Space Channel 5



A rhythm game devoted to dancing duels against multi-colored screen-faced aliens or robots.

The first game has you play as spunky reporter Ulala as she tries to save the day from the Morolians while getting the big scoop, and dancing well enough to keep her ratings up and stave off being cancelled. Along the way she'll meet local dreamboat Jaguar and her Rival from Channel 42, Pudding. You'll take them on multiple times to win the scoop.

The second game has a new threat to the galaxy: Purge and his Rhythm Rogues! Even worse, Jaguar seems to have disappeared while searching for information about Purge! It's up to Ulala and her co-worker Noize to save Jaguar and stop Purge from forcing the Galaxy to dance for him! Along the way she'll meet Pine, a beautiful woman who is the head of the Space Police; President Peace, the President of the Galaxy who has the Power of Song; and Shadow, Purge's second in command and ground leader of the Robo.

There was a series of cell phone games also released in Japan known as Ulala's Channel J. Most of them were minigames except for Purge's game, which took place after he was sent into space and gave him the title of Anti-Hero. The games have since been discontinued.

One of the most cameo-able SEGA games, it is famous for its infectious and memorable soundtrack, odd gameplay and even odder premise.

It's also known for its rather bright colours, making it look like a 60s psychadellic view of space. The first game even has a message which warns about epileptic seizures in one level.

The console games were originally developed for the ill-fated Sega Dreamcast, but were eventually ported to the Play Station 2. Part 2 is now available in high definition as part of the Dreamcast Collection, along with Dreamcast hits like Sonic Adventure and Crazy Taxi, and can be downloaded on the Playstation Network, Xbox Live Arcade or Steam.

As per The Wiki Rule, Space Channel 5 has its own wiki here.

