History Manga / Basilisk

* {{Bishonen}}:
** Gennosuke and Yashamaru. The latter is even described as 'very handsome' in the original novel's character sheet.
** Hyouma, though he's more of a ''biseinen'' since he's older than both of them. He fits much more in the anime's backstory, where he's in his late teens/very early 20's.

** [[spoiler:In the anime, Tenzen captures and ''savagely'' tortures Kagerou after she opts to murder Oboro in her sleep rather than run away to reunite with Gennosuke; [[WhatAnIdiot if she had not stopped to kill Oboro, she would have been somewhat more likely to avoid him]]. Later, the very same princess whom Tenzen broke so much through the whole series is the key behind ''his'' (final) death.]]

** Kagerou is maybe [[FemmeFatale the most beautiful of the Kougas]], but she's also a PoisonousPerson who can weaponize DeathBySex. When [[spoiler:Tenzen survives her attacks]],there's a [[NippleAndDimed very detailed]] view of Kagerou's gorgeous body... but this happens when [[spoiler:Tenzen has re-captured her to subject her to ColdBloodedTorture via ''shooting her in the torso with needles when she's bound and completely helpless'', causing her to scream in utter pain.]] And it's made even more terrible when [[spoiler:Oboro attempts to reason with Tenzen so he'll stop abusing poor Kagerou... and Tenzen replies via ''pining Oboro down and trying to rape her'' [[ForScience to see if this will trigger Kagero's powers]] upon being ForcedToWatch.]] Ewwwwww.

* BlessedWithSuck: A few of the ninjas in ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'' have powers that adversely affect their lives. If Kagerou ever [[DeathBySex has sex with someone, they will die.]] Hyouma has a ''doujutsu'' that can kill people by looking at them, but he is unable to turn it off. Being ninjas, they will use these same abilities to kill their enemies.

* DeathBySex: Kagerou's bitterness at the world comes from having powers that will inevitably kill ''every'' man she has sex with, so she will never be able to be with the man she's loved ever since she was a little girl. [[spoiler:Later, Tenzen captures and rapes Kagerou, so she has her revenge by poisoning him ''and'' snapping his neck... but he ''survives'' thanks to his own powers, to re-capture and savagely torture her)]]
* DeusSexMachina: Subverted with poor Kagerou. Just read above.

* LiveActionAdaptation: Has examples of:
** CompletelyDifferentTitle (''Shinobi: Heart Under Blade'')
*** This is because it's based on the same BOOK that this anime is. Not the anime itself. And neither is necessarily all that accurate to the novel...

* VillainousBreakdown ([[spoiler:Ofuku]], AND HOLY GODDAMNED HOW. For as sadistically short-sighted as the character is, [[KarmaHoudini she got off fucking lucky.]])

The year is 1614. The Shogun UsefulNotes/TokugawaIeyasu is old and sick yet not senile, and war is about to erupt between the numerous noble factions that want to see one of his grandsons, either Takechiyo or Kunichiyo, as the heir. To settle this, each group will be represented by two very powerful Ninja sects, the Kouga Manjidani (chosen to support Kunichiyo) and the Iga Tsubagakure (chosen to fight for Takechiyo), who will "[[KillEmAll compete]]" for their cause. However, there is a BIG problem.

* AttemptedRape: Lots of it, they are usually an good indicator that someone (either victim or perpetrator) is about to die. Though, given the series, [[KillEmAll that isn't saying much.]]

* CombatByChampion: The series begins with a match between members of each clan, but it soon becomes a KillEmAll scenario.

* KillEmAll: All the named ninjas eventually die.

* BirdVsSerpent: The opening to every episode shows a battle between a snake and a bird of prey, with each inflicting serious, possibly fatal, wounds on the other.

** Subversion: Saemon Kisaragi thinks it's not in him to harm a woman if he can help it, [[spoiler:but even then, he kills Hotarubi ''very'' bloodily, since she had a part in the demise of his dead little sister.]] Not to mention, almost half of the Iga and Kouga warriors are females, and they ''all'' [[StuffedIntoTheFridge die very messily]].

* ActionGirl: Akeginu, Hotarubi, Okoi and (to a lesser extent) Kagerou.

* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler:Hotarubi was smiling as she fell down a cliff, after Saemon allowed her to die believing she'd be reunited with her dead husband. Oboro also smiled gently when she stabbed herself instead of killing the defenseless Gennosuke.]]

* GreyAndGreyMorality: Both sides of the conflict there are ordinary people who have family or friends and who are forced to become monsters under the pressure of xenophobia and circumstances as well as decent people, and while the Iga have BigBad Tenzen, he's working more for his own self-interests than for the clan. The [[ADayInTheLimelight Day In The Limelight]] episode also shows that the people behind the clan war are resorting to drastic measures to keep the two noble houses vying for the throne from killing each other.

* GreyAndGreyMorality: There are unpleasant, overzealous characters on either side of the clan war as well as decent people, and while the Iga have BigBad Tenzen, he's working more for his own self-interests than for the clan. The [[ADayInTheLimelight Day In The Limelight]] episode also shows that the people behind the clan war are resorting to drastic measures to keep the two noble houses vying for the throne from killing each other.

* KillingIntent: The Dojitsu is an ability that can turn an attacker's killing intent back on themselves, thus violently attacking themselves.

* BackFromTheDead: [[spoiler: Tenzen's]] ability.

* BigBrotherInstinct: When Okoi [[spoiler: was tortured and killed by the Iga]], her older brother Saemon threw himself fully and ''furiously'' into the Iga/Kouga feud. And even before this, the Kougas knew that doing something bad to Okoi was a Bad Idea.

** In the anime, [[spoiler: Gyoubu]]'s backstory was a painful, cruel dose of this.

* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler: Tenzen's fifth and FINAL death]]

** As mentioned, anime!Kagerou takes this to the biggest, [[MurderTheHypotenuse more dangerous extremes]], [[spoiler: and that is [[HoistByHisOwnPetard the key to her downfall]].]] It's not like she's doing it without ''any'' reason other than wanting Gennosuke for herself... too bad [[BreakTheCutie her sad backstory]] was only explained [[AllThereInTheManual in the original novel]].

* DeadPersonImpersonation: [[spoiler: Saemon]] does this several times over the course of the series. [[spoiler: It eventually backfires on him when impersonating Tenzen who, unbeknown to him, was {{Not Quite Dead}}]]
* DeathBySex: Kagerou's bitterness at the world comes from having powers that will inevitably kill ''every'' man she has sex with, so she will never be able to be with the man she's loved ever since she was a little girl. [[spoiler: Later Tenzen captures and rapes Kagerou, so she has her revenge by poisoning him ''and'' snapping his neck... but he ''survives'' thanks to his own powers, to re-capture and savagely torture her)]]

* DoomedMoralVictor: [[spoiler: Oboro effectively wins - by killing herself.]]
* DownerEnding: [[spoiler: At the series' end, ''everyone'' is dead, including Gennosuke and Oboro. And yes, as we learn in the epilogue of the anime, there is also the consideration that this finally brings the clans' feud to an end, making for a potentially BittersweetEnding.]]

** [[spoiler: Oboro prefers to kill herself rather than killing Gennosuke ''and'' continue as a puppet of Ofuku. And after she dies, Gennosuke drives ''a whole squad'' to kill themselves, then stabs ''himself'' to death.]]
** [[spoiler: Gennosuke's power '''is''' this trope. He has to power to reflect the killing intent of anyone going up against him back at them, which causes them to kill themselves instead.]]

** In the anime, Takechiyo's birth mother Princess Oeyo also counts, [[spoiler: having arranged poor Takechiyo's death via an odd poison to favor his brother Kunichiyo.]]

