List of The Saga of Tanya the Evil episodes

At the Rhine, the Imperial Army fights a battle of attrition against the Francois Republic. There, Second Lieutenant Tanya Degurechaff leads the 3rd platoon of the Imperial Army 205th Assault Mage Company in combat against enemy forces, with Corporal Viktoriya Serebryakov as a member of her platoon. When two mages under Tanya's command disobey her orders, she transfers them to the rear. Some time later, while the 205th is en route to reinforce the 403rd Assault Mage Company, the 403rd is wiped out by Republican Army maages. Tanya orders the three other members of her platoon to rendezvous with other members of the 205th and engages the Republican mages herself. Tanya annihilates them after they refuse her demands to stand down. Later, in the Republican capital of Parisee, military leaders discuss Tanya, who is given the moniker of "Devil of the Rhine" by Republican Army troopers for her fearsome combat abilities and performance. At Imperial Strategic Headquarters (located in the Imperial capital of Berun), Lieutenant Colonel Rerugen is concerned that Tanya had been sent to Rhine and calls her 'a monster in the form of a girl'. Meanwhile at the Rhine, Viktoriya learns that the insubordinate mages that Tanya had previously sent to the rear are dead after enemy forces shelled the pillbox where they had been stationed, something Tanya had anticipated and planned for.

In Tokyo in 2013, an underperforming salaryman is fired by his supervisor, who then pushes said supervisor in front of a moving train. As the supervisor falls onto the tracks, time stops and he hears the words of a self-proclaimed God coming from the people at the station, demanding the supervisor acknowledge him as God. The supervisor asserts his opinion that the being is not God and names it 'Being X'. Being X comes to the conclusion that the salaryman lacks faith in Him because he does not live in circumstances that would require him to have faith, and decides to reincarnate the unrepentant supervisor in an alternate 1913-era Europe, where he would potentially face enough troubles that he would have no choice but to have faith in Being X. Tanya grows up in a poorly funded orphanage in Berun, where it is discovered by routine tests that she has an exceedingly high magical aptitude. Tanya decides to enlist in the Imperial Army, where she believes that she would fare better than as an orphan in wartime. She performs well and is entrusted with training new cadets at a military academy, but is ruthless and unforgiving to her students, much to Rerugen's horror. In 1923, a 9-year-old Tanya is operating as an artillery observer at the Northern Theater Force Garrison during the initial invasion of the Empire by the Entente. Lieutenant Colonel Anson Sioux of the Entente leads a company of the 5th Aerial Mage Battalion after Tanya who is ordered to stay and delay them, which Tanya does so at great injury to herself. Later, back at Garrison Headquarters, Tanya is awarded the Silver Wings Assault Badge and hopes she isn’t sent to the frontlines. Instead, she is dressed up and lauded as a hero of the Empire.

After recovering from her injuries, Tanya is assigned to the Tactical Instructor Squad away from the front, to her great relief. She tests a new type of computation jewel (a device necessary for mages to perform magic), the Elenium Type-95, but this proves to be as dangerous as fighting on the frontlines due to the extreme instability of the Type-95. Chief Development Engineer Adelheid von Schugel pushes her to her limits, but is unable to make the Type-95 sufficiently stable. After criticizing the technology, she requests a transfer which is approved, and the project is frozen. That night, Being X animates a nutcracker doll and accuses Tanya of not having developed any faith or insight, but Tanya disagrees with Being X and destroys the toy. She wakes up the next day and assumes it was a dream, but sees a paper with Deus lo vult (God wills it) written on her bedside. Tanya participates in one more experiment and just as the Type-95 is about to explode, Being X performs a miracle and stabilizes the jewel to prove His power to Tanya. As a result, the Type-95 is now usable only to Tanya, and greatly amplifies her power when used, on the condition that she prays to Being X. She views this as a curse. The next year, Tanya is again sent to the front, eventually leading to the events of Episode 1. Headquarters decides to send her to officer training and she recommends Viktoriya for officer training as well. They both prepare to return to Berun for officer training. Meanwhile, Headquarters realises the necessity of a rapid response unit in the Imperial Army.

