Helluva Boss

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
Helluva boss with a helluva crew!

Meet Alice. She's a Serial Killer, Black Widow, possibly cannibal and cultist. In short, she is evil beyond hope of redemption, and most of her victims don't see her coming until its too late. Emphasis on "almost" because Bob does see her coming and has a gun within reach. "When you get to hell, tell them Bob sent you," he gloats before he lets her have it.

He has no idea how right he is. While her damned soul has indeed arrived in Hell, Alice still seethes for revenge and wants nothing less than for someone to murder Bob so he can burn with her. But he's there and she's here, who can help remedy this?

Well, in most cases she would not ask the Immediate Murder Professionals (or I.M.P.s) to do the job, but in this case, that may be the only option.

Helluva Boss is an adult YouTube cartoon created by Vivienne Medrano and set in the universe of Hazbin Hotel, featuring the I.M.P.s, a truly unique Murder, Inc. Operating out of Hell itself, this small band of killers is able, through a special deal with one of the local rules, enter the mortal world and hunt down any mortal a damned soul has a grudge against. For a price, of course. All while making ends meet, dealing with demons (real and internal) while maintaining some semblance of a normal life. Well, normal as fat as Hell is concerned.

The main cast consists of:

  • Blitzo (the "o" is silent): The main protagonist, founder and manager of the I.M.P.s known for his pride and shortsighted ego, a demon with many inner demons of his own.
  • Millie: A perky, bubbly, cheerful young demon-girl if you're on her side, but the last thing you'll ever see if you aren't.
  • Moxxie: Millie's loving hubby, often the Only Sane Man of the group, though also the Butt Monkey and Chew Toy.
  • Loona: Blitzo's adoptive daughter and Sassy Secretary, known for her snarky humor.
  • Stolas: The aforementioned local ruler and Evil Mentor to the group, possibly possessing just as much inner angst as Blitzo.

It features Brandon Rogers (also co-writer) as Blitzo, Richard Steven Horvitz as Moxxie, Erica Lindbeck as Loona and Marti Noxon as Millie. It had a successful pilot on YouTube back at November 2019. It is also notable for having celebrities voicing minor characters such as Norman Reedus, James Monroe Inglehart from Broadway's Aladdin adaptation, and Mara Wilson.


