History VideoGame / IzunaLegendOfTheUnemployedNinja

* CombinationAttack: A major addition to gameplay in ''Izuna 2''. Certain combinations of characters can pull off unique and more powerful ones.

*** Sweaty unequips your equipment, and prevents you from equipping anything until it wears off. [[CaptainObvious This can be problematic while you're being swarmed]].

* LightIsNotGood: In the second game, half of the Western gods are associated with light (Baldur with light in general, Alte with moonlight, Stella with starlight, and Corona with sunlight), and yet not a one of them is the kind of person you could say is particularly "good". Baldur is something of a [[TheBrute Brute]], Alte and Stella are a pair of {{Jerkass}} {{Tricksters}}, and Corona has an overwhelming temper and is not likely to forgive a slight, especially if it involves her younger siblings.

''Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja'' is a {{roguelike}} RPG for the NintendoDS developed by Creator/{{Success}} and published in the US by Creator/{{Atlus}}. A young {{ninja}} named Izuna is looking for a place to find home after her clan's old master fired them, believing ninja no longer have a place in the modern world. They eventually settle on an out-of-the-way village, when Izuna's "Grandboss", Gen-An, wanders away from the village and into the realm of the gods. In the process of rescuing him, she manages to make several gods ''very'' angry, and has to retrieve several magical orbs to help the now-cursed natives from various afflictions and bring them back to normal.

* LostForever: Certain photos in the second game, though fewer than you might think. An easy one to miss is Tsuki, the mysterious girl in Tsukikaze Village; you have only a short window to get her picture before [[spoiler:you find out who she really is]].

'''''Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja''''' is a {{roguelike}} RPG for the NintendoDS developed by Creator/{{Success}} and published in the US by Creator/{{Atlus}}. A young {{ninja}} named Izuna is looking for a place to find home after her clan's old master fired them, believing ninja no longer have a place in the modern world. They eventually settle on an out-of-the-way village, when Izuna's "Grandboss", Gen-An, wanders away from the village and into the realm of the gods. In the process of rescuing him, she manages to make several gods ''very'' angry, and has to retrieve several magical orbs to help the now-cursed natives from various afflictions and bring them back to normal.

-->--A line from a magazine ad for the game.

* IdiotHair: Several characters sport these. Tsubaki and Himiko are the most dramatic, but Sayuri has one too, and even Ina, who had normal hair in the first game, has picked up an ahoge in the second.

*** She is also very similar to [[Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Homura Akemi]]: both are black-, long-haired girls with unusual eye colours, both wear purple, both are calm and collected most of the time, and both watch over a more cheerful pink-haired girl.

* CoolBigSis: Shino to Izuna, and Shizune in the second game. Corona in the second game is a HotBlooded Big Sis bordering on MamaBear when she finds out that you "bullied" her younger siblings Stella and Alte.

* GogglesDoNothing: Izuna wears a set of bizarre, triangular goggles, solely for the fact that Shino gave them to her, which make her look like some sort of ninja CatGirl.

* AnimalMotifs: Five of the gods in the first game. Shuuchi's a snake, Fuuka a bird, Kagen a bear, and Suiren a fish. Utsuho's is hard to pin down, though it's been theorized that he's a frog.[[note]]Supporting evidence: his DegradedBoss copy is identified as "Frog Man".[[/note]] It's implied that Takushiki used to be ''something''; he won't say what, but invites you to guess.

* MarathonLevel: TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon in the first game--the Singularity--is 40 floors deep, double more than that of the previous dungeon, culminating in a very tough battle with [[spoiler:possessed Gen-An]]. And if that's not enough for you, each game also has a ''99-floor'' bonus dungeon--which in true roguelike tradition kicks you back to level 1 every time you enter.

''Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja'' is a {{roguelike}} RPG for the NintendoDS developed by Creator/{{Success}} and published in the U.S. by Creator/{{Atlus}}. A young {{ninja}} named Izuna is looking for a place to find home after her clan's old master fired them, believing ninja no longer have a place in the modern world. They eventually settle on an out-of-the-way village, when Izuna's "Grandboss", Gen-An, wanders away from the village and into the realm of the gods. In the process of rescuing him, she manages to make several gods ''very'' angry, and has to retrieve several magical orbs to help the now-cursed natives from various afflictions and bring them back to normal.

A sequel, entitled ''Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns'', was released in 2007 in Japan and 2008 in the U.S. Shino, Izuna's friend, disappears in the midst of a wedding, so Izuna goes on a quest to find her. Izuna finds her, only to discover that Shino was looking for her sister, Shizune, so Izuna and her group decide to help search for Shizune. But by looking for Shizune, Izuna angers a group of foreign gods, who attempt to prevent her from reuniting with Shizune.

* TheChewToy: Mitsumoto, who gets on the receiving end of a lot of Izuna's teasing. Gen-An, too, no thanks to [[YouMeddlingKids Izuna's meddling.]]

** Shino's costume is somewhat reminiscent of [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Sheena's]], but altered to play down her lack of breasts and focus on other features.
*** She is also very similar to [[PuellaMagiMadokaMagica Homura Akemi]]: both are black-, long-haired girls with unusual eye colours, both wear purple, both are calm and collected most of the time, and both watch over a more cheerful pink-haired girl.
** Izuna resembles [[{{FLCL}} Haruko Haruhara]]. She has the red suit, goggles, yellow scarf and personality.

* HiddenEyes: Mitsumoto. However, a hidden event in Izuna 2 ends with his hood coming off. Shino does this a bit in the second game.
* HighlyVisibleNinja

--> '''Soubei''': (on Izuna trying to flirt with him) All I see is a snot-nosed brat!
--> '''Izuna''': I'm not snot-nosed!

* JokeCharacter: Mitsumoto. In the second game, his tag attacks are like [[StreetFighter Dan Hibiki]] took the [[DesperationAttack Otoko Michi]] [[UpToEleven Up To Eleven]].

* MarathonLevel: TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon in the first game--the Singularity--is 40 floors deep, double more than that of the previous dungeon, culminating in a very tough battle with [[spoiler:possessed Gen-An]]. And if that's not enough for you, each game also has a ''99-floor'' dungeon--which in true roguelike tradition kicks you back to level 1 every time you enter.

* ShoutOut: There is an enemy, called Chibi Marimo, which upgrades into a [[SuperMarioBros Super Marimo]] if it defeats a mushroom enemy. The Super Marimo can do this again to further power up into a Rainbow Marimo. The first few times you encounter Chibi and Super Marimos, allowing them to power up will likely result in your death.

** Fuuka in the first game, since her special attack will put Izuna into the "confused" status if you get near her. Unless you've properly prepared items to take her on, she easily becomes ThatOneBoss.

* WeBuyAnything

* AnimalMotifs: Five of the gods in the first game. Shuuchi's a snake, Fuuka a bird, Kagen a bear, and Suiren a fish. Utsuho's is hard to pin down, though it's been theorized that he's a frog.[[note]](Supporting evidence: his DegradedBoss copy is identified as "Frog Man".)[[/note]] It's implied that Takushiki used to be ''something''; he won't say what, but invites you to guess.

''Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja'' is a {{roguelike}} RPG for the NintendoDS developed by Creator/{{Success}} and published in the U.S. by Creator/{{Atlus}}. A young {{ninja}} named Izuna is looking for a place to find home after her clan's old master fired them, believing ninja no longer have a place in the modern world. They eventually settle on an out-of-the-way village, when Izuna's "grandboss", Gen-an, wanders into one of the local caves. In the process of rescuing him, she manages to make several gods ''very'' angry, and has to retrieve several magical orbs to help the now-cursed natives from various afflictions and bring them back to normal.

A sequel, entitled ''Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns'', was released in 2007 in Japan and 2008 in the U.S.

* ACupAngst: Shino. She's not particularly happy about her chest, especially since her own little sister beats her out in bust size.
* AnimalMotifs: Five of the gods in the first game. Shuuchi's a snake, Fuuka a bird, Kagen a bear, and Suiren a fish. Utsuho's is hard to pin down, though it's been theorized that he's a frog. (Supporting evidence: his DegradedBoss copy is identified as "Frog Man".) It's implied that Takushiki used to be ''something''; he won't say what, but invites you to guess. "It's likely you'll figure it out. Although, it's just as likely you won't."
* BerserkButton: Shino is ''quite'' aware of how [[ACupAngst unendowed]] she is. If anybody else attempts to remind her, she'll have them get [[{{Catchphrase}} a glimpse of Hell]].
* BestHerToBedHer: Ichika, who wants a husband who is stronger than she is. The only problem is that she's way too strong. [[spoiler: She does marry in the end, though.]]
* BigEater: Izuna.
* {{Bishonen}}: Utsuho and Hiyoshimaru. The second game gives us Abyss [[spoiler:as well as Mitsumoto, once [[BeautifulAllAlong his mask comes off]].]]
* BlowYouAway: The Tengu can use wind attacks to transport you to a random part of the dungeon floor. The "Reppu" talisman also utilizes wind power, but it only blows enemies into walls. Naturally, Fuuka has these powers as well, since she's the wind goddess.
* BrattyHalfPint: Himiko in the second game.
* BreakableWeapons: Anything you find can be broken if used too much.
* TheChewToy: Mitsumoto, who gets on the receiving end of a lot of Izuna's teasing. Gen-an, too, no thanks to [[YouMeddlingKids Izuna's meddling.]]

** Naturally, Mitsumoto, being TheChewToy, has a special combination with just about everybody... And all of them end with him getting hurt in the process, [[CastFromHitPoints which is reflected by having him actually lose HP]].
* ContinuingIsPainful: As expected of a roguelike, but much more forgiving than is traditional for the genre. Dying will only cost you your on-hand inventory and money, not your experience.
* CoolBigSis: Shino to Izuna [[spoiler: and Shizune]]. Corona in the second game is a HotBlooded Big Sis bordering on MamaBear when she finds out that you "bullied" her younger siblings Stella and Alte.

* DarkSkinnedRedHead: Corona.

* DisproportionateRetribution: Takushiki is a champion of this.
* {{Expy}}: Take one look at Baldur from the second game and try not to confuse him with [[Manga/FullmetalAlchemist Major Armstrong]]. Shino's costume is somewhat reminiscent of [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Sheena's]], but altered to play down her lack of breasts and focus on other features.

* GenkiGirl: Izuna, Shizune, Suzume.
* GogglesDoNothing: Izuna wears a set of bizarre, triangular goggles solely for the fact that Shino gave them to her, which make her look like some sort of ninja CatGirl.

* HotBlooded: Kagen, God of Fire (naturally). Izuna is a little bit HotBlooded herself.

* HulkSpeak: Baldur, western god of light.

* ITakeOffenseToThatLastOne (from the first game):
--> '''Woman-Crazy NPC''': (on Izuna trying to flirt with him) All I see is a snot-nosed brat!

* ItemCrafting: Careful use of talismans and the Burn-In Flame will allow you to power up your weapons and armor to crazy levels. If you try to overload them, though, they'll break.
* {{Jerkass}}: Abyss in the second game.

* KickChick: Fuuka. Unlike the other characters, she can only equip shoes as weapons.
* KillItWithWater: Suiren.
* TheLadette: Ichika.
* LampshadeHanging: One of the ''Izuna 2'' [[http://www.atlus.com/izuna2/comic.html comics]] (One too many questions) is an hilarious lampshading of world map-related RPG clichés.

* MarathonLevel: TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon in the first game is 40 floors deep, culminating in a very tough battle with [[spoiler:possessed Gen-an]]. And if that's not enough for you, each game also has a ''99-floor'' dungeon -- which in true roguelike tradition kicks you back to level 1 every time you enter.

* MsFanservice: Izuna.
* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Izuna defeats an angry god at the beginning of the game for punishing her grandfather for wandering into the village's cave...and then makes all of the ''other'' gods in the area put curses on the villagers in retaliation. Guess who's gotta do the cleanup once [[spoiler:her clan members]] become affected by the curse, too? Yup. What's more, she eventually finds out something that was obvious to the player all along: the trouble ''really'' started because [[spoiler:Izuna stole an important crystal]].
* [[{{Ninja}} Nin]][[CaptainObvious ja]]

* OlderThanTheyLook: Suiren, Goddess of Water.
** Technically, this applies to most, if not all of the gods and goddesses in the series.
* PlayingWithFire: Kagen.
** Lampshaded in the online comics for the second game: see [[http://www.atlus.com/izuna2/comic.html here]], click on Boredom, and just go through the comic. [[spoiler:Said comic also includes Mitsumoto *playing* ''Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja''. Despite being in it. Ow, my brain.]]

* {{Samurai}}: Shuuchi, God of Earth.
* ScaryScarecrows: They can even cause Curse status.
* ShoutOut: There are many, for example:
** There is an enemy, called Chibi Marimo, which, after eating a mushroom, becomes a stronger enemy called Suppaa Marimo (Super Marimo in the English version), a shout out to Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s [[SuperMarioBros mascot character]]. When the Chibi Marimo is first encountered, letting it do this will likely result in your death.
*** It can further power up to becoming a Rainbow Marimo. What are you trying to imply, Success Corp?
*** [[SuperMarioGalaxy That it's invincible.]]
* SmallNameBigEgo: Izuna.
* StraightMan: Shino.
* UndergroundMonkey
* WakeUpCallBoss:

** If Fuuka doesn't wake you up, Kagen will. His special attack is a tremendous flurry of claw-swipes that you'll be very lucky to survive.

* {{Bishonen}}: Utsuho (also a WhiteHairedPrettyBoy) and Hiyoshimaru. The second game gives us Abyss [[spoiler:as well as Mitsumoto, once [[BeautifulAllAlong his mask comes off]].]]

* NintendoHard: Easier than PC Roguelikes, but still harder than anything like ''PokemonMysteryDungeon''. This was addressed in the second game with a number of additional features, the most prominent of which was allowing two player-characters to enter a dungeon at one time.

''Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja'' is a {{roguelike}} RPG for the NintendoDS published by {{Atlus}}. A young {{ninja}} named Izuna is looking for a place to find home after her clan's old master fired them, believing ninja no longer have a place in the modern world. They eventually settle on an out-of-the-way village, when Izuna's "grandboss", Gen-an, wanders into one of the local caves. In the process of rescuing him, she manages to make several gods ''very'' angry, and has to retrieve several magical orbs to help the now-cursed natives from various afflictions and bring them back to normal.

While the game has received middling reviews (praised for its quirky characters and storyline, but criticized for its difficulty and for underutilizing the DS' features), it gained a decent enough cult following to receive a sequel, entitled ''Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns''.

Izuna and Shino have also made cameo appearances as {{Secret Character}}s in ''RondoOfSwords'' and ''WindyXWindam'', two other games developed by Success Corp.

* AnimalMotifs: Five of the gods in the first game. Shuuchi's a snake, Fuuka a bird, Kagen a bear, and Suiren a fish. Utsuho's is hard to pin down, though it's been theorized that he's a frog. (Supporting evidence: his DegradedCopy is identified as "Frog Man".) It's implied that Takushiki used to be ''something''; he won't say what, but invites you to guess. "It's likely you'll figure it out. Although, it's just as likely you won't."

While the game has received middling reviews (praised for its quirky characters and storyline, but criticized for not utilizing the DS' features to their full potential), it gained a decent enough cult following to receive a sequel, entitled ''Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns''.

* AnimalMotifs: Five of the gods in the first game. Shuuichi's a snake, Fuuka a bird, Kagen a bear, Suiren a fish. Utsuho's is hard to pin down, though it's been theorized that he's a frog.

* MarathonLevel: TheVeryDefinitelyFinalDungeon in the first game is 40 floors deep, culminating in a very tough battle with [[spoiler:possessed Gen-an]].

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: Izuna defeats an angry god at the beginning of the game for punishing her grandfather for wandering into the village's cave...and then makes all of the ''other'' gods in the area put curses on the villagers in retaliation. Guess who's gotta do the cleanup once [[spoiler:her clan members]] become affected by the curse, too? Yup.

* ScaryScarecrows: They can even cause Fear status.

* WakeUpCallBoss: Fuuka in the first game, since her special attack will put Izuna into the "confused" status if you get near her. Unless you've properly prepared items to take her on, she easily becomes ThatOneBoss.

** There is an enemy, called Chibi Marimo, which, after eating a mushroom, becomes a stronger enemy called Suppaa Marimo (Super Marimo in the English version), a shout out to {{Nintendo}}'s [[SuperMarioBros mascot character]]. When the Chibi Marimo is first encountered, letting it do this will likely result in your death.

* {{Expy}}: Take one look at Baldur from the second game and try not to confuse him with [[FullmetalAlchemist Major Armstrong]]. Shino's costume is somewhat reminiscent of [[VideoGame/TalesOfSymphonia Sheena's]], but altered to play down her lack of breasts and focus on other features.