** Okoi from the Kouga ninjas is gorgeous in an AmazonianBeauty way, and at some point she's seen naked. The reason why she's in the buff, however, is that [[ShamefulStrip she's been captured by the Iga ninjas]] and almost completely at their mercy. [[spoiler: It's much, MUCH worse when she's fighting her way to freedom... but when she attacks [[PrehensileHair Mino Nenki]], he fights back ''and the still naked Okoi dies via being becoming a HumanPincushion''.]]
** Kagerou is maybe [[FemmeFatale the most beautiful of the Kougas]], but she's also a PoisonousPerson who can weaponize DeathBySex. When [[spoiler: Tenzen survives her attacks]],there's a [[NippleAndDimed very detailed]] view of Kagerou's gorgeous body... but this happens when [[spoiler: Tenzen has re-captured her to subject her to ColdBloodedTorture via ''shooting her in the torso with needles when she's bound and completely helpless'', causing her to scream in utter pain.]] And it's made even more terrible when [[spoiler: Oboro attempts to reason with Tenzen so he'll stop abusing poor Kagerou... and Tenzen replies via ''pining Oboro down and trying to rape her'' [[ForScience to see if this will trigger Kagero's powers]] upon being ForcedToWatch.]] Ewwwwww.

* GoOutWithASmile: [[spoiler: Hotarubi was smiling as she fell down a cliff, after Saemon allowed her to die believing she'd be reunited with her dead husband. Oboro also smiled gently when she stabbed herself instead of killing the defenseless Gennosuke.]]

** Hyouma, [[spoiler: Koshirou and Gennosuke when he's temporarily blinded.]]
** Juubei also counts as he was the first in the anime [[spoiler: to kill Tenzen ''with a knife concealed in his throat and wielded with his tongue'' and outrun the Iga ninja ''without arms or legs''.]]

** [[spoiler: In the anime, Tenzen captures and ''savagely'' tortures Kagerou after she opts to murder Oboro in her sleep rather than run away to reunite with Gennosuke; [[WhatAnIdiot if she had not stopped to kill Oboro, she would have been somewhat more likely to avoid him]]. Later, the very same princess whom Tenzen broke so much through the whole series is the key behind ''his'' (final) death.]]
** [[spoiler: Sure, Tenzen. Go ahead and attempt to rape the ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD CAPABLE OF NULLIFYING YOUR RESURRECTION POWERS. [[SarcasmMode I'm sure this will result in Rape Is Love rather than your ugly demise.]]]]

%% * KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: Ofuku]] at the end.

** [[spoiler: Hotarubi brutally stabbing Shougen in an UnstoppableRage for not receiving the answer she needed about Yashamaru, Saemon's specially messy murder of Hotarubi herself, how Saemon and Kagerou manipulate the blinded Koshirou and kill him, Akeginu stabbing Hyouma's remains in grief for Koshirou's death, Saemon and Kagerou's murder of Akeginu, etc.]]

* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler: Tenzen, thanks to Oboro's eyes being unsealed [[LaserGuidedKarma RIGHT before his resurrection.]] It's not pretty, either.]]

* KIllingIntent: The Dojitsu is an ability that can turn attacker's killing intent back on themselves, thus violently attacking themselves.

* LastKiss: Subverted: [[spoiler: Kagerou didn't get to kiss Gennosuke and take him with her, thanks to Oboro's eyes being unsealed.]]

* LetThemDieHappy: [[spoiler: Saemon is a very ruthless fighter, but not even he has the guts to deny Hotarubi a last flash of happiness and lets her believe he's Yashamaru so she can die without regrets.]]

* LivingForeverIsAwesome: [[spoiler: Tenzen, though he isn't completely immortal]]

** Possibly situational, considering that [[spoiler: he is, in all likelihood, dead as far as she knows. Missing at the very least. It's implied that she sort of knows, but she's eager to believe that he's alive. Of course, the AUDIENCE knows that he's already dead...]]

* MasterOfDisguise: [[spoiler: Saemon's]] ability.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: In the anime, Gyoubu is utterly shaken and horrified after [[spoiler: Tenzen grabs a boy and throws him into the middle of their fight, causing Gyoubu to accidentally kill the kids's father when the old man tries to save his son. And that lets Tenzen kill him.]].

* ParentalAbandonment: Gennosuke was raised by his grandfather Danjo and his maternal uncle Hyouma since his parents died when he was a child. Oboro's parents are also dead, so she was raised by a nanny and then by Ogen. Out of the other Iga and Kouga, only [[spoiler: Gyoubu's father Kasumi Renbu]] is mentioned, [[spoiler: and he's dead]].

** Tenzen pulls some of these through the series. [[spoiler: We later find out that the destruction of the truce is the result of a BIG one of his', bordering on GambitRoulette, that was ''this'' close to leave him as the pretty much last warrior standing in both clans, with Oboro as his puppet wife and as ManBehindTheMan for the next shogun.]]

* RapeAsDrama: [[spoiler: Tenzen attempts to rape Oboro ''twice''. He hopes for Rape Is Love, or at the very least that it will turn her into an obedient little wife so he can be the leader of the Iga village.]]

* ReallySevenHundredYearsOld: [[spoiler: Tenzen looks like he's in his late 30's, but is over 200 years old. Apparently, being able to come back from death regularly also makes you age slower.]]

* ResurrectiveImmortality: [[spoiler: Tenzen Yakushiji. As long as his inner parasite twin is fine he can abuse of this power as much as he wants. ]]

** The only thing Tenzen couldn't plan for was [[spoiler: Oboro's regaining her sight and using her power on him while he was vulnerable.]] [[spoiler: Though you'd THINK he'd be expecting her to try and murder him at the first opportunity, given the RapeAsDrama entry...]]
** That, and [[spoiler: she]] also derailed [[spoiler: Ofuku]]'s gambit by [[spoiler: commiting suicide rather than killing Gennosuke. ''Almost'', since Gennosuke made sure the Igas would be pronounced victorious and then killed himself, but it still was a neat way to throw Ofuku's crap back at her, since it gave her a ''spectacular'' VillainousBreakdown]].

* StarCrossedLovers: Oboro and Gennosuke. [[spoiler: And when young, Danjou and Ogen.]]
* StockNinjaWeaponry: Many characters employ kunai daggers and tanto. We also have Gennosuke and Tenzen (katana), Nenki (a long nunchaku that can turn back into a pole), Jubei (an Aikuchi dagger [[spoiler: hidden in his esophagus]]), Koshiro (two kama) and also Danjo Kouga (needles).
* StoryBreakerPower: Gennosuke and Oboro's powers ([[spoiler: the power to drive anyone who tries to kill him to suicide and a PowerNullifier for ninja powers, respectively]]) are so broken that both end up getting blinded for a good chunk of the story to keep them from using them.

** Young [[spoiler: Gyoubu]] was a simply ''adorable'' child. Then [[spoiler: his dad died]]...

** [[spoiler: The old people]] are the first two to die. So quickly, in fact, you might forget to count them in the 10 warriors from each side. And I think [[spoiler: the Bishounen Yashamaru]] goes down in the third episode.
* VillainousBreakdown ([[spoiler: Ofuku]], AND HOLY GODDAMNED HOW. For as sadistically short-sighted as the character is, [[KarmaHoudini she got off fucking lucky.]])

** Hotarubi ([[spoiler: after Yashamaru's death]]), to the maximum degree.

** Subversion: Saemon Kisaragi thinks it's not in him to harm a woman if he can help it, [[spoiler: but even then, he kills Hotarubi ''very'' bloodily, since she had a part in the demise of his dead little sister.]] Not to mention, almost half of the Iga and Kouga warriors are females, and they ''all'' [[StuffedIntoTheFridge die very messily]].
** Let's not forget that [[spoiler: he killed Akaginu while Kagerou distracted her on the bridge]]

* YouKilledMyFather: In the anime, [[spoiler: Gyoubu Kasumi saw his father Renbu die at the hands of Iga ninjas]]

* AnyoneCanDie: And does. From the gentles tto the meanest characters, almost all of them have their days numbered.
%% * ArachnidAppearanceAndAttire: Shogen Kazamachi.

* EvilPlan: The entire plot was this by the shogun; he couldn't possibly lose. The mother and nanny of his grandsons Takechiyo/[[spoiler: the future Iemitsu]] and Kunichiyo/[[spoiler: the future Tadanaga]] were in a contest for behind-the-scenes influence of the heir that was turning violent. He wanted to prevent more assassination attempts now, and spare the samurai lives that would be lost if the grandsons grew up to fight for inheritance. So he arranged for ninjas lives to be lost instead, offering pardons and gainful employment to the winner between two clans who already passionately wanted each other dead. The ninjas who die are fewer ninjas to worry about, the ones who live would have the cunning to remove the winning nanny. The clan heads were smart enough to know just how they were being used, but their hatred for each other was too great; the rewards for winning was just icing on the cake.

** Okoi from the Koga ninjas is gorgeous in an AmazonianBeauty way, and at some point she's seen naked. The reason why she's in the buff, however, is that [[ShamefulStrip she's been captured by the Iga ninjas]] and almost completely at their mercy. [[spoiler: It's much, MUCH worse when she's fighting her way to freedom... but when she attacks [[PrehensileHair Mino Nenki]], he fights back ''and the still naked Okoi dies via being becoming a HumanPincushion''.]]
** Kagerou is maybe [[FemmeFatale the most beautiful of the Kogas]], but she's also a PoisonousPerson who can weaponize DeathBySex. When [[spoiler: Tenzen survives her attacks]],there's a [[NippleAndDimed very detailed]] view of Kagerou's gorgeous body... but this happens when [[spoiler: Tenzen has re-captured her to subject her to ColdBloodedTorture via ''shooting her in the torso with needles when she's bound and completely helpless'', causing her to scream in utter pain.]] And it's made even more terrible when [[spoiler: Oboro attempts to reason with Tenzen so he'll stop abusing poor Kagerou... and Tenzen replies via ''pining Oboro down and trying to rape her'' [[ForScience to see if this will trigger Kagero's powers]] upon being ForcedToWatch.]] Ewwwwww.

* StockNinjaWeaponry: Many characters employ kunai daggers and tanto. We also have Gennosuke and Tenzen (katana), Nenki (a long nunchaku that can turn back into a pole), Jubei (an Aikuchi dagger [[spoiler: hidden in his esophagus]]), Koshiro (two kama) and also Danjo Koga (needles).

** Amayo Jingoru can use salt to mutate himself into a repulsive, slimy slug-man.

* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: Every ninja has one special ability, and even though some have an ability that appears to be useless, each character uses their power to be a deadly warrior. Examples: Hotarubi has the power to summon butterflies. Jingoro has the power to turn into a liquid slime when he touches salt. Nenki has PrehensileHair. Jubei has no arms or legs, but does have a really long tongue.

* CharacterExaggeration: Kagerou's jealousy was quite more accentuated in the anime. If this fandom were bigger, Kagerou would be a ''major'' target of DieForOurShip...

* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: Every ninja has one special ability, and even though some have an ability that appears to be useless, each character uses their power to be a deadly warrior. Examples: Hotarubi has the power to summon butterflies. Jingoro has the power to turn into a liquid slime when he touches salt. Nenki has PrehensileHair.

* HeartIsAnAwesomePower: Every ninja has one special ability, and even though some have an ability that appears to be useless, each character uses their power to be a deadly warrior. Examples: Hotarubi has the power to summon butterflies. Jingoro has the power to turn into a liquid slime when he touches salt. Nenki has prehensile hair.

* BlessedWithSuck: A few of the ninjas in ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'' have powers that adversely affect their lives. If Kagerou ever [[DeathBySex has sex with some one]], they will die. Hyouma has a ''doujutsu'' that can kill people by looking at them, but he is unable to turn it off. Being ninjas, they will use these same abilities to kill their enemies.

* BlessedWithSuck: A few of the ninjas in ''Manga/{{Basilisk}}'' have powers that adversely affect their lives. If Kagerou ever has sex with some one, they will die. Hyouma has a ''doujutsu'' that can kill people by looking at them, but he is unable to turn it off. Being ninjas, they will use these same abilities to kill their enemies.