Tropes used in Helluva Boss include:
  • Abusive Parents:
    • Stolas' father Paimon wasn't exactly abusive (as far as is known), but was negligent, and didn't play much part in raising his children, of which he had many - he couldn't even be bothered to remember their names. The reason he "bought" Blitzo to act as his son's playmate was so Stolas would be occupied and wouldn't bother him.
    • Blitzo's father was a selfish and greedy opportunist, showing favoritism towards Fizzarolli over his own son, likely because Fizzarolli was a much better performer and drew more customers. He wasn't above ordering Blitzo to be a thief, only willing to "sell" his son to Paimon cheap in order for Blitzo to rob the noble's house.
    • Moxie's father Crimson is by far the worst of the lot. He physically and emotionally abused his son, made Moxie drown an underling tied to a cinderblock while the victim was begging for mercy while Bound and Gagged with a sack. Years later he smacks Moxie for pointing out he can't marry Chazz because he is married to Millie. Oh, and Crimson assumes Moxie is gay when Moxie clarifies that he is bisexual.
  • Adaptational Badass: In-universe, Blitzo finds out that Robo-Fizzarolli is a better fighter than the real demon clown and lampshades it. Robo-Fizzarolli can avoid machine guns and hand-to-hand combat, chasing down Blitzo while on fire. In contrast, the most that Fizzarolli can do is hand over weapons to Blitzo and dodge out of the way. Blitzo asks why is there such a skill differential; Fizzarolli points out that performing in a nightclub is very different from getting into a gunfight.
  • An Aesop: Barbie, Blitzo's sister, delivers a harsh one to Blitzo in "Unhappy Campers": just because she's clean and out of rehab doesn't mean that she wants to see him. Blitzo may genuinely be worried about his sister, but they have not had a good relationship and it's her decision to not want to talk to him and start a new life.
  • Affably Evil:
    • Millie acts like a Nice Girl, but is still a hired gun who remains unrepentant of the murders she commits or is an accomplice to.
    • Stolas, sometimes.
    • Asmodeus. He seems pretty mean in his first appearance, but he proves a rather decent sort afterwards, suggesting his attitude in "Ozzie's" was a public persona.
  • Afraid of Needles: "Western Energy" shows that Loona is seriously trypanophobic.
  • The Alcoholic:
    • Stolas, most likely due to the stress of his loveless marriage to Stella. The episode "The Circus" shows him drinking absinthe right out of the bottle. To make it worse, he is also taking antidepressants.
    • Blitzo shows this when he is depressed in "Queen Bee", drinking far too much at the night club which prompts the host (who claims to be Satan's protege) to actually tell Loona to take him home. Blitzo is incredibly sick afterwards.
    • Verosika was in treatment for a drinking problem after breaking up with Blitzo; seeing as she is still drinking when she appears in "Spring Broken", it seems the treatment was a failure.
  • All There in the Script: The names of the three C.H.E.R.U.B.s are Cletus, Collin and Keenie, but this can only be confirmed by their names in the credits.
  • Amazingly Embarrassing Parent: Uh, Stolas. In "Loo-Loo Land", his rather... explicit greeting to Blitzo causes Octavia to react much like any embarrassed teenager would. Not to mention the way that he bops along to the animatronic show while Octavia is creeped out by Robo-Fizzarolli.
  • Anger Born of Worry:
    • Stolas rescues I.M.P. from the D.H.OR.K.S. and scares the surviving agents into a corner. Then he asks Blitzo if he's okay. When Blitzo confirms that the truth serum and the violence didn't hurt him, Stolas lays into him for getting caught. He says that it's because he will get in trouble if the humans bust the imps, but you can tell he was worried for Blitzo's safety.
    • Blitzo gets mad at his sister for checking out of rehab and vanishing. As he puts it, how would he know if she relapsed or got killed? He's thrown for a loop when Barbie says that she doesn't need him to look out for her, and that every time they interact, he ruins her life.
  • Anthropomorphic Personification: Asmodeus is the embodiment of Lust, while Beelzebub (or Queen Bee-lzebub, as she calls herself) is the equivalent for Gluttony; this suggests the other Seven Deadly Sins might have them.
  • Archnemesis Dad: Moxxie has obviously resented his father for a long time, but officially becomes this in "Exes and Oohs". The end of the episode (where Crimson hurles a knife at a portrait of Moxxie) cements it.
  • Arranged Marriage:
    • Stolas and Stella, and they despise each other. As revealed in "The Circus", the marriage was arranged by his father and her brother in order to sire an heir, which was successful. The only reason Stella stays with him is because she enjoys tormenting him, while the only reason he stays with her is for Octavia's sake. However, in the same episode, he finally has had enough and tells her off, though this obviously is not over, as she swears to make him pay...
    • "Exes and Ohs" reveals that Moxie's father wants to forcibly wed him to his ex Chazz to induct him into the family. When Moxie points out he's already married, Moxie's father coldly says having a "beard" is not a problem.
  • Asshole Victim: Most marks killed by the protagonists clearly had it coming. It's even discussed with Lyle, who was a bad person in life and I.M.P. point-blank asks the angels why they are trying to save a man who doesn't deserve to be saved.
  • At Least I Admit It: This is a common trend of I.M.P.'s clients. The teacher in "Murder Family" never denies she is a murderer, she just wants her two-timing husband's mistress to suffer as well. In "C.H.E.R.U.B.", neither Loopty or Lyle deny their atrocities or the fact that they committed them out of greed. In both cases, none of them feel any remorse at all and none of them claim their fate is unwarranted or undeserved.
  • An Axe to Grind: When Millie gets angry enough, she pulls out a battle ax, and when that happens, run for cover. In one episode she uses it offscreen to slaughter a group of lumberjacks.
  • Bare Your Midriff: Loona's top shows off a lot of her stomach.
  • Batman Gambit: Blitzo pulls off a brilliant one in "Exes and Ohs". He knows that something is up with Moxie's father Crimson inviting IMP for what seems to be a mafia ritual. So when Chazz comes to seduce him after failing with Moxie and Millie, Blitzo agrees in exchange for finding out what makes the couple tick, and then rifles through Chazz's bags to figure out what his endgame is while the latter is sleeping. As he puts it, Chazz has nothing going for him, not even in bed, so there is something ulterior about him being involved with Moxie and Millie. Unfortunately, Chazz is a lighter sleeper than Blitzo anticipated, knocking out Blitzo and locking him in his trunk just as the latter figures out that he's arranged this marriage to Moxie to pay off huge debts.
  • Berserker: Make Millie angry (or put her hubby Moxxie in danger) and she becomes a One Woman Army, who will reduce her foes to bloody chunks.
  • Betty, Veronica and Archie Switcheroo:
    • Stolas is the Archie torn between Blitzo and Stella initially, with having guilt about how his affair with Blitzo. One would assume that the Anything That Moves Blitzo is the Veronica, and Stella is the Betty. Except neither party is a Betty, and Stolas is no demure Archie; Stella has spend their whole marriage verbally abusing Stolas and mocking him to her friends, while Blitzo planned to rob Stolas after seducing him but realized that he couldn't do it. Not to mention that Ozzy points out to Stolas in "House of Asmodeus" that he only sees Blitzo as a thrust, something that hurts Blitzo deeply. The healthiest decision that Stolas makes in season two is deciding to divorce Stella, risking her wrath, and "Seeing Stars" shows him making a better effort as a partner to Blitzo.
    • There's also Blitzo's taste in romance as the Archie. He seems to be the Archie when in "House of Asmodeus," Verosika sings in from of Stolas, Blitzo's date, how she used to date Blitzo. She has been established as a Jerkass and Alpha Bitch, while Stolas has been a gentleman. The way that she narrates, however, Blitzo was the jerk in the relationship, being All Take and No Give and a "selfish, heart-breaking freak". To top it all off, he was terrible in bed. Stolas has a :O during this verse, as it dawns on him that he doesn't know Blitzo at all. Blitzo himself has no retort.
    • "Exes and Ohs" hints this when it turns out that Moxie's ex Chazz dated both him and Millie, and Moxie's father blackmails him into marrying Chazzz. With Chazz's lack of boundaries for either of him and Millie's Nice Girl nature, it should be obvious about who is the Betty and who is the Veronica. Thing is that Millie is a trained assassin and Blood Knight, while Chazz is a Paper Tiger and a Dirty Coward to boot. When Millie storms the wedding to rescue a Bound and Gagged Moxie, she curbstomps all the Mooks, shoves a dildo down Chazz's throat as he protests, and grabs her husband while slapping his butt.
  • Bi the Way: Moxxie is bisexual, bluntly referring to himself as such in "Exes and "Oohs".
    • Ambiguously Bi: Blitzo and Stolas. Possibly Loona. In "Spring Broken" the I.M.P.s MO is for her (in human disguise) to flirt with victims to lead them to their doom, and seeing as some victims were female, it's possible.
  • Big Bad: Stella is the main antagonist of season 1, and season 2 seems to be on track to make her even worse.
  • Big Damn Heroes:
    • Stolas is clearly not a "hero" but he implements an awesome use of this Trope in "Truth Seekers".
    • In "Exes and Oohs", Millie combines this with Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Peace while interrupting the shotgun wedding between Moxxie and Chazz, graphically tearing Crimson's bodyguards apart.
    • Millie and Moxie return favor for Stolas in "Western Energy", rescuing him just as Striker plans to gouge out Stolas's eyes.
  • Bigger is Better in Bed: Fizzeroli claims this is true of Asmodeus. Subverted, however, with Chazz, who despite being well-endowed (and completely full of himself) is terrible at it.
  • Bittersweet Ending:
    • "OZZIE'S" is borderline Downer Ending. Moxie and Millie end up salvaging their anniversary when Millie says she wants to hear the rest of her husband's song, and they wander into the night after the club owner Ozzie kicks them out for knocking out Fizzarolli. Stolas and Blitzo, however, have a serious fight owing to the fact that Asmodeus made Stolas inadvertently reveal he's embarrassed of the relationship that he and Blitzo have, and how it cost him his marriage and daughter. Blitzo actually does care that their activities are transactional and don't mean anything. In truth, Stolas has more than sexual feelings for Blitzo and tries to make their relationship more than that, but it's too little, too late when he tries to say they can simply cuddle and talk like normal people. Both demons go to their homes alone, crying over their missteps.
    • "Western Energy" has Loona receive her Hellbies shot (under a lot of protest) while Moxie and Millie manage to save Stolas. Stolas also gets wind of Stella's plans to keep him alive just long enough to secure his assets, so that he can protect Octavia. However, Striker gets away, and Stolas is in critical condition at the hospital. Blitzo is horrified that he wasn't able to save Stolas the one time he was occupied with Loona, and he seems to feel to guilty to visit his boss when Stolas invites him via text.
    • "Unhappy Campers": I.M.P. does get their guy, but Millie gets the hit rather than Moxie, and completely by accident at that. Millie also tanks her human guise's popularity by kissing her "sister" Moxxina, an undercover Moxie, onstage. Also turns out their target was working for Barbie, Blitzo's sister, and she returns to the demon realm in a huff when he dies. Barbie tells off Blitzo for tracking her down, saying that she may be clean but she doesn't want to see him because he's ruined her life for too long, just as he did now. Blitzo ends the episode shocked and sullen, telling off Moxie for taking a week to kill the target rather than a day.
  • Blatant Lies: Throughout all of season 1, Blitzo implies his relationship with Stolas started as Sexual Extortion. In truth, it started with Blitzo seducing Stolas in an attempt to steal the Grimoire. And it was clearly Pity Sex too.
  • Bleep, Dammit!: During Stolas' first rant, "fucking" was accidentally uncensored.
  • Bloodier and Gorier: The cartoon is more violent than Hazbin Hotel.
  • Bondage Is Bad: Stolas is part of the nobility of Hell, and it was hinted at early - and confirmed in "Harvest Moon Festival" - that he is into BDSM, although oddly, he seems to prefer being the submissive. "Truth Seekers" suggests that the "toys" they use include bear traps.
  • Both Sides Have a Point: Discussed by Moxie and Millie in "Unhappy Campers". Millie thinks their target has to be the obvious guy sneaking out with cash and a drill bit, as the camp counselor who drowned described that someone drilled holes into her boat and knew she couldn't swim. (Turns out he is their guy.) Moxie points out that they need to be utterly sure since their client doesn't know exactly who killed them.
  • Brain Bleach: Stolas gives Blitzo a description of oral sex that is so-disgusting-the-MA-rated-cartoon-bleeps-out-most-of-it, Blitzo (who is, remember, a demon) hangs up on him, then breaks the mobile phone in half, then smashes it to little bits, then liquifies the pieces in a blender. Then he gives the liquified remains to Loona, tells her to drink it - which she does - and then go to the bridge over the freeway and "shit off it!"
  • Breakout Character: Glitz and Glam from n "MAMMON'S MAGNIFICENT MUSICAL MID-SEASON SPECIAL (ft Fizzarolli)". Their role as Fizzeroli's competitors in Mammon's pageant was relatively minor, but fans absolutely love them. Vizzie got cheers during a convention simply by confirming the pair had, in fact, survived the end of that episode and were slated for a return appearance.
  • Bullying a Dragon: So... angering Asmodeus, the demonic representation of Lust, one of the Overlords of Hell. Not a good idea generally. Asmodeus is a Reasonable Authority Figure with Moxie and Millie in "OZZIE'S" but he does have a temper. Not that it stops Crimson from attempting to ransom Fizzarolli in exchange for Asmodeus's assets. Then his lawyer takes his time reading through and presenting a contract despite the fact that Crimson had a deadline. The minute that Fizzarolli is free, he and Asmodeus go to town on the lawyer. Asmodeus also warns his employees that anyone touches his boyfriend, they will pay.
  • Cain and Abel: As shown in "Unhappy Camper", Blitzo's relationship with his sister Barbie is a one-sided example since he goes out of his way to find her after she checks out of rehab. She is a recovering addict due to some event in the past implied to be his fault, and while it seems like he is trying to make amends, she despises him.
  • Can't Kill You - Still Need You:
    • While Stella wants Stolas dead, her brother advises that with Octavia being of age to inherit, she will leave her mother with nothing. So it's better to keep Stolas alive and ferret assets out of him before killing him.
    • This is why Barbie won't let Moxie complete the hit on her human employee during "Unhappy Campers"; he's her heroin supplier. She doesn't like that he killed a random guy.
  • Chew Toy: Moxxie; seriously, if this guy has dialogue with any named character other than Millie that consists of two or more lines, than the dialogue will have at least one joke made at his expense, and he is also more frequently a victim of embarrassing slapstick violence than the entire rest of the cast combined.
  • Cluster Bleep Bomb: Whenever Stolas has erotic thoughts with Blitzo, expect most of it to be bleeped.
  • Collectible Cloney Babies:
    • In "Loo Loo Land," Millie likes a "thing" that she sees at a prize booth, a toy meant for children. Moxie nearly bankrupts himself trying to shoot the target, and they resort to stealing it when Blitzo's fistfight with robotic Fizzarolli destroys the park.
    • "OZZIE'S" has the real Fizzarolli mention that he sells robot duplicates of himself. One audience member proudly announces he has four, freaking out Fizzarolli.
  • Crazy Prepared: Blitzo's desk has alarms for More Coffee, Soiled My Pants, Horny Client, Deranged Client, Client Giving Birth, Ghost, and Stolas. Of course, the series takes place in Hell, where those could all be legitimate concerns.
  • Creator Thumbprint: Elements of Brandon Rogers' videos appear in this cartoon, such as the frequent use of "asshole".
  • Cruel Mercy: In "Exes and Oohs", Millie spares Chazz (after brutally killing Crimson's bodyguards) although she does ram a stake down his throat. Blitzo then tells Crimson that Chazz was lying to him about being rich, telling him to "check his car". The final scene shows Crimson displaying Chazz's teeth in his lounge as a trophy.
  • Cruel to Be Kind: It's not that Blitzo wants to scare Loona by taking her to get mandatory shots; it's that she has to get them as a hellhound. He keeps reassuring her that it's not so bad and will be over soon, restraining her when she attacks the doctor.
  • Crying Wolf: Because they're taking Loona to the vet in "Western Energy," the IMP team needs a minute to realize that Stolas's latest Distress Call is not him looking for an excuse to hang out with Blitzo all day, as he did in "Loo Loo Land"; not helping is that Stolas engages in Casual Danger Dialog while begging for help. Striker has to confiscate the phone and send a threat to make the team go Mass "Oh Crap" and figure out how to strategize.
  • Curb Stomp Cushion: In "Exes and Ohs," only two Mooks manage to put up a fight against Millie. One imp briefly grapples with her on top of a table while another knocks her down with an Improvised Weapon.
  • Daddy's Girl:
    • Octavia to Stolas; "The Circus" strongly implies that he is trying very hard to be the loving parent that his own father refused to be. Octavia seems afraid that her dad might abandon her, but so long as Stolas draws breath, he will not let that happen.
    • This is why Blitzo makes Loona his favorite employee and dotes on her, despite Moxie accurately pointing out she's a terrible secretary and employee; she's his adopted daughter, and he wants this trope to happen. "Adopted hellhound" technically, but that's just details. Loona isn't into it; she hates how Blitzo babies her, but admits to Octavia in "Seeing Stars" that dads seem to have it wired into them to deliver their worst while trying to do their best with making the daughters happy.
  • Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster!: Defied with Moxie. Maybe he sort-of liked it at first, but after Chazwick left him for the police in a botched robbery, he left and "never looked back".
  • A Day In The Limelight: Season 2 has a few episodes that take the focus away from I.M.P.:
    • "The Circus" goes into Stolas's backstory, showing how he fell for Blitzo as a child, and reconnected with him as an adult. Stolas eventually realizes he needs to kick Stella out of his mansion, and does so.
    • "Oops" spends most of its narrative focus on Fizzarolli as he convinces Asmodeus to let him run some errands. Hilarity Ensues when a fistfight with Blitzo leads to Striker kidnapping both of them. The subplot focuses on Asmodeus and Stolas negotiating with Crimson's lawyer to get back Fizzarolli unharmed.
  • Defiant to the End: Even when beaten to death and left to suffocate in his blood, Stolas tells Striker repeatedly that Blitzo has done worse to them during their foreplay situations.
  • Demon Lords and Archdevils:
    • Stolas is supposedly one with more power and influence than Alastor.
    • Asmodeus is the ruler of the Circle of Lust, and is someone even Stolas is terrified of.
    • Mammon is briefly mentioned as Fizzarolli's boss; supposedly an industrialist who markets a variety of products, such as breakfast cereal and beverages. He appears in season four where it is clear he is an extreme satire of an entertainment industry CEO, and to date, the nastiest of the Seven Deadly Sins. He is a rival to Asmodeus.
    • Satan is not another name for Lucifer, but a separate entity, and seems to be revered by imps as a deity. While only referenced to, the best Fan Theory is that he is the ruler of the Circle of Wrath, as most imps live there. Queen Bee mentions that he is "like a brother" to her, suggesting she is his protege.
    • Beelzebub, is a female demon, also known as Queen Bee or simply Bee. She is Queen of the Gluttony Layer and seems a lot nicer than Asmodeus, possibly the nicest of the Seven Deadly Sins. She claims Satan is "like a brother" to her and suggests Belphagor is her rival.
    • The Envy layer has a town called Levitowne, so one can assume its ruler is Leviathan.
    • Belphagor is the ruler of the Sloth Layer, and is also confirmed to be female. She is Bee's rival and implied to be an infernal authority on medicine, owning Hell's only hospital and marketing antidepressants.
    • Lucifer, the Overlord of Hell, is believed to embody Pride. He is briefly mentioned in "Lu Lu Land" and is more important for the plot of Hazbin Hotel.
  • Denser and Wackier: It's more comedy-driven than Hazbin Hotel.
  • Didn't Think This Through:
    • Stolas suffers this in "Loo Loo Land", albeit with good intentions. He notices that Octavia didn't sleep well and feels guilty about how his fights with Stella after affecting his older daughter. Stolas suggests that they do a father-daughter day only, to get away from the tension at home. He makes the mistake of saying they'll go to Loo Loo Land for nostalgia's sake. This goes wrong in a number of ways: as Octavia points out, she's not longer five, Loo Loo Land always creeped her out even when she was a kid, and he hires Blitzo's team as a bodyguard but spends the whole time flirting with him. The flirting reminds Octavia why her parents are fighting, the Robo-Fizzarolli creeps her out more than it did when she was a child, and the annoying music pushes her to a breaking point. She runs off in tears, and Stolas suffers a Jerkass Realization that he didn't ask Octavia what she wanted to do with him. He finally does, and she says she wants to shop for weird taxidermy.
    • Poor Moxie suffers this in "OZZIE'S". He takes his wife to an exclusive couples-only nightclub for their first wedding anniversary and surprises her by serenading her on stage with a sweet song about how powerful his love is. Then the owner and Fizzarolli join in, turning it into a Villain Song with Asmodeus asking What Were You Thinking? Asmodeus runs a nightclub whose entertainment centers on Lust! He admits the song is sweet but killing the club vibes, encouraging Moxie to try again and find something raunchier to perform. Moxie, in Oh Crap mode, simply can't, exposing himself and Millie to further ridicule. Millie has to knock out Fizzarolli to allow Moxie to finish his song, which leads to Asmodeus kicking them out for assaulting his employee. Not that they mind, but still.
    • Moxie gets this again in "Unhappy Campers" when Blitzo puts him in charge of a hit. Although he makes a legitimate point that they can't just kill someone for looking suspicious, he decides to go undercover as a teenage girl while having Millie pose as "Millerd, Moxina's brother". Moxie underestimated the cruelty of teenage girls when introducing himself to a Girl Posse, and he gets attacked by wildlife while spending the week investigating who killed their client. "Millerd" in the meantime has a great week winning over everyone at camp, while failing to lend the same popularity. While Millie was right that the suspicious guy was their target all along, she admits that it was nice to be liked for once.
  • Disguised in Drag/Sweet Polly Oliver: Both Tropes in one episode! In "Unhappy Campers", Moxie and Millie infiltrate a camp with each disguised as the opposite gender - Moxie gets a little carried away with the whole "investigative" aspect of the hit.
  • Disproportionate Retribution:
    • While Blitzo and Verosika clearly have a history of bad blood, the conflict between the two factions in "Spring Broken" started when she took his parking space.
    • Stella's brother calls her out for this in "Western Energy". Sure, Stolas cheated on her and initiated the divorce, but hiring an assassin to torture and kill a demon prince with multiple assets is pretty stupid considering that all his inheritance will go to Octavia, leaving Stella and her family with nothing. Keeping Stolas alive means that they can manipulate him and kill him later, rather than engaging in senseless torture. Not to mention that Octavia doesn't any have sort of relationship with her mom.
  • The Don: Crimson downplays this. Obviously a mob boss, it seems he has far less influence than he implies, and hopes that Moxi marrying Chazz will gain him far more.
  • Doting Parent: Blitzo has always been this to Loona, his adopted daughter, though she was almost eighteen when he adopted her. In fact, Moxie decided to work for Blitzo when the latter said he had to get out of demon jail to pick up his daughter from the babysitter.
  • Dragon-in-Chief: As of season one episode 5, Striker seems the most dangerous and darkest villain to date, although he is working for Stella. "Western Energy" shows that not even a captive Stolas can stand a chance against Striker when the latter restrains his powers.
  • Drinking Contest: Queen Bee claims to be undefeated in this sort of contest, though she meets her match when Blitzo challenges her in her own nightclub, despite a waitress warning her that Blitzo might not survive the attempt.
  • Expy:
    • Given the "decor" of their house, the eponymous cannibal family in "Murder Family" seems likely based on the Sawyer Clan from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
    • Same deal with the DHORKS who lampoon the Men in Black
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Astute viewers will notice Blitzo, Moxie, and Loona appearing briefly in Hazbin Hotel during Charlie's song at the studio.
  • Early Installment Weirdness: Stolas in the pilot is much more authoritative and dominant. In the later episodes, the show establishes he's much more submissive in the bedroom and in relationships in general.
  • Easter Egg: Lots of these. For example, in "The Cirus", a portrait of Stolas as a toddler shows him with a stuffed toy that looks like Max from Sam and Max. In "Exes and Ohs", one of the pictures on the wall of Crimson's dining room shows one of himself with a demon version of Vito Corleone.
  • Equal Opportunity Evil:
    • One of Stolas' good points is that he doesn't share the disdain many upper class residents of Hell show towards the lower class. Naturally, he's sleeping with Blitzo, an imp, but the episode "The Circus" shows him as being courteous and polite towards his father's butler (also an imp) and portraits of Stolas as an infant on the walls of the manor, where he has a stuffed toy that looks like an imp-version of Max (from Sam and Max). Clearly he has never let prejudice or classism cloud his perception of the society of Hell.
    • Queen Bee is the ruler of the Gluttony Circle, and has no problem associating with Imps or Hellhounds, as the guests at her party seem to be exclusively those castes. She is even dating Vortex.
  • Even Evil Has Standards:
    • Moxie doesn't mind killing, but he holds his trigger finger if the target is a child, a parent or a family, to at least debate if they deserve a fate like that. Even though he admits in the first episode that he should wipe out the family of cannibals that nearly shot Blitzo and Millie while letting the kids use knives on him, he says that he feels they deserve a second chance because they were not the target. Moxie sincerely tells the kids they have a long life ahead of them, so "Earthly authorities" should determine their punishment. When the police opt to blow up the house with the family inside, rendering his mercy All for Nothing Moxie spends the rest of the episode in Heroic BSOD.
    • Blitzo is a Mean Boss who insults folks he likes (and let's not get started on what he says to folks he doesn't like) but he won't stoop to personal insults, clearly feeling ashamed when a truth serum compels him to do so.
    • As we see, while Blitzo is a hitman for hire and has no compunctions about killing innocent humans, being in the company of the imp Mafia makes him uncomfortable. He clearly doesn't understand why Moxie's father would sacrifice his own son (via Arranged Marriage but still) for a business deal.
    • Monster Clown: Fizz doing his raunchy stand-up comedy routine at OZZIE's:

Fizz: That robo-me made us more money entertaining those kids than the ones we sell to get you freaks off, if you know what I mean! Bwa-huh-huh-ha!
Patron: Oh, I know what you mean! I have four of them!
Fizz: (looks very uncomfortable) Okay, keep that guy far away from me...

  • In a later episode, he admits he does not personally use the products he endorses.
  • To his credit, Chazz looks a little guilty when Moxie reveals the reason they broke up is that Chazz left him behind during a heist gone wrong. In the present, he can't deny that it was wrong, only that it was "a long time ago."
  • Striker is a monster, and he fully admits he is a sadist, but he admits that he was surprised that Stella wanted him to give Stolas a drawn-out death with a lot of pain. He says that Stella must hate Stolas a lot. Stolas replies, "You have no idea".
  • Asmodeus is the representation of Lust, and perfectly willing to bully anyone about it if they try to sing love songs in his nightclub or come in at the wrong time. He says that he's not comfortable with Manmon selling sex dolls of Fizzarolli because "Fizzy" doesn't like it, and Manmon has been exploiting his boyfriend for years. Fizzarolli tries to deny it, but finally breaks down before his pageant performance, with Ozzy comforting him, and feels he has to sell every bit of his body.
  • Evil Cannot Comprehend Good:
    • The C.H.E.R.U.B.S. point out that Lyle can use his millions he earned unethically to improve the world. The thought baffles him and asks why he would use his "hard-earned money" on something that doesn't benefit him.
    • Rather, evil cannot comprehend boundaries since no one in this show is good. "Exes and Ohs" has Chazz believe that he can seduce Moxie and Millie back with his wealth. In fact, he maneuvers his way into an Arranged Marriage with Moxie and tries to hit on him and Millie the night before the "wedding". Chazz seems to think that he can start a polycule with them. They both throw him out of their guest rooms, with Moxie stating in no uncertain terms that he is monogamous, and even if he weren't, he would never trust Chazz again. Millie threatens to slash his throat if he even suggests the idea of trying to join her and Moxie's coupling.
  • Evil Mentor: Stolas, mostly via being Blitzo's funder and the reason they can travel to and from the mortal world.
  • Exploding Fishtanks: In the debut episode, Moxie's crossbow is nudged off-course, resulting in him hitting a tank of electric eels, which spill all over the floor and start an electrical fire in their office.

Blitzo: Dammit Moxie, I just bought those eels!

