Oni (video game)

The year is 2032. the World Coalition Government is in charge of 80% of the world's countries, and its peace-keeping forces crack down on everybody who threatens the status quo, while most of the population is centralized around atmospheric processors that keep out the massive pollution outside the cities. The WCG is opposed by a criminal organization known as The Syndicate, led by a man named Muro.

Enter Konoko, a TCTF agent fresh out of training, who is assigned to infiltrate a Syndicate facility and make contact with a mole inside. Helping her through a communication link are her commander, Griffin, her physician, Kerr, and Mission Control android Shinatama. Obviously, not everything is what it looks like...

Drawing inspiration from classic anime, chiefly Ghost in the Shell (going as far as having main characters Konoko and Griffin be expys of Motoko Kusanagi and Daisuke Aramaki), Oni is a Beat'Em Up/Third-Person Shooter by Bungie with a good mix of firefights and hand-to-hand combat, and an interesting story to boot. It's widely accepted that the only thing that stopped it from becoming a classic is that the game was rushed out the door due to Microsoft's purchase of Bungie—features initially promised that never materialized included more enemies and a multi-player mode.

The game has a small but dedicated modding community at http://oni.bungie.org/community/forum/index.php. Their main project is the Anniversary Edition mod, which fixes a lot of the game's Artificial Stupidity and adds back in Dummied Out features. Mac version and PC Version (requires full retail version of Oni).

For the Oni, as in "the Japanese demon", see Youkai.

":''' So, how's this going to end? Konoko: For you? Badly..."
 * Action Girl: Konoko is so very much this. The TCTF female cops probably qualify.
 * Aerith and Bob: Konoko, Shinatama, Terrance Griffin, Barabas, Thorson, Muro, Jamie Kerr, Mai Hasegawa, Singh, Mukade. Okay, so you have English names, Japanese names, and names that come from other places.
 * All There in the Manual: The manual provides piles of background information on the totalitarian World Coalition Government, SLDs, Muro's backstory, the TCTF and Syndicate technological development, little if any of which is mentioned in-game.
 * However, the manual does not give information on Barabas, Mukade, Muro, or those Syndicate goons who blow up in 3 seconds when you kill them.
 * Also, some of the computer terminals contain information that matches some of the information in the manual word for word. In some cases the information is even expanded on.
 * All Your Base Are Belong to Us: One level has the TCTF headquarters under attack by the Syndicate.
 * Amazing Technicolor Battlefield:
 * Anime Hair: Konoko's hair, as you can in the picture above, is definitely this kind of hair. On an interesting side note, the hair style seems to resemble the hair style Wolverine has. Strange, bub?
 * Animesque
 * Anti-Hero: Oh my lord! Konoko really starts going down the Sliding Scale of Anti-Heroes starting at the end of the first level. She starts off as Type II or Type III. After, Konoko goes down to Type IV or Type V.   The ending definitely gives Konoko elements of Type I. Of course, with the Video Game Cruelty Potential, her alignment seems to be left up to the player to decide.
 * Apologetic Attacker:
 * Arrogant Kung Fu People: Just about everyone who can fight qualifies as this. Konoko definitely acts like one. At least she is willing to talk to some people before pounding the tar out of them.
 * Artificial Human: Shinatama.
 * Artificial Stupidity:
 * Enemies executing taunts or maneuvering to attack you can run right off of ledges and fall to their death.
 * Probably the most blatant example of AI stupidity is that armed opponents will generally shoot at you from their maximum range of vision. This allows you to engage in long-range battles against people with short-range weapons while you have the Oni equivalent of a sniper rifle. They won't move in close until they run out of ammo.
 * Enemies attacking you with rocket launchers at point-blank rage.
 * Art Shift: If you look at the advertisements for the game, the opening and closing cutscenes, the mission completed pictures, the mission failed pictures, and other pictures, it will become painfully clear that the art style is very inconsistent.
 * Attack! Attack! Attack!: You will almost certainly be forced to do this multiple times throughout the game. Fortunately, the Artificial Intelligence of a number of enemies (especially the bosses) do not appear to be programmed to counter this school of thought.
 * Authority Equals Asskicking: Griffin, despite appearances, is not a desk jockey. In fact, the manual says that he is currently on reserve status in the TCTF Black Ops duty roster. This means that he spent time as a member of a group that will ruthlessly crush enemies of the government and will get its hands dirty in the name of the greater good..
 * Muro is in charge of the Syndicate basically because he can do a lot of asskicking. Well, what do you expect from a criminal organization?
 * Awful Truth: Oh. My. Lord! This game uses this trope to a painfully straight degree. To describe it would take a lot of time to explain, but it essentially is a combination of . Konoko's reaction is best described as a Freak-Out.
 * Back Stab: The Backbreaker only works from behind the victim, and does enough damage to kill lesser mooks.
 * Badass: Konoko, absolutely.
 * Badass Adorable: Konoko, believe it or not. You should look at some concept art here. Apparently, eyes can be a major factor in making a character adorable.
 * The Furies can qualify as this.
 * Badass Boast:
 * Konoko and Muro, mainly.
 * Konoko and Muro, mainly.

"Muro: Maybe I should start trying..."


 * Some of the mooks, too.
 * Bad Cop, Incompetent Cop: "Played with" would be the best way to describe the application of this trope in the game. The manual says that the Technological Crimes Task Force keeps most of the "cyber drugs" and illegal weapons off the street, and that it can do law enforcement. The manual also points out that the TCTF's real purpose is to control the evolution and distribution of new technologies. However, the TCTF is unable or unwilling to take on the Syndicate. In fact, just about every time the TCTF and the Syndicate fight each other, the TCTF ends up dead without Konoko's assistance (and sometimes even with that). In one level, the Syndicate actually raided TCTF Headquarters during the midnight shift - which means that in that case, the TCTF was outnumbered and outgunned. The game does not really touch on corruption in the TCTF, although the activities of  would probably count as corruption. What makes this trope even more interesting is that you play as a cop named Konoko, who is certainly competent. She is the one who helps out the TCTF against the Syndicate,.
 * Bare Your Midriff: Some of Konoko's outfits have her midriff exposed.
 * Battle Aura: DAODAN OVERPOWER MODE!
 * Battle in the Center of the Mind:
 * Berserk Button: Try to say Shinatama's name to Konoko's face. Just try it!
 * BFG: Barabas' gun, called, in a nice Shout-Out to Marathon's "secret" (but actually non-existent) weapon, the Wave Motion Cannon. According to the game it is usually mounted on assault vehicles. Konoko can carry it, but she can only walk while doing so, emphasizing its enormous weight. It's Awesome but Impractical—the charge-up before each shot makes it very easy to just run up and punch the wielder in the face and being slowed down so much makes fighting difficult.
 * Big Bad: Muro..
 * Big Brother Is Watching: The manual actually uses the expression "Big Brother is alive and well" to describe the totalitarian world of the WCG.
 * Big Damn Heroes:
 * Big Good: Griffin.
 * The Big Guy: The game may not appear to have one, but actually, the TCTF elites, both the normal ones and the Black Ops can be put in this role.
 * Big No:
 * Bio Augmentation:
 * Bittersweet Ending
 * Black and Gray Morality: This is the kind of morality that is featured in this game. You have a number of characters who are civilians who just want to go about their jobs and lives without incident. You have characters, including Konoko, who are gray, because they do things that are questionable on a number of levels, and would be considered villainous in other stories. There are two things that make their actions gray in this story. The first thing is that everyone is living in a Crapsack World, one that is in very real danger of collapsing and getting everyone killed. The second thing is that the gray characters are fighting against Muro and the Syndicate. Muro and the Syndicate are without question black, because they kill people without remorse and with psychotic glee. These two points go a long way to understanding the questionable actions of the gray characters.
 * Blatant Lies: The game's manual states that Griffin is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, a master marksman, and that he has no special moves or weaknesses..
 * The same manual lists Konoko's emotional attachment as a weakness as well, so it could be that Griffin himself wrote those profiles. And being a Control Freak, he would certainly now see being one as a weakness.
 * There is this one move you gain called the Crescent Moon Kick. The game claims that it is an anti-air attack (i.e. a technique to handle those pesky enemies who try to jump-kick you). Unfortunately, this move has two problems...1. The move is activated by pressing Kick, Kick, Forward + Kick, and it takes several seconds to go through these motions. 2. There is a bug in the game that makes it very hard to successfully pull off this move. These two problems will cause you to end up with a boot in the face because you were stuck trying to use this move when the enemy used the jump-kick. However, some kind souls reveal that the move is still useful here.
 * Bloodless Carnage: The game has no instances of blood. This is interesting, and at times disturbing, because a lot of people in this game use guns that fire bullets and other things. Realistically there would be a lot of blood to be seen as a result of this. There are some mission complete screens that show Syndicate goons shooting down scientists and civilians. There are no wounds and no blood to see. The bodies of downed characters look totally intact.
 * The trailers of this game actually did show blood being shed as a result of gun shots and physical combat. Bungie took it out, supposedly because they were trying to get the game released and out of vaporware status.
 * Bottomless Magazines: Averted—there's never enough ammo in this game. This was probably done on purpose to encourage the use of unarmed combat, which is more fun anyway.
 * Bodyguard Babes: Furies. According to the manual, the blue rank of Furies are bodyguards to lesser Syndicate bigwigs while the red class are Muro's personal elite.
 * Break the Haughty: Konoko ends up experiencing this as the game goes on. By the end, she is so very broken.
 * Broken Pedestal:.
 * The Brute: Barabas is put in this role, despite the fact that he appeared to be The Dragon of Muro at first.
 * Cain and Abel:
 * Calling Your Attacks: RISING FURY!!! DEVIL SPIN KICK!!! STRIKER SLAM!!! NUCLEAR TACKLE!!! BLOCKBUSTER!!!, to name a few. Interestingly, Muro avert the trope. Everyone else does it, even TCTF troopers.
 * The ninjas probably play it straight, but no one can understand them anyway.
 * Mukade does call out one attack..."Devil Star!" That would be the attack in which he shoots some kind of heat-seeking energy ball at you.
 * Captain Ersatz: Konoko and Griffin. The game itself is clearly meant as an homage to Ghost in the Shell and was one of several media, along with Dreamwave Comics series Dark Minds and Echo, to attempt this when the first Ghost in the Shell film became popular Stateside.
 * Card-Carrying Villain: Believe or not, BGI is this. Word of God says that BGI stands for "Bad Guys International". No wonder this group goes by initials instead of the full name.
 * The Chessmaster:
 * The Chick: Shinatama fits this role like a glove..
 * Cold-Blooded Torture: Muro subjects Shinatama to torture that involves hooking her up to a machine and electrocuting her with who knows how many volts of electricity. Earlier in the game, Muro found out that Konoko has a neural-link to Shinatama and said that they must be using Shinatama to monitor her progress . He may be torturing Shinatama to get information. However, his dialogue during the scene followed by an evil laugh indicates that he is also torturing Shinatama for the sheer enjoyment of it.
 * Color Coded for Your Convenience:
 * Bungie seems to be a big fan of this one. All of the basic enemy types have 3 color-coded variants to indicate skill level, from brown (basic) to blue (skilled) to red (veteran).
 * Hell, even super attacks are color coded, not to mention the Daodan auras: Konoko has blue/pink while Muro has red/orange.
 * Extended to a third gameplay element - weapon ammunition, coming in either classes red ammunition clips and green power cells.
 * And finally damage - green is healthy, yellow is moderately injured, red is heavily injured and a bright red flash indicates the enemy is defeated.
 * Combat Pragmatist: Some of Konoko's unarmed attacks are downright nasty, like the Backbreaker or Running Lariat. Hitting downed enemies is encouraged in the tutorial.
 * Muro has this brutal attack where he knocks you face-up on the ground, grabs your leg, and bends it forward to your face. It. Hurts. A. Lot.
 * Combat Stilettos: It is hard to see it, but the Furies actually wear high-heeled boots made out of metal. They have kicking attacks, so those heels probably make for dangerous weapons.
 * Covers Always Lie: In the cover art above, Konoko is pictured carrying a pistol, a machine gun, and a shotgun simultaneously. Guess what she can't do in-game. Not to mention that the pistol is the only weapon which actually appears in the game.
 * That, and the weapons mostly prove to be colorful and flashy compared what was displayed on the cover.
 * Cowboy Cop: Konoko..
 * turns out to be this. There is an easy to miss computer terminal that reveals some interesting information.

"Konoko: I'm going after her. Griffin: I have dispatched a Strike Team to recover the SLD. Konoko: This is personal. Griffin: Which is precisely why you should have nothing to do with it. Konoko: My mind is made up. Griffin: I am your Commanding Officer... Konoko: I don't care who you are. My friend is in trouble and I'm going to help her if I can. Stay out of my way."
 * Crap Saccharine World: Played with. The manual basically states that the world in this game is a Crapsack World. However, in the game itself, the world initially seems to be normal - not a Sugar Bowl - but normal. However, it turns out later that the environment outside the cities is polluted to deathly levels (how on earth did that happen anyway?). The World Coalition Government (WCG) knows about this, denies it repeatedly, calls those polluted areas Wilderness Preserves, and simply uses atmospheric converters in the cities to take in air, clean it and release it (which allows people to live in the cities). It is baffling that the civilians do not seem to notice this (or maybe they do not want to). The Technological Crimes Task Force (TCTF) works for the WCG, and despite appearing to be a normal police force, actually serves the purpose of keeping technology under strict control (probably the WCG's way of ensuring that no one comes up with technology that topples them). The only effective opponent of the WCG and the TCTF is the Syndicate, but this group is a criminal and terrorist organization that is led by a Complete Monster. Yep, a seemingly normal world that turns out to be more screwed up than you can begin to imagine.
 * Crate Expectations: The first level is a traditional video game warehouse full of crates. Lampshaded with the texture applied to one crate seen early on, which says "-OMM- TTC 1.1", meaning "-Old Man Murray- Time to Crate: 1.1 seconds".
 * Crazy Prepared: Barabas thinks he is this, because he said "I'm ready for anything! You made sure of that!" However, judging from the outcome of his fights with Konoko, he is clearly just full of hot air.
 * Cutscene Power to the Max: A rare subversion of this trope occurs near the end of the game. When Konoko confronts in a cutscene, she takes his pistol with a kick-and-disarm move that's substantially cooler than the disarm moves available in normal gameplay. But when the next level starts, there's a new move available—Stepping Disarm.
 * Da Chief: Griffin is this to a T.
 * Dangerously Genre Savvy:
 * Dark Action Girl: The Furies are so very much this..
 * The Dark Chick: The female Furies of the Syndicate can qualify for this role.
 * Darker and Edgier: The game starts out at a relatively light-hearted level. However, this trope slowly and surely increases with each chapter. Perhaps to illustrate the mood of the game, the first three chapters take place in the daylight, while every other chapter takes place at night.
 * Dead Little Sister:
 * Deadpan Snarker: Konoko develops into one by Chapters 13 and 14.
 * Deal with the Devil: Konoko apparently thinks of Muro as the Devil, especially by the end of the game. The quote  definitely indicates this trope.
 * Determinator: Konoko ought to be the poster girl of this trope. There is a list of her Crowning Moments Of Awesome, for starters. Now here comes some good stuff...the first five chapters of the game happened in one day. Yes, she went to four different places and ended up chasing after the leader of the Syndicate, all in one day! Chapters 6, 7, and 8 took place in one day. Chapters 9 and 10 took place in one day. The other chapters seem to have gaps of time between them. Konoko never, ever gives up!
 * Diary: Believe it or not, Konoko keeps one. One thing this diary reveals is that the events of the entire game take place over the course of two weeks! Another thing this diary reveals is Konoko's thoughts and feelings - which she does not readily show in public.
 * Difficulty Spike: While not exactly an easy game, the difficulty of level 11 comes out of nowhere with three tough bosses in a row, broken up by fights against some of the toughest mooks in the game, along with very meager supplies, most of which are gotten off the bodies of your enemies. Then the game goes back to the normal overall difficulty curve for the rest of the game.
 * The Dragon: Mukade. Barabas is more of a Superpowered Mooks / Mini Boss decoy dragon considering how much more dangerous Mukade is.
 * The End of the World as We Know It: Twice.
 * Dystopia: Oh, yeah! The first social issue is the environment. The environment is polluted like you would not believe. The government not only does nothing to address it, apart from using Atmospheric Processors to make the cities livable, but it brands anyone who tries to bring it up as enemies of the state and will crush attempts to reveal it. The second social issue is the development of science and technology. The government keeps an eye on scientists and carefully checks to make sure any technology developed is approvable (in other words, will not threaten it). They use the TCTF as a Secret Police force to enforce this.
 * Ear Worm: The game's music is just full of these. Listen to Ambient Suite, East Wind, Fight, Trailer, Internal Space, ONI Fever.
 * Enemy Mine:
 * Evil Counterpart:
 * Muro.
 * In the dreaded 11th level Konoko fights manifested as another Konoko.
 * By extension, even Mukade, who tries to convince Konoko she actually enjoys killing as much as he does.
 * Evil Genius: The Communications Troopers, including Kojiro, who talks to Muro in the cutscenes, may be in this role.
 * Evil Sounds Deep: Muro, especially in the last chapter of the game. One version of the final battle has him suddenly talking in a raspy, creepy version of his voice. The other version has him talking in his normal voice, as it turns into a deep, booming voice.
 * Evil Versus Evil: A case can be made that the war between the World Coalition Government (and by extension the Technological Crimes Task Force) and the Syndicate is essentially this. Why? Well, let's see. The WCG is a dictatorship that simply wants to maintain the status quo by any means necessary and the TCTF does the WCG's dirty work. Unfortunately, the world suffers from life-threatening pollution and the WCG treats it as the elephant in the room and will go after anyone who tries to bring it up. Nice bunch. The Syndicate, on the other hand, is just as bad, if not worse. Just about every member of this group is a Complete Monster that will happily kill civilians and unarmed people for no reason other than sadistic enjoyment. This group essentially lives to destroy the status quo and will hurt anyone who gets in the way without a qualm. Another nice bunch. It is a good thing the character you play as is someone you can root for.
 * Exposed to the Elements: Konoko in the last level wears a leather jacket, jeans, shoes and a shirt. The funny thing is that she is wearing this outfit at a compound located in a mountainous area. She would be a little cold in that case..
 * Face Death with Dignity:
 * Face Heel Turn:
 * Foe-Tossing Charge: the Running Throw. Konoko runs up to her opponent, jumps up and uses her momentum to catch the opponent's head between her legs before flipping over, launching the victim into the air.
 * Foreshadowing: Dr. Hasegawa says in his diary "We were young and thought we were indestructible." He was referring to himself and Jamie thinking they could take on anything...only to fail horribly. Oh, and guess what?.
 * Fragile Speedster: All the ninja you encounter in this game move pretty darn fast, but fortunately have less health than the average enemy. The Furies and the female TCTF officers may qualify for this as well.
 * A Friend in Need: Chapter 7 is all about this trope. The chapter is even titled with this trope. Konoko has this conversation with Griffin...
 * Foreshadowing: Dr. Hasegawa says in his diary "We were young and thought we were indestructible." He was referring to himself and Jamie thinking they could take on anything...only to fail horribly. Oh, and guess what?.
 * Fragile Speedster: All the ninja you encounter in this game move pretty darn fast, but fortunately have less health than the average enemy. The Furies and the female TCTF officers may qualify for this as well.
 * A Friend in Need: Chapter 7 is all about this trope. The chapter is even titled with this trope. Konoko has this conversation with Griffin...

"Barabas: "Stronger, and stronger!""
 * Konoko went against orders to help her friend Shinatama. This ends up causing her to lose her entire career as a cop, as well as becoming a fugitive. But then again, it is situations like this that show exactly where people's priorities and loyalties lie.
 * Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke: Oh, boy, is it ever! It becomes especially ironic when
 * Glass Cannon: The Mercenary Snipers are very much in this trope. Their favorite weapon is the Mercury Bow, which is an ideal weapon for sniping and does a kegload of damage if it hits you. Being snipers, they like to keep a large distance between themselves and you. Fortunately for you, the Mercury Bow only contains two shots, and there is a 5-second delay between shots. Clearly, the snipers have to carry a lot of ammo clips. They have low health and once you disarm them they actually fight very poorly without their guns. Oh, and they can say "Wait till I reload!" It seems that they actually put a Lampshade Hanging on this trope.
 * Glowing Eyes: The second time Konoko experiences the Daodan Spike, her eyes glow a blue color. This is to show how much her power is increasing.
 * Government Conspiracy: The fact that most of the world is completely polluted is hidden from the populace.
 * Green Aesop
 * Grievous Harm with a Body: Your throw attacks can launch enemies into each other, damaging both.
 * Groin Attack: Konoko's Willow Kick. It doesn't work on female opponents or some cyborgs, androids, and Daodans.
 * Hannibal Lecture: Mukade gets cornered by Konoko. She asks him why she can feel him. This gives him the perfect opening to essentially tell her that she is just like him...a monster that gets off on killing. She is unable to give an appropriate response to this, except to try to deny it. She manages to defeat him and kill him off. However, it is painfully clear that Mukade hit a sore spot in terms of psychology.
 * Healing Factor: Barabas has one, occasionally pausing during battle to flex himself and regenerate some health. The player should take this as a cue to press the attack.

