History Manga / CellsAtWork

** Neutrophiles have white skin and wear a white, soldier-like uniform that has several accessories. An antigen detector on their caps that perks up whenever there's an antigen nearby, knifes to tear bacteria apart, and a walkie-talkie to communicate their position and relay important information to other white blood cells.
** T lymphocytes wear a black, police-like uniform and a black cap that says kill.
** The Platelets veer more into MoeAnthropomorphism, as they are depicted as cute children.

* AnthropomorphicPersonification: The Platelets veer more into MoeAnthropomorphism.

* CasualDangerDialog: By Chapter 17/Episode 12, [=AE3803=] and U-1146 are able to hold casual conversations while the latter is wrestling with and killing pathogens, much to the bewilderment of the former's kouhai.

* ParasiteZombie: Viruses manifest as a NiceHat or a mask that controls a cell's mind.

* NiceHat:
** Unlike the nondescript caps worn by most blood cells, Red Blood Cells wear puffy red hats that are based on how real-life red blood cells are shaped.
** Erythroblasts wear similar hats, but contain a pom-pom at the top that symbolizes their nuclei.
** Averted by any Normal Cell whenever illnesses like Influenza show up. Those hats are [[TheVirus anything but cool.]]

* ContrivedCoincidence: Whenever [=AE3803=] is in trouble, be it foreign invaders or just her getting plain lost, Neutrophil U-1146 is almost always the one to save her. This has led to some ShipTease moments between the two. [=AE3803=] even lampshades this while reminiscing about the myelocyte who saved her from a Pseudomonas bacterium. She doesn't remember his face because it happened a long time ago, and after taking a moment to wonder if that was U-1146, she dismisses it as too much of a coincidence.

* AdultFear: In the FlashbackEpisode, a child-cell gets lost during a training exercise and cornered by whom she assumes is her teacher. Another child-cell tries to save her, only to get hurt because he lacks the experience to fight back. It's genuinely harrowing until the White Blood Cell Instructor pulls off a BigDamnHeroes and saves hem both.

* GoodOldFisticuffs: Unlike the rest of the immune cells, T-Cells prefer to use their bare hands rather than weapons to fight pathogens.

* WhatYouAreInTheDark: In a FlashbackEpisode, it's revealed that U-1146 rescued AE 3803 when they were still in training...rather, he tried to fight a giant germ with a toy knife that was trying to eat her, and got his butt kicked for obvious reasons. The germ offered to spare him if he gave up the tiny AE 3803. U-1146 instantly refuses; even if no one would know, it's his job to protect other cells.

'''Neutrophils:''' ''[teary eyed]'' Nooo! Don't do it, Intestinal Epithelial Cell! Tell him AnythingButThat!

* DeusExMachina: A JustifiedTrope. Many common medical procedures would ''certainly'' look like deuses ex machina to the cells inside the body.

* BriarPatching: In order to save an Intestinal Epithelial Cell, U-1146 and squad comply with the bacteria's demands and not-so-subtly point out that they are heading towards a weak part of the intestine. It actually leads to a Peyer's Patch where the bacteria are instantly surrounded at all sides.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The first few chapters contained odd immunological responses like killer T-cells being sent out against bacteria (killer T-cells kill infected human cells, and can't do much against bacterial infections), while neutrophils show up against the flu virus (neutrophils are too small to ingest infected cells). This also makes White Blood Cells' name an ArtifactTitle as they are later clarified to be neutrophils. Thanks to the anime adapting chapters out of order, it reduces the weirdness by introducing the immune response gradually.

* EldritchLocation: The "Outside", which is where all of the [[EldritchAbomination viruses]] and [[HumanoidAbomination bacteria]] are coming in from, and which also serves as a DeathWorld for the cells if they ever happen to fall out into it from their world.
* EmbarrassingOldPhoto:

* BookEnds :The last page of the final chapter is a call back to the last page of the first chapter when [=AE3803=] says goodbye and good luck to U-1146 who is busy as usual killing bacteria to protect the human body [[https://i.imgur.com/5G1xBlj.jpg]]

* MohsScaleOfScienceFictionHardness: Sits at about a 2, with a consistent source of how and why the cell community has as much tech as it needs to function, as well as consistency in how foreign substances are portrayed.

* ''Manga/CellsAtWorkLady'' [[/index]] (''Hataraku Saibou Lady''), having much of the same content but aimed at adult women. The second manga written by Shigemitsu Harada, though illustrated by Akari Otokawa. Runs in ''Morning two''.

** Cancer cells have no real means of fighting back against immune cells except to hide from them, so technically Cancer Cell would have simply masqueraded as an Ordinary Cell until antibodies signaled him as a target.
*** In fact, they do. They are able to deactivate some immune cells, especially NK and T-cells. When approaching metastasis, they can even signal them into apoptosis (cell suicide). That's why is so hard for the immune system to fight off cancer.

An anime adaptation by Creator/DavidProduction began airing on July 8, 2018. It is licensed by Creator/AniplexUSA and is streamed internationally through Website/{{Crunchyroll}}, spanning 13 episodes. The English dub of the anime was released for Blu-Ray on August 27, 2019. The anime is also noted to be the first title where Aniplex USA dubbed the opening song in English.[[note]]Generally speaking, anime titles that are generally dubbed in English will normally leave the opening and ending songs left sung in Japanese, as it's generally too tedious to find a voice actor/actress who has some singing capacity.[[/note]] A fourteenth "special episode," "Common Cold," was released months after the original run of the anime as a Christmas Day special. A second season was announced in 2019, and premiered on January 9, 2021.

* ''Manga/CellsAtWorkWhite'' (''Hataraku Saibou WHITE''), which focuses on the fan favorite Neutrophils of the original manga and digs deeper into their daily lives and functions. Illustrated by Tetsuji Kanie, this manga runs in ''Sirius''.

* RealityEnsues: U-1146 as a child myelocyte tried to protect AE-3803 from a bacteria. He's in training, however, with a toy knife, and tiny. The germ swiftly curbstomps him.

* YourApprovalFillsMeWithShame: Cancer Cell considers U-1146 a friend, claiming that they are NotSoDifferent. [[spoiler:His final words in the Return of Cancer arc are that he's glad that his death is at the hands of a friend. U-1146 disagrees and is unnerved by Cancer Cell's parting words.]]

** Cancer cells are hunted down and killed simply for being made wrong, which is of no fault of their own. Not even [[WouldHurtAChild looking like kids]] dissuades their killers from trying to take them out before they can multiply, because the consequences of not doing so would be disastrous.

** The Anisakis worm is one hell of a badass: in the anime, it's portrayed as a terrifying {{Kaiju}} that threatens to rip open the stomach and devour all the cells. In real life, though, it's actually ''pathetically bad'' at invading human tissue, and in fact is only dangerous because it ''tries to burrow through the gut lining, fails to do so, gets stuck in the gut lining and dies,'' and then the immune system proceeds to ZergRush its already dead corpse, causing an allergic reaction. This was probably a conscious artistic choice, as it's precisely because the immune system ''thinks'' that it could tear through the stomach and devour all cells that this reaction ends up happening, and the entire show happens from their perspective.

** Antibodies aren't exactly weapons: they serve more like "tags" that then signal the other immune cells to attack the tagged target.
** Effector T-cells don't revert to Naive T-cells for any reason. They will only become Killer or Memory T-cells.

** Cancer cells have no real means of fighting back against immune cells except to hide from them, so technically Cancer Cell would have simply masqueraded as an Ordinary Cell until antibodies signalled him as a target.
** Chapter 15/Episode 10 treats Monocytes and Macrophages interchangeably, when biologically they have different development stages, which are typically not reversible. Monocytes are progenitors to Macrophages, and depending on the external signal can also differentiate into Dendritic Cells.

* AstonishinglyAppropriateAppearance: Justified since they are anthropomorphic personifications of the immune system. Special mention goes to the Neutrophils, since they are pure white just like their namesakes.
* AxCrazy: The Neutrophils appear to be those nice, swell guys you could be friends with. That is, unless you are a harmful bacterium; they then become unhinged literal murderous {{Blood Knight}}s out to kill them indiscriminately. The only exception to this rule are Lactic Acid Bacteria that help the body.
* BackForTheFinale: Many body cells that have appeared throughout the anime series are given voiced cameos in Episode 12, despite not appearing in Chapter 17 of the manga, from which the episode was adapted. This is likely because the anime episode in question is the first of a two part finale for the series.

** The good bacteria are cute and cuddly creatures who are capable of fighting the harmful pathogens almost as well as the White Blood Cells. One particular Lactic Acid Bacterium in chapter 21 was able to cause serious damage to a H. Pylori that's hundreds of times its size, enough to drive it away from the gastric acid pool, so that the Neutrophils can deal the killing blow.

* BeautyEqualsGoodness: The harmful bacteria are depicted as humanoid monstrosities, often with fangs, claws, or deformed body parts. The good lactic acid bacteria, on the other hand, are depicted as cute and cuddly. Opportunistic bacteria, who switch sides depending on which bacterial strain is currently on top, are in between, not being as monstrous as bad bacteria or as cute as good bacteria. Meanwhile, the human body's native cells generally appear as attractive young people.

* BookEnds :The last page of the final chapter is a call back to the last page of first chapter when [=AE3803=] says goodbye and good luck to U-1146 who is busy as usual killing bacteria to protect the human body [[https://i.imgur.com/5G1xBlj.jpg]]
* BossSubtitles: When a cell type appears in every manga chapter for the first time, there'll always be a text box that introduce its functions. That includes the Red Blood Cells and the Neutrophils.

* BriarPatching: In order to save an Intestinal Epithelial Cell, U-1146 and squad complies with the bacteria's demands and not-so-subtly point out that they are heading towards a weak part of the intestine. It actually leads to a Peyer's Patch where the bacteria are instantly surrounded at all sides.

* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: The original Cancer Cell is on an advanced stage that allows him to disguise himself as an Ordinary Cell, even managing to fool both U-1146 and Killer-T. Only NK Cell is able to sniff him out thanks to her ability to sense cancer cells. [[spoiler:He even managed to convince Regulatory T-Cell into thinking he is an Ordinary Cell, hindering both NK and Killer-T from killing him.]]

* BeachEpisode: Or the closest thing a body can get to a BeachEpisode. [[spoiler: The body takes an IV shot after getting heat stress that is represented as a giant tube that brings rain. The place then turns into a resort for the cells to cool off.]]

* CerebusRollercoaster: The manga follows this pattern, with lighter arcs after a darker arc. The story starts with cells being introduced, [[spoiler: after which Cancer Cell is introduced as an Arc Villain.]] followed by some more lighthearted chapters. Then suddenly, the body [[spoiler: gets into a hypovolemic shock]] and almost shuts down. This is followed by the lighthearted [[spoiler:Lactic Acid Bacteria]] arc, which is then followed by [[spoiler:Cancer Cell's revival.]]

* DarkestHour: The hypovolemic shock (extreme blood loss) incident (covered in the manga and anime as Chapters 17-18 and Episode 12 respectively) is probably the darkest and most difficult moment of the whole series, probably even more than the Cancer Cell arc. Due to the loss of many red blood cells, oxygen is not distributed through the body, which causes Ordinary Cells to start dying of asphyxia, turning the dying body into a cold and desolate landscape. It gets so bad that, [[spoiler: had it not been for the transfused red blood cells]], [=AE3803=] (and the rest of the other cells) would have ended up dying.

* DescriptionCut: [[spoiler: In chapter 26, [=AE3803=] assures U-4989 that U-1149 is relaxing and not doing anything stressful. Cut to him hunting down bacteria with a very murderous expression]].

* GuiltFreeExterminationWar: The Immune Cells are merciless against foreign invaders, immediately killing anything they recognize as an antigen or germ. Given that they are [[AlwaysChaoticEvil literal germs with no other aspirations or purpose other than to take over the body or kill the cells for nutrients]], there's never a need to feel bad about it - it's something that goes on inside you every second of every day after all. This is one reason why [[spoiler: Cancer Cell wants to multiply and take over the body. Since the world wanted him dead, he feels that the other cells should taste what being hunted and killed feels like. However, despite his more sympathetic characterization, his death is still portrayed as entirely necessary.]]

* HereWeGoAgain: Chapter 3 of the manga and Episode 3 of the anime, which ends with [[spoiler: the immune cells now having to deal with [[EvilEvolves Influenza A]], that not even that Effector T-Cell and his progeny were able to take down, as effector T-cells are antigen-specific]]. [[ThisIsGonnaSuck Ouch]]!
* HeartbeatSoundtrack: Once the heart (represented as a giant Taoist temple) shows up, the heart beating faster is heard as accelerating drumbeats. Particularly prevalent in episode 12, which deals with life-threatening hemorrhage.

* ItsASmallWorldAfterAll: Out of trillion cells in the large body, the main cast always manages to bump into each other whenever the plot happens.

** Volume 5 is an exception to this, since, except for the first chapter, that has a Helicobacter pylori as the monster of the week, it follows a cohesive plot of U-1146 and Ordinary Cell trying to find a home for the lactic acid bacteria, mixed with a new influenza outbreak, an invasion of harmful bacteria in the intestines [[spoiler: and another confrontation with Cancer Cell.]]

** A darker example [[spoiler: happens in the pimple chapter, where U-1146 stumbles upon a mountain of corpses of his fellow Neutrophils, aka pus.]]

* OneManArmy: U-1146 is portrayed this way, surviving bacterial attacks that should have killed neutrophils in real life. [[spoiler: An example of this is defeating the Acne King by himself when many of his comrades were killed. Sure he gets help from the hair cells but that's still pushing it...]]

* TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse: The original Cancer Cell is on an advanced stage that allows him to disguise himself as an Ordinary Cell, even managing to fool both U-1146 and Killer-T. Only NK Cell is able to sniff him out thanks to her ability to sense cancer cells. [[spoiler: He even managed to convince Regulatory T-Cell into thinking he is an Ordinary Cell, hindering both NK and Killer-T from killing him.]]

* VileVillainSaccharineShow: The anime is a very lighthearted story about the functions of the immune system sprinkled with little bits of violence. While the pathogens are all varying degrees of nasty and do pose a threat, their villainy is highly [[ForTheEvulz exaggerated and comical]] and under the right circumstances, all get taken down quite easily. Cancer Cell Breaks this format, being a thoroughly-ruthless KnightOfCerebus that relishes in the thought of killing innocent cells, has an actual FreudianExcuse toward doing so, [[spoiler: and can give our heroes such a brutal ass-kicking that an entire army's worth of backup needs to be called in before he can be stopped.]] This makes Cancer Cell feel out of place to the point that one can think he came from another show.

* ZombieApocalypse: An influenza outbreak is portrayed this way, with the infected cells becoming zombie-like. [[spoiler: Common colds are also portrayed this way, the only difference is that the infected cells seems to have a sense of self.]]

* DeliberateValuesDissonance: Despite the fact that they're usually just as sentient as the body's cells, nothing resembling civilized justice is shown to any of the body's pathogens; the one and only option is for them to be killed on sight. Obviously, this is done to follow real-life biology, and given that its well understood how much [[AlwaysChaoticEvil real-life destruction and death]] these germs inevitably cause when allowed to live, it's very difficult to feel any pity for them. This is one of the big reasons why [[spoiler:Cancer Cell is such a tragic villain - despite never actually doing anything wrong, he was treated like a monster from the moment he was born because of a mistake his progenitor made. It would be incredibly inhumane if not for the fact that he can and will kill everyone else in the known world if he's allowed to continue existing.]]

* ''Manga/CellsAtWorkBacteria'' (''Hataraku Saikin''), which focuses on the battle between good and bad bacteria in the intestines. Written by Shimizu and illustrated by Haruyuki Yoshida, and runs in the {{Shojo}} anthology ''Magazine/{{Nakayoshi}}''. An English translation was released by Kodansha Comics starting in July 2020.

* ''Manga/CellsAtWorkCodeBlack'' (''Hataraku Saibou; Black''), a much darker series about the life of cells in an unhealthy body. The human smokes, drinks too much, is under high stress, never exercises, has high cholesterol and does not practice safe sex, leading the cells inside to overexert themselves. The first spinoff not to be written by Shimizu, instead being penned by Shigemitsu Harada and illustrated by Issei Hatsuyoshi. Runs in ''Morning'', a {{Seinen}} anthology. Like the main series, the manga is licensed by Kodansha Comics in North America.

!!Tropes present in this work include: