The series follows seven Japanese high-school prodigies who are experts in their own fields, who find themselves in a parallel universe after their plane mysteriously crashes. While befriending the locals, the Prodigies learn this world isn't nice since the people suffered from the tyrannical and corrupt nobles of The Empire, who abuse and mistreat their subjects. While the Seven Prodigies try to find a way back home to Earth, they also help their new friends battle the evil nobles while helping its people with their knowledge and inventions from Earth.
The series contains examples of:
- Alliterative Name: There's Keine Kanzaki and Shinobu Sarutobi.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: The nobility treat the lower class like crap with Bumans getting it the worst due to Fantastic Racism. Worse, some will go and kill an entire village for the crime of not paying their taxes despite the village suffering food shortages, or killing the village for finding a legal way to become rich without their permission. While the Luminaries manage to recruit some benevolent aristocrats to their side, the empire's social Darwinist system still enables corrupt nobles to get away with their atrocities.
- Author Filibuster: In Volume 9, Tsukasa and Masato argue for the merits and demerits of Universal Basic Income respectively, and though the author includes arguments for both points of views, it's clear they're favoring the pro position. The entire debate is out-of-place due to it interrupting a war between Yamato and Freyjagard, right after an intense fight between Aoi and Grandmaster Neuro. This is exploited by Tsukasa and Masato, who use their out-of-place debate to make it seem like Masato will side with Freyjagard and oppose the Luminaries, making it so that Neuro doesn't anticipate Masato's mercenaries betraying and shooting him.
- Badass Crew: The Seven Prodigies are made of seven young high schoolers who are genius in their field which include:
- Aoi Ichijō, the strongest swordswoman in the world.
- Keine Kanzaki, a highly skilled Doctor.
- Prince Akatsuki, a talented stage Magician.
- Ringo Ōhoshi, a genius inventor.
- Masato Sanada, a professional businessman.
- Tsukasa Mikogami, a talented leader and politician.
- Shinobu Sarutobi, a Ninja and the world's best journalist.
- Badass Normal: Unlike most Isekai protagonists, none of the Prodigies can use magic or any "cheat" ability, though Tsukasa, Masato, Aoi, Keine, and Shinobu display varying degrees of combat skills. That doesn't stop them from spearheading a revolution against a magic-using empire.
- Became Their Own Antithesis: The Azure Brigade was formed by Count Blumhardt and other like minded nobles who opposed the Empire's Might Makes Right policy against its people and wanted to reform it so the commoners would not be mistreated and be ruled by good leaders. After Blumhardt dies and Count Conrad takes over the brigade, it is revealed many of its members weren't interested in changing the status quo as they were happy to leave the horrible policies of the Empire as it is and only help attack Duke Gustav as they wanted his lands, money and Gustav was wasting valuable manpower and people to tax for his unfeasible projects. It's come to no surprise for some when it is revealed Conrad was the one who ordered Blumhardt's death and even orders a purge against those that remain loyal to the brigade's original goals like Jeanne as a sign of loyalty to the Empire.
- Bland-Name Product: When Sanada is described in the intro, there's a shot of a LIME Magazine featuring him in its cover.
- Both Sides Have a Point: The Reform party believes that Elm should avoid any actions that could reignite hostilities with Freyjagard. The Principles party believes that Elm should use military force to liberate people from tyrannical regimes like Freyjagard. Tsukasa admits the Reform party's concerns are understandable, but he points out that interventionist policies to help people beyond their borders will normalize egalitarianism more than isolationist policies. He also points out that the Freyjagard Empire can't be trusted to honor their side of the treaty. On the other hand, Juno correctly points out additional military conflict will result in massive costs and casualties both to Elm and the people that they want to liberate, which along with the trauma that one of her supporters faced in the previous war, causes Principles party leader Tetra to realize that she needs to rethink her position. After the election, the two parties compromise and decide not to declare war on Freyjagard, but at the same they, they condemn the empire for brainwashing the Yamato citizens and refuse to turn over Princess Kaguya to them.
- Casting Gag: Both Leafa and Lyrule have a lot in common: Both of them happen to be blonde elves who happen to be voiced by Cassandra Lee Morris, and they're also being subjected to Fanservice, though the only difference is that besides Leafa being an Action Girl, she was not captured and almost raped unlike Lyrule, at least until near the end of the Alicization arc.
- Compressed Adaptation: Both the anime and the manga don't capture all the details of the characters' backstories or reasoning behind their actions, though the manga is still more detailed than the anime. Some examples include Masato's backstory about his father being Driven to Suicide by rival companies or Tsukasa's father having an entire airplane destroyed in a terrorist attack just to get rid of a former secretary.
- Contrived Coincidence: Akatsuki and Masato are left behind to tend to the village while the other prodigies go out to slay a giant monster. Unfortunately, at the same time, Marquis Findolph's soldiers attack Elm Village, which leads to the village being burned and Lyrule getting kidnapped because the prodigies' best fighters aren't there to stop the soldiers.
- Cornered Rattlesnake: When discussing military strategy, the Yamato resistance member Kokubu states that when surrounding the enemy, it's better to give them one avenue of escape rather than cut off all avenues of escape, otherwise they will fight like they have nothing to lose and they'll take several of one's own soldiers down with them. Fort Steadfast is specifically constructed so that the soldiers defending it cannot escape it, causing them to fight harder when invaded. However, Tsukasa blows a hole in one of the walls and leaves that hole alone so that the enemy soldiers will be forced to escape and cut their losses.
- Democracy Is Flawed: The Republic of Elm runs into this trope when it comes to the issue of whether or not to help Yamato, where voting yes could restart hostilities with the Freyjagard Empire while voting no means betraying their nation's ideals. Both choices have their pros and cons, but the voters on both sides aren't thinking as hard about the long-term consequences as Tsukasa. It's also clear that they still have to rely on Tsukasa to find out how to implement their decision and plan for potential consequences. Worse yet, the pro-war side is being manipulated by a smooth-talking but wicked former noble, showing that it's easy for bad actors to manipulate public opinion. While the corrupt noble is arrested and the two political parties come to a compromise, it's clear that the democratic system would have fallen apart without the Luminaries' interference. That said, Tsukasa believes having the citizens vote over the issue is preferable to them killing each other in a civil war.
- Divided We Fall: Although the prodigies seem to have good teamwork, Masato's inner monologue reveals that they're mainly working together out of necessity, and their differing moral values could potentially cause the group to split up because they don't align with Tsukasa's political ideology. Masato's individualistic business philosophy is in conflict with Tsukasa's desire to serve The Needs of the Many, Shinobu's journalistic integrity could be in conflict with Tsukasa's manufacturing of public opinion, Aoi's mercenary work could make her an enemy of Japan under certain circumstances, and while Keine does want to reduce overall harm in the world, she lacks Tsukasa's respect for free will. Masato ends up siding with Neuro over Tsukasa in the hopes of returning home and reuniting with his employees. This later turns out to be a ruse to get Neuro's guard down and kill him, but Masato still plans on resuming his conflict with Tsukasa once they return to Japan.
- Enemy Mine: Volume 9 reveals that Tsukasa and Masato were in a heated conflict over economic policy before getting sent to Freyjagard, but their current circumstances require them to work together in order to defeat the empire and return home.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: When Gustav burns down Dormundt's noble district, Bernard and his soldiers step in to save the nobles. The nobles are flabbergasted at this attempt to rescue them given that they oppose the Luminaries' egalitarianism. However, Bernard points out that equality for all means the nobles have to be protected too for the sake of moral consistency.
- Famed In-Story: The Seven Prodigies were all world famous celebrities back on Earth. Once the rebellion in the new world starts, they are known as "The Angels of Akatsuki" within the Elm Republic.
- Fantastic Racism: Bumans are treated like second-class citizens or worse, slaves by the humans.
- Forced into Evil: Shinobu discovers a town ruled by Gustav were its people had to drug travelers and eat them because Gustav took all of their money and food for his personal projects and threaten the townsfolk to keep his "perfect town" clean no matter what despite having no money or food. Many of the townsfolk are disgusted on what they have done to the point one of them committed suicide.
- Foreshadowing: When the Azure Brigade starts moving against Duke Gustav, he immediately and correctly assumes that Count Blumheart is behind them. It turns out he knows Blumheart rather well due to being an Evil Former Friend of the count.
- Game Changer: The nicknamed "God's Thunderbolt". In truth, a powerful missile that surpasses the Fire Fall spear technique. Everyone seeing the aftermath of its attack knows that there is no going back now. Masato even calls it a beacon to signal they have entered a new era. Oh, and the manga confirms that the missiles are nuclear.
- Giving Radio to the Romans: The Prodigies start revolution in the Empire by giving ideas and inventions from their world to help uplift the people of Freyjagard like proper health care, the idea of democracy and equal rights for all and even modern weapons like semi-automatic rifles to stand a chance against the Freyjagard Empire forces.
- Gold Tooth of Wealth: ntil the Prodigies lead a revolution to cause his downfall, the gold-toothed Marquis Edwart von Findolph is the leader of Findolph.
- Heel–Face Turn: Many Freyjagard Empire nobles and soldiers join the Seven Heroes after seeing the good they have done to the people especially in warfare, medicine and economics with the latter happy they won't have to kill their own people.
- Hollywood Atheist: The Freyjagard Empire banned and eradicate all religions in the continent prior to the arrival of the prodigies since it clashed with the Empire's social Darwinist beliefs since they didn't like the idea of humans will never be above a Higher Power. Ironically enough, the Empire might be worshipping the Dragon that almost destroyed the continent since the Empire's emblem is the Dragon.
- I Have You Now, My Pretty: Lyrule ends up captured by Marquis Findolf who intends to make her his new plaything.
- I Surrender, Suckers: In Volume 8, Yamato seemingly sells out the Luminaries to the Freyjagard army, but all of them except Aoi are ninjas in disguise, and they take this opportunity to ambush the army.
- Laser-Guided Karma: The nobles of Dormundt spitefully pour wine over a missile system that the Seven Lights set up. This prevents the missile system from protecting their homes from Gustav's Fire Fall attack.
- Little Bit Beastly: Bumans look similar to humans albeit with animal ears and tails.
- Meet the New Boss: After the defeat of Gustav, the Azure Brigade took over his land. The prodigies note despite being on their side for now they are already corrupt.
- Mutually Assured Destruction: Tsukasa has Ringo build a city-destroying missile and use it on Gustav's castle to prove that they have power rivaling L'age Soleil. This will make the empire think twice before using L'age Soleil on them and force them to recognize the newfound nation of Elm as an equal in military power.
- Never My Fault: The corrupt members of the Azure Brigade and General Neuro want Gustave out of the picture because he'll starve the commoners to death and prevent the nobles from taxing them. They still subscribe to the empire's darwinistic philosophy and try to reason that Gustav is the weak one for his lack of Pragmatic Villainy rather than admit that their philosophy enabled his unsustainable policies.
- No-One Could Have Survived That: What Tsukasa says when he sees the wreckage of their plane.
- No Ontological Inertia: The fires caused by Fire Fall immediately extinguish once the lance is destroyed.
- One-Man Industrial Revolution: More like seven-people industrial revolution, but the arrival of the prodigies brought lots of changes to the world, like democracy, cars, Japanese-style bathhouses, modern firearms, homing missiles, etc. It is also a bit subverted. Despite the heroes having the ability to just make everything fully automated, they know at some point they will be going back to their home world leaving the residences of this world without a clue how to continue making the products when the machines break down. Therefore they made it a point to show the people how to make everything by hand.
- Original Position Fallacy:
- After the prodigies overthrow Marquis Findolf, many of the aristocrats still cling to the empire's social Darwinism. When the higher-ranking Duke Gustav decides to wipe Findolf off the map, he's fine with killing all the aristocrats still in that territory, since he considers them failures for losing to the prodigies in the first place. Zest Do Bernard tells the nobles that according to the empire's principles, Gustave's attempt to kill them is perfectly consistent and that they should let the duke kill them if they still intend to follow the empire's ways.
- Subverted with the mayor of Coconono Village. He's the one who told the villagers to resort to cannibalism in order to survive, but never intended to be one of the survivors. Instead, he kills himself so that he'll be the first meal.
- Also subverted with Duke Gustav, who is so devoted to the empire's ideology that he considers the Blue/Azure Brigade's successful betrayal of him to be consistent with that ideology and therefore okay. Unfortunately, the Brigade learns the hard way that he'll still be offended by the broken emperor statue.
- Pool Scene: One of these occurs early on when the public bath is first installed. For reasons that are largely unexplained, the characters treat this as a pool of sorts, including wearing swimwear (though this is poked fun at later, as it is technically a bath, not a pool).
- Public Bathhouse Scene: A later scene with the public bath is a fairly typical case of this. The earlier scene may also qualify.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Bureaucratized: Although the Republic of Elm is established after a revolution against the Freyjagard Empire, it's clear that the residents have no experience working with a democratic form of government and many of the officials are either former Freyjagard nobles or Elm village leaders. Additionally, despite having nukes, they start with no respect or trust from other nations, who see them as naive upstarts with no idea how to run a government. Despite their best efforts to learn, they would have lost a trade war with the Freyjagard Empire and would have had their election hijacked by a malicious actor if it weren't for the Luminaries bailing them out. As a result, Tsukasa refuses to go back home until the Luminaries can help the republic can get its act together, creating tension between him and Masato, who wants to return to Earth ASAP.
- The Revolution Will Not Be Civilized: Even if the prodigies hadn't arrive to Freyjagard, the Empire's oppressive treatment of the populace would still eventually result in rebellion followed by revolution. On the flipside, the revolution would either be suppressed or become a lot bloodier due to the Empire's use of Warcraft spells, which the rebels wouldn't be able to counter without the prodigies giving them nukes to serve as a deterrent.
- Rewarded as a Traitor Deserves: The Azure Brigade, who planned to betray the Prodigies for the Empire, are killed by Gustave after he is shown the destroyed golden statue of the Emperor.
- Rocket Ride: Aoi does this to destroy the source of the spreading cursed flames in their city and as it is the only missile they have left she volunteers to guide it herself in this style, but Gustave makes it quite difficult for her. Fortunately, she manages to pull off some very impressive braking/maneuvering with herself along with the missile. As the missile is locked on target to destroy the accursed flame lance embedded into the ground, Gustave uses his last resort to block it with his fiery visage's hands that enclose upon the missile, but Aoi uses her Art of Void: Dew Blade Draft to literally cut off his arms as they wrap around the oncoming missile, with the wind tunnel safely encircling the projectile, successfully hits the lance, destroying it and cutting off the source of the flames.
- Screw the Rules, I Make Them!: The practical effect of the empire's Social Darwinism is that the nobles don't even need false charges to get rid of commoners they don't like, as shown when Silver Knight Inzaghi claims that commoners touching gold coins is a crime, which is an obviously made-up "law."
- Stranded with Edison: One of the core themes of the series. As a result, this trope manages to be Zig-Zagged, Exaggerated, sometimes Parodied, occasionally Lampshaded, very frequently Discussed, deconstructed, and reconstructed, all at the same time. The prodigies are able to share their technological and civic knowledge with the people of Elm, but at the same time, the people are realistically still naive at applying these concepts, making it so that they must learn to use this new knowledge without relying too much on their benefactors.
- The Magic Versus Technology War: What the revolution essentially is, with the Empire using spells, sorcery and dragons and the rebels using modern weaponry provided by the Prodigies. This is downplayed in that the prodigies have at least two mages among their allies and the empire is developing firearms, albeit ones that are more primitive than the ones used by the prodigies. Unfortunately, the magic side wins out in terms of military power thanks to Emperor Lindworm becoming a Physical God after absorbing the soul of Father, an extremely powerful mage from another world. The best the Luminaries can hope for is to negotiate with Lindworm in order to get him to be less oppressive.
- Treachery Cover Up: Even after the Azure Brigade's defeat, the Seven Luminaries keep their corruption a secret and make them into martyrs instead while absorbing the remaining good members.
- White Man's Burden: This series isn't the first isekai where the protagonist tries to spread modern technology and political ideology among the people of a feudal fantasy world, though the prodigies are portrayed as a Well-Intentioned Extremist group rather than straight-up heroes because they're using a Scam Religion and do questionable things like arming their allies with nukes. In Tsukasa's case, he believes he's obligated to do so to repay Elm Village for saving his and his friends' lives and believes he's just accelerating an inevitable revolution, though he secretly admits that giving them nuclear technology and democracy will result in consequences in the long run. After conquering parts of the Freyjagard Empire and establishing a republic, Tsukasa still insists on staying despite being given an opportunity to return home, since he doesn't believe the republic is ready to stand as a major power without him, showing a subtext of Condescending Compassion. To be fair, the republic was established very recently and Neuro is obviously scheming to defeat the republic through other means.
- World of Jerkass:
- The Freyjagard Empire core beliefs in Might Makes Right where the strong make and dictate the rules and the weak have no say and must follow the orders of the strong or be exterminated. Thus explaining the evil behavior of some of the nobles like Duke Oslo El Gustave who treat his subjects like crap, believing it's his right to do whatever he wants with them and kill them should they try to fight back, but even this world will not last forever as revolution is imminent and inevitable, and also violent.
- Other nations like Lakan are implied to be closer in ideology to Freyjagard, only with a focus on raw wealth than noble status. And while Yamato seems to be a nation that puts the citizens ahead of the rulers, this practice is taken to the extreme because the younger royal siblings are either forced to commit suicide or are executed in order for the family to gain the trust of the public.
