Cuphead: Difference between revisions

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* [[All for Nothing]]: After all the trouble the boys go into so that Ms. Chalice can try the Wondertart and return to life, {{spoiler|they realize that for her to do that, she'd need to sacrifice a living soul. Chalice refuses, saying that she is not someone that would sacrifice another person or being for her benefit. With that said, the epilogue did show that she found another way}}.

* [[Arrogant Kung Fu Guy]]: The Knight's body language paints him as such, with his frequent taunts painting him as a cocky swordsman who doesn't take his opponents seriously.

* [[Belated Happy Ending]]: The epilogue with end credits shows that {{spoiler|Chalice managed to find another way to come back to life, and she hangs out with the brothers, a reformed Saltbaker, and the DLC island residents}}.

* [[Beware the Silly Ones]]: Esther Winchester is a goofy-looking literal cowgirl who fights with a vacuum cleaner and gets turned into sausage, but she's easily one of the most dangerous bosses in the DLC. When the silliness in her fight ramps up, the same goes for her difficulty, culminating in a brutal final phase where {{spoiler|she's turned into a living tin of sausages that can and ''will'' kick your ass over and over again}}.

* [[Bonus Boss]]: The King's Leap is home to a bunch of these, all of which are chess-themed and can only be hurt with parries. There's no real reason to beat them other than to get more money so you can buy the new weapons and abilities. The Broken Relic questline also pits you against {{spoiler|The Nightmare}}, who you need to defeat as one of the steps taken to purify it.

* [[Bully Bulldog]]: The Bulldog of the Howling Aces isn't evil, but he's at the very least a rowdy bruiser who's [[Animal Jingoism|willing to hurt a cat]] as one of his attacks.

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* [[Cult]]: Mortimer Freeze leads a cult of snowmen in... some form of worship. Whatever it is they're worshipping is left up to the player's imagination.

* [[A Day In The Limelight]]: The DLC gives more focus to Ms. Chalice, an NPC from the main game. She gets more characterization as a legendary hero, that once gave up her life to save the Inkwell Isles.

* [[The Determinator]]: While many Cuphead bosses embody this to some extent, Esther Winchester takes it to truly insane levels. Accidentally getting sucked into her own vacuum and turned into a bunch of sausage links doesn't dissuade her from fighting the cups, and even when {{spoiler|she's stuffed into a can, she refuses to give up.}}

* [[Easily Forgiven]]: {{spoiler|While Chef Saltbaker does end up in jail, it seems a rather light sentence given the scope of his crimes, especially since the three heroes are still children when he's released and everyone seems to see him as a friendly baker afterwards. Kind of hard to believe the Desert Limes would be able to forgive the brutal murder of their kin simply because he did community service work for them.}}

* [[Equivalent Exchange]]:

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* [[Evil Is Deathly Cold]]: Mortimer Freeze, an ice wizard who runs a shady cult and doesn't care if he accidentally smacks his minions with his giant whale.

* [[Feathered Fiend]]: The geese Glumstone summons and the buzzards that harass you during Esther's boss fight are truly nasty little pests.

* [[Good Counterpart]]: The King of Games is this to King Dice. Both are living game pieces with cool moustaches that {{spoiler|oversee similarly-themed boss gauntlets}}, but King Dice is a devious sleaze who runs a hotbed of sin and vice, while the King of Games is a noble ruler whose contest of champions is a grand and glorious affair. Their relationships with their campaign's respective [[Big Bad]] even contrast each other, with King Dice being the Devil's partner in crime while the King of Games {{spoiler|is a key player in rehabilitating Chef Saltbaker}}.

* [[Hero Antagonist]]: Zig-zagged. Unlike in the main game, the bosses are just minding their own business and attack in self-defense when the Cups and Ms. Chalice come after them. With that being said, only the Howling Aces and Glumstone the Giant are ''truly'' innocent of any wrongdoing: Esther Winchester is an outlaw and a snake-oil saleswoman, Mortimer Freeze is a cult leader, and the Moonshine Mob are... well, [[The Mafia|the Mob.]] With that being said, the ant cops fought in the Mob's boss fight ''are'' heroic, you're simply caught in the crossfire between them and the criminals they're trying to arrest.

* [[Hidden Agenda Villain]]: {{spoiler|Downplayed; Saltbaker's stated goal is to take over the Astral Plane, but exactly what he intended to do had he succeeded is never stated.}}

* [[Hostile Show Takeover]]: {{spoiler|The Snail of the Moonshine Mob takes over the announcer role during the gang's boss fight, and when you defeat the Anteater, he gleefully yells "Knockout!" and has his fly goons show off a fake victory screen before trying to jape you with a surprise attack. When you promptly kick his ass, the real announcer clears his throat before resuming his duties.}}

* [[Hot Mom]]: The Saluki of the Howling Aces, possibly. While it's ambiguous if she's the mother of the Yankee Yippers or not, she ''is'' an attractive maternal figure all the same.

* [[Humans Are The Real Monsters]]: {{spoiler|Technically, Chef Saltbaker isn't human (almost nothing in the game is) but he is definitely mortal and not the literal Prince of Darkness. While [[The Reveal]] is easy to see coming, the [[Final Battle]] shows he is ''far'' more evil than the Devil was. The [[Anthropomorphic Food]] that appear in the battle that he uses as weapons can obviously feel both fear and pain; the fate of the desert limes is especially brutal, he pretty much ''executes'' the poor fruits and chops them into mulch. Worse, the bosses in the DLC haven't done anything to earn his ire like the debtors, Saltbaker is sending the heroes after his neighbors because they're in the way of his bid to dominate the Astral Plane.}}

* [[I Lied]]: Turns out {{spoiler|Saltbaker was never going to bring Chalice back to life. He used her to lure the boys to the Delicious Last Course, knowing they'd be strong enough to take out their neighbors. To seal the deal, he tells the trio that he'll use their heads as serving platters after sacrificing one of their souls}}.

* [[Lady of War]]: The Saluki in charge of the Howling Aces is a classy, beautiful pooch who conducts herself with an air of dignity, [[The Comically Serious|even when she's frantically mashing buttons on her Chinook's control panel.]]

* [[Logical Weakness]]: The Moonshine Mob seem to be exploiting this in the third phase of their boss fight. Are the cops hassling you a bunch of ants? Then hire an anteater and sic him on them!

* [[The Mafia]]: The Moonshine Mob, a criminal gang of bootlegger bugs evocative of Al Capone-era mobsters.

* [[Nice Hat]]: The Anteater of the Moonshine Mob wears a snazzy bowler hat. When he joins the fun, he even tips it before challenging the cups!

* [[Precious Puppy]]: The puppies fought in the Howling Aces' second phase [[All There in the Manual|(officially known as the Yankee Yippers)]] are cute little fellas.

* [[Protagonist-Centered Morality]]: Deconstructed by the end of the story. Chef Saltbaker asked the brothers and Chalice to collect the ingredients from his neighbors, who hadn't done anything to warrant that level of home invasion. {{spoiler|It ~~comes~~ out that the antagonists were [[Good All Along]], or at the very least safeguarding the ingredients from someone far worse than them. The Wondertart also requires a living soul to be baked into it. When the brothers and Chalice stop Saltbaker from making the Astral Pie and accidentally destroy his bakery, they agree that one living soul is not worth bringing Chalice back to life. Chalice says that she'll find another way to gain back her limbs.}}

* [[Protagonist-Centered Morality]]: Deconstructed by the end of the story. Chef Saltbaker asked the brothers and Chalice to collect the ingredients from his neighbors, who hadn't done anything to warrant that level of home invasion. {{spoiler|It turns out that the antagonists were [[Good All Along]], or at the very least safeguarding the ingredients from someone far worse than them. The Wondertart also requires a living soul to be baked into it. When the brothers and Chalice stop Saltbaker from making the Astral Pie and accidentally destroy his bakery, they agree that one living soul is not worth bringing Chalice back to life. Chalice says that she'll find another way to gain back her limbs.}}

* [[Reality Ensues]]: Chef Saltbaker sends the kids on an errand to collect the ingredients for the Astral Pie, that could bring Chalice back to life permanently, without needing the brothers. {{spoiler|The epilogue shows that he gets arrested for coercing and kidnapping children, attempted murder, destruction of his neighbors' property, and attempted domination of the astral plane. Why were the brothers let off the hook? Because they had helped save the Inkwell Isles from the Devil, and the Judge was a [[Reasonable Authority Figure]] that figured out Saltbaker duped them. Saltbaker gets a plea deal where he rebuilds all the damage he indirectly wrought upon the DLC, and spends months doing community service}}.

* [[Slasher Smile]]: The Howling Aces' Chinook constantly has its fangs bared in a surprisingly menacing grin. Then there's {{spoiler|Chef Saltbaker once he drops the nice guy schtick.}}