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** As shown in multