History VideoGame / Killer7

''[=Killer7=]'' is a 2005 action-adventure game for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 Playstation 2]], developed by Creator/GrasshopperManufacture, and written and directed by Creator/{{Suda 51}} (with ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' alum Creator/ShinjiMikami co-writing), that combines unusual gameplay mechanics and conspiratorial themes in a techno-thriller setting. In an alternate timeline TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, worldwide peace has finally been achieved after a total ban on nuclear weapons and research.[[note]]and [[NewMediaAreEvil the Internet]]. And airplanes.[[/note]] The remaining warheads are fired into space, where they collide and destroy each other.

On May 26 2018, Suda and Grasshopper Manufacture announced [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dphVWNPKCiM&feature=youtu.be an HD port]] of the game to PC, with Creator/{{NIS America}} in charge of publication. This version released via UsefulNotes/{{Steam}} in November.

* AerithAndBob: On the same team, there's KAEDE, Garcian, MASK de, and...Kevin.

* ICannotSelfTerminate: [[spoiler:Ulmeyda]].

* InTheNameOfTheMoon: ''"Ayame Blackburn, Survive!"''

* KarmicDeath: Oh boy.

* KnifeNut: Kevin Smith.

* OutOfFocus: After Sunset, main villains Kun Lan and Matsuoka (along with the whole main plot of the game) just kind of take a back seat all the way until the climax.

* RussianRoulette: [[spoiler:"This gun holds ''seven'' bullets."]]

* LetsPlay:
** By LetsPlay/ChipCheezum and General Ironicus, seen [[http://chipandironicus.com/videos/k7/ here]]. Ironicus's thoughts on the ending: [[MindScrew "Nothing has anything to do with anything."]]
** Another one by LetsPlay/SuperGreatFriend can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6cxryHPJtc&list=PLaSPgE4K0SB20ZicuxRFLpHONXWmTXTtK&index=1 here]]. SGF makes a valiant effort to [[ShownTheirWork detail the game's plot and history]], including snippets from ''Hand in [=Killer7=]'' and detailing supplemental material like the short-lived tie-in comic series.

* ExpressiveShirt: The text on Travis' shirt changes every time you see him.

'''Matsuoka:''' [[LampshadeHanging I'm Japanese, how the hell should I know [the answers to that]?]]

* ExpressiveShirt: Travis' text changes every time you see him.
* FalseRoulette: [[spoiler: Benjamin Keane thinks he's won at RussianRoulette. Contender Garcian pulls the trigger on him a 6th time. It goes click. "This gun holds ''seven'' bullets".]]

** Trevor Pearlharbor is ultimately killed by one of his own sentai heroes; the word "sentai" literally refers to a Japanese military unit; for example, the one that bombed Pearl Harbor.

* MilkmanConspiracy: [[spoiler:The United States government is controlled by Japan through a Seattle elementary school... really.]]

* ActionBomb: The Heaven Smiles.
* AdultFear: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXwWjxbzuIk&feature=related This scene]] (warning: NSFW) basically sums up a most horrifying scenario for any parent. (It's Pedro coming to the realization that his shady business partner Curtis has [[spoiler:killed Pedro's family right behind his back]].)

However, this peace was not to last, for a group known as "Heaven Smile" soon appeared. Led by the enigmatic Kun Lan, this group of ambiguously human terrorists began to carry out a number of suicide bombings across the world, with no discernible purpose other than to create [[TerroristWithoutACause terror for the]] [[ForTheEvulz sake of terror]].

* Dan Smith: The Hellion. Uses a magnum revolver known as HANDSOME DEVIL. His special ability is Collateral Shot, which fires a powerful destructive blast to clear obstacles and destroy Heaven Smile spawners. He's a slightly unhinged {{Jerkass}} with a DeadpanSnarker attitude. Notably the only member of the syndicate to have nothing but negative relations with the other Personae. In gameplay, he's BoringButPractical, having high stopping power and reliable aim in exchange for little in the way of interesting tactics.

* Coyote Smith: The Thief. Uses a revolver called FREAK SCENE. His special ability is infiltration, with him being able to leap tall heights and pick locks. Coyote is aggressive and vicious, and this is reflected in gameplay, with him being about as strong as Dan but lacking in self control, giving his weapon heavier, more random recoil and a slower rate of fire. He has a faster running speed, however, meaning he can back out of a sticky situation easier than Dan.

