Tobe, where her rage at Ikazuki destroying Houka causes her to have a Freak Out and transform into a human/Gani hybrid.
• Crystalline Creature: The Weaver is a magical construct made of crystals that have been put together in the shape of a spider.
• Dangerous Forbidden Technique:
  • As Ikazuki notes, Toguro's fighting style — using his own chi to increase his body's strength and speed — drains the user's life-force in the process.
  • According to Sanshobo, while linking shadows allows a person to destroy thing/person from a distance, there is a possibility that the spell will be reversed.
• Darker and Edgier: Like a number of Project Dark Jade works, it is darker than the original cartoon.
• Darkest Hour: For the heroes in chapter 12, lampshaded by Jade.
• Deal with the Devil: Rokutaro is implied to have made one with whatever it is that's living in the catacombs under his castle. As revealed during the Battle of Tobe, he sacrificed his family members to the Weaver in exchange for an Immortality Inducer.
• Death by Childbirth: Downplayed, apparently birthing an heir will drastically reduce the Queen's lifespan.
• Death of a Child: During the First Battle of Awaji, as Tsume mentions a woman killing her children to stop him from eating them.
• Death Seeker: Nonki is a downplayed example. He wants to embrace the peace of death, but only once he's ensured his final rest will be in Nirvana.
• Decadent Court: The Generals are constantly jockeying for favor with the Queen, and for the coveted Yojimbo position. And as it stands right now, Hiruzen's hold on the title is starting to look weak, with both Ikazuki and Jirobo clamoring to replace him, Kuro reconsidering which of their stars to hitch his wagon to, and Kamisori trying to convince Ozeki to throw his hat in the ring.
• Demon Lords and Archdevils: Shendu of course is still one, but his fight with Jade over the Book of Ages has turned her into one as well, and one who may be more powerful than him. The "Stronger Evil" that he attempted to turn his siblings into, possibly.
• Demon Slaying: Yasashi comes from a clan that's been doing this for generations.
• Didn't See That Coming:
  • The creation of the Leech Khan general, Hishu, takes everyone by surprise, since no Queen had displayed the ability in centuries.
  • Similarly, the sealing of the Gani.
  • And the kitsune betrayal.
• Didn't Think This Through: The human forces conjure a massive storm as they head into a naval battle against the Shadowkhan fleet... which is mostly composed of Squid Khan, who unlike the humans are not impaired if they happen to get swept overboard or sunk by the storm.
• Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: So far, Jade has managed to fool all the Shadowkhan into thinking that she's the Queen, even the Queen's personal bodyguard.
• Disappeared Dad: The Queen's father is a no-show. Though Chapter 16's flashback shows that he was a Chinese warrior monk.
• Divine Parentage: The Shadowkhan Queens are said to be descended from a Japanese goddess in the Histories (confirmed to be Izanami in chapter 6), and the male Shadowkhan certainly tend to regard the Queens as divine.
• The Dog Bites Back: In Chapter 19, Jade escapes from her captivity in Tobe and takes revenge on her chief tormentor, the Weaver, by beating it to death with a rock.
• Do Not Go Gentle: During the Battle of Awaji, Gurando tells his soldiers that yes, most of them will probably die, but they will go down fighting and serve as an inspiration for the rest of humanity.
• Doom Troops: The Gani are mostly used to frighten human slaves out of trying to escape, and as shock troops to send a specific message of fear at the enemy.
• Dragon with an Agenda: Chapter 11 reveals that the Generals have power struggles for the Queen's favor, some seeking to take the Yojimbo position from Hiruzen.
• Dramatic Irony:
  • In Chapter 11, Jirobo is angrily musing over how "the Queen" is slipping out of his influence, and comments that it's like she's been replaced with someone else... and quickly writes that off as paranoid madness.
  • In Chapter 12, Rokutaro orders Kyouaku to launch raids on the Shadowkhan that will draw them into a trap on Awaji Island... unaware that the Shadowkhan are already planning to attack Awaji.
  • In chapter 13, Koeri makes a comment about how the Queen hasn't seen any combat, with Jade noting that she's seen so much combat at her age that a shrink would either be ecstatic or horrified at the thought of analyzing her.
• The Dreaded: The Gani are the most feared of all the Shadowkhan, for obvious reasons.
• Dramatic Drop: Ikazuki drops his teacup in shock when Ozeki casts the deciding vote to make him the acting Yojimbo.
