View source for Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger VS Darkdeath Evilman

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[[File:zhpcover_5940.jpg|frame|[[Department of Redundancy Department|Don't lose! Unlosing Ranger!]]]]

{{quote|''This game has only one battle sequence.<br />
Thank you for your understanding.<br />
However, it will be one, huge, '''EPIC battle!'''<br />
Thank you for your understanding.''|''Opening disclaimer''}}

A PSP game from [[Nippon Ichi]] which, unlike most of their games, is not an SRPG. This one is a [[Roguelike]], putting it closer to the ''[[Diablo]]'', ''[[Nethack]]'', or ''Mystery Dungeon'' (''[[Shiren the Wanderer]]'', ''[[Pokémon Mystery Dungeon]]'') series of games.

[[Saving the World|It's that time of the year again.]] The Demon General, Darkdeath Evilman, has kidnapped Super Baby, the infant savior of the world, and threatens to destroy Earth!<br />But of course, world's most beloved hero, the Absolute Victory Unlosing Ranger, heeds the call to defeat Darkdeath and save the world!

[[Anticlimax|... Then he gets run over by a car and dies.]]

In his last act, he gives his morphing belt, and with that his super powers, to a [[Player Character|young teenager]] who just so happened to witness the scene.<br />With the powers of the Unlosing Ranger at his disposal, this [[Hello, Insert Name Here|new hero]] must save the world in his stead!

[[Hopeless Boss Fight|... But he's the weakest main character alive and dies almost instantly.]]

Saved from the brink of death by the [[Heroes-R-Us|World Hero Society]], our [[Heroic Mime|silent young hero]] meets his instructor [[Magical Girl|Etranger]] and Pirohiko, the [[Spirit Advisor|ghost of the previous Ranger]]. With the world in danger, the [[Overly Long Gag|lovable weakling]] has no choice but to train and train until he can defeat Darkdeath Evilman and save the world!

The official English title is ''Z.H.P. (Zettai Hero Project): Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman.'' (This is actually causing problems with people buying it. The periods are part of Z.H.P., and most stores' systems will not see it as a result for ZHP.)

Now has its own growing [[Zettai Hero Kaizou Keikaku/Characters|Character Sheet]]. 

----
=== Tropes: ===
* [[Abusive Parents]]:  {{spoiler|The protagonist's. ''And how.'' Basically, his entire family blames him for all their troubles ever since he and his sister were kidnapped by a [[Monster of the Week]] eight years ago.}}
* [[Adult Fear]]: Almost every chapter deals with some situation adults fear of or go through.
*  {{spoiler|[[Arranged Marriage]] and [[Wife Husbandry]]: At the end, Etranger's mom wants the former between Etranger and the main character, and the latter between the main character and herself [[Unwanted Harem|(both at the same time)]].}}
* [[All of the Other Reindeer]]: In true Rudolph fashion, nearly everyone else are dicks until the Unlosing Ranger helps them. Even  {{spoiler|the main character's own family had been blaming him for their own problems including wanting a divorce; partly due to his sister's repression of the fact that he was the one who saved her from the Cannibal by occupying it via beating the crap out of the main character enough for the police to arrive.}}
* [[Ambidextrous Sprite]]: From certain angles, your "Left Hand" Item is held in the character's right hand and vice-versa. Sprite mirroring is to blame.
* [[Anthropomorphic Personification]]: Every single character has an alternate in the other world, usually with their mental issues on full display. Often these mental issues have their own [[Anthropomorphic Personification]], requiring our hero to beat them into submission, [[Warrior Therapist]]-style.
* [[Apathetic Citizens]]: In full force.
* [[Ascended Meme]]: The description of the Wizard Hat: "I put on my [[Robe and Wizard Hat]]..." And unlike in ''[[Disgaea]] 2'', you can actually see the hat!
* [[Awesome McCoolname]]: Absolute Victory Unlosing Ranger and Reckless Cop Dangerama, naturally. Though with the former, it takes some [[Training From Hell|effort]] before you really begin to live up to that name.
* [[Awesome Yet Impractical]]: [[Dual-Wielding]]. Though it allows you to attack twice and some combinations can give some really cool special attacks, it burns through your EN at an alarming rate even if you have the skills to counteract that.
** Special attacks. Incredibly flashy and powerful as expected from a [[Nippon Ichi]] game, but the attacks eat up EN especially the flashier attacks and you need to maintain as much EN as possible when going through dungeons. They still hit pretty hard, though, when you need to burst down a boss or [[Ao E]] his mooks.
* [[Barrier Warrior]]: Super Baby. She's powerful enough to hold off Darkdeath's attacks by herself, but being a baby she hasn't learned any attacks yet and can't actually beat him.
* [[Batman Can Breathe in Space]]: Lampshaded, naturally. Heroes can breathe in space, and are apparently capable of leaving the atmosphere at will even if they can't fly.
* [[Batman Gambit]]: Part of the conflict in Level 4: {{spoiler|Medea Lass made a deal with Prince Geo that if the Unlosing Ranger loses, she'd marry him.}}
* [[Beehive Barrier]]: Super Baby. The Gator enemies generate these (and a piece of equipment) if someone attacks from the front. You also have a "Block" command that produces this, nullifying any enemy special that gets casted from in front of you that turn (though it does nothing for regular attacks).
* [[Better Than a Bare Bulb]]: Pretty much everything is lampshaded. The characters tend to plan their next move based on what trope they want to [[Invoked Trope|invoke]] next.
{{quote| '''Darkdeath Evilman:''' What are you so surprised about? I am the last boss who threatens the world. I should have at least [[One-Winged Angel|three forms]]!<br />
'''Dangerama:''' Don't worry, Unlosing Ranger! Everyone knows that monsters who regenerate are always weaker than the original! We'll use our [[Combination Attack|"Dangerous Unlosing Hurricane"]] again to bust a hole in his stomach, and break his spine!<br />
'''Darkdeath Evilman:''' Joke's on you! Everyone knows that if you failed to beat a boss with a special attack once, [[It Only Works Once|it'll never work the second time]].<br />
'''Dangerama:''' [[Big No|Damn youuuuuuuuuuuuuu!]] }}
* [[BFS]]: Most bladed weapons, even 'daggers' look huge. Special note to the Unlosing Sword, perhaps the most Egregious BFS in the game.
* [[BFG]]: The Unlosing Bazooka. 
* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: Played with. The Unlosing Ranger always dramatically returns and engages Darkdeath Evilman, but immediately gets his ass handed to him.
* [[Bizarro Universe]]: There are two Earths, and the fate of characters on one Earth [[Synchronization|affect their fate in the other.]]
* [[Breakable Weapons]]: All equipment deteriorates as you use it. If an item's durability drops to 0, it's effectively the same as being naked; you lose any of that item's stat boosts and abilities, and if it's something like a spear or a gun, you also lose the ranged attack. However, unlike most games with this feature, broken equipment is not lost, it just loses any special properties and remains in a severely weakened state. It can even be repaired limited times in-dungeon with the proper facility loadout.
* [[But Thou Must!]]: In the opening sequence, you're given the option to ''try'' to [[Refusal of the Call|turn down the Unlosing Ranger's belt]], but you'll get stuck with it anyway.
* [[Butt Monkey]]: You.
* [[Cameo]]: Wait for it. The ''[[Disgaea Hour of Darkness]]'' crew show up in the bonus dungeons. Yes, in a [[Nippon Ichi]] game; shocking, isn't it? 
** [[Makai Kingdom|Valvoga is in the last bonus dungeon.]] Hey, Mickey did say that they always ask him/them to be bonus boss. Now we know who "they" are. (And he's not a fake!) 
**  {{spoiler|Asagi is in it. In fact, she's ''all the other cameo characters''. The entire cameo system was a plot by her to try to replace the other cameo characters with her -- cosplaying as them, anyway..}}
*** Interestingly; Pirihiko's and Etranger's dialogue all indicate that  {{spoiler|every series is true; with Earth-like series being set in the same world as theirs; and non-Earth being an [[Alternate Universe]]. Plus Asagi wouldn't want to take over a [[Mutually Fictional]] Main Character position, after all.}}
** Like [[Soul Nomad]], Baal is noticeably missing. It's mentioned in the game that he's been replaced by Valvolga.
* [[Came Back Strong]]: A regular basis for gameplay. Death is only a temporary setback at best.
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: Remember when you obtain the Power of Love {{spoiler|with the ''(Probably)'' attached to it? That was no dumb joke by the writers or a [[Red Herring]]. You eventually find out that your Power of Love ''is'' incomplete and go through another dungeon to fix it.}}
* [[Clothes Make the Superman]]: ...that, and [[Training From Hell]].
* [[Combination Attack]]: When Dangerama finally accepts the Unlosing Ranger as a hero, he specifically holds back Darkdeath Evilman so the protagonist can go learn a Combination Attack. It's even called by name in the command list (though the actual name is "Dangerous Unlosing Hurricane").
* [[Combined Energy Attack]]:  {{spoiler|The Unlosing Ranger's final technique. The entire Earth cheers him on, which makes him stronger than rest of the cast ''combined'', allowing him to make a [[Heroic Sacrifice]].}}
* [[Cosplay]]: Not only can you equip random bits and pieces from every enemy in the game  {{spoiler|including the last boss}}, beating the Anime cameo dungeons allow you to change your base sprite into the boss of said anime or game cameo dungeon, which actually has stat effects in game.
* [[Cowboy Bebop at His Computer]]: [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-TCbheIwCEo This episode of "Today on the Spot,"] claims that this game has you get into peoples' heads to solve their problems despite the fact that it's actually said in story that you help the Bizarro Earth counterparts and help people that way. He also forgot to mention you can level up your employees when you get a special facility.
** Sounds a lot like they mistook the game for a [[Psychonauts|certain other game.]]
* [[Death Is Not Permanent]]: Ever. EVER. So much that even some enemies can't die.
* [[Death Seeker]]: Dangerama
* [[Decoy Protagonist]]: The Unlosing Ranger? Yeah, not the main character, really. Well, it gets [[Legacy Immortality|complicated]], but the Unlosing Ranger dies in the first minute of the game, giving the main character (default name: "Main Character") the suit.
* [[Despair Event Horizon]]: Multiple times, mostly as a direct result of the Unlosing Ranger being defeated in combat. Counteracting these is the goal of 99% of the training missions.
** Special mention goes to  {{spoiler|Darkdeath Evilman, who passed his before the story began and kept going after seeing the Unlosing Ranger lose. To the point that [[Driven to Suicide|he even planned on blowing himself up in despair.]]}}
* [[Determinator]]: You.