  • Eyes Do Not Belong There: Stolas has an extra, smaller pair of eyes above the "regular" ones. Oddly, these extra eyes appear on the brim of his hat whenever he wears one.
  • The Fagin: Blitzo's father was willing to "sell" his son to act as Stolas' playmate for only $5, but also ordered his son to rob the place while he was there. It's clear where Blitzo gets a lot of his greedy personality from.
  • Fan Disservice: Whether you are gay or straight, the idea of Blitzo with Stolas is very unsettling.
  • Fan Nickname: Less a nickname than an alternate spelling, many fans have taken to using "Blitzø" to draw attention to the unpronounced "O" in Blitz's name.
  • Fat Bastard: Mammon is an overweight Monster Clown, the embodiment of Greed, and likley the biggest jerk among the Seven Deadly Sins.
  • Fighting a Shadow: The jester that appears in "Loo Loo Land" is not Fizzarolli, but a robot duplicate that the corporation that owns the park is marketing. The actual Fizzarolli doesn't appear until "OZZIE'S".
  • Foreshadowing: In "OZZIE'S", the real Fizzarolli is less violent than his robotic counterpart. In fact, when insulting Blitzo, he talks about how Blitzo treats his partners like shit but doesn't assault him the way that robo-Fizzarolli did. Turns out that while Fizzarolli blamed Blitzo for the accident that necessitated him becoming a cyborg, Fizzarolli never actually hated Blitzo. He missed him and in fact is shocked when Blitzo said the hospital attendants told him Fizzarolli didn't want to see him.
  • Freudian Excuse:
    • Blitzo is an Attention Whore, Love Hungry and also uber-defensive about his choices. Having a father that sold you as a playmate while telling you to steal from a demon prince will do that to you.
      • "Oops" goes further; it's revealed that on Fizzarolli's birthday, Blitzo was going to deliver him a love note but turned away in a fit of hurt and jealousy on seeing him getting a cake and a card from Blitzo's father. He accidentally knocked an imp with the cake and candles to the ground, setting the whole circus on fire and exploding Fizzarolli. Blitzo ran to get help, while having fire in his eyes and screaming for his family, but it was too late to save Fizzarolli's limbs, with the clown thinking his childhood friend was abandoning him.
    • It's revealed why Moxie has compunctions about shooting families or children, nearly fucking up a job in the official first episode: his own family let him go to jail after a mafia heist gone wrong, and his ex-lover, also Millie's ex, abandoned him rather than rescue him. His father also forced him to kill a minion via drowning with a cement block.
  • From the Mouths of Babes: The kid in the pilot is surprisingly sweary.
  • Fun with Acronyms:
    • The I.M.P.s are the Immediate Murder Professionals. A Meaningful Name, seeing as they are indeed imps, a sub-species of demons.
    • Their angelic rivals the C.H.E.R.U.B.s are this too, although it is not revealed what it stands for.
    • The D.H.O.R.K.S. too; again, no clue as of their first appearance what it stands for, but one can assume the "D" stands for "demon", given their goals.
  • Genius Bonus: Asmodeus has three heads - much like the mythological figure he is based on.
  • Gilligan Cut: In "Queen Bee", Blitzo is clearly not in the mood to go into the party with Loona, but eventually he gives in, saying, "Maybe one drink." A scene shift later, he is clearly way past his tolerance limit while being the life of the party, though also making a fool of himself and on the verge of ruining it.
  • Good Feels Good: Downplayed in "Unhappy Campers"; Millie admits that having humans admire and cheer for her is "a welcome change" from having them flee from her in terror, but she doesn't seem interested in reforming as a result.
  • Gone Horribly Right: As the Flashback episode "The Circus" shows, Blitzo's deal with Stolas started when he broke into Stolas' palace hoping to steal the Grimoire. When caught by Stolas, he attempted to seduce him, and it worked - he managed to tie the noble to the bed and blindfold him, and almost made a clean getaway with the Grimoire. But then he felt sorry for Stolas and decided to actually have sex with him, intending it to be a one-night stand. How this went to him regularly giving Stolas sexual favors in exchange for continual use of the book isn't shown in that episode, but while Blitzo did achieve what he wanted, it wasn't quite the way he planned it.
  • Good Counterpart: Beelzelbub, or Queen Bee as she calls herself, proves to be this compared to Asmodeus. She's not judgmental, insists on treating all her guests with Sacred Hospitality, and is more worried for Blitzo's safety than for the inappropriateness of his drunken behavior when he gets sloshed to the nines. What's more, despite the fact that Loona has No Social Skills around her, Bee invites Loona to party with her and Tex again.
  • Gosh Dang It to Heck: Moxxie tries to keep his language clean.
  • Grew a Spine: Moxxie - who was cowering in fear from Striker in "The Harvest Moon Festival" - boldly stands up to him in "Western Energy", the previous episode (where he tells his jerk of a mobster father off) having boosted both his assertiveness and confidence.
  • Harsh Life Revelation Aesop: "Unhappy Campers" has Blitzo's sister Barbie reject all his efforts to check on her and catch up after she's checked out of rehab. She says that she has no obligation to mend her relationship with her brother no matter how sorry he is. Blitzo is forced to accept this and ends the episode with a sour attitude.
  • Heel Face Door Slam: At the end of "OZZIE'S," Stolas is remorseful about the fact that he didn't up for Blitzo when Asmodeus started insulting them both in song form, namely the accusation that Stolas is only using Blitzo as a demon sex toy and squandered his stable marriage. This was after he dressed up nice for the date and says it's wonderful to have a proper night out together. Blitzo has no room to talk, since he only invited Stolas to have a date and get into the club, skipping the line, and didn't defend him either. That's why he doesn't call out Stolas for his lack of defense. As an apology, Stolas says they don't have to have sex when inviting him inside the manor, but talk about what their relationship actually is and what they both want out of it. Blitzo thinks it's a trick and says he's going home.
  • Hell Hound: Loona is a Furry version. As is one-shot character Vortex from "Spring Broken".
  • Hellevator: Demons travel from one Circle of Hell to another via means of an elevator that's works more like a train. It's the size of a theater, with similar fancy decor.
  • Hero Antagonist: The C.H.E.R.U.B.s and D.H.O.R.K.S. could be considered this, although both truly push the limits of what can be considered "heroic". With the D.H.O.R.K.S., they have the justification that thy caught I.M.P. in the middle of an assassination and reasonable assume the trio is comprised of hostile demons.
  • Hidden Depths:
    • Blitzo started to get this in "Spring Broken" with the revelation that Loona is his adopted daughter.
    • Stolas' first two appearances portrayed him as little but a pervert and Depraved Bisexual. Then came "Loo-Loo Land", where he is revealed to have a daughter whom he deeply loves, and is trapped in an unhappy and loveless marriage. Subsequent episodes seem intent on exploring these depths even more.
  • Horny Devils: Most prevalent example, Blitzo's former girlfriend - now hated rival - Verosika Mayday, possibly. She seems to be the leader of a cabal of both male and female tempter-demons, and Blitzo calls her a "Succu-bitch", but their exact designation is not stated.
    • Blitzo's sister Barbie Wire uses a similar MO, using her charms to seduce mortals into being her accomplice in dealing heroin, though in her case she is Only in It For the Money
  • Horrible Hollywood: Every episode with Fizzeroli is an exaggeration (mostly) of this sort of plot. Mammon is not only the embodiment of Greed, he embodies everything that is wrong with the entertainment industry. Fizz has literally become a pawn for a Market-Based Title, having become a living action figures like the ones in his likeness that Mammon is selling, and Fizz has become a Nervous Wreck of a perfectionist trying to please his boss.
  • Hybrid Monster: In "Queen Bee", Beelzebub combines the traits of a hellhound, bee, and a lava lamp, with the personality of a Valley Girl. She also has four arms which give her a look very similar to Angel Dust from the sister series.
  • Hypocritical Humor:
    • From "Queen Bee"; the other hellhounds at the nightclub are offended when Loona calls one of them a bitch (even though it is technically true); less than a minute later, they seem flattered when Bee calls all of them that, Bee referring to herself as one too. Of course, given who her voice actor is...
    • In "Oops", Fizzeroli admits he does not personally use the merchandise he endorses.
  • Incest Subtext: In "Western Energy", Stella's brother Andrealphus seems to be flirting with her a lot during their dialogue. He tells her her she's "lucky she's attractive" while explaining why her plan to have Stolas killed is a bad idea, and then calls her "my fiery vixen". Even Stella seems a little creeped out by his comments.
  • Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: While this depends on the definition of "villain", the show has some antagonists who might qualify:
    • Verosika. Breakout Character, maybe, but as a Horny Devil, not very competent. A leader of a group of other succubi and incubi, Verisika figures a group of hormone-crazed college students on spring break are easy prey. She's right, and easily tempts them into an orgy of bestial lust, but makes the mistake of doing it on a public beach. The end of the episode sees Blitzo's crew - who were very careful to leave no witnesses to their evil deeds - fleeing back to Hell while the police surround Verosika and her group on the grounds of "public indecency", likely leaving a lot for her to explain to whatever Overlord she's working for.
    • The D.H.O.R.K.S. are this when you think about it. This group fancies themselves demon-hunters, yet they got their asses handed to them by four imps, the weakest subclass of demon. Stolas lets the two leaders live because he feels everyone else will just regard them as crazy Conspiracy Theorists, although the final scene shows he might be wrong...
  • Ink Suit Actor: Beelzebub is pretty much Ke$ha as a Furry. Similar to VivziePop's fanmade Die Young music video, except in this case, she is the official VA.
  • Intoxication Ensues: Moxie gets mistaken for a possum by drunk spring break tourists, tossed into a beer barrel, and shaken around. When Millie rescues him, he is sloshed to the nines and incapacitated.
  • Irony: Turns out in "Unhappy Campers" that the reason why Barbie's employee killed I.M.P.'s client is he thought she was going to rat out their drug business. As the opening of the episode revealed, said client didn't know who killed her or why anyone would want her daed.
  • I Take Offence to That Last One: While drunk, Moxie is not angry about the fact that he got assaulted by humans and forced to inhale beer while shaken in a barrel. Nor is he upset at Verosika for accidentally unleashing a sea monster with her flask that nearly ate him. No, he's mad that the humans mistook him for an opossum. He is not a marsupial!
  • Kavorka Man: Kavorka imp, rather. Despite Blitzo being rude, selfish, and self-serving, he has garnered sexual relationships with Stolas, a demon prince, and Verosika, a demon celebrity and the most popular singer in their circle of hell. Moxie and Millie pity Stolas for not knowing what he got into, and are plain confused at how someone like Blitzo could bang Verosika.
  • Karmic Jackpot: "Oops" features Blitzo saving Fizzarolli from Crimson's mob and Striker, after accidentally getting them kidnapped in the first place. He doesn't expect an award, apart from asking if he and Fizzarolli should make out, and lets Fizzarolli return on his own terms. The next episode has Asmodeus hiring Blitzo as a bodyguard, paying him handsomely, because he says Blitzo was able to protect the clown when he couldn't. Blitzo takes more pleasure in this job than the others when Fizzarolli stands up to Manmon and quits the clown business.
  • Large and In Charge:
    • Stolas is thin, gaunt, and gangly, but more than twice as tall as Blitzo. Even his daughter stands head-and-shoulders over most of the main cast.
    • Asmodeus is obviously above Stolas in the infernal hierarchy, and almost twice as big.
    • Zigzagged with Beelzebub; her usual form is no larger than Loona, but her true form - when she is angry enough to go One-Winged Angel - is as large as Asmodeus.
  • Let's Get Dangerous:
    • "Truth Seekers" shows Blitzo at his most serious, when the D.H.O.R.K.S. capture him and Moxie. He tries to rescue a sedated Moxie, and resists interrogation plus a Mushroom Samba. Despite his fear about Loona coming with Millie to rescue him, Blitzo recovers and helps distribute the weaponry that Millie brings. When Stolas pulls a Big Damn Heroes after it seems they're trapped in lockdown, he also shows why you do not fuck with a demon prince.
    • "Exes and Ohs" features Millie and Blitz showing off their I.M.P. reputation when rescuing Moxie from an Arranged Marriage that Crimson has orchestrated. Millie tears through an army of trained killers, with Blitz providing backup -- complete with Millie using his body as a battering ram-- and they don't lose focus for the whole fight.
  • Let Me At Him: Millie hates her ex, and Moxie's ex as it turns out, Chazz with a passion. It's not just that Chazz is a douche; he left Moxie behind during a heist long before Moxie joined IMP. Blitzo and Moxie have to hold her back from turning Chazz into sashimi during a business dinner.
  • Lethal Chef: Implied to be the case with Fizzarolli; in the episode "Oops", offering to make breakfast elicts a Ha Ha Ha No reply from Asmodeus.
  • Ludd Was Right: Hilarious lampooned in "Truth Seekers", where it's clear that the reason the D.H.O.R.K.S. aren't doing so well against the I.M.P.s is due to their reliance on archaic weapons:

Agent One: Good god why are we only using weapons from Japan's Edo Period!
Agent Two: Hey, the Edo Period was badass and you know it!

  • Although, to be completely fair, the D.H.O.R.K.S. do use very modern technology for everything else, and put up a pretty decent fight; they would clearly have won had Stolas not appeared to give the I.M.P.s backup.
  • The Man Behind The Man: It is implied that Stella's brother Andrealphus is manipulating her, possibly making him a candidate for the true Big Bad of the series.
  • Mean Boss: If you need proof that Blitzo ain't a nice guy, in "Murder Family", he tells Moxxie (who nearly messed up the whole job by feeling undeserved sympathy for the mark) that he'll rape him and Millie if he pulls a stunt like that again.
  • Monster Clown: Fizzeroli is the most prominent example, though he is later shown to have lots of Hidden Depths.
    • Mammon is this, emphasis on the "monster" part.
    • Also, Glim and Glam, Fizz's rivals, who overlay this with Sexy Jester.
  • Morality Pet: Loona for Blitzo; it makes more sense when we learn she's his adopted daughter. He dotes on her and defends her carelessness on the job to Moxie.
  • Ms. Fanservice:
    • Loona's got a lot of sex appeal going for her, thanks to her skimpy goth ensemble and grumpy devil-may-care attitude. And if you aren't a furry or otherwise aren't into anthro characters, her human form is just as, if not sexier than her usual wolf girl form.
    • Verosika too; she's quickly become a fan favorite with a lot of viewers hoping for reconciliation between her and Blitzo.
  • Mugging the Monster: Millie is the most frequent "moster", more than once.
  • Murder, Inc.: The main cast.
  • No Good Deed Goes Unpunished: In "Spring Broken", Moxie sees Blitzo ready to declare war on Verosika for stealing the I.M.P.'s legitimate parking space. He suggests that since Blitzo doesn't have strong diplomacy skills, he could try to reason with Verosika's crew and ask them nicely to get the parking space back. It was a good effort, but Verosika sics her succubi and incubi on him. Moxie leaves the office covered in kisses and scratches, saying that he needs to lie down.
  • Noodle Incident:
    • Several, most of them Black Comedy examples. For instance, in "The Harvest Moon Festival", Millie's parents object to her competing in the Pain Games, as the last ones resulted in 15 funerals; Millie protests, claiming she only caused 9 of them.
    • "Oops" focuses on interaction between Blitzo and Fizzeroli, but exactly why Blitzo was in the Greed Ring in the first place isn't stated - his role in the episode starts with him being thrown out of a building by a hellhound, shouting, "FUCK, lady! It's not my fault you only know how to make coffee that tastes like piss!"
    • Also in "Oops", Fizzeroli implies he almost burnt the milk the last time he tried to cook.
  • The Nose Knows: Loona is able to track prey or her co-workers this way.
  • One-Winged Angel: Common among demons when they are angry:
    • Both Veroskia and Stolas can assume a dark, shadowy version of themselves, while Beelzebub's true form is a giant, bestial version of herself.
    • Asmodeus can also assume a larger, more horrific version of himself where the mane of flames on his hair turns to white-hot fire and surrounds his entire body. His rival Mammon can assume a giant form with spider-like legs and features - possibly a reference to Pennywise, seeing as he is a Monster Clown in his usual form.
  • One Woman Army: Millie. In "Truth Seekers", Blitzo claims it would take a "roided-up hippo" to stop her when she's angry, and in the previous scene she's already proven it, slaughtering half the security in the facility where Blitzo and Moxxie are being held captive.
  • Only Sane Man: Moxie is this of I.M.P.; his wife Millie is certainly competent at killing and bodyguard duties, but she's less willing to question Blitzo's methods. The pilot has him call out Blitzo for spending all their funds on one commercial. In the first episode, he questions the wisdom of shooting a mother while she's serving dinner, while her family could get caught in the crossfire; sure this leads to them getting busted, but Moxie made a good point. The second episode has him call out Blitzo for starting a fistfight with an animatronic and setting all of Loo Loo Land on fire rather than do the job they were paid for: protecting Stola and Octavia. He may find Loo Loo Land creepy but saw how happy Millie was.
  • OOC Is Serious Business:
    • According to Loona, if Blitzo tells you to do something without using any innuendos, euphemisms, or swear-words, you'd best do what he says because he is dead serious.
    • Most of season one has Stolas dialing Blitzo for booty call and grimoire negotiations, flirting with him at the worst times. "OZZIE'S" has Blitzo call him for once, and Stolas lightens up on hearing his "thrust" call him out on a date. He dresses up nicely, and throws off Blitzo by asking how his day went when the latter is spying on Moxie and Millie, because Stolas has never had a normal conversation with him. Why is Stolas unusually attentive and treating Blitzo like an actual boyfriend? Stella officially moved out with partial custody of Octavia, they've proceeded with the divorce, and it is finally registering for Stolas that his old live is over.
    • Loona is constantly drinking, including at work. In "Queen Bee," she refuses to drink any alcohol (it's a party where, aside from Tex, she doesn't know anyone, and feels out of place), which shows how nervous she is.
    • Normally Stolas is thrilled to talk with Blitzo, taking the time to charm and seduce him for kinky sex. When I.M.P. is forced to tell him in "Seeing Stars," that his daughter Octavia stole the grimoire to go to the human realm and they don't know how to find her, he shows up in a furious blaze, calling Blitzo by his preferred name and not "Blitzy".
    • In "Exes and Ohs", Millie and Blitzo both note that Moxie is utterly terrified of meeting his father. As Millie puts it, she's never seen Moxie so anxious and angry.
    • Blitzo becomes utterly serious during the Wedding Smashers scene, until Millie has Moxie safe in her arms. Then he goes back to quipping.
    • Moxie is completely serious in "Western Energy" when the team learns that Striker kidnapped Stolas. He doesn't suffer any Butt Monkey antics, taking down a cowboy demon for wanting to fight with him over having the same hat while filling the car with gas.
  • Owl Be Damned: Stolas and his family are tall, human-shaped demons with owl-like features and feathers.
  • Papa Wolf: Stolas goes One-Winged Angel on Blitzo for accidentally letting Octavia go to Earth and get lost, never mind what he'll do to someone who hurts her on purpose.
  • Paper-Thin Disguise: In "C.E.R.U.B." the I.M.P.s use several disguises apiece, but almost all of them are pretty bad.
  • The Peeping Tom: Blitzo has been known to do this to Moxxie and Millie, and does little to hide it. His interest in their sex life is rather... disturbing. They both give him a What the Hell, Hero? about it in "OZZIE'S" when attempting to defend their sex life by describing it as a means to make "missionary" sex exciting; Moxie stands horrified onstage, while Millie is plain enraged. Notably, when Fizzarolli and Ozzie start on Blitzo and Stola for their relationship, Millie stops the song not to save them but to let Moxie finish his sincere love ballad.
  • Pass the Popcorn: In "C.H.E.R.U.B.", the I.M.P.s are hired by a recently-deceased Corrupt Corporate Executive who was killed in an accident while testing a new machine. The mark is his business partner, who survived the accident. When the I.M.P.s discover that said mark is about to kill himself (meaning he's doing their job for them) they start eating popcorn as they watch.
  • Pet the Dog:
    • "Ozzie's" starts with Blitzo in an unusually good mood after a successful hit on lumberjacks. He offers to take the team out for drinks to celebrate. Then he ruins the moment when Moxie politely declines and says he made plans with Millie, saying he'll come with them on their anniversary trip.
    • "Exes and Ohs" reveals the reason why Moxie decides to work for Blitzo; the latter says he needs Moxie's help to get out of prison so he can pick up his daughter Loona from the babysitter.
  • Petting Zoo People: Hellhounds (like Loona) are wolf-people, Stolas and his family are bird-people, and Crimson's henchmen are shark-people.
  • Pint-Sized Powerhouse: Millie could almost be considered petite compared to most demons, but has been known to take on entire gangs of demons where each is twice her size, and effortlessly tear them apart.
  • Pointy-Haired Boss: Blitzo can accurately be described as "Michael Scott with a few screws loose". He's an utterly incompetent leader, but he makes up for his shortcomings with his skills in other fields, which in his case are murder and pursuing profitable venues.
  • Police Are Useless: Thoroughly averted in 'Murder Family' where a nuke is dropped on the remaining family of cannibals.
    • Implied to be the case when Verosika and her posse are seen getting arrested at the end of 'Spring Broken'. She says 'they'll be sucking a lot of pig dick', implying they're planning to sleep their way out and considering, she, Ace and Josh are seen again in 'Ozzie's', that's probably the case.
  • Politically-Incorrect Villain:
    • Blitzo isn't afraid of casually calling Moxxie "retarded", although by the time of "Western Energy" he makes a conscious effort to avoid using that word.
    • Also, Stella seems less upset by Stolas cheating on her than she does by the fact he's cheating with the lower class.
    • Asmodeus is as bad as Stella, mocking Stolas - in public - for sleeping with an imp. Granted, he mocks Stolas for not thinking of the consequences, and sleeping with Blitzo whom Fizzarolli and Verosika describe as selfish.
    • Crimson is possibly the worst. He once claimed Chazz (who is bisexual) was a "friendless horse-fucker" and that he and Moxie were in a "sissy lifestyle". He changes his mind (he's lying) after Chazz "comes into" a lot of money. He also assumes All Gays Are Promiscuous, and is a misogynist on top of it (the first scene with him shows a label on a plant next to him that says "No Whores"), having killed Moxxie's mother calling Millie a "stupid beard", and yells at his bodyguards for being unable to take down "some dame" even as she is literally tearing them limb from limb.
  • Pounds Are Animal Prisons: A Flashback shows that not only are animal shelters in Hell like this, but orphaned hellhounds like Loona are kept in the same facility; clearly, hellhounds are considered only slightly better than animals in Hell's Fantastic Caste System. Ironically, however, as bad as the place was, Loona was a month away from being "aged out" when Blitzo found her there (as in, turning 18, where she would have been released and abandoned) and was terrified at the thought of leaving, knowing she would likely starve.
  • Pragmatic Villainy: One thing to Blitzo's credit: he is a terrible boss, but he knows when to be pragmatic. In "Spring Broken," he realizes that Moxie is right when saying that they can't just rampage on earth and massacre humans to win their bet with Verosika. So he advertises a special deal on kills, earning a lot of customers and revenue in a short amount of time. On Earth, reminds the crew that humans cannot see them and live to tell the tale. They use Loona as a Honey Trap to lure victims to remote alley ways and so forth, with Blitzo killing any human if they try to hurt her. While they do get spotted near the climax, said beach tourists are either too drunk, or Blitzo makes short work of them. Verosika's method of attracting human victims to seduce is much flashier -- hosting a concert that allows her to compel a magic orgy-- but her lack of pragmatism means that the human cops bust her.
  • Professional Killer: The main cast, though seriously, in most cases you'd be better off hiring someone else. "Spring Broken" does show, however, that they can be competent if sufficiently motivated. Such as keeping their parking space for a week, and their pride.
  • Precision F-Strike: Moxxie does this infrequently.
  • Questionable Consent: At first implied with Stolas and Blitzo's relationship, that Stolas treats him like a toy in the pilot and first episode and that Blitzo sleeps with him to gain access to the Grimoire that his business needs to function. We find out later that their relationship is more complicated than that, and Stolas actually does have feelings for Blitzo.
  • Reality Ensues:
    • "Spring Broken" has Verosika, to win her bet with Blitzo, start an orgy on a public beach during Spring Break. She starts to make good on that promise after singing to the crowds. After the chaos of the episode, the police come, holding her and her crew at gunpoint while preparing to arrest them for "public indecency".
    • "Truth Seekers" shows the dangers of demons being busted by government forces, especially professional killers like I.M.P.. Sure, the IMP wipe out most of the Mooks that the D.H.O.R.K.S. sic on them, and Stolas takes care of the rest when Loona can't get them back to the demon realm. Stolas, however, makes the mistake of leaving the top two agents alive as a Cruel Mercy and a warning to them not to mess with demons. He says most humans are seen as kooks for believing in magic. After the demons leave, the agents become ecstatic because their cameras recorded all the fighting, magic and all, and it means they can show proof to their superiors about another world existing.
    • Plenty in "OZZIE'S":
      • Sure, Stolas was in an unhappy marriage with a woman he didn't love, and sleeping with Blitzo gives him the closest thing to true love despite Blitzo's belief that their interactions are transactional. Doesn't change the fact that he cheated on his wife, and their daughter Octavia has to deal with the emotional fallout when Stella learns about Blitzo. Asmodeus explicitly calls out Stolas for this in his Villain Song, that he gave up his family for a "thrust". Octavia says that thanks to her dad prioritizing a random squeeze over stability, she feels like she can't trust him anymore. When Stolas and Stella divorce, Stella retains partial custody of their daughter because of said infidelity.
      • Asmodeus and Fizzarolli also point out that Stolas and Blitzo don't have a healthy relationship as it is. Fizz and Verosika assert that Blitzo only cares about himself and won't reciprocate in a relationship, how he treats the people he claims to care about like shit, including romantic partners. Blitzo can't deny this, considering he invited Stolas on a date purely to enter the club and spy on his employees, when Moxie put his foot down and said Blitzo wasn't invited to their anniversary. Stolas also buries his face in a menu in embarrassment when Asmodeus calls Blitzo his "thrust," confirming that he doesn't know how to communicate that he wants more than a carnal relationship. If he had been able to assert himself the way Moxie and Millie did, Blitzo may have been more likely to talk things out with him at the end of the episode.
      • It doesn't matter if you're defending your employees; describing their sex lives in detail to a public crowd is gross misconduct. Moxie ends up in Heroic BSOD in "OZZIE'S" when Blitzo attempts to defend his and Millie's lifestyle from the King of Lust Asmodeus, horrified to learn his boss was stalking him, and Millie shoots Blitzo a Death Glare from the audience. As a result, when Fizzarolli turns his attention to his former friend and current rival, the most Millie does is knock out the clown but she and Moxie leave Blitzo to deal with the emotional fallout.
    • "Exes and Ohs"
      • Millie and Moxie have the healthiest relationship out of all the couples in the show with their love for each other and open communication. Yet when they're lured to Moxie's childhood home as part of a "business deal," Moxie clams up under his father's thumb and refuses to open up to her about the "talk" that he had with Crimson after the meal. Millie reminds Moxie that they can talk about anything, but Moxie is too plain scared in Crimson's presence. True love has a hard time battling childhood trauma.
      • After sleeping on it and remembering what Crimson made Moxie do-- forcing him to drown a victim and abuse him for all his life, Moxie says that he is not going through with the Arranged Marriage to Chazz and will leave with Millie and Blitzo. He gives an epic Calling the Old Man Out speech that Millie doesn't deserve this betrayal to stroke Crimson's ego, and he has gotten better with guns. It's a very nice speech, but turns out Crimson orders one of his Mooks to taze Moxie and take him to the ceremony anyway. Abusive parents don't just stand down after their victims gain a spine.
  • Really Gets Around: "Exes and Ohs" (note the title) introduces Chazwick Thurman, a mob enforcer who readily admits to "boning" half the Circle of Greed. Among his former lovers are both Millie and Moxie, and they both despise him.
  • Reasonable Authority Figure:
    • Stolas is a great boss to IMP, all things considered. He fairly compensates them for serving as bodyguards in "Loo Loo Land" and doesn't reprimand Blitzo for blowing up the theme park in his fight with Robo-Fizzarolli. When humans catch IMP, he first makes sure that they are safe before chewing out Blitzo for getting caught, and personally escorts them home. And when Octavia steals the Grimoire, he does yell at IMP but personally leads the rescue mission to find his daughter and takes it in stride when humans delay them.
    • Asmodeus as the king of Lust and head of his circle is pretty reasonable. Sure, he's a bully to Moxie when the latter insists on singing a sincere love song and takes time to mock Stolas and Blitzo when Blitzo attempts to stand up for Moxie, but he gives Moxie pointers on the song to actually sing in a House of Lust.
    • Queen Beelzelbub is revealed to be this; she's actually more reasonable than Asmodeus. When Loona makes a bad first impression on her, Queen Bee is super nice and reassuring to her, saying that she hopes the party is not too over or underwhelming. Later when Blitzo wins their drinking contest, she applauds him saying that he is bringing life to the party. It's only when Blitzo is on the verge of alcohol poisoning that she asks Loona to take Blitzo home before he gets sick. Tex and Bee invite Loona to come again, saying they enjoy her company.
  • Rebellious Prisoner:
    • Zigzagged with the kid in the pilot, whom Moxie shot by accident. The imps took him to their headquarters because the human hospital wouldn't take him unless Blitzo had insurance, and kicked them out when Blitzo asked, "What the fuck is insurance?" When the kid hears them arguing for hours about whose fault his fatal injury was, he finally gets annoyed and calls them all out for being jerks. (He is out of line, however, for calling Millie a "slut" for defending Moxie.) Then they find out he was the real target, and he goes Oh Crap before they pull out the weapons.
    • Played straight when the target of their kill in the first episode captures the imps. She lets the kids play with a bound Moxie, while she and her husband tie up Blitzo and Millie to burn them at the stake. Blitzo humors them but reveals that fire is a No Sell on imps. He says that he and Millie could pretend to writhe in pain. Moxie hesitates on hurting the kids, but knocks them out when he sees the fires from inside the house and frees himself with the family knives.
    • When Striker kidnaps Stolas, Stolas spends the whole time sassing him about how Blitzo has a bigger knife and injures him further. He also briefly grapples with Striker while bound hand and foot in Blessed Rope.
  • Red Light District: Fittingly, the Circle of Lust is like this. Asmodeus (or "Ozzie", as he's called by the locals) rules the place and makes it clear that expressions of love are not welcome or wanted unless they lead to sex and debauchery.
  • Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Striker is a rattlesnake-themed cowboy demon assassin.
  • The Reveal:
    • Moxie's backstory comes out in season 2, episode 3: he was in the imp Mafia until his ex-boyfriend and lover left him behind during a heist gone wrong. Blitzo and Moxie happened to be cellmates, and Blitzo recruited Moxie for I.M.P., correctly intuiting he was good with a gun.
    • Season 2, Episode 6 "Oops" explains how Blitzo fell out with Fizzarolli: he was going to deliver a love note to Fizzarolli on his birthday, but in a fit of jealousy accidentally knocked his friend's birthday cake to the ground, setting the entire circus on fire. As Blitzo explains, he was running away in tears and didn't realize what had happened until there was literal fire in his eyes; he panicked when Fizzarolli got blown up thanks to poorly placed explosives and ran to get help, as well as to find his mother and sister. Fizzarolli needed hospitalization and all his limbs replaced, killing his circus career. They do reconcile when realizing that the hospital staff kept Blitzo from visiting and lied that Fizzarolli didn't want to see him.
    • The season 2 mid-finale explains how Fizzarolli became so famous: he won a clown pageant for fifteen years in a row after his near-fatal accident, run by his idol Manmon. Despite Manmon exploiting Fizzarolli's image by creating robot doppelgangers and sex dolls, Fizzy believes that he owes Manmon for giving him a second start on life, and for making him "good enough" for Asmodeus. It takes having a panic attack at the latest pageant, Blitzo calling out Manmon for his exploitative attitude, and Asmodeus reassuring Fizzarolli they would have fallen in love regardless, to give Fizzarolli the motivation to quit with a bang.
  • Rock Me, Asmodeus: Literal example. Asmodeus' introduction coming with a Villain Song in a fancy nightclub in the Circle of Lust, the layer of Hell he is the ruler of.
  • Running Gag: "Blitzo - the O is silent." Interestingly, when he was a child, it was not silent; he seems to have changed it for some reason he will not explain.
  • Scars Are Forever: As detailed in "Oops" the scar on Blitzo's face came from the accident at Fizzeroli's birthday party that resulted in Fizz being marred and losing his limbs and horns, fifteen years before the start of the series.
  • Sex for Services: Blitzo's relationship with Stolas, more or less. Stolas is letting Blitzo use the tome that allows Blitzo access to the human world in exchange for sex acts which are likely best left undescribed. Although, there are plenty of hints that they might have genuine feelings towards each other.
  • Sir Swearsalot: While everyone in this show cusses, Stolas' language can be so dirty that much of his dialogue is bleeped out in at least two episodes, and this is a show where "fuck" is not bleeped out.
  • Sissy Villain: Andrealphus, Stella's brother, accomplice, fellow Upper Class Twit, and a Responsible Sibling where Stella is a Foolish one. He has only had an important role in one episode as season 3, but he seems almost as feminine as Stella is.
  • Shown Their Work: Asmodeus is a demon with three heads, much like he is often depicted in folklore.
  • Southern Belle: Millie has that accent and is quite charming.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: Chazz. By the end of "Exes and Oohs" it seems his claims of being a ladykiller and sexual powerhouse are all Blatant Lies, as is his claim of being rich. Just the opposite, in fact.
  • Stupid Evil: Stella, Stella, Stella is this. It's shown that, as her brother points out, she can benefit from the divorce with Stolas if they rely on the grounds of adultery since Stolas technically cheated on her. That means she is entitled to financial compensation if she lets him negotiate the divorce assets. But she wants Striker to kill Stolas, and painfully at that. Her brother lets her have it on figuring out she was the assassin's employer, and points out that Octavia will inherit Stolas's wealth, power and status while leaving her mother and mother's family with nothing.
  • Talking the Monster to Death: A Perspective Flip example in "Truth Seekers", where Blitzo and Moxxie (who are the "monsters") are caught by the The D.H.O.R.K.S. and try their best to Be as Unhelpful as Possible in order to drive them nuts. It almost works.
  • Take That: It likes poking fun at insurance with Blitzo saying "The fuck is insurance?"
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: After spending most of season one as a Butt Monkey, Moxie gets a happy ending on his anniversary when Millie allows him to finish the song that he wrote for their anniversary, and they wander to enjoy the night after Asmodeus kicks them out for assaulting Fizzarolli.
  • Time Abyss: Asmodeus claims he has known - and disliked - Mammon since "the beginnings of Hell", implying that both are at least as old as Hell itself.
  • Token Good Teammate: Zigzagged with Moxie and overlapping with Only Sane Man; he is willing to commit murder if it's his job, but the pilot has him wracked with guilt and remorse over shooting a child by accident, only to backtrack when the team learns the child was the actual target. In the first episode proper, Moxie questions why the image for target practice is a family, because why would "innocent" children be a paid target? We find out in "Exes and Ohs" that he is the only member of his family aside from his dead mother to not be a murderous mobster.
  • Tome of Eldritch Lore: Stolas' Grimoire, possibly. It seems to contain information of prophecy, astronomy, and astrology relating to the mortal world, although for now, it's primary use is opening portals, able to do so to Earth, elsewhere in Hell (as Stolas did in "Harvest Moon Festival"), and to other worlds and realities ("Lu Lu Land".)
  • Took A Level In Badass:
    • In all fairness, Millie was a badass before in season one, but it's shown she can lose a fight if her opponent is more focused and ruthless than she is. Season two shows her in complete control of her berserker rage when working with Blitz to rescue Moxie from Crimson, to ensure her husband doesn't get hurt in the crossfire. She takes down an entire mob that may as well been armed with paper fans since their guns and knives do nothing to her.
    • Likewise, Millie and Moxie do far better in round two against Striker because the stakes are higher; Stolas is in danger, and they both have a score to settle. Millie can't afford to get Berserker rage and for Moxie? Dying is not an option.
  • Too Kinky to Torture: Subverted with Stolas; sure, he can handle high amounts of pain and injury, but Striker gouges him in several places and plans to carve him up before delivering him back to Stella. By the time that Moxie and Millie fend Striker off, they need to get Stolas to a hospital with intensive care and lots of paparazzi.
  • "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Blitzo and Moxxie get this from their respective subconscious in "Truth Seekers", although Moxxie's subconscious is easier on him.
  • Underestimating Badassery: Striker assumes that Millie and Moxie will be easy pickings like last time in "Western Energy". Nope; while he has them on the ropes, Moxie manages to win the fight with sheer endurance and a heavy grudge to settle, while Moxie upends Striker's statue on him. Striker learns from this: when kidnapping Blitzo and Fizzarolli in "Oops", he makes sure that Blitzo doesn't have the means to send a Distress Call.
  • Unholy Matrimony:
    • Subverted with Stolas and Stella; they clearly despise each other and Stolas is not a faithful spouse. It is hinted and then later confirmed in season two their marriage was an arranged one.
    • Played straight with Millie and Moxie, possibly the only couple in the history of animation to overlap this Trope with Sickeningly Sweethearts.
  • Villain Protagonist: Blitzo and his crew tend to be the lesser evils of each story, but are still demons who kill for profit.
  • Villain Song:
    • "House of Asmodeus" in "OZZIE's", sung by Asmodeus, Fizzarolli, and Verosika.
    • "Cotton Candy" in "Queen Bee", sung by the title character.
    • "Ordinary Joe" and "You've Got the Power" in "Unhappy Campers", both sung by Millie.
    • "Look at This!" sung by Fizzarolli in "Oops".
  • Villainous Glutton: Queen Bee subverts this. She is proud of her title as Queen of Gluttony and claims Satan (who supposedly rules the Wrath Circle) is "like a brother" to her. She encourages patrons of her nightclub to binge on food and drink while enlarging their food, going so far as to create a small swimming pool of liquor (with giant fruit) during her song. However, she is generally a decent person overall, accepting her loss in the Drinking Contest with dignity, refusing to let the party turn into a different sort of party and while she encourages her patrons to drink until they are intoxicated, this has limits. She implores Loona to take Blitzo home when he's had too much, rather than ordering Blitzo to leave.
  • "The Villain Sucks" Song: Fizzeroli gives an epic one ("2 Minutes Notice") to Mammon in "Mammon's Magnificent Musical Midseason Special (ft. Fizzarolli)" to tell Mammon he's quitting.
  • Wham! Episode: "Western Energy" is this for season two. Stella's brother stops her from killing Stolas, but Striker still badly injures him the one time Blitzo isn't available to protect his lover and boss. Moxie and Millie manage to fend off Striker and cause him to run off without a hand, but they also have to transport Stolas to the nearest hospital because he's got broken bones and severe blood loss. Blitzo is heartbroken and guilty that he didn't come to save Stolas personally because he was making sure Loona got her annual shots, and Stolas is heartbroken when Blitzo doesn't come to visit him in the hospital.
  • What Do You Mean It's Not Heinous?: In "Unhappy Campers", Blitzo thinks his sister is involved in some nefarious business that will result in her getting in trouble. He is almost disappointed to discover she is "only" selling heroin, which fits this trope as far as demons are concerned. To them, heroin "barely cures a headache".
  • Winged Humanoid: Verosika, although whether they are functional or not is as-yet unknown, as she has not been seen using them to fly.
  • The Worf Effect: It's established that Stolas technically doesn't need I.M.P.'s bodyguard services or to bankroll their assassination business. He can turn demons to stone outright, possess humans and raise armies of the dead. So when Striker kidnaps him, Stolas tries to fight back on realizing that he truly is in danger while being tied up in Blessed Rope which limits his powers. He makes a good attempt, up until Striker grabs his free leg and snaps it.
  • Wouldn't Hurt a Child:
    • Downplayed with Blitzo, who won't unless he's contracted to do so.
    • Loona is a different story, having at least once kicked an infant in a crib simply because she was angry.
    • Zigzagged with Moxie. The thought of hurting a child is enough to make Moxie hold his fire and debate the ethical ramifications of such an action, and the pilot has him overcome with guilt when he shoots a preteen by accident. While he does fight one in the first episode to rescue himself from a family of demon-eating cannibals, he reassures the family that they weren't the target, so he'll use their phone to call the police and let the "Earthly" authorities handle their punishment. This way they get a shot at redemption. When the police opt to blow up the house instead, Moxie has a Heroic BSOD even when their client is thanking them.
  • You Are Not Alone: Millie tells Moxie a variant of this, combined with Could Have Avoided This Plot; she understands why he's scared of his father Crimson especially with the underhanded way he tried to marry off his estranged son for money. But Millie reassures him he can tell her any time that his father is a "psycho," with the implication that she can handle it. Blitzo then ruins the moment by group-hugging them and giving his own variant that they all fucked the same guy-- Chazz. Moxie glares at Blitzo for this but doesn't break the hug.
  • You All Meet in a Cell: How Moxie and Blitzo first met, established via flashback.