Literature / Ōkami-san

"All's well that end's well."

At Otogi Academy, there is an organization that helps people out, the Otogi Bank. Headed by the Kiriki cousins, Liszt and Alice, their members consist of the maid Tsurugaya Otsuu, the mad scientist/witch Majolica le Fay, the couple of Otohime Ryugu and Taro Urashima, and a prominent fighting duo, Ryōko Ōkami and Ringo Akai, the wolf and Little Red Riding Hood. One day, Ryōko is confessed to by the painfully shy Ryōshi Morino, who finds himself shanghaied into joining the Otogi Bank to help people and fight against Onigashima High, the delinquent rival school ruled by Student Council President Shiro Hitsujikai, a man who seems to have a connection to Ryōko.

Ōkami-san is a series of Light Novels written by Masashi Okita and illustrated by Unaji, which was published under the Dengeki Bunko imprint from 2006 to 2017 for 13 volumes. An anime adaptation called Ōkami-san and Her Seven Companions (Ōkami-san to Shichinin no Nakama-tachi), which takes its name from the first novel in the series, was produced by J.C. Staff and aired in the summer of 2010.

The anime was licensed by Funimation in 2011, with the DVD/Blu-Ray released in April 2012. Not related to Ōkami.

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Ōkami-san provides examples of:

• Absurdly Powerful Student Council: Onigashima High's student council president, Shiro Hitsujikai, claims to have only arrived recently and therefore not be accepted by every student yet, but some of the other characters point out that the coordinated attacks could only have been pulled off if he were already in control of them.
• A-Cup Angst: Both Ringo and Ryōko. It's the one thing that always gets a rise out of them, and is responsible for the Lemony Narrator getting punched.
• All of the Other Reindeer:
  • With Shiro as the ringleader; once he attempted to rape Ryōko and spread rumors about her, all of her classmates instantly turn their backs on her and public opinion of her plummets.
  • In elementary school, Otohime was ridiculed and laughed at by her classmates for being overweight and slow like a turtle.
• All Work vs. All Play: Assistant Alice is All Work and Club President Liszt is All Play because they are based on the fairy tale of the ant and the grasshopper.
• Amazon Chaser: There are, in fact, three flavors of guys who prefer tough kick-ass girls.
  • Ryoshi admires Ryoko's strength and skill at boxing, thinking it cool, but what truly hooks him is how scared she feels on the inside and how hard she works to be strong in spite of her fear. As someone who is also scared all the time due to his Scopophobia, he relates to this and is motivated to be strong enough to support her.
  • The gang boss from episode 2 also says he prefers tough girls, and he says this while manhandling Ryoko. In contrast to Ryoshi, his preference is because he gets a sadistic thrill out of "breaking them".
  • Akihiro Ooji is elated to deduce that Kakari is the girl who kicked him in the face, and he proclaims her the strongest girl he has ever met. He asks her to kick him several times, the last of which triggers this expression of pleasure on his face. He is implied to be a masochist (the narrator assumes something along these lines at least).
• Attempted Rape: It's hinted early on, and later confirmed, that Ryōko was a victim of this, courtesy of Shiro. It's also implied that it might have gone past "attempted".
• Badass Adorable: Ryōko is a girl who is tough and adorable in equal measures. This is actually what attracts Ryoshi.
• Battle Aura: Witnessed from Ringo, Mimi and Otohime. The latter two have Animal Battle Auras of their respective creatures. Ringo has B.B. Hood.
• Battle Couple: Ryōko and Ryoshi fight together, with her punching in close quarters and Ryoshi sniping people who sneak up on her and setting up thugs for punching. Although Ryōko will deny the "couple" part, vigorously, while blushing.
• Beach Episode: Episode 9 sees the bank visit an indoor water park with Ringo's half-siblings. Taro is excited about all the girls in swimsuits.
• Beautiful All Along:
  • Subverted; we knew Otohime was cute before we found out she used to be a little bit fat and lost weight, becoming the beautiful, insane girl we see in the show. Of course, the reason why she decided to lose her extra mass is because Taro inspired her to.
  • Majolica. When we finally see what she looks like without her Nerd Glasses or baggy witch costume in Episode 4, it turns out that she's pretty to the point that Generic Cuteness doesn't cover it. It is downplayed in that none of the characters call any attention to her during the scene in which it happens.