** Parodied via [[Gameplay and Story Integration]]. Dying is a means to get stronger. (The hero falls but rises to his feet once more!)
** It's more than that. This turns out to be the nameless hero's defining trait, discovered in flashbacks when he  {{spoiler|stands up to an insane serial killer / rapist / cannibal who had kidnapped him and his sister}}. He's beaten to a bloody pulp (literally so: he's hospitalized afterwards and his sister is traumatized into amnesia after just from seeing it) but continues to keep standing up, long enough to keep the  {{spoiler|serial killer}} distracted until help arrived. It transfers to his superhero persona very well.
* [[Does This Remind You of Anything?]]: What is exactly that yellow hero power source in the shadowgram? Any idea?
* [[Dramatic Irony]]: {{spoiler|"The parents of that fake can't possibly be normal. They're probably freaks of nature."}}
* [[Dub Name Change]]: [[Super Sentai|Makeranger]] to the Unlosing Ranger, [[Kikaider|Kikender]] to Dangerama, and [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Deathdark]] [[Aerith and Bob|Tanaka]] to Darkdeath Evilman.
* [[Dude, Where's My Respect?]]: The Unlosing Ranger goes from being called a useless fake who's just there to be a nuisance to  {{spoiler|gaining enough power to punch a nuke into the sun and eventually earning the respect of people all around the world for his unwavering spirit. This rock solid trust and belief in him causes him to power up into the Unlosing Ranger Omega, culminating in him saving the world.}}
* [[Eagle Land]]: Played straight, complete with a quote worthy of ''Team America World Police''... although this is later explained by  {{spoiler|Oldllama's mental issues due to her Bizzaro Earth counterpart.}}
* [[Earn Your Happy Ending]]: While you can defeat Darkdeath Evilman early on a second playthrough {{spoiler|the endings you receive end with you dying in possibly the most pathetic way imaginable with everyone calling you a fraud.}} The game pretty much requires that Darkdeath Evilman hands you your ass several times before you can see a real happy ending. 
* [[Exactly What It Says on the Tin]]: [[Determinator|Unlosing Ranger]] vs. [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast|Darkdeath Evilman]].
* [[Extreme Omnivore]]: Certain abilities allow one to eat Organic Equipment, Inorganic Equipment, or Money.
** There are pieces of equipment anyone can eat; like Mermaid equipment (except for the Head), Harpy Legs, Hovering Cloud, and Appetite Engine.
** The Death Corgi is an example of this. It will wander around eating every item in sight, leaving behind "Leftover Scraps" on each square. The Leftover Scraps are edible (for a paltry 5 EN each), but strangely enough, they're still left behind even if the item in question wasn't edible to begin with.
* [[Expy]]: Choco is our silent protagonist's little sister who has brown hair and [[Girlish Pigtails]] and is voiced by [[Karen Strassman]]. [[Persona 4|Now where else have I seen that combination?]]
** Pirohiko. Aside from having brown hair and eyes instead of respectively blue and red, is undeniably a flat-out expy of Kamina. With his fiery and optimistic persona, his mentoring of a younger  {{spoiler|seemingly}} fail filled guy as his successor, he can be considered [[Recycled in Space|Kamina reincarnated as a Super Hero Otaku!]].  {{spoiler|And further, being motivated by feelings of failure and weakness.}}
* [[Final Battle]]: The entire game is essentially one massive final battle, although the hero has the opportunity to level grind in another dimension after getting his ass kicked.
* [[Foreshadowing]] / [[Red Herring]]:  {{spoiler|If you pay attention, you see who is cosplaying what in the cutscenes. In addition, Pirohiko's Bizarro version is a Cadaver. You know, that monster that [[Only Mostly Dead|comes back to life a few turns after you kill it?]]}}
**  {{spoiler|If you were paying attention, you'll notice that Darkdeath Evilman begs the Unlosing Ranger to run away when <s>he</s> his malfunctioning suit starts blowing up cities -- in his real voice.}}
* [[Five-Man Band]]: The heroes {{spoiler|plus [[Heel Face Turn|Darkdeath Evilman]]}} may have become this at the end.
** [[The Hero]]: The main character
** [[The Lancer]]: Dangerama
** [[The Big Guy]]: Pirohiko
** [[The Smart Guy]]: {{spoiler|Darkdeath Evilman}}
** [[The Chick]]: Etranger
* [[Fog Feet]]: There's an item that replaces the main character's legs with a cloud.
* [[Gag Boobs]]: [[Cross Dresser|You can equip them.]] And when an enemy uses that item to invoke [[Wouldn't Hit a Girl]], it leads to a [[Crowning Moment of Funny]].
{{quote| '''Pirohiko:''' Those tits are fake! You got the equipment made for men dangling between your legs! Tripod Ranger!}}
* [[Genre Savvy]]: Taken [[Beyond the Impossible]] for a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]]. {{spoiler|The final boss attacking Earth has fired blasts of energy all across the globe, destroying entire cities...that have already been evacuated, because they know that those cities are always attacked in movies. Not a single person is killed.}}
** Both Etranger and Pirohiko are [[Genre Savvy]], just of different subgenres -- Pirohiko is an idealist, Etranger is extremely cynical. Etranger usually plays as a foil to Pirohiko, who, while stupid, is usually morally right.
*** Except when he's using his "hero lessons" to justify things like complaining about his parents finding his [[Porn Stash]].
