The World Ends With You: Difference between revisions

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[[File:subarashiki.jpg|frame]]

 

 

Neku eventually meets and befriends Shiki Misaki, your typical Shibuya fashion slave; Daisukenojo "Beat" Bito, a rough skater; his street-smart, adage-loving partner, Raimu (aka "Rhyme"); and Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu, the [[Jerkass]] [[Insufferable Genius]]. Armed with strange psychic powers, the group tries to survive their time in Shibuya... however, they are confronted at every turn by the mysterious [[Shinigami|Reapers]].

Square Enix has released an official (and free!) translation of the one-shot tie-in manga [http://member.square-enix.com/na/features/wewy/02/ here].

 

 

See also ''[[Sh15uya]]'' and ''[[Gantz]]'', which have similar premises. For a game similar in visual and musical aesthetic rather than story matter, see ''[[Jet Set Radio]]''.

** In the short chapter [[Alternate Universe|Another Day]] the Big Bad {{spoiler|initially appears to be [[Punch Clock Villain|Uzuki]], who didn't really have a big role in the main story. However, during the final confrontation [[Disc One Final Boss|Higashizawa]], who had an even smaller part in the main story pulls a [[The Starscream|Starscream]] on her.}}

* [[Big No]]: Neku, when he is told that {{spoiler|Shiki is his new entry fee}}.

* [[Bishonen Line]]: {{spoiler|Taboo Minamimoto}}

* [[Bittersweet Ending]]: It's pointed out in the Secret Reports that {{spoiler|even though Rhyme came back to life, life would be difficult for her without her entry fee}}.

* [[Bullet Hell]]: Later bosses will create ridiculous amounts of projectiles for you to dodge.

* [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]]: [[Ensemble Darkhorse|Sho Minamimoto]]. He's a [[Good with Numbers|math]] [[Mad Mathematician|fetishist]] who spends much of his time either lazying around or building piles of junk, and during his time as GM, he doesn't even issue missions some days. Despite this, his player erasure rate is impeccable and he's a high-ranking Reaper and GM. {{spoiler|He betrays just about ''everybody'' in the end, but damn, does he excel at it. His twisted genius didn't have him thinking up any way to cover up the fact that he was up to something, though.}} However, that can be covered by the fact that {{spoiler|he's ''always'' up to something, and he's so eccentric that anything out-of-the ordinary would ''be'' ordinary for him. One of the secret reports says as much}}.

* [[Call a Rabbit a Smeerp]]: Averted with things like frogs, wolves, and pigs. Played straight with the [[Everything's Better with Penguins|popguins]] and corehogs.

* [[Cannot Spit It Out]]: When Neku finds out that Joshua {{spoiler|killed him, it takes an entire frustrating day before he confronts Joshua about it}}. Joshua himself seems to fall into this trope when {{spoiler|he doesn't tell Neku that he didn't kill him (as Neku discovers at the end of week 2)...until we find out much later that he actually ''did'' kill Neku}}.

* [[Credits Running Sequence]]: The opening cinematic.

* [[Critical Encumbrance Failure]]: You can have hundreds of shirts, hats, accessories, and more, but try get 10 or more copies of the same item, and you'll supposedly "collapse in swag".

** There are some articles of clothing which have extra benefits when equipped by certain characters. Each character has at least some of these. They all tend to be things that the characters would be interested in wearing, or that they ''do'' wear. Both Neku and Joshua (but not Beat) get bonuses from some girls' clothes. Read that again: The game is ''actively encouraging you'' to make your male characters crossdress.

* [[Crosshair Aware]]: The kangaroo Noise.

* [[Crutch Character]]: Shiki has elements of this. Since female clothing has high bravery requirements she has high bravery, making her easier to equip than Joshua and Beat. Her attack chain also has frames of invincibility at the end, making [[Button Mashing]] for the top screen a more viable strategy.

* [[Curse Cut Short]]:

* [[Cutscene Power to the Max]]:

** Neku {{spoiler|force-chokes Shiki}} using Telekinesis early on, but you cannot invoke this power in battle later, even against Reapers.

* {{spoiler|[[Dead to Begin With]]}} {{spoiler|The players are dead and playing for a second chance at life. Neku is unaware of this, though, due to his amnesia}}.

* [[Death's Hourglass]]: The timers for each mission.

** [http://twewy.wikia.com/wiki/Shiki According to the TWEWY Wiki], the Japanese manual mentions that Shiki uses a pin called Groove Pawn with the Psychokinesis psych to animate Mr. Mew. As an aside, Beat uses the pin Respect with a Shockwave psych that he activates with his skateboard. Joshua... probably just does his own thing.

* [[De-Power]]: {{spoiler|Joshua, to make the "game" he's playing fair.}}

* [[Hachiko]]: We're in Shibuya, right?

* [[Halfhearted Henchman]]: Some of the Support Reapers are lazy, incompetent slackers. {{spoiler|For one of them, this is a good thing, as he ends up the only NPC in all of Shibuya who escapes the [[Assimilation Plot]] just because he ditched work one day.}}

** And then he proceeds to give the ''real'' explanation: "[[Cosmic Deadline|When you're drowning in a sea of work with not enough time]], why pour your soul into assets that will be used all of... what, once?" Neku still thinks that he's high.

* [[He Was Right There All Along]]: {{spoiler|Konishi during the third week, hides in Beat's shadow in order to trick him into panicking and making a mistake due to the pressure of his impending erasure.}}

** The Shibuya's Game is one plot-wise as well. Lose to Megumi, and he turns all the people in Shibuya into a [[Hive Mind]]. Defeat Megumi, and {{spoiler|the real Composer wins the Game and destroys Shibuya.At least until Neku's feelings of trust persuade him to do a [[Heel Face Turn]].}}

* [[The Heartless]]: The Noise are manifestations of negative thoughts and emotions. Either that, or they're artificially created by Reapers. So they're pretty much ''exactly'' the same as [[Kingdom Hearts|the]] ''[[Kingdom Hearts|real]]'' [[Kingdom Hearts|Heartless]].

* [[Heroic Willpower]]: Beat, {{spoiler|facing erasure on the last day, fights it off through sheer willpower, fuelled by his [[Heroic Resolve|desire to save his sister]]}}.

* [[History Repeats]]: Neku's waking up in the Scramble Crossing at the beginning of each week. Rhyme's {{spoiler|death}} and {{spoiler|erasure}} were intentionally reminiscent of each other, as well, as were Neku's {{spoiler|death at the hands of}} and {{spoiler|duel against Joshua}}.

* [[Hoist by His Own Petard]]: {{spoiler|Konishi turns Noise!Rhyme into a pin and uses it to manipulate Beat's feelings. Due to the way her boss fight works, you will always kill her with the Rhyme Pin itself.}}

* [[Huge Schoolgirl]]: It's up to you to decide if it's just the [http://pics.livejournal.com/cherubi/pic/0011aq3p/g146 angle of the shot] (big spoilers on the other side of that link), but {{spoiler|RG Shiki}} seems to compete with Beat in height in the ending credits.

* [[Humanity on Trial]]: This is the entire point of the Reaper's Game, except it happens city by city instead of the whole world at once. This current Shibuya Game isn't quite typical for other reasons...

* [[Hurricane of Puns]]: Any time Higashizawa speaks, playing off his chef quirk. Especially his boss fight.

** Any time Minamimoto speaks will be a hurricane of math puns.

** Played straight later if you get the Hollow Leg swag which removes the limit. Very useful for grinding.

* [[I Am Not Left-Handed]]: {{spoiler|Joshua}} reveals some of his true powers during his Day 5, which gives his combat abilities a definite offensive boost.

** It's hard to believe you get 'minimalistic' outfits like Shiki's in the same time and place as heavy, black hoodies like BJ's. Certain thought fragments imply that the game takes place in the summertime and others imply that it's winter, but there are plenty of highly impractical outfits for both seasons. Stores will also sell both summer- and winter-wear to you.

* [[Improbable Weapon User]]: Everyone. Pins are most Players' [[Weapon of Choice]], but they can also be used to control other items as weapons, such as Shiki's plushie, playing cards, or SUVs.

** Food being consumed in "bytes."

** Neku says one, worried about the nature of the "piggy".

* [[Ineffectual Loner]]: Neku.

* [[I Never Told You My Name]]: One of the reasons an attentive player will quickly realize {{spoiler|Joshua}} is much more than he seems. (This is only the case in the English version, although [[Woolseyism|most fans think it's a really nice touch]].)

* [[Infinity+1 Sword]]: The Darklit Planet pins. If all six are put in one deck, their attack power triples and they become some of the deadliest pins in the game. However, {{spoiler|Hanekoma}} only sells you one of the six pins, and you have to find the rest either by defeating Noise and getting the pins from random drops, or using Mingle shops.

** The {{spoiler|Angel Feather}} is amazing too, but it needs a whopping 999 bravery.

* [[Limit Break]]: In order to perform a Fusion attack the player must collect stars via the particular combo system each of Neku's partners use.

* [[The Little Shop That Wasn't There Yesterday]]: Shadow Ramen. Subverted later, as you can actually get it to reopen.

* [[Low Level Advantage]]: Powering down your characters gives you a higher chance of collecting rare item drops.

* [[Mad Mathematician]]: Sho Minamimoto takes this [[Up to Eleven]].

* [[Preexisting Encounters]]: You scan the area to find and fight Noise symbols; the only times where you must battle Noise is if it's required in order to clear out a wall, or when the battle advances the storyline.

* [[Protagonist-Centered Morality]]: Deconstructed. During the second week, Neku is feeling sorry for himself for losing {{spoiler|Shiki}} as his entry fee and is immediately cut down by Joshua, who tells him that all Players are fighting for something precious and Neku's entry fee doesn't make him any more a deserving candidate to win the Game than anyone else.

* [[Psychic Powers]]: The game's magic system. The powers granted by pins have names such as "[[Playing with Fire|Pyrokinesis]]" and "[[Mind Over Matter|Psychokinesis]]", and the game (not the characters, the game itself) refers to playable characters as ESP'ers. [[Mind Reading]] is also a important plot and gameplay element.

** Neku is a special case, as he can use ''every pin'' available, whereas generally, Players are only able to use certain psychs. For example, Shiki can only use the psychokinesis pin 'Groove Pawn' to control Mr Mew. She could not use Pyrokinesis, so she gave her Pyrokinesis pin to Neku.

* [[Rare Candy]]: While most of the food items that permanently boost stats are not rare or expensive, the foods that boost drop rate are exceptionally expensive and hard to obtain. Curious Mushrooms can be bought for either 590,000 yen or fifteen 10,000 yen pins. Absolute Shadow Ramen requires redeeming several quest items, including the rare Dark Matter.

** Not just them; a few food items are extremely expensive as well, such as the ones sold at the Shibu Q-Heads pharmacy and the Natural Remedies shop. And while food generally isn't rare or expensive, you do need to fight a number of battles before you can get the stat boost.

* [[Real Place Background]]: Shibuya's depiction in TWEWY is actually very accurate... making exceptions for the skewed angles and the changed store names, of course.

* [[Reclusive Artist]]: The reason why despite being an avid fanboy, Neku doesn't know who CAT is.

* [[Serious Business]]: Pin Collection, justified in that they actually give you psychic powers. In the real world, they're just another fashion accessory.

** They then parody the whole concept with the bonus chapter, "Another Day" which takes the minigame, Tin-Pin Slammer, the characters, and transports them all into a ''[[Yu-Gi-Oh!: The Abridged Series|Yu-Gi-Oh the Abridged Series]]''-type setting in which the game is all-important. Lampshaded in the Secret Reports:

* [[Sequel Hook]]: It is mentioned that Shibuya is not the only city with a Reaper's Game and that it is not the Reapers and the Composer at the top of Shibuya's hierarchy, but rather {{spoiler|the Angels}}, who the protagonists never learn of or have to confront.

* [[Sleeper Hit]]

* [[Teens Are Short]]: Even Beat, by far the tallest of the 15-and-under group, is teeny in juxtaposition with any given character over 17.

* [[Theme Naming]]: The clothing brands are named after the animals of the [[Eastern Zodiac|Chinese Zodiac]]. This becomes relevant in one mission. The 13th clothing brand, Gatito, is a reference to the legend of how the Cat didn't follow the rules of the Chinese Zodiac. {{spoiler|It's also run by Hanekoma, rather than normal civilians. And to make this a bit more [[Anvilicious|obvious]], CAT didn't follow the rules of the Angels.}}

** Every Game Master and {{spoiler|Hanekoma}}'s [[One-Winged Angel]] forms are all given Latin names ending with "Cantus". An animal name is also hidden in the kanji of their names. There are also several boss Noise named Canor; all these are basically bigger versions of normal Noise.

** The various normal Noise have musically-themed names. (Mostly.) The musical theme of the UG is reinforced by the top positions being called the Composer, Conductor, and Producer.

* [[Those Two Guys]]: Shooter and Yammer, Ai and Mina.

* [[Time Stands Still]]: One of Kitaniji's abilities.

** The Japanese title also gets a far more ominous drop late into the final week. {{spoiler|And then it drops it again. And again. And again and again [[Assimilation Plot|and again...]]}}

{{quote|{{spoiler|"To right the countless wrongs of our day, we shine this light of true redemption, that this place may become as paradise. What a wonderful world such would be..."}}}}