• Because You Were Nice to Me:
  • Otohime's reason for liking Taro was because he was the only person who treated her with kindnes instead of insulting her due to her looks at the time.
  • Although much more subtle, it is potentially used with Ryōko towards Ryoshi, as evidenced by his determination to help her despite her repeated attempts to reject him or push him away. Her attitude towards him and life in general seems to lighten up more as a result. This is possibly why she befriended Ringo as well.
• Beta Couple: Otohime and Taro are already in a relationship when the show begins, unlike our leading lady and her admirer, and have fewer troubles expressing their "desire" for each other.
• Big Bad: Shiro Hitsujikai is the Student Council President of Onigashima High School, where his personal army of delinquents attend, and they're responsible for all the danger in the plot as they try to sabotage the good deeds of Otogi Bank. Shiro himself is the Arch-Enemy of Ryōko Ōkami, his ex-girlfriend whom he raped in the past.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing:
  • Mimi Usami, though cute at first glance, isn't the least nice. Her battle aura looks like it needs a Holy Hand Grenade to deal with.
  • Reiko pretends to be a victim of Shiro’s abuse but is actually The Dragon to him, and leading the heroes into a trap.
• Boy Meets Girl: The ploy Machiko tried to use to get Ryoshi to fall for her is textbook anime cliche, complete with deliberate Panty Shot advertising.
• Brother–Sister Incest: Hansel and Gretel are implied to be romantically interested in each other. If you ask them, they will say that their relationship is "sacred" and none of your business.
• Buxom Beauty Standard: Disciplinary Committee Chairman Momoko Kibitsu is revered mostly for her dumplings, as they are called.
• The Cameo: While attempting to find Chutaro a bride, Taiga, Ami, Minori, Mikoto, Kuroko, Saten, and Uiharu show as potential brides.
• Cannot Spit It Out: Averted with Ryoshi, who immediately confesses to Ryōko in the first episode. However, played straight with Ryōko, who constantly either avoids the issue altogether, or something else happens that then requires their attention and is forgotten. Machiko calls Ryōko out on this in Episode 12, and she still doesn't exactly give a clear answer.
• Cat Boy: Saburo Nekomiya, the mysterious boy based on Puss in Boots.
• The Cavalry: Done twice in Episode 11, first Momoko and her groupies, and then the rest of the Otogi group, end up saving the heroes from Onigashima High goons.
• Cheaters Never Prosper: Averted by Ringo's parents, who appear to have gotten away with an affair and with chasing Shirayuki's mother out of the mansion.
• Chekhov's Gunman: Saburo, though it took a little more than one episode, initially shows up as a boy being bullied by a group of thugs, then some episodes later returns to train Ryoushi and reveals his involvement with Ryōko's past.
• Chekhov's Skill: Episode 2. Ryoshi informs Ryōko that his Akitas are hunting dogs. This comes into play later in the episode, when Ryoshi uses them to track Ryōko's scent to where her abductors have hidden her.
• Childhood Friend Romance: Otohime and Taro have been together ever since they met in grade school and he comforted her after her classmates mercilessly mocked her for her weight.
• Childhood Marriage Promise: Chuutarou and Uika essentially make one in Episode 8, because it is his family's way of doing things to look for a bride when young.
• Clingy Jealous Girl:
  • Though she never loses her smiling demeanor, Otohime is deadly if she sees Taro hitting on anyone other than her.
  • While she vehemently denies this, Ryōko falls into jealousy in Episode 12 when Machiko starts to make her moves on Ryoshi.
• Cloudcuckoolander: Majolica tendentious to make weird inventions, wears swirly glasses, and comes off as a kooky gal.
• CPR: Clean, Pretty, Reliable: Done in Episode 9 between Ringo and Shirayuki, since it's a Beach Episode. There is no vomit and the latter recovers immediately.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Ryoshi may be a lame screw-up, but mess with Ryōko and you got an epic man on your hands.
• Cruel to Be Kind: The reason Sebastian finds fault with every girl presented as a potential bride for Chuutarou is not that he is picky, perfectionist, or misogynistic, but because he knows Chuutarou and his childhood friend have a mutual crush and both would be miserable if he chose someone else. Chuutarou had heard a rumor that his friend liked a boy, but decided I Want My Beloved to Be Happy and went looking for another girl without even asking her who the boy she liked was.
• Curb-Stomp Battle: Ryōko gets one in the beginning, knocking the guy out in a single punch.
