Guyver/YMMV

• And the Fandom Rejoiced: Fans were happy to see the Zoanoid Buster Gun return in the 2005 anime, after it first appeared in the second OVA, where in the manga he only used a revolver.
  • The anime was also the first adaptation to actually go past Book 7 and bring the Guyver Gigantic to the screen, making fans even happier.
• Alternate Character Interpretation Quite a bit. Biggest has Imakarum's relationship with Archanfel. Some believe that Murakami didn't get brainwashed or was persuaded to join the Zoalords but was in fact an agent of Archanfel's to root out possible threats. It certainly clears up more questions, with little clues as to how or where the two meet. Then some see them as lovers.
  • Then we have Sho Fukamachi and Chronos itself. Some readers see Chronos as doing more good than harm (They did conquer the world... but once they did, they ended poverty, hunger, disease, war and environmental problems) and from that point of view see Sho as an anti-villain in the story. Also some think Takaya made Sho something of a blank slate so readers can put their own personality into him.
  • Agito Makishima: a man who does what needs to be done, a villain, or a more complex character?
• Awesome Music: The OP for the 2005 anime, "WAITING FOR" by Yo Reiri.
  • The opening of the first OVA series is absolutely wicked!
  • No love for Out of Control? This playlist should change your mind.
• Non Sequitur Scene: Often averted. Takaya seems to be good at throwing stuff that seems so out of place, such as the Exceed, but he is able to turn it around and make it plausible and not so random. We'll have to wait a few months to see if the latest BLAM moment, from the most recent chapter, Guyot's half spider mode, will be handled well.
• Complete Monster: Richard Guyot, Cablarl Khan, Clumegnig, and Hayan show zero remorse for anything they do. Barcus is only 97.9 of one and would be one if not for the fact he mourned for Waferdanos and Li Yenstui's deaths. Arguably Archanfel, but he does have a sympathetic back story.
  • Arguably Agito Makishima who does also have a backstory that is sympathetic, made better in the 2005 anime, but still readers tend to go WTF(anti-)hero at Agito more than Archanfel. Also easily Genzo Makashima who helped drive his own brother into debt, eventually forcing said brother to kill himself, all in order to gain an heir, Agito. Like...uncle like son I suppose. Oh and Genzo became Enzyme due to his failures at Chronos and killed Sho while gleefully laughing about it.
• Crazy Awesome: Valcuria and Neo-Zktole have shades of it. With the former being an Action Girl who doesn't care she has a nudifying Guyver unit, did really well against four Enzyme IIIs, shoved a pressure cannon down a Zerebuth's throat, and was far from terrified by the tentacles Svenite shot at her. The latter is Zxtole with power upgrades and wipes the floor with Aptom and Guyver III.
• Crowning Moment of Awesome: Murakami, transforming by sheer will and then punching Guyot, later he nearly slices off his arm.
• Ensemble Darkhorse: The Hyper Zoanoid Team Five, especially ZX-Tole and Thancrus.
  • Hell, nearly every Hyper Zoanoid and special Zoanoids. Some fans still hope that another Zerebuth or Enzyme I will pop up.
    • But the king of them is easily Purgstall, and people like Shin and Hayami as well.
• He's Just Hiding: Fans really miss Purgstall.
• High Octane Nightmare Fuel:
  • The human-to-Zoanoid transformations, which are pretty much always Body Horror.
  • Sho fighting a doppelganger created from his own arm after his first death. (This was unfortunately cut out of the anime for timing purposes.)
    • Although they did pay attention to it. When Enzyme rips out Sho's Control Medal, the form he devolves into was obviously based on the monster that grew from his arm in the manga.
  • The first activation of the Guyver.
    • And in the OVA movie, with the female Guyver, it is.
  • Sho's father turning into a Guyver-killing Zoanoid while being carried on his back. Combined with a Tear Jerker. It's one of the few times that the Narm of Enzyme's design is averted.
  • Aptom when he takes over someone's body. shiver
  • Each time a Guyver is eaten, manga, OVAs, film or the anime it varies from this or extremely gruesome.
  • In a more down to earth sense of terror any scene where causalities occur at school. Such as a sniper killing several people in the first animated movie, or Team Five attacking the school in the first OVA.
• Holy Shit Quotient: Fairly high at this point in the story.
• Memetic Mutation: "Nno," from the David Hayter-starring live action version.
• Narm: Enzyme, perhaps the most effective Zoanoid, armed with Guyver-melting poison... is a giant fluffy bear with back-mounted spider-arms and an insect face. Then, of course, Sho's father turns into one...
  • The Zoanoid Rock Band in the anime. (Though thankfully improved in the 26-episode OVA)
  • Some of the voice acting in the English dub of the 12-episode OAV. Just listen to Guyot and ZX-Tole.
• Real Women Never Wear Dresses: Shizu, an Action Girl who in the first anime shot at a zoanoid with a gun, dresses the most femininely of the female characters.
• So Bad It's Good: the first live-action movie is a great example of this. The movie is very confused whether it wants to be treated seriously or not. It's got scene-cuts with short musical blasts like a cartoon, cheesy lines merely seconds away from serious exposition, a comic relief character with rap sequences, and even a leitmotif stolen from Jaws during a shot where a blade sticks up from someone's chest like a shark's fin.
  • See Executive Meddling in the main article for why this film is so confused.
• Surprisingly Improved Sequel: The second American movie is darker, more serious, and closer to the manga, least in terms of tone. What with the main character struggling to figure out what the hell he is.
  • Specifically, the retelling of Chronos' past and the Guyver's history is pretty much straight out of the manga, complete with the shot of the ships lifting off.
• Tear Jerker: Quite a few:
  • At the top of the list is Sho and his father, against their wills, one by Barcas' mind control, the other by the Guyver's self-defense mode fight and it ends with the Guyver Mega-Smashing his own father. But the 2005 anime cranks it Up to Eleven, because it gave much more time to Mr. Fukamachi and strengthened his and Sho's relationship.
  • Dr. Odagiri taking Guyot's gravity bullets to save Murakami and then Murakami's death at Guyot's hands both cranked up higher in the 2005 anime.
  • A pretty close second is seeing the Creators/Uranus leaving Archanfel behind. The expression Archanfel makes when he cries out 'Then why was I created!?' is a combination of sadness, anger, betrayal, and fear certainly not just humanizes Archanfel but is a very powerful image in itself, never mind that this troper can relate to Archanfel's feeling of abandonment.
  • As much as this troper roots against Chronos, while hoping that one or two of the nicer Zoalords survive, and isn't sure what to make of Guyver III, its rather heart breaking to watch Waferdanos and Li Yentsui do their damnedest, and at the cost of their lives, to make sure Barcas survives and escapes with an item Guyver III will do anything to get. and ultimately they fail!
  • Hayami saving Aptom's life by freezing his mind-controlled body to the ground so that Sho can Mega-Smash it, and then allowing the last fragment of Aptom, finally free of Khan to consume his body to re-grow, telling Sho that he's grown stronger and pretty much dies with a smile
  • The thought of how many friends, siblings, lovers, and children wept when their loved ones got up in the middle of the night, transformed, and all merged together to create Khan's one winged angel form and never came back...
  • Test Type (also known as Malmot in some translations) The very first Zoanoid we see. All the guy wanted was to be human again to return to his family, so he goes and escapes from Cronos with the units to hand them over to Agito, while having the false hope that he could become human again. Turns out Agito tricked him and because he left before the process could be complete, he can only live for a week. It's sadder in the 2005 anime, where we see one last shot of his family photo after his death.
• Too Cool to Live: Purgstall.
• Uncanny Valley. When Shizu first appeared Takaya did not design her too well. However considering he drew other females pretty well this might have been intentional after all. However with his art improving and/or intentional re-designs Shizu has become quite attractive. Seriously can we get a link to her first few panels?
  • Ta-da!
• Unfortunate Implications: The Cadre of Rogue Zoalords. Clumegnig, ibn Hayyan, and Khan are neither of Western origin or Japanese. All three of them wear clothing, in and out of battle, that seems to fit of a more tribal or non-Western apperance. Clumegnig, of an unknown African or Indonesian nation, has tattos and gold bands, ibn Hayyan, who appears to be of the Middle East or India, wears a turban, and Khan, most likely of Mongolia, has armor and headwear of older years. All though to be fair the first rogue Zoalord was Richard Guyot, most likely an American or German.
• Villain Decay: In a way Richard Guyot sure he started off hella ambitious and powerful. But since his return so far all he's done is act crazy and look menacing to the ready. Of course this troper won't be surprised if an ace up his sleeve wasn't mentioned long ago returns him to his former glory. Hopefully teaming up with the remaining two rogue Zoalords will start his climb back up to the top.