Klonoa



"Wahoo!"

The Klonoa series comprises several 2½D Platformers starring the eponymous... creature. Exactly what he is remains undefined throughout the games' 10-year history; the only explanation being that he is a "Dream Traveler". That is more of a job description; Klonoa's main goal in each of the games -- in which he and his abilities remain virtually the only constant -- is to solve the mysteries of the dream worlds he finds himself inhabiting.

The games are, roughly in chronological order:
 * Klonoa: Door to Phantomile (1998, PlayStation-- remade in 2009 under the title Klonoa for the Wii)
 * Klonoa: Moonlight Museum (1999, WonderSwan-- not released outside Japan)
 * Klonoa: Empire of Dreams (2001, Game Boy Advance)
 * Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil (2001, PlayStation 2)
 * Klonoa: Dream Champ Tournament (2002, Game Boy Advance-- not released outside Japan until 2005)
 * Klonoa Beach Volleyball (2002, PlayStation-- landed in Japan and Europe only)
 * Klonoa Heroes (2002, Game Boy Advance-- a top-down RPG which, you guessed it, never left Japan)

A remake of the original, this time for the Wii, was released in 2009. A second remake, this time of the first two games, is due out summer 2022.

Klonoa also appears in Namco Bandai's Massive Multiplayer Crossover Namco x Capcom, while the character often winds up getting cameos in the Tales games (the most notable, from Tales of Symphonia, being a full costume for the Cute Bruiser, complete with deadpan "wahoo").

Klonoa avoids some of the major issues with voiced cutscenes needing expensive localization by having the characters speak in a gibberish language that is neither Japanese nor English. Text-based translations of the dialogue are shown as in traditional games. One could easily assume that the game is using stock gibberish clips for each character, were it not for the fact that the voiced lines include recognizable proper nouns (albeit heavily accented in the Klonoa-ese; for example, the text "Klonoa" usually gets voiced as "Klo~oa"). The Wii remake offers this and a proper language track.

This series has a Character Sheet, currently under construction.

