Line #101 Manga/FourKnightsOfTheApocalypse


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/four_knights_of_the_apocalypse_vol_1.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:The cover of the first volume, featuring Percival and Sin the fox.]]
3
4	-> ''A few days ago, we were given a foreboding prophecy... about a group who will drive our leader, King Arthur, to his ruin. They are called... the "Four Knights of the Apocalypse."''
5	-->-- '''Ironside'''
6
7	''Four Knights of the Apocalypse'' (''Mokushiroku no Yon Kishi'' in Japanese) is a sequel to ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'', set sixteen years after the titular sins defeated the Demon King. One day, the kingdoms of Britannia hear of a [[TheProphecy prophecy]] that describes four knights who will appear to destroy the world.
8
9	[[TheHero Percival]], a sixteen-year-old boy, has lived in isolation with his grandfather Varghese for his entire life. Their peaceful life is shattered when a knight of Camelot in service of King Arthur appears and murders Varghese on suspicion of being one of the "Four Knights of Apocalypse". To make matters worse, on his dying breath Varghese tells Percival that the knight, named Ironside, is none other than his own son and Percival's father. Now, Percival must set out alone and travel the world on a quest for answers.
10
11	The manga is by Nakaba Suzuki, the author of ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'', and has been serialized in ''Magazine/ShonenMagazine'' since January 2021. It has been released in English by Kodansha Comics under the title ''[[{{Subtitle}} The Seven Deadly Sins: Four Knights of the Apocalypse]]''. A spinoff movie called ''[[Anime/TheSevenDeadlySinsGrudgeOfEdinburgh Grudge of Edinburgh]]'' was released on Creator/{{Netflix}} in 2022. An anime adaptation has been sponsored by Netflix, with the first season being released on January 31, 2024.
12	----
13	!!''Four Knights of the Apocalypse'' provides examples of:
14
15	* AdaptationExpansion: The anime adaptation features extra scenes, particularly flashbacks, to add to the characterization and backstory.
16	* AllLoveIsUnrequited: Anne and Nasiens develop feelings for Percival, but he only thinks of them as friends because [[ChasteHero he doesn't understand romantic love yet]]. Isolde has a big BodyguardCrush on Tristan, who is ObliviousToLove. Ironically, Isolde herself is oblivious to her childhood friend Jade's hopeless crush on her. Meanwhile, Guinevere and Jericho are both in love with Lancelot, but he thinks Guinevere is too young for him (she's only twelve when they first meet) and Jericho is [[LikeBrotherAndSister like an older sister to him]]. Arthur also has an apparent case of unrequited love for Merlin, who as revealed in the previous series had an unrequited love for Meliodas, and was the target of the unrequited CourtlyLove of the late Escanor.
17	* AllThereInTheManual: The backstory of Lancelot, a protagonist, is in [[Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins the preceding story]] (where it served as a SequelHook). It was also a bonus chapter that hasn't been officially released in English yet.
18	* AltarDiplomacy: Arthur feels no attraction to Guinevere, but he forces her to marry him so people don't find out he [[MacguffinSuperPerson kidnapped the child for her powers]]. It doesn't hurt that Guinevere is also the princess of another country.
19	* AnotherStoryForAnotherTime: [[spoiler:Lancelot]]'s quest to recruit Percival is detailed, but Tristan's parallel quest to recruit Gawain is merely mentioned at the end of the former.
20	* AntiEscapismAesop: Because of [[RealityWarper Arthur]]'s magical limitations, everything in Camelot literally comes at the expense of something else in the real world. He is an excellent sculptor and illusionist, but the raw materials- and the souls necessary to create illusionary ''people''- must be stolen from Britannia. The animosity these thefts provoke in outsiders mean that a person has to side with either Camelot or Britannia.
21	* ArchnemesisDad: Ironside, the father of Percival, who tries to [[OffingTheOffspring kill Percival]] in their first encounter.
22	* AsYouKnow: In Chapter 70, Chion gushes about the abilities of Guila (a character returning from the previous series) to a fellow subordinate of hers. The monologue has three purposes: preventing [[invoked]] ContinuityLockout, introducing some genuinely new information about the character, and further establishing Chion's arrogant personality.
23	* AttackOfTheTownFestival: In the Wallnack arc, the Four Knights of the Apocalypse and co. are attacked by Camelot Holy Knights during the town's annual festival of the dead.
24	* BettyAndVeronica: Nasiens is the Betty and Anne is the Veronica to Percival. Nasiens is a gentle and reserved medic who is always nice to Percival, whereas Anne is a loud and aggressive swordswoman who tends to be more belligerent with Percival.
25	* {{Bizarrchitecture}}: King Arthur's castle looks like a sphere with spiky towers sticking out all over it and it's surrounded by floating, shattered walkways.
26	* CatchYourDeathOfCold: Played with. Guinevere approaches Lancelot by warning him to stay out of the rain, but in truth she's fully aware that he's outside for a good reason, and that [[IdealIllnessImmunity he doesn't need to worry about getting sick]]. The warning is to make herself look like an innocent child so [[TheGadfly he'll be more surprised]] when she reveals she isn't one.
27	* CerebusRollercoaster: Sometimes the story is about gory PoliceBrutality and how pedophilia can tear apart families. Sometimes it's about barrels of pudding.
28	* ComicalNapDrool: In the Liones arc, an ill-timed PowerStrainBlackout causes Gawain to fall asleep ''on the battlefield''. Cut to her snoring on the cobblestones, drooling with her mouth open, mumbling about pudding.
29	* ContrastingSequelMainCharacter: Meliodas was experienced and knowledgeable. Percival is naive and ignorant of the world. This extends to the eponymous Knights: unlike the Sins, who were well acquainted with one another at the start of their series and had good teamwork, the Knights of the Apocalypse have just met each other, so there's friction between some of them at the start.
30	* CoolAirship: King Arthur has a huge airship (probably the ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prydwen Prydwen]]'') built partly out of a dragon skeleton. Some of it is like a marine ship, with masts and rigging; the rest supports what looks like a circus tent.
31	* CoolDownHug: In chapter 146, Diane withstands the attacks of a BrainwashedAndCrazy Mertyl and refuses to fight back. Instead, she gives him a hug and reaffirms her maternal love for him to calm him down and return him back to his senses.
32	* DashedPlotLine: There are two TimeSkip[=s=] (after Lancelot's prequel chapter and ''Grudge of Edinburgh'', respectively) before the manga even begins, and more follow. In chapter 87, Guinevere delivers an expository monologue lampshading that Lancelot will only meet her a few times in his life (which, [[TheLawOfConservationOfDetail of course]], are the times the narrative depicts).
33	* DawnOfAnEra: Since the DeathOfTheOldGods in the previous series, a lot has changed; settlements are more racially mixed (Liones in particular has many openly non-human citizens), lots of hybrids no-one thought were possible before have been born, and the war against Chaos has [[EnemyMine overshadowed]] or replaced several prior conflicts. Appropriately, the viewpoint character is [[NaiveNewcomer Percival]], whose lack of setting-related baggage means he fits easily into the plot.
34	* DidTheyOrDidntThey: [[CombatCommentator A fan]] of Guila mentions that she's rumored to have had a brief relationship with Howzer, but also that he doesn't know how true those rumors are. Guila herself is too distracted by battle to comment.
35	* DramaticIrony: In chapter 91, Guinevere taunts her [[ArrangedMarriage arranged]] fiance, Arthur, with the fact that he can't marry the person he really wants to be with. Unbeknownst to Arthur, Guinevere is in ''exactly the same situation''.
36	* EldritchLocation: New Camelot is a PocketDimension made of Chaos magic. It's mostly made of floating islands and buildings that it has stolen from the real world.
37	* EntertaininglyWrong: Fiddich concludes that the intelligent, talking fox guiding Percival to Liones is a {{Familiar}} sent to find TheChosenOne. [[spoiler:At that point, the fox shapeshifts back into a fairy and kills him.]]
38	* FallingIntoHisArms: During their first meeting, Lancelot catches Guinevere this way as she falls off a wall. She thinks it's very romantic and rewards him with a kiss that goes on for three panels. Lancelot does not see it that way, as Guinevere is a '''preteen''' and has [[BlackComedyRape no regard for whether he's reciprocating]].
39	* ForegoneConclusion: [[{{Seers}} Guinevere]] gives Arthur a summary of events that will occur in Wallnack when the Four Knights and their platoons arrive there, right before it actually happens in the story. The events initially do play out the way she described them, but this is subverted when things start to change due to Arthur's interference.
40	* {{Foreshadowing}}:
41	** Everyone who falls asleep on a particular mountain dreams of their soulmate. Sin dreaming of a very ''human'' woman hints at what species he [[{{Animorphism}} really]] is.
42	** Tristan concealing [[spoiler:Gawain]]'s heritage is an early sign that he's [[HalfBreedAngst no more rational]] about his own.
43	* FromDressToDressing: In Chapter 98, Jade rips off his shirt's sleeve to make a bandage for an injured Isolde.
44	* GambitPileup: The "Liones Battle" arc has one big ongoing fight between good and evil, but this fight isn't everyone's first priority. To summarize; Lancelot leaves the battle early so that he can protect a valuable prisoner, Jericho does the same so she can kill that prisoner, Gawain is following whatever semi-treasonous whims she has, Arthur is sending some of his minions to Liones in the hope that they'll die, Jade and Chion are guarding a jail with Guila, Guinevere is flirting with a cute guy, and Pellegarde is trying to kidnap someone for his own, non-military, reasons. All these characters influence the main fight at some point.
45	* GeodesicCast: There are four knights, two of whom have three attachés- Percival's friends, Tristan's platoon, etc- that complement their character arc and provide subplots unrelated to destiny.
46	* GirlsStareAtSceneryBoysStareAtGirls: A rare female-female example PlayedForLaughs. While Anne is admiring the city of Wallnack from their hotel room's window, the ButchLesbian Gawain is [[PervertedDrooling drooling]] as she stares at Anne's and Isolde's butts.
47	* HeKnowsTooMuch: [[BigBad King Arthur]] has ordered his troops to kill any of TheChosenMany they find- which, because they don't ''know'' much about those many, boils down to "kill anyone who's young and unusually powerful". For this reason, Lancelot kills any Camelot knights who penetrate his [[VoluntaryShapeshifting disguise]], to prevent them from reporting back to their king. [[AssholeVictim (Which, conveniently, they always state their intention to do.)]]
48	* HitchhikerHeroes: Percival's companions are recruited as he travels in sequential story arcs, starting with Sin and Donny, then Nasiens, then Anne.
49	* HumansAreSpecial: The ''only'' characters with precognition- which is just as much a GameBreaker as it sounds- are pure-blooded humans, as shown by Baltra and Guinevere.
50	* InnocentInnuendo: When Tristan finds himself alone in a hotel room with a nearly naked woman, Isolde and Chion eavesdrop from outside and hear the woman telling Tristan to put something in a hole. [[ClingyJealousGirl Isolde]] freaks out and bursts into the room, only to find Tristan trying to help the woman button up her shirt.
51	* InternalHomage: The series references some events from the previous series.
52	** The reveal of Gawain's mini form is quite similar to that of Merlin's [[spoiler:true age]], especially because they're both small dark-haired sorceresses.
53	** Tristan saving Isolde from Melagand by [[BridalCarry carrying her in his arms]] bears a [[GenerationXerox strong resemblance]] to Meliodas saving Elizabeth from Hendrickson during the Kingdom Infiltration arc.
54	* LandOfFaerie: Early in Part 2, we're introduced to the Fairy Realm, the homeland of the fairies which is ruled by the Fairy King.
55	* LimitedUseMagicalDevice: The incantation orbs from ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'' make a return. Each orb is single-use and allows non-mages to use high-level spells.
56	* MagicAIsMagicA: Chapter 4 introduces a classification of magic types, which is later [[AllThereInTheManual elaborated on]] in the Volume 3 extras. The individual magic powers people possess can roughly be classified into nine different types. There are also rare examples of people with magic that encompasses two or more types. One in ten thousand people are said to possess magic encompassing four or more types, which is referred to as "[[SuperpowerLottery Hero-type]]". The nine types of magic are as follows:
57	** [[BlackMage Destruction-type]]: The ability to directly attack a target using the [[ElementalPowers forces of nature]] or an unnatural [[CastingAShadow power of darkness]].
58	** [[{{Transmutation}} Shifting-type]]: The ability to alter the properties of matter.
59	** [[HealingHands Healing-type]]: The ability to heal oneself or others. Mainly possessed by the [[OurAngelsAreDifferent Goddess Clan]].
60	** [[SuperSenses Search-type]]: The ability to [[MagicCompass locate particular objects]] or [[LivingLieDetector read people's hearts]].
61	** [[MindControl Mental-type]]: The ability to manipulate people's hearts and [[FakeMemories memories]].
62	** [[MasterOfIllusion Deception-type]]: The ability to create illusions or auditory hallucinations. Common within the [[OurFairiesAreDifferent Fairy Clan]].
63	** [[StealthExpert Stealth-type]]: The ability to approach opponents without giving away one's presence or observe their movements from a distance.
64	** [[MagicEnhancement Enchantment-type]]: The ability to infuse elemental or unnatural powers to one's tools, [[SpellBlade weapons]] or [[ElementalPunch fists]].
65	** [[{{Seers}} Oracle-type]]: The ability to predict future events. A power that surpasses human wisdom, considered the rarest of the nine types.
66	* MagicPants: The tatters of Gawain's suit, originally two pieces of fabric that barely covered her nipples and crotch, somehow become a single tube of fabric that covers her whole body after [[spoiler:she reverts to her small form]]. Given where Gawain comes from, it's quite possible that AWizardDidIt.
67	* MarathonBoss: Chaos Melascula and Galand (and later [[spoiler:their combined form]]) somehow manage to be a manga version of this. No one gets seriously hurt fighting them, but several heroes exhaust themselves to the point of uselessness, so combatants are constantly tagging out [[HeroicSecondWind and in]]. The list of knights in the city who ''don't'' contribute to their defeat is quite a bit shorter than that of those who do.
68	* MasterApprenticeChain: Jericho taught Lancelot, who taught Percival's team. Of course, the latter have to deal with [[EvilMentor Jericho]] and Lancelot's drama.
69	* MuggingTheMonster: In Chapter 2, Donny uses his levitation powers on Percival and tries to run away with all of Percival's stuff. Donny gives back what he stole after Percival almost immediately outruns his troupe's horse-drawn carriage, ''on foot''.
70	* NakedFirstImpression: While staying at a hotel, Tristan ends up having to share a room with a stranger. When he arrives at the room, he finds a woman wearing nothing but an unbuttoned shirt, much to his embarrassment.
71	* NoYou: Lancelot, distracted by scanning [[spoiler:a crowd's thoughts telepathically]], replies this way to someone concerned that he'll get sick from being out in the rain.
72	* OffscreenBreakup: According to Chion, a rumor says Howzer and Guila hooked up at some point, but they broke up after merely three days.
73	* OnlyTheKnowledgableMayPass: Guinevere convinces Lancelot of her [[{{Seers}} abilities]] by mentioning a part of his [[DarkAndTroubledPast backstory]] he's never told ''anyone'' before.
74	* OnTheRebound: The antiheroic Gawain is introduced trying to comfort/flirt with a heartbroken girl. On the one hand it's kind of sweet ([[spoiler:she]] makes several good points about how Isolde is beautiful and should love herself); on the other, it's pretty selfish (Isolde is ''still crying'', and [[FirstLove only sixteen]]), which [[EstablishingCharacterMoment microcosms]] Gawain's entire character at that time.
75	* PairTheSmartOnes: Lancelot and Guinevere gravitate to each other because of their desire to manipulate events and get into people's heads.
76	* PersonalityPowers: Not an explicit part of the magic system, but present.
77	** Lancelot, a perceptive introvert, has {{telepathy}}.
78	** Percival, a highly curious and imaginative boy, can conjure dozens of astral creatures to do all the things he wants to do.
79	** Gawain, who is both fierce and [[MoodSwinger changeable]], can burn enemies...when the sun happens to be in the sky.
80	** Tristan, a noble WarriorPrince, has [[SuperToughness durability]] and healing magic suited to protecting his friends.
81	* PiggybackCute: In Chapter 86, Lancelot's self-proclaimed lover Guinevere gets a piggyback ride from him.
82	* PlotBasedVoiceCancellation: The trope is used to reveal that Sin is faking his identity. In a dream he has, a strange woman says ''something'' in three dialogue clouds that prompts Sin to snap, "How do you know my name?" The text that would normally be in the clouds is replaced by a squiggly line. However, [[https://animechick344034.tumblr.com/post/663015539977961472/im-starting-to-fucking-think-weve-had-it-wrong some]] [[https://www.reddit.com/r/NanatsunoTaizai/comments/r2txkx/sin_is_lancelot/ fans]] used the scene to deduce [[IKnewIt ahead of time]] that the woman was [[spoiler:enunciating "Lancelot", a name with three syllables]]. This was confirmed sixteen chapters later.
83	* PoorCommunicationKills: King and Diane get a lot of flak from people- from an invading Camelot mage to ''their own children''- for [[spoiler: offering the mystic Drug of Yore to Nasiens to cure Percival, instead of giving it to Mertyl so he could live in the Fairy Realm without any health issues. The only reason people can think for that decision is that Nasiens is [[NotBloodNotFamily their blood child]], while Mertyl is [[AdoptionAngst just a changeling]]. Diane eventually reveals that [[GoodParents they had given]] Mertyl the Drug as soon as his health issues appeared ''as an infant,'' and it just didn't work. The Drug can cure any illness or injury, but it couldn't turn Mertyl into a Giant or Fairy on the spot.]]
84	* ThePowerOfLove: Diane's love for her adoptive son Mertyl is what returns him to sanity and undoes his Chaos transformation, which was caused by Kilbeggan to render him BrainwashedAndCrazy.
85	* ProlongedPrologue: There's 50 chapters before the arc where the eponymous team is formed, in part because everyone else participating in the war needs to be introduced.
86	* TheProphecy: The prophecy of the four knights is what sets the story into motion.
87	* PsychosomaticSuperpowerOutage: Demons can conjure tangible darkness to serve as weapons, limbs, etc., but the darkness is dependent on their state of mind. If the demon loses confidence (or anger; it's not clear) the darkness dissipates, as when Tristan's shadow wings wither from Arthur's BreakingSpeech.
88	* RunningGag:
89	** Horses hating Percival. At first it's for a logical reason (he intimidates Sylvan), but it upgrades to the point where even [[spoiler:Gawain]], a human only ''[[AnimalMotifs compared]]'' to a horse, attacks him minutes after their first meeting.
90	** To flatter [[spoiler:Gawain]], Tristan tells her that she's stronger than him. Of course, [[LiarRevealed following events force Tristan to reveal more and more of his true strength]], and every time this happens [[spoiler:Gawain]]'s reaction is worse.
91	* SexySurfacingShot: Tioreh gets one in Chapter 140 when she's taking a bath at a lake with Nasiens.
92	* SkinnyDipping: In Chapter 140, Tioreh and Nasiens go skinny dipping in a lake.
93	* SpinOffspring: Two of the titular knights, Tristan and Lancelot, are the sons of two of the main characters of the previous series (Meliodas and Ban respectively).
94	* SpoilerOpening: The second anime opening spoils most of the major events of the Liones arc, such as [[spoiler:the battle against Melagaland and Jericho vs Guila. It also reveals Lancelot's true form before the reveal that he's the fox Sin.]]
95	* SuddenDownerEnding: [[spoiler:Part 1 ends with Percival, shattered by Mortlach's revelations, choosing to leave behind his human body and join his fellow Life Spirits. This leaves the Knights of Apocalypse one member short just as they were about to enter Camelot and defeat Arthur...who immediately orders an invasion of Britannia.]]
96	* SwitchedAtBirth: [[spoiler:Nasiens]], the first child of King and Diane, was switched with a human named Mertyl on the day of their birth. After failing to find their child and Mertyl's biological parents, King and Diane raised him as their own.
97	* TakeAThirdOption: In chapter 8. Percival has escaped the restraints of a MadScientist trying to inject him with something, and grabbed the vial while doing so. The obvious choice would be to smash it, but said scientist has claimed convincingly that it contains the only cure for [[DeathWorld Echo Gorge]] and offers to let Percival leave peacefully if he puts it down. But that is ''also'' not a good idea, because then the scientist will just kidnap someone else to test the vial on. So what is [[AllLovingHero Percival]]'s solution to this problem? [[spoiler:He drinks the potion himself, on his own terms, trusting that the scientist is justified. This gamble means ''everyone'' is saved.]]
98	* TalkingAnimal: Sin the fox, the first creature Percival encounters after leaving his home. [[spoiler: Subverted when his [[VoluntaryShapeshifting true identity as the half-fairy Lancelot]] is revealed.]]
99	* TeamTitle: The title of the series is the collective name of the four knights from TheProphecy.
100	* ThematicSequelLogoChange: The ''Seven Deadly Sins''' logo, which was sunset-colored and unbordered, is replaced with a rectangle of night sky, [[spoiler:perhaps signifying the death of Sunshine-wielder Escanor]]. Percival's helmet is perched on one of the letters.
101	* TimeSkip:
102	** The sequel starts six years after the final chapter of ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins''.
103	** Chapter 129 starts two years after the end of Part 1.
104	* VirginShaming: Played with. One of the ways Guinevere teases the sixteen-year-old Lancelot is by saying that she knows the kiss they had mere seconds ago was his first. Lancelot unsuccessfully denies this, which makes him even more embarrassed. It's also that he doesn't want her to have the satisfaction of knowing she [[ForcefulKiss stole]] his SacredFirstKiss.
105	* WhamEpisode: [[spoiler:TheHero's suicide in chapter 128]] was not anticipated by anybody, in-universe or out, and preceded a TimeSkip of two years in which the other characters drastically changed.
106	* WhamLine: One character has been spending time in the Fairy Realm for a while and enjoying it. A fairy princess notes this, along with their [[NoBiologicalSex peculiar biology...]]
107	-->'''Tioreh:''' That's what's strange here. Normally, a human wouldn't be okay at all trying to live here. The air in this realm is really thick and sweet, and ''bad'' for humans. It may not kill you, but spend too long in it, and it causes dizziness and asthma. It makes you frailer. So if you ask me [[spoiler:Nasiens,]] there's ''no'' way you're not part of our Fairy Clan.
108	* WritersCannotDoMath: There are several errors regarding the timing of the Holy War.
109	** The story is said to take place 16 years after the Holy War depicted ''Manga/TheSevenDeadlySins'', and the main characters, including Tristan and Lancelot, are all 16 years old. However, the end of ''The Seven Deadly Sins'' included an 18-month timeskip after the Holy War, after which Elizabeth and Elaine were shown to be pregnant with Tristan and Lancelot. If they were born at least one and a half years after the Holy War, it would be impossible for them to be 16 years old in the present day.
110	** In Liones, it is stated by [[spoiler:Arthur]] that everyone there was affected by the Holy War that occurred 16 years earlier, and we see multiple characters reflecting on their losses including two young children crying about their parents...despite the fact that they wouldn't even have been born 16 years earlier. In the collected volume release, the panel is changed to a young man.
111	** After a two-year timeskip between Part 1 and Part 2 of the story, Pellegarde again mentions the Holy War "16 years ago"...even though it should now be 18 years ago. This is corrected in the official English translation.

Context Manga / FourKnightsOfTheApocalypse