Chrono Crusade

My name is Chrono. I'm what you humans call a demon.

Chrono Crusade is a Manga started in 1998 by Daisuke Moriyama, which was later adapted into a 2003 Anime by Gonzo. The series was originally known as Chrno Crusade in Japan due to a typo (or so Moriyama says), but in a recent reissue of the volumes of the manga the missing "O" was restored to the title and highlighted by a flame on it to make sure it's noticeable. Both the manga and the anime were licensed by ADV Films in the US; Section 23, one of the company that came out of the ashes of ADV, had the distribution rights to the anime until late 2010 when FUNimation acquired the distribution rights. The manga is currently unlicensed and out-of-print since their manga branch has been completely dissolved. (So if you want to read this series and see the copies for sale somewhere, snatch them up. Or read a scanlation, but I didn't tell you that.) Section 23 has licensed the broadcast rights to the anime to Manga Entertainment, who is currently airing it on Syfy's Tuesday night Anime block alongside Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann .

The storyline takes place in America during the 1920s and follows Rosette Christopher, a "gun-toting nun" and exorcist who works for the Magadalan Order, and her assistant, Chrono, a cute, chipper boy who is really a demon himself. Together, the pair aims to stop demons that would harm innocent people while searching for Rosette's missing brother, Joshua, who was kidnapped by White-Haired Pretty Boy Aion, a demon with ties to Chrono's past. Along the way they pick up Mysterious Waif Azmaria and Cool Big Sis Satella, and slowly begin to unravel the mysteries behind the powers of the children known as Apostles, and the plans Aion have for Joshua. Has nothing to do with the Square games Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross. Not even if the original Japanese logo with overlapping "Cs" bears a striking resemblance to the aforementioned games', and if Crusade sounds like the next in the series after Trigger, Cross and Break.

It should be noted that the manga and anime for Chrono Crusade differ on some things - particularly the ending, which drastically changes depending on which version of the story you're seeing. Because of this, this page is divided into three sections: tropes that are universal for the series, and tropes that only fit the manga or anime.


For character-related tropes, please see the character page.

Tropes used in Chrono Crusade include:

Applies across both versions

  • Action Film, Quiet Drama Scene: Several, although they're often interrupted by the villains. Considering how much the relationships between the characters is used to highlight the themes of the series, these scenes pop up frequently and are very important overall.
  • Action Prologue: Both versions begin with Rosette and Chrono being called in to help in a demon attack, and save most of the exposition for the second chapter/episode.
  • Age-Appropriate Angst: Many of the younger characters were deeply affected by the loss of family members, while one of the older characters is more concerned with the loss of a love interest.
  • Alternate History:
    • Manga: Because last I checked there was no ring orbiting our planet and New York City had not been wiped out by a freak tsunami in 1924 by an enormous flying fish city-thing.
    • Anime: I'm pretty sure San Francisco wasn't destroyed by anything in 1929, nor was there mass-rioting across the United States.
  • And Your Little Dog, Too: Chrono had plenty of reason to dislike Aion, but it wasn't until he kidnapped Joshua that he and Rosette started getting involved in his plans.
  • Anticlimax: Some complain that the final battle between Chrono and Aion is much too short in the anime. The manga has a much longer, drawn out battle between the two, but their true final battle is never shown; all we have is a page of them charging at each other that then cuts away to follow Rosette. We know Chrono probably won, but not much else.
  • Anime Catholicism / Christianity Is Catholic
  • Anyone Can Die: Particularly the anime version.
  • Arc Words:
    • "Mary Magdalene"--so important that the words are actually in the logo of the series.
    • In the manga, Chrono's "Someday, I'll have to tell you a story about something that happened a long time ago..." may qualify.
  • Audio Adaptation: Both versions spawned at least one Drama CD. The anime version is set in a High School AU.
  • Backstory: Almost all of the characters have them, and many of them connect to other character's pasts--particularly Aion and Chrono.
  • Bad Dreams:
    • Chrono is shown occasionally having a bad dream, mostly to hint at bits of his backstory before they're fully revealed.
    • Rosette also has one in the manga after the battle in volume 5, showing how traumatized she is after it.
    • The anime version introduces Joshua with a nightmare of Rosette's in episode 2.
  • Barbie Doll Anatomy: Noticeable in the the various shower scenes and Out Of Clothes Experiences.
  • Belly of the Whale: After the events of "Marionette Train", when Chrono's backstory begins to be unraveled and events start rushing forward.
  • Big Damn Heroes: Several moments of this.
  • Blank White Eyes
  • A Boy and His X: A girl and her demon.
  • Body Horror: Too much to list, although Chrono's horns breaking through the skin on Joshua's head is particularly memorable and bloody.
  • Body to Jewel
  • Boy Meets Girl:
    • Besides the fact that Chrono's a demon, you could explain the plot similarly to this trope-- demon meets girl, demon loses first girl, meets another girl, demon slowly kills girl and falls in love with girl at the same time.
    • And in the anime, demon meets girl, demon loses girl, demon meets reincarnation of girl, girl gets kidnapped by demon's old "friend", demon and girl are reunited at last and die together. OR...
  • Boy Meets Ghoul: Girl meets demon.
  • Catapult Nightmare: Several times in both versions after Bad Dreams. In the manga, both Rosette and Chrono come out of a coma with one of these.
  • Cat Fight: Especially Rosette and Satella.
  • Cell Phone: Chrono's ammo box has a phone on the side that keeps them in contact with the Order at all times. The series never even attempts to explain how a mobile phone could possibly work in the 1920's.
  • Central Theme: According to Word of God, "the idea of time running out".
  • Character Development: Important in both the manga and anime, although since the manga is a bit slower paced it spends more time on it. Chrono's character development in particular is very key to the overall plot.
  • Clothing Damage: Often, but a particularly good example is "Marionette Train".
  • Color Failure: Both the manga and the anime uses this gag at least once.
  • Coming of Age Story: For Rosette in the manga (and a little bit in the anime). Arguably Chrono, as well.
  • Continuity Nod
  • Creepy Cool Crosses: What would we do without them?
  • Crucified Hero Shot:
    • At one point in the anime, Chrono is sent flying backwards by an explosion. He's shown falling in slow motion, his arms outstretched.
    • A promo art for the anime shows Joshua on a cross.
    • Also, in the manga, after Chrono destroys most of San Francisco and goes comatose, he's shown bound to a cross.
  • Darkest Hour: After the disastrous battle with Aion midway through the series.
  • Dark Is Not Evil
  • Dead Person Conversation: Mary Magdalene speaks to Rosette in the manga and Chrono in the anime.
  • Debut Queue: Chrono and Rosette are introduced in the first episode/chapter, then Azmaria is in the first main plot arc. The following set of chapters/episodes concern flashbacks setting up Aion and Joshua, and the next arc introduces Satella.
  • Devil but No God: In the manga, the demons are actually aliens and there doesn't seem to be any strong proof that God really exists. In the anime, Aion accuses Him of being uncaring and "sleeping".
  • Distant Finale:
    • The manga has an epilogue set several years after the main events of the story.
    • The anime's final episode also ends with one: Father Remington in the Vatican on May 13, 1981, 52 years after the "end" of the series, where Aion appears and apparently is behind the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II.
  • Don't Split Us Up: In the backstory, Rosette was very upset at the idea of Joshua going by himself to the Magdalene Order. Joshua was much more complacent about the idea.
  • Doomed Hometown: Seventh Bell Orphanage, where Joshua and Rosette grew up. Everyone at the orphanage were frozen in stone when the power from Chrono's horns overwhelmed Joshua.
  • Due to the Dead: Considering how much the series deals with themes of death, how the bodies of the dead are treated comes up quite often in the series. (Not to mention in Fanfic.)
  • Dysfunction Junction: Pretty much everyone has some sort of tragic past or present. In the manga, this includes Aion and the Sinners.
  • Evil Is Not a Toy: Repeated theme throughout. Particularly noticeable with some New York mobsters who wanted demons to use as enforcers.
  • Famous Last Words
  • Fan Service: Shower scenes, clothing damage, and quite a few promotional drawings of Rosette in a skimpy outfit. An interview somewhere states that there would've been more fanservice, but the mangaka's family was reading the manga so he decided against it. He seems to have made up for it in his latest series.
  • First Episode Spoiler: Chrono being a demon isn't revealed until the second chapter/episode.
  • Five-Man Band: 4/5, anyway.
  • Flashback Nightmare: Used in both versions, although mostly just to tease and foreshadow the actual flashbacks that cropped up later in the story.
  • First Law of Tragicomedies: Both versions of the story start off fairly lighthearted, but get Darker and Edgier as the series goes on. This is particularly true of the anime.
  • Foreign Language Title: considering Chrono Crusade is from Japan.
  • Foreshadowing: Both in the anime and the manga, although some bits of foreshadowing in the manga made it over to the anime without their payoffs being animated as well. Most particularly, that bit where Rosette's soul is leaked out of her body through the watch? That's important.
  • Freudian Excuse: Most everyone has a tragic background that explains some of their quirks.
  • Genericist Government: It's not really clear if Pandaemonium is even conscious, much less how much power the Queen actually has. Not to mention what roles the Elders have, what "ranks" are, how Pursuers work...
  • Good Morning, Crono: Although the trope is named after the other Crono, both versions of this series open with the main characters sleeping in their car and being woken up by a phone call.
  • Grand Finale: Both the anime and the manga version end things with a bang.
  • Gratuitous English: The title. And in the anime, "South Brooklym", "Joan Paul" and a doozy from the preview:

"When the darkness enveloped the hidden world, the sudden post-war development of this new continent was gathering strange phenomenon and people wandeing [sic] in the darkness who are not human, regardless of the season was spring."

  • Happy Flashback
  • Happy Place: Rosette has a lake near the Order that she takes Azmaria when she's having a bad moment; other characters mention that she goes there often. It's destroyed near the end of the first volume, possibly the first sign that the cast is heading into danger.
  • Heroic RROD
  • Hidden Eyes
  • Historical Fantasy
  • "I Know You're in There Somewhere" Fight
    • Satella VS her sister, Florette/Fiore. It doesn't actually work.
    • Rosette VS Joshua in the manga.
  • Immortality: The demons age very slowly (if at all after they mature), and have regenerative powers to boot--as long as they have their horns or another source of astral energy, anyway.
  • Impossibly Cool Clothes
  • I Shall Taunt You: One of the most effective tactics against Chrono, thanks to his insecurities, emotional personality, and overprotective nature towards Rosette.
  • I Should Write a Book About This:
    • Azmaria in the manga
    • Joshua in the anime (although he doesn't remember the things he's writing about actually happened).
  • It Always Rains At Funerals:
    • Azmaria has a flashback of being at a raining funeral, possibly her parents'.
    • In a manga flashback, we see that it snowed at the funeral for Rosette and Joshua's parents.
  • It Got Worse
  • It's All My Fault: Chrono says this in the anime once things take a turn for the worst, saying the cause is that he followed Aion instead of opposing him. In the manga he never says this word-for-word, but it's implied he feels at least some guilt for certain events.
  • Jigsaw Puzzle Plot
  • Journey to the Center of the Mind: There's a machine that allows the exorcists of the Order to "dive" into a person's soul.
  • Knight of Cerebus: The first six episodes of the anime relatively light hearted. Then Aion comes along...
  • Know When to Fold'Em: At one point, Chrono tries to convince Rosette to retreat. She argues with him, which only gives their enemy an opening to seriously wound Chrono.
  • Love Dodecahedron: Both Chrono and Joshua seem to have amassed a harem around themselves, which is only the start of how complicated things get.
  • Market-Based Title: Chrno Crusade became Chrono Crusade for the US release. The Japanese reprint of the manga went with the 'Chrono' spelling.
  • Marshmallow Hell:
    • Twice in the manga. Once with Chrono and Satella, and one with Azmaria and Rosette.
    • There's also a gag episode in the anime that has characters repeatedly fainting into Satella's breasts.
  • Mental World: Shown when a character "dives" into the soul of another. Azmaria's shows her mourning over the graves of those that have died for her in the past, Chrono's appears to be the grave that Rosette found him sleeping in.
  • Mercy Kill: Fiore offers this to Satella after she's badly wounded in battle. Satella has other plans.
  • Mind Control Eyes
  • Multiple Demographic Appeal: A shounen series with a heavy focus on relationships in general, and in particular the central tragic romance, plus lots of pretty girls and boys, and a dash of a lot of different genres (including supernatural thriller, fantasy, comedy, drama, and in the manga, sci-fi).
  • Nightmare Sequence: Rosette has one both in the anime and manga. Chrono has a few himself.
  • Non-Indicative First Episode
  • Nuns Are Mikos
  • Oh, No, Not Again: When Rosette causes massive property damage during a mission in the beginning of the series, she wails "Why does this sort of thing always happen to me?!" (The rest of the series gives the answer: because she's incredibly Hot-Blooded.)
  • Orphan's Ordeal: Most of the orphans in the series waffle between this and Conveniently an Orphan. It certainly frees them all up to be running around the country, but most of them have character flaws that are (at least partially) explained by the trauma caused by their parents' deaths.
  • Orphanage of Love: Seventh Bell, before Joshua destroyed it.
  • Out-of-Clothes Experience: When Rosette dives into Azmaria's soul.
  • Parental Abandonment: Features heavily in the backstories of pretty much everyone. Including Chrono and Aion in the manga.
  • People Jars:
    • A young Rosette warns Joshua that this will happen to him if he joins the order.
    • The Apostles are held in these when Aion captures them.
    • Ricardo keeps the soulless body of his wife in one.
  • Phenotype Stereotype: Somewhat averted--Joshua, Rosette, Mary and Remington may be blond, but there's a healthy amount of people with brown or black hair in the series, as well.
  • Post Dramatic Stress Disorder:
    • In the manga, Rosette collapses right in front of Chrono when she shoots the horns off of Joshua's head. And then she dies in his arms. Ouch.
    • Chrono collapses after his final fight with Aion in the anime.
  • The Power of Love: Far, far too many examples to list, but notably it's what brings Rosette back to life in the manga.
  • Prophecy Twist: Mary Magdalene's prophetic dreams that Chrono would be the one to "take" her life is deceptively worded. Mary figures it out once things begin to fall into place. in the manga, Chrono doesn't realize Mary's lived on in his watch until the end
  • Pyrrhic Victory: The anime ending. You could possibly consider the manga ending this as well, but most characters have much happier endings despite the overall bittersweet feel.
  • Restraining Bolt: The geas spells used to control demons.
  • The Roaring Twenties
  • Rubber Face:
    • Anime--Shader does this to Chrono in a flashback.
    • Appears occasionally in the manga as well, normally when Rosette is fighting with someone.
  • Running Gag:
    • Rosette hitting Chrono, usually to get out her aggression over a problem that may or may not be his fault.
    • Joshua's hatred of veggies, particularly carrots.
    • Manga version only: Satella flirting with Chrono (which upsets Rosette and squicks Chrono).
  • Say My Name:
    • At one point in the manga, Joshua repeats over and over the word "Sis."
    • Also shows up constantly in romantic moments, dramatic moments, angry moments...pretty much every moment you can think of.
  • Shout-Out:
    • The manga also has a shout-out to Pokémon (and other mon shows) when Rosette briefly tries to order a confused Chrono around similarly to how trainers command their monsters.
    • A music shout out in the anime dub to Jerry Lee Lewis, from episode 6:

(Rosette get clocked over the back of the bench with an errant basketball, which shouldn't be possible)
Azmaria: Goodness gracious!
Chrono: Great ball of fire!
(Rosette gets up with a fiery Power Glow)

  • Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: Chrono Crusade is interesting, since there's conflict between these both in the story and OUTSIDE of it. In the story, Rosette tends to represent a very idealistic way of thinking, which contrasts with Aion's very, very cynical beliefs. Break outside the fourth wall, and the conflict exists in the two different versions of the story: the manga tends to show Rosette as often (but not always) in the right, and ends on a fairy idealistic note. The anime, on the other hand, gets Darker and Edgier towards the end, and comes across as being much more cynical (including a final shot with a monologue lamenting that humans continue in their evil ways, which invites trouble.
  • Speed Echoes
  • Standard Bleeding Spots: Chrono in particular, although Rosette isn't immune.
  • Surrogate Soliloquy: The ending of both the manga and anime have a character talking toRosette's grave.
  • Tears of Blood: So much blood...
    • Anime, a statue of the Virgin Mary cries tears of blood.
    • Joshua also has Tears of Blood after getting Chrono's horns.
    • The Sinner's experience this when a Geas is cast on them.
    • The Apostles also have them during the oratorio in the manga.
  • Thematic Rogues Gallery: Naturally, the only enemies Chrono and Rosette fight are demons or supernatural beasts.
  • There Are No Therapists: The sinners in general could use some good group therapy, not to mention all of the orphans. But are there therapists? No--a few good talks with the local priest, but no therapy sessions. Possibly Justified, considering the time period.
  • They Would Cut You Up: Rosette tells Joshua this to convince him not to join the Order.
  • Throwing Down the Gauntlet: Aion challenges Chrono to "Get up! Kill me now!" when he's "killed" by Joshua at the carnival.
  • Transformation Trauma: When Joshua gets Chrono's horns, they grow out of his skull and break through the skin on his head with enough force to spray blood over the walls of his room and his clothing.
  • Transformation Trinket: In a sense the pocket watch is this.
  • Translation Convention: You don't communicate with Americans in Japanese. You just don't. And you don't speak Japanese OR English in Germany...
  • Translation Correction: See Market-Based Title
    • Also, the original Japanese version had Satella shout "laden!" when summoning her jewels. The manga version kept this, but Tiffany Grant (the voice actress of Satella, who is well known for playing another fiesty, readheaded German) thought while working on the dub that "laden" is actually the word for a jury summons. In an attempt to fix the mistake, Satella shouts "commen sie!" or "come here!" in the dub, instead. Which is funny because "laden" means "to load" in German, and that's precisely what Satella does with her jewels...
  • True Companions: Made all the more poignant since most of the main characters are orphans. The Sinners are also shown to be like this as well in the manga, which serves to show how ruthless and committed to his goals Aion is when he sacrifices them without outward remorse.
  • Two-Fisted Tales
  • Unresolved Sexual Tension: Chrono and Rosette are the most obvious, but a lot of other pairings have this between them, too. One of the funniest moments related to UST in the manga is probably a scene when Chrono walks in on Mary Magdalene washing her clothes in a river in nothing but her underwear. While Chrono flails around behind her, she tells him "You missed me bathing earlier. Too bad!"
  • Unusually Uninteresting Sight: Nobody seems to find Chrono's appearance particularly odd despite the fact that, even in disguise, he has purple hair, pointed ears, red eyes, and fangs.
  • Urban Fantasy
  • Villains Out Shopping: The very first time Aion is actually shown in the flesh, he's coming back home from a shopping trip for Fiore. In the manga, it's the first of several scenes showing the Sinners as somewhat of a dysfunctional, but caring, family unit.
  • Viva Las Vegas: Early in the series, Chrono and Rosette are sent on a mission to save Azmaria from her casino-owning foster father in Las Vegas. Along the way, Rosette gets in trouble because she can't resist gambling in a casino. This is actually a case of Newer Than They Think / Did Not Do the Research, since Las Vegas didn't become the gambling town it's known as until several decades later.
    • It's also a rather long way away from the Order's base in NYC, which makes the anime's decision to move the casino to Atlantic City, New Jersey understandable.
  • Wham! Episode: The battle at the carnival. (Episode 19 in the anime, about midway through the 5th volume of the manga.)
  • Was It Really Worth It?: Both the anime and manga bring up this question in reference to Rosette and Chrono's contract--Chrono himself even questions if there wasn't another way they could have done it in the manga.
  • What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic
  • Where I Was Born and Razed:
    • As mentioned in Doomed Hometown, Joshua was responsible for freezing everyone in Seventh Bell into stone.
    • Also, in the manga, Aion's ultimate goal is the destruction of Pandaemonium and "remaking" Earth by using its legion. He succeeds in the first, but not the second.
  • World War I: Briefly mentioned at some points--in fact, extras made for the anime discuss how the war affected the time period of the setting.
  • You Said You Would Let Them Go: Azmaria promises to go with Laraje if he doesn't hurt Rosette and Chrono. Of course, he goes back on his deal as soon as she's within arm's length.


Manga Only

  • Above the Ruins: A flashback shows Aion grinning wildly from atop a cliff while overlooking the results of the battle that gave Chrono the title "Slayer of a Hundred".
  • Advanced Ancient Acropolis: Pandaemonium.
  • Afterlife Express: Transports souls to the afterlife. Rosette takes a ride on itwhen her contract with Chrono weakens her soul, but decides to jump off and revive before the end of the trip.
  • Angst Coma: Chrono goes into one after volume 5. It takes a Journey to the Center of the Mind to get him out of it.
  • Art Evolution: Subtle within the series, but comparing art earlier in the series to towards the end makes it obvious that Moriyama improved as an artist while working on the series. And then the brand-new reprint covers were released, and his art style has changed so much it almost looks like a different artist altogether drew the cover.
  • Artistic License Geography / No Sense of Direction: The party's journey from NYC to San Fransisco takes them from New York to the Seventh Bell Orphanage (In Michigan), to Washington DC, to Chicago, and from there to San Fransisco. This route is about 1500 miles longer than it needs to be (Especially given how important this mission is to Rosette), even with the absence of interstate highways (Which wouldn't exist for roughly another 30 years). Either Moriyama Did Not Do the Research, or Rosette is totally incapable of cross-country navigation.
  • An Asskicking Christmas: The Grand Finale takes place during Christmas Eve and Christmas.
  • Berserker Tears: Happens occasionally--for example, this is Joshua's reaction when he finds out about Chrono and Rosette's contract.
  • Bittersweet Ending
  • Blood From the Mouth: Used often to show when someone's injured badly. Thanks to Chrono's tendency to throw himself in harm's way, it happens a lot with him.
  • Cat Smile: Azmaria displays one after being rescued in the desert by Satella.
  • Color Failure: Happens to Azmaria, Rosette, and Satella's butler in episode 14 after he passes out on Satella's chest.
  • Crashing Dreams: Chrono experiences this when he has a nightmare where he almost agrees to follow Aion again, but is stopped by a ghostly woman.
  • Cue the Sun: In the ending, Rosette looks out over a rising sun and says "There's plenty for us to do!"
  • Darkened Building Shootout: A variation, when Rosette and co get chased into a warehouse by some Pursuers.
  • Defenestrate and Berate: In one scene, Chrono becomes so frustrated when Rosette won't wake up in the morning that he actually throws Rosette out the window.
  • Died in Your Arms Tonight: Rosette, in Chrono's arms. Twice.
  • Distant Duet: Joshua and Rosette are both shown singing Israfel.
  • Doing In the Wizard: demons are really aliens.
  • Don't Say Such Stupid Things: Rosette gives Chrono this speech after his Heroic BSOD.
  • Dream Sequence: Chrono has one that foreshadows later revelations about his backstory.
  • Earn Your Happy Ending: Although some characters have more traditionally happy endings and others are more bittersweet.
  • Engaging Conversation: Shader tells Fiore "I want you to be my wife!" after Fi makes everyone a delicious meal. She's probably joking, but it's hard to tell with Shader sometimes.
  • Epilogue Letter: The manga uses a videotaped message from Azmaria to Satella as a framing device for a flashback that covers what happened to the characters in the months leading up to Rosette's death.
  • Every Car Is a Pinto: During an extra at the end of volume 7, Rosette shoots a car that immediately explodes on contact.
  • Eye Awaken: Chrono and Rosette defeat a demon by the skin of their teeth. As soon as they begin to relax, the demon jumps out of the rubble--and is promptly finished off by backup arriving just in time.
  • False Crucible: Remington challenges Chrono to a duel to the death when he's ordered to execute him, but in reality he's testing to see if Chrono can learn to control his rage. He succeeds, and Remington gives them supplies before setting them on the path to their final battle with Aion.
  • Floating Continent: Eden.
  • Fictional Document: Mary Magdalene's book of prophecies and Azmaria's memoir.
  • Gainax Ending: The end of the manga is strange, somewhat open-ended and rather rushed and abrupt, causing the ending to come off as pretty weird. To make matters worse, the original published ending was VERY open-ended, with a lot of loose strings not tied up until the final collected volume was released several months later with an additional epilogue added onto the end. (And even THAT ending has some questions that are never answered, and raises new ones on top of it!)
  • Go Through Me:
    • Chrono throws himself between Aion and Mary Magdalene. Aion, knowing full well Chrono will heal, actually does just go through him.
    • Repeated later when he attempts to save Rosette. It works, thanks to a spot of "luck".
  • Green Rocks: Legion
  • History Repeats: Mary was possessed by Pandaemonium, which led to Aion wanting her dead and Chrono making a contract with her. Later, when Pandaemonium is killed by Aion, she seeks out a new body: and decides on Rosette. Aion can't help but point out that "It's just like we're reliving what happened 50 years ago!"
  • Home, Sweet Home: After her adventures, Rosette returns back to the orphanage she grew up in and becomes a caretaker there.
  • Horde of Alien Locusts: Aion plans to use the corrupted legion in this way to destroy the world and rebuild it.
  • I Am Not Left-Handed: When Aion fights Duke Daffau, he purposefully loses the battle, before revealing his plan to weaken the demons that still have horns, and that his sword has a device built into it to enhance his own powers.
  • I'm Cold... So Cold...: Sister Rosette Christopher thinks this to themselves as they die in someone's arms, and offers the person with them a scarf.
  • I'm Not Hungry: When kidnapped by Aion, Azmaria refuses to eat. Shader convinces her to eat by telling her that "food isn't good or evil."
  • Implausible Deniability: Joshua tells Rosette "You're not Rosette. My sister was nice." Oh, really?
  • Inelegant Blubbering: Rosette, towards the end of the manga when she realizes she's died.
  • Intangible Time Travel: Rosette dives into Chrono's soul to relive his memories in this way.
  • Ironic Echo: "If you had to pretend to be a big shot, you should never have come to the front lines."
  • I Was Having Such a Nice Dream: Parodied in the first chapter. Instead of asking for five minutes, Chrono asks Rosette to sleep for ten hours. Of course, Rosette doesn't agree to it.
  • I Will Wait for You: In the end of the manga, Chrono promises Rosette that he'll come back to her right before he leaves to fight Aion in their final battle. He either takes 8 years to finally return for some unexplained reason, or was killed in his final battle and comes back to her as a ghost. Either way, he returns to her just as she takes her final breaths.
  • Leave the Two Lovebirds Alone: Azmaria arranges for Chrono and Rosette to be alone at the Carnival.
  • Literary Agent Hypothesis: The manga hints at this, by "quoting" Azmaria's memoirs for some of the narration.
  • Megaton Punch: Satella delivers one to Chrono after he passes out on her boobs.
  • Mind Screw: Demons are actually just Sufficiently Advanced Aliens and Hell is their Space Whale buried under the Atlantic Ocean.
  • Morality Kitchen Sink: Most of the Order and Rosette's companions are on the white side of the scale (with some sliding), the Sinners are mostly on the blackish side of gray, and the other demons are usually black (but occasionally sympathetic).
  • My God, What Have I Done?: Chrono, volume 5.
  • Near-Death Clairvoyance: Rosette is able to watch a battle over her body after she dies.
  • No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: Joshua gives Chrono a brief one of these when he finds out about his contract with Rosette.
  • Ominous Multiple Screens: Used to show who Pandaemonium plans to use as a host-Rosette.
  • Ominous Pipe Organ: Joshua plays one of these to channel his powers.
  • Our Hero Is Dead: Rosette actually does die, but is later revived.
  • Plot-Based Voice Cancellation: In the manga, a promise Joshua made to Rosette when they were children is scribbled out in the text bubble, and revealed later on.
  • The Power of Blood: Blood is exchanged when a demon makes a contract with a human. (The anime doesn't specify if it follows this or not.)
  • The Promise: There's several promises made from one character to another that later come into play.
  • Sean Connery Is About to Shoot You: The manga has several scenes where Joshua points a gun outside of the frame and off towards the page.
  • Secret Test
  • Shower of Awkward: Rosette chases the Elder out of the shower...naked. Chrono, of course, is standing right outside, and gets to see Rosette in her full glory. He then gets blamed for the incident and is punched by Rosette.
  • Sprouting Ears: Rosette displays some cat ears when Satella picks them up while they were traveling in the desert to San Francisco, and then goes into Rich Bitch mode to tease Rosette for not having better prepared for the trip due to their lack of funds and training.
  • Storming the Castle: The manga ends with two stormings in rapid succession.
  • This Is Unforgivable!: Chrono and Rosette's reaction when they discover the full extent of Aion's plans.
  • Trippy Finale Syndrome
  • Unstoppable Rage: Chrono Volume 5. A main part of his character development is him learning to control his rage.
  • Where Are They Now? Epilogue: The final volume contains a bonus chapter that's one of these.
  • Where It All Began: Chrono and Aion's final battle takes place in Pandaemonium the very place Chrono first joined Aion over half a century ago.Not to mention that their battle starts and ends with the corpse of their mother nearby...
  • World of Cardboard Speech: Chrono gives one of these to Aion towards the end of the manga, explaining the affect that humans (particularly Rosette) have had on him.
  • You Are With Me: Used at least twice...
    • "...like each light is its own life."
    • "The place Chrono could go back to was decided four years ago!"
  • Your Favorite: A variation--Fiore cooks someone her sister's favorite food, because one reminds her of the other.
  • Your Soul Is Mine: Sort of the contracts, although more a case of Deal with the Devil since both of Chrono's contracts are willing. However, in the manga Aion makes contracts with kidnapped, or possibly murdered, victims that the Sinners round up for him. Fiore then somehow turns them into jewels, which Aion uses to power himself up during fights.


Anime Only

  • Accent Adaptation: A strange one in the dub--a generic police chief was given an Irish accent to match the stereotype of police men in the time period. The dub also gives Satella and Florette German accents (something that she's noted to have in the manga, but was cut out of the Japanese anime track).
  • Anime Theme Song: The opening is (apparently) a love song from Rosette to Chrono, while the ending theme is a sad farewell song to match the feel of the ending.
  • As Long as There Is Evil
  • As the Good Book Says...: This version of Aion seems to be meant to be the anti-Christ, with constant scripture quotations to back that up.
  • The Bad Guy Wins: Depending on how you interpret the final scene.
  • Bittersweet Ending/DownerEnding: Depending on the details of the final scene and your own interpretation. Either way, some of the final scenes are well-known Tear Jerkers.
  • Breather Episode: Episode 12, which is also the:
  • Christmas Episode
  • Clothing Damage: Happens to Rosette on the train in episode 13 after Rizelle uses her web attack.
  • Cut His Heart Out with a Spoon: In the English dub of the first episode, Rosette literally threatens to kill the Elder with a spoon.
  • Double Entendre: In the preview for Episode 2, Rosette frets over having lost something "very important". When Chrono asks her what she lost, her response is a vague "when a girl says she's lost something very important, what else could it be but that?" It turns out the object she's referring to from the episode is actually her gun, but Chrono assumes the sexual meaning (and is immediately scolded for being perverted).
  • Dude He's, Like, In A Coma: Rosette kisses Chrono while he's trying to sleep off a fever.
  • Esoteric Motifs: A pentagram is drawn in the air behind Rosette when she releases the seal on the watch.
  • Forceful Kiss:
    • Aion forces a kiss on Rosette not once, but twice.
    • He also does this to Satella after revealing he killed her parents and before molesting her.
  • Fork Fencing: Rosette attacks the Elder with a spoon in the first episode.
  • Gainaxing: Episode 03 but the poor animation makes it look like bags of water.
  • Gecko Ending: The anime shows signs of splitting from the manga from the beginning, but splits pretty solidly in episode 7 and becomes nearly completely different somewhere around the halfway point.
  • Intertwined Fingers: In the last episode, Chrono and Rosette clasp their hands together in this way as they both die in each other's arms. This is a very iconic image for the series--chances are you've seen a clip of this if you've ever watched a Chrono Crusade AMV.
  • Intimate Healing: Chrono comes down with some sort of demon fever, and Rosette is told by a fortune teller that a folk remedy for fevers is...a kiss. She tries it, and it works.
  • Kill'Em All
  • Kiss of Death: Aion kisses Rosette after giving her a Hannibal Lecture.
  • Overtook the Manga
  • Partly Cloudy with a Chance of Death:Chrono and Rosette die as the sun sets.
  • Plot Induced Stupidity Great job, Chrono, you got your horns back. Now you can...wait, why are you using them as a throwing weapon?
  • Present Day Past: The story takes place in the 20s but Newspaper articles often have modern headlines.
  • Retraux: Used in the ADV Films trailer, particularly the narration that mimics old newsreels. Also shows up a little bit in the opening and title cards, although isn't used too frequently in the anime proper.
  • Shoot the Shaggy Dog
  • Spit Take: Sister Kate does this when Azmaria asks to be an exorcist like Rosette.
  • Sick Episode
  • To Be Continued: Every episode (besides the final episode) ends with a title card displaying this phrase, which then melts away in a way reminiscent of old, worn film.
  • Together in Death:Chrono and Rosette are buried together in a grave with a single headstone.
  • Transformation Sequence: Chrono was given one in the anime when he turns into his true form.
  • Unrequited Love: Rosette uses this against Rizelle on the train, and taunts her that despite everything the spider lady is doing for Aion, he never notices her. It seems to set off her Berserk Button, which also allows Rosette a brief opening to bypass her defenses.
  • Unwitting Pawn: Pretty much the entire main cast.
  • Voice of the Legion: When Chrono's transforming in the anime, his voice echoes--particularly in the second episode when he thinks Rosette's been killed and tries to break through the seal on his own.
  • Wouldn't Hurt a Child: Both played straight and averted. The "played straight" part is that Azmaria is the only main character to survive the end of the series without extreme mental damage.... Averted, in that a some young children are killed because of their powers (although they're minor enough to not even have names).
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