• Due to the Dead:
  • Subverted. Kyouaku tosses anyone who dies in his naval battles overboard, whether they were his enemies or his crew.
  • After killing Toguro, Ikazuki sees to it that his body is spared desecration and returned to the human forces for proper burial.
• Dying Moment of Awesome: During the Second Battle of Awaji, as the Shadowkhan are overrunning the last human-held fortress on the island, General Murakami sacrifices himself to detonate a cache of blackpowder, destroying the fortress and all the Shadowkhan forces invading it, while also providing mystical energy for the sorcerers among Tobe's forces to use in their spells.
• The Empire:
  • The Shadowkhan, who have already conquered Shikoku and a large portion of Kyushu, with plans to conquer all of Japan.
  • There's also Shendu's empire, which controls roughly half of China (and a chunk of Southeast Asia).
• Establishing Character Moment:
  • Each member of Rokutaro's Inner Circle got a scene of them making their way to Tobe, introducing them and giving us a good idea what they're each about.
  • Each of the Generals gets to showcase their personalities in their first appearances.
  • Shendu's first physical appearance in the fic has him making a slave girl dancing beyond exhaustion for him, and then burning her alive (slowly) because she's peaked as a dancer.
  • The Weaver introduces themselves by scaring the hell out of Jade and then casually mentioning how much they would like to kill their captive.
• Eunuchs Are Evil: Shendu has one that serves as a chief minion.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Even the other Oni are disgusted by Tsume and his tribe.
  • Also, it is stated that the Queen who Jade is occupying hates senseless death.
  • Ikazuki is still a samurai before all else, and finds the thought of violating the tenets of bushido an unforgivable sin.
• Everyone Has Standards:
  • Jade is bothered by having to send a Shadowkhan to its doom on purpose, but this only fuels her resolve. It helps that she sends Tsume, who, as mentioned above, disgusts even the other Oni.
  • Nonki admits to having lost most of his empathy over the years, but even he's disturbed by how the captive Jade is treated by Rokutaro and Yasashi.
• Evil Overlord:
  • Jade finds herself forced into the role of one in this new reality.
  • Shendu rules over half of China with an iron fist.
• Evil Power Vacuum: Hiruzen being sealed leaves the other Generals, and the Shadowkhan as a whole, in total disarray.
• Evil Tower of Ominousness:
  • The Shadowkhan fortress has at least one, which contains the Queen's living quarters.
  • Jirobo has his own tower as well. Though being General of the Bat Khan, that's to be expected.
• Evil Versus Evil: Jade starts to wonder if the conflict between the Shadowkhan and Rokutaro's group is actually this after being captured by the latter.
• Eye Scream: During the First Battle of Awaji, Himitsu is shown causing the eyes of two Gani to burn out of their skulls. Tsume himself gets one eye gouged out by Houka, and the other gets hit with an arrow.
• Facial Horror: During the Battle of Tobe, Ozeki forcibly removes Yasashi's Oni mask, tearing off her face in the process.
• Fainting: When Jade is being tutored by Sanshobo in preparation for the upcoming sacred ritual which serves to create new Shadowkhan, she gets a misconception that she is to be impregnated and swoons out of shock.
• Fantastic Racism: There is no love lost between humans and Shadowkhan.
• Fish out of Temporal Water: The new reality Jade has been sent into seems to be in ancient Japan.
• Forced Transformation: The shift caused by Shendu's botched alteration of reality turned Jade into a Shadowkhan queen (she bemoans the fact that she's become physically weaker due to this).
• For the Evulz: Presumably the reason Shendu burns his slave dancer.
• For Want Of A Nail: The story follows JCA canon up until the fight between Shendu and Jade over the Book of Ages causes Shendu to damage it, causing Jade to be thrust into a new body in a new time.
• Frontline General:
  • Jade appoints Ikazuki as the Warlord of the resumed Kyushu campaign, in the hopes that such a (in her view) Card-Carrying Villain will naturally be defeated by a champion of good, thus undermining the Shadowkhan's efforts.
  • Jade orders Tsume to spearhead the attack on Awaji Island personally.
  • The Generals choose Ikazuki to lead an assault on Tobe to rescue the Queen/Jade.
• The Fundamentalist: Sanshobo, the General of the Kamikiri tribe, is also High Priest of the Shadowkhan, and utterly devoted to the Queen (to rather hilarious levels, actually).
• Geas: Koeri is bound to obey Jade and the Shadowkhan. She's had the means to break it the whole time.
• Genre Savvy:
  • Jade notes that Shendu seems to be making sure that no one knows about the Talismans, as she found no mention of them in the Shadowkhan libraries.
  • Rokutaro knows that he'd lose a straight up, drawn out war with the Shadowkhan, so is seeking to gather up his power, strike them with the unexpected, and force them to take risks that he can then take advantage of.
  • Ikazuki seems to be the only General who recognizes the threat presented by the forces gathering at Tobe. After Yasashi nearly kills Jade, the other Generals are forced to admit he was right.
  • Sanshobo is aware of the possibility that Jade will try to get out of the Fortress again, even after the dismal failure of her first try, and is thus training her to fight with magic just in case.
  • After the failure of her first attempt to defect from the Shadowkhan to the local heroes, Jade realizes that they won't just accept her word on her true identity, so for the time being, she's stuck.
  • Jade knows that a Darkest Hour moment brings the heroes together and motivates them like nothing else.
• Gilded Cage: Both the current Queen who Jade has replaced, and her mother before her, have grown up cloistered inside their Fortress, for their own protection. And since the last Queen disappeared (presumed dead) when she did leave, Hiruzen has locked the current one in even further.
• God-Emperor: How the Queens are viewed by the Shadowkhan (especially the Kamikiri tribe).
• Gold and White Are Divine: For the ceremony to create new Shadowkhan, Jade is dressed up in white clothes and white body paint, all designed to make the Queen look divine, in opposition to the decay of the Underworld that Kagehime escaped from.
• Gone Horribly Right: Shendu tried to alter reality, but an accidental slash across the Book of Ages caused different changes than he wanted. It still worked out for him, but his siblings, probably not so much.
• Great Big Book of Everything:
  • The Histories of Eternal Shadow, a massive tome containing the sum knowledge of everything that's ever happened to the Shadowkhan, including biographies on all their Queens and Yojimbos.
  • From canon, the Book of Ages, which magically records history, and can alter reality if the text is changed.
• Great Offscreen War: The Shadowkhan's previous conquests of Shikoku and half of Kyushu. And now Ikazuki's current campaign to conquer the rest of Kyushu (though we do see part of its final battle). Jade actually comments at one point how it feels less to have started a war when she only hears about it, but never sees it.
• Greater-Scope Villain: Shendu. His actions kicked off the plot, and in the new reality he's the Evil Overlord of half of Asia. However, he didn't show up outside of the opening scene until Chapter 10, and it's not even clear yet if the Shendu in the new reality is the same one who damaged the Book of Ages.
• Grievous Harm with a Body: During the First Battle of Awaji, Tsume at one point cuts a soldier in half and throws the corpse at Yasashi. She bats it aside and keeps fighting.
• Groin Attack: Yasashi attempts this on Tsume during the First Battle of Awaji, but due to his carapace, all she does is piss him off.
• Guile Hero: Jade. Word of God is that she's going to have to rely on her wits now that she's stuck in the weak Queen's body.
• Half the Man He Used to Be: Near the end of the Battle of Tobe, Kamisori stabs Rokutaro In the Back with his claws and pulls him apart horizontally.
• Happiness in Slavery: Koeri willingly chose to become Jade's servant but actually is the Mole.
• Head-in-the-Sand Management: How Lord Rokutaro and his followers feel about the Imperial Court of Japan, which is doing its best to ignore the Shadowkhan's conquest of the southern islands.
• Hero Antagonist: Rokutaro seems to be forming a secret alliance of elite warriors against the Shadowkhan, which will likely conflict with Jade's plans in the future.
• Heroic BSoD:
  • Jade sinks into one when Hiruzen forbids her from studying the martial arts, but snaps herself out of it, reminding herself that she still has her considerable wits.
  • After she is nearly killed twice during her escape attempt, she downright goes into shock.
• Hidden Depths:
  • Nonki has an airy, almost hippie-like personality... which hides the fact that he's come to believe that permanent peace is impossible to achieve in life, and can only be found in death.
  • Tsume seems to be little more than a brutal, cannibalistic savage, but in Chapter 12 reveals a deeply philosophic view on his tribe's existence, which serves as actually helpful advice for Hishu.
• Hollywood Tone-Deaf: Koeri can play music, but is a horrible singer, and is not aware that she is.
