History VideoGame / DeadOrAlive

* SpotlightStealingSquad: The female fighters in the series fit this to a T. They are featured so prominently throughout the main series and the male-less ''Xtreme'' spin-off that some people are ''surprised'' to learn that ''Dead or Alive'' ''actually has male characters''.

* AgeInappropriateDress: Every game before ''5'' had this. You could beat teenage girls in skimpy clothes to unconsciousness, and most of the prone KO states would have all their panties exposed. (Starting from ''5'', you need to [[VideoGamePerversityPotential move the camera yourself]] to see their panties in the defeat animations.)

-->'''Official localization:''' ''"I’m gonna open a can of whop-ass on you!"''[[note]]Then again, this might have just been a way to reference [[Wrestling/StoneColdSteveAustin a certain other Texas-born wrestler]] who was on top of the world when ''DOA3'' came out.[[/note]]

* GrappleMove: Every character had a front throw and a crouching throw, a back throw and back crouching throw. Some characters had chain throws. There are also wall throws and environmental throws.

** ''[=DOA5=]'' carries on the tradition with ''Virtua Fighter'' characters Akira Yuki, Sarah Bryant and Pai Chan.[[note]]Depending how you you wanted to go with this, the presence of these characters (Pai especially) would, by extension, put DOA in the ''VideoGame/ProjectXZone'' multiverse.[[/note]]

** Mila is an MMA fighter.

* SpiceUpTheSubtitles: Before ''Dimensions'' and the 5th main title in the series all non-japanese speaking fans had [[NoDubForYou were subtitles to understand what the characters were saying]], and these translations were heavily localized, ranging from the english text being a mere different reading of what the characters were saying to some other lines being almost completely different, as in it made some characters sound more rude and agressive than they really were.

-->'''Official localization:''' ''"I’m gonna open a can of whop-ass on you!"''

** ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive5: Last Round'' actually uses a secondary physics engine ''just'' for animating the female character's sweater puppies. Breasts will not just bounce, but compress and deform realistically as force is applied. It's actually quite impressive, technically speaking... Hey, don't give me that look.

* OnlySixFaces: In relastion to the above trope, the female characters also have very identical facial features. If it weren't for their varied hairstyles and eye colors, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart. This got some attention in ''5'' -- Ayane, Kasumi, Hitomi and Christie have distinct enough facial features -- but then ''Last Round'' had Honoka and Marie Rose with the exact same face.

* DarkIsNotEvil[=/=]LightIsNotGood: Mainly the ninja cast of characters (the good ones), especially in ''Dead or Alive 5''. While the bad guys Victor Donovan and Christie are dressed in white, Kasumi, Ayane, Hayate and Hayabusa are all dressed in black. Ayane has also used her favorite/iconic dark purple.

* BeachEpisode: The '''Xtreme''' subseries is one ''big'' Beach Episode. {{Fanservice}}
is cranked UpTo11 here. There are no men to be seen (except Zack, and 3 even goes as far to maximally restrict him as well), swimsuits are everything and the [[DoubleEntendre bouncing volleyballs]] are the main attraction....

* BarelyThereSwimwear: Numerous examples in Xtreme Beach Volleyball, with the greatest example being the Venus swimsuit, which is basically some string and some gemstones.

* OnlySixFaces: Despite being the focus of the cast, the female characters have very identical facial and body structures. If it weren't for their varied hairstyles and eye colors, you wouldn't be able to tell them apart.
** This got some attention in ''5''. Ayane, Kasumi, Hitomi and Christie, while as well endowed as ever, have distinct enough facial features.
** In ''Last Round'', however, Honoka and Marie Rose have the same face. Whether this is the devs reusing faces again, or an actual plot point, remains to be seen.

** ''[[VideoGame/DeadOrAlive5]]: Last Round'' actually uses a secondary physics engine ''just'' for animating the female character's sweater puppies. Breasts will not just bounce, but compress and deform realistically as force is applied. It's actually quite impressive, technically speaking... Hey, don't give me that look.

* LuckBasedMission: Literally in ''Dead or Alive Xtreme 2''. You have to get 9 Jackpots to earn a Secret Ticket, which makes your character perform a poledance. The problem is, the machine you have to get the 9 Jackpots on is notorious for taking away anywhere between 100-500 times what you bet.

** The guy Christie assassinates in her [=DOA4=] ending movie looks suspiciously like Steven Seagal.

** In ''Dead or Alive Xtreme Venus Vacation'', Luna's face looks a lot like that of Creator/ChloëGraceMoretz.

* SexSells: Despite the series steep learning curve and game mechanics, its main draw has always been the fanservice, [[{{gainaxing}} jiggle physics]], and plentiful female character models.

* ShirtlessScene: Some of the male characters have costumes that are shirtless.

* AgeInappropriateDress: Every game before ''5'' had this. You could beat teenage girls in skimpy clothes to unconsciousness, and most of the prone KO states would have all their panties exposed.

%%* BattleInTheRain

* BloodlessCarnage: Characters give and take some pretty severe beatings with nothing to show for it. [[BeautyIsNeverTarnished Unsurprising]], [[{{Fanservice}} given the aim]].

** Both Marie and Honoka rapidly soared in popularity polls after their introduction, eventually resulting in the duo replacing Kasumi and Ayane on the cover art for both versions of ''[=DOAX3=]'' -- a feat previously unmanaged by any other character. Honoka is later revealed in ''Dead or Alive 6'' to be a relative of Kasumi and Ayane through having the same biological father as Ayane.

** ''Dead or Alive 5: Ultimate'' adds up another that doesn't look like Creator/BruceLee: [[GuestFighter Jacky Bryant]] from ''Virtua Fighter''.

* ChickMagnet: Zack, who buys an island that sets the tone for the ''Xtreme'' side-series. Why does he do it? Because he ''[[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney can]]''. One case is justified because at the end of 4 he saves Helena, who transferred her win in the tournament to him.

* CuteBruiser: Most of the females use WaifFu except for Tina Armstrong who is pro wrestler, Hitomi who uses karate and Mila who is a MMA fighter that looks and fights just like real life cute bruiser Creator/GinaCarano and the aggressive Rachel.

* {{Gainaxing}}: ''Dead or Alive'''s shtick since the first game, but in ''Dead or Alive Xtreme 2'', each breast has its own physics, meaning both can jiggle independently. It look as ridiculous as it sounds. Taken [[UpToEleven one step further]] in ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive5'' when you can invoke this trait.

* GuestFighter: Nicole, a female [[Franchise/{{Halo}} Spartan]] soldier, is playable in ''Dead or Alive 4'' and ''Virtua Fighter''s Akira Yuki, Pai Chan, and Sarah Bryant joined the fray in ''5''. ''5: Ultimate'' adds up Sarah's brother, Jacky Bryant, and ''5: Last Round'' adds Naotora Ii from ''VideoGame/SamuraiWarriors'' and Mai Shiranui from ''VideoGame/FatalFury''/''VideoGame/TheKingOfFighters''. Mai returns in ''6'' (making her one of the only examples in fighting games of a guest character returning between installments) and is joined by Kula Diamond.

%%* HuskyRusskie: Bayman.

** ''Dead or Alive V: Last Round'' actually uses a secondary physics engine ''just'' for animating the female character's sweater puppies. Breasts will not just bounce, but compress and deform realistically as force is applied. It's actually quite impressive, technically speaking... Hey, don't give me that look.

* MovesetClone: Bayman and Leon. Tengu and Nyotengu.

* NotJustATournament: Fame Douglas envisioned the Dead or Alive World Combat Championship (the flagship operation of the Dead or Alive Tournament Executive Committee, hence its name) to be a mere tournament but with his death, the tournament became a proving ground for the malicious science of Victor Donovan's experiments.

* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Christie is psychotically devoted to protecting Helena, so she can kill her herself.

* SNKBoss: All of the final bosses appear to varying degrees, the worst being Kasumi Alpha-152 from ''Dead or Alive 4''.

* HomeVersionSoundtrackReplacement:
** While Music/{{Aerosmith}} songs were used as themes for ''Dead or Alive 3'', ''2: Ultimate'' and ''4'', their [=FMVs=] that were re-purposed as cutscenes in ''Dimensions'' replace the songs with completely different instrumental pieces.
** The two Bomb Factory songs "Exciter" and "Deadly Silent Beach" were removed from ''DOA 2: Ultimate''.
* HuskyRusskie: Bayman.

* ArtEvolution: In every game thanks to improving hardware, but ''Dead or Alive 5'' takes the cake for now: special mention goes to the female characters, whose new designs look much less generic anime, with smaller eyes and less fanservice-y bodies, or maybe fanservice-y in a different way.
** The ''“Soft Engine”'' that Team Ninja debuted on the ''[=PS4=]/One'' version for ''[=DOA5=] Last Round'' (sadly not the same for PC), but had its more advanced version for ''[=DOAX3=]'', not only made the girls have a new type of jiggle physics but also made their models noticeably curvier, comparing Ayane’s base model from ''Last Round'' to her model in ''Xtreme 3'', one can see the difference right away.

[[Characters/DeadOrAlive The character sheet]] is under construction. As is the official page for ''VideoGame/DeadOrAlive5''.

* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Helena. She wants it because Ayane went on one to stop Helena from going after ninja, which resulted in her mother being killed. Kasumi willfully incurs the wrath of becoming a renegade shinobi by going on one of these after a fight between Raidou and Hayate.

* RuleOfCool: When the series isn't delivering over-the-top fanservice, it revels in equally over-the-top cinematic sequences. How else would you describe a guy ''blowing up a tower while playing an electric guitar on a skateboard''?

* SomeDexterityRequired: While a given for the fighting game genre, Hayabusa, Hayate, and the playable bosses in ''Dimensions'' posses combo throws that, while devastating (knocking off as much as a quarter of the health bar when pulled off), are done in sequences, requiring precise timing and inhuman precision with D-pad rolling.
** [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard This does not prevent the AI from executing them flawlessly every time, of course.]]

* TheStinger: [[spoiler:Victor Donovan is seen putting Omega's mask on his face after the credits of Chronicle mode in ''Dimensions''.]]

* TookALevelInBadass: Jann Lee's backstory. [[spoiler:He spent his childhood as a weak, bullied kid that can only escape the harsh reality by watching Bruce Lee films. Then he became an AscendedFanboy. And the rest is history.]]

** Elliot from his past appearances to DOA 5, where he goes from a pretty able but doubtful guy to a confident, stonger fighter who is about to learn the final stage of his training.

* AWinnerIsYou: There are no endings in the first game; it jumps right to the credits after the character's victory pose.

* WorldOfBuxom: A staple of the series, though this aspect was toned down notably in ''Dead or Alive 5''. There is still boatloads of fanservice, but there appears to be a slightly larger, more realistic variety of breast sizes.
** The arcade version of Dead Or Alive 5 Ultimate now adds Marie Rose, a girl with a small bust into the mix.

* RealSongThemeTune:
** Music/{{Aerosmith}} songs were used as opening and closing themes for ''[=DOA3=]'', ''[=DOA2=] Ultimate'' and ''[=DOA4=]'', but this practice was discontinued after Itagaki left Team Ninja, suggesting that it may have been AuthorAppeal on his part. (It sounds particularly jarring in ''Dimensions'' when the same cutscenes that had been backed with Aerosmith songs in previous games now have more generic-sounding instrumental BGM.) By contrast, ''[=DOA5=]'' has a more hip-hop oriented soundtrack.
** Meja's 1996 single [[LoveMakesYouCrazy "How Crazy Are You?"]] becomes the theme song to the ''Xtreme Beach Volleyball'' games. Also, B*witched's "If it Don't Fit" plays during the opening demos.

* ProfessionalWrestling: Tina, Bass, and Lisa/La Mariposa.

* OrnamentalWeapon: None of the ninjas use their swords except in cutscenes. Averted with [[spoiler: Omega]] and once you've fought him, you'll understand why [[SNKBossSyndrome other characters can't]].

*** [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] as most fights in the series are part of a formal hand-to-hand tournament that most likely forbids the use of weapons.