* [[Genre Shift]]: This is a [[Roguelike]] with some elements from ''[[Disgaea]]'' as opposed to an outright SRPG.
* [[Goo-Goo Godlike]]: Super Baby, the only person on Earth that stands between Darkdeath Evilman and [[The End of the World as We Know It]]. The only reason why the Super Baby needs rescuing is because she doesn't know any attacks yet.
* [[Gratuitous Japanese]]: The "[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CS1NWxIRWuE Stereotypical Asian]" version of the theme song is mostly composed of random Japanese words.
* [[Guide Dang It]]: There's no indication that you could pick up the rotating mirrors and the statues in chapter 4, other than the color of their dots on the minimap.
** There is also no indication that you had to throw the rocks into the boss' nostrils in chapter 8 to make it vulnerable.
** There's also no mention of the existennce of Unlosing Weapons. Anywhere. Not even a hint. There's apparently one for every weapon type, (Unlosing Sword, Unlosing Gun, Unlosing Wand...etc). The only reliable info is that they become findable "somewhere post-lvel 30" of the Mastery Dungeon)
* [[Happily Married]]:  {{spoiler|Medea Lass and Prince Geo in the true ending.}}
* [[Head-Tiltingly Kinky]]: The [[Dumb Blonde]] couple. When Mana's water breaks she says that it "hurts worse than a pineapple."
* [[Heroic Mime]]: You.
** In the end of the game even Dangerama asks, "Can he even talk?"
*** This can result in [[Alternate Character Interpretation]]. Just what ''is'' his personality? Why is he [[The Determinator]]? Is it Justice, Simplicity, Desperation, Stoicism? Given how many times he has [[Sweat Drop]] due to the people around him, he may be a [[Deadpan Snarker]] who actually keeps his mouth shut. Even Pirohiko comments on how he can't comprehend what drives him.
**** [http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=144433212269554&set=a.142942432418632.24292.142905722422303&theater This is supported by] [[All There in the Manual|a few ZHP-themed comics featured in Prinny Bomb and on NISA's Facebook page, one questioning why Pirohiko became roadkill even though he claims the suit makes the protagonist invincible.]]
***** Like [[Soul Nomad and The World Eaters|Revya]] in [[Disgaea 3 Absence of Justice]], when the Unlosing Ranger is a cameo in [[Phantom Brave|Phantom Brave: Hermuda Triangle]], he does not say anything.
*  {{spoiler|[[Heroic Sacrifice]]: The previous Unlosing Ranger took the bullet for the rookie cop Pirohiko, and passed his belt on to him. This was the same incident as the main character's kidnapping.}}
** Also, {{spoiler|the protagonist supposedly pulls this off in the end, personally flying a self-destructing Giga Giant Darkdeath Evilman into the sun. He makes it back in one piece, though.}}
* [[The Hero Dies]]: How the plot is kicked off. The original Unlosing Ranger is [[Look Both Ways|hit by a runaway car.]]
* [[Hidden Depths]]: 
** Etranger:  {{spoiler|Is really a psychic manifestation of Super Baby; and is both cynical and naive because of her age; and the things her mother has told her about humanity and herself.}}
** Pirohiko:  {{spoiler|Serious case of [[Survivor Guilt]] since the previous Unlosing Ranger died to protect him. Half of the time deeply in denial about his human failings, and half of the time aware of knowing what a hero should be; and ashamed that he couldn't be it.}}
** The Main Character:  {{spoiler|Not a case of [[You Suck]]; he has always been a badass that nobody recognized, nobody gave a chance.}}
** Dangerama:  {{spoiler|Had to choose between [[Sadistic Choice|his wife or a lot of innocent people dying.]] He saved the people.}} He wasn't the same since.
** Darkdeath Evilman:  {{spoiler|Not a [[Omnicidal Maniac]], in reality a super intelligent 8 year old boy attempting [[Suicide by Cop|Suicide By Hero]]. Seeing the Unlosing Ranger fail in doing so sends him past the [[Despair Event Horizon]].}}
* [[Hopeless Boss Fight]]: The eponymous fight against the "last boss", Darkdeath Evilman, which is repeated at the end of every chapter. It gets progressively less hopeless each time, until it reaches the point where you can't ''lose''.
** In [[New Game+]], they're not Hopeless, as if you continue to attack, the last turn will be a random [[Critical Hit]] for 999 damage, instantly defeating the boss -- if you want to continue the game as normal, you must hit "flee" the last turn before you lose. Unfortuantely, winning these hopeless battles causes one of the various Bad [[Multiple Endings]], due to the various psychological problems with the other characters not being solved.  {{spoiler|To say nothing about poor Darkdeath.}}
* [[Hyperactive Metabolism]]: You have 100 EN. It's not enough -- it goes down constantly, attacking causes it to go down (dual wielding causes it to downright ''plummet''), and it's also used as mana for your special attacks. Several items restore it, some items play with it, etc etc.
* [[I'm Dying, Please Take My MacGuffin]]: Played straight.  {{spoiler|Until Chapter X, wherein Pirohiko ''buys a second [[MacGuffin]].'' A cheap knockoff, at that!}}
* [[Important Haircut]]:  {{spoiler|The nameless hero gains one from pure [[Heroic Spirit]] when he learns the special attack "120% Determination", even going so far as to change his portrait in game. This marks the point where he goes from being insulted by just about everyone -- "The Unlosing Ranger (Temp)", "The Fake Unlosing Ranger", etc. -- to actually gaining some respect.}}
* [[Informed Equipment]]: Averted. One of the game's selling points is that everything you equip will visibly change your appearance, to the point where [[Rainbow Pimp Gear|you'll look ridiculous]] very early on. This applies to enemies too.