• Hope Spot: Hishu manages to sneak into Tobe, incapacitate everyone guarding Jade's cage (including damaging the Weaver), and starts tearing the cage open. Then Nonki pops in and seals him with a mask.
• How Do I Shot Web?: Hishu and the Shadow Swarm have problem with discovering their tribe special skill.
• Humanoid Abomination: Several of the Generals give off this vibe.
• I Am What I Am: Tsume is aware that the rest of the Shadowkhan despise his tribe, but doesn't care, as the Gani are merely embracing what they were created to do, and what everyone else thinks doesn't matter. He uses this as advice for Hishu, to help get over the shaming of his own tribe.
• I'm a Humanitarian:
  • Tsume and his tribe seem to enjoy eating human slaves (a bit too much, in the eyes of the other Shadowkhan). And he's not above eating other Shadowkhan either (but only with the Queen's permission).
  • Bachi is divergent from most tanuki, as he likes to eat humans. He also tries to eat Jade at one point, but Himitsu stops him.
• I'm Having Soul Pains: When Tsume and the Gani are sealed, Jade senses them being torn away and is left in agonizing pain, and physically ill even after the pain fades. And it's just as bad when any other General is also sealed.
• Immortality Inducer: Rokutaro has a crystal shard impaled into his chest which gives him a powerful Healing Factor. With it, he survives being cut in half, but dies as soon as it's removed.
• Immortality Seeker: Himitsu wants to achieve immortality so that he can live long enough to gain all the magical knowledge in the world.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Rosuto's skill with his bow and arrow.
• In Vino Veritas: Jade refuses to drink sake, despite being of legal age (by Shadowkhan standards), because she's afraid she'll invoke this trope and end up revealing herself.
• It's All About Me:
  • Jirobo seems convinced that the only way for the Shadowkhan to truly achieve greatness is if they start doing things his way, which includes making him Yojimbo.
  • Himitsu cares only about achieving immortality and learning all magical knowledge. Even the alliance with Rokutaro is a means to an end.
• Keystone Army: Subverted. Toguro attempts to Hold the Line against Ikazuki and his forces, but while he keeps the general busy, his forces continue the attack without him.
• Kick the Dog: Shendu forces a slave girl to dance for him until she's almost dropping from exhaustion. And then incinerates her, on the logic that since she's clearly given the best performance she could, she'll never do better, so there's no point in keeping her around. And given how quickly servants clear the body away, it's implied this is a regular occurrence.
• Kill It with Fire: Shendu does this to a slave girl after she's danced enough for him.
• Last of His Kind: Yasashi is the last of a long line of demon slayers after the Shadowkhan killed and enslaved her clan.
• Leave Him to Me!: Tsume says this of Yasashi during the First Battle of Awaji.
• Legacy Character:
  • Hiruzen, the current Yojimbo, is the second one to bear the name.
  • It seems every General of the Sumo tribe is called Ozeki.
  • The Queen that Jade has replaced is the 98th, with the 96th being the one that started the war.
• Legacy Immortality: It appears that the Shadowkhan have kept the fact that the Queens are merely long-lived a secret, and as far as the humans know, the current Queen is the original.
• Lesser of Two Evils:
  • Jade knows she is expected to start the war with the humans back up again, and can't avoid it without raising suspicion. So, she devises a war plan that should minimize human civilian casualties while giving the heroes she believes are based in Tobe a chance to defeat the Shadowkhan. She also has Shendu to worry about, as he's got Asia under his belt and is a decent concern, even if he does not remember Jade at all.
  • She faces a similar dilemma later, as the Shadowkhan launch an attack on Awaji Island in retaliation for the Tobe heroes nearly killing Jade. By ordering a massive assault, Jade knows that it'll cost many lives, but is hoping that the heroes will be able to do damage to the Shadowkhan, saving more lives in the long run.
• Literal Metaphor: When the narration says that Ikazuki rushes through a door when he's in a hurry, it means he doesn't even bothering opening it first. He just smashes right through without slowing down.
• Lost Common Knowledge: Apparently the Shadowkhan lost various secrets of their Race, because the Queens didn't have time to teach them to their daughters before dying.
• Lotus-Eater Machine: Nonki is able to place Hiruzen in an illusion that he's killed all the Shadow Shogunate officers, when really he's just wounded them, thus saving their lives while he keeps Hiruzen distracted long enough to be sealed.
• MacGuffin: The 97th Queen, the current one's mother, went missing while searching for one: The Shadow Casting Blade, said to have been gifted to the Shadowkhan long ago by the sun goddess Amaterasu, before being lost.
• Made a Slave:
  • The Shadowkhan keep human slaves, something Jade tries to ignore.
    • Some members of Yasashi's clan were enslaved instead of being killed.
  • In chapter 11, a female kitsune is given as a gift to Jade. Jade's not happy about it.
• The Magnificent/Red Baron:
  • All the past Yojimbos listed in the Histories of Eternal Shadow are given titles of some kind after their deaths.
  • Kamisori is called "The Swift", and is implied to be a Lightning Bruiser.
  • Kyouaku is known as "The Pirate King" and "The Butcher (or alternately, The Devil) of the Japanese Seas". And he prefers the latter.
  • Tsume is known as "The Famine".
• Mask of Power: The heroes under Rokutaro's command create the Shadowkhan masks and put them to use.
• Missing Mom: It is mentioned that the 98th Queen (the one whose life Jade is trapped in) lost her mother at a young age. And it should be noted that she died well before what is implied to be normal for a Queen, possibly implying foul play (for his part, Hiruzen suspects Shendu's involvement, but can't prove it, though fans of the show should note that Tarakudo was part of her guard on the trip, which implies he may have had a hand in it).
• The Mole: Turns out that Koeri was only gifted as a slave to Jade in order to gain her trust and then abduct her, so that her tribe could sell Jade to Himitsu.
• Mook Lieutenant: Jonin Toda to Hiruzen. The job used to be Tarakudo's, but he disappeared with the last Queen and is presumed dead.
• Mook Maker: It seems that each Queen regularly undergoes a ritual to create new Shadowkhan from the Generals' chi.
• Multi-Armed and Dangerous: In battle, Kuro arms himself with at least four axes, and still has tentacles to spare as blunt objects.
• My Greatest Failure: Hiruzen feels this way about letting the previous Queen go on what turned out to be a suicide mission.
• Never Found the Body: Happens with Kyouaku during the Second Battle of Awaji, as his ship is capsized by the storm before Kuro can finish him off. Because of this, Kuro tells Ikazuki that they can't assume he died without proof.
• Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
  • Jade's battle with Shendu ended up damaging the Book and creating the new reality.
  • Jade's efforts to give the heroes time to defeat the Shadowkhan causes the Shadowkhan army to be even more successful, conquering Kyushu much faster than previously anticipated.
• Nightmare Fetishist: Koeri gets Jade to write poetry, but is disturbed by all the blood and death she manages to get in while still following the form.
• Non-Action Big Bad: Seems to be the case with the Queens, who are forbidden from fighting, leaving it to the males. Though Hiruzen notes that it wasn't always the case.
• Noble Demon: Ikazuki, demon or not, is still a samurai, and holds the bushido code close to his heart, much to the occasional annoyance of his fellow Generals.
• Nobody Poops: Jade realizes at one point that she hasn't needed to go since finding herself in the Queen's body. It's justified because she's currently in the body of a non-human entity with powerful magical potential.
• Noodle Incident:
  • There are several references to something having happened in the Shadowkhan's past involving a previous Yojimbo, Daigoro the Bold being betrayed, ending his short reign. The exact circumstances, however, are unknown.
  • Apparently part of the reason Shendu and the Shadowkhan never really got along is because his sister Po Kong once ate a previous Queen.
  • At some point in time, the Shadowkhan were exiled by the Mountain Demon and lost most of their secret knowledge.
• Not in This for Your Revolution: Most members of the Shogunate in the Shadows aren't in it solely for the virtue of liberating Japan from the Shadowkhan: Rosuto, Gurando, and Kyouaku are only in it for material and social gains, Yasashi wants revenge on the Shadowkhan for destroying and enslaving her family, and Himitsu and Nonki want access to the Shadowkhan's libraries as a means of finding the keys to their own goals (immortality and Nirvana after death, respectfully).
• No-Sell:
  • The fact that Yasashi's armor is made from Shadowkhan bones makes it capable of deflecting Samurai Khan shadow blades.
  • Bachi tries to knock Jade out with a rock to the head, but only disorients her.
• Odd Friendship: Yasashi, Nonki, and Himitsu are all radically different people, but get along with each other remarkably well. Especially given other tensions among the Shadow Shogunate members.
• Offhand Backhand: Kyouaku does this with a sword to kill the Ika tribe (Squid Khan) captain of a ship he just captured.
• Offing the Offspring: One women kills her own children to spare them from the Gani's attack.
• Off with His Head!: How Kamisori kills Rosuto during the Battle of Tobe.
• One-Man Army: Each of the Generals, and the officers of the Shogunate in the Shadows, qualify as this. Ozeki is the best example, as he singlehandedly breaks through every defense that Tobe has, clearing a path for the rest of the Shadowkhan army to get into the city.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: The Generals are so shocked by Jade/the Queen "birthing" Hishu that among other things, Sanshobo drops his Large Ham tendencies and starts acting like a normal person. The others find it disconcerting.
• Origins Episode: Chapter 8 is somewhat this, as one long scene has Yasashi, Nonki, and Himitsu trade backstories and reasons for joining Rokutaro.
• Out-of-Character Alert: Jade is trying to avoid what she feels qualify as these, in order to keep the Oni from realizing that she's not the real Queen. That said, the Generals do note that "the Queen" is acting unusual, but for the most part write it off as her undergoing Character Development as a natural result of fully taking up the reins of power.
• Parental Substitute: It's hinted at that Hiruzen has been this to the Queen prior to Jade replacing her.
• Pet the Dog: Tsume, off all Oni, reassures Hishu for his shame in chapter 12.
• The Power of Hate: According to Tsume, the Gani tribe was created from the rage of a Queen who was betrayed and mutilated by a supposed ally.
• Power Tattoo: Koeri is heavily tattooed after being given to the Shadowkhan, rendering her unable to disobey one and changing her color.
• Praetorian Guard: Whichever General holds the position of Yojimbo, it appears their tribe acts as this to the Queen. Currently, it's the Shinobi. After the Shinobi are sealed, the other tribes share the responsibility until a new Yojimbo is appointed.
• Previously on…: Every chapter opens with a summary of the one before it.
• Properly Paranoid: Jade starts to get a little annoyed at the paranoia concerning her safety at the banquet, but then she learns of Shendu's lackey joining at the last minute, so she signs off on everything, knowing Shendu from her own timeline, and wanting to make sure that he doesn't learn of her.
• Protectorate:
  • India and Central Asia seem to be under the protection of the Chosen One, who is keeping Shendu's empire from expanding westward.
  • North-eastern China is protected by Lo Pei and his allies.
• Puppet King: While the Queen is the absolute ruler of the Shadowkhan, most administrative power is in the hands of the Circle of Generals. Jirobo seems to have been trying to take this even further, wrapping the Queen around his claws so that she'd only do what he says (something Kuro sees as taking things too far).
• Ramming Always Works: During the Second Battle of Awaji, Kuro and Sanshobo ram their ship into the one carrying Kyouaku and Nonki, to catch them off guard while making it easier to board them.
• Reality Warping Is Not a Toy: Shendu tried to use the Rewriting Reality powers of the Book of Ages, like in canon, to recreate the world so that he and his siblings ruled, but accidentally damaged the Book and lost control. It's later confirmed he's still in control of part of China, with other Asian states as tributaries, but his siblings are no-shows in his empire.
• Reasonable Authority Figure: After Yasashi, Himitsu, and Nonki return to Tobe from their failed, unauthorized incursion into Shadowkhan territory, Lord Rokutaro merely admonishes them, looks on the bright side of the information they've recovered, and sends them on their way.
• Redemption Equals Death: Downplayed. Sanshobo plans to rescue the Queen/Jade, kill her captors, raze Tobe and then kill himself to atone for her kidnapping.
• La Résistance: The Shogunate in the Shadows, the elite group put together by Lord Rokutaro to combat the Shadowkhan.
• Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: During the Shadowkhan conquest of Kyushu, several samurai betray their lord in order to gain favor with their conquerors. Ikazuki is so offended by this, that he has them all gelded, their tongues ripped out, and explanations of their treachery carved into their skin, before sending them off to serve as field laborers until they die.
• Rewriting Reality: Refer to Reality Warping Is Not a Toy.
• Ripple-Effect-Proof Memory: Jade remembers the original reality, but it is currently unknown if Shendu does. Jade worries that if he does, then things are very bad.
• Rousing Speech: Rokutaro gives one to his forces just before the Shadowkhan launch a full scale assault on Tobe.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: After Koeri's betrayal, the kitsune tribe decide to flee Japan in order to escape the vengeful Shadowkhan. They don't do so fast enough.
• Sealed Evil in a Can:
  • The Battle of Awaji ends with Yasashi sealing Tsume and the entire Gani tribe in a mask.
  • Likewise, Hiruzen is sealed by the Shadow Shogunate after his infiltration mission goes bad.
  • Hishu's attempt to save Jade ends in his own sealing.
• Secret Test of Character: Ikazuki wasn't named Yojimbo because during a test of his combat prowess, he fought a particularly dangerous opponent instead of fleeing with the Queen. As the testers explained, another enemy might kill the Queen while he's fighting.
• Self-Fulfilling Prophecy: It turns out, the 96th Queen started the war because she feared humans one day subjugating the Shadowkhan. Now, the war has led to the creation of the masks, which are being used to seal the Shadowkhan away.
• Serious Business: As Jade explains to Koeri, members of the Sumo tribe treat positions in the Ministry of Finance as the best posts their tribe can have, and literally arm wrestle for the jobs (among other hazing-style feats).

• Sharing a Body: Averted so far; it's unknown where the mind of the Queen went when Jade got stuck in her body. That being said, Jade seems to have some of the Queen's instincts and sentiments.
• Shout-Out:
  Jade: (seeing the Shadowkhan fortress) "Whoa... 'Lord of the Rings' much?"
  • Since Nocturne and Kassel came up with the project together, the origin story of Kagehime and the Shadowkhan in general is largely the same as in Queen of All Oni (though Word of God states that Nocturne came up with it to use in Queen Of Shadows first).
• Skeletons in the Coat Closet: Yasashi has Shadowkhan bones worked into her armor.

• The Spymaster:
  • As General of the Ninja Khan, Hiruzen is technically this.
  • Shendu has one of his own, referred to as the "Master of Veiled Truths", named Ban Buwei.
• The Starscream: As of chapter 11, some of the other Shadowkhan see Hiruzen's role as The Dragon as up for grabs.
• Stay in the Kitchen: When he finds Jade trying to practice staff-combat, Hiruzen breaks it and declares she has no need to learn how to fight since she already has warriors to protect her. She eventually decides to focus on magic instead.
• Stealth Pun: The Mantis Khan are the priests of the Shadowkhan. Yes, they're praying mantises.
• Storming the Castle: At the end of Chapter 18, the Shadowkhan launch everything they have at Tobe.
• A Storm Is Coming: Sanshobo warns Kuro of this as the Second Battle of Awaji's naval component is about to begin. Kuro starts to wind up for a speech about how ready they are for the fight... only for Sanshobo to state that he was being literal, pointing out that the humans have conjured an actual storm.
• Suddenly Speaking: From Jade's perspective, the Shadowkhan, since the Mooks never talked in canon.
• Summon Magic: As in canon, the masks that the Generals are sealed in allow people to summon their tribe.
• Super Mode: Himitsu gets one thanks to the essence he steals from Jade. However, it doesn't last long and ends up turning him to stone.
• Sympathetic Magic: Part of the shadow magic Jade is learning involves connecting her shadow to that of other people/objects, so that she can damage them remotely.
• Taken for Granite: When a desperate Himitsu absorbs the godly essence he took from Jade's blood, he gets a brief Super Mode, before it causes him to turn to stone.
• The Punishment Is the Crime: How Hiruzen chooses to punish Hishu for his role in Jade's escape attempt and subsequent near death. Seeing how riddled with guilt he is, Hiruzen decides that that alone is fitting torment.
• There Was a Door:
  • Ikazuki has a tendency to do this when worked up, bursting through doors without opening them.
  • Himitsu quotes the trope after Gurando breaks down one of the walls of his hut.
• The Talk: It's revealed that Jackie had Uncle to give this to Jade, and she apparently didn't find it pleasant.
• This Cannot Be!: Ikazuki's reaction to sensing Hiruzen being sealed.
• This Is Gonna Suck: Hiruzen's reaction when he and the other Generals descend into an argument as to what merits decent collaborators.
• Title Drop: The title "Queen of Shadows" is used to refer to the Queen at several points.
• Time Travel: Eduard has confirmed that Jade is indeed in the past.
• Tomboy: Jade is normally one, even using the word several times, but is unable to do anything really tomboy-ish to keep her cover as the Queen.
