History Anime / SwordOfTheStranger

Now has a [[Characters/SwordOfTheStranger Character Sheet]] that NeedsWikiMagicLove.

%%* ReluctantWarrior: Nanashi [[spoiler:until the finale]].

** Nanashi is red-haired in an anime without AnimeHair. This can happen even among native Japanese, but is ''extremely'' rare. This makes his origin very ambigious, mostly because with his hair dyed black, he can pass as a local.

* BiggerBad: The Chinese Emperor never appears, but his desire for immortality is the impetus for the Chinese warriors.

* LodgedBlackRecycling: [[spoiler:During the final battle between Nanashi and Luo-Long, Nanashi loses his sword and gets Luo-Long's blade lodged into his arm. As Luo-Long grabs Nanashi's blade and charges him, Nanashi yanks Luo-Long's blade out of his arm to use it for the final clash.]]

* BladeLock: [[spoiler:Played straight once and then deconstructed. While Nanashi and Luo-Lang do get into a blade lock twice during their duel in the finale, the second time leads to Luo-Lang's sword breaking, leaving them both with broken weapons.]]

* CombatPragmatist: Every combatant when you get down to it, Nanashi in particular. Arguably the one who is the least Combat Pragmatist would have to be Luo-Lang. But when you're a foot taller than everyone else, and hopping around like Yoda on crack, you don't really HAVE to fight dirty. The dirtiest he gets is using a corpse as a shield to rush a bunch of archers. [[spoiler: He notably betrays his commander Byakuran when Byakuran wanted to shoot No-Name while blinded and trying to climb up a platform, because he thought it wouldn't be sporting.]]

* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Nanashi claims that this is the reason why he becomes Kotaro's unofficial bodyguard. Though it's apparent that Nanashi starts to develop feelings for Kotaro and a sense of responsibility.

%%* PocketProtector: [[spoiler:The jade trinket]].

* JustFollowingOrders: [[spoiler:Shouan]] claims this after [[spoiler:he helps hand Kotaro over to the Chinese soldiers]], and insists [[NotSoDifferent Nanashi would have done the same in his position]], [[spoiler:[[MyGreatestFailure which he ''has]]'']].

* IAmNotShazam: Just to be clear, Nanashi is just a word that means "no-name," and the main character is called that because we don't know his ''actual'' name.

* CultureClash: Comes up peripdically between the Ming and the Japanese. The locals are uneasy about the Chinese presence, especially the distractingly alien Luo-Lang, and the samurai are distrustful and condescending to the Ming. The Ming are too busy with their mission to particularly care.

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, [[NoNameGiven 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.

** Not only do they not have to read the subtitles, native Mandarin Chinese speakers are left with the distinct impression that Luo-Lang [[BlackSpeech sounds really distinctly offputting and alien]] due to the very non-Chinese accent. For the most part [[CaptainObvious he's not saying very nice things when he does.]]

* BilingualBonus: Not only do they not have to read the subtitles, native Mandarin Chinese speakers are left with the distinct impression that Luo-Lang [[BlackSpeech sounds really distinctly offputting and alien]] due to the very non-Chinese accent. For the most part [[CaptainObvious he's not saying very nice things when he does.]]

** RagtagBunchOfMisfits: They're rather eclectic for a miniboss squad.

* AmbiguousEnding: See BittersweetEnding and KillEmAll. [[spoiler: The gist of it is that Kotaro and Nanashi are riding away, victorious. Kotaro seems happy, but his final smile is nervous, Nanashi is hunched over and half asleep, and the final shot shows blood dropping from the horse's back.]]

* TheArcher: Jyuurouta is able to out-snipe and kill one of the supernaturally strong Ming warriors and is praised by Shogen, his superior and mentor, as being skilled with a bow.
** Mu-Mao as well.