Six months after leaving the frontlines, Tanya is still training to be an officer at a military academy and is doing well at her studies. She meets General Zettour in the academy's library and he asks for her opinion on the war. She predicts that it will become a world war and outlines a strategy for the Empire, using the firepower and agility of mages to minimise military losses. He is impressed by her battle knowledge and ideas and asks for a report, which she sees as an opportunity for career advancement. Later, Tanya meets Captain Uger, one of her academy rivals, in a café. Uger reveals to Tanya that he is more concerned about his family than the war and of the future impact the war will have on his daughter, who he fears may one day be forced to fight. Tanya is able to emotionally manipulate him to drop out of academy in exchange for a safer line of work, securing her position as one of the elite students at the academy. Zettour passes Tanya's plan to General Kurt von Rudersdorf. At a conference held at the Imperial Strategic Headquarters, Zettour tables Tanya's plan for a rapid-response mage battalion, which is accepted. At the Western Theater Garrison, Rerugen is furious when he learns that Tanya's plan has been implemented with her in command of the rapid reaction force. Tanya is invited to dinner with the Colonel, where she is put in charge of a new 48-strong rapid-response mage battalion and will be promoted to the rank of Captain. Much to her horror, this will actually be more dangerous than fighting on the front lines. She tries to find ways to delay the implementation of the battalion, especially after a large number of applications for the battalion are received, but a newly-promoted Viktoriya is assigned to assist her, thus preventing Tanya from further delaying the formation of the battalion.

Tanya holds a test to decide whether or not the mages who have sent in the applications are worthy of joining the new battalion, but most fail, resulting in a low recruitment rate, leading to her superiors complaining that her standards are set too high. Tanya accepts this compromise to accept more lower-standard mages, and declares that she will bring all the mages to an acceptable standard in just a month. She is granted free rein on how to go about it. She holds a gruelling training regime, with many nearly dying (which she hopes would deter them from further training), but the mages are instead frightened that dropping out will incur even worse punishment and decide to continue. Some are even inspired to meet her lofty standards. Within a month, they have been successfully transformed into skilled soldiers, even by Tanya's standards. She then receives instructions to go with her battalion (named the 203rd Aerial Mage Battalion, or Pixie Battalion) to the Grand Duchy of Dakia which has mobilised its troops and crossed Imperial borders. There, the first battle the 203rd encounters is totally in their favour. The Dakians have no mages and still use techniques for out-dated forms of warfare, even lacking the capability for the most basic of anti-aircraft operations. The Dakian attack is repulsed with ease by the elite 203rd, resulting in massive Dakian casualties. Tanya commands the 203rd to follow her to the Dakian capital to test their combat prowess, leaving the remainder of the Dakian invasion force to regular Imperial forces. There, they locate the Republic-backed Carbelius Arms Factory that is undefended from aerial attack. Tanya orders the 203rd to attack it; but in accordance with international law, they can only destroy the factory if they have declared their intentions in advance, allowing for armed retaliation. This would give away the 203rd's surprise advantage. However, Tanya uses a child-like voice to broadcast her intentions to destroy the factory over a radio, which is dismissed by factory workers as a harmless child's prank, allowing the 203rd to completely destroy the factory. The 203rd, satisfied with their overwhelming success, returns to base.

Headquarters concludes that Imperial troops should be able to completely occupy Dakia by winter and turns their attention to the fact that the Empire is still fighting on two fronts: against the Entente and the Republic. They decide to focus their efforts on destroying the Entente first, but are worried that there will not be sufficient supplies to do so with there only being enough to last the Imperial Army through winter. Finally, an order is sent for the 203rd to transfer to Norden against the Entente. Later, Tanya and Viktoriya discuss the possibility of the Entente being allied to the Republic and/or the Allied Kingdom (analogous to the United Kingdom), which is later shown to be true. Tanya realises that Being X may be orchestrating the upcoming world war in order to force a situation wherein she would have no choice but to worship Him. At Norden, Viper Battalion fights against attacking Entente forces but faces heavy losses. The 203rd comes in just in time to rescue Viper Battalion and to launch a counterattack. When offered to be reinforced by additional Imperial Army units, Tanya turns down the offer to create a reputation for the 203rd. She chooses to go after enemy bombers, leaving the rest of the 203rd to carry out the attack. After downing a flight of bombers and landing to look for survivors, Being X once again stops time and animates a dead Entente soldier, and asks Tanya how it feels to fight a war against the whole world. Tanya shoots Being X's avatar down and later eradicates a hidden Allied Kingdom observation post that was gathering data on her. At Parisee, Lieutenant Colonel Zevran Biantot informs General Pierre Michelaud Lugo of the failure of the Entente's attacks and of Republican mage casualties, advising him to refrain from sending more Republican mages to assist the Entente. However, Lugo refuses, seemingly under the influence of Being X. In the Entente Ministry of Defence, it is revealed that Anson Sioux has been promoted to Colonel, but is worried about dying and leaving his wife and daughter (Mary Sioux) behind.

A recap of previous episodes from Tanya's point of view.^[7]

At Port Arnelus, Colonel Sioux bids farewell to his family as he leaves for his post at the relatively quiet Orse Fjord, located far from the front. Some time later, he discovers that he had received a rifle from his daughter as an early Christmas present. Meanwhile at the Imperial Army Northern Theater Command's Strategy Conference, Tanya proposes a strategic retreat, thus shortening supply lines for retreating Imperial forces, allowing the Imperial Army to resupply and making it easier for them to launch an offensive in spring. She asserts that while the retreat would continue the war, an offensive at the moment would exhaust the Imperial army in Norden, thus limiting its effectiveness. Despite this, it is decided that an offensive would be carried out regardless of the potential losses. Afterwards, during a conversation with Rerugen and Rudersdorf, she deduces that the offensive's main purpose is to be a diversion for Imperial forces to launch an amphibious offensive at the rear of the enemy. Rudersdorf decides to send the 203rd to launch a surprise attack at the heavily defended Orse Fjord in advance of their North Sea Fleet. During the attack, the 203rd is intercepted by a battalion-sized unit of mages led by Colonel Sioux. Tanya leads the 1st Company in intercepting enemy mages while the 2nd and 3rd Companies destroy the defensive cannons located along the coast, allowing the fleet to land and take control of the railroads, in turn allowing for Imperial forces to take over the port. Sioux’s mages are devastated by the 1st Company. In a final confrontation, Tanya bayonets Sioux, who falls into the sea. Tanya recovers Sioux's rifle and claims it as her own.

In a post-credits scene, Mary Sioux and her mother in Arkansas hear over the radio that the Orse Fjord's defenders were wiped out, causing Mary to cry.

Bientot and the Republican Army's 2nd Mage Company support a rebel uprising in Arene City against Imperial occupiers, located in former Republican territory in the Western Theater. This is a problem because the Arene rebels now control the large railroad that passes through Arene, which is straining Imperial supply lines. The 203rd are ordered to intercept and destroy all resistance even if it means civilian casualties. They find the city heavily defended. However, Strategic Command has a plan to rapidly suppress the Arene rebellion; as in accordance to international law, should a city not be evacuated after an evacuation order, all remaining people in a city will be treated as enemy soldiers. After a fierce attack by the 203rd, battered Republican mages seek shelter in a building. Following a refusal to surrender or evacuate, the 203rd observes the murder of a captured Imperial soldier by Arene rebels, providing a casus belli for retaliation. Arene comes under sustained attack from Imperial artillery, causing countless civilian deaths; the Republican mages are driven off completely and control of Arene is returned to the Empire. Second Lieutenant Vooren Grantz refuses to open fire at the Arene rebels but Tanya pressures him into doing so. At Strategic Headquarters, Zettour reveals to Rerugen that the idea for the destruction of Arene actually came from a thesis written by Tanya that details methods to circumvent international laws on city bombardment. At an Allied Kingdom hospital, the critically wounded Colonel Sioux slowly recovers from his encounter with Tanya and says that God told him to destroy the Devil.

Some days after the battle at Arene, Tanya meets Major Uger from the academy, who tells her of a plan to withdraw Imperial forces on the Rhine to draw Republican forces into a trap: "Operation Revolving Door", consisting of four separate phases. Zettour proposes this plan at the Command Strategy Conference and arranges to use the 203rd to attack the rear of Republican forces. The Empire carries out a widespread disinformation campaign as the first phase "Operation Fog and Sun" to trick Republican forces of a large-scale Imperial retreat. Rerugen tells Tanya that the plan for the second phase "Operation Shock and Awe" is to take out Republican command headquarters and their communication systems. Schugel announces that a new high-speed rocket weapon, the V-1, will transport the 203rd to the three potential locations of the enemy headquarters. Meanwhile at the Rhine, Imperial troops retreat from the front, resulting in the confident advance of Republican forces. Unbeknownst to them, the Imperial Army left booby traps while retreating.

Sioux is shown to have survived, and seen to be travelling on an Allied Kingdom ship and plotting his revenge on Tanya. Following the success of "Operation Shock and Awe", the 203rd proceeds to retreat via submarine. At the Imperial High Council, various military leaders undergo a grilling by government officials on their strategy of withdrawal, accused of exposing Imperial manufacturing facilities to potential Republican attack. They delay their response, stalling for time while they wait for Tanya’s unit to report on their status. Finally, Zettour announces to the Imperial High Council that the enemy command structure has been destroyed and the commencement of the third phase of "Operation Lock Pick". It starts with the detonation of the traps left behind by the retreating Imperial Army, resulting in widespread Republican losses. Without communications, the Republican forces are in disarray and suffer a sustained counterattack by Imperial heavy armour and mechanised infantry who completely encircle Republican forces. During an investigation on the cause of the communications breakdown, Bientot arrives at the ruins of the Republican Army’s headquarters and is horrified. The 203rd takes part in the fourth phase of "Operation Revolving Door", a series of mop-up operations against Republican Army remnants but suddenly come under attack from an Allied Kingdom mage unit with long-range weapons led by Sioux.

The diminished 203rd goes on the offensive rather than retreat. They use their altitude advantage but suffer heavy losses, especially when Sioux uses a magically-enhanced trench gun. Sioux pursues Tanya and when they come face-to-face, she bayonets him. She then recognises him from their previous encounter, but he is possessed by Being X and grabs her. Viktoriya helps Tanya break free and Tanya empties an entire magazine into Sioux, penetrating his magical defenses. Riddled with bullets, he detonates an explosive, but Tanya and Viktoriya resist the blast just as a battalion of Imperial reinforcements arrive and chase off the Allied Kingdom mages. It is shown that while injured, most of the 203rd has survived. After the severe losses suffered by Republican forces because of the Operation Revolving Door, the Republican Army abandon Parisee, resulting in Imperial forces moving in and occupying the city. Imperial High Council congratulates the military on their success, and discuss the acquisition of the Republic's colonies. While the men of the 203rd celebrate on a Republican beach, Tanya and Viktoriya discuss the ending of the war, and Tanya suspects the Republic is planning to evacuate by sea to prepare a counter-offensive. She requests permission to attack the Republican military port of Brest, but it is refused and she is also prevented from undertaking her own "reconnaissance". She bemoans this opportunity to end the war.

While the Empire celebrates the truce (that could finally lead to an armistice and so to the end of the war), Tanya explains to Rerugen of her being aware of the fact that it is only a matter of time for the war to restart, since the Republic and all other nations will never allow the Empire to become the most powerful country in Europe; but more so that refusing to admit defeat and choosing to keep fighting no matter the consequences is simply part of human nature. In fact, the Empire's overwhelming growth finally pushes the remaining superpowers of the World (the Allied Kingdom, the Russy Federation and the Unified States) to form an alliance against the Empire. When General Lugo of the Republican Army proclaims the birth of the Free Republic from Tunis, it becomes clear to the Empire's citizens and soldiers that the war is far from over. While the battles begin once again, Tanya and her squad are sent to Africa to begin the fight against the Free Republic. While haranguing her men, Tanya tells them that the war is proof that God has failed, and that the power to influence mankind is now in the hands of Man and, especially, of the soldiers, once again launching her challenge against Being X. Meanwhile, in the Unified States, Mary Sioux (blessed with Being X's power) enlists in the U.S. Army in search for Tanya, seeking vengeance for her father's death.

Tanya and the 203rd Air Mage Battalion are sent to fight the Free Republic and its foreign allies in the southern desert. Food is scarce, but Colonel Rerugen sends a shipment of dried pasta to the battlefield for the troops. However, given the harsh conditions and shortage of water, the pasta cannot be cooked. Following a raid, the 203rd manages to acquire a substantial quantity of water but the boiled pasta is virtually tasteless. Tanya gains approval from headquarters for the 203rd to embark on a series of "force recon" raids under the name of "Operation Desert Pasta" on the outposts of the Free Republic and its foreign allies. She omits the detail that they also plan to gather ingredients for a pasta sauce. The operation is highly successful and the 203rd enjoy the benefits of eating pasta with a delicious sauce, accompanied by quality wine.