• Tomboy Princess: Subverted in a sense. While Jade is very much a tomboy, as the ruler of the Shadowkhan she is expected to act a certain way. She is expected to fill her free time practicing musical instruments, drinking tea, or reading. She isn't even allowed to train, since she has warriors to fight for her.
• Tongue Trauma:
  • As one of their many punishments for their dishonor, Ikazuki has the tongues of the human samurai who sold out to him all removed.
  • Shendu apparently had the tongue of the slave girl who scrubs his scales in the bath removed so she wouldn't make noise while doing her job.
• Tribe of Priests: The Mantis Khan serve this role for the Shadowkhan.
• Troll: Koeri likes to threaten to commit suicide to get Jade to participate in activities with her.
• Uncanny Valley: In-Universe, there's a couple of examples:
  • Jade considers the Grand Eunuch this, given his bright clothes, even more brightly-dyed mane of hair, painted face, claw-like fingernails, and high-pitched voice.
  • Yasashi says that part of what makes Tsume so disturbing is the fact that his body looks so relatively humanoid compared to his face.
• Undying Loyalty:
  • The Generals have this towards the Queen, but Jade worries what they might do if they find out that she isn't the Queen.
  • The Kamikiri tribe and Sanshobo, their General, take this to an almost ridiculous extreme.
• Villains Out Shopping:
  • In his second scene in the new reality, Shendu is shown relaxing in a bath, reflecting on enjoying the simple joys in life.
  • Various Generals get scenes where they do paperwork, train or enjoy sake/tea/opium.
• Villainous Rescue: Hiruzen, Kamisori, and Sanshobo show up just in time to save Jade from being executed by Yasashi.
• Warrior Monk:
  • Toguro, the Hero of Kyushu, is a chi warrior, so as such is equal parts a marital artist and monk.
  • Apparently the 98th's father was training to be one.
• We ARE Struggling Together:
  • There are some not-so-subtle hints that while the tribes and their generals are loyal to the Queen, there are old feuds and rivalries between the tribes. In fact, it seems that the only tribes that even like each other are the Sumo and the Reza, whose members are seen interacting peaceably with each other while the other tribes tend to stick to themselves.
  • Many of the members of the Shogunate in the Shadows do not get along, and are merely united by their desire to defeat the Shadowkhan.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: Yasashi is perfectly willing to kill a defenseless Jade if it might end the war.
• What Happened to the Mouse?:
  • Several reviewers have commented that one of the tribes (the Mini Khan) are missing, with everyone in-universe acting like they don't exist. And then Jade/the Queen ends up accidentally creating them.
  • Also, unlike in canon, so far we have seen no trace of Jackie and the other members of the J-Team. Heck, we don't know if they even exist here!
  • Likewise, it is currently unknown if Shendu's siblings are free or not.
    • Chapter Six apparently confirms that they were indeed sealed away.
  • What happened to the Queen's consciousness when Jade was shoved into her body is also unknown. Jade seems to have her instincts and sentiments, but not the memories.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Hiruzen gives Jade a scathing Breaking Lecture in response to almost getting herself killed in an attempt to escape.
• Who Would Want to Watch Us?: Jade, while planning a banquet for the Generals to give the heroes a reprieve, sarcastically considers writing a book that would get adapted into a sell out movie series with poorly cast actors.
• Worthy Opponent: Ikazuki feels this way about Toguro and honors him as such after killing him.
• Would Hit a Girl: Or rather, Would Burn a Girl, something Shendu may be fond of.
• Wrecked Weapon: During the Battle of Tobe, Ikazuki shatters Houka after taking it off of Yasashi.
• You Are Number 6:
  • When speaking of the Queen amongst themselves — and when formally addressing Jade directly — the Generals refer to her and her predecessors by number, Jade being in the body of the 98th Queen, with the 96th Queen being the one that started the war.
  • In a dream/vision, the past Queens adress Jade as 99th.
• You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Once Shendu's slave girl reaches her peak as a dancer, he kills her.
• You Shall Not Pass!: Toguro pulls this on Ikazuki during the Shadowkhan assault on the last human refuge in Kyushu, in order to buy time for the populace to evacuate by fleet. Deconstructed, however, as Ikazuki points out that this only keeps him occupied, not his forces.
• Zerg Rush: As Jade notes, the Shadowkhan don't have any swarm tribes — at least, they don't until she accidentally creates one.