"Ghadius: "It doesn't matter. I have already been abandoned by the world. This time, it's my turn to throw the world away.""
 * 100% Completion: What is unlocked for each task varies upon game, but generally the tasks themselves don't differ; get all the dolls, collect 150 gems or more per stage, and beat the bonus stages. Rewards range from the aforementioned bonus stages to being able to listen to the game's soundtrack.
 * 2½D: One of the many games from the 90's to utilize walking a set path.
 * Accidental Pervert: In Klonoa 2, Klonoa and Popka accidentally groped Tat during a chase scene. Either that or the catgirl's evil side was just messing with their heads for the last time.
 * Action Bomb: Throw them at the right time to solve puzzles.
 * All Just a Dream:
 * All There in the Manual: According to Word of God, Klonoa is really a cat with long floppy ears. Though the fandom insists on calling him a catrabbit.
 * Alternate Continuity: While the two main games share the same canon, the spin-off titles are all set in alternate continuities.
 * American Kirby Is Hardcore: The Japanese box art for Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil had Klonoa smiling and relaxed, while the US version had him scowling in a tensed-up Asskicking Pose.
 * And Your Reward Is Clothes: In the remake. Upon completion of the game, Klonoa gains three additional outfits: his original "collar and trousers" outfit, his Klonoa 2 outfit, and his summer wear. Done for laughs at the end of Klonoa's Beach Volleyball, as Leorina receives a suit (and even face makeup and hair dye!) that imitates her partner Tat's black and white pattern..
 * Back Tracking: Sometimes you'll do this straight, and other times the branching paths act as Doors to Before.
 * Big Bad: Ghadius in Door to Phantomile.
 * Bittersweet Ending: ! Lunatea's Veil and Empire of Dreams count as well.
 * Blinding Mask: Ghadius' eyes (if he even has any) are permanently obscured by the enormous golden mask/headdress that he wears.
 * Boss Dissonance: Depending on the game, the levels are harder or the bosses are ridiculously harder. And this is a kids' game.
 * Bottomless Pits: This series features many of them... especially in Vision 6-1 and 6-2 of Door to Phantomile. In the latter level, they usually had to be crossed by jumping on incredibly tiny floating platforms.
 * Brainwashed and Crazy: King Seadoph and Pamela in Door to Phantomile.
 * Break the Cutie: The entire plot of the first game is essentially one long case of this trope, with Klonoa as said cutie.
 * Brutal Bonus Level: In Door to Phantomile, Balue's Tower, accessed by collecting all six Phantomilians in each level. Also counts as a Difficulty Spike; to get through the main game, you need to use the mook-climb once or twice in a safe environment, whereas in the Tower you have to do it repeatedly and perfectly over instant-death pits, multiple times. And as for Klonoa 2, so you've completely finished Lunatea's Veil and found a quaint "Chamber of Fun", have you? This level doesn't seem so tough... and it isn't. The level after it is called the "Chamber of Horrors", and hoo boy, it most certainly lives up to that name.
 * Caramelldansen Vid: Oooh oooh oh-a oh-a...
 * Catapult Nightmare: In the opening of "Door to Phantomile".
 * Catch Phrase "Wahoo!"
 * "Rupurudu!"
 * Check Point: In the form of floating clocks in bubbles that the player must burst to activate.
 * Chekhov's Gun: !
 * Cute Clumsy Girl: Lolo.
 * Death Equals Redemption:.
 * Does Not Like Spam: Klonoa shows in Empire of Dreams that he hates carrots. He gets more upset about it than truly angry though.
 * The Dragon: Joka (spelled as "Joker" in the Wii remake) in Door to Phantomile, Tat and in Lunatea's Veil serves as an unwilling Dragon for.
 * Dream Land: Phantomile, the setting of the first game, is a world that was created from dreams.
 * Earn Your Happy Ending: Klonoa Heroes: Densetsu no Star Medal is made of this, but hey. At least Klonoa gets a happy ending here.
 * Ears as Hair: Klonoa's ears wave like hair when running.
 * Ear Wings: Klonoa's long, flappy ears.
 * Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: Implied in Lunatea's Veil. The five bells are Tranquility, Joy, Discord, Indecision and . Tranquility and Discord naturally oppose each other, as do Joy and, and Indecision falls neatly in the middle.
 * The End of the World as We Know It: Ghadius is trying to bring about this. Spectacularly inverted in Lunatea's Veil, as Klonoa and Lolo discover that instead of trying to doom the world,.
 * Escape Sequence: In the ruined Volk City in Lunatea's Veil.
 * Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep"/No Name Given:.
 * Evil Laugh: Ghadius has a rather awesome one in pretty much all of the dubs.
 * Expy: Garlen, host of the eponymous Dream Champ Tournament, is very close to human-like in a world of mostly non-human creatures, is decidedly oval-shaped, wears a military-looking uniform with a colored top and black bottom, has one hand replaced with a claw, . Now if only he was a doctor...
 * Final Boss: in Door to Phantomile,  in the Lunatea's Veil.
 * Follow the Money: Dream Stones in Lunatea's Veil.
 * Foreshadowing: At the end of Lunatea's Veil, Popka notices that Klonoa, . Perhaps it was in preparation for a future Klonoa 3?
 * Friendship Moment: Klonoa with Huepow and Lolo.
 * Giant Space Flea From Nowhere: Several of the bosses.
 * Giggling Villain: Joka.
 * Go-Karting with Bowser: Klonoa's Beach Volleyball puts all heroes and villains (like Nahatomb itself!) happily playing beach volleyball for a prize in cash.
 * Heel Face Turn: in Lunatea's Veil.  in Empire of Dreams.
 * Informed Ability: Lolo in Dream Champ Tournament assures Klonoa that her training has made her a viable competitor just like everyone else, though it is never shown exactly how she fights.
 * Interspecies Romance: Klonoa and Lolo, which also counts as "Inter-realities Romance". Played for laughs in Namco X Capcom, as Klonoa bonds with Felicia, who is twice his age and size but shares his same cheerful attitude.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Popka in Lunatea's Veil. Guntz in Klonoa Heroes and Namco X Capcom.
 * Laughably Evil: Joka. At first.
 * Mascot Mook: The ridiculously adorable Moos.
 * Monster Clown: Joka/Joker is a cross between this and Villainous Harlequin. He veers more into the Monster Clown territory when he eventually crosses the Moral Event Horizon, and adopts a much, MUCH creepier voice (especially in the original game) just before the boss fight with him.
 * Mook Maker: The aforementioned Moos, along with any other casual enemy in the game, will regenerate by hopping onto the field from off-screen. Though, instead of being for annoyance, the regeneration is so that if you mess up and accidentally kill one you needed to jump with or something, you won't be stuck in the level.
 * Nintendo Hard: The aforementioned bonus level "Balue's Tower". It helps that the series creator Hideo Yoshizawa also designed the three NES Ninja Gaidens. Let's just say he's had plenty of experience on how to create Nintendo Hard.
 * Noob Cave: Vision 1-2 in the original game.
 * One-Winged Angel: This happens to in Lunatea's Veil. It's an interesting case of One-Winged Angel crossing over with Everything's Better with Chickens and Humongous Mecha. That is one weird boss fight. It also happens with Joka, during the boss fight against him in Door to Phantomile.
 * Orphaned Series
 * Platform Hell: Balue's Tower and the bonus segments added to each level in Reverse Mode. They would make the Kid break down into tears.
 * Raymanian Limbs: Joka has them in Door to Phantomile, but in the remake, he gains gangly, stringy limbs. He regains the Raymanian Limbs in his boss fight in the latter game though.
 * Real Is Brown: Things sure look a lot less vibrant in the first Video Game Remake. Averted with the 2022 remake.
 * Remixed Level: Lunatea's Veil has four. See the page for details.
 * Respawning Enemies: Usually when needed for the Double Jump-heavy puzzles.
 * Ridiculously Cute Critter: Most everything, though especially Klonoa.
 * Say My Name: "GHADIUS!!!" (or "Ghadis" if you listen to how it's pronounced in the original dub).
 * Sealed Evil in a Can: Ghadius, prior to the events of Door to Phantomile. Then he manages to escape...
 * Sequel Hook: Lunatea's Veil left off on one.
 * Shut UP, Hannibal: . Popka also delivers one to Lolo... and it was supposed to cheer her up..
 * Snap Back:.
 * Speaking Simlish: Did it before The Sims, actually. It remains an option in the Wii remake.
 * Spell My Name with an "S": Joka/Joker and Huepow/Hewpoe being the big offenders.
 * Split Personality: Done literally with Tat and her ability to split in two. Normally she behaves as a Magnificent Bastard, but after performing the split, her black self is much meaner and naughtier, while her white self is much nicer and friendlier..
 * Suicidal Cosmic Temper Tantrum: See Taking You with Me below.
 * Suspicious Videogame Generosity:, hands you 9 free extra lives right from the beginning. If that's not an indicator of what you're in for, nothing is.
 * Take My Hand: Two near the very end of the first game: one where, and then, in the last cutscene,.
 * Taking You with Me: Ghadius wants revenge for his imprisonment so badly, that he really doesn't care that reawakening Nahatomb will destroy him along with the rest of the world.
 * Taking You with Me: Ghadius wants revenge for his imprisonment so badly, that he really doesn't care that reawakening Nahatomb will destroy him along with the rest of the world.


 * Tomato in the Mirror:.
 * Turns Red: Gelg Bolm in the first game does this, as do several of the bosses from the second game.
 * Every boss in Lunatea's Veil has two phases. They generally turn red again when their second phase's life bar gets low.
 * Video Game 3D Leap: Klonoa 2: Lunatea's Veil was a presentation upgrade, as the game mostly played on a 2D plane.
 * Video Game Remake: The original PS 1 game was remade for Wii, with updated graphics, easier gameplay and English voice acting (Japanese for that release), in addition to the original voice acting in that made-up language.
 * Getting remade for a second time on Switch, based on the Wii version, but with a lot more color. The second game is also included this time.
 * Wind Is Green: Klonoa's Wind Bullet-firing ring has a green gem.
 * Womb Level:
 * In the first game, Nahatomb eats you and everything else after you complete the first phase of the boss battle. The next phase takes place inside Nahatomb's body.
 * In Dream Champ Tournament, one of the levels appears to be taking place inside a whale's stomach.