* MASK de Smith: The Mask. Armed with dual grenade launchers known as DREAM ALL DAY. A Mexican wrestler, MASK can use his super strength and powerful weapons to open holes in places the other Smiths cannot get through. He can also charge his grenade launchers for powerful effect, and is quite slow. He's a MightyGlacier through and through, though he's a soft-spoken NiceGuy if you can get to know him.

** Garcian, who hangs back and lets others take the leading role, represents Self-Control. [[spoiler:At the end of the game, after other Smiths are killed, he assumes complete control of himself.]]

* LimitedWardrobe: Harman only ever wears Jesuit priest clothes, Garcian a white suit, and Kevin nothing but sunglasses and chinos (although he does change the former). MASK changes his clothes exactly three times in the game, and in each case it's a plot point; on the other hand, before finding the blue mask, he wears a different mask in each level. In contrast, Dan, KAEDE, Coyote, and Con wear different clothes in each level, albeit always of the same style.

%%* AdultFear:
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXwWjxbzuIk&feature=related This scene]] (warning: NSFW) basically sums up a most horrifying scenario for any parent. (It's Pedro coming to the realization that his shady business partner Curtis has [[spoiler:killed Pedro's family right behind his back]].)
** Jaco's Report: Early in these reports, Jaco posits that discovering that any of your friends or family are part of Heaven Smile—effectively a terrorist cult—would be truly horrific. He then reveals that it's happened to him: his wife and daughter had become members of Heaven Smile, and were about to kill him.

* AllLowercaseLetters: [=killer7=] is usually written like this in the Japanese version. The English version, on both Gamecube and PC, capitalize the K.

** ''Hand In [=killer7=]'', which actually makes the story even '''more''' complicated; for an informational book, it ends up being a JigsawPuzzlePlot of its own, relying on you to cross-reference different sections of the book (and the game) to put together what it's trying to tell you. Some of the information in the book completely contradicts the game, and the book is not even completely consistent ''with itself''. There's even an early prototype version of the Encounter chapter, with game graphics and screenshots arranged in comic format, one of the few pieces of early-version content present in the book.

** It's also an alternate history to ''VideoGame/TheSilverCase'' and ''VideoGame/FlowerSunAndRain'', as ''[=Killer7=]'' goes out of its way to mention that the Internet (necessary to the plot of ''The Silver Case'') and airplanes (necessary to the plot of ''Flower, Sun, and Rain'') were banned the year before ''The Silver Case'' takes place.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Travis Bell, Harman's first hit. Appears in a variety of suggestive poses with flamboyant, sometimes innuendo-laden tank tops, usually in hot pink print ('Bad Girl', 'Sexual'). In a library area in the first level, he describes himself as 'the Chief's first catch', then describes his death like it were an orgasm: 'To be honest, that shit felt good'.

* ArcNumber: Seven, in many different ways. Not only are there seven assassins in the Smith syndicate, but also seven major targets to pursue and kill, seven rings to recover and use ([[spoiler: along with the Vision Ring that Garcian possesses]]), the game's story is divided in seven chapters, seven save files available in Slot A and Slot B, etc. There are also seven visits to the Vinculum Gate, as well as the Union 7 group in the backstory.

* AdultFear: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXwWjxbzuIk&feature=related This scene]] (warning: NSFW) basically sums up a most horrifying scenario for any parent. (It's Pedro coming to the realization that his shady business partner Curtis has [[spoiler:killed Pedro's family right behind his back]].)

* Expressive: Travis' text changes every time you see him.

* ExpressiveShirt: Travis' shirt text changes every time you see him.

** Travis' shirts in Alter Ego are all named after songs by the music group Quruli.

* AmnesiacDissonance: [[spoiler:Garcian Smith, aka Emir Parkreiner]], in Target 05: Smile.