* [[Jerkass]]/{{spoiler|[[Jerkass Woobie]]}}/[[Jerk with a Heart of Gold]]: Etranger goes through all three of these.
* [[Karma Houdini]]:  {{spoiler|Again, the protagonist's entire family. How do you say "sorry" for ''eight years of emotional abuse,'' triggered by something that ''wasn't even his fault?'' Level-9's "happy ending" rings hollow in the face of the hell the protagonist's family put him through.}}
**  {{spoiler|Though to be fair, Choco did undergo [[Trauma-Induced Amnesia]] during the whole kiddnapping thing, so she doesn't remember that it was her [[Player Character|big bro]] that saved her. All that she does know is that her parents are sniping at each other because of something he did, so she begins to think that its his fault. YMMV, but she may not be as much to blame. The [[Jerkass|parents]], on the other hand...}} 
***  {{spoiler|at least the dad gets his lunch forcefully donated to the main character in case he gets hungry in the ending}}
* [[Kill Sat]]: You can get this as a facility after triggering a [[Kill Sat]] trap in a dungeon
** [[Awesome Yet Impractical]]: yet, there's really no absolute need for it.
* [[Large Ham]]: Pirohiko. [[Mad Libs Catchphrase|Hammy Ranger!]]
* [[Lawyer-Friendly Cameo]]: [[Shakugan no Shana|Shana]], [[Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan|Dokuro]], [[Spice and Wolf|Horo]], [[Toradora!|Taiga]], [[Kino no Tabi|Kino]], [[Gakuen Kino|Kino]], [[To Aru Majutsu no Index|Index]], [[Ore no Imouto ga Konna ni Kawaii Wake ga Nai|Kirino]], [[Baccano|Firo]], [[Durarara|Celty]], [[Nogizaka Haruka no Himitsu|Haruka]], [[Boogiepop Phantom|Touka]], [[Inukami!|Yoko]], [[Accel World|Silver Crow]], and [[Asura Cryin|the Science Club President]] among other anime characters will be appearing in the game. 
** [[Hilarious in Hindsight|Funny]] considering [[Nippon Ichi|NIS America]] now owns the license to the ''[[Toradora!]]'' anime in North America. They may be trying for the others, which all share the same publisher in Japan.
* {{spoiler|[[Legacy Immortality]]: The Absolute Victory Unlosing Ranger is believed to be immortal because they would continually pass the transformation belt on when the current one died. In fact, it's practically tradition to [[Take Up My Sword|hand the transformation belt to a random passerby]] that just happens to be in the area when they're dying.}}
* [[Level Grinding]]: Wouldn't be a N1 game without it. This one has the bonus effect of having [[Restart At Level One]] as a gameplay mechanic, however. The trailer even ''brags'' about it. "The most soul crushing grindfest EVER!" However, in the late game Item Synthesis and Shadowgram optimization are more important than levels.
* [[Long Title]]: Even with the "Zettai Hero Project" bit reduced to an initialism it's still a mouthful.
* [[Love Makes You Crazy]]: The fourth boss, Bizarro Geo, becomes increasingly desperate when Bizarro Medeia flatly turns down his cries for affection, resorting to spawning multiple enemies called "Overflowing Love" to drive his point home.
* [[Mad Libs Catchphrase]]: Pirohiko sometimes ends a statement with "[Noun/Adjective] Ranger!" or, if the opportunity presents itself, something that sounds like [[Calling Your Attacks|an attack name]]. Bondage Ranger!
* [[Mega Manning]]/[[Powers as Programs]]: The Super Suit can be equipped with parts scalped off of enemies. And...[[Improbable Weapon User|anything]]...[[Crazy Awesome|yeah Anything.]] [[Beyond the Impossible|ANYyyyyythiiiing]]
** [[This Is a Drill|Drills!]] [[Tank Goodness|Tanks!]] [[Gatling Good|Gatling Guns!]] [[Disgaea|Prinny Hats!]] [[Improbable Weapon User|Claw Grabbers!]] [[When All You Have Is a Hammer|Hammer Arms!]] [[Noble Demon|Devil Masks! Devil Tails!]] [[Samurai|Samurai Wigs!]] [[RoboCop|Robot Cops!]] [[Catgirl|Cat Ears!]] [[Fishing Minigame|Fishing Rods!]] [[Cooking Duel|Woks!]] And Sexy Jiggly Boobs! And this is just from the trailer.
** One of the examples on the website has the hero with cat ears, angel wings, a huge 3' long "dagger", a Cthulhu arm, and his legs replaced with a kotatsu with a catgirl poking her head out of it.
** The cameo dungeons are ''filled'' with random bits and pieces from their respective games and shows, as well. In addition, they count as Rank 6 items -- which means they're expensive to repair, but can be leveled up to absurd power
* [[Metal Slime]]: Metal Cacti.  {{spoiler|They completely fill up the "Makai Wars" stage; only unlocked when you beat all the Dengeki stages.}}
* [[Mood Whiplash]]: Very often. The ending is especially guilty of this. {{spoiler|The heroes chase after the self-destructing Darkdeath Evilman to save him, at which point, he finally agrees to believe in heroes and begs to be saved. This is followed up with Pirohiko, Dangerama, and Etranger taking turns trying to push Darkdeath Evilman's robotic exoskeleton into the sun with all of them snapping at each other for failing until Darkdeath Evilman tells them that the smart thing to do is for them to push it together. Then, the main character gains the strength to push it by himself and sacrifice his life in process.}} 
* [[Motivation on a Stick]]: The Appetite Engine accessory is a carrot on a stick worn on the player's head. It reduces EN consumption by 50% while equipped, and can be eaten to restore EN in a pinch.
* [[Multiple Endings]]: 18 of them, but only the 'normal' ending can be obtained outside of a [[New Game+]]. Similar to ''[[Chrono Trigger]]'', most of them are determined by exactly when you defeat the [[Final Boss]].
* [[My Death Is Just the Beginning]]: A rare heroic version. Disgaea's reincarnate system makes a return. In addition, ''you can't not trigger it.'' The plus side is this means that even as you lose you get stronger. The minus side is this means they've basically shot the difficulty up to 11.
* [[Names to Run Away From Really Fast]]: Darkdeath Evilman.
** {{spoiler|Oh, and he eventually becomes [[It Got Worse|Giant Darkdeath Evilman]].}}
*** {{spoiler|And just in case that's still not enough, how about [[Oh Crap|Giga Giant Darkdeath Evilman]]?}}
**** {{spoiler|Despite the name, however, he turns out to not be [[Obviously Evil]].}}
* [[New Game+]]: It's a NIS game, of course it has this. However, unlike ''[[Disgaea 3 Absence of Justice]]'', this one is mandatory -- you don't get a chance to avoid progressing to the [[New Game+]] mode if you beat the last boss.
* [[Nice Job Breaking It, Hero]]: Played completely straight when Etranger  {{spoiler|uses her powers to make Darkdeath a ''giant'' -- in a [[Shout-Out]] to [[Mighty Morphing Power Rangers]] -- in order to prevent a rival hero from saving the day. Then it doesn't wear off, making Darkdeath an infinitely worse danger than before. Er, whoops.}} 
* [[Nintendo Hard]]: Considered by far and away [[Nippon Ichi]]'s [[Beyond the Impossible|hardest and ''grindiest'']] game ''ever.'' [[Oh Crap|This is saying something.]]
** Especially due to [[Boss Dissonance]]: The normal dungeons aren't TOO bad. Then you get to a Level 600 boss...For the FIRST bonus Dungeon. 
* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: [[Barack Obama|45th American President "Brick Oldllama"?]]
** She looks more like Condoleezza Rice.
* [[Noodle Incident]]: Nao's past.  {{spoiler|She was apparently in love with the Unlosing Ranger who Pirohiko replaced, but this is never fully explained.}}
* [[No Fourth Wall]]: Etranger gets really upset when she discovers a fourth wall (which she actually calls by name) breaking joke earlier actually had a purpose:  {{spoiler|Since the main character's home life is so horrible, he can't fully understand love, which hinders his power as a superhero.}}
* [[Nuclear Weapons Taboo]]: Completely and utterly avoided, when Oldllama  {{spoiler|gives up on the Unlosing Ranger, deciding to nuke Japan rather than face Darkdeath Evilman.}} Then she backs out of it, after  {{spoiler|you fix her mind, making her realize that sacrificing an entire country is a cowardly thing to do.}} Then while practicing her apology she  {{spoiler|bows, headbutting the freakin' launch button.}} All combined with a heavy handed political message about Japan's subservience to America, America's [[Eagle Land]] persona, etc etc etc. ''What. The. Hell.''
** It does lead to a CMOA (the first for the new Unlosing Ranger) when he  {{spoiler|punches the goddamned nuke away literally as it hits him. He punches it STRAIGHT TO THE SUN.}}
* [[Number of the Beast]]: Super Baby was born on the 6th hour of the 6th Day of the 6th Month. {{spoiler|[[Makes Sense in Context|Considering that she eventually enlarges the already unbeatable Darkdeath Evilman...]]}}
* [[N-Word Privileges]]: Bizarro Frank objects to being called a "loser underdog" by Etranger because she isn't one.
* [[Obviously Evil]]: Darkdeath '''Evilman.'''  {{spoiler|... Not so much, actually.}}
* [[One Stat to Rule Them All]]: Much like in every other NIS game, you will end up as a [[Glass Cannon]] eventually -- you just can't get enough defense to stand up to later enemy attacks. Amusingly, due to weapons degrading, the only real option for most of the middle game is melee [[Glass Cannon]] -- as you won't have enough blacksmiths to keep a ranged weapon repaired throughout the dungeon crawls.
* [[Pastiche]]: Of [[Sentai]] and [[Toku]] series as well as superhero anime.
* [[Phlebotinum Breakdown]]: Darkdeath Evilman {{spoiler|'s suit malfunctions due to an early attack, which is why he spends most of the game standing around -- he's inside, trying to get the stupid thing fixed.}}
* [[Puzzle Boss]]: (Nearly) every boss has some sort of gimmick that you need to figure out to defeat. And like classic ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' games, this being lost on the player base inflates it's [[Nintendo Hard]] reputation.