* ArrowsOnFire
* AudibleSharpness

* CombatPragmatist: Every combatant when you get down to it, Nanashi in particular.
** Arguably the one who is the least CombatPragmatist would have to be Luo-Lang. But when you're a foot taller than everyone else, and hopping around like Yoda on crack, you don't really HAVE to fight dirty. The dirtiest he gets is using a corpse as a shield to rush a bunch of archers. [[spoiler: He notably betrays his commander Byakuran when Byakuran wanted to shoot No-Name while blinded and trying to climb up a platform, because he thought it wouldn't be sporting.]]

* FeelNoPain: Caused by a drug taken by the ChinesePeople, allowing them to fight through [[OnlyAFleshWound normally debilitating wounds]].
** Example: [[spoiler: Fuu gets up and wanders around looking for his sword with a broken arm. And said sword blade STICKING CLEAN THROUGH HIS NECK. One of the rare examples where coughing blood is actually justified. He gets about 5 steps before he collapses.]]

* HeroOfAnotherStory: Itadori and Jyuurouta seem to have their own plot in the background, which we only see a few scenes of.
** If you watch closely, it appears that [[spoiler: Itadori and Nanashi were a part of the plot that raised up the lord that Itadori eventually betrays with Jyuurouta's help. Itadori does say that he's only met one person who was at a level of skill on par with Luo Lang...]]

* OnlyInItForTheMoney: Nanashi claims that this is the reason why he becomes Kotaro's unofficial bodyguard.
** Though it's apparent that Nanashi starts to develop feelings for Kotaro and a sense of responsibility.

* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: Standard for the Chinese due to their drugs, but the elderly, frail Lord Byakuran probably sets the record. [[spoiler:Cutting off his arm only makes him annoyed at you.]]
** Even worse is [[spoiler:Fuu walking around after fighting Nanashi, trying to find his sword, which is currently ''sticking out the back of his neck''.]]

* MeaningfulEcho: "I wasn't talking to you, I was talking to that dog of yours."

* PocketProtector: [[spoiler:The jade trinket]].
* [[TrailersAlwaysSpoil Posters Always Spoil]]: That poster you see up there? [[spoiler:It gives away the climax, where Nanashi rips open his katana's peace knot.]]
* [[spoiler: PoweredByAForsakenChild]]: Main ingredient of immortality elixir is [[spoiler: [[HumanSacrifice sacrificed child]]]].

* ReluctantWarrior: Nanashi [[spoiler: until the finale.]]
* RuleOfCool

* SingleStrokeBattle: Somewhat justified, as in every case the single stroke nature comes from disproportion between fighter's skill and one side greatly outclassing the other.

* WorldOfBadass

* SuperSoldier: Only because the ChinesePeople FeelNoPain. Right up until they run out of drugs and end up in withdrawal, though whether or not that was withdrawal or just the individual in question finally reacting to the massive amount of torture he's experienced, but couldn't feel earlier, is up debate.

* RecklessGunUsage: Byakuran fires [[spoiler: a 16th-century matchlock rifle at Nanashi, who is *right next to* Kotaro, who they need to sacrifice to get the immortality pill. A gun that primitive could very easily have accidentally killed Kotaro and rendered the bad guys' quest entirely fruitless.]]

%%* RainOfArrows

* RainOfArrows

* ShownTheirWork: A Katana isn't meant to be used to hit other blades since they're actually fragile, doing this destroys Nanashi's sword in the final fight as it snaps in half and is shown to be serious chipped besides that.

* KatanasAreJustBetter: Averted; only one main character uses an actual katana, and the weapon itself isn't that much better. Also a case of ShownTheirWork as a Katana isn't meant to be used to hit other blades, doing this destroys Nanashi's sword in the final fight as it snaps in half and is shown to be serious chipped.

** Arguably the one who is the least CombatPragmatist would have to be Luo-Lang. But when you're a foot taller than everyone else, and hopping around like Yoda on crack, you don't really HAVE to fight dirty. The dirtiest he gets is using a corpse as a shield to rush a bunch of archers.

* {{Badass}}: ''Everyone'', especially Luo-Lang, Nanashi, and the Shogunate and his NumberTwo.

* BloodKnight: Luo-Lang.