* ArcNumber: Seven, in many different ways. Not only are there seven assassins in the Smith syndicate, but also seven major targets to pursue and kill, seven rings to find and use, the game's story is divided in seven chapters, seven save files available in Slot A and Slot B, etc. There are also seven visits to the Vinculum Gate, as well as the Union 7 group in the backstory.
* ArcWords: Most of the Remnant Psyches have their own recurring words, to further differentiate each character: Travis has "chief" and "straight up", the True Mask has "tomorrow, it could be you", Iwazaru has "Master" and "in the name of Harman", and so on.
* ArtShift: The animated cutscenes in Cloudman and Alter Ego are different from the game's art style ''and'' from each other. Alter Ego is straight-up anime, while Cloudman is done by a western animation studio. Earlier, Sunset also has a single extended cutscene by the same studio as Alter Ego's.

* BadassFamily / BadassCrew: The Smiths.

* CosplayOtakuGirl: Ayame Blackburn.

'''Matsuoka:''' [[LampshadeHanging I'm Japanese, how the hell should I know?]]

* EverythingsDeaderWithZombies: One of the boss fights consists of two elderly Japanese gentlemen who had their heads blown open. You have to blow their brains out, literally, to kill them... again.

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xvhNEPfjV-w This trailer,]] from way back in 2003, is particularly interesting as [[DummiedOut virtually none of the dialogue or cutscenes in it]] [[WhatCouldHaveBeen appear in the game itself.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:The Smiths (clockwise from top-left): Dan, MASK de, Garcian, Coyote, KAEDE, Kevin, and Con, with Harman in the center.]]

''[=Killer7=]'' is a 2005 action-adventure game for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 Playstation 2]], developed by Creator/GrasshopperManufacture, and written and directed by Creator/{{Suda 51}} (with ''Franchise/ResidentEvil'' alum Creator/ShinjiMikami co-writing), that combines unusual gameplay mechanics and conspiratorial themes in a techno-thriller setting. In an alternate timeline TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, worldwide peace has finally been achieved after a total ban on nuclear weapons and research.[[note]]and [[NewMediaAreEvil the Internet]]. And airplanes[[/note]] The remaining warheads are fired into space, where they collide and destroy each other.

** KAEDE has various bloodstains on her dress, which signify betrayal (like the Camellia Smiles), so she represents Loyalty. She is also able to sacrifice herself for her teammates (such as with her self-harm).
** Dan, who kills for fun, represents Honor. Rather than [[WhyDontYouJustShootHim killing Curtis Blackburn straight away]], he agrees to a duel with him.
** Con, who is a teenage punk, represents Respect. He is shown to have an admiration for the Handsome Men, and [[AllThereInTheManual according to the manual and "Hand in Killer7"]], he really looks up to Coyote and MASK.

** Kevin, who can run away and hide from battles, represents Courage. Kevin is brave enough to have perfect aim and always pull out another knife; [[spoiler:he also manned the front desk of the hotel in the past]].

* AdultFear: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXwWjxbzuIk&feature=related This scene]] (warning: NSFW) basically sums up a most horrifying scenario for any parent. (It's Pedro coming to the realization that his shady business partner Curtis has [[spoiler:killed Pedro's family]].)

** The story follows a timeline quite a bit different from ours. This seems to stretch a way back, if we take at face value the claim that the first president of the United States was the headmaster of a school in Seattle.
** While how far back America's history diverted is unknown, Japan's history's divergence can be traced to somebody (likely Kun Lan) calling Toru Fukushima after World War II, as the Liberal Party that Fukushima was asked to split off from really did exist.

** Smile, Part 2 allows a lot more blood than other areas, though it's balanced out by only having a few Camellia Smiles, as well as Mithril Smiles and Broken Smiles, the latter being incredibly hard to get blood from, as regular, respawning enemies.

* ArcNumber: Seven, in many different ways. Not only are there seven assassins in the Smith syndicate, but also seven major targets to pursue and kill, seven rings to find and use, and the game's story is divided in seven chapters. There are also seven visits to the Vinculum Gate, as well as the Union 7 group in the backstory.
* ArcWords: Most of the Remnant Psyches have their own recurring words: Travis has "chief" and "straight up", the True Mask has "tomorrow, it could be you", Iwazaru has "in the name of Harman", and so on.

* AssholeVictim: Pedro Montana was, along with Curtis Blackburn, one of the heads of the organ smuggling operation in Encounter and the backstory before betraying Curtis, which leads to Curtis getting his {{revenge}}. Interestingly, Pedro's death isn't about bringing justice, but showing that Curtis is far, far worse than Pedro could have imagined.
* AwesomeButImpractical: MASK de Smith is the strongest character in the game, and his grenade launchers can one-hit kill almost any enemy (except for certain bosses), and he gets mask upgrades across the game that boost his power further and speed up his reloads, eventually to the point [[BottomlessMagazines he doesn't need to reload]]. Unfortunately, his use of explosives means he can't hit weak points, so unless it's an enemy that none of the other Smiths can damage, his kills grant you little to no blood.

* BadassInANiceSuit: Dan and Garcian both wear tasteful suits when out killing. MASK also starts off with a flashy suit, but changes into various wrestler costumes later as he gets upgrades.

* BadMoonRising: Done in a rather odd fashion - the moon shown at the start of every chapter starts out appearing in odd colors, including red. As the finale approaches, the moon here starts appearing completely normal.

** Coyote, [[spoiler: who can get to hard to reach places, is out flanked.]]

** [[spoiler:The United States elections have been subverted by the Japanese taking control of a politically important elementary school in Seattle.]]

* GangstaStyle: Con does a variation with GunsAkimbo, where the right sides of both guns are facing up, rather than the left-hand gun having its left side up. Coyote has an especially bad case - he does not merely hold his gun sideways, but diagonally ''over his head''. [[RealityEnsues He also has serious kickback and is one of the most difficult characters to aim with]].

''[=Killer7=]'' is a 2005 action-adventure game for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 Playstation 2]], developed by Creator/GrasshopperManufacture, and written and directed by Creator/{{Suda 51}}, that combines unusual gameplay mechanics and conspiratorial themes in a techno-thriller setting. In an alternate timeline TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, worldwide peace has finally been achieved after a total ban on nuclear weapons and research.[[note]]and [[NewMediaAreEvil the Internet]]. And airplanes[[/note]] The remaining warheads are fired into space, where they collide and destroy each other.

* AllLowercaseLetters: [=Killer7=] is usually written like this.

** ''Hand In [=Killer7=]'', which actually makes the story even '''more''' complicated; for an informational book, it ends up being a JigsawPuzzlePlot of its own, relying on you to cross-reference different sections of the book (and the game) to put together what it's trying to tell you. Some of the information in the book completely contradicts the game, and the book is not even completely consistent ''with itself''. There's even an early prototype version of the Encounter chapter, with game graphics and screenshots arranged in comic format, one of the few pieces of early-version content present in the book.

->'''Harman''': You're a from your dream?\\

* UpCallBoss: Kurahashi and Akiba are quite a bit harder to deal with than Angel.

-> '''Harman Smith:''' ''You're a from your nightmare.''\\

->'''Harman''': You're awake from your dream?\\

* WakeUpCallBoss: Kurahashi and Akiba are quite a bit harder to deal with than Angel.

* WarmUpBoss: The Speed Smile.
* WaveMotionGun: ''"Collateral shot!"''

-> '''Harman Smith:''' ''You're awake from your nightmare.''\\

To combat this supernatural threat, the American government calls on the services of the Smith Syndicate, a.k.a. the ''Killer7''. Led by the elderly and wheelchair-bound Harman Smith, a man who carries a history with Kun Lan, the Killer7 are a group of specialized assassins trained to deal with high-level threats to the stability of the United States of America. And with each mission completed, they slowly draw closer to the truth behind the Heaven Smiles and Kun Lan.

[[folder: The Killer7]]

** Con, who is a teenage punk, represents Respect. He is shown to have an admiration for the Handsome Men, and [[AllThereInTheManual according to the manual and "hand in Killer7"]], he really looks up to Coyote and MASK.

* AwesomeMcCoolName: Large swaths of the cast, usually to the effect of "mundane first name, insane last name that synergizes with the first name in a badass way". The Killer7 themselves already sound awesome, but then there's AYAME Blackburn, Kess [=BloodySunday=], Trevor Pearlharbor, ''Greg Nightmare''...

** According to Hand in Killer7, somebody named Jaco Checkbox orchestrated a lot of the protagonists' actions through Samantha. Despite this, he also claims that unknown individuals had already decided the whole plot through a secret conspiratorial meeting long ago that "maligned history".

** Seemingly invoked by ''Hand in Killer7'', a [[AllThereInTheManual setting book]] which contradicts itself all over the place to represent how history can get muddled and rewritten over time. This is eventually lampshaded by Jaco, who mentions that nobody really knows what happened in the Smith Syndicate Incident, one of the most confusing points in the timeline.

* CreepyChild: Kess, Susie and Ayame. Susie especially--not only because she's only a ''head,'' but because [[spoiler: holy ''crap'' she's murdered a lot of people! Often [[HairTriggerTemper for little reason, at that]].]] Love as well, according to Hand in Killer7 which describes her as an "extreme sociopath", although she acts fairly normal in-game.

* FirstPersonGhost: For some reason, the animated cutscenes in Cloudman work this way, with characters addressing the camera as if it were the Killer7 (but sometimes the camera shifts, and ''sometimes'' when that happens the person doesn't look towards the camera's new angle so...who knows?). The Killer7's dialogue is also unheard here too. In one instance ("we don't get many black folk around here"), it's explicitly directed at Garcian.

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Relating to the CentralTheme above, the gameplay is designed to be a "best of both world" approach to Japanese and Western game design philosophies. Japanese gamers prefer linear games, while Western gamers prefer games that are open-ended. In turn, the gameplay of Killer7 can be described as exploring a wide open environment (the Western approach) with on-rails controls (the Japanese approach).

** [=Killer7=]'s death animation: [[HaveANiceDeath the player character's detached head, superimposed over a bloody Kanji]].

** The Yakumo. Several major factions in the game want it, but nobody explains what it is and what it can do. ''Hand in Killer7'' says it is a founding document of the United Nations Party which outlines its foreign policy, but nothing explains ''why'' something like that would be so powerful. A fragment of it (or possibly an imperfect copy) is what allowed Andrei Ulmeyda to build a highly successful company that doesn't actually produce anything.

* MilitariesAreUseless: The only case you see of the military being mobilized in the game is the worst case possible. [[spoiler:They storm Andrei Ulmeyda's outpost, not because he's a dangerous criminal, but because he produces miracle cures by overcoming deadly diseases and are hoping he can do the same with Heaven Smile. Nevermind that Andrei has been taking [[ProperlyParanoid absurd measures]] to ''avoid'' Heaven Smile, including "hiring" the Killer7, because even ''he'' thinks he can't handle it. He ends up being right, and his transformation is so extreme that the ''entire military unit'' is wiped out, leaving only the Killer7 to put down the mutated Andrei.]]

* TheMole: [[spoiler: Toru Fukushima has two: his secretary Julia Kisugi and apprentice chef Jean Depaul. Also, one of the theories spawned from the Last Shot Smile is that Iwazaru is one for the Killer7.]]

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Gary Wanderers, the Steward, who replaces [[spoiler:Samantha after she is killed by Harman]]. Even Hand in Killer7 notes that [[spoiler:"fans of Samantha will doubtlessly be disappointed by him"]].

''[=killer7=]'' is a 2005 action-adventure game for [[UsefulNotes/NintendoGameCube GameCube]] and [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 Playstation 2]], developed by Creator/GrasshopperManufacture, and written and directed by Creator/{{Suda 51}}, that combines unusual gameplay mechanics and conspiratorial themes in a techno-thriller setting. In an alternate timeline TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture, worldwide peace has finally been achieved after a total ban on nuclear weapons and research.[[note]]and [[NewMediaAreEvil the Internet]]. And airplanes[[/note]] The remaining warheads are fired into space, where they collide and destroy each other.

To combat this supernatural threat, the American government calls on the services of the Smith Syndicate, a.k.a. the ''killer7''. Led by the elderly and wheelchair-bound Harman Smith, a man who carries a history with Kun Lan, the killer7 are a group of specialized assassins trained to deal with high-level threats to the stability of the United States of America. And with each mission completed, they slowly draw closer to the truth behind the Heaven Smiles and Kun Lan.

While this plot summary appears clear and concise, it only scratches the surface of the story of ''[=killer7=]''. As the Smiths keep getting called in to deal with each new threat from Kun Lan, a deep conspiracy with ties to the origins of both [=killer7=] and the Heaven Smiles comes to light, and dozens of twists and turns follow.

With that, we depart from the realm of sensibility. ''[=killer7=]'' can become an exceedingly confusing game, thanks to its multiple layers of metaphor and symbolism, its vignettes and {{non sequitur}}s, and its tacked-on plot threads that don't come together until the ending--and even ''then'', you're likely to have more questions than answers. Themes of war, religion, personal conflict, and politics all weave into one gigantic MindScrew, wrapping around each other like the bondage straps around [[ExpositionFairy Iwazaru]].

In contrast to the MindScrew storyline, the developers uniquely streamlined the gameplay of ''[=killer7=]'': a character moves along a set of predetermined paths, so all a player can do is choose forks and turn around. When attacked, players hold down a button to switch into first-person view and aim crosshairs manually (similar to ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4''). The Heaven Smiles remain invisible until players use another button to scan for them; as they approach, players can see an obvious glowing spot upon them, and while shooting this spot results in their instant death, players will find it difficult to do so. Any enemy who gets in too close to the player will laugh at the player before exploding and causing damage. DeathIsASlapOnTheWrist most of the time -- as Garcian can retrieve the severed heads of the other Smiths and revive them -- but if Garcian himself dies, the game ends. The [=killer7=] themselves are as follows:

* AbstractApotheosis: Each member of the [=killer7=] represents an inversion of one of the traditional Japanese values. Each one also has a moment where the irony disappears and they display their corresponding value.

** Con, who is a teenage punk, represents Respect. He is shown to have an admiration for the Handsome Men, and [[AllThereInTheManual according to the manual and "hand in killer7"]], he really looks up to Coyote and MASK.

* AllLowercaseLetters: [=killer7=] is usually written like this.

** ''Hand In [=killer7=]'', which actually makes the story even '''more''' complicated; for an informational book, it ends up being a JigsawPuzzlePlot of its own, relying on you to cross-reference different sections of the book (and the game) to put together what it's trying to tell you. Some of the information in the book completely contradicts the game, and the book is not even completely consistent ''with itself''. There's even an early prototype version of the Encounter chapter, with game graphics and screenshots arranged in comic format, one of the few pieces of early-version content present in the book.

** It's also an alternate history to ''VideoGame/TheSilverCase'' and ''VideoGame/FlowerSunAndRain'', as ''[=killer7=]'' goes out of its way to mention that the Internet (necessary to the plot of ''The Silver Case'') and airplanes (necessary to the plot of ''Flower, Sun, and Rain'') were banned the year before ''The Silver Case'' takes place.

* AwesomeMcCoolName: Large swaths of the cast, usually to the effect of "mundane first name, insane last name that synergizes with the first name in a badass way". The killer7 themselves already sound awesome, but then there's AYAME Blackburn, Kess [=BloodySunday=], Trevor Pearlharbor, ''Greg Nightmare''...

** According to Hand in killer7, somebody named Jaco Checkbox orchestrated a lot of the protagonists' actions through Samantha. Despite this, he also claims that unknown individuals had already decided the whole plot through a secret conspiratorial meeting long ago that "maligned history".

** Seemingly invoked by ''Hand in killer7'', a [[AllThereInTheManual setting book]] which contradicts itself all over the place to represent how history can get muddled and rewritten over time. This is eventually lampshaded by Jaco, who mentions that nobody really knows what happened in the Smith Syndicate Incident, one of the most confusing points in the timeline.

* CreepyChild: Kess, Susie and Ayame. Susie especially--not only because she's only a ''head,'' but because [[spoiler: holy ''crap'' she's murdered a lot of people! Often [[HairTriggerTemper for little reason, at that]].]] Love as well, according to Hand in killer7 which describes her as an "extreme sociopath", although she acts fairly normal in-game.

** Happens again with the [=killer7=] taking on the Handsome Men, one by one.

* FirstPersonGhost: For some reason, the animated cutscenes in Cloudman work this way, with characters addressing the camera as if it were the killer7 (but sometimes the camera shifts, and ''sometimes'' when that happens the person doesn't look towards the camera's new angle so...who knows?). The killer7's dialogue is also unheard here too. In one instance ("we don't get many black folk around here"), it's explicitly directed at Garcian.

* GameplayAndStoryIntegration: Relating to the CentralTheme above, the gameplay is designed to be a "best of both world" approach to Japanese and Western game design philosophies. Japanese gamers prefer linear games, while Western gamers prefer games that are open-ended. In turn, the gameplay of killer7 can be described as exploring a wide open environment (the Western approach) with on-rails controls (the Japanese approach).

** Another one by LetsPlay/SuperGreatFriend can be found [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6cxryHPJtc&list=PLaSPgE4K0SB20ZicuxRFLpHONXWmTXTtK&index=1 here]]. SGF makes a valiant effort to [[ShownTheirWork detail the game's plot and history]], including snippets from ''Hand in [=killer7=]'' and detailing supplemental material like the short-lived tie-in comic series.

** The Yakumo. Several major factions in the game want it, but nobody explains what it is and what it can do. ''Hand in killer7'' says it is a founding document of the United Nations Party which outlines its foreign policy, but nothing explains ''why'' something like that would be so powerful. A fragment of it (or possibly an imperfect copy) is what allowed Andrei Ulmeyda to build a highly successful company that doesn't actually produce anything.

** The verb "Smith", aka "to hit" (i.e. metal). In ''[=killer7=]'', the Smiths are assassins, i.e., "'''hit'''men". It can also be seen as a declaration of anonymity and allegiance to America, as the killers are of many different ethnicities but all have a generic American last name as personalities of Harman, the hero of the west.

* MilitariesAreUseless: The only case you see of the military being mobilized in the game is the worst case possible. [[spoiler:They storm Andrei Ulmeyda's outpost, not because he's a dangerous criminal, but because he produces miracle cures by overcoming deadly diseases and are hoping he can do the same with Heaven Smile. Nevermind that Andrei has been taking [[ProperlyParanoid absurd measures]] to ''avoid'' Heaven Smile, including "hiring" the killer7, because even ''he'' thinks he can't handle it. He ends up being right, and his transformation is so extreme that the ''entire military unit'' is wiped out, leaving only the killer7 to put down the mutated Andrei.]]

* TheMole: [[spoiler: Toru Fukushima has two: his secretary Julia Kisugi and apprentice chef Jean Depaul. Also, one of the theories spawned from the Last Shot Smile is that Iwazaru is one for the killer7.]]

** The Smiths; it's on the box cover. [[spoiler:But when it comes to ''whose'' personality they split from, CoversAlwaysLie.]] However, they're not regular split personalities, instead being examples of something called Multifoliate Personae Phenomenon, which is why they're seemingly able to physically manifest. To make matters even crazier about the history of [[spoiler: the Smiths, the supplementary material seem to say that they were already dead when Emir killed them, and Harman had been using them as split personalities as the [=killer7=] syndicate. So, they've been killed at least twice, can apparently manifest themselves separately from one another, and can be endlessly resurrected by Garcian/Emir. Oh, and Samantha used to be one, but isn't anymore, so it's apparently possible for a personality to leave and regain their body... somehow]].

* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Gary Wanderers, the Steward, who replaces [[spoiler:Samantha after she is killed by Harman]]. Even Hand in killer7 notes that [[spoiler:"fans of Samantha will doubtlessly be disappointed by him"]].

* SuspiciouslySimilarSong: The track "Electronical Parade" that plays during the ISZK Land segment is based on a riff from the song Baroque Hoedown, which is famous for being used in Disney's Electrical Parade.

* GoOutWithASmile:
** The Heaven Smiles don't seem to care whether or not they ever reach their target.
** Your Remnant Psyches hold no grudge against you for killing them, with some of them even thanking you. So, really, it's ''after'' they go out. Susie, [[AxCrazy of course]], seems to be the exception.

However, this peace was not to last, for a terrorist group of known as "Heaven Smile" soon appeared. Led by the enigmatic Kun Lan, this group of bomb-laden people began to carry out a number of terrorist attacks across the world, with no discernible purpose other than to create [[TerroristWithoutACause terror for the]] [[ForTheEvulz sake of terror]].