": You are such a disappointment. Konoko: You lied to me! Konoko: You used me!
 * Heal Thyself
 * Heel Face Turn:.
 * The Hero: Konoko. However, she really gets put to the test with this!
 * He Who Fights Monsters: Konoko ends up facing this trope.
 * Humans Are Bastards: Shinatama probably came to think this, especially after the treatment she received from . In fact, Konoko even has a diary entry saying that Shinatama is more human than Muro could ever be. Is that not scary? That a robot child could have more humanity than an actual human being?
 * Humongous Mecha: Attempted but ultimately averted—a large military robot called the "Iron Demon" was prominently featured in previews, but was cut from the game before release.
 * Here's some screenshots of the Iron Demon.
 * Hyperspace Arsenal: Averted—Konoko can only carry one weapon at a time, although it will still disappear when holstered. Which is arguably just as implausible, considering that half the weapons in the game are as big as her leg.
 * Hypocrite: Griffin pretty much calls Dr. Kerr this a couple times early on. . Ironically,   is revealed as this later on..
 * I Am a Monster:
 * I Did What I Had to Do: There is an interesting conversation in the game...
 * I told you only what you needed to know.
 * I did my job, which is better than what I can say for you."

"Receptionist: Good afternoon and welcome to the Musashi Heavy Manufacturing Concern. How can I be of service? TCTF Agent Thorson: Good afternoon ma'am. I'm Agent Thorson... Konoko: We are with the TCTF and we hereby order you to cease and desist all operations. We have reason to suspect that this facility is involved in the manufacture of illegal technology! Receptionist: Of course officer, I'm sure I can get someone to help you. [ Activates a silent alarm under her desk]. ... Receptionist: Please have a seat, someone will be right with you. [ A few Syndicate goons charge in]. TCTF Agent Thorson: What the? Konoko: Heads up. We've got company."
 * Sure, that conversation took place in, but you can be sure that   felt this way.   operated on this reasoning, too.
 * I Fought the Law and The Law Won: The people who try to raise public awareness of the deadly environment outside the cities most likely feel this way.
 * The Immodest Orgasm: The first time Konoko experiences a Daodan Spike, she lets out this kind of cry. The other times, she does not.
 * Inn Security: An entire level that's an inescapable dream.
 * Instant Awesome, Just Add Ninja: Level 9 introduces them, Level 10 is mostly about them, Level 11 features them, and Level 14 has them too. Well, gosh, when you make a game heavily based off of anime and put fighting into it, you gotta have ninja, don't ya?
 * It's Personal: Where do we start?
 * Jerkass: Terrance Griffin turns out to be this. Konoko definitely becomes this later on,
 * Jerkass Has a Point:
 * Jigsaw Puzzle Plot: The game's storyline is supposed to be this. The third chapter itself is even titled "Puzzle Pieces", which is a Lampshade Hanging on this trope.
 * Kick Chick: Konoko is so very much this. She has at least 18 moves at her disposal (a number of these moves only become available as you go through the game). At least 9 of these moves require Konoko to use her legs and kick.
 * Kick the Dog: Muro torturing Shinatama qualifies as this. He probably did not even need to torture her to get information. No, he did it just to show that he is a Complete Monster who electrocutes little robotic girls for laughs and enjoyment.
 * Kick Them While They Are Down: Enemies do it and so can you.
 * Kill the Cutie:
 * Knight Templar:
 * Kudzu Plot: The game's storyline ends up as this. Sure, the main storyline is resolved at the end, but you will be left with many questions by the end of the game. Part of this may stem from the fact that Bungie was trying so hard to get the game out of Vaporware status that they had to cut out things that would have filled in some blanks in the storyline. It is also possible that Bungie wanted this kind of plot, because a lot of Japanese anime and manga have a Kudzu Plot.
 * Lack of Empathy: Oh, man! A number of characters suffer from this trope. Muro and the Syndicate definitely have no empathy, because they kill and torture people without remorse and regret, and with a sadistic glee. Muro's statements indicate that he considers  to be inferior and subhuman, and that they can drop dead for all he cares.
 * The scientists working for  seem to have little empathy to speak of. They keep talking about Konoko like she is some animal to experiment on and not as a human being with feelings. Dr. Hasegawa and Dr. Kerr prove to be pretty much the only exceptions to this when it comes to scientists.
 * The Lancer: Griffin can be considered this. He is definitely in this role if.
 * Laser Hallway: Many, many times. In fact, two of the bosses were laser-filled rooms.
 * Leeroy Jenkins: Konoko is so very much this. She is new at being a field agent and she is really itching to prove herself. A good example is the beginning of Chapter 2.
 * Leeroy Jenkins: Konoko is so very much this. She is new at being a field agent and she is really itching to prove herself. A good example is the beginning of Chapter 2.