-

Both of Ulala's adventures contain examples of:
"Fuse: Look, tentacles! Can you handle it, Ulala?
 * Akira Ishida: He voices Purge in the Japanese version.
 * All Is Well That Ends Well: The end of both games.
 * And Your Reward Is Clothes: Part 2 has various unlockable outfits for Ulala (though some "outfits" actually turn Ulala into other characters). You can also unlock different items to replace Ulala's microphone, including a lollipop, a frying pan, and a rose (from Jaguar).
 * As Himself: Michael Jackson... Well, sorta, if Space Michael can be categorized here.
 * Badass Boast: "I'm taking the Space Transmitter with me as a present!"
 * Bald of Evil: in the first game.
 * Batman Can Breathe in Space: Ulala does this in the first game, but she wears a helmet in the 4th mission of the second game.
 * Best Boss Ever: The boss from the fourth mission of the second game is a giant, apish, speaker-handed robot piloted by a mad scientist, and you have to use the power of Space Michael Jackson (voiced by Michael Jackson) to defeat him.
 * Beware the Silly Ones: Well let's see here, we have an evil genius who's ridiculous and a bit too fabulous at times. Surely Purge can't be that too big of a threa-
 * Big Bad:  in the first game and Purge in the sequel.
 * The Dragon: Respectively, the Morolians or Evila and Shadow.
 * Big No: Ulala does this twice in under a minute after
 * Bilingual Dialogue: Space Micheal only speaks in English, even in the Japanese version.
 * Black Cloak: Purge wears a black cloak with platform shoes. Somehow, he's able to run pretty fast with said cloak and platform shoes.
 * Boss Subtitles: All bosses, but when you get one that says "Super-Duper Suit: Purge the Great", well... you know you're screwed.
 * Brainwashed: until Ulala saves him in the most unintentional reference to Sesame Street ever.
 * Also.
 * Brought to You By The Letter "S": In the second game, P stands for Purge.
 * Calling Your Attacks: Both the enemies and Ulala say their cues ['left', 'right', 'down', 'up', 'hey' and 'chu'/'shoot']. If they didn't, the game would be Unwinnable.
 * But then you get Honda and Toyota and you mess up because you forgot which button went to which car.
 * Camp: You betcha.
 * Camp Straight: If you thought that Purge wasn't straight... better luck next time.
 * Captain Ersatz: Deee-Lite' Lady Miss Kier sued Sega because Ulala seems to be very close to her stage persona.
 * Captain Obvious: "Press LEFT for Left and RIGHT for Right!"
 * Character Customization: The second game takes this to the extremes. You can even dress up as different characters!
 * Cheat Code: The second game gives you a cheat code, the person who gives it to you? The Final Boss of the previous game.
 * Chekhov's Gunman: President Peace in the second game.
 * The Coats Are Off: Purge loses his coat before challenging you to the Final Dance-off.
 * Combining Mecha: The boss of 4th report in Part 2 starts as a Dual Boss eventually merges into one.
 * Conspicuous CG: Well, it's a video game so it's obviously CG-I; but in the final moments of the first game, it becomes pretty obvious that the crowd behind Ulala is pre-rendered.
 * Cool Shades: Blank in the first game; his were pink variants of the classic Kamina 'boomerang' shades. His 'turn' icon even had a glint next to the glasses!
 * Didn't you know? Blank was sporting the shades before Kamina was. And he was tough enough to make them PINK.
 * Credits Gag: Don't think it's safe to put down the controller after the credits...
 * Crowd Song: The final battle against Purge has you and everyone you've saved singing with him.
 * Corrupt Corporate Executive: Blank fits this trope perfectly.
 * Cute and Psycho: Purge is childish and playful at first... But then he starts going insane. This is especially shown in the English dub, in which he has an insane laugh that's reminicent of THE JOKER'S.
 * Damn You, Muscle Memory!: Sometimes if you mess commands up, they throw different commands at you.
 * Not to mention, on the PC version, the directional-commands are handled with the directional pad on the keyboard...which is on the right half of the computer.
 * Dance Battler: Ulala, and how, and even Lampshaded.
 * Dancing Is Serious Business
 * Dancing Theme: And how.
 * Dangerously Genre Savvy: Mr. Blank. During the Giant Evila battle, he figures out that the rhythm of the music is what's helping Ulala (and the player) out. So what does he do? He goes and personally shuts off the music himself.
