Hazbin Hotel

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Hazbin Hotel is a web-based musical-comedy adult animated series created by Vivienne Medrano (better known by her internet alias, VivziePop). The pilot episode can be viewed on YouTube. A prequel web comic can be found in the official site.

The show centers around Charlie, the daughter of Lucifer and the Princess of Hell. Hell faces an overpopulation crisis, which is currently managed through annual massacres of the population by angels. Charlie is dissatisfied with the status quo and as such she creates an hotel which aims to reduce Hell's population through reforming sinners/demons, sending the reformed souls to heaven instead. Whilst most of Hell's population finds the idea ridiculous, a powerful demon takes an interest in her project (primarily for his own amusement, not out of a belief it could actually work) and thus gives her dream a chance to become reality.

Recurring characters other than Charlie include Charlie's girlfriend Vaggie, Alastor (the aforementioned powerful demon who invests in Charlie's hotel), and the hotel's first guest Angel Dust (who happens to be a gay drug-addicted cross-dressing pornstar and prostitute spider-demon from a mafioso background).

On August 7th, 2020, it was announced that the cartoon was picked up for a regular series by A24, and after years in Development Hell, season one has finally been released on Amazon Prime on January 19th 2024, the announcment going so far as to include a "Not Making This Up" Disclaimer and also claiming a season 2 is in production, later followed by a preview, and then "Happy Day in Hell" and then a season one trailer.

Has sort of a sister-series called Helluva Boss, also created by Vivienne Medrano, set in the same continuity.

Tropes used in Hazbin Hotel include:

• 0% Approval Rating: As might be expected, nobody except Vaggie (maybe) seems to think Charlie's idea will work. Even Alastor - who is funding the project - is only doing so because he thinks it has entertainment potential.
  • While Word of God claims the pilot remains canon, it seems that in season 1, this is downplayed a bit. Charlie does seem to get quite a few takers, and some Overlords support her project; although, this may not be out of a desire to see sinners redeemed, but rather because they want the annual purge to end. Some, like Vox, seem far more anxious to see Charlie and her friends slaughtered, if only for entertainment.
• Actor Allusion: If you didn't know the history of the show, it's easy to assume that Husk is a role that was specifically made for Keith David (the character is just so… him). While not true, the role does make references to some other roles he's played in the past, being a demon with red and black color palette (Spawn), a cat (Coraline ), and a man who is in debt due to voodoo (The Princess and the Frog).
• Adorable Evil Minion:
  • Razzle and Dazzle, two cute goat demons who work for Charlie, sometimes providing the music for her singing routines. Word of God says they are gifts from her father and can quickly go from friendly to ferocious if Charlie is threatened, but for now we can only assume that.
  • The Egg Boiz, Sir Pentious' goofy henchmen, kind of like five Expies of Patrick Star but not as annoying.
• Age-Inappropriate Dress: Downplayed. In episode 3, when Angel Dust tries to introduce BDSM to the Hotel as "physical therapy", Niffty quickly joins in, dressing in leather dominatrix gear - while Niffty is, according to Word of God not a child, she looks enough like one for everyone else to become uneasy and quash the "idea" before she can actually participate.
• Affably Evil:
  • Rosie, the leader of Pentagram City's Cannibal Town. If you can get past the fact that she is, well, a cannibal (implied to take requests regarding who the others want to eat), she is actually a polite, gracious, and hospitable woman (just avoid her offers of hors d'oeuvres) who is willing to give friendly advice to any of her guests or underlings. In fact, most residents of the cannibal district of the city are the same (except Susan).
  • Zestial. Just looking at this Overlord seems proof enough that he is bad news, with most citizens fleeing, cowering, or in one case, setting themselves on fire at the sight of him; even Alastor is a little nervous when talking to him. Still, he is a polite, cultured, dignified, even compassionate gentleman when speaking to his colleagues, attempting to be the voice of sanity among them. You can't help but side with him and view Velvette as a disrespectful brat simply by the way she insults him.
  • Possibly Sera. She is, at very least, courteous and polite towards Charlie, adhering to some seblance of formality while allowing her to plead her case. However, whether she is truly the Well-Intentioned Extremist she claims to be is (for now) debatable. If not, she would fall into Faux Affably Evil territory.
• Age Lift: In most cases in popular culture, St. Peter is depicted as an old man with a robe and a long beard (meant to embody Wisdom), who guards the Pearly Gates. While he has the same job in this version, he appears much younger, his robes having a more modern look and a bowtie.
• Alliterative Name: Media demons Vox, Valentino, and Velvet. A common theory among fans is that they hold (or will hold) a grudge against Charlie because they wanted Vaggie to join their group.
• All There in the Manual: Much of the information on characters comes from VivziePop's blog page, often with commentary from the characters themselves via Literary Agent Hypothesis. Not that a lot of secrets have yet to be revealed.
• Amazon Brigade: All the known Exorcists except Adam are female. This is rather disturbing, given Adam's perverted view of females.
• Ambiguous Situation:
  • It has been heavily implied that Alastor's soul is owned by some unknown entity, likely due to a Faustian contract. Exactly who this contract holder is (and whether he is friend or foe) has yet to be revealed.
  • Lilith is, to date, the most mysterious character on the show. She has been missing for seven years - the same amount of time, by the way, that Alastor spent on his "sabatical", highly implying his and Lilith's activities are somehow connected. The most common theory is that she is the afformentioned "unknown entity", but that has yet to be confirmed.) In the finale of season 1, Lute is seen talking to her on a pleasant looking beach, presumably in Heaven, telling Lilith in a bitter tone that her "deal" is over due to Adam's death and that if she wants to remain there, she must eliminate Charlie. Whether this means Lilith is a willing accomplace to Lute or a prisoner in a Gilded Cage - and just what Alistor's relation is to her (if any) - has yet to be revealed.
  • There's also the question of what exactly happened to Eve. She is mentioned twice (in the backstory of the first episode, and in the season one finale) but has not been seen in person. It seems odd that Adam is such an important character but Eve is nowhere to be found.
• Anti-Anti-Christ: Charlie; the actual daughter of Lucifer, she is more benevolent than most demons, her goal being to find a path to redemption for sinners. Quite likely, she is the complete opposite of a typical anti-Christ.
• Anti-Hero: Vaggie and Lucifer are Type 2, Angel Dust usually fits Type 3, Cherri Bomb, Sir Pentious, Husk, and Niffty hover between Type 3 and Type 4, Carmilla and Rosie are either type 4 or 5 (depending on one's interretation), while Alastor is Type 5, occassionally moving into the whiter side of Anti-Villain.
  • By the end of season 1, Angel Dust and Pentious are upgraded to type 2 at leasr.
• Author Avatar: Vivziepop has neither confirmed nor denied this, but it seems to be true for Vaggie. The Only Sane Person in the cast in most cases, Vaggie is Salvadorian, like Vivzie is, and wears a black choker, which Vivzie has worn in most interviews.
• Badass Gay: Charlie is bisexual, Vaggie and Angel Dust are both gay, Alastor is "aromantic asexual", and Husk is pansexual (something revealed by Faustisse, one of the show's illustrators); LGBT themes seem common in this show.
• Becoming the Mask: Alastor is upfront about the fact that he's helping Charlie out of pure self-indulgence and expects the Hazbin Hotel to fail. Episode 5 has Mimzy hint that Alastor is truly starting to care for the hotel, as shown when he defends the Chosen Family against Lucifer calling them "losers" and kicks Mimzy out for endangering everyone inside and using him to clean up her messes. And then in the first season finale, the thought that if he fakes his death that he'll be seen as a good guy horrifies him.
• Being Evil Sucks: The Addict music video seems to show the opposite Trope at first, but at the ending, Angel Dust clearly isn't as happy about it as he claims.
• Berserk Button: While Alastor has enslaved many souls during his time as an Overlord, he is himself a slave to another demon - but should you ever so much as mention this to anyone, he will "tear your soul apart and broadcast your screams for every other disrespectful wretch who DARES to question me!" which he details to Husk while going into partial-One-Winged Angel form.
• Betrayal Insurance: Lute mentions that Lucifer secured a variance of this for Charlie; the Exterminators could attack the sinners in an overpopulated hell with divine immunity, but the Hellborn like Charlie are off-limits. It was not a good idea for Adam to target the hotel and explicitly try to murder Lucifer's daughter; Lucifer shows up and curbstomps him.
• Biblical Bad Guy:
  • Adam, the First Man, leader of the Exorsists and possibly the Big Bad. Certainly a Knight Templar at least, his motives seem to be of a personal nature.
  • Charlie's father Lucifer does seem to be at least partially based on his description in the Book of Isaiah, being a Fallen Angel with six luminous wings.
• Big Bad Duumvirate: Two groups of villains with different motives are presented as antagonists. Adam and the Exterminators seek nothing less than genicide out of revenge for one of their members being killed in one of the purges; Valentino and Vox are plotting against the Hotel out of their grudge against Alastor.
• Big Brother Instinct: Angel Dust is very protective of Niffty. She shares his Nightmare Fetishist tendencies but also tends to bite off more violence than she can chew. When Valentino offers to hire Niffty, Angel Dust says absolutely not because she's inebriated and she's not selling her soul to anyone again.
• Big Sister Instinct: Charlie has this for Niffty in the season finale, telling her to stay out of sight from the angels but to stab any that come close. Turns out Niffty can take care of herself, as she stabs Adam in the back, repeatedly.
• Bigger Bad:
  • Vizie has shared concept art of a character called Roo (short for "Root of All Evil") who would - if used as all - likely be an antagonist in the future, though for now, that is just conjecture.
  • Vivzie has also hinted that the true leader of the Exorcists (and orchestrator of the plot) may be Azrael, but this character has yet to be seen.
• Bittersweet Ending: How season one ends: Adam trashes the hotel, badly wounding Alastor and killing Sir Pentious as well as all but one of his Egg Boiz. Though Lucifer soundly beats Adam, allowing Niffty to deliver the killing blow, he makes it clear the angels are allowed to retreat only because Charlie asked for mercy. Charlie views the devastation and mourns it. Lucifer, however, sees that Charlie's project actually made progress in showing souls could change and helps her rebuild. He and the hotel staff make a new, bigger Hazbin and Lucifer officially moves in to show his support. The Vs plan for their next move, and Alastor, rather than faking his death, returns to help Charlie while planning to break the bond on him. Sir Pentious also ends up in heaven as an angel, proving to Sera and Emily that Charlie's project worked! Oh, and Lilith is in Heaven for some reason.
• Bizarre Taste in Food: While it is stated in the comic book adaptation that Alastor's favorite food in venison, his idea of breakfast is a rotting deer corpse; but at least he uses a knife and fork.
• Boisterous Bruiser: Cherri Bomb. Daring, free-spirited, and rebellious, she joins Charlie's side to defend the Hotel because she feels a brutal battle against the forces of Heaven would be a thrill like none other.
• Both Sides Have a Point: Lucifer and Charlie's argument about her wanting to meet the angels has this. Charlie says that right now she has to try to save her people, that her hotel proves that sinners can be redeemed, and with a month to go before the next purge they don't have many options to stop it. Lucifer asserts that the angels can't be reasoned with, some sinners are hard to redeem, and he could do more good helping her with the hotel itself. While she convinces him to let her try since Hell doesn't really have anything to lose, Lucifer is proven correct in the end. All Charlie's meeting does is cause discourse between the angels since it turns out most of them didn't know about the Purges, reveals that her girlfriend is a Fallen Angel, and has Adam announcing the next Purge will start with the hotel. The season finale also shows Lucifer rebuild the hotel, and saying he's going to help Charlie with the sinners.
• Breakout Character: While Charlie is the protagonist, Alastor pretty much steals the show halfway through the pilot.
• Breakout Villain: Sir Pentious was originally just going to be a one-shot character for Angel Dust and Cherri Bomb to pound on, but he became so entertaining that Viv decided to expand his role.
• Bullying a Dragon:
  • Velvette is a relatively young Overlord who mocks and insults the others, her song "Respectless" being a Villain Song for her and "The Villain Sucks" Song towards them. Not a wise move, seeing as fans already know how dangerous Alastor is, and Zestial is supposedly even more deadly than Alastor.
  • There is also Alastor trolling Lucifer, the King of Hell, and hijacking his song. Considering what Lucifer does to Adam in the first season finale, Alastor is either really brave or really stupid.
• Call Back: Deer-like Petting Zoo People appear frequently in Zootopia, obviously the inspiration for Alastor.
• Canada, Eh?: VivziePop claimed in one livestream that this version of Hell has a town specifically for Canadians for... reasons.
• Cartoon Bomb: Cherri Bomb seems able to pull these out of Hammerspace.
• Cassandra Truth: Both Vaggie and Lucifer warn Charlie that angels can't be reasoned with, or trusted. Adam calls out Vaggie on the latter point since she hid from Charlie that she was a Fallen Angel.
• Cats Are Mean: Husk is a rude cat-like Sinner with a foul mouth. Supposedly, he used to be a soldier, he gambles, and is easily bribed by cheap booze. Later it is revealed he is a former Overlord who lost his position and power to Alastor in a game of cards.
• Chaos Is Evil: Vaggie claims Alastor is an unpredictable force of Chaos, the reason he's dangerous.
• Chekhov's Gun: Lute mentions offhand that the hellborn like Charlie are protected from the Exterminations because Lucifer secured a "pardon" for them. Turns out that Lucifer could have curbstomped the angels at any time, meaning that the deal was actually if they touched the hellborn like his daughter, Lucifer would be able to thrash them. Adam trying to kill Charlie costs him divine immunity, and summons Lucifer to protect his daughter and deliver a No-Holds-Barred-Beatdown. He orders the angels to retreat, hinting they will suffer the same fate otherwise.
• Combat Pragmatist: Justified in the finale; the Hazbin Hotel residents arm themselves with angelic weapons and everything they have to fend off Adam, Lute and their army. Everyone goes for cheap shots when they can, from Alastor's tentacles and radio demon minions, to Sir Pentious's noble if doomed attempt to fire on Adam from the back with an upgraded death ray. Niffty ends up striking the killing blow by stabbing Adam and impaling him while he's already down and in the middle of a Villainous Breakdown.
• Could Have Avoided This Plot: Charlie rants about this in the sixth episode, after finding out that Vaggie is an angel cast out from Heaven. The reason why Vaggie didn't tell her girlfriend is, as Adam implies, that she would be seen as the monster that Charlie is trying to keep out of hell. As she tells Alastor, the issue is that Vaggie lied to her and hid this important secret; she would have accepted Vaggie wholeheartedly if the latter had been willing to come clean about being a former Exterminator with a body count.
• Country Matters: Uh, yes, Vaggie does seem to have something of an Unfortunate Name. (Word of God claims it's short for "Vagatha" though Vaggie herself denies it in the first season finale.) Angel Dust made a joke about it the first time they met, according to the comic.
• Crapsack World: You expected differently from Hell? Gang wars are so common, the results are broadcast on the news with the way you'd expect them to report the weather. While cities seem to be loosely ruled by Overlords, those positions are only held so long as they can defend them from others. And then there are the annual purges...
• Creepy Child: Niffty; her teeth are nastier-looking than even Alastor's, her single eye throbs with veins when she is excited, and her affectionate way of greeting Sir Pentious is combined with body-language that suggests she wants to eat him or something; Charlie assures him "We're about 80% sure she's harmless..."
  • That was actually rather accurate. Niffty injured Valentino and killed Adam, but didn't harm the eight other characters she has interacted with (Charlie, Vaggie, Angel Dust, Husk, Alastor, Cherri Bomb, Sir Pentious, and Lucifer), meaning she is exactly 80% harmless!
• Cruel Mercy: Lute does not fare well in against Vaggie in the season one finale, losing her left arm in a brutal and bloody battle. Despite telling Vaggie to Get It Over With, Vaggie refuses, telling her to begone and live with her failure.
• Curb Stomp Battle: In the season one finale, when Lucifer decides to intevene and engage Adam, he spends a minute or so cajoling and trolling the now-furious villain, but when Adam's rage destroys the Hotel and injures Charlie, Lucifer stops playing and one punch from the King of Hell sends Adam plummeting to the ground and forming a crater on impact. Charlie actually has to hold her angry father back.
• Curb Stomp Cushion:
  • Alastor actually puts up a pretty decent fight against Adam, until the latter gets annoyed and hits him with an overwhelming attack that breaks Alastor's staff and nearly kills him.
  • Similarly, Charlie makes Adam bleed when he attacks her, but he ends up winning their fight. Fortunately, Lucifer steps in and does much better.
• Cute Monster Girl: Charlie and Vaggie, although the former does have a Game Face that she shows briefly when excited.
• Daddy's Girl: Charlie is this, as stated by Word of God and confirmed in season one. While they have differing opinions on human nature, Lucifer genuinely loves his daughter.
• Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster!: Subverted with Angel Dust. He seems to love such a life at first, but the music video shows he's actually pretty miserable. Cherri Bomb is the same.
• Dance Battler: Carmilla; suffice to say, the ballerina outfit isn't for show.
• Dark Is Not Evil: Well, much of the main cast of course, being demons, including Charlie, Vaggie, and Angel Dust, but the biggest example is...
  • Lucifer himself. Despite quite a lot of conjecture and anticipation before his actual debut, he is a complete 180 from most depictions of the Devil, being among the kindest, most benevolent, and most generous of Hell's rulers in this reality, and despite their initially estranged relationship, truly loves his daughter. By his own account (and Charlie's, for that matter) he was once a Wide-Eyed Idealist who tempted Eve with the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge in order to grant free will to humanity; his plan backfired horribly, causing Evil to spread among mortals, a failure that made him forever "unable to dream" and making him depressed and cynical.
• Deader Than Dead: Most residents of Hell cannot die by conventional means, but the Celestial forged weapons the angels use during the annual purges can eradicate them completely. This may, in fact, be the reason Lucifer holds his power; if he is indeed a Fallen Angel, he might have access to this power.
  • The second episode of the sister series does suggest demons can truly die; when a psychotic woman tries to burn Blitzo and Millie at the stake, the fire, unsurprisingly, cannot harm them, Blitzo even mocking her for trying that. Blitzo does however admit that her conventional shotgun would "be more effective".
  • Word of God has confirmed that demons can physically die, but the angels are the only ones who can make them stay dead. Any other method, and they will "respawn" after an indeterminate amount of time.
• Deal with the Devil: It seems Overlords get their power by making packs like this with mortals, and that any sinner demons with positions as an Overlord’s employees or servants were recruited by a contract like this. In at least some cases, the contract was made after the sinner's death.
  • Angel Dust is certainly in a pact like this with Valentino, during his Villain Song in episode 4 Valentino is able to produce the contract out of thin air to remind Angel Dust who he works for.
  • Husk was formerly and Overlord himself before he lost his power and wealth to Aliastor in a card game, and is now under a similar contract, telling this to Angel Dust in order to give him a boost of confidence. Niffty is presumed to be another of Alastor's "clients", but it is not yet known why.
  • Episode 1 subverts this; when Alastor offers Vaggie a deal, she is suspicious that it might be one like this. In truth, however he simply is offering to help her make a commercials so long has she refrains from trying record him on television again.
  • Zigzagged with the deal Alastor makes with Charlie in episode 6. The deal is that he supplies the information she needs in exchange for a favor she must do for him later, that does not involve physical harm to anyone. While Charlie doesn't give him her soul, the flash of lightning when they shake hands indicates this deal is magically enforced.
  • Alastor is himself under a deal like this - to who is not known, and he becomes very angry when Husk mentions it.
• Death Dealer: Husk proves able to do this in "The Show Must Go On".
• The Devil: Charlie's dad, called Lucifer here. A The Trickster and a Fallen Angel, he is far more benevolent than most depictions of the Devil.
• Devil but No God: No mention whatsoever is given on any supreme deity or who rules Heaven. The Creation Myth does not credit one being with the creation of the world, or with the decision to enact the annual purge, each attributed to angels as a whole.
• Doomsday Clock: A variation. The series starts right after one of the annual purges, and a clock in the center of the city starts counting down to the next one. Possibly, Charlie has until then to prove her hotel is a success.
  • In the series proper, Adam changes the schedule to only six months, causing a crisis that both Charlie and the Overlords must deal with that further extends the plot.
• Downer Beginning: The pilot starts right after the annual purge, and Charlie's hotel already seems doomed to failure... Until Alastor shows up and gives Charlie a Hope Spot.
• The Dragon: Lute is this to Adam. While not as exuberent or hammy as he is, she is just as cruel and sadistic, proudly boasting that she killed 275 demons in the last purge alone while telling Charlie that the only reason she is not open game is because of a "pardon" arranged by her father.
• The Dreaded:
  • The prequel comic emphasizes this trait for Alastor, as the story shows him simply out for a morning stroll, with other civilians either fleeing at the sight of him or cowering in fear. Merchants at the stores he goes into are noticeably nervous when serving him, and the final scene does show such fear is justified. The only people who aren't scared of him is a pack of other cannibals whom he seems familiar with.
  • Zestial is this as well, possibly even more so than Alastor. His reputation is such that everyone other than his fellow Overlords cower and hide from him (even though he is doing nothing but speaking to Alastor), one civilian setting himself on fire from fear. Even Alastor seems slightly nervous while talking to him.
• Due to the Dead: The season finale shows Charlie putting up a painting of Sir Pentious and the Egg Boiz that died with him in the new hotel. Everyone salutes it, including the surviving Egg Boi that stayed on the ground. They also erect of statue of Dazzle (in full-demon form), who was killed by Lute while fighting alongside Charlie.
• Early Bird Cameo: Both Blitzo and Loona (from Helluva Boss) make cameos during Charlie's first song.
• Easy Road to Hell: Possibly, seeing as many characters identified as damned souls have not been seen doing anything truly bad. Angel Dust is a drug addict, prostitute, and drag queen, but he seems decent overall; Vaggie, aside from occasional rudeness and snarkiness doesn't seem evil at all. One of the biggest controversies of this show is the suggestions that some characters are Hell simply for being gay. Possibly because Heaven isn't as "good" as it used to.
• Elderly Sensei: Zestial, who appears in epsiode 3, is a very old and experienced Overlord (so much that he talks with Flowery Elizabethan English) who seems to be this to the other Overlords, including Alastor. While his reputation is such that civilians are utterly terrified of him, he is Older and Wiser than the younger Overlords, advising them to show restraint during the troubling actions by the Exorcists.
• Electronic Speech Impediment:
  • Alastor's voice sounds like a scratchy old radio speaker, fitting given his moniker as the Radio Demon.
  • While not as much as Alastor, Vox does this too occassionally (usually when he is angry) his voice sounding like the audial from an actual television, sometimes including sound effects like a jackpot bell from a game show.
• Enemy Mine:
  • Subverted with the Vees. Although Velvette had posited that Hell should rise and fight the angels, she's happy to sit back and watch Charlie do that. It never occurred to her that if Charlie had lost, the Overlord would have possibly been the next targets.
  • Played straight when Carmilla tests Vaggie about her love for Charlie and reason to fight before telling her how one kills an angel. Turns out she knew Vaggie was a fallen angel all along, and wanted to see if she was truly committed to protecting the hotel for Charlie. Once Vaggie passes, Carmilla gives her the info about celestial weapons.
• Even Evil Has Standards: While Adam clearly has a foul mouth - more foul than any other character on the show - and makes ample use of the word "cunt", he clearly thinks Lute telling the other Exorcists to "Tear Vaggie's cunt out through her ass!" is too foul.
• Evil Versus Evil: Turf wars among residents of Hell are so common that the news reports them like they would the weather.
• Evil Luddite: Alastor really, really hates television claiming calling it off “noisy picture box” and insisting that radio is “the proper medium to express oneself”. Obviously, this is the biggest reason for his enmity with Vox. In episode 1, he makes a deal with vagi (not that kind) agreeing to help her make a proper commercial if she promises never to get him involved with television again.