* [[Randomly Generated Levels]]: Much like [[Makai Kingdom|Makai Kingdoms]], the entire game is randomly generated, except for boss maps. 
* [[Rank Inflation]]: Every monster (and thus, every item) in the game has a rank -- 1 to 6 stars. Higher rank items can be synthed higher, have different colors, and generally are "more" than their previous versions (both bonuses and negatives are inflated).
* [[Reconstruction]]: While it is a parody, it also is a pretty much by-the-books [[Superhero/Toku|Toku]]/[[Sentai]] series -- it could be animated and shown on TV with no issues whatsoever.
* [[Restart At Level One]]: As is traditional for Console [[Roguelike|Roguelikes]], every time you enter a dungeon, your level is reset to one. The game does keep track of your total level, and your Shadowgram affects both your base stats and level-up rate, meaning that by the end of the game, you're a ''much'' stronger level 1 than before...
* [[Retraux]]: The initial battles against Darkdeath Evilman are shown in an 8-bit style similar to the early ''[[Dragon Quest]]'' games. In-story, this is explained by [[Powers That Be|people "behind the scenes"]] not willing to spend money on the budget for a low-level hero. It goes through 2 different ''[[Final Fantasy|Final Fantasies]]'' and ends with something that looks like ''[[Super Robot Taisen]]''.
* [[Rivals Team Up]]: With Dangerama, though he buys you some time to go learn a [[Combination Attack]] before he'll actually fight with you.
* [[Roguelike]]: Dying is ''mandatory.'' It helps you become stronger.
* [[Sadistic Choice]]:  {{spoiler|In Dangerama's backstory had to choose between his wife or a lot of people. He chose to save the most people; his sanity hasn't been the same since.}}
* [[Save Scumming]]: One way to get what you want from the Caravan if you don't wan't to do multiple runs through a Mastery Dungeon looking for one particular item. Despite the mechanic mentioned below...
* {{spoiler|[[Save the Villain]]}}: It wouldn't be a pastiche of superhero shows if they skipped this one. {{spoiler|This is actually the objective of the Hero Training in the final chapter.}}
* [[Shoplift and Die]]: Ah RosenQueen and it's security force... of an infinite number of max level ''[[Oh Crap|Dragons]]!''.
** Those things are ''better'' than Dragons. They're some kind of [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|fire-breathing cyborg anklysaurus.]]
*** Really, what kind of hero are you? Shoplifting? You deserve it.
** On the bright side, those dragons give you ''tons'' of experience points when you kill them.
* [[Shout-Out]]: TONS! Especially special attacks, it's harder to find one that isn't one.
* [[Spikes of Doom]]: A hidden trap type. However, if you're wearing [[Tank Goodness|tank treads]], you won't get injured by them.
** Every trap has an item (or rather, thanks to the synth system, a item property) that can disable it. Bats can disable log traps, ghost legs disable pitfalls, shields disable arrows, etc. It is impossible to be outright immune to every trap, however, and if the gear is broken, your skills (and thus, your immunity) is lost.
* [[Supporting Protagonist]]: The main character is the hero and does all the work, but the story is told between Pirohiko and Etranger's interactions with each other (Pirohiko being [[Genre Savvy]] but a goofball, Etranger being [[Wrong Genre Savvy]] and a spoiled child) -- as well as the reactions to the rest of the cast to Pirohiko and Etranger.
* [[Sweat Drop]]: He doesn't speak much, but the main character symbolically represents his opinion of Etranger and Pirohiko quite a few times.
* [[Take Up My Sword]]: How the [[Player Character]] gets in the fix in the first place.
* [[There Are No Therapists]]: There is, however, the Unlosing Ranger and his uncanny ability to beat the crap out of [[Anthropomorphic Personification|Anthropomorphic Personifications]] of [[The Heartless|insanity, despair, fear, and loneliness]].
* [[The Hero]]: The game explores what it means to truly be one.
* [[The Messiah]]: According to Pirohiko's philosophy, a true hero is a combination of this, [[Warrior Therapist]], and [[Kung Fu Jesus]].
* [[The Paragon]]: The main character ends up as one.
* [[The Power of Love]]: Earned by the Unlosing Ranger as one of the qualifications of being a hero. He was able to demonstrate the selflessness and purity of love to Bizzaro Geo. {{spoiler|His understanding of love is still incomplete however because of his abusive home life. Familial love is what powers him up into the True Unlosing Ranger.}}
* [[The Power of Trust]]: {{spoiler|By the end of the game The Unlosing Ranger has gained the trust and respect of all his naysayers along with the rest of the world. Their trust in him powers him into The Unlosing Ranger Omega, and grants him his final technique}}
** All the more awesome because in the final battle, it manifests as a Spirit Bomb [[Kamen Rider|RIDER KICK]]
* [[Too Awesome to Use]]: Due to the mechanics of the game nearly EVERY ITEM YOU CAN GET. Not only does using their abilities usually cost high EN. But they wear down quickly, meaning you have to realy work hard to mod your favorite items to make it so they don't wear out before you complete/escape a dungeon.
** Played with however, in that thanks to it's Roguelike nature, you begin to see items as ultimately disposable in the beginning. However, when you reach the endgame, modding items and item insurance unlock their true potential.
*** The "Space Police" facility also helps out a lot with this. It allows you to beam full sets of equipment directly into the dungeon for Emergency Morphing, which means you can assign your best gear to a morph, then slog through the dungeon with disposable crap, only calling in your good stuff when you really need it.
