Karakuridouji Ultimo/Nightmare Fuel

Go look up any promotional art for this series. What you'll see is a cute little robot boy teaming up with an Ordinary High School Student to save the world from his evil brother.

Sounds like a typical mecha, Shonen, action series right? Just with an extra dose of Generic Cuteness thrown in right?

Yeah, maybe that's how it started.

UNMARKED SPOILERS

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General

• Ultimo. One of the most adorable characters ever, who embodies all good.... except for the fact he's completely batshit. Just look at him here.
• Rune will either win you over with his Bishonen looks and serene personality, or terrify you with his infatuation with Yamato that has lasted 900 years, and the fact that that crush made him eventually become the master of an Evil doji. And it got worse.

Part 1 (Chapter 1-12)

• Chapter 1 introduces Vice by having him wake up cursing and then killing almost half of Yamato's group, using only his fingers.
• Chapter 5 pretty much set the stage that Ultimo isn't..... quite right.
  • Pictured above, the state Ultimo smashes Jealous into. His face and skin are shredded and cracked, eye is nearly falling out, and his arms have been completly ripped off. Ultimo is smiling during most of this.

Ultmo: I'm going to roast you alive with my rocket boosters.

• Rune and Jealous webbing the entire class. Then threatening to kill all of them if Yamato doesn't do as Rune says.
  • Which would probably involve them being strangled, or having their insides crushed. Remember, those spider webs tighten if you try to stuggle.
• Chapter 10 had a rather nightmarish scene where Rune and Yamato are in mecha form. Rune has Yamato forcibly pinned down, in a manner that sends off some disturbing rape vibes. He even talks about how it must be hurting Yamato. *shudder*

Yamato: Rune! Something's wrong with you!
Rune: No. Something's wrong with you.

• Chapter 11 was a teeny bit Tear Jerker, and a whole lot of disrturbing. Rune has just completely lost it, with an ultimate crazed look on his face, while bawling his eyes out at the same time. Then there's the fact he's perfectly willing to kill his best friend becuase he doesn't love him back, then commit suicide.
• Chapter 12. Dear god chapter 12.
  • Service pretty much molested or even raped, by Avaro and about 50 some of his clones. Then they rip him apart and eat him.
    • Try looking at that from his master's point of view, and remember he's easily around the age to be like a father to him. To him it could have very well been like watching his son be raped and not being able to do anything about it. Fridge Horror indeed.
  • Sopia getting his head crushed with, what is probably oil, but looks like blood, squirting out everywhere.
  • Slow doesn't even get to be shown alive. All we see is a dead/possesed look on his face, as Desir carries around his disembodied head.
  • Not forgetting that all of the Good Doji Masters die, most of them by having their heads sliced off. The Evil doji then proceeds to kill all of the Good doji. All of this is explicitly shown.
  • Except for Eco, who gets stabbed by Rage, who's in his giant mecha form. One panel even shows blood dripping off the blade.

Rage: "Regula's spirit sphere is completely crushed. I don't have to tell you... what happened to the Sushi Master."

Part 2 (Chapter 13-20)

• In Chapter 17, Jealousy and Iruma traps Ultimo, Yamato, and the Owner of the Antique Shop in a web. Iruma then tries to kill Yamato with Jealousy's Absurdly Sharp Blade but narrowly misses his face. By millimeters.
  • Not to mention one panel actually makes it look like there was a huge blade through Yamato's face.
• Chapter 18 gives us Musashi, not just being stabbed by Jealous' spider webs, but also having them squeeze his heart.
  • Fridge Horror: The webs tighten at movement. Your heart beats and therefore moves. Every time his heart beat,the webs got tighter.
  • We also find out that there is no way for Yamato to stop everything from happening. He already knows what becomes of everyone, and there isn't a single thing that he can do about it. If anything, he's making things worse.
• Anybody else notice the nice Slasher Smiles that Slow and Machi give us ^{[dead link]} in Chapter 19?
• Chapter 20 had a couple moments. Not nearly as much as some were expecting after chapter 12 (both being the last chapters of their parts) but still a couple.
  • Eco is stabbed again while in Icon Mode, and Hiroshi/Goge are ripped in half. Which had blood/oil spraying about.

Part 3 (Chapter 21-)

• What better way to kick off part 3 then to have Rune nearly RAPE Yamato, in a borderline graphic way. The fact that it seemed to be played for laughs, only made it worse.
  • And Jealous helps him, by tying Yamato to the bed. Then just freaking stands there watching. He even seems to get mad when Rune decides to not go through with it. Ergh.
    • After Rune lets Yamato go, Yamato takes the knife Rune used to cut the webs from him, and threatens to slit his throat. That in itself isn't really scary (and Rune sure as hell had it coming) but what is creepy is that Yamato has a complete and utterly terrifying Slasher Smile on his face. Yes Yamato is smiling like a lunatic while threatening to kill his best friend.
• Chapter 22 finally shows us what Ultimo did. He did in fact, kill Rune's past self. And to top it off, a nice shot of her lying on the ground with blood spattered on the walls, and an even nicer shot of a blood splattered Ultimo. Oh and throw in one of his more distubing smiles to boot. This kids, is what Ultimate Good looks like.
• Vice stabbing, kicking and all around just beating the shit out of Jun, starting Chapter 27. The thing is, is that the kid won't die, and you just see the gallons of blood squirting out of him...
  • This page will clarify just how frightening the scene is.