"Muro: Curious. Why bother programming you to feel pain so intensely? Of course pain is a necessary response to certain stimuli, but they could have dulled the sensation or given you a threshold that would limit the extent and depth of your agony. I'm glad they didn't."
 * The scary thing about this is that you, the player, are playing as a Leeroy Jenkins. It is almost as if Bungie had experience with such people and wanted to shove the fact that being such a person is uncool into your face.
 * Lego Genetics: The Daodan Chrysalis uses this trope. It is essentially a cancer cell(s) that is extremely evolved. It has to be implanted in someone, but it is hard to say if it is located on the person or in the person. It gives the host an ability that goes beyond Healing Factor - not only does it repair an injury in a short amount of time, but the replacement cells are tougher and stonger than the original cells. For example, if you breathe in bad air, it will damage your lungs at least. With the Chrysalis, the cells in the lungs can be replaced and make you able to breathe in bad air. It also increases the strength in the host, to the point that the host can beat up huge, bulky people. Supposedly, if enough of the host's body is replaced, then the host can go to the Imago stage.
 * Lightning Bruiser: The Tankers could be considered this. The Strikers, particularly the red ones. The TCTF Black Ops SWAT Troopers are this. Konoko herself becomes one, especially when she taps into the Daodan Overpower Mode.
 * Like Father Like Daughter: Played with. Konoko behaves to an extent like her adoptive father Griffin. . Later, Konoko discovers information on her biological parents, and it becomes clear that she has a number of the qualities her parents have (had?).
 * Loners Are Freaks: Konoko. Early on, she does not seem to be a loner, but the other TCTF people seem to be uncomfortable being around her. She also seems to fight better on her own than with a group of allies anyway. However, by level 8, she embraces this trope. Why?
 * Luke, I Am Your Father:
 * Also, a cutscene reveals Jamie Hasegawa's maiden name to be.
 * The Mario: Konoko is actually this compared to the other characters most of the time. But if she takes enough hypos and activates the Daodan Overpower Mode....
 * Martial Pacifist: Ironically, Konoko displays elements of this at the end of the game.
 * Master of None: The Communications Troopers can be considered this. They can fight and shoot, even though they are not particularly good at these things. They also have low health. You will not have to worry about them very much.
 * There are also the Engineers, who you fight in Chapter 1. They do not have a lot of health, and they are not particularly good at fighting. In fact, much later in the game, they seem to pop up for the sole purpose of showing you that Konoko's powers have increased to the point that the Engineers are simply jokes compared to her.
 * Meaningful Name: Played with. One of the people behind the game explained in an interview where he got the name Konoko. His girlfriend was taking a course in the Japanese language, and he asked her if she knew some Japanese words to use for a name. She said "konoko", which can be translated as "this girl" or "this child". He made up the name from that and said that it is not supposed to mean anything.
 * "Mukade" is Japanese. It means "centipede". He is basically as ugly, disgusting, and horrible as a centipede. Not to mention fast, hard to spot, and able to disappear, just like a centipede.
 * "Barabas" is almost certainly named after the murderer the people chose to release instead of Jesus in the Bible. Barabas is definitely a murderer in this game.
 * The game's title "Oni" (鬼 - おに) can be defined as follows: 1. ogre; demon; 2. spirit of a deceased person; 3. ogre-like person (i.e. fierce, relentless, merciless, etc.); 4. it (i.e. in a game of tag). The first three definitions most certainly apply to this game.
 * Mercy Kill:
 * Might Makes Right: This might as well be the motto of so many characters. The World Coalition Government. The Technological Crimes Task Force. The Syndicate. Konoko believes in this, too.
 * Mighty Glacier: Okay, let's see. The TCTF SWAT Troopers are big, slow, and can hurt enemies pretty badly. The Elite Strikers are definitely big, slow, and can hurt you very badly if they hit you.
 * A Million Is a Statistic:
 * Mirror Boss: During a trippy dream sequence.
 * Mission Control: Shinatama, until she's kidnapped in level six.
 * Morality Chain: Shinatama turns out to be this for Konoko. Guess what happens when she . Go on, guess.
 * Dr. Kerr apparently turned out to be this for Konoko as well.
 * Morality Pet: Shinatama is this for Konoko.
 * Ms. Fanservice: Shinatama, if you are into that sort of thing. Konoko is this, believe it or not. There is a version of the picture at the top of the page that shows her Technology Crimes Task Force uniform mostly torn up and showing a lot of skin. Then there is a mission complete picture that shows her immersed in very potent acid and all of her clothes have been dissolved.
 * Mythology Gag: The boss of the second level is an insane AI called a "Deadly Brain". Shinatama describes it as having "gone rampant", a term originally invented by Bungie for use in the Marathon trilogy and later reused in the Halo trilogy that describes an AI developing "delusions of godlike power".
 * Never Trust a Trailer: An early trailer had many fans eager to do battle with a bipedal robot, but it was cut before the game was released. Certain areas possessed much greater detail than in the final product, too.
 * The bipedal robot in question is called the Iron Demon.
 * One of the trailers showed an apparent capability of positioning the camera at any angle. In the final product, the camera will simply stay positioned behind Konoko, and there is no way to position the camera at another angle.
 * Nice Job Breaking It, Hero:
 * Nietzsche Wannabe: Mukade sounds like one, because he says "We writhe inside as we are torn apart to make way for what we will become. Surrender to it. Let the bliss of oblivion free you of all your doubts and fears...".
 * The Bombers apparently have this sort of attitude, if their quotes "Happy to die?" and "We're all doomed!" are anything to go by.
 * No One Could Survive That: Konoko ends up going through a pool of extremely corrosive acid to escape a prison.
 * No OSHA Compliance: Catwalks with no railings over vats of corrosive acids, facilities in which a wrong steps results in a hundred-foot fall, you name it.
 * Not Drawn to Scale: Inverted. The levels were designed by genuine architects in an attempt at realism. Unfortunately, it turns out that for many players, real buildings—in which every floor is the same, and most rooms are just cuboids with a single door—make boring and repetitive levels. Maybe Architects Are Not Artists either.
 * Not So Different: The dialogue between Konoko and Mukade is essentially this. Mukade says as much, and Konoko vehemently denies it. However, considering that she broke his neck with her foot while he was down and killed him, he might have had a point.
 * Not So Stoic:
 * Obligatory Swearing: Averted. There is no swearing in the game at all, not even in situations where it would have been warranted. Of course, Bungie was trying to make the game as close to anime as they could. They probably knew that Japanese does not have swearing (at least not swearing like in English).
 * Omniscient Council of Vagueness: Played with. The manual claims that the Syndicate was led by one, but then Muro came in, killed them all, and became the one and only leader of the Syndicate. The manual indicates that the World Coalition Government is led by this, but they never appear in the game.
 * One Bullet Clips: Averted - reload a gun that you've only fired once out of a full magazine and you can't use that magazine again.
 * One-Winged Angel: Muro in the final battle,.
 * One Woman Army: Konoko, so very much. Unfortunately, the trope undergoes brutal deconstruction like you would not believe. Why? First, Konoko is able to tear through armies of people because, but the police she works for fears her abilities and devises deadly countermeasures in case she ever turns against them. Second, despite her ability to tear through armies of people, she fails  . It really sucks to be a one-person army, does it not?
 * The Only One: Konoko is really the one person who can handle problems in this game. Of course, what helps to justify this is that she is a cop, and that it is her job to do this.
 * Orgasmic Combat: Let's face it. Most of the sounds the characters make when they are hit or beaten down sound like they are having sex. That does not even go into a little something Konoko experiences three times called Daodan Spikes.
 * Pay Evil Unto Evil: Konoko definitely operates by this principle, especially later on. Then again, you cannot have revenge without this principle.
 * Police Are Useless: Despite all the manual's claims to the contrary, the TCTF gives off this impression. They rarely if ever put up a good fight against the Syndicate. Sure, there were a couple of times when they were deployed to areas where they were needed, but they apparently cannot get anywhere without Konoko's help. Then there are the airport levels, where Konoko is the only cop trying to chase down Muro. There is no mention of other TCTF troopers being sent there. Konoko even puts a Lampshade Hanging in her diary about how the airport is usually crawling with uniforms and they are oddly nowhere to be found - and that Muro probably told them to take a day off. What makes this trope more interesting is that you play as a cop named Konoko (who is anything except useless) and that.
 * Posthumous Character: Dr. Hasegawa and his wife Jamie. You find out a lot about them in the CD Konoko worked so hard to get. Both characters actually factor into the plotline quite heavily. On an interesting side-note, the game does not really say if Dr. Hasegawa is dead or not, so it is hard to say if he really qualifies for this trope.
 * Powers That Be: The manual refers to the World Coalition Government as this trope. This group is mostly neutral and wants to maintain the status quo, but it can be considered villainous because it will ruthlessly crush anything that upsets the status quo. Despite what the manual says, the game demonstrates that the WCG is not nearly as godlike as the trope implies.
 * Rage Against the Mentor:.
 * Rage Against the Reflection: A variation of this occurs at the end. Konoko is walking through the ruins of the city, and comes across a large mirror on the ground. She looks at her face in the mirror, puts her foot over it, and presses down hard enough to crack it. To really drive it in, you hear a loud cracking sound and the screen develops cracks!
 * "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Konoko gives one to Griffin
 * Recruiting the Criminal:
 * Red Oni, Blue Oni: Just look at the color-coded auras. Stealth Pun detected.
 * . Does that help?
 * Revenge: The game's plotline becomes driven by this after level 8. The results are not pretty.
 * Ridiculous Human Robot: Shinatama. Justified because she has to be human enough to synchronize to Konoko, and also lampshaded by Muro when he's torturing her.
 * Ridiculous Human Robot: Shinatama. Justified because she has to be human enough to synchronize to Konoko, and also lampshaded by Muro when he's torturing her.

"Konoko: Chung... Konoko: It's Chung. I found him. Griffin: Dead? Konoko: Yes Sir. Griffin: Keep moving."
 * Roaring Rampage of Revenge: Konoko spends the rest of the game on a vengeful rampage after . Both Muro and   are to blame, and she goes after each in turn.
 * Say My Name: Konoko yells "Muro! STOP!" at the beginning of level 4.
 * Secret Police: Played with. The manual states that the Technological Crimes Task Force (TCTF) is this. The game itself shows that the TCTF seems to be a normal police force...at first. As Konoko eventually discovers, the TCTF has a Black Ops unit, which apparently will only come calling if you make an enemy out of the TCTF. It also turns out that the TCTF has a science prison, where they apparently imprison scientists like Dr. Kerr. In an interesting twist, you get to play as Konoko, a member of the Secret Police. However, it is not clear if she knew about the TCTF Black Ops and the science prison before the middle of the game.
 * Sesquipedalian Loquaciousness: The game indulges in this trope like you would not believe. Some characters, like the scientists, talk like this. The computer terminals happily engage in this. The game uses words like "lattice", "repurposing", "symbiote", "Sytropin", and "latency". You might want to bring up a dictionary when these words come up.
 * Shoot the Dog: Konoko can pull this off like no one else can.
 * Sliding Scale of Idealism Versus Cynicism: The game happily goes into the cynical side. Shinatama, Dr. Kerr, Dr. Hasegawa, and Jamie are idealistic characters. . Life sucks and Might Makes Right in this game. However, it does have some moments of idealism, such as  . The ending is without a doubt cynical, but is idealistic enough to leave you hoping that humanity will survive  . Not to mention the fact that.
 * The Smart Guy: Dr. Kerr is put into this role..
 * The Stoic: Griffin. This is established in the very first chapter. Konoko finds the corpse of a mole named Chung. Here is the resulting dialogue:

"Scientist: (referring to a rogue AI) I warned them not to activate it! It will kill us all! Run while you still can! Konoko: Why did you build it in the first place? Dr. Kafelnikov: Well... uh... you know..."
 * Griffin says the above lines without emotion, showing himself to be quite the stoic.
 * Storming the Castle: Repeatedly.
 * Stripperiffic: The game manages to avert this trope for the most part, surprisingly enough. There are only a few times in which there is a Bare Your Midriff and Exposed to the Elements, but that is it, really.
 * Strong Flesh, Weak Steel: In a game full of plasma weapons, mercury-tipped sniper arrows and straight-up pistols, the most dangerous weapons are still Konoko's fists.
 * Stupid Sacrifice:
 * The Syndicate: Exactly What It Says on the Tin.
 * Taking the Bullet:
 * Terrorists Without a Cause: Muro and the Syndicate seem to act like this at times, because they seem to attack places at random and kill off people just for the fun of it.
 * Thanatos Gambit:
 * That Man Is Dead:.
 * There Is No Kill Like Overkill:
 * Third Person Person: The Tankers, if the quote "Can't stop Tanker!" is anything is go by.
 * Took a Level In Badass:
 * Tomato in the Mirror:
 * Tomato Surprise: As you play the game, you will notice signs that something is going on. However, it is like the game's plotline is taunting you by being just out of reach.
 * Tragic Hero: Konoko can qualify as this, because she has a Fatal Flaw called arrogance. She thinks that she knows how to handle problems better than Griffin and the rest of the TCTF.
 * Tranquil Fury: In the last couple levels, Konoko tries to aim for this trope. She succeeds with some people. She fails with others.
 * Treacherous Advisor: This trope is best described as zigzagged.
 * Ubermensch: Konoko is this, oh so very much. Muro and his Syndicate, as well as  would qualify as The Last Man. At first, she starts off with the morals of the TCTF. Then she rejects it, and essentially tries to adopt a new set of morals.  . The battle between Konoko and Mukade could be interpreted as a battle between two Ubermensch, or a battle between one Ubermensch and one Nietzsche Wannabe. It does raise a question on what would happen if two Ubermensch encountered each other (and if they could live with each other).  . She manages to bring down Muro and the Syndicate,.
 * Universal Ammunition: Oni weapons run on one of two kinds of ammunition: red ammo clips, which contain adaptable explosives, propellants and slugs; or green power cells, which contains lithium ions, nickel-cadmium and the like.
 * Valley Girl: The Furies might qualify as this, if their quotes "Oh, puh-lease!" and "Whatever!" are anything to go by.
 * Video Game Cruelty Potential: This game has it in spades so where to begin?
 * Killing innocent civilians and they have extra health so you have to beat them up even more.
 * Backbreaker move. Even comes with crack sound.
 * Throwing mooks straight into acid. And they scream as you do it.
 * Vigilante Man:
 * Villain by Default: The Syndicate. Just about every single member of this organization is a Complete Monster that will kill people just to get their jollies. There is a civilian receptionist in Chapter 2 who turns out to be in league with the Syndicate...maybe she intends to become a Fury?.
 * Voice with an Internet Connection: Shinatama.
 * Waif Fu: Konoko is pretty skinny and weighs probably less than 100 pounds. Despite this, she can beat the tar out of anybody, even big, huge musclemen.
 * Warrior Poet: Mukade may possibly qualify as one. He is a Ninja master, which is definitely warrior material. His quote "We writhe inside as we are torn apart to make way for what we will become. Surrender to it. Let the bliss of oblivion free you of all your doubts and fears..." certainly sounds poetic.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: Dr. Hasegawa and Dr. Kerr
 * Griffin is this.
 * Well Done Daughter Guy: Konoko wanted Griffin to be proud of her. She shows this right at the beginning of the game.
 * What Happened to the Mouse?: Barabas and Dr. Hasegawa.
 * Kojiro. Who is this, you might ask? He is the communications trooper who talks to Muro in the cutscenes, and also the communications telling all units to converge when they attacked TCTF headquarters. The fact that he is absent at the end raises some eyebrows.
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Ironically, some scientists working for the TCTF call Konoko out for trying to kill . She does not respond well to this. It is not clear if those scientists knew about the circumstances or if they were left out of the loop.
 * What Were You Thinking?: Poked fun at with this exchange:
 * What the Hell, Hero?: Ironically, some scientists working for the TCTF call Konoko out for trying to kill . She does not respond well to this. It is not clear if those scientists knew about the circumstances or if they were left out of the loop.
 * What Were You Thinking?: Poked fun at with this exchange:


 * Why Am I Ticking?:.
 * Wild Mass Guessing: Holy hell is there a lot of this in the fandom about what's really happening. See Truth 0.
 * Can you blame the fans? There is so much about the game that is left rather vague, and there are details in the game itself that do not really match up to what was said in the manual.
 * With Great Power Comes Great Insanity:
 * World of Ham: Some reviews complained about the voice actors "over acting" their roles.
 * Wrestler in All of Us:
 * Tankers, androids originally designed to be pro wrestlers. Their moveset reflects this.
 * One of Konoko's throws is a suplex executed from behind the victim. Another is a backbreaker.
 * You Are Too Late: Konoko finds out what Muro's plan is in the last chapter. She remarks to herself "There's too many stations: they could never be disarmed before Muro activates them. But there is one chance: if I overload the generators I could blow them up before the atmospheric damage is irreversible." The game is trying to use this trope, but there seem to be indications to the contrary. Regardless, Konoko is able to disrupt Muro's plan (but not stop it completely), which causes.
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Let's see. This game has blond (looks yellow) hair, brown hair, black hair, red hair, orange hair, green hair, pink hair, grey hair, no hair (bald), purple hair, and blue hair. Did I miss any?
 * You Monster!: