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Now a disambiguation page, and Inconsistent Spelling fits better anyway.
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* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: "Welcome to the _____". Additionally, the titles are shown at the ''end'' of the episode, where they have gained greater significance.
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* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: The anime's episode titles follow a pattern of "Welcome to the _____". Additionally, the titles are shown at the ''end'' of the episode, where they have gained greater significance.significance.
* InconsistentSpelling: Once again, the Japanese "long-o" rears its ugly head, and each incarnation of the series in English treats it differently:
** The manga spells it "Satou", and keeps names in Eastern Order (i.e. "Satou Tatsuhiro")
** The novel spells it "Sato", but flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Sato")
** The anime spells it "Satou", and flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Satou")
* InconsistentSpelling: Once again, the Japanese "long-o" rears its ugly head, and each incarnation of the series in English treats it differently:
** The manga spells it "Satou", and keeps names in Eastern Order (i.e. "Satou Tatsuhiro")
** The novel spells it "Sato", but flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Sato")
** The anime spells it "Satou", and flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Satou")
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* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Once again, the Japanese "long-o" rears its ugly head, and each incarnation of the series in English treats it differently:
** The manga spells it "Satou", and keeps names in Eastern Order (i.e. "Satou Tatsuhiro")
** The novel spells it "Sato", but flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Sato")
** The anime spells it "Satou", and flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Satou")
** The manga spells it "Satou", and keeps names in Eastern Order (i.e. "Satou Tatsuhiro")
** The novel spells it "Sato", but flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Sato")
** The anime spells it "Satou", and flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Satou")
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* ShowWithinAShow: The anime adaptation has ''Puru Puru Pururin'', a MagicalGirl anime that Yamazaki is obsessed with and Satou is implied to believe is being used by the NHK to control the masses. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg8Jahz6RM4 A real opening theme]] and a (now defunct) website were made for the show despite its fictional nature. In the original novel, Yamazaki is obsessed with the real anime ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' instead.
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* ShowWithinAShow: The anime adaptation has ''Puru Puru Pururin'', a MagicalGirl anime that Yamazaki is obsessed with and Satou is implied to believe believes is being used by the NHK to control the masses. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg8Jahz6RM4 A real opening theme]] and a (now defunct) website were made for the show despite its fictional nature. In the original novel, Yamazaki is obsessed with the real anime ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' instead.
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* ShowWithinAShow: The anime adaptation has ''Puru Puru Pururin'', a MagicalGirl anime that Yamazaki is obsessed with and Satou is implied to believe is being used by the NHK to control the masses. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg8Jahz6RM4 A real OP]] was made for the show despite its fictional nature. In the original novel, Yamazaki is obsessed with the real anime ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' instead.
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* ShowWithinAShow: The anime adaptation has ''Puru Puru Pururin'', a MagicalGirl anime that Yamazaki is obsessed with and Satou is implied to believe is being used by the NHK to control the masses. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg8Jahz6RM4 A real OP]] was opening theme]] and a (now defunct) website were made for the show despite its fictional nature. In the original novel, Yamazaki is obsessed with the real anime ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' instead.
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* ConspiracyTheorist: Hitomi Kashiwa, Satou's [[SenpaiKohai sempai]] from High School. Satou himself takes it from her afterwards.
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* ConspiracyTheorist: Hitomi Kashiwa, Satou's [[SenpaiKohai sempai]] [[UsefulNotes/JapaneseHonorifics senpai]] from High School.high school. Satou himself takes it from her afterwards.
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* ShowWithinAShow: The anime adaptation has ''Puru Puru Pururin'', a MagicalGirl show that Yamazaki is obsessed with and is implied to believe is controlled by the NHK. In the original novel, he's obsessed with the real anime ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' instead.
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* ShowWithinAShow: The anime adaptation has ''Puru Puru Pururin'', a MagicalGirl show anime that Yamazaki is obsessed with and Satou is implied to believe is controlled being used by the NHK. NHK to control the masses. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tg8Jahz6RM4 A real OP]] was made for the show despite its fictional nature. In the original novel, he's Yamazaki is obsessed with the real anime ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' instead.
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Senpai Kohai is the name of the trope
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* ConspiracyTheorist: Hitomi Kashiwa, Satou's [[SempaiKohai sempai]] from High School. Satou himself takes it from her afterwards.
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* ConspiracyTheorist: Hitomi Kashiwa, Satou's [[SempaiKohai [[SenpaiKohai sempai]] from High School. Satou himself takes it from her afterwards.
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** Satou has a poster on his wall for a movie called ''Bakayaro 6'', of the American indie flick ''Film/BuffaloSixtySix''. In {{homage}} to ''Buffalo '66'', Satou has Misaki pretend to be his significant other when he meets his mom.
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** Satou has a poster on his wall for a movie called ''Bakayaro 6'', of the American indie flick ''Film/BuffaloSixtySix''.''Film/Buffalo66''. In {{homage}} to ''Buffalo '66'', Satou has Misaki pretend to be his significant other when he meets his mom.
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Larger version of the page image.
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[[quoteright:224:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/welcome_to_the_nhk_179.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:224:''[[ArcWords "It's a conspiracy!"]]'']]
[[caption-width-right:224:''[[ArcWords "It's a conspiracy!"]]'']]
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[[caption-width-right:224:''[[ArcWords
[[caption-width-right:350:''[[ArcWords "It's a conspiracy!"]]'']]
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** In the novel, Yamazaki is obsessed with ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' (in the anime, the references to ''Doremi'' are replaced with the ShowWithinAShow ''Puru Puru Pururin'').
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* ShowWithinAShow: ''Pururin''
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* ShowWithinAShow: ''Pururin''The anime adaptation has ''Puru Puru Pururin'', a MagicalGirl show that Yamazaki is obsessed with and is implied to believe is controlled by the NHK. In the original novel, he's obsessed with the real anime ''Anime/OjamajoDoremi'' instead.
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Up To Eleven is a defunct trope
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* UpToEleven: [[spoiler:Megumi's brother]] is a much more extreme hikikomori then any one of the main cast, to a creepy level.
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** Chapter 5 of the novel is titled "Humbert Humbert", a reference to the main character of the Vladimir Nabokov novel {{Literature/Lolita.}}
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** Chapter 5 of the novel is titled "Humbert Humbert", a reference to the main character of the Vladimir Nabokov novel {{Literature/Lolita.}}{{Literature/Lolita}}.
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** Chapter 5 of the novel is titled "Humbert Humbert", a reference to the main character of the Vladimir Nabokov novel {{Literature/Lolita.}}
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''Welcome to the N.H.K.'' is an odd, darkly comic series about an anxiety-ridden {{hikikomori}} named Satou, struggling against his persistent delusion that he is being forced to be a hikikomori by a conspiracy called the N.H.K., until one day, when a girl by the name of Misaki comes out of the blue, insisting on helping Satou rid himself of his "hikikomori ways". The plot then follows Satou's many attempts (and repeated failures) to overcome his crippling anxiety. It's dark, it's funny, and even heartwarming at the most unexpected times.
The novel, {{manga}}, and {{anime}} are each rather different in both story and themes. The anime and manga follow essentially the same plot until the manga's divergence from the novel, leading to its own, separate conclusion. The novel tends to be somewhat darker, focusing more on the characters' issues and less on the love story, which is essentially the focus of the anime, with the manga somewhere in between. There are significant differences in the specific way some events happen in the anime and manga, even when they're otherwise almost identical, which tends to bring out the change in tone. Many events of the novel (the fight scene, the visit to the church) never occur in the anime or manga, and vice versa (the "summer vacation", the entire second half of the manga).
The novel, {{manga}}, and {{anime}} are each rather different in both story and themes. The anime and manga follow essentially the same plot until the manga's divergence from the novel, leading to its own, separate conclusion. The novel tends to be somewhat darker, focusing more on the characters' issues and less on the love story, which is essentially the focus of the anime, with the manga somewhere in between. There are significant differences in the specific way some events happen in the anime and manga, even when they're otherwise almost identical, which tends to bring out the change in tone. Many events of the novel (the fight scene, the visit to the church) never occur in the anime or manga, and vice versa (the "summer vacation", the entire second half of the manga).
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''Welcome to the N.H.K.'' is an odd, darkly comic series story about an anxiety-ridden {{hikikomori}} named Satou, struggling against his persistent delusion that he is being forced to be a hikikomori by a conspiracy called the N.H.K., until one day, when a girl by the name of Misaki comes out of the blue, insisting on helping Satou rid himself of his "hikikomori ways". The plot then follows Satou's many attempts (and repeated failures) to overcome his crippling anxiety. It's dark, it's funny, and even heartwarming at the most unexpected times.
Originally a novel written by Tatsuhiko Takimoto with illustrations by Creator/YoshitoshiAbe and first published in 2002, it has been adapted to both a manga and an anime. The novel, {{manga}}, and {{anime}} are each rather different in both story and themes. The anime and manga follow essentially the same plot until the manga's divergence from the novel, leading to its own, separate conclusion. The novel tends to be somewhat darker, focusing more on the characters' issues and less on the love story, which is essentially the focus of the anime, with the manga somewhere in between. There are significant differences in the specific way some events happen in the anime and manga, even when they're otherwise almost identical, which tends to bring out the change in tone. Many events of the novel (the fight scene, the visit to the church) never occur in the anime or manga, and vice versa (the "summer vacation", the entire second half of the manga).
Originally a novel written by Tatsuhiko Takimoto with illustrations by Creator/YoshitoshiAbe and first published in 2002, it has been adapted to both a manga and an anime. The novel, {{manga}}, and {{anime}} are each rather different in both story and themes. The anime and manga follow essentially the same plot until the manga's divergence from the novel, leading to its own, separate conclusion. The novel tends to be somewhat darker, focusing more on the characters' issues and less on the love story, which is essentially the focus of the anime, with the manga somewhere in between. There are significant differences in the specific way some events happen in the anime and manga, even when they're otherwise almost identical, which tends to bring out the change in tone. Many events of the novel (the fight scene, the visit to the church) never occur in the anime or manga, and vice versa (the "summer vacation", the entire second half of the manga).
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* AdultFear: If you're even remotely of the slacker persuasion and you're the same age as Satou, seeing his ImagineSpot of him at 50 years old (fat, lonely, self-loathing, completely immersed in otaku culture, unable to function 'outside' and eventually homeless with no friends or family) is ''horrifying''.
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* FutureLoser: If you're even remotely of the slacker persuasion and you're the same age as Satou, seeing his ImagineSpot of him at 50 years old (fat, lonely, self-loathing, completely immersed in otaku culture, unable to function 'outside' and eventually homeless with no friends or family) is ''horrifying''.
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* HardTruthAesop: [[spoiler: Satou's NEET lifestyle is only stopped once his parents stop sending him money, not because of the support of anyone else. While his friends ''do'' help with preparing him to be an adult, the series makes it an important point that positive changes in life are not always voluntarily acquired. Played with in that Satou's friendships make it far easier to grapple with the realities of having a job and being in the outside world, with the possibility that he would have completely shut down and actually killed himself if he didn't have things to live for.]]
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[[quoteright:224:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/welcome_to_the_nhk_179.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:224:''[[ArcWords "It's a conspiracy!"]]'']]
->''"Being alone is best. I mean, it’s true, isn’t it? In the end you’ll be absolutely alone; therefore, being alone is natural. If you accept that, nothing bad can happen. That’s why I shut myself away in my six-mat one-room apartment."''
-->-- '''Tatsuhiro Satou'''
''Welcome to the N.H.K.'' is an odd, darkly comic series about an anxiety-ridden {{hikikomori}} named Satou, struggling against his persistent delusion that he is being forced to be a hikikomori by a conspiracy called the N.H.K., until one day, when a girl by the name of Misaki comes out of the blue, insisting on helping Satou rid himself of his "hikikomori ways". The plot then follows Satou's many attempts (and repeated failures) to overcome his crippling anxiety. It's dark, it's funny, and even heartwarming at the most unexpected times.
The novel, {{manga}}, and {{anime}} are each rather different in both story and themes. The anime and manga follow essentially the same plot until the manga's divergence from the novel, leading to its own, separate conclusion. The novel tends to be somewhat darker, focusing more on the characters' issues and less on the love story, which is essentially the focus of the anime, with the manga somewhere in between. There are significant differences in the specific way some events happen in the anime and manga, even when they're otherwise almost identical, which tends to bring out the change in tone. Many events of the novel (the fight scene, the visit to the church) never occur in the anime or manga, and vice versa (the "summer vacation", the entire second half of the manga).
The name of the main character, Tatsuhiro Satou, might be a play on the names of the original creator and his friend: Tatsuhiko Takimoto and Yuuya Satou. The N.H.K. novel eventually made Tatsuhiko Takimoto one of the pioneers of the post-Murakami literature movement in Japan.
The manga and original novel were licensed and translated into English by Creator/{{Tokyopop}}, but have since gone out of print with the shuttering of the company. The anime was originally licensed (and entirely dubbed) by Creator/ADVFilms, but they lost the license partway through release to Creator/FUNimation, who currently hold the series. If you're in the USA, you can watch it for free on [[http://www.funimation.com/welcome-to-the-n-h-k Funimation's website]].
----
!!Tropes:
* AbusiveParent: [[spoiler:Misaki]] is revealed to have an abusive stepdad after her original dad died when she was a baby. The abuse led to her mother committing suicide by falling off a cliff. He would also physically and verbally abuse her.
* AcquaintedInRealLife: Darkly played with. When Satou becomes obsessed with an MMORPG he stops working with Kaoru on their game. He then meets an incredible, sweet, fun player with a Catgirl avatar whom he quickly develops a crush on. He refuses to listen to anyone who tries to stop him from obsessing over this player's character. Then one day the character says she's coming to visit him, and Kaoru walks through the door with his computer, revealing that he was just trying to teach Satou a lesson and get him to start making the game with him again.
* AdultFear: If you're even remotely of the slacker persuasion and you're the same age as Satou, seeing his ImagineSpot of him at 50 years old (fat, lonely, self-loathing, completely immersed in otaku culture, unable to function 'outside' and eventually homeless with no friends or family) is ''horrifying''.
* AllPsychologyIsFreudian: Or at least Misaki thought so for a little while. After the incident below, she switched to Jungian.
* AndTheAdventureContinues: In the manga, Kaoru still wants to continue working on his game with Sato even after dropping out of the school.
* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: In the finale of both the book and the anime, Satou blurts out one of these while [[spoiler:pleading with Misaki not to commit suicide.]] In the series' typical darkly funny fashion, it doesn't even dawn on Satou that he ''means'' it until [[spoiler:he's ready to [[HeroicSacrifice kill himself to convince her not to throw her own life away]]]].
-->'''Satou:''' I like you! I ''love'' you! [[spoiler:Please, don't die!]]
* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: People who work with the mentally ill are trained never to acknowledge or interact with figments of the patient's imagination (e.g., yelling "get out of here" at a schizophrenic's hallucinations) because it further damages their ability to separate fact and fiction. This makes [[spoiler: purposefully inducing paranoid delusions in a damaged person so you can then symbolically destroy them]] a [[AndThatsTerrible pretty bad idea.]]
* AuthorAvatar: Satou. In story, there's a scene where Satou sits in on a game concept development class and writes a VN scenario where a lonely, isolated charcoal burner in the woods falls in love with a forest spirit that completely and implicitly understands him and "never calls him a NEET or hikikomori." In addition to the author himself living as a "hikky" for 4 years, he has revealed in interviews that the success of his work had him "reduced to a NEET, ...living as a parasite on the royalties from this book". He's also said offhand in an interview that really, the only thing that makes Satou and him different is their appearance and name, and that a lot of the events in the book happened to him. He said it gives him cold shakes if he tries reading it, as he can't look upon his protagonist's life objectively.
* BaitAndSwitchCredits: The opening is an upbeat song paired mostly with pastel, brightly lit scenes of women frolicking in the sun.
* BattleAura: Parodied.
* BeachEpisode: Notable for actually being the WhamEpisode of the series.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Essentially the reason Hitomi lets Satou have sex with her on her day of graduation in the novel (and because Satou kinda begged). He was really the only person that paid attention to her after a bad breakup and kept her from suicide.
* BetweenMyLegs: Misaki in episode 3.
* BilingualBonus: "ХУṄ" on Satou's T-shirt is a Russian vulgar word for "dick".
* BlackComedy
* BlandNameProduct: Mindows Operating System, Qoogle search engine, Warlboro cigarettes, Lerox watches, [[Franchise/FinalFantasy Ultimate Fantasy]] and Usahi (and once Ebusu) beer.
* BlankWhiteEyes: Satou and Misaki get these sometimes in the manga.
* BookEnds: That snowy cliff is one of the first scenes shown, as a nightmare of Satou's, along with numerous similarities between the two beyond location where the ending takes place.
* {{Bowdlerise}}: In both the light novel and the manga, Satou uses drugs that he orders from people. In the anime adaptation, he isn't shown using or taking any sort of drugs.
* BreakTheCutie:
** In the anime, [[spoiler:Misaki's]] abusive step-father beat her, and fully convinced her that she's cursed and an utterly worthless person.
** [[spoiler:Hitomi]] has a way of breaking on her own because she is just frail on the inside.
* ButWaitTheresMore: Megumi uses this line on Satou, Misaki and Yamazaki in episode 18 in order to sell them on the dietary supplement/keep Satou in the pyramid scheme.
* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: In the manga: Satou was getting sexually frustrated so he gets naked and yells "Hyper Self-Pleasure Mode!" as he watches porn on multiple monitors.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Parodied. Satou wonders if he has gained any powers from living alone in his apartment like those characters who train alone on mountains. He karate-chops a beer bottle successfully but cuts his hand.
* CerebusSyndrome: The series becomes much more dramatic over the course of episodes, transforming from CringeComedy into a serious drama about entering the adult life.
* ComingOfAgeStory: The series is effectively a really dark one, chronicling Satou's struggles as he tries to go from manchild to functioning adult.
* ConMan: Sagawa, the head of the Mouseroad pyramid scheme. Megumi, as well, at least until she and other members of Mouseroad get arrested.
* ConspiracyTheorist: Hitomi Kashiwa, Satou's [[SempaiKohai sempai]] from High School. Satou himself takes it from her afterwards.
* ConversationalTroping: Happens quite a bit between Satou and Yamazaki while they're working on their "[[HGame gal-game]]".
* CosmicPlaything: Misaki, Satou, and Hitomi believe themselves to be this.
* CringeComedy: Very often, given the subject matter.
* CrossPlayer: [[spoiler:Yamazaki]] during the Ultimate Fantasy arc.
* CurseCutShort: Episode 17 in the English dub, upon Satou realising just what he's walked in to:
-->'''Satou:''' I... am so... fu-- *EyeCatch*
* DarkReprise: A dark version of the Pururin theme song appears when Megumi convinces Satou to join Mouse Road.
* DeepImmersionGaming: The {{MMORPG}} Untimate Fantasy.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Misaki]] goes past it after Satou refuses to be in a relationship with her.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Elena in the Manga when Yamazaki tries to [[spoiler:give her money so she can get a sex change operation.]]
* DudeLooksLikeALady: [[spoiler:Elena in the manga.]]
* DysfunctionJunction
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Misaki's mother, in the anime.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: In Megumi's case, her brother starts to get hungry [[spoiler:after Megumi got arrested, so he begged to work for a local restaurant, finally ending his hikky phase.]] We don't see what happens to them afterwards but it's probably safe to assume both of them will be okay.
* FestivalEpisode: The new years eve celebration.
* {{Flanderization}}: Especially in the manga, where Satou and Misaki eventually get reduced to their disturbed mental state. Nobody is ever nearly as bad in the novel as they get in the manga, and the climax of the book that (mostly) resolves everyone's problems only sends them spiraling further in the manga.
* FlippingTheTable: Satou does this to Yamazaki once in ep. 4.
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** The NightmareSequence at the very start of the first episode foreshadows the last episode.
** A later example -- Megumi's hikikomori brother ends up getting a job after not eating in 3 days. [[spoiler:Satou goes through the same thing in episode 23.]]
** In the BeachEpisode, Sato raises a fist as if to strike [[spoiler: Misaki]], whose immediate response is to curl up in a ball and cover their face for protection. [[spoiler: Misaki grew up with an abusive stepfather who would frequently beat her.]]
* {{Foil}}: Misaki's and Hitomi's relationship with Satou is both equally toxic, but for opposing reasons. [[spoiler: Misaki sees Satou as someone pathetic enough that if she can become his LivingEmotionalCrutch she can make herself feel better. Hitomi meanwhile, from back when they were in High School, [[LonelyTogether continually dragged Satou down to her level]], playing into his paranoia and social anxiety.]]
* FunctionalAddict:
** To a certain degree of "functional". The drugs don't control his life, but he doesn't do anything with it anyway.
** Hitomi, as well, though the degree to which she could function deteriorates until she ends up taking part in a suicide pact.
* GallowsHumor
* GeckoEnding: The manga, in a somewhat inverted way. Both the novel and the anime [[spoiler:end with Satou trying to kill himself, only to survive, with Misaki and him deciding to keep living]]. This happens in the manga as well, but at the halfway point, so it doesn't resolve the story. The manga keeps going on to reach its own conclusion (somehow). Both end similarly, with [[spoiler:Satou and Misaki attempting to embrace life after failing suicide.]] Neither are totally over their problems, but they're trying. The manga couple just has to go through a lot more shit to get there.
* {{GIRL}}: Part of Sato's descent into MMORPG addiction was due to feelings he developed for a cute CatGirl healer he met in the game, who turns out to be [[spoiler:Yamazaki]].
* GirlOfMyDreams: The first episode of the anime opens with a nightmare of Satou's, in which Misaki is watching from afar, carrying the same white umbrella she has when they meet for real.
* GodIsEvil: What Misaki believes.
* GodivaHair: Hitomi in one of Satou's fantasies.
* {{Gonk}}: A coworker of Hitomi's.
* GRatedDrug:
** Usually averted by Satou's fairly hard drug use, but also parodied.
** In the novel he talks a lot about "legal drugs" he acquires off the internet (even if he takes said drugs by snorting them). But then he mentions by name some extremely illegal and unimaginably powerful real-life hallucinogens, with a level of detail that makes one suspect the author didn't just read about it on Wikipedia.
* FakeRelationship: Misaki agrees to pretend to be Satou's girlfriend when Satou's mom comes to visit.
* HappilyFailedSuicide: At the end of the series (or halfway through the manga), [[spoiler:Satou throws himself]] off a cliff in an honest-to-God suicide attempt, but discovers that a hidden metal net has been installed just below the cliff after the previous suicide on that spot. After that, he seems to become quite happy with his life again.
* HeroicSacrifice: Satou thinks he is doing one of these [[spoiler:in the ending of both the novel and anime, and also during the midpoint of the manga.]]
* {{Hikikomori}}: The fulcrum upon which the plot revolves.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: "Welcome to the _____". Additionally, the titles are shown at the ''end'' of the episode, where they have gained greater significance.
* InelegantBlubbering: Satou and Misaki, at the end of episode 13.
* TheInternetIsForPorn:
** Yamazaki teaches the far-less-nerdy Satou this lesson, who proves to be a willing student. Except he misses the whole part about how deleting your OS to make room for your porn is a bad idea.
** In the novel he was like this before meeting Yamazaki (minus the deleting your OS part), but with the mindset of "the internet is for porn and scoring drugs".
* InterruptedSuicide: [[spoiler:Satou, Hitomi, Misaki, and the "Off Meeting" in the anime and manga. Subverted by Misaki's mother.]]
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy:
** Satou wants his Sempai, Hitomi Kashiwa, to be happy. That is why he does not sleep with her, since doing so could ruin her marriage to Jougasaki.
** This is also part of Satou's reasoning for [[spoiler:refusing Misaki's second contract which would basically force him to be in a relationship with her]], although his delusions insist that it's really because he doesn't want to be considered a "worthless human".
* LonersAreFreaks: Subverted, since the main cast are just normal people suffering from anxiety, depression and paranoia.
* MaleGaze: A lot of this going on (the anime's opening, even) but most of the time it's AllJustADream in Satou's head.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed with Misaki.
* MaybeEverAfter: [[spoiler:Misaki and Satou's brief romance]] is left ambiguous in almost every adaptation. The novel makes it clear that it's more or less finished. The manga leaves off on a more hopeful note, with [[spoiler:Satou promising to pursue their relationship anew once he cleans himself up.]] The anime is similarly ambiguous.
* MeaningfulName: It's actually in the fact that it doesn't mean much. The surname Satou/Sato is so common in Japan that it is meant to represent the majority of Japanese society and what they struggle with. The English equivalent would be naming the main character Smith.
* {{Meido}}: Satou and Yamazaki go to a Maid Cafe in the Manga and Anime.
* MentalStory: It's mostly about the main character's inner strife, and no decisions are reached even in the end.
* {{Moe}}: [[InvokedTrope Parodied]], see NinjaPirateZombieRobot.
* UsefulNotes/MyersBriggs: In one of the many psychology terms Misaki uses during her sessions with Satou, she tells him that he is a "introverted feeling type". This is from Carl Jung's theory of psychological types, which was later used as a basis for the Myers-Briggs type indicator. If Misaki's statement is accurate, Satou would be either an INFP or an ISFP according to the Myers-Briggs interpretation of Jung.
* NaughtyNuns: Satou fantasizes about Misaki being one of these when he first meets her.
* NeverTrustATitle: One might surmise from the title that the anime was aired on NHK (日本放送協会, Nippon Housou Kyoukai, "Japan Broadcasting Corporation"; Japan's public broadcaster). But in fact, N.H.K. in the context of the anime (and light novel) stands for "Nihon Hikikomori Kyoukai" (日本引きこもり協会)--Japan Hikikomori Corporation, which besides using "Nihon" instead of "Nippon"[[note]]"Nippon" was the official reading coined in the late 7th century; "Nihon" was coined in feudal-era Edo about a millennium later[[/note]] is a far more appropriate acronym given the subject matter of the series. In fact, the anime was never actually aired on an NHK network like NHK-G, NHK-ETV or NHK-BS1. It was syndicated to JAITS[[note]]Japanese Association of Independent Television Stations; a loosely associated network of independent UHF stations throughout the country. They include Tokyo MX, TV Kanagawa, Chiba TV, Tochigi TV and KBS Kyoto[[/note]] stations.
* NightmareSequence: The anime starts with Satou having one, and has many through out the series.. In the novel and manga, it's implied to be from drug abuse. While in the anime, it's anxiety.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Yamazaki and Satou try to make the perfect Eroge heroine.
** In the novel, page 98: ''"She's the protagonist's childhood friend as well as a robot maid. She's blind, deaf, and sickly; on top of that, she's an alien with Alzheimer's and multiple personality disorder. However she's actually a ghost with a connection to the main character from their past lives. And her true form is really a fox spirit!"''
** In the manga, she's a CatGirl RobotMaid who's got Alzheimer's.
** In the anime: "She's your classmate ''and'' childhood friend, who ''also'' happens to live next door. She's also a robot, but not just any robot, a ''Maid Robot''! In a previous life, she and the main character were lovers. She's also really sick, so the main character has to take care of her. Then she jumps in front of a car to protect him and ends up in the hospital for a whole year! But she's actually a ghost! AND SHE'S AN ALIEN TOO! THEN YOU FIND OUT SHE'S A REINCARNATION OF A FOX FROM SPACE WITH A SPLIT PERSONALITY!!"
* NoAntagonist:
** Though Megumi definitely fits until we learn more about her.
** Misaki to a lesser extent in the manga.
** Arguably, each character is their own worst enemy.
* {{Nosebleed}}: Satou has one when thinking about having sex with Hitomi. Despite being linked to arousal, it's a regular, realistic nosebleed.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: Misaki spills hot water on Satou's pants and is trying to quickly clean it off. Cue Yamazaki walking into Satou's room and seeing Misaki's head in Satou's crotch with Satou making weird noises.
* OlderThanTheyLook: One of the eroge games Sato plays to "research" features a big-eyed girl on the cover... with the title "I Am Not {{Loli|conAndShotacon}}!"
* {{Otaku}}: Yamazaki Kaoru, He has tons of Anime merchandise in his room. In the anime he even has a Pururin body pillow.
* PoorCommunicationKills: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] Satou's senpai, Hitomi, intends on going to an "Off" Meeting [[spoiler: – a group suicide]]. She stops by Satou's the night before and gets very drunk, talking about going on "summer vacation." Satou thinks he has a chance at being with her and getting out of his shut-in life with someone he loves, so eagerly offers to accompany her anywhere, "whether it's to Paradise or to Hell." She thinks he saw the Off Meeting notice sticking out of her purse while she slept, so he never learns what's what until the whole group is on a deserted island ready to do the deed. Satou manages to talk everyone out of it at the end... however, there's a fair chance that they never even would have made it that far if it wasn't for him! Group resolve was flagging back on the mainland, and it's only because he pushed them to go ahead with their "vacation" that they made it to the island at all. [[spoiler: Nobody dies, but they nearly got there because of his misunderstanding.]]
* PornStash: And how! Yamazaki has tons of doujins and eroge. At one point, Satou downloads 120 gigabytes of porn.
* PragmaticAdaptation : The anime version leaves out some of the more complex plots of the manga and novel, but uses the opportunity to explore the earlier themes in more depth.
* PrecisionFStrike:
** There are a handful of F-bombs dropped in the English dub, [[SirSwearsalot mostly by Satou]], but his use of it during the climax of the final episode is especially spectacular and certainly qualifies.
--->'''Satou:''' I'll show you, Yamazaki! I'm about to [[spoiler:die saving the girl I love]]! How do you like that? That's not just dramatic! '''''It's FUCKING dramatic!!!'''''
** Hitomi manages to get in a single F-bomb to punctuate her crossing the DespairEventHorizon in episode 13.
--->'''Hitomi:''' He may have said I was important to him, but in the end, I know he doesn't need someone useless like me. Why would he? He's so fucking perfect he can do anything he wants all by himself!
** Conversely, Yamazaki's single F-strike is somewhat more comedic.
--->'''Yamazaki:''' Satou, you're not listening! I'm telling you the dialogue you wrote for the heroine in this scene doesn't work at all.\\
'''Satou:''' You think so?\\
'''Yamazaki:''' Not even close!\\
'''Satou:''' I dunno, it seems fine to me.\\
'''Yamazaki:''' That's because you're a fucking idiot.
* ReallyDeadMontage: Or rather Really PutOnABus Montage.
* RefugeInAudacity: "BEGONE DIRTY WHORES!"
* RPGEpisode: The main character's bad habit was playing ''Ultimate Fantasy'', a LawyerFriendlyCameo of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' ("Welcome to the Taru Taru").
* {{Sabotutor}}: Misaki's stated goal is to help Satou overcome his fearful reclusiveness and properly function in society, but her true intent is to [[spoiler:make him dependent on her affection and service so she can feel needed.]]
* ScareEmStraight: [[spoiler:Yamazaki does this to Satou in order to cure his MMORPG addiction. It works for Satou (and the audience).]]
* ScaryShinyGlasses: Yamazaki has these sometimes.
* SexForSolace: On New Year's Eve, Hitomi offers to have an affair with Sato. Sato, however, declines: an affair would destroy her marriage, and the guilt from that would ruin them both.
* SexualEuphemism: Yamazaki uses "this and that" to describe the action in a {{hentai}} {{doujinshi}}.
* ShoutOut: '''Many'''.
** Starting with the series title itself, a reference to Japan's public broadcaster NHK ("Nippon Hôso Kyôkai", which translates to "Japan Broadcasting Corporation").
** Chapter 37 of the Manga is called "Welcome to the 2nd Impact" in a ShoutOut to ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. The Title page has Misaki, Satou, and Yamazai in plugsuits with an Eva in the background. The chapter also contains a pachinko machine with images of Asuka and the Angels on it.
** The preview for the second episode consists entirely of the cast quoting ''Eva''.
** The "Moe Game" Satou worked on is based off of ''Anime/TrueTears''. The game was named "True Words" and the main character on the cover looked almost identical to Noe.
** The fraternity that Misaki and her aunt attends is a shout out to the Jehova's Witnesses church. Even the magazine Misaki's aunt gave to Tatsuhiro is called "Awake"!, just like the real one by the Jehova's Witnesses' publishing house (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society).
** In the fourth episode, Yamazaki is describing the various types of Gal Game heroines to Satou. The robot gal Satou imagines based on Yamazaki's model and description is strangely similar to [[RobotGirl Kos-Mos]] of ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' fame. Especially with blue hair, red eyes, and forehead crest with her model number printed on it.
** In episode 4, a ''Anime/StrikeWitches'' poster is proudly displayed behind Sato as he describes his idea for a ridiculous galge heroine.
** That MMO Satou gets into, Ultimate Fantasy, is clearly ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI''.
** A subtle reference from the book/anime, the cliff Misaki is named after has many similarities to the cliff from which the main character of Dazai Osamu's "No Longer Human" (Ningen Shikakku) jumps to commit a [[spoiler:semi-failed]] lovers double suicide.
** In the anime episode where Satou imagines himself kneeling in front of and being judged by a court of samurai is a very close recreation of an identical scene in Akira Kurosawas 1951 period drama "Rashoumon", which is itself based on Ryuunousuke Akutagawa's "In the grove".
** Satou has a poster on his wall for a movie called ''Bakayaro 6'', of the American indie flick ''Film/BuffaloSixtySix''. In {{homage}} to ''Buffalo '66'', Satou has Misaki pretend to be his significant other when he meets his mom.
** An episode late in the series shows posters for N-Men, H-Men, and K-Men, with blurred versions of X-Men Storm, Wolverine, and Phoenix.
* ShowWithinAShow: ''Pururin''
* ShrinkingViolet: Satou
* SliceOfLife: A dark, bittersweet version.
* SnowMeansLove: The last episode combined this trope with SnowMeansDeath - Misaki returns to the town she grew up in to commit suicide, and is saved by Sato, at which point they realise they love each other. Then Sato goes nuts and tries to kill {{God}} [[HeroicSacrifice in a kamikaze attack]]...
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Once again, the Japanese "long-o" rears its ugly head, and each incarnation of the series in English treats it differently:
** The manga spells it "Satou", and keeps names in Eastern Order (i.e. "Satou Tatsuhiro")
** The novel spells it "Sato", but flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Sato")
** The anime spells it "Satou", and flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Satou")
* StepfordSmiler: Misaki in particular, although Megumi has her moments.
* StockSoundEffect: Cicadas during the summer scenes.
* SuicidePact: The "Offline Meeting" Hitomi and Satou attend. [[spoiler: In the end, Misaki and Satou both sign a hostage pact where both are obliged to respond to the other's suicide by ''also'' committing suicide -- the idea being that since the suicide of the other is something neither will stand for, it will stave off their own suicidal thoughts.]]
* SurrealHumor: Many of Satou's delusional moments and nightmares.
* SurrealThemeTune: "Odoru Akachan Ningen", the original ending theme used for episodes 1-12.
* ThemeMusicPowerUp: "Odoru Akachan Ningen" for Satou in the final episode, without lyrics this time.
* ThereAreNoTherapists:
** None of the main cast ever consider seeking formal counseling. Satou's father does think about sending him to a psychiatric hospital in volume 5 of the manga. Unfortunately TruthInTelevision, as even admitting to ''having'' mental issues is a sign of deep shame in Japan. Asking for counseling help is essentially social suicide.
** Though partly averted with Hitomi, who is (at least in the anime) taking several different psychiatric medications. Unfortunately it doesn't really help, either with the probable schizophrenia or with the probable depression.
* TitleDrop: Done both in the first and last episode.
* TrashOfTheTitans: Satou's apartment. He manages to keep it a bit tidier in the latter part of the story, as Misaki comes often to help him clean.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal: [[spoiler:Elena does this to Yamazaki in the manga.]]
* UpToEleven: [[spoiler:Megumi's brother]] is a much more extreme hikikomori then any one of the main cast, to a creepy level.
* {{Tsundere}}: Yamazaki uses the term to dismiss Satou and his girlfriend when they're inexplicably aggressive to him.
* WhamEpisode: Episode 13.
* WeaknessTurnsHerOn:
** Misaki selects Satou for her project because [[spoiler:she wanted to find someone even more "worthless" than she believes she is]].
** Hitomi also had this for Satou, seeing and liking the pathetic loser he is.
* WillTheyOrWontThey: Satou and Misaki. [[spoiler:In the manga version, they do acknowledge each other as lovers, but they don't officially start their relationship until Satou can get back on his feet.]]
* {{Yandere}}: Misaki in the manga. She's much more innocent in the anime.
----
[[caption-width-right:224:''[[ArcWords "It's a conspiracy!"]]'']]
->''"Being alone is best. I mean, it’s true, isn’t it? In the end you’ll be absolutely alone; therefore, being alone is natural. If you accept that, nothing bad can happen. That’s why I shut myself away in my six-mat one-room apartment."''
-->-- '''Tatsuhiro Satou'''
''Welcome to the N.H.K.'' is an odd, darkly comic series about an anxiety-ridden {{hikikomori}} named Satou, struggling against his persistent delusion that he is being forced to be a hikikomori by a conspiracy called the N.H.K., until one day, when a girl by the name of Misaki comes out of the blue, insisting on helping Satou rid himself of his "hikikomori ways". The plot then follows Satou's many attempts (and repeated failures) to overcome his crippling anxiety. It's dark, it's funny, and even heartwarming at the most unexpected times.
The novel, {{manga}}, and {{anime}} are each rather different in both story and themes. The anime and manga follow essentially the same plot until the manga's divergence from the novel, leading to its own, separate conclusion. The novel tends to be somewhat darker, focusing more on the characters' issues and less on the love story, which is essentially the focus of the anime, with the manga somewhere in between. There are significant differences in the specific way some events happen in the anime and manga, even when they're otherwise almost identical, which tends to bring out the change in tone. Many events of the novel (the fight scene, the visit to the church) never occur in the anime or manga, and vice versa (the "summer vacation", the entire second half of the manga).
The name of the main character, Tatsuhiro Satou, might be a play on the names of the original creator and his friend: Tatsuhiko Takimoto and Yuuya Satou. The N.H.K. novel eventually made Tatsuhiko Takimoto one of the pioneers of the post-Murakami literature movement in Japan.
The manga and original novel were licensed and translated into English by Creator/{{Tokyopop}}, but have since gone out of print with the shuttering of the company. The anime was originally licensed (and entirely dubbed) by Creator/ADVFilms, but they lost the license partway through release to Creator/FUNimation, who currently hold the series. If you're in the USA, you can watch it for free on [[http://www.funimation.com/welcome-to-the-n-h-k Funimation's website]].
----
!!Tropes:
* AbusiveParent: [[spoiler:Misaki]] is revealed to have an abusive stepdad after her original dad died when she was a baby. The abuse led to her mother committing suicide by falling off a cliff. He would also physically and verbally abuse her.
* AcquaintedInRealLife: Darkly played with. When Satou becomes obsessed with an MMORPG he stops working with Kaoru on their game. He then meets an incredible, sweet, fun player with a Catgirl avatar whom he quickly develops a crush on. He refuses to listen to anyone who tries to stop him from obsessing over this player's character. Then one day the character says she's coming to visit him, and Kaoru walks through the door with his computer, revealing that he was just trying to teach Satou a lesson and get him to start making the game with him again.
* AdultFear: If you're even remotely of the slacker persuasion and you're the same age as Satou, seeing his ImagineSpot of him at 50 years old (fat, lonely, self-loathing, completely immersed in otaku culture, unable to function 'outside' and eventually homeless with no friends or family) is ''horrifying''.
* AllPsychologyIsFreudian: Or at least Misaki thought so for a little while. After the incident below, she switched to Jungian.
* AndTheAdventureContinues: In the manga, Kaoru still wants to continue working on his game with Sato even after dropping out of the school.
* AnguishedDeclarationOfLove: In the finale of both the book and the anime, Satou blurts out one of these while [[spoiler:pleading with Misaki not to commit suicide.]] In the series' typical darkly funny fashion, it doesn't even dawn on Satou that he ''means'' it until [[spoiler:he's ready to [[HeroicSacrifice kill himself to convince her not to throw her own life away]]]].
-->'''Satou:''' I like you! I ''love'' you! [[spoiler:Please, don't die!]]
* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: People who work with the mentally ill are trained never to acknowledge or interact with figments of the patient's imagination (e.g., yelling "get out of here" at a schizophrenic's hallucinations) because it further damages their ability to separate fact and fiction. This makes [[spoiler: purposefully inducing paranoid delusions in a damaged person so you can then symbolically destroy them]] a [[AndThatsTerrible pretty bad idea.]]
* AuthorAvatar: Satou. In story, there's a scene where Satou sits in on a game concept development class and writes a VN scenario where a lonely, isolated charcoal burner in the woods falls in love with a forest spirit that completely and implicitly understands him and "never calls him a NEET or hikikomori." In addition to the author himself living as a "hikky" for 4 years, he has revealed in interviews that the success of his work had him "reduced to a NEET, ...living as a parasite on the royalties from this book". He's also said offhand in an interview that really, the only thing that makes Satou and him different is their appearance and name, and that a lot of the events in the book happened to him. He said it gives him cold shakes if he tries reading it, as he can't look upon his protagonist's life objectively.
* BaitAndSwitchCredits: The opening is an upbeat song paired mostly with pastel, brightly lit scenes of women frolicking in the sun.
* BattleAura: Parodied.
* BeachEpisode: Notable for actually being the WhamEpisode of the series.
* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: Essentially the reason Hitomi lets Satou have sex with her on her day of graduation in the novel (and because Satou kinda begged). He was really the only person that paid attention to her after a bad breakup and kept her from suicide.
* BetweenMyLegs: Misaki in episode 3.
* BilingualBonus: "ХУṄ" on Satou's T-shirt is a Russian vulgar word for "dick".
* BlackComedy
* BlandNameProduct: Mindows Operating System, Qoogle search engine, Warlboro cigarettes, Lerox watches, [[Franchise/FinalFantasy Ultimate Fantasy]] and Usahi (and once Ebusu) beer.
* BlankWhiteEyes: Satou and Misaki get these sometimes in the manga.
* BookEnds: That snowy cliff is one of the first scenes shown, as a nightmare of Satou's, along with numerous similarities between the two beyond location where the ending takes place.
* {{Bowdlerise}}: In both the light novel and the manga, Satou uses drugs that he orders from people. In the anime adaptation, he isn't shown using or taking any sort of drugs.
* BreakTheCutie:
** In the anime, [[spoiler:Misaki's]] abusive step-father beat her, and fully convinced her that she's cursed and an utterly worthless person.
** [[spoiler:Hitomi]] has a way of breaking on her own because she is just frail on the inside.
* ButWaitTheresMore: Megumi uses this line on Satou, Misaki and Yamazaki in episode 18 in order to sell them on the dietary supplement/keep Satou in the pyramid scheme.
* CaughtWithYourPantsDown: In the manga: Satou was getting sexually frustrated so he gets naked and yells "Hyper Self-Pleasure Mode!" as he watches porn on multiple monitors.
* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Parodied. Satou wonders if he has gained any powers from living alone in his apartment like those characters who train alone on mountains. He karate-chops a beer bottle successfully but cuts his hand.
* CerebusSyndrome: The series becomes much more dramatic over the course of episodes, transforming from CringeComedy into a serious drama about entering the adult life.
* ComingOfAgeStory: The series is effectively a really dark one, chronicling Satou's struggles as he tries to go from manchild to functioning adult.
* ConMan: Sagawa, the head of the Mouseroad pyramid scheme. Megumi, as well, at least until she and other members of Mouseroad get arrested.
* ConspiracyTheorist: Hitomi Kashiwa, Satou's [[SempaiKohai sempai]] from High School. Satou himself takes it from her afterwards.
* ConversationalTroping: Happens quite a bit between Satou and Yamazaki while they're working on their "[[HGame gal-game]]".
* CosmicPlaything: Misaki, Satou, and Hitomi believe themselves to be this.
* CringeComedy: Very often, given the subject matter.
* CrossPlayer: [[spoiler:Yamazaki]] during the Ultimate Fantasy arc.
* CurseCutShort: Episode 17 in the English dub, upon Satou realising just what he's walked in to:
-->'''Satou:''' I... am so... fu-- *EyeCatch*
* DarkReprise: A dark version of the Pururin theme song appears when Megumi convinces Satou to join Mouse Road.
* DeepImmersionGaming: The {{MMORPG}} Untimate Fantasy.
* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler:Misaki]] goes past it after Satou refuses to be in a relationship with her.
* DontYouDarePityMe: Elena in the Manga when Yamazaki tries to [[spoiler:give her money so she can get a sex change operation.]]
* DudeLooksLikeALady: [[spoiler:Elena in the manga.]]
* DysfunctionJunction
* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Misaki's mother, in the anime.]]
* EarnYourHappyEnding: In Megumi's case, her brother starts to get hungry [[spoiler:after Megumi got arrested, so he begged to work for a local restaurant, finally ending his hikky phase.]] We don't see what happens to them afterwards but it's probably safe to assume both of them will be okay.
* FestivalEpisode: The new years eve celebration.
* {{Flanderization}}: Especially in the manga, where Satou and Misaki eventually get reduced to their disturbed mental state. Nobody is ever nearly as bad in the novel as they get in the manga, and the climax of the book that (mostly) resolves everyone's problems only sends them spiraling further in the manga.
* FlippingTheTable: Satou does this to Yamazaki once in ep. 4.
* {{Foreshadowing}}:
** The NightmareSequence at the very start of the first episode foreshadows the last episode.
** A later example -- Megumi's hikikomori brother ends up getting a job after not eating in 3 days. [[spoiler:Satou goes through the same thing in episode 23.]]
** In the BeachEpisode, Sato raises a fist as if to strike [[spoiler: Misaki]], whose immediate response is to curl up in a ball and cover their face for protection. [[spoiler: Misaki grew up with an abusive stepfather who would frequently beat her.]]
* {{Foil}}: Misaki's and Hitomi's relationship with Satou is both equally toxic, but for opposing reasons. [[spoiler: Misaki sees Satou as someone pathetic enough that if she can become his LivingEmotionalCrutch she can make herself feel better. Hitomi meanwhile, from back when they were in High School, [[LonelyTogether continually dragged Satou down to her level]], playing into his paranoia and social anxiety.]]
* FunctionalAddict:
** To a certain degree of "functional". The drugs don't control his life, but he doesn't do anything with it anyway.
** Hitomi, as well, though the degree to which she could function deteriorates until she ends up taking part in a suicide pact.
* GallowsHumor
* GeckoEnding: The manga, in a somewhat inverted way. Both the novel and the anime [[spoiler:end with Satou trying to kill himself, only to survive, with Misaki and him deciding to keep living]]. This happens in the manga as well, but at the halfway point, so it doesn't resolve the story. The manga keeps going on to reach its own conclusion (somehow). Both end similarly, with [[spoiler:Satou and Misaki attempting to embrace life after failing suicide.]] Neither are totally over their problems, but they're trying. The manga couple just has to go through a lot more shit to get there.
* {{GIRL}}: Part of Sato's descent into MMORPG addiction was due to feelings he developed for a cute CatGirl healer he met in the game, who turns out to be [[spoiler:Yamazaki]].
* GirlOfMyDreams: The first episode of the anime opens with a nightmare of Satou's, in which Misaki is watching from afar, carrying the same white umbrella she has when they meet for real.
* GodIsEvil: What Misaki believes.
* GodivaHair: Hitomi in one of Satou's fantasies.
* {{Gonk}}: A coworker of Hitomi's.
* GRatedDrug:
** Usually averted by Satou's fairly hard drug use, but also parodied.
** In the novel he talks a lot about "legal drugs" he acquires off the internet (even if he takes said drugs by snorting them). But then he mentions by name some extremely illegal and unimaginably powerful real-life hallucinogens, with a level of detail that makes one suspect the author didn't just read about it on Wikipedia.
* FakeRelationship: Misaki agrees to pretend to be Satou's girlfriend when Satou's mom comes to visit.
* HappilyFailedSuicide: At the end of the series (or halfway through the manga), [[spoiler:Satou throws himself]] off a cliff in an honest-to-God suicide attempt, but discovers that a hidden metal net has been installed just below the cliff after the previous suicide on that spot. After that, he seems to become quite happy with his life again.
* HeroicSacrifice: Satou thinks he is doing one of these [[spoiler:in the ending of both the novel and anime, and also during the midpoint of the manga.]]
* {{Hikikomori}}: The fulcrum upon which the plot revolves.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming: "Welcome to the _____". Additionally, the titles are shown at the ''end'' of the episode, where they have gained greater significance.
* InelegantBlubbering: Satou and Misaki, at the end of episode 13.
* TheInternetIsForPorn:
** Yamazaki teaches the far-less-nerdy Satou this lesson, who proves to be a willing student. Except he misses the whole part about how deleting your OS to make room for your porn is a bad idea.
** In the novel he was like this before meeting Yamazaki (minus the deleting your OS part), but with the mindset of "the internet is for porn and scoring drugs".
* InterruptedSuicide: [[spoiler:Satou, Hitomi, Misaki, and the "Off Meeting" in the anime and manga. Subverted by Misaki's mother.]]
* IWantMyBelovedToBeHappy:
** Satou wants his Sempai, Hitomi Kashiwa, to be happy. That is why he does not sleep with her, since doing so could ruin her marriage to Jougasaki.
** This is also part of Satou's reasoning for [[spoiler:refusing Misaki's second contract which would basically force him to be in a relationship with her]], although his delusions insist that it's really because he doesn't want to be considered a "worthless human".
* LonersAreFreaks: Subverted, since the main cast are just normal people suffering from anxiety, depression and paranoia.
* MaleGaze: A lot of this going on (the anime's opening, even) but most of the time it's AllJustADream in Satou's head.
* ManicPixieDreamGirl: Deconstructed with Misaki.
* MaybeEverAfter: [[spoiler:Misaki and Satou's brief romance]] is left ambiguous in almost every adaptation. The novel makes it clear that it's more or less finished. The manga leaves off on a more hopeful note, with [[spoiler:Satou promising to pursue their relationship anew once he cleans himself up.]] The anime is similarly ambiguous.
* MeaningfulName: It's actually in the fact that it doesn't mean much. The surname Satou/Sato is so common in Japan that it is meant to represent the majority of Japanese society and what they struggle with. The English equivalent would be naming the main character Smith.
* {{Meido}}: Satou and Yamazaki go to a Maid Cafe in the Manga and Anime.
* MentalStory: It's mostly about the main character's inner strife, and no decisions are reached even in the end.
* {{Moe}}: [[InvokedTrope Parodied]], see NinjaPirateZombieRobot.
* UsefulNotes/MyersBriggs: In one of the many psychology terms Misaki uses during her sessions with Satou, she tells him that he is a "introverted feeling type". This is from Carl Jung's theory of psychological types, which was later used as a basis for the Myers-Briggs type indicator. If Misaki's statement is accurate, Satou would be either an INFP or an ISFP according to the Myers-Briggs interpretation of Jung.
* NaughtyNuns: Satou fantasizes about Misaki being one of these when he first meets her.
* NeverTrustATitle: One might surmise from the title that the anime was aired on NHK (日本放送協会, Nippon Housou Kyoukai, "Japan Broadcasting Corporation"; Japan's public broadcaster). But in fact, N.H.K. in the context of the anime (and light novel) stands for "Nihon Hikikomori Kyoukai" (日本引きこもり協会)--Japan Hikikomori Corporation, which besides using "Nihon" instead of "Nippon"[[note]]"Nippon" was the official reading coined in the late 7th century; "Nihon" was coined in feudal-era Edo about a millennium later[[/note]] is a far more appropriate acronym given the subject matter of the series. In fact, the anime was never actually aired on an NHK network like NHK-G, NHK-ETV or NHK-BS1. It was syndicated to JAITS[[note]]Japanese Association of Independent Television Stations; a loosely associated network of independent UHF stations throughout the country. They include Tokyo MX, TV Kanagawa, Chiba TV, Tochigi TV and KBS Kyoto[[/note]] stations.
* NightmareSequence: The anime starts with Satou having one, and has many through out the series.. In the novel and manga, it's implied to be from drug abuse. While in the anime, it's anxiety.
* NinjaPirateZombieRobot: Yamazaki and Satou try to make the perfect Eroge heroine.
** In the novel, page 98: ''"She's the protagonist's childhood friend as well as a robot maid. She's blind, deaf, and sickly; on top of that, she's an alien with Alzheimer's and multiple personality disorder. However she's actually a ghost with a connection to the main character from their past lives. And her true form is really a fox spirit!"''
** In the manga, she's a CatGirl RobotMaid who's got Alzheimer's.
** In the anime: "She's your classmate ''and'' childhood friend, who ''also'' happens to live next door. She's also a robot, but not just any robot, a ''Maid Robot''! In a previous life, she and the main character were lovers. She's also really sick, so the main character has to take care of her. Then she jumps in front of a car to protect him and ends up in the hospital for a whole year! But she's actually a ghost! AND SHE'S AN ALIEN TOO! THEN YOU FIND OUT SHE'S A REINCARNATION OF A FOX FROM SPACE WITH A SPLIT PERSONALITY!!"
* NoAntagonist:
** Though Megumi definitely fits until we learn more about her.
** Misaki to a lesser extent in the manga.
** Arguably, each character is their own worst enemy.
* {{Nosebleed}}: Satou has one when thinking about having sex with Hitomi. Despite being linked to arousal, it's a regular, realistic nosebleed.
* NotWhatItLooksLike: Misaki spills hot water on Satou's pants and is trying to quickly clean it off. Cue Yamazaki walking into Satou's room and seeing Misaki's head in Satou's crotch with Satou making weird noises.
* OlderThanTheyLook: One of the eroge games Sato plays to "research" features a big-eyed girl on the cover... with the title "I Am Not {{Loli|conAndShotacon}}!"
* {{Otaku}}: Yamazaki Kaoru, He has tons of Anime merchandise in his room. In the anime he even has a Pururin body pillow.
* PoorCommunicationKills: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]] Satou's senpai, Hitomi, intends on going to an "Off" Meeting [[spoiler: – a group suicide]]. She stops by Satou's the night before and gets very drunk, talking about going on "summer vacation." Satou thinks he has a chance at being with her and getting out of his shut-in life with someone he loves, so eagerly offers to accompany her anywhere, "whether it's to Paradise or to Hell." She thinks he saw the Off Meeting notice sticking out of her purse while she slept, so he never learns what's what until the whole group is on a deserted island ready to do the deed. Satou manages to talk everyone out of it at the end... however, there's a fair chance that they never even would have made it that far if it wasn't for him! Group resolve was flagging back on the mainland, and it's only because he pushed them to go ahead with their "vacation" that they made it to the island at all. [[spoiler: Nobody dies, but they nearly got there because of his misunderstanding.]]
* PornStash: And how! Yamazaki has tons of doujins and eroge. At one point, Satou downloads 120 gigabytes of porn.
* PragmaticAdaptation : The anime version leaves out some of the more complex plots of the manga and novel, but uses the opportunity to explore the earlier themes in more depth.
* PrecisionFStrike:
** There are a handful of F-bombs dropped in the English dub, [[SirSwearsalot mostly by Satou]], but his use of it during the climax of the final episode is especially spectacular and certainly qualifies.
--->'''Satou:''' I'll show you, Yamazaki! I'm about to [[spoiler:die saving the girl I love]]! How do you like that? That's not just dramatic! '''''It's FUCKING dramatic!!!'''''
** Hitomi manages to get in a single F-bomb to punctuate her crossing the DespairEventHorizon in episode 13.
--->'''Hitomi:''' He may have said I was important to him, but in the end, I know he doesn't need someone useless like me. Why would he? He's so fucking perfect he can do anything he wants all by himself!
** Conversely, Yamazaki's single F-strike is somewhat more comedic.
--->'''Yamazaki:''' Satou, you're not listening! I'm telling you the dialogue you wrote for the heroine in this scene doesn't work at all.\\
'''Satou:''' You think so?\\
'''Yamazaki:''' Not even close!\\
'''Satou:''' I dunno, it seems fine to me.\\
'''Yamazaki:''' That's because you're a fucking idiot.
* ReallyDeadMontage: Or rather Really PutOnABus Montage.
* RefugeInAudacity: "BEGONE DIRTY WHORES!"
* RPGEpisode: The main character's bad habit was playing ''Ultimate Fantasy'', a LawyerFriendlyCameo of ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI'' ("Welcome to the Taru Taru").
* {{Sabotutor}}: Misaki's stated goal is to help Satou overcome his fearful reclusiveness and properly function in society, but her true intent is to [[spoiler:make him dependent on her affection and service so she can feel needed.]]
* ScareEmStraight: [[spoiler:Yamazaki does this to Satou in order to cure his MMORPG addiction. It works for Satou (and the audience).]]
* ScaryShinyGlasses: Yamazaki has these sometimes.
* SexForSolace: On New Year's Eve, Hitomi offers to have an affair with Sato. Sato, however, declines: an affair would destroy her marriage, and the guilt from that would ruin them both.
* SexualEuphemism: Yamazaki uses "this and that" to describe the action in a {{hentai}} {{doujinshi}}.
* ShoutOut: '''Many'''.
** Starting with the series title itself, a reference to Japan's public broadcaster NHK ("Nippon Hôso Kyôkai", which translates to "Japan Broadcasting Corporation").
** Chapter 37 of the Manga is called "Welcome to the 2nd Impact" in a ShoutOut to ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion''. The Title page has Misaki, Satou, and Yamazai in plugsuits with an Eva in the background. The chapter also contains a pachinko machine with images of Asuka and the Angels on it.
** The preview for the second episode consists entirely of the cast quoting ''Eva''.
** The "Moe Game" Satou worked on is based off of ''Anime/TrueTears''. The game was named "True Words" and the main character on the cover looked almost identical to Noe.
** The fraternity that Misaki and her aunt attends is a shout out to the Jehova's Witnesses church. Even the magazine Misaki's aunt gave to Tatsuhiro is called "Awake"!, just like the real one by the Jehova's Witnesses' publishing house (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society).
** In the fourth episode, Yamazaki is describing the various types of Gal Game heroines to Satou. The robot gal Satou imagines based on Yamazaki's model and description is strangely similar to [[RobotGirl Kos-Mos]] of ''VideoGame/{{Xenosaga}}'' fame. Especially with blue hair, red eyes, and forehead crest with her model number printed on it.
** In episode 4, a ''Anime/StrikeWitches'' poster is proudly displayed behind Sato as he describes his idea for a ridiculous galge heroine.
** That MMO Satou gets into, Ultimate Fantasy, is clearly ''VideoGame/FinalFantasyXI''.
** A subtle reference from the book/anime, the cliff Misaki is named after has many similarities to the cliff from which the main character of Dazai Osamu's "No Longer Human" (Ningen Shikakku) jumps to commit a [[spoiler:semi-failed]] lovers double suicide.
** In the anime episode where Satou imagines himself kneeling in front of and being judged by a court of samurai is a very close recreation of an identical scene in Akira Kurosawas 1951 period drama "Rashoumon", which is itself based on Ryuunousuke Akutagawa's "In the grove".
** Satou has a poster on his wall for a movie called ''Bakayaro 6'', of the American indie flick ''Film/BuffaloSixtySix''. In {{homage}} to ''Buffalo '66'', Satou has Misaki pretend to be his significant other when he meets his mom.
** An episode late in the series shows posters for N-Men, H-Men, and K-Men, with blurred versions of X-Men Storm, Wolverine, and Phoenix.
* ShowWithinAShow: ''Pururin''
* ShrinkingViolet: Satou
* SliceOfLife: A dark, bittersweet version.
* SnowMeansLove: The last episode combined this trope with SnowMeansDeath - Misaki returns to the town she grew up in to commit suicide, and is saved by Sato, at which point they realise they love each other. Then Sato goes nuts and tries to kill {{God}} [[HeroicSacrifice in a kamikaze attack]]...
* SpellMyNameWithAnS: Once again, the Japanese "long-o" rears its ugly head, and each incarnation of the series in English treats it differently:
** The manga spells it "Satou", and keeps names in Eastern Order (i.e. "Satou Tatsuhiro")
** The novel spells it "Sato", but flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Sato")
** The anime spells it "Satou", and flips the names to Western Order. (i.e. "Tatsuhiro Satou")
* StepfordSmiler: Misaki in particular, although Megumi has her moments.
* StockSoundEffect: Cicadas during the summer scenes.
* SuicidePact: The "Offline Meeting" Hitomi and Satou attend. [[spoiler: In the end, Misaki and Satou both sign a hostage pact where both are obliged to respond to the other's suicide by ''also'' committing suicide -- the idea being that since the suicide of the other is something neither will stand for, it will stave off their own suicidal thoughts.]]
* SurrealHumor: Many of Satou's delusional moments and nightmares.
* SurrealThemeTune: "Odoru Akachan Ningen", the original ending theme used for episodes 1-12.
* ThemeMusicPowerUp: "Odoru Akachan Ningen" for Satou in the final episode, without lyrics this time.
* ThereAreNoTherapists:
** None of the main cast ever consider seeking formal counseling. Satou's father does think about sending him to a psychiatric hospital in volume 5 of the manga. Unfortunately TruthInTelevision, as even admitting to ''having'' mental issues is a sign of deep shame in Japan. Asking for counseling help is essentially social suicide.
** Though partly averted with Hitomi, who is (at least in the anime) taking several different psychiatric medications. Unfortunately it doesn't really help, either with the probable schizophrenia or with the probable depression.
* TitleDrop: Done both in the first and last episode.
* TrashOfTheTitans: Satou's apartment. He manages to keep it a bit tidier in the latter part of the story, as Misaki comes often to help him clean.
* UnsettlingGenderReveal: [[spoiler:Elena does this to Yamazaki in the manga.]]
* UpToEleven: [[spoiler:Megumi's brother]] is a much more extreme hikikomori then any one of the main cast, to a creepy level.
* {{Tsundere}}: Yamazaki uses the term to dismiss Satou and his girlfriend when they're inexplicably aggressive to him.
* WhamEpisode: Episode 13.
* WeaknessTurnsHerOn:
** Misaki selects Satou for her project because [[spoiler:she wanted to find someone even more "worthless" than she believes she is]].
** Hitomi also had this for Satou, seeing and liking the pathetic loser he is.
* WillTheyOrWontThey: Satou and Misaki. [[spoiler:In the manga version, they do acknowledge each other as lovers, but they don't officially start their relationship until Satou can get back on his feet.]]
* {{Yandere}}: Misaki in the manga. She's much more innocent in the anime.
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