History Manga / MAR

** In battle, the big weapons and guardians are used often, but saved for late in the battle, but this is {{justified|Trope}} because it takes time to build up synchronization with one's [=Ärm=]. Using a big guardian too early will result in it being as harmless as a soap bubble, as [[BadAss Alan]] is all too willing to explain to an unfortunate Rook.

* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes: Alan, the most {{badass}} of anyone on Team Mär, has a crippling cat phobia. This turns out to be a problem when he has to fight a CatGirl.

See also the series SequelSeries, ''Manga/MarOmega''

* {{Badass}}: Characters on both sides each exhibit moments of badassery, but Alan takes the cake, literally everything he says and does looks badass. Except [[WeaksauceWeakness against cats]].

* ICouldaBeenAContender: Gaira on the surface, has the makings of a {{Badass}} and was the number 3 player in the previous War Games [[spoiler:gets eliminated in the preliminaries by Chimera.]]

Poor Ginta just can't get a break. He's nearsighted, does poorly in school, isn't athletic, and to top it all off, is really short for his age. He has quite the imagination, however, having had the same dream of the fantastical world of Märhaven, where he's the hero that saves the day, a total of 102 times. This only makes him a bigger laughingstock at school, except for his childhood friend Koyuki who very much enjoys Ginta's imaginary adventures. Then one day, a mysterious portal appears in the middle of his class room and its guardian summons Ginta to the world beyond. With little hesitation, Ginta steps through to find himself in the land of his dreams. Not only is Märhaven real, but Ginta is now strong and agile and best of all, no longer needs his glasses to see! Thus begins Ginta's adventures in Mär Heaven.

** It's even worse for the Zonnen. In order to end the War Games, they intended to assassinate the main characters during the latter's TrainingFromHell. Instead of simply killing Alan and destroying the training gates he had activated, they ''GO INSIDE THE TRAINING GATES AND TORTURE THE PEOPLE INSIDE''. [[KarmicDeath Cue the Karmic Deaths]].

* GeckoEnding: n rather odd example in that the manga ended ''before'' the anime. Unlike most examples, it is actually positive as it wraps up the remaining plot threads [[spoiler: by having Koyuki and Snow merge in order for Ginta not feel guilty about leaving Mar Heaven, the Orb being revealed that it is the embodiment of all of the evil of Ginta's world, thus connecting to why he had Diana try and open a portal to his world and make the latter's motive make more sense and the fights are much better paced than the actual manga]].

** It's even worse for the Zonnen. In order to end the War Games, they intended to assassinate the main characters during the latter's TrainingFromHell. Instead of simply killing Alan and destroying the training gates he had activated, they ''GO INSIDE THE TRAINING GATES AND TORTURE THE PEOPLE INSIDE''. [[KarmicDeath Cue the KÄrmic Deaths]].

* {{Expy}}: [[spoiler:Nanashi is whole lot similar to FlameOfRecca's Joker. EpilepticTree says that Nanashi IS Joker who got thrown into the Mär universe after his final battle.]] The fact that he has the scent of an otherworlder, and [[spoiler: first showed up in Märhaven with Joker's clothing and stomach wound]], only adds support to this.

* CursedWithAwesome: see the BlessedWithSuck entry.

** BrokenBird Chimera is also a great example of this, intentionally replacing her hands with creepy ghost Ärms.
*** Hands? Her body was broken, but her limbs were still fully functional. Ghost Ärms consume the soul.

* AccidentalPervert - Jack during his first match with Pano. He was entirely clueless to the UnfortunateImplications during his fight.

* ActionGirl - Both Snow and Dorothy

* AffablyEvil - Phantom and Rolan. At a first glance you wouldn't recognize that they're evil.
* AGlassOfChianti - [[BloodyMurder Peta]] drinks Nanashi's blood from a fancy (yet creepy) wineglass ''during'' their battle. And yeah, it's just a glass, not an Ärm.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * AlternateUniverse - Mär
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * AlwaysChaoticEvil - The Chess
* AmnesiacDissonance - [[spoiler:Babbo was Phantom's Ärm in the first games.]]

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * ApologeticAttacker - Rolan
* AscendedFanboy - Ginta gets to visit the fantasy land he dreamed so long for.
* AuthorityEqualsAsskicking - The Chess are ranked via chess pieces. Pawns being mooks, followed by Rooks, Bishops, and Knights being the highest ranked fighters. There is only one King and Queen and they don't fight [[spoiler:till the very end.]]

* BackFromTheDead - [[spoiler:Phantom is killed in the previous war games, but gets revived and leads the Chess in the next set of war games. Danna at the end of the series]].
* {{Badass}} - Characters on both sides each exhibit moments of badassery, but Alan takes the cake, literally everything he says and does looks badass. Except [[WeaksauceWeakness against cats]].
* LittleMissBadass - Loco [[spoiler:though she is [[OlderThanTheyLook older than she appears]] and justified due to the effect of her Darkness Ärms [[FountainOfYouth that reverses the users age]]]].
* BaitAndSwitchLesbians - Despite being in love with Ginta, Dorothy has quite a few moments in the anime being inappropriately groped by other females.
* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind - Though, as a twist, it's [[spoiler:Ginta and the Caldian Orb]] inside [[spoiler:''Babbo'']]'s mind.
* BettyAndVeronica - With Snow being the Betty and Dorothy being the Veronica.
* BigScrewedUpFamily - [[spoiler: Dorothy is Diana's sister, who's Snow's stepmother and also the Queen of the BigBad ]]
* BilingualBonus - Märchen is German for "Fairy Tale".

* BlackMagicianGirl - Dorothy
* BladeOnAStick - Nanashi's weapon of choice.
* BlessedWithSuck - The Zombie Tattoo, depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, it grants immortality; even if you die, you simply RiseFromYourGrave some time later. In addition to that, the tattoo is a gift and Märk of admiration from Phantom, something every Chess Piece would quite literally kill for. On the other hand, [[WhoWantsToLiveForever it grants immortality]] by making you into a living zombie; "never to die, and never to truly live again". Mär member [[spoiler:Alviss]] views it as a curse, while Knight Rolan views it as a great blessing.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * BloodyMurder - Peta
* BodyHorror - Pretty much what [[spoiler:Chimera]] does to poor Gido.

* BreakTheCutie - Chimera. Though most of the Knights had lives this messed up.
* ButtMonkey - Jack. Lampshaded almost constantly. Especially in one episode of the anime [[spoiler: where he is turned into an actual monkey by Loco and Babbo comments that it's not really any different from normal]].
* TheChainsOfCommanding - Due to the rules of the tournament, if the captain is defeated, the entire team loses. Ginta as team captain, knows all to well what the price of failure means.
* CaptainErsatz - Some of the characters in the show are inspired by fairy tale characters.
* CatGirl - Chaton, the strongest Bishop. She ends up defeating Alan, who has a [[WeaksauceWeakness fear of cats]]. Also Merilo, a maid guardian. And Bumoru, a counterpart to Merilo, though significantly less of a 'cat-girl' impression.
* ChessMotifs - The Chess. Ranking system is organized by the strength of chess pieces, the order being Pawn, Rook, Bishop, Knight, Queen, and King.
* ClothingDamage - Happens a lot in the anime. Dorothy and Alviss are the main victims.
* ChasteHero - While Snow and Jack comment on Alice's appearance, and Bappo is embarrassed to take that form, Ginta doesn't even seem to give her the time of day.
* CombatSadomasochist - Candice. She outright says this to Jack when she fights him. Her Chimera guardian works by having her take pain in order to power it up, and then inflicts that "pain" on the foe by way of [[TakenForGranite petrification]].
* ConspicuousCG - The anime is very guilty of this, spending more budget on CGI Guardians than flowing animation

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass - Ginta, Jack, and Nanashi. All three display varying degrees of stupidity, yet when pushed hard enough show their badass sides. As well as Rolan, to an extent. He stutters and acts rather silly, even when evading attacks in battle...until he starts fighting back.

* CurbStompBattle - Dorothy vs. Avrute.
* CursedWithAwesome - see the BlessedWithSuck entry.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * CuteGhostGirl - Alma
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * CuteWitch - Dorothy
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * DarkActionGirl - Kandis and Chimera would fit.
* DatingCatwoman - Jack and Pano.

* {{Defictionalization}} - [=ARMs=] were sold as jewelry in real life, although presumably sans magic powers.
* DeliberatelyCuteChild - Loco, [[spoiler:also due to her Ärm's side effect makes her [[ReallySevenhundredYearsOld much older]]]]
* DemonicPossession - The [[spoiler:Caldian Orb]]. Over the course of the series, it possesses [[spoiler:Babbo (twice!) and Boss.]]
* DepartmentOfRedundancyDepartment - "Kung Fu Frog is a master of Kung Fu!"

* DisappearedDad - Ginta's father [[spoiler:who turned out to be Boss of the Cross Guard.]]

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * DistressedDamsel - Snow, although it only happens twice.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * DiscOneNuke - Babbo, and Ginta too, pretty much.
* DroppedABridgeOnHim - [[spoiler: The death of all the main characters in the end of the anime. [[DisneyDeath They get better, though.]]]]
* DudeLooksLikeALady - Rolan.

* ElementalIgnorance - During the War Games Snow wanted to participate in the 4th round Ice Field match but Alan wouldn't let her, which considering the boost she'd get from the Ice Field would more than compensate for any lingering fatigue, so it was a pretty stupid move on Alan's part. And that's barely scratching the surface of some of the rather... unique choices they make.
* ElementalPowers
** AnIcePerson - Snow (who also has MakingASplash powers with her strongest Ärm), Girom
** BlowYouAway - Dorothy, Fûghi
** DarkIsEdgy - Alviss, Loco
** DishingOutDirt - Rolan
** ExtraOreDinary - The majority of characters, as they tend to have at least one weapon Ärm.
** GreenThumb and PlayingWithFire - Jack (Wizard, one of the Knights, as well, minus the fire). Alan and Halloween also use flame.
** LightEmUp - Ginta, when using Alice.
** ShockAndAwe - Nanashi
* EmotionlessGirl - Subverted with Loco, [[spoiler:as she is simply a stoic, 32-year-old woman in a little girl's body.]] Also, she shows genuine surprise (in one case, horror) at some of the crazy shit the good guys pull off.
* EmpathicWeapon - Babbo, which is considered an impossible trait for an Ärm to have.
* EpicFlail - Babbo again, the weapon in question looks like a [[http://www.onemanga.com/Mär/4/02/ Kendama]] (like paddle-ball, only with a hammer), Ginta uses him like a flail until Babbo gets upgraded later.
* EvenTheGuysWantHim - "Man, Alviss-dono is popular among both men and women!", as stated by Edward during episode 88's Mär Heaven Network.

* {{Expy}} - [[spoiler:Nanashi is whole lot similar to FlameOfRecca's Joker. EpilepticTree says that Nanashi IS Joker who got thrown into the Mär universe after his final battle.]] The fact that he has the scent of an otherworlder, and [[spoiler: first showed up in Märhaven with Joker's clothing and stomach wound]], only adds support to this.
* EyePatchOfPower - Both Nanashi and Galian wear their bandanas so that it looks like they're blindfolded (although close-ups reveal that one eye is exposed) and Candice wears an actual eye patch (with a flaming skull insignia no less) over her left eye, and they look pretty badass this way.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * FaceHeelTurn - [[spoiler: Danna, and in the anime, Alviss]]
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * FamousAncestor - [[spoiler:Ginta's father Danna]]
* FunWithAcronyms - The English title "MÄR" stands for "Märchen Awakens Romance", the "[[BilingualBonus Märchen]]" standing for fairy tales.
* FracturedFairyTale - Boy howdy. Almost everyone is a reference to some fairy tale, even guys like Alviss. It'd be easier to list the people who ''aren't''.

* GenreBlind - The Chess were fully capable of completely destroying Mär, and instead they decide to ''deliberately'' sit back and watch the good guys become stronger. [[WhatAnIdiot What a bunch of idiots...]] {{Justified|Trope}} in that an easy victory goes against [[BloodKnight basic Chess philosophy]].

* GingerbreadHouse - In one round of the War Games, Princess Snow fights against the Bishop Emokiss, an ugly little girl whose signature ÄRM is the Gingerbread House - a house of sweets. When she eats the House, she bulks up, growing fatter and larger and stronger with each bite.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * GladiatorGames - The War Games
* GodSaveUsFromTheQueen - The Chess base themselves in Lestava, with Diana ruling over both.

* GoodScarsEvilScars - Many of the protagonists have minor scars, while some of the Chess Pieces are more damaged and even deformed, especially Chimera.

* GreenLanternRing - ''Babbo''. When Ginta slots in a magic stone, he can give that "version" ''any ability he can think of''. This ranges from a hammer/dagger Ärm, to such things as a jelly that defends against all attacks, an Ärm-wielding guardian, and finally a [[spoiler:Reverse Gatekeeper Clown.]]

* HarmlessFreezing - Snow uses an Ärm to trap herself in ice to prevent the attempted kidnapping by the Chess. Subverted because she's actually in mortal danger if she isn't defrosted in time.
* HeIsAllGrownUp - Koyuki was already in love with Ginta, but she quite enjoyed seeing that, upon his return from MAR Heaven, he was a year older, taller, stronger, and didn't need glasses anymore. The magic may not have transferred, but all the other benefits he received from his trip to MAR Heaven did.

* HeavyVoice - One character's signature ARM is the GingerbreadHouse - a house of sweets. Eating it makes her grow to sumo-like proportions, gaining superhuman strength and toughness in the process. As she grows bigger, her voice grows deeper and thicker.
* HeelFaceTurn - Plenty of Chess pieces [[spoiler: in the anime, Ash, Pano, Gido, Ian, Galian, Chaton, Loco, to name a few]]
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * HeroesRUs - Cross Guard
* HeroicBSOD - Ginta, in the anime, after [[spoiler: Snow's death]]
* HeroicSacrifice - [[spoiler:Danna dies in his fight against Phantom.]]
* HiddenElfVillage - Kaldea, from which all [=Ärm=] are produced.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * HighlyVisibleNinja - Kouga

* HoldingBackThePhlebotinum - Utterly averted. Most notably, the [[YearInsideHourOutside Training Gate]] is introduced early and used often; every character not participating in the current day's fights will be training inside, and everyone goes inside to train on the days off.
** In battle, the big weapons and guardians are used often, but saved for late in the battle, but this is {{justified|Trope}} because it takes time to build up synchronization with one's [=Ärm=]. Using a big guardian too early will result in it being as [[IncrediblyLamePun hÄrmless]] as a soap bubble, as [[BadAss Alan]] is all too willing to explain to an unfortunate Rook.
* ICouldaBeenAContender - Gaira on the surface, has the makings of a {{Badass}} and was the number 3 player in the previous War Games [[spoiler:gets eliminated in the preliminaries by Chimera.]]
* IHaveYouNowMyPretty - There's an entire arc in the anime dedicated to Phantom kidnapping and keeping ALVISS at his side, under mind control-complete with Yaoi Fanservice! No, really.
* {{Immortality}} - Phantom [[spoiler:and the zombie tattoo.]]
* ImprobableWeaponUser - Jack and his Battle Scoop! (even if it's more of a shovel/spade)
* InvincibleHero - All of the team members are this to a degree, but Dorothy takes the cake (She's the only other member of the group not to lose in any of the fights. Ginta himself is [[JustifiedTrope justified]] during the War Games because his loss, as captain, would mean that the entire team would lose.).

* InvoluntaryShapeshifting - Alan and Ed occupy the same body, and switch places when one of them falls asleep.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * JamesBondage - Alviss, in the anime.
* JumpedAtTheCall - Ginta heads through the portal to Mär with minimal regrets. He occasionally feels homesick and doesn't seem to like he's making Koyuki and his mother worry about him.

* KarmaHoudini - Girom. Sweet blue monkey hell, ''GIROM''. No matter how many atrocities he commits, the only punishment he ever gets is getting blasted into the sky and punched unconscious [[spoiler:and losing his sister Rapunzel to Ian]]. He never learns his damn lesson.
* {{Kawaiiko}} - Aqua. Her cuteness will [[TastesLikeDiabetes rot your teeth out.]]
* KillItWithFire - How Jack [[spoiler:wins his final battle]].
* KillTheCutie - [[spoiler:Aqua, a Chess bishop, is killed by Girom after her draw against Nanashi, even though [[HopeSpot she SUCCEEDS in winning]] RockPaperScissors against Rapunzel. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Ginta does NOT take it very well.]]]]
* LaserGuidedAmnesia - Both Nanashi and Babbo have had their memories wiped prior to Ginta's arrival.
* LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters - All the members of Chess are named, and there are a lot of members... A select few (mainly the knights) are given backstory and/or become recurring characters throughout the tournament.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * LoveableRogue - Nanashi
* LoveAtFirstPunch - Jack and Pano.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * LoveBubbles - Quite usual in the anime
* LoveMakesYouEvil - Subverted: Phantom only got more bitter when Alma dumped him for being a villain.
* LukeIAmYourFather - [[spoiler:The King is Danna, Ginta's father]]
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * MagicalLand - Märhaven
* MagikarpPower - Jack's Battle Shovel is easily the most useless Ärm the group has, even worse than an unpowered Babbo. All it is is a shovel shaped chÄrm that morphs into... an ordinary shovel, not even meant for battle. However, during his first Trianing Gate session, Dorothy teaches him how to use Magic Stones with the shovel to give it better powers. Jack manages to turn the shovel into a highly powered Nature Ärm (renaming it the Earth Shovel) with the power to manipulate soil and rock, and to germinate and control all manner of highly magical plants. He then proceeds to win almost every one of his War Game fights with it.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * MagiTek - The [=Ärm=]
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * ManBehindTheMan - [[spoiler:The King]]
* MasculineGirlFeminineBoy - Roland and Candice, mostly noticeable in the Ghost Chess arc, when they appear together often. Roland is mild mannered, delicate, gentle and looks like a girl. Candice is loudspoken, rude, loves to fight, has an immense ammount of bloodlust and even gropes females now and then.
* MaskPower - Every Chess Piece with a rank higher than Pawn has a unique mask. Pawns all have identical masks, to cement their place as FacelessGoons.

* MeaningfulName - Dorothy, being a ShoutOut to ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', whose most powerful Ärm is a giantic dog named Toto, a giant robot, a crucified scarecrow, and a flying lion, as well as a psychotic quilted doll ([[Literature/LandOfOz books only]]); Snow, being a ShoutOut to "Literature/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs", whose Ärm are all ice based; Jack, being a ShoutOut to Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk whose [=Ärm=] are mostly based around plants and gardening. See a [[ThemeNaming theme developing here]]?

* MightyGlacier - Avrute, one of the Chess bishops in the forth battle of the war game, moves slowly and wields a huge claw that can slice through anything; [[spoiler: he gets defeated ''instantly'' before he can even do anything.]]
* MirrorMatch - Nature Ärm Shadowman creates a perfect copy of a person at their strongest. The heroes use it as a training partner inside the Training Gate.
* MoreThanMindControl - Both Phantom and Diana [[spoiler:were actually under the manipulation of king, but both where twisted to begin with.]]
* MorphWeapon - Babbo and Jack's battle scoop, and a few other [=Ärm=], through the use of socketing magic stones and then thinking up of cool powers.
* MultipleDemographicAppeal - Despite the manga having blood and being geared towards a young teenage audience, the anime was made to be aired to kids... and surprisingly enough, [[YaoiFangirl fangirls]]
* MushroomSamba - In the War Games, Jack gets a rematch with Pano. He seeds her with special mushrooms that give her hallucinations. They go like this: The volcanoes around the battlefield erupt, the mushrooms become caterpillars, the caterpillars become [[PrettyButterflies butterflies]] and the [[MoodWhiplash wasteland becomes a field of flowers,]] the butterflies become bats, vines wrap her up, and ''then'' Jack, much better looking than he really is, appears and offers to remove the mushrooms if she gives up, which she [[DistractedByTheSexy does immediately.]] In fact, [[HypnotizeThePrincess he leaves one behind on purpose so she would still think he's handsome.]] He accidentally knocks it off when he goes to hug her, and the hallucinations wear off in the span of a few seconds.
* NebulousEvilOrganization - The Chess. Lampshaded by Loco, who fully recognizes just how evil the Chess Pieces are. Though, being a Chess Piece herself, she doesn't seem to care.
* NerdGlasses - Ginta wears these at the beginning of the series. Discarding them right after arriving in Märhaven.

* NotAGame - Ginta gets a very harsh wake-up call as to the seriousness of the Chess Piece threat when Alan explains the War Games after showing Ginta the destruction the Chess have already caused.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * OmnicidalManiac - The majority of the Chess Pieces, ''especially'' Phantom.
* OrgasmicCombat - Candice's sadomasochistic streak makes her enjoy her fights too much.

* PerkyFemaleMinion - Candices's (one sided) relationship with Phantom. Also Chaton and Aqua.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * PrincessesPreferPink - Snow.
* PsychoSupporter - Peta, Rolan... hell, the ''entire Chess organization'' qualifies for this.
* RememberTheNewGuy - Bell, Alviss' FairyCompanion, isn't active during the tournament, making very brief appearances in the interludes beteween rounds. The same happens to Ed, the dog. They both get more screen time in the anime though.
* RoyalsWhoActuallyDoSomething - Both Dorothy and Snow actually fight and kick ass.

* SerialKiller - Girom kills without remorse, except for when he knows he cannot defeat his enemy, in which case he AintTooProudToBeg for forgiveness.
* ShoutOut - in one episode of the anime Ginta is turned into a [[spoiler: pink rabbit]] in what is probably a shout out to ''Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past''

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * SissyVillain - Rolan again.
* SmokingIsCool - Alan does it, and only looks more like a badass for it.
* SnowMeansLove - The anime ends with Ginta and Koyuki[[spoiler:/Snow]] walking home as it starts snowing, even though it's Spring.
* SocialDarwinist - Halloween. A few of the other Chess knights qualify, but he is the most evident of them. [[spoiler:Phantom doesn't count since he's mind-controlled by the King.]]
* SortingAlgorithmOfEvil - As the tournament progresses, the heroes face the higher ranks of the Chess.
* SoulJar - [[spoiler:Babbo.]] In fact, it's had as many as ''three'' souls inside at once.
* StalkerWithACrush - Chaton stalks Alan in the anime due to her crush. It's a pity he hates cats.

* StormingTheCastle - The final fights take place in Lestava castle.
* SummonMagic - Guardian [=Ärm=].
* SwissArmyAppendage - [[spoiler:Phantom has his favorite [=Ärm=] ''grafted on to his arm.'']]
** So he has an [[IncrediblyLamePun Ärm]]?
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * SympatheticMurderer - Chimera, Ash, Rolan, and some of the more minor Chess.
* TertiarySexualCharacteristics - Pozun's wife and their female children have bows on their heads.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * TheBaroness - Candice
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * TheChosenOne - Ginta
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * TheDragon - Peta
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry - Subverted. Both Diana and Dorothy are beautiful, popular, and s[[JustForPun Mär]]t. [[spoiler: Diana is evil, though, and that's what causes Dorothy to try and stop her.]] Per law of their floating continent, she even ''has'' to even.
* TheHighQueen - Diana
* ThemeNaming - A great number of characters are named after and have attacks based on fairy tales.

* TheStoic - Alviss. Spoofed on a few occasions in a few gag strips found at the end of each manga volume.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential - Gaira and Alan are usually responsible for those.

* TournamentArc - The War Games making up 2/3 of the series.
%% commented out ZeroContextExample * TroubledButCute - Alviss again.

%% commented out ZeroContextExample * VillainousFriendship - Phantom and Peta sport a type I.
* WasOnceAMan - [[spoiler:Chimera, actually a woman.]]
* WeaksauceWeakness - Alan's fear/allergy to cats.
* WickedStepmother - Diana to Snow

* WhenYouSnatchThePebble - After Gaira's TrainingFromHell that he puts Ginta and Jack through, Alvis asks for a showing of their power now. He takes two stones and fires them towards the two from behind. Ginta, intelligently moves out of the way, impressing Alviss. Jack instead punches the stone, shattering it. He then is seen rolling on the ground because the stone injured his hand. Alvis notes the power increase, but notes that Jack is still an idiot, while Ginta merely freaks out at nearly being lobotomized.
* WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes - Alan, the most {{badass}} of anyone on Team Mär, has a crippling cat phobia. This turns out to be a problem when he has to fight a CatGirl.
* WordSaladTitle
* {{Yandere}} - Candice, for Phantom.
* YearInsideHourOutside - Dimension Ärm Training Gate. Time passes sixty times as fast inside the gate. The heroes use the Ärm at just about every opportunity to train for enormous periods of time. Ginta's first training period saw him spend half a year inside the Gate, while only three days passed outside.
* YouHaveFailedMe - [[spoiler: In the fourth battle of the War Games, the Chess Knight Rapunzel kills those Chess members who lose their battles. Unfortunately, the last one killed was [[TastesLikeDiabetes sickenly adorable]], and her death drove Ginta [[RoaringRampageofRevenge COMPLETELY BERSERK]]]].

* YourUniverseOrMine - Life is tough for Ginta. The choice is made a moot point in the anime, considering [[spoiler: Koyuki and Snow essentially fuse into one being.]]

* MightyGlacier - Possible deconstruction: Avrute, one of the Chess bishops in the forth battle of the war game, moves slowly and wields a huge claw that can slice through anything; [[spoiler: he gets defeated ''instantly'' before he can even do anything.]]

A shonen action manga/anime by Nobuyuki Anzai, the creator of ''FlameOfRecca''.

* ScrewedByTheNetwork: Together with PrinceOfTennis, MAR was aired out of order for several weeks, so that the audience had no idea what was going on. By the time they decided to start over and air the series properly, most of the fans had given up, and it was taken off the air a few months later. It survived for a time on the internet, but that, too, was soon abandoned. DVD's were likewise abandoned as Viz Media gave up on the series entirely. It seems the most we'll ever get from an official source is the 52 episodes currently on Hulu.

** Phantom is clearly evil, but he takes off his mask and no one knows it's him.

* AlternateUniverse - Mär
* AlwaysChaoticEvil - The Chess
* [[spoiler: AmnesiacDissonance - Babbo was Phantom's Ärm in the first games.]]

* ApologeticAttacker - Rolan

* {{Badass}} - Characters on both sides each exhibit moments of badassery, but Alan takes the cake, literally everything he says and does looks badass.
** Except [[WeaksauceWeakness against cats]].

** Poor Dorothy, despite being a canonically straight woman, that doesn't stop the animators for taken advantage of her in the name of Fanservice.

* BilingualBonus - Märchen is German for "Fairy Tale"
** Koyuki is Japanese for 'little snow', her alternate within MAR is Snow

* BlessedWithSuck / CursedWithAwesome - The Zombie Tattoo, depending on how you look at it. On the one hand, it grants immortality; even if you die, you simply RiseFromYourGrave some time later. In addition to that, the tattoo is a gift and Märk of admiration from Phantom, something every Chess Piece would quite literally kill for. On the other hand, [[WhoWantsToLiveForever it grants immortality]] by making you into a living zombie; "never to die, and never to truly live again". Mär member [[spoiler:Alviss]] views it as a curse, while Knight Rolan views it as a great blessing.

* BloodKnight - The basic Chess Piece philosophy, especially Phantom and Peta. They believe that a peaceful, pristine world like MärHeaven is meaningless without conflict, war, and battle.
** Somewhat subverted in that most are CavalierCompetitor as long as they're winning, especially with Phantom, only Kannochi plays it straight in the love of battle
* BloodyMurder - Peta

* CatGirl - Chaton, the strongest Bishop. She ends up defeating Alan, who has a [[WeaksauceWeakness fear of cats]]. Also Merilo, a maid guardian.
** Bumoru is a counterpart to Merilo, though significantly less of a 'cat-girl' impression.
* ChessMotifs - The Chess, if you couldn't tell. Most obviously, their ranking system is organized by the strength of chess pieces, the order being Pawn, Rook, Bishop, Knight, Queen, and King.

** He does notice that Snow is an attractive young girl when he carries her off the battlefield in the third round, and when Dorothy gives him a kiss for helping her at the story's start, he blushes and apologies to Koyuki, which he notably doesn't do when Snow CrashIntoHello with him, twice!
*** [[spoiler: He compares his feelings for Snow with Ian's for Gido.]]
*** It's made fairly obvious he has a crush on Koyuki in the first episode alone. To say nothing of the fact he dreamed about saving her from a demon king over a hundred times.

** Nanashi definitely as well, seeing how he acts like and is in fact a skirt chaser all of the time. However the few matches that he loses are because he went easy on his opponents

** [[spoiler: Arguably, all of the battles near the end of the manga, esp. v.s. the Knights, Queen and King. They, almost invariably, followed the formula, A uses X, hitting B once, then countered easily by B using Y, and then after several X,Y,Z... A summons a Guardian, which looks really badass, hitting B once, but it is always killed by B's Guardian, often in one shot. The end. Hell, none of the heroes even got a scratch after the last battle.]]
* CuteGhostGirl - Alma
* CuteWitch - Dorothy
* DarkActionGirl - Kandis and Chimera would fit.

* DistressedDamsel - Snow, although it only happens twice.
* DiscOneNuke - Babbo, and Ginta too, pretty much.

* EvilOnlyHasToWinOnce

* FaceHeelTurn - [[spoiler: Danna, and in the anime, Alviss]]
* FamousAncestor - [[spoiler:Ginta's father Danna]]

*** More of a case of HoistByHisOwnPetard. They loved killing too much (to which even Phantom couldn't stand). So they fore went the usual easy method in favor of trying to appease their sick pleasure. Course they ended up underestimating the Mär crew and wound up face in the dirt.

* GladiatorGames - The War Games

* HeroesRUs - Cross Guard

* HighlyVisibleNinja - Kouga

** [[GuyonGuyisHot And it was great.]]

* ImprobableWeaponUser - Jack and his Battle Scoop! (yeah, you heard me right).
** It's more of a shovel/spade.

** Anzai Nobuyuki kinda wrote himself into a corner when he made the rule that loss of the captain of the team in the War Games was instant game over for the heroes' side. Ginta pretty much was designated from the spot that he wasn't going to lose. At least not on the tournament anyway.

* JamesBondage - Alviss, in the anime.
* JumpedAtTheCall - Ginta heads through the portal to Mär with minimal regrets.
** That being said, he does feel genuinely homesick on occasion. And he doesn't seem to like he's making Koyuki and his mother worry about him.

** So he's a one man Team Rocket

* [[spoiler:KillTheCutie - Aqua, a Chess bishop, is killed by Girom after her draw against Nanashi, even though [[HopeSpot she SUCCEEDS in winning]] RockPaperScissors against Rapunzel. [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge Ginta does NOT take it very well.]]]]

* LoveableRogue - Nanashi

* LoveBubbles - Quite usual in the anime

* MagicalLand - Märhaven

* MagiTek - The [=Ärm=]
* ManBehindTheMan - [[spoiler:The King]]

* NebulousEvilOrganization - The Chess.
** Lampshaded by Loco, who fully recognizes just how evil the Chess Pieces are. Though, being a Chess Piece herself, she doesn't seem to care.

* OmnicidalManiac - The majority of the Chess Pieces, ''especially'' Phantom.

* [[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Our Vegetarian Werewolves Are Different]]

* PrincessesPreferPink - Snow.

** In the first episode, Ginta is playing a Video Game that closely resembles ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyVII''
*** Ironic considering Ginta looks very much like Cloud Strife.
* SissyVillain - Rolan again.

* SummonEverymanHero – Somewhat Invoked to bring Ginta due to it working before once with "Boss".

* SympatheticMurderer - Chimera, Ash, Rolan, and some of the more minor Chess.

* TheBaroness - Candice
* TheChosenOne - Ginta
* TheDragon - Peta
* TheGloriousWarOfSisterlyRivalry - Subverted. Both Diana and Dorothy are beautiful, popular, and s[[JustForPun Mär]]t. [[spoiler: Diana is evil, though, and that's what causes Dorothy to try and stop her.]]
** Well that and its the law of their floating continent. She ''has'' to do it.

* TimeToUnlockMoreTruePotential - Gaira and Alan are usually responsible for those.
* TomboyAndGirlyGirl - Dorothy and Snow.
** Wait, whose the Tomboy? And whose the Girly Girl? Because Dorothy and Snow were kinda a combination of both! I mean, sure Snow wasn't-mega tomboyish, and Dorothy wasn't mega-girly...but Dorothy also wasn't mega tomboyish, and Snow wasn't super girly. They both were feminine and girlish and both could fight.
** Snow does have some tomboyish traits, such as short hair, never all that concerned about her looks (though she got pretty annoyed when Emokiss calls her ugly), her general PluckyGirl attitude. Koyuki also seemed rather intrigued by Ginta's boyish interests. While the above post is correct, Snow might be a more... subtle tomboy than most examples.

* TroubledButCute - Alviss again.

* VillainousFriendship - Phantom and Peta sport a type I.

** Ironically this happened to [[spoiler:[[KarmicDeath Rapunzel herself]]]].
* YourUniverseOrMine - Life is tough for Ginta.
** The choice is made a moot point in the anime, considering [[spoiler: Koyuki and Snow essentially fuse into one being.]]

* RoseHairedGirl: Dorothy and Diana.

* BreakTheCutie - Chimera. Though, to be fair, most of the Knights had lives this messed up.

* ElementalIgnorance - During the War Games Snow seems really intent on going into the worst possible places for her powers, and at the same time never seems to go to the ice field. And that's barely scratching the surface of some of the rather... unique choices they make.
** To be fair, Snow wanted to participate in the 4th round. Alan wouldn't let her, which considering the boost she'd get from the Ice Field would more than compensate for any lingering fatigue (Of which there seemed to be very little, she only need 1 night of rest, not 60), it was a pretty stupid move on Alan's part.

** YMMV, of course, but adding the note of being an overall positive change to the ending, the vast majority of fans prefer the anime ending over the original manga's.

* {{Expy}} - [[spoiler:Nanashi is whole lot similar to FlameOfRecca's Joker. EpilepticTree says that Nanashi IS Joker who got thrown into the Mär universe after his final battle.]]
** Well, he ''does'' have the scent of an otherworlder, and [[spoiler: first showed up in Märhaven with Joker's clothing and stomach wound]]. Make of that what you will.
** Well who else could Nanashi possibly be? He doesn't seem to originate from any of the FracturedFairyTale, unlike Literature/{{Snow|White}}, [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Dorothy]], [[Literature/PeterPan Alviss]], and [[Literature/JackAndTheBeanstalk Jack]]. I have no clue where Alan comes from, though.
** Nanashi is reminiscent of Robin Hood, stealing from others and giving to his guild. Alan is likely related to Beauty and the Beast.

* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass - Ginta, Jack, and Nanashi. All three display varying degrees of stupidity, yet when pushed hard enough show their badass sides.

* SpikeSpencer - Ginta in the dub (for once ''[[PlayingAgainstType not]]'' [[PigeonHoledVoiceActor playing the depressed]] ButtMonkey)

** Well who else could Nanashi possibly be? He doesn't seem to originate from any of the FracturedFairyTale, unlike Literature/{{Snow|White}}, [[Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz Dorothy]], [[PeterPan Alviss]], and [[JackAndTheBeanstalk Jack]]. I have no clue where Alan comes from, though.

* MeaningfulName - Dorothy, being a ShoutOut to ''Literature/TheWonderfulWizardOfOz'', whose most powerful Ärm is a giantic dog named Toto, a giant robot, a crucified scarecrow, and a flying lion, as well as a psychotic quilted doll ([[Literature/LandOfOz books only]]); Snow, being a ShoutOut to "Literature/SnowWhiteAndTheSevenDwarfs", whose Ärm are all ice based; Jack, being a ShoutOut to JackAndTheBeanstalk whose [=Ärm=] are mostly based around plants and gardening. See a [[ThemeNaming theme developing here]]?

* [[SheIsAllGrownUp He Is All Grown Up]]: Koyuki was already in love with Ginta, but she quite enjoyed seeing that, upon his return from MAR Heaven, he was a year older, taller, stronger, and didn't need glasses anymore. The magic may not have transferred, but all the other benefits he received from his trip to MAR Heaven did.

The manga also got a sequel called ''Mär Omega'', which is neither written nor drawn by Anzai. It features a cast of entirely new characters apart from Babbo (with one or two original characters making cameo appearances). It also doesn't follow the same format as the first one.