• Eyepatch of Power: Vaggie has one over her left eye with a big "X" on it. No explanation was given in the pilot, though later on, it does seem rather familiar...
• Fallen Angel: Lucifer; he was kicked out of Heaven after his plan to spread free will among humanity backfired terribly.
  • Also, Vaggie, a true case of No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.
• Fan Disservice: Whether you're gay or straight, the idea of Angel Dust in porn flicks is not very arousing, especially when some scenes of his acting are shown; many of them involve him being raped or even gang-raped. This is true in-universe too, both Charlie and Vaggie finding his films disgusting. In addition, Husk says his acting is “unconvincing”.
• Fantastic Caste System: Hell has three types of residents: Sinners, which are damned souls of mortals (like Vaggie), demons, who were born the way they are (like Charlie), and a third that has not yet been named. It doesn't seem right now that this means anything in Hell's social structure, though; while most Overlords are demons, Alastor at least started as a Sinner.
• For the Lulz: Alastor claims he has no doubt Charlie's project will fail, and that he's helping her because he sees entertainment potential in it. Having said that, he may see potential for profit too, but he hasn't outright claimed so.
• God and Satan Are Both Jerks: Maybe. They are only seen briefly, but angels who conduct the annual purge are Humanoid Abominations who sport Slasher Smiles as they do their job. Word of God is, as yet, very closemouthed about what condition Heaven is in or who's running it. An episode of Helluva Boss confirms that at least some angels are indeed jerks.
  • The season one trailer enforces this Trope, as proposing her plan to a group of angels only gets Charlie laughed at, further suggesting they are intentionally trying to sabotage her efforts.
  • Episode six downplays it a little, showing that the annual purge is a covert plan that most residents of Heaven don't even know about. St. Peter seems mostly benevolent, enforcing rules of Sacred Hospitality when Charlie and Vaggie come there to plead their case, and Charlie gains at least one ally when Emily takes her side.
• Harsh Life Revelation Aesop: Charlie learns something the hard way over season one: sometimes, people in power truly don't care about others even if they are seemingly the good guys. Lucifer has the excuse that he has debilitating depression from how his good intentions to give humanity free will went wrong, and Charlie is able to reason with him. But the angels? They have no excuse at all, and Emily calls bullshit on Sera allowing the exterminations.
• Hate Sink: Katey Killjoy; rude, cruel, sadistic, and a homophobe, she's has no good qualities at all and is the most despised character seen thusfar. Given the setting, that's really saying something.
• Heel Face Turn: The preview for season 1 shows Sir Pentious with Charlie in the hotel, suggesting he becomes a client.
• Hell Is War: Thankfully averted, though Season 1 ended with a rather violent battle between the foreces of Heaven and Hell.
• "Hell Yes!" Moment: The season finale features a news broadcast where Hell is cheering and applauding Charlie as well as Niffty because they stopped the Exterminations, for good, by rebelling against the angels.
• Hellish Horse: In the season 1 finale, Razzle and Dazzle assume their true demonic forms, Dazzle acting as Charlie's mount during the battle.
• Horrifying the Horror: In the season 1 finale, the three Vs are watching the attack on the Hotel on television; Vox excited at the idea of seeing Alastor killed, the other two far less enthusiastic. However, all three are noticably shocked when Niffty stabs Adam. This becomes Hilarious in Hindsight when you remember that, two episodes previous, Valentino wanted to "hire" Niffty.
• Horny Devils: Possibly true for Charlie's mother, although Word of God states that (at least for now) the plot will not involve Charlie being a succubus via inheritance. Having said that, succubi do exist in this reality, as seen in the sister series.
• Hypocrite: Adam, so very, very much. In "Welcome to Heaven", Charlie demands he provide the actual requirements for a soul to enter Heaven, he at first seems flustered, clearly not knowing himself. He manages to put together a brief list: "Act charitable, don't steal, and stick it to the man." (If one wants to give Adam benefit of the doubt, as Charlie reluctantly does, the last one could simply mean, "opposing tyranny".) Charlie then shows him live footage of Angel Dust doing all three, ordering a round of drinks for everyone in a bar, preventing Niffty from stealing, and then telling off his evil boss Valentino to protect Niffty. Despite all this, Adam's still refuses to accept Charlie's argument as even worth considering.
• Hypocritical Humor:
  • Katie tells Charlie, "Sorry, I don't touch the gays," and then proceeds to poke Charlie in the chest. Of course, bigotry and hypocrisy tend to be mutually inclusive most of the time.
  • Epsiode two: Valentino flies into rage when Angel Dust moves into the Hotel, believing he's sleeping with Charlie, and prepares to attack the place, but Vox talks him out of it, pointing out that Angel Dust still works for him and that such an assault would be bad for their reputation. Then Valentino tells Vox that Alastar is working with Charlie... Cue Vox becoming just as enraged and plotting the Hotel's demise.
• I'm a Humanitarian:
  • Alastor was not just a Serial Killer, he was a cannibal, and he hasn't completely lost that habit. In one comic book story he brutally devours a butcher who was trying to rape and/or murder a demon-sheep-girl. The fact that he likes venison makes his demonic form something of a Karmic Transformation, as it makes him a cannibal twice-over. In the same story, the only citizens not terrified of him seem to be a group of other cannibals.
  • Notorious Serial Killer Jeffery Dahmer actually hosts a cannibal cooking show on Channel 666, although a sticky note on an add for it (that says "who approved this show?") suggests it's not very popular.
  • Later, it seems Pentagram City has an entire cannibal district where there are even restaurants devoted to such demons. Oddly, their leader - Rosie - seems to side with Charlie.
• Impossible Task: The plot, more or less. Charlie and Vaggie admit - in the prequel comic - that they have no idea whether it's even possible to redeem a sinner to the point where Heaven will accept him, and that the Hotel is still an experiment aimed at finding that out.
  • Still, even if Heaven is willing to accept redeemed souls, Charlie might have a hopelessly difficult task. Her overall goal, by her own admission, is to stop the annual purges and to do that, enough sinners would have to leave to keep the population of Hell stable. As this fanmade video shows, even if her hotel blossomed into a chain that was as successful as the Marriott, she'd still have hardly scratched the surface.
• Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Sir Pentious; a Breakout Villain, yes, but in the pilot alone he gets his ass handed to him twice. And it seems those were hardly the first two times.
• Ink Suit Actor: When he loses his mask in the season 1 finale, Adam is a dead ringer for VA Alex Brightman.
• Large Ham: Alastor's most prominent trait.
• Laughably Evil: All evil characters to date, especially Alastor.
• Let's Get Dangerous: The Hazbin Hotel staff and residents demonstrate this in the finale when they prepare to defend themselves against Adam's army. It's the first time the Purges have a body count on the angel's side, with Alastor providing a forcefield that allows everyone to shoot at leisure. Husk shows that he is a master with magic cards, while Angel packs leads and is a crackshot. Sir Pentious serves as the lookout and launches a doomed but noble effort to fire Adam out of the sky. Vaggie wins her first round with Lute, resulting in the angel losing her arm. Even Charlie gets her moment when she makes Adam bleed and helps her dad punch him into the ground.
• Light Is Not Good: The Exorcists and their leaders Adam and Lute, they are sadistic and violent Knight Templars. (Vivzie has confirmed that they are bloodthirsty killers, very unlike any common depictions of angels.) Adam is as rude to Charlie as Katie was in the pilot, and are actually scheming to sabotage her efforts. He admits to her face that the annual purges are done for entertainment and at the end of episode 1, reveals he plans nothing less than genocide in retribution for the death of one of his soldiers.
• Mad Bomber: Cherri Bomb is more like a Crazy Awesome Bomber.
• Mama Bear: The whole crisis with the Exorists starts when Carmilla kills one of them in order to protect her daughters, making Carmilla an Unwitting Instigator of Doom.
• Meaningful Rename: Possibly. Charlie's original name for her hotel was "Happy Hotel"; changing it to "Hazbin Hotel" was Alastor's idea, though it is unclear if the word has any importance.
• Might Makes Right: How the government in Hell (assuming you can call it that) works. Overlords are regional rulers who only hold their positions after seizing them, Lucifer keeping them in line mostly through intimidation.
• Miles Gloriosus: As Carmilla discovers, this is true for the Exorcists. They are killers, not fighters, and attack victims (who almost always flee from them in terror) with "reckless abandon". Against enemies who actually fight back, they're a bunch of losers.
• The Mole: In episode 2, Sir Pentious is hired by Vox to be this at the Hotel, only for Angel Dust to catch him in the act in a matter of hours. (Alastor hits the redial on Pentious' moble to gloat, telling Vox "You'll have to try harder than that!" and then crushing it.) This proves a mistake, as when Vox fires Pentious as a result, he seems to legitimately side with Charlie.
• Monsters Anonymous: Charlie runs the Hotel this way, complete with group therapy and trust excersizes.
• Morality Pet: Alastor is upfront that he's using Charlie, he treats everyone else in the hotel with indulgence at best, and he is very abusive with Husk. Niffty is the only hotel resident that he treats with consistent kindness, to the point that he saved her from drowning in the toilet while she was cleaning.
• Mugging the Monster: Charlie is a Nice Girl and all, but she's still Princess of Hell, and not exactly helpless if someone picks a fight with her, something Katey Killjoy learns the hard way. She also shows Adam in the season finale that she can make him bleed, something that shocks Adam.
• My God, What Have I Done?: This is the source of Lucifer's depression. While he did get Adam and Eve kicked out of paradise by offering them the apple, his intention was to give humanity free will. The problem is that humanity took that free will and went rampant with it, leading to millennia of pure cruelty and sadism. Lucifer retreated into a deep depression that led to him unable to bond with his daughter, and agreeing to the exterminations.
• New Media Are Evil: Maybe it's just a coincidence, but given the Overlords that have been seen so far, getting into the media business may be the go-to way to gain political power in Hell. Alastor controls the radio industry, Vox controls television, Valentino the film industry, and Velvet in social media. As of season one, the three Vs are confirmed to be worse than other Overlords, their actions a direct threat to Charlie and encouraging all-out war with the Exterminators. It's also hinted that Lucifer himself is Hell's equivalent to Walt Disney.
• Nice Job Fixing It, Villain:
  • Lute casting out Vaggie and leaving her alive, albeit injured in hell, allows Charlie to rescue the latter after an extermination. Vaggie as a result becomes fiercely loyal to Charlie, and willing to kill for her.
  • In the season finale, Adam specifically targeting the hotel and Charlie gives Lucifer the opening to thrash him. Lucifer was not allowed to protect the sinners from extermination, but he secured immunity for the "hellborn". When Adam prepares to kill Charlie? All bets are off, and Lucifer shows why he is the leader of Hell and that Adam, for all his powers, was once a human.
• Noble Demon: Alastor is this according to Word of God. He may be a Serial Killer, but he never pursues a fleeing victim and does not seriously harm or kill children (but he would still use Corporal Punishment on them if they were misbehaving).
• Not Helping Your Case: At first, Charlie's only real evidence that her project might work is Angel Dust, whom she claims while on the air, has been clean and sober for two weeks. Unfortunately, this is when Katie gets breaking news that Angel Dust is at that moment involved in the latest turf war, showing he relapsed.
• Not So Invincible After All: Everyone believes the Exorcists are an invincible, unstoppable army; as Carmilla discovers, not even close. Much like the typical Serial Killers, they much prefer victims who flee in terror, and when faced with would-be demons who actually fight back, they're a bunch of wimps.
• Number of the Beast: Charlie's interview is aired on Channel 666.
• Older Than They Look: Despite resembling a demonic child, Niffty was in her twenties at the time of her death, which occured in the 1950s. This has been confirmed by Word of God, obviously because Vivzie did not want to be arrested for a including the scene with Niffty dressed as a dominatrix at a BDMS club.
• Out-of-Character is Serious Business:
  • Alastor usually acts like a snarky and witty Trickster type, befitting the embodiment of Chaos that Vaggie claims he is. However, when Husk makes him angry by mentioning that he is "under someone's leash", he shows a much darker side of himself, briefly acting like a true demonic beast from out the depths of Hell as he promises Husk a horrid, painful death should he ever mention that again.
  • Charlie is normally nothing but nice to Alastor despite his creepiness and Obviously Evil tendencies, and is a Determinator no matter what Hell and Heaven toss at her. When Alastor goes to check on her in Episode 6, she's crying in bed and telling him to fuck off when she thinks he's making fun of her. Alastor realizes something is really wrong; though he uses the situation to make a deal with her about a favor in the future, he also takes her to Cannibal Town to get an army to defend the hotel, no strings attached. How bad is it when the most evil person in the hotel helps out the nicest person in it after already getting what he wants?
• Picky Eater: As the comics show, Alastor is a gourmet and refuses to eat processed food, like canned meat, Easy-Mac, or ketchup. His favorite is venison, but he demands it to be carefully skinned, as he wants "fresh meat, not bubblegum".
• Persona Non Grata: Hell has Seven Circles (for each of the Seven Deadly Sins, but demons like Angel Dust and Vaggie who were once human are not allowed to leave the Pride Circle, the topmost layer. Whether this is a supernatural feature of Hell or a law imposed by Lucifer is not stated, although seeing as angels (including fallen ones, like Lucifer) have complete domination over demons, it may be both. Exactly why is not stated either, but it may be that sinners are considered easy to replace (the reason Charlie started her project to begin with) and are used as a “buffer” during the annual purge to keep the angelic strike teams from invading the deeper layers.
• Politically-Incorrect Villain:
  • Katie does not even make an effort to hide her homophobic views. Word of God says her death was in 1992, when such views were more common among the media, not that this is in any way an excuse.
  • In a Fantastic Racism version of Kill the Poor, the Vees seem to have a low opinion of the lower class sinners; after Alastor is presumed dead in "The Show Must Go On", all three of them are delighted at the prospect of claiming "ownerless cattle", referring to the souls that they assume are free due to Alastor's death. Clearly, they view such souls as little more than animals.
• The Purge: Hell seems to have an overpopulation problem that causes the forces of Heaven do this annually. The first episode starts with a clock (and later an hourglass) counting down the days until the next one, suggesting a time limit on Charlie's project...
• Reasonable Authority Figure: Carmilla as overlord. While she has no loyalty to Charlie or Lucifer, she is willing to train Vaggie on how to kill an angel, after Vaggie proves that she is fighting not just to protect the hotel, but also her girlfriend. Carmilla refuses to put herself or her people on the frontlines for pragmatic reasons, but on hearing that the Hazbin Hotel will be the next Purge's target, she is willing to provide necessary support. When Vaggie's wings grow back after their sparring session, Carmilla gives a Grin of Audacity and supplies more than enough angelic weapons with her black market contacts.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: These are the prevalent colors in the series, with both clothes and architecture in Hell almost exclusively red and black. This is even the case with more benevolent characters, like Charlie and Vaggie. Ironically, Lucifer himself is an exception, wearing a white suit. Interestingly, this was a case of Real Life Writes The Plot, as the show started with one YouTube web animation where the developers had a limited budget and consequently, limited art resources.
• Riddle for the Ages:
  • In-universe, it's revealed that no one, not even the angels, know how a soul gets into heaven. If Sera knows, she's not revealing it and justifies to Emily that things are more complicated than they seem.
  • There is also how the heck Adam became such a douchebag. As the First Man, his worst sin was eating an apple when it was forbidden. He wasn't even the first murderer in life; that honor goes to his son Cain.
• The Rival: When Lucifer and Alastor first meet in episode 5, it takes them all of 15 seconds to despise each other, not helped by Alastor insinuating that he would be a better father to Charlie then Lucifer himself.
• Rousseau Was Right: Charlie truly seems to believe this, at least in regards to humans. Sadly, most of Hell has more of a Machiavellian outlook.
• Shout-Out:
  • Charlie's last name - Morningstar - is a reference to The Sandman, where the Devil is called Lucifer Morningstar.
  • Carmilla's two daughters are named Clara and Odette, named after the protagonists of Swan Lake, fitting seeing as Carmilla herself wears a dress that resembles what a ballerina would wear.
  • Episode five, during the quarreling duet with Alastor, Lucifer briefly plays a golden violin, a clear reference to “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by the Charlie Daniels Band.
• Sissy Villain: Valentino; cross an atypical pimp with a demon and you have a general idea of his appearance and personality. Being an actual pimp, plus a pervert, crime boss, trafficker, and (probably) rapist puts him squarely in "villain" territory.
• Slasher Smile: Pretty much everyone can sport one if they have to, even Charlie.
• Spicy Latina:
  • Vaggie; Word of God claims she is Salvadoran.
  • Probably Carmilla (as she can speak Spanish and her dance-battle theme is flamenco music) but not confirmed.
• Stupid Evil:
  • Adam isn't very bright. Granted, he is a decent fighter and field leader, and a dire threat to demon-kind, but that is clearly not due to his intellect. Sure, he managed to convince Sera (with Lute’s help) that it was in her best interests to continue the annual purges, but his big problem is, this is marred by his arrogant, impulsive, egotistical attitude. In layman's terms, he wants to solve every problem immediately as it comes up, and always the way he believes he should, reasons and possible consequences be damned. In episode 6, when he sees Charlie and Vaggie and in Heaven, he wants to assault them right then and there, Lute having to hold him back while reminding him of the possible consequences of assaulting two guests in front of dozens of witnesses. Even worse, later in the same episode, his big mouth reveals the entire conspiracy to the rest of Heaven, which is specifically what Sera had told him not to do just a few scenes earlier. Eventually, this impulsiveness is what does him in when, during the season one finale, he decides to attack the hotel itself, breaking a deal made with Lucifer, and enabling the now-angry King of Hell to come after him with no restraint.
  • The Vees - especially Vox - fall into this in the season one finale, wasting time watching the assault on the Hotel on television (Vox eagerly cheering them on, hoping the battle will result in Alastor's death) while they should be securing themselves in a bunker or something. They don't seem to figure out that should Charlie and her friends lose, the Exorcists would likely be coming for them next, and without any angelic weapons, they'd (and the other Overlords) would be slaughtered.
• Terrible Trio: Vox, Valentino, and Velvette, three Overlords who are allies and possibly friends. Vox and Valentino are even hinted to be romantically involved, with Velvette encouraging them as such. Most fans assume that the reason they have achieved their lofty positions is because they have each others' backs.
• Time Abyss: Three verified examples; Adam (the Big Bad) is the Adam from the Biblical story of Eden, and Lilith (Charlie's mother) is Adam's first wife, meaning both are as old as humanity. Charlie's father Lucifer is even older, the backstory saying he is older than the Earth and predating the creation of Hell.
• Time for Plan B: Episode 6 features this; Alastor proposes that if Heaven truly doesn't want to consider Charlie's project, there's another way to stop the Extermination: fight the angels when Adam promises to wipe out the hotel and everyone inside. Charlie tasks Vaggie to find out from Carmilla how to kill an angel, while she and Alastor go to secure an army from Cannibal Town.
• Token Good Teammate:
  • Subverted with Charlie. Given her perky personality and optimism, despite being the Princess of Hell, one could assume that she is the sole leader that wants the best for her people. "Scrambled Eggs" reveals that the leaders of Hell run on a spectrum; some like Carmilla and Zestial are genuinely worried about the ramifications of a dead angel found in their circle, while Velvette and Valentino purely worry about their interests. It's the first hint that Heaven's rules about right and wrong are arbitrary.
  • Played straight with Emily and the angels. Turns out that she is the only angel that argues for Charlie's project and is horrified when learning that the sinners were being eviscerated For The Lulz without even a chance to prove themselves.
  • Vaggie as far as we know is the only Exorcist that refused to kill a child sinner. We don't know her body count, only that she realized she couldn't do it and whispered for the kid to run. This cost her an eye, and her wings because Lute caught her in the act.
• Tough Room: Predictably, Charlie doesn't do very well promoting her Hotel on Channel 666, and having to deal with a bitch like Katie looming over her doesn't help. Still, it's implied that the broadcast is what piques Alastor's interest.
• Undignified Death: While totally deserved, Adam's death in the season one finale is humiliating, impaled from behind by Niffty of all people in the middle of an unrepentant villainous rant.
• Unholy Matrimony: Lucifer rules Hell alongside his Queen, Lilith. Word of God confirms they are, indeed, Happily Married. Or were until Lilith left about seven years ago.
• Unknown Rival: Whether this is intended or not, the cast of the sister-series Helluva Boss could be considered this to Charlie without even intending to be so. They have goals completely contradictory to Charlie's, spreading evil and causing more souls to be damned. Whether this will ever cause any sort of conflict between the two remains to be seen, although let's be honest, it would be a Crowning Moment of Awesome if it did.
• Vain Sorceress: Being a fasionista internet celebrity and Attention Whore with an Unlimited Wardrobe who cares more about her appearance than anything else, Velvette is a modern version of this Trope.
• Van Helsing Hate Crimes: The annual purges have degenerated into this - while Sera still maintains that they are necessary to prevent demonic rebellion and outright war, Adam and his subordinates lost sight of this goal long ago, their attacks having no motive other than their twisted idea of fun.
• Vice City: The setting for now seems to be Pentagram City, a virtual warzone for demonic gangs where every sort of vice - sex, drugs, liquor, and violence - are both openly available and cheap.
  • Hell has another known city named Imp City in the sister series - Helluva Boss - and it seems just as bad.
• Villain Song: Naturally, seeing as the show is presented as a musical, every villain who is important will likely get at least one. They include "Alastor's Reprise" (Alastor, pilot episode), "Hell is Forver" (Adam, episode 1), "Stayed Gone" (Vox and Alastor, episode 2), and "Respectless" (Velvette, and Zestial, episode 3)
• "The Villain Sucks" Song: "Stayed Gone" is an Evil Versus Evil example, where Vox takes to the airwaves to smear Alastor with Malicious Slander. However, Alastor turns the tables on him and hijacks his signal in order to do it to him, ultimatley killing the power to his studio and humiliating him.
• Villain Takes an Interest: The plot is kicked off when Alastor decides to get involved in Charlie's project, which seems doomed to failure beforehand.
• What Happened to the Mouse?: Eve was a part of how Lucifer's and Lilith's plan of giving humanity free will which led to Hell being created. There is now mention of her in Heaven or Hell despite how important her role had been.
• When You Coming Home, Dad?: Charlie’s mother has been away on some sort of business for the past seven years. (The final episode of season 1 throws the reasons into question.) Her father has been distant too, but finally contacts her in episode one, arranging for a meeting with Adam, and finally reconnects with her (appearing in person) in episode 5.
• Wicked Stepmother: Adam is a creepy, wicked stepfather to Charlie; she's technically his stepdaughter since she's Lilith's daughter, and Lucifer outright says that Adam and Lilith were married. He hits on Charlie during their first meeting and pranks her, and even when Charlie tries to be nice and say a project of rehabilitating the damned would look great for him if he signed off on it, Adam informs her that he kills for fun and doesn't find value in any sinner. He also plans to kill her in the finale after destroying her hotel, purely out of spite.
• Winged Humanoid: Word of God states both Charlie and her father have fully functional demon-wings that are only visible when being used.
• The Wonka: Lucifer - Charlie's dad - has not been seen on screen yet, but Word of God has actually compared him to the Trope Namer; he's also a talented musician who actually loves polka music. The sister series Helluva Boss even suggests he owns Hell's equivalent of Disney World!
• The Worf Effect: Used as Alastor's backstory. According to Vaggie, he appeared mere decades ago, and managed to topple Overlords who had been in power for centuries, clawing his way to the top faster than most demons could imagine.
• Wouldn't Hurt a Child:
  • Downplayed with Alastor; Word of God claims that although he wouldn't kill or seriously hurt children, and that he might even take custody of an abandoned child, he would still slap them should they misbehave.
  • This got Vaggie cast out of Heaven. She was an Exorcist who spared a child sinner rather than wiping them out.