• Cuteness Proximity: If the deceptively adorable cat boxing gloves didn't cue you in, then her absolute deredere breakdown in the presence of the dogs in Episode 2 should have made it clear that Okami-san loves cute things.
• Cute Bruiser: Ryōko will knock you out with cat-themed boxing gloves. She fits this trope so much so that she provides the page's image.
• Date Peepers: Ringo and Ryōko follow Ryoshi in Episode 12 when he's on a date with Machiko. It's not because Ryōko is jealous because she absolutely is not!
• A Day In The Lime Light: Some of the secondary Otogi bank characters get some episodes devoted largely to them, such as Otohime in Episode 3 and Otsu in Episode 4. Ringo gets some much needed Character Development in Episode 9 when we learn more about her backstory.
• Deadpan Snarker: The narrator enjoys making dry or witty remarks about the cast and events. Sometimes the comments she makes are "heard" or noticed by the characters as well, which earn her a glare.
• Death Glare: Ryōko's default expression is a a hostile scowl, because she is suspicious of most people and wants to appear strong.
• Deliberately Cute Child: Thanks to training from her mother, Ringo can act like an adorable little girl to make others do her bidding.
• Denied Food as Punishment: Ringo does this to Ryōko at the end of Episode 6 when the latter tries to hide that something nice happened to her earlier that day from the former.
• Damsel in Distress: It's played with on two occasions for Ryōko.
  • It's downplayed during Episode 2. While the delinquents have kidnapped and bound Ryōko, she's not sitting still and waiting for a rescue. We see her actively trying to cut her own ropes before the rest of the team show up to lend a hand, but she's also terribly scared and wishing for someone to save her. After the team frees her, she joins the fight.
  • Played straight when she gets kidnapped by Shiro, her ex-boyfriend/rapist. The rest of the cast stages a rescue mission, and she is a bystander in the fight that decides her fate.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Taro takes on his gentleman personality whenever Otohime extracts his "essence".
• Dogged Nice Guy: Ryoshi is determined to help Ryoko in anyway he can, and become strong enough to protect her. While he definitely wants to be her boyfriend, he is content with just being her friend until such a point that she reciporcates, however long that may take, if it happens at all. Seriously, he does not act like this entitles him to Ryoko in the slightest which sets him as a foil to her abusive ex-boyfriend, who acts like she still belongs to him.
• Double Standard: Abuse, Female on Male: Ryōko tends to beat up Ryoshi a lot, as well as other men (who usually deserve their beating).
• Double Standard Rape: Female on Male: Whatever Otohime does to "extract Urashima's essence" is left to the imagination of the audience, but you can get an idea from how she forcibly drags him away from everyone, how terrified he always is of what she's about to do and how worn out he looks afterwards. In the manga, he outright screams "rape" whenever she does this. This is always Played for Laughs. By contrast, the male Shiro’s rape of the female Ryōko in the past is treated with full seriousness, serving to cement his status as both the Big Bad and an irredeemable bastard.
• Dragged into Drag: When Otsu falls sick, everyone offers to help her for the day by dressing up in meido costumes...even the boys. Though Liszt didn't mind.
• Dynamic Entry: Kakari, after a rather impressive series of gymnastic flips, accidentally plants both feet into the surprise face of her crush.
• Early-Bird Cameo:
  • Saburo shows up in a flashback as a boy Ryōko saved from some thugs. He comes back later in the series to train Ryoshi to be a better fighter and a stronger man in general.
  • Momoko is seen briefly during the Beauty Pageant in Episode 3 before her proper introduction in Episode 5.
• Easy Amnesia: While trying to save a Cat Up a Tree, Ryōko loses her memory of the past few years, reverting back to age 13. She returns back to normal by the end of the episode.
• Empathic Environment: Ryoshi and Shiro have a dramatic confrontation in the rain.
• Epunymous Title: It's a reference to The Wolf and the Seven Kids.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Although Ryōko though Shiro was a gentleman, her reaction when Shiro revealed his true colors to her is of utter shock.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Averted with Taro, as he states on several occasions that he does not enjoy the company of men.
• Everybody Was Kung-Fu Fighting: While trying to save Ryōko from Onigashima High, there is a lot of fighting from the bank. Otsu even whacks a guy with her broom.
• Everyone Can See It: Nearly everyone in the club gets a smirk on their face when Ryoshi and Ryōko are near each other.
• Exactly What It Says on the Tin: Onigashima means "Island of Demons". It is populated entirely by delinquents and thugs.
• Extremity Extremist:
  • Ryōko is a boxer.
  • Saburo fights exclusively with kick attacks.
• Eyes Always Shut: Liszt has this in the anime. He only opens them when he means serious business.
• Fairy Tale Motifs: The most prominent aspect of the series, with every character drawing inspiration from a different fairy tale, reflected in their names.
• Fanservice:
  • In the third episode of the anime, the female characters are in swimsuits. Justified since the episode involves a Beauty Contest. A similar thing happens in Episode 9, when they all head to the pool.
  • Momoko provides plenty of dumpling service.
• Fan Disservice: The narrator lampshades this during Ryōko's shower scene in the first episode of the dub, calling it by the trope name, if only because of Ryōko's lack of assets.
• First Blood: Things got real in Ryoshi and Shiro's fight when Ryoshi's counter draws blood. Shiro goes savage and talks about how he's going for the kill now. Then Liszt and Ringo decide to show up, and the former convinces Shiro to stand down.
• The First Cut Is the Deepest: Given how she didn't realize that her first boyfriend turned out to be a sociopathic monster until it was too late, Ryōko understandably doesn't want to fall in love again, until she meets Ryoshi at least.
• Food and Body Comparison:
  • Momo Kibitsu is frequently praised by her adoring fan club for her "dumplings". Lampshaded by the Lemony Narrator:
    Narrator: Is "dumplings" too subtle a metaphor? BREASTS!!
  • In one scene from the anime, after Momo suffers a blow to her dignity, with a butler explaining to his young master the sad truth about the effects of the passage of time on large chests, Momo lashes out at Ryoko and Ringo, saying she's sorry the two of them are only fit for smuggling raisins.
• Formerly Fat: Otohime wasn't always the cute girl she is today. Flashbacks show she was kind of chubby when she was younger, earning her the "turtle girl" nickname.
• Fractured Fairy Tale: Most of the characters are based off of fairy tale characters or stories, though the characterizations often have been warped beyond recognition. See the character page for their tales.
• The Girl Who Fits This Slipper: With the first episode using "Cinderella" as its basis, this naturally comes into play. Akihiro Ooji (aka The Prince of Tennis) wants to find the girl who fits the tennis shoe that kicked him in the face. It turns out that it's not really true love; Ooji just realizes that any girl who could perform a series of front flips and kick someone in the face like that must have incredible control over her body. He is also stated to be a bit of a pervert.
• Genre Savvy: Machiko Himura knows the anime rules for getting attention, deliberately invoking Late for School and a Panty Shot (panties with her name on them).
• Gold Digger: Machiko is after Ryoshi because she assumes that he is rich, though she is more sympathetic than most as it is mainly because she wanted to get herself and her father out of debt.
• Gonk: The three "little" pigs in Ringo's movie trailer are hideous.
• Groin Attack: Saru, Kiji, and Inu land a triple punch combo on one of Onigashima's students when he tries to grope Momoko. The last punch from Inu (the shortest) goes for the groin.
• Guys Smash, Girls Shoot: Inverted with Ryōko and Ryoshi; she is the boxer and he is the sling-shot ace.
• Hair Antennae: Chuutaro Nezumi has them in the shape of mouse ears. Alice also sports an ant-like pair.
• Handsome Lech: Taro is definitely pretty and has an easy time chatting up girls. He has a "perfect gentleman" persona that only emerges when Otohime "extracts his essence".
• Happily Ever After: The final line of the Light Novels.
  "After becoming more comfortable with herself, and after growing up and becoming a better man, Ryōko and Ryoshi lived happily ever after, surrounded by their friends."
• Heroic BSoD: Ryōko undergoes one bordering on Despair Event Horizon in the backstory when Shiro turned on her after his Attempted Rape, leading Ryōko to transfer schools and become disillusioned with love.
• Hiding Behind Your Bangs: Ryoshi's bangs hide his eyes most of the time to underscore his shyness.
• Hope Spot: Ryoshi has one during his fight with Shiro when he thought about why he was fighting and what Saburo said to him before the fight. He lands a solid hit on Shiro, but it doesn't put him down.
• Huge Guy, Tiny Girl: Jin is head and shoulders taller than his girlfriend, Ami. Of course, Jin's on the baseball team, so he has a big and athletic build.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Though Liszt is nominally the president, it's Alice who does all the work.
• Hypocritical Humor: In episode 7 the Lemony Narrator remarks on the butler insulting the various girls in the series, despite frequently doing so herself.
• Identity Amnesia: Ryōko has an interesting variation of this in Episode 7 where she reverts back to her pre-assault persona. It is much sweeter and more innocent. Interestingly, even the narrator is surprised at some of what happens, as is Ringo, who outright believes she must be hallucinating.
• I Have Boobs, You Must Obey!: Momoko uses her "dumplings" to great effect, to the point where she's gained a trio of fanatical bodyguards who practically worship them.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Ryoshi can strike someone's hand hard enough to force them to drop whatever they're holding, from a distance of perhaps several yards, in a dark alley. He is never ever shown to miss.
• Incompatible Orientation: Ryoko simply has no interest in Momoko's advances, much to Momoko's regret (and Ringo's as well).
• I Owe You My Life: Otsu is incredibly determined to pay back debts to people, for good reason. A boy saved her life when she was younger, and it cost him his own life. Though Ryoshi didn't want her becoming his live-in maid either.
• I Shall Taunt You: Shiro employs this to great effect against Ryoshi, because making him angry makes his fist-fighting sloppy.
• Insidious Rumor Mill: After Ryoko Ookami is nearly raped by her date Hitsujikai, he tells the rest of their school that he dumped her so that they disregard her statements about what he did to her. A few years later, Hitsujikai becomes the Student Council President for Onigashima High, a school for delinquents and trouble makers.
• Karma Houdini: Downplayed; Nezumi's butler Sebastian insults just about every female character in the cast, and does not get hit by Ryōko for it. In fact, it is Liszt who is hit by the karma bat because he insisted on accepting the request.
• Karma Houdini Warranty: After Shiro attempted to rape Ryōko and kidnapped her twice, he finally gets his comeuppance when he's exiled at the end of the series.
• Kevlard: During Episode 11, one of the Tonda brothers takes a lead pipe to the gut without even flinching.
• Kissing Cousins: Implied with Liszt and Alice, who calls him Liszty/Likkun.
• Large Ham: The narrator is very opinionated, and even talks over the cast.
• Late for School: Machiko does this very deliberately in an attempt to get Ryoshi's attention, complete with toast in her mouth.
• Left Hanging: Due to the novel being unfinished at the time, the anime ends with Ryōko admitting that perhaps she doesn't dislike Ryoshi...to Machiko. She doesn't manage to tell him that, though, leading to No Romantic Resolution with a strong side of Maybe Ever After. Shiro is never quite properly dealt with, either. While he's on notice from the Otogi Bank that he'll answer to all of them if he messes with Ryōko again, he's still a Karma Houdini for everything he's put her through, and it's never made clear if he takes Lizst's threat seriously enough to leave her alone, or if he'll make yet another attempt later.
• Lemony Narrator: The characters are aware of the cheeky narrator and, at one point, punch her. Considering some of the comments she makes, it's not surprising.
• Lightning Glare: Seen several times over the course of Episode 3 between Mimi and Otohime. It apparently becomes visible at one point, as the host points out the sparks flying onstage between the two.
• Limp and Livid: Shiro's rather un-Manipulative Bastard-like fighting stance alternates between this and quick, sudden rushes at his opponent. It is rather like a beast or some berserker.
• Load-Bearing Hero: Episode 11, the shutters are closing on Onigashima High before the heroes can get in to rescue Ryōko. Cue the three not-so-little pigs holding one open for Ryoshi and the others.
• Loan Shark: The Otogi Bank is an organization of them, although their "loans" are social ones — give them a request and sure, they'll do it, but they'll come back for similar repayment in a "manner that would make professional loan sharks go pale".
• Loveable Sex Maniac: Taro would normally just be considered a Chivalrous Pervert, except he has absolutely no problem with hitting on every woman he sees. The only thing stopping him is Otohime, who does not like to share.
• Love at First Punch: Well, love at first kick, at least. Kakari's passion makes a real impression in the prince of tennis.
• Manipulative Bitch: Mimi Usami, the local Alpha Bitch, tries spreading rumors about Otohime to beat her in the Beauty Contest.
• Masculine Girl, Feminine Boy: Ryōko and Ryoshi respectively. She is a tough and aloof boxer while he is a more sensitive individual who is really friendly as long as you don't stare at him. The rest of the Otogi Bank are surprised whenever Ryoshi acts masculine.
• Massive Numbered Siblings: Himeno and her seven younger brothers and sisters. Though it would total eight, if one counted her half-sister Ringo.
• Meaningful Name: Theme Naming is also present, with everyone's names drawing from the fairy tale that provides their motif.
• Meido: Otsu wears a maid's uniform while she cleans and cooks for the other Otogi bank members.
• Mission Control: Ringo sometimes provides Ryōko or Ryoshi with intel when she is not present with them, otherwise usually done by the other Otogi bank members.
• Moment Killer: Ryoshi typically gets nervous at being stared at anytime a potential serious moment between him and Ryōko occurs.
• Mood Whiplash: It's a broad comedy interspersed with moments of surprisingly serious drama, particularly in regards to various characters' Dark and Troubled Past.
  Taro: Alright, that was unexpectedly depressing.
• Nerd Glasses: Majolica wears the big swirly kind, and while she does make Ryōko's gear, it is more to underscore her silliness.
• No Fourth Wall: The narrator regularly makes insulting remarks about the mammarial deficiencies of Ryōko and Ringo, and cringes as they "stare" into the fourth wall at her.
• No Holds Barred Beat Down: Ryoshi and Shiro's battle started off with Shiro beating the shit out of Ryoshi.
• Not a Date: The double date is meant more for Ami Jizou than Ryoshi and Ryōko, but it ends up being a date for them by the end.
• Oh, Crap!: Ryōko often panics whenever she sees Shiro, her ex-boyfriend and rapist.
• Ojou: Otohime, the daughter of a large and powerful corporation, doesn't normally put on airs, but she is definitely capable of acting like a haughty noblewoman.
• Older Than They Look: Ringo is a high schooler, but looks much younger.
• Onee-sama: Himeno is adored by her seven siblings, who volunteer to help her around the house.
• Gondor Calls for Aid: Liszt called in some of the favors the Bank had raked up in the request sale to get some back-up at the Big Battle at Onigashima High Part Two.
• Pair the Spares: Not so much in the romantic sense, but Otsu and Majolica are often paired as a duo, since the other members of the Otogi Bank have long histories with another member (Ryōko and Ringo, Liszt and Alice, Taro and Otohime).
• Past Experience Nightmare: In the flashback of Episode 6, Ringo hears Ryōko talking in her sleep as she apparently is having a nightmare of when she became a Hero with Bad Publicity at her school after Shiro attempted to rape her and spread bad rumors shortly thereafter. This makes Ringo realize Ryōko has a hidden softer side and issues in her past and they eventually become friends.
• Paying It Forward: The Otogi Bank performs favors for others in exchange for the promise of performing a later favor. Many of its current members were inspired to join the group because someone else helped them in the past. Also, in the climax of the anime adaptation, several of their past clients come back to aid them in their plan to rescue Ryuko from the Onigashima High School.
• Pet the Dog: Quite literally for Ryōko; petting Ryoshi's dogs is the first sign that the audience has of her softer side.
• Power Fist: Kitty train-brass-knuckles-boxing-gloves are Ryōko's weapon of choice, ironic considering her "Wolf" nickname. It was later upgraded to act like a stun gun, then later to meow on impact. One more upgrade could result in a moe singularity.
• Product Placement: Shiro's computer seems to have Windows 7 onboard, even with recognizable Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player icons on taskbar and also network, sound and alerts tray icons. Liszt is also seen with an iPad.
• Punch! Punch! Punch! Uh Oh...:
  • Happens when Ryōko punches the delinquent boss in the second episode. He doesn't go down until she taser-punches him.
  • Ryoshi punches the same guy in Episode 5, to no effect.
• Rape as Backstory: Or at the very least, Attempted Rape, in regards to Ryōko, from Shiro. It is responsible for her Broken Bird persona at the story's beginning.
• Rapid-Fire Fisticuffs:
  • Shiro's style of fighting is rapid punches.
  • Inu can also be seen throwing speedy punches during one episode.
• Real Trailer, Fake Movie: Episode 8 opens and closes with scenes from Ringo's take on "The Three Little Pigs" as extra chubby terrorists who challenge our heroes to Cooking Duels in an over-the-top fashion. It's only when Taro turns off the screen that we find out it was a video.
• Saying Sound Effects Out Loud: Whenever the members of Otogi Bank tease Ryoshi for his scopophobia, they usually give him a deep gaze and say "stare~" at the same time.
• Saying Too Much: After her bout with Easy Amnesia, Ryōko is walking home with Ringo. Ryōko informs Ringo that she doesn't remember anything from the time where she had regressed to her younger self. When Ringo asks Ryōko if she's hungry, Ryōko tells her she's still full from the parfait she ate. Except she ate that parfait during the time she claims she can't remember. Ringo quickly realizes that Ryōko does indeed remember, and uses that information to blackmail her into wearing a cute little ribbon in her hair.
• School Rivalry: Otogi Academy has a long-running enmity with Onigashima High. The former is an idyllic boarding school that prepares its students to be proper citizens. The latter is a Wretched Hive overrun by its Absurdly Powerful Student Council, which has allowed delinquents to take over the school.
• Selfless Wish: Ringo's reason for being in Otogi Bank after Episode 8. She uses her wish to get her half-sister, Himeno, a scholarship so she can afford college.
• She Is Not My Girlfriend: Inverted, as Ryoshi immediately confesses to Ryōko in Episode 1. Indeed, it is a genderflip to "He is not my boyfriend". While the series goes on, she seems to lighten up a little bit, but still largely refuses to acknowledge anything between them. Ringo constantly calls her out on it and teases her about it as a result.
• Shout-Out: Loads of fairy tales and loads of anime.
  • Ringo, Otohime and Otsu in Episode 3 dress up as Louise, Henrietta and Siesta, respectively.
    • Made even funnier considering their enemy, and the one who they were dressing up to undermine, is somewhat of a Lousie Expy; a pink haired loli with a sadistic streak, voiced by Rie Kugimiya.
  • Episode 8 has by far, the most amount of shout out to other JC Staff animes, namely Mahoromatic, A Certain Scientific Railgun and Toradora!.
    Hammel: My name is Hammel. But my soul name is Sebastian.
    Otsu: Sebas-chan?!
  • There's also Andersen's Girls School and Grimm Café.
  • Otsu references her seiyuu's catch phrase, that "Dirty thoughts are bad!"
  • In the dub of Episode 2, Ringo and Otsu quote from Beauty and the Beast to imply the blossoming relationship between Ryōko and Ryoshi.
    Ringo: Tale as old as time.
    Otsu: True as it can be.
  • In the dub of Episode 7, the narrator sings "Gary, Indiana" from The Music Man during her usual introduction of Otogibana City only for her to realize that it's the wrong city and gets back on track.
  • "Should've known it was just a dream...though isn't a dream supposed to be a wish your heart makes?"
  • In the dub of Episode 11, Ringo says Ryōko is "twitterpated", the term Friend Owl used in Bambi to refer to being love-struck.
• Shrinking Violet: Ryoshi, who has full-blown scopophobia.
• Single Woman Seeks Good Man: Ryōko will not admit it but she falls for Ryoshi, the nice guy who she can rely on to watch her back in a fight and support her outside of one.
• Slasher Smile: Shiro smiles with a sinister look whenever he isn’t planning something, and is based off the Trope Namer.
• Sound-Effect Bleep: Specifically in Episode 3, swear words are covered by bleeps made by the narrator.
  Mimi: Then bring it on, you dumb "BLEEP"! You can both go "BLEEP" yourselves and the Otogi Bank! Now get out of here!
  Otohime: Oh my, you should really take these dirty things you're saying and shove them up your filthy "BLEEP" where they belong!
  Ringo: And speaking of "BLEEP", where's that smell coming from?!
  Mimi: Oh say that again you "BLEEP"ing "BLEEP"!
  Narrator: That's it! We're going straight to DVD. There's no way this is suitable for TV.
• Stalker with a Crush:
  • Ryoshi, in the first episode, admits to having stalked Ryōko before gathering the courage to confess his love to her. He is clearly ashamed of himself for doing so, and is happy to join Otogi Bank so he can be close to her with her knowledge and approval.
  • After being given an umbrella by one of the baseball players, Ami starts sneaking into his house to do chores, make dinner... and roll around in his bed and look at his girly mags (Ringo, of course, finds this delightful in an even creepier way).
• Storming the Castle: A high school, but it is otherwise played straight. It is done twice, once during Episode 5, and again in 11, with Onigashima High. Our heroes fight their way through the "castle's" thugs to challenge its evil overlord.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Alice is frosty and professional in most circumstances, but not in all of them. In the light novels, she calls Liszt "Likkun" when they're alone together, which she also slips up a does a couple of times in the anime.
