History Anime / SwordOfTheStranger

** First time is in the rain. Which is about as BeyondTheImpossible as this film gets.

* MightyWhitey: Luo-Lang, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed European; Bai-Luan calls him a "Western barbarian" at one point. **Possibly [[spoiler:Nanashi, who may be mixed, given the fact he's got red hair in an anime without AnimeHair, though through the use of dye he does perfectly pass for Japanese.]] However, [[spoiler:red hair is possible for a completely Japanese person, just incredibly rare. Also, Kotaro asks him if he's a "southern barbarian", which could refer to another part of Asia where red hair is more common, such as Central Asia or the Himalayas.]]

* MightyWhitey: Luo-Lang, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed European; Bai-Luan calls him a "Western barbarian" at one point. Possibly [[spoiler:Nanashi, who may be mixed, given the fact he's got red hair in an anime without AnimeHair, though through the use of dye he does perfectly pass for Japanese]].
** [[spoiler:Although red hair is possible for a completely Japanese person, just incredibly rare.]]

* MightyWhitey: Luo-Lang, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed European; Bai-Luan calls him a "Western barbarian" at one point. Possibly [[spoiler:Nanashi, who may be part white, given the fact he's got red hair in an anime without AnimeHair, though through the use of dye he does perfectly pass for Japanese]].

Every time you don't see this movie, a puppy becomes homeless. Stop surfing TV Tropes and go rent it. Go!

** As the video linked above was taken down, I will summarize. Nanashi is sleeping in a rundown shrine, with his funny japanese hat over his eyes. Reminiscent of [[NinjaScroll a certain other shiftless ronin rogue...]] Seriously. Ronin can apparently sleep anywhere.

** Until they run out of drugs and end up in withdrawal.

* ArrowCatch: Fuugo.
** Not so much a catch as letting it slam into his forearm.

A young boy named Kotaro and his dog Tobimaru are on the run from assassins from the Ming Dynasty, who follow a prophecy that calls for the child's blood as the main ingredient to the secret to immortality. Along the way they meet a skilled, nameless {{ronin}}, who keeps his blade tightly bound to its sheath and unable to be drawn. Kotaro offers to hire the nameless man for protection on the way to the nearest temple, but the Ming aren't so easily deterred.

With beautiful, detailed animation and amazing action scenes, ''SwordOfTheStranger'' is a very highly recommended {{samurai}} film. JidaiGeki specifically would be the classification, but with over the top anime fight scenes.

* {{Bishounen}}: Fuugo.

* FeelNoPain: Caused by a drug taken by the ChinesePeople, allowing them to fight through [[OnlyAFleshWound normally debilitating wounds]])

* InstantDeathBullet
** To be fair, it left a grapefruit-sized hole in the guy's chest. That's a BIG bullet.
**

** The supporting character Jurota is voiced by MamoruMiyano. Best known for roles such as [[Manga/DeathNote Light Yagami]] and [[SoulEater Death The Kid]].

* TranslationConvention: There are several scenes in which the Chinese characters find themselves alone and they seem to speak Japanese instead of Chinese (Or, in the case of the dub, English).

This anime provides examples of:

* HoYay (Fuugo seems to be attracted to Luo-Lang; this is lampshaded by another character at one point while the latter is on a mission)

* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Depending on whom you ask, Nanashi's fate is left open, though the blood drops and Kotaro's face seem to be [[DownerEnding subtle hints]] of Nanashi's future.]].

* BilingualBonus: Not only do they not have to read the subtitles, native Mandarin Chinese speakers are left with the distinct impression that the crazed Ming Assassins [[BlackSpeech sound really distinctly offputting and alien]] due to the very non-Chinese accents. For the most part [[CaptainObvious they are not saying very nice things.]]

* BilingualBonus: Not only do they not have to read the subtitles, native Mandarin Chinese speakers are left with the distinct impression that the crazed Ming Assassins [[BlackSpeech sound really distinctly offputting and alien]] due to the very non-Chinese accents. For the most part [[Understatement they are not saying very nice things.]]

* BilingualBonus: Not only do they not have to read the subtitles, native Mandarin Chinese speakers are left with the distinct impression that the crazed Ming Assassins [[BlackSpeech sound really distinctly offputting and alien.]] ''They are not nice people.''

** The supporting character Jurota is voiced by MamoruMiyano. Best known for roles such as [[DeathNote Light Yagami]] and [[SoulEater Death The Kid]].

** Not that there are a lot of characters in the movie whom you WANT to see survive.

* ChekhovsGun: The jade trinket.
** With a helping of [[spoiler: PocketProtector]]

** {{Invulnerable Horses}}: Completely averted. Plenty of fighters are willing to kill and maim horses to bring down their riders, including stabbing their throats with throwing weapons and slicing off their legs mid-run during a battle.

* EstrogenBrigadeBait: The hero's introduction.

* WorthyOpponent: Luo-Lang views Nanashi as one.

** He's also the only main character from Japan that uses a sword. Most of the main characters are from China. Or monks. Luo Lang's sword is a jian, which is to Chinese action movies what the katana is to Japanese action movies. Extra points to the China-man using a tri-section staff with scythe blades on it though.

* MightyWhitey: Luo-Lang, who is quite possibly Norse in descent, as Bai-Luan calls him a "Western barbarian" at one point. Seriously, successful Vikings often found employment in the personal guard of the Byzantine Emperor in their prime. From there, just follow established trade routes and bam, you're in China. Possibly [[spoiler:Nanashi, who may be part white, given the fact he's got red hair in an anime without AnimeHair, though through the use of dye he does perfectly pass for Japanese]].

** Luo-Lang is definitely western and may be Norse, but what we think of as Vikings had vanished by the Ming Dynasty/Sengoku Era. All Europeans were barbarians in the eyes of the Chinese.