 * Dark Fic: "Light Character Study: Purge" gives a new look on Purge, one that most people may miss.
 * Strung Up is another one, placing Purge in a nightmare that'll give you nightmares.
 * Dark-Skinned Blond: Jaguar.
 * Dead Guy, Junior: Purge Junior.
 * Defeat Means Friendship: Beating rivals such as Pudding or Jaguar has them join you later in the game.
 * Disc One Final Dungeon: The fourth stage in Part 2 is set up in a similar fashion to the fourth and final stage of the first game. But after a turn of events for the worst, it takes two more stages to get to the true final battle.
 * Disney Death: in the second game by Taking the Bullet.
 * Do Well, But Not Perfect: To get Hundred-Percent Completion in the first game, you need to intentionally screw up at points during a New Game+, since you take different routes depending on your ratings.
 * Dual Boss: The first part of the King Purge battle has you taking on Purge and the Mecha President Peace.
 * Duel Boss: The dance off between Ulala and Purge.
 * Delayed Explosion: Both games have this at one point.
 * Dissonant Serenity: Purge, no matter what happens, always seems to be calm.
 * Until his voice starts cracking when he begins to realize that Ulala has him beaten by the end.
 * Early-Bird Cameo: In the second report of part 2, Pudding appears at the beginning. Later, you take her on.
 * Energy Weapon: The final 3 "chus" of both games.
 * Enfant Terrible: One of the children you rescue in the first game is a genius. However, his parents think he's studying everyday, but in reality he's plotting their demise.
 * Evil Albino: Purge, who actually shows signs of being an albino. He wears goggles for most of the game, presumably to help with his eyesight and is never seen in sunlight.
 * Evil Laugh: Purge's is 'nyeh-heh-heh-heh' in English, and 'ah-HAH-hah-hah-HAH' in Japanese. The first game's  doesn't laugh, save for an 'ah-HA!'
 * In the Japanese version,  does laugh. It sounds a lot like King Dedede's laugh from the Japanese dub of Kirby of the Stars.
 * Evil Plan: Purge is trying to make the galaxy dance for him.
 * Evil Twin: Obviously, Evila. Padding and Texas of SC 5 P 2 aren't really evil, just... alternates.
 * Well, then there's Purge Jr. who is actually evil.
 * Expy: Syndrome from The Incredibles MUST'VE been inspired from Purge.
 * The Faceless: Fuse is always heard, never seen.
 * Fake Difficulty: The second boss, but in the Dreamcast version. The second boss fight throws rescuing children in, the only boss to have rescuable hostages. During the first phase, it's rather easy to tell the Space Children from the Morolians because the boss thrusts them in the player's face, making it quite easy to see them. However, during the part where you rescue them, the boss is notably further away and the space children look VERY similar to the aliens at a glance, causing many players to accidentally shoot the children or fire the rescue beam at aliens. The fact that in the first game, "Chu" was used for both the hostages and the aliens didn't help. The Playstation 2 version thankfully improves this by making the children glow blue. It's also obvious in the Game Boy Advance version, too.
 * Famous Last Words: "Dance yourselves to hell, see if I care!" Even though Purge doesn't really die, as shown in the credits...
 * Fate Worse Than Death / And I Must Scream: Purge is trapped in the giant metallic P as he is sent flying into deep space.
 * FemBot: The Ultimate Reporter, Evila.
 * Final Boss: in the first game, Purge in the second.
 * Final Boss New Dimension
 * Foil: Ulala and Purge are mirror opposites. Even the way they get their Dance Energy is opposite from each other. Ulala's energy comes from love and friendship, and she needs people's support to make it stronger. Purge's energy however stems from his anger and hatred towards everyone, and he can absorb people's energy to make it stronger.
 * Freudian Excuse: The fact alone that Purge doesn't understand love or happiness kinda shows how crappy his life must've been as a child.
 * Gadgeteer Genius: Purge is only 18 years old, and yet he makes most of the enemies you face off.
 * Getting Crap Past the Radar: The infamous Naughty Tentacles scene. Even in the dub, Ulala says, "Oh, not there!" in a very suggestive way!
 * Some of the outfits. In a bonus mission in Part one, Ulala says, "They got a boy toy!".
 * Of course, there was also the second boss of the first game, who elicited an equally suggestive-sounding "Oh, it's slimy!" from Ulala upon wrapping her in its tongue.
 * The fact that Blank and Cecil are always together in Part 2. ALWAYS. Just let that sink in for a moment...
 * Giggling Villain: Purge, especially in the Japanese version. In parts where the English version would be in full out insane laughter, all you hear is this sadistic giggle.
 * Going for The Big Scoop: Ulala will brave robots, aliens, and even naughty-tentacle plants to get the scoop/save the world/save the president. Seriously, she should get paid more.
 * Gondor Calls for Aid: The Final Boss in both games.
 * Hand Wave: Wait... How did Purge show up in the credits if he was sent out into Space?
 * He Knows About Timed Hits: That's one of the ways the fourth wall is broken.
 * He Knows Too Much:
 * Hypnotize the Princess: And how. "Oh, no! The _____ is being forced to dance!" Replace the blank with 'Space Bird Mistress/Space Dog Trainer/Space Tour-Guide/Space Michael' etc...
 * Hopeless Boss Fight: The first time you take on Purge the Great, you can only dodge his attack barrage. However Ulala can only dodge for so long,
 * Hulk Speak: Plant boss in report 2 of Part 2 says things like "Throw star at you"
 * Hundred-Percent Completion: Easier said then done.
 * Hypno Ray: Happens in both games. To  and
 * Idol Singer: Pudding's previous job.
 * In-Game TV: The Moro Channel 5 cutscenes in Part 2, which would be interrupted by Purge as he gives you information about his plan without completely giving it away.
 * Insufferable Genius: Purge may brag about how he's a genius and amazes himself, but he really is smarter than the average villain in the series. He has a plan for everything, should you beat him here, he'll have a backup idea at the ready.
 * Interface Spoiler: Well, that's odd; Shadow and  have the exact same pose and dance moves...Eh, It's Probably Nothing.
 * Hmmm... when you take on Shadow to rescue Space Michael, . But surely that doesn't mean a thing.
 * In the End You Are On Your Own: The final boss in both games starts off as this, then everyone joins Ulala to save the day.
 * Intrepid Reporter: These people will brave alien invasions, meteor fields, giant mechs, and more to get their reports done.
 * Hot Scoop: And they'll look good while doing it.
 * It Runs On Nonsensoleum: "There's no power! Ulala, all that's left is dance and jiggy power!"
 * Kaizo Trap: "UP!"
 * Karma Houdini: Sure, he may have threatened the galaxy, but that doesn't stop  from appearing in Part 2 and having everyone perfectly fine with it!
 * Large Ham: There are several to say the least, who pull it off rather well.
 * "My name is..." "JAGUAAAAR~"
 * Leitmotif: Purge, Pine and President Peace get their own unique themes.
 * Even Ulala has one (Mexican Flyer becomes a Recurring Riff at times).
 * Let's Dance Like Gentlemen: When Ulala finally gets a chance to fight against Purge, he blocks off Ulala's friends with an invisible wall so they can't help her. It's only him and Ulala, nobody else can interfere.
 * Let's Play: While there are some Let's Plays out there, PeachFan2262 really does this well with her hilarious commentary.
 * Loners Are Freaks: The second game seems to give this message with Purge.
 * Magic Dance: Everything in the game is done with dance. See also Metaphysical Fuel.
 * Magic Music: In the second game it's shown that dance isn't the only unusual legitimate superpower in the universe.
 * Meaningful Name: Ulala (Ooh, la, la.)
 * One would think that, but in actuality, "Ulala", while being the official English spelling of her name, is simply a romanization of "Urara", which is a common Japanese girl's name. It's even spelled in Hiragana ("うらら") when written in Japanese.
 * Mecha Mooks: Purge just loves these.
 * Metaphysical Fuel: Even the vehicles are powered by 'dance and jiggy power'. See 'It Runs on Nonsensoleum'.
 * Michael Jackson Space Michael: Guest stars in both games, essentially as himself
 * Mission From God: Purge thinks he has this.
 * Multiple Demographic Appeal: The game was designed with that in mind.
 * Musical Assassin: OH YES.
 * The Music Meister: Purge
 * My Suit Is Also Super: The Super Ulala Suit
 * Mysterious Past: When putting all the pieces together, it's revealed that Jaguar
 * Naughty Tentacles: In the end of Report 2 of the second game, a huge tentacle monster grabs Ulala. It would just be normal tentacle use if it wasn't for Ulala's quote following her 'abduction'...

[Camera falls off stand and goes static]

Ulala, held up by tentacles: Ah... Not there!"

""He created his first robot at just nine years old.""
 * The character bio even states that the boss is "A dirty-minded robot that attacks Ulala with its tentacles and tongue."
 * Nintendo Hard: The game looks deceptively easy... until you play it. 'I didn't know it had to be at the same moment too!' indeed.
 * Nobody Can Die: Nobody dies in the console games. Averted however in Purge's Cell Phone game, where he can die by running out of time, or being electrocuted to death. This makes his deaths the only time someone can actually die in the games.
 * Nonstandard Game Over: Missing the final 3 chus/shoots in the games. Looks like it's back to the beginning of the report for you!
 * Non-Indicative Name: The 100 Stage Dance Battle in Part 2.
 * Older Hero vs. Younger Villain: Ulala is 22 years old; Purge is only 18 years old.
 * Old Save Bonus: In the Dreamcast version of Part 2, having save data from Part 1 allowed you to unlock Mr. Blank and Cecil right off the bat.
 * Older Than They Look: Jaguar may look young, but he's 35 years old.
 * Only One Name
 * The Other Darrin: In the English version of Part 2, all of the returning characters except Ulala (and Space Michael) have different voice actors.
 * Flashback With the Other Darrin: The intro of Part 2 shows several scenes from the first game. The voiceovers for these scenes have been redone by the Part 2 voice cast.
 * Our Presidents Are Different: President Peace sings to purge evil and sadness of people's hearts, and he's used as a core for some of Purge's robots.
 * Panty Shot: The games have more than a few.
 * Parental Abandonment: Ulala was found alone in space when she was young and was saved by Jaguar.
 * Peace and Love Incorporated:  itself actually starts out as this, with their attempts to brainwash everyone into watching their station and keeping them from the truth. They get much better after   resigns.
 * People Puppets: In both games, the villains shoot people with rays that make them dance uncontrollably.
 * Playing Against Type: Jaguar's Japanese voice actor usually does characters that are evil.
 * The Power of Friendship: It doesn't matter if there's a man made of giant televisions or a Teen Genius inside a Super-Duper Suit, the power of friendship will save the day every time!
 * Psycho Electro: You learn in the second part of Report 6 that Dance Energy isn't the ONLY thing Purge can control...
 * Psychopathic Manchild: Purge takes this to a slightly disturbing level in Report 6. He goes so far as to  To see a cheerful villain up to this point suddenly take a dark tone somewhat throws people off.
 * Real Men Wear Purple Sleeveless Disco Suits: Purge, we're looking at you.
 * Repeat After Me: Purge and Fuse do this at one point in Report 4's Boss.
 * The Rival: Pudding, of Space Channel 42
 * Though, technically, Pine counts as her rival... at drums.
 * Rule of Cool: Who cares if it makes no sense? IT'S STILL AWESOME.
 * Rule of Fun
 * Say My Name: Ulala does this in the first game respectively for Pudding and Jaguar when they get smacked by the final boss.
 * In Part 2, Ulala does this and Ulala and Purge start their final confrontation by just saying each other's names a couple of times.
 * Scarf of Asskicking: Shadow has a Red Scarf that flaps regardless of if there's wind or not.
 * Secret Character: Somewhat used in Part 2. Filling certain conditions will unlock different characters to play as, Even the Big Bad himself.
 * Screw the rules, I have RATINGS!:
 * Sequential Boss: The second part has Purge the King, a 3 part battle, with no recovering stars.
 * Show, Don't Tell: Apparently, Noize can play drums. Who knew?
 * Sinister Silhouettes: Purge just loves these. 3/4 of the second game has you looking at his silhouette.
 * Sleeves Are for Wimps: Purge once he takes off his Cloak.
 * Space Clothes: This game goes over the top with this one with everyone wearing very bright and/or tight clothing.
 * Space Is Noisy: If these games didn't exhibit this trope, they would be very boring.
 * Space Pirates: The Underground Space Pirate Broadcasters
 * Space Police: The Sexy Space Police in Part 2
 * Spoiler Title: Report 4 in Part 2 "The end for Space Channel 5?!"
 * Starship Luxurious: The Luxury Spacecraft G in Part 1, and the Space Symphony in Part 2.
 * Stripperiffic: Ulala's outfits tend to be pretty revealing.
 * Stuff Blowing Up: The best moment of this is in the second game, at the end of report 4.
 * Theme Music Power-Up
 * A Twinkle in The Sky: Both Purge and  have this when they are defeated.
 * Used to Be A Sweet Kid: Purge, if some of the profiles for the Rhythm Rogues are to be believed.

""Dance yourselves to hell, see if I care!""
 * This is especially shown when one of the Bosses you interview in the profiles reveals that they're forbidden to give any information about Purge that he doesn't want you to know, and that the little amount that you have is personal information on his past.
 * Underwear of Power: The Super Ulala Suit's description says "Rumored to be just underwear." That said, it doesn't really look like any underwear This Troper has seen.
 * Unexplained Recovery:
 * Villainous Breakdown: Purge has one before the final 3 chus. In the English dub, he's being as snooty as usual. But in the Japanese dub, he's screaming at the top of his lungs at everyone there.


 * Villain Song: Purge's Theme is so awesome. The Fear Lounge remix takes the awesomeness and cranks it to 11.
 * Virtual Paper Doll: Part 2 includes a "Changing Room" where you can give Ulala different outfits and replace her microphone with other items.
 * Wave Motion Gun: The Final Hit against the Final Boss is this in both games.
 * We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties: Happens in both games, but most noticeably in Part 2.
 * Well-Intentioned Extremist: Purge believes he's been given a holy mission to lead the Brutish and Unhappy masses of the Galaxy to the heavens by dancing.
 * White-Haired Pretty Boy: Purge with his white hair and purple eyes.
 * Who Forgot the Lights?: One section in Part 2 has Ulala and friends trapped in a pitch black room. It lights up to reveal that they're surrounded by robots.
 * Widget Series: Let's see, we have a space reporter who defeats aliens with song, dance, and Micheal Jackson; not to mention that the entire thing looks like the Jetsons on liberal amounts of acid.
 * You Can't Thwart Stage One: Report 4 in the second game has Purge successfully steal the Space Broadcasting Satellite.
 * And practically parodied earlier in report 2, where, immediately after you've saved President Peace from the Waltzing Robot, Shadow teleports in and abducts him AGAIN with no trouble.
 * You gotta have Pink/Green/Blue/Whitish-Purpleyish hair

UP!