• Teenage Wasteland: Essentially the thug-only Onigashima High School, complete with dust flying around and decrepit walls filled with graffiti.
• Theme Music Power-Up: The second episode sees the OP start to play when all of the Otogi members show up to save the day. The same thing happens near the end of the final episode.
• There Are No Adults: Only a handful of adults are present and named, and none of them are teachers despite the school setting.
  • The Otogi Bank is sponsored by the school's principle, but he is rarely seen on screen. The parents of the bank members don't show up often either. The only adult in Ryōko's life is her boxing coach, and the only one in Ryoshi's life is his aunt, because she owns the building he lives in.
  • Onigashima High School seems to be abandoned and run by delinquents.
  • The light-novels talk more about this than the anime. The setting is evidently a social-experiment in giving children more independence in their daily lives, allowing them to take care of themselves and make their own choices. This is only obliquely referred to in the anime, where Liszt encourages the bank members to solve their Onigashima problems on their own instead of relying on adults to intervene. At the end of the series, Shiro and Liszt have a talk that implies children asking adults for help with problems involving other children is something of a Dangerous Forbidden Technique.
• Token Mini-Moe: Ringo is the youngest and cutest in the bank. She and Usami actually get in a fight about this in Episode 3 because of "character overlap".
• Tomboy: Ryōko is one of the more extreme examples of this trope — her syntax and Japanese grammar is completely masculine, up to and including using the coarse-masculine pronoun of "ore" (as opposed to the feminine "watashi" and "atashi") when referring to herself. She practices boxing and is eager to use it in her Otogi Bank activities. But even she has her girly-side.
• Tomboy and Girly Girl: Ryoko is a tough boxer with a remarkable masculine behavior, and Ringo is a cutesy girl in a pretty dress. It gets Played With because this is part of the facade both put up; Ryoko pretends to be tomboyish but actually loves girly stuff, while Ringo's girly personality is actually a method to manipulate others.
• Training from Hell: Failure to dodge Saburo's assaults in training results in Ryoshi being kicked with steel-toed boots.
• Tranquil Fury: Saburo attempts to teach Ryoshi to not lose his cool in his fight with Shiro, so that his fury can be properly channeled into his punches and so that he can avoid Shiro's own attacks.
• Tsundere: Ryōko is an aggressive type and this is lampshaded constantly. She calls Ryoshi a hetare, or "good-for-nothing", punches him and denies that she likes him or anything. This happens while she gets jealous of other girls paying attention to him, and having romantic dreams about him. She's completely unable to be honest with herself.
• Two Girls and a Guy: Ryoshi typically goes around with Ryōko (his crush), Ringo (his crush's best friend, who ships the two of them together).
• Utopia: Otogibana City and Otogi Academy are set up to provide a secluded environment where the students can better themselves and use their free will, but Onigashima High was placed there to provide an idea of the negative outside forces the real world has.
• Verbal Tic:
  • Ryoshi has a habit of ending his sentences with "~su", a la Prinnies.
  • Ringo has "no" at the end of her sentences thanks to her mother's teachings.
  • As you might expect from his nickname, Neko-san adds -nya to what he says on occasion. This seems to irritate him quite a bit, since he immediately repeats what he just said, with the -nya taken out.
  • The three Tonda brothers, a.k.a. The Three Little Pigs, invoke this trope with -bu and -buhi (oink), then subvert it when the third one speaks normally.
• Whip of Dominance: Momoko carries a whip for combat, but also because her three devoted followers like it.
• White Hair, Black Heart: Shiro Hitsujikai, the Big Bad who rules over an army of delinquents and is a Domestic Abuser (or ex-boyfriend) to Ryōko, whom he raped. He is the only person with white hair. He actually looks like a white wolf.
• Wholesome Crossdresser:
  • You'd never know it, but Liszt is damn good at crossdressing. He even has a disturbingly good female voice for just such an occasion, and was good enough to get the judo team on a group date with him. Said female voice is acted out by the seiyuu of Ritsu.
  • One can't get more wholesome than crossdressing to be a gal pal/protector for his cousin, Alice. If you're wondering why he's so skilled, he's been doing it since elementary school.
• Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Reiko pretends to be a traumatized victim of Shiro's to successfully infiltrate Ryōko and Ringo's dorm.
• Yandere: Subverted with Otohime, since she seems to be deliberately invoking a mad love persona to pull her own weight in a fight. She's not actually dangerous to Taro or anyone he flirts with.

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