* [[Took a Level In Badass|Grinding Levels In Badass]]: The entire game is this for the Unlosing Ranger. In a single day he goes from a useless, spineless bystander, to  {{spoiler|saving the world and <s> beating</s> saving the last boss against all odds.}}
* [[Tragic Villain]]: Most of the Bizzaro Earth bosses.  {{spoiler|Darkdeath Evilman gets a special mention here -- he was a super genius kid who was kidnapped by an evil organization, and prayed for a hero to save him. [[The Woobie|No one did.]]}}
* [[Tsundere]]: Etranger
* [[Unlucky Everydude]]: The Main Character.
* [[Variable Mix]]: The music in the Mastery Caves change by section based on your equipment. The variations include: Default (No Gear and Unlosing Cape), Hero (???), Sexy Witch (Oddly enough, Fluffy Tail counts as this..., else something a Magical Girl would use), 8-Bit ("classic" items like Daggers and Longswords), Junk (Random parts), Super Robot (Super Robot Mainstays such as Tank Treads and Rocket Punch), Euro/American View ("Steriotypical" equipment), Dark Hero ("Villinous" stuff like the Dark Mask), Animal ("Beastrial" gear), and Last Boss ( {{spoiler|Darkdevil Evilman's Gear}})... yeash!
* [[Verbal Tic]]: The goons at WHS end their sentences with "kikii".
* [[Wham! Episode]]: Arguably, Chapter 9-  {{spoiler|That family you've been seeing in the montage sequences? Turns out that the main character is the son that they keep complaining about. You also learn that you and your sister were kidnapped as small children, and were saved by the Unlosing Ranger- who wasn't Pirohiko back then. At the time, Pirohiko was simply a policeman- he became the Unlosing Ranger shortly after the incident, as the previous one was mortally wounded while saving you -- by the same serial killer that the then quite normal 8 year old main character was successfully [[You Shall Not Pass|You Shall Not Passing]] away from his little sister.}}
** If not that, DEFINITELY Chapter X.  {{spoiler|Darkdeath Evilman? Not the giant wolf-thing. Darkdeath is the little suicidal 7 year old kid inside it, who is attempting [[Suicide by Cop|Suicide By Hero]].}}
* [[What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?]]: Super Baby is foretold to be the world's savior, but her superpowers seem limited to self-levitation, self-protection, and  {{spoiler|''[[Make My Monster Grow|turning the enemy into a giant]]''}}. Attempts to get her to do anything ''useful'' end up running into lame excuses.  {{spoiler|Eventually subverted, as Etranger becomes capable of teleporting herself and others as well as telekinesis - not to mention giving her physical form a permanent age-up into a teenager.}}
**  {{spoiler|in fact, she is the one who helps you guys save the world at the end of the game...}}
* [[Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?]]: Getting killed by a monster will give you a phobia of that kind of monster. As long as you have the phobia, you'll take extra damage from them. However, only one phobia can be set at a time, and if you manage to defeat enough of the offending enemy, you'll beat your phobia and gain an EXP bonus from that monster species instead. This effect ''stacks,'' so phobias can actually work in your favor in the long run.
* [[Wizard Needs Food Badly]]: All Special Attacks take up EN, you lose EN (for the most part) over time and if you run out, better chow down some meat or else you'll starve... some dungeons seem to be more generous then others though ("Dengeki: Kino's Journey" is an example of why you should use Specials with care: Unless your Facilties are upgraded, food items are very scarce!)
* [[Wouldn't Hit a Girl]]: During the final world, the 'troublemaker hero' attempts to invoke it directly before a mid-boss battle on the 8th floor while attempting to convince {{spoiler|Bizarro Darkdeath Evilman}} that you're not a hero. By the way, [[Crowning Moment of Funny|the troublemaker hero is male, you have known he's male for several chapters, and he doesn't even fake a female voice very well. And to top it off, Pirohiko helpfully offers you the same 'Plump Bosom' equipment that the troublemaker hero is using as a helpful loophole.]]
**  {{spoiler|You can of course say no... but he gives it to you anyway.}}
* [[X Meets Y]]: [[Nethack]] [[X Meets Y|meets]] [[Disgaea]].
* [[Your Princess Is in Another Castle]]: Think you can beat Darkdeath Evilman just yet? Not before  {{spoiler|Etranger transforms him into Giant Darkdeath Evilman.}} How about now, when you have {{spoiler|Dangerama working alongside you with a badass team attack?}} {{spoiler|Not so fast, bucko! He becomes Giga Giant Darkdeath Evilman after that.}} All in all, you fight him a total of {{spoiler|''13 times.''}}
* [[You Suck]]: ''Viciously'' [[Deconstructed]]. {{spoiler|As you play through the game, it becomes quite clear that the "helpless [[Otaku]]" protagonist is [[Badass|really]] [[Determinator|doing]] [[Iron Woobie|nothing]] to deserve his reputation as a wimp. Eventually, it's revealed that his [[Abusive Parents]] used him as a scapegoat for all their problems, stifling his development in the process. He probably would have been a good candidate for the Unlosing Ranger under normal circumstances were it not for nobody trusting him to not screw things up.}}

{{reflist}}
[[Category:Eastern RPG]]
[[Category:Zettai Hero Kaizou Keikaku]]
[[Category:Video Game]]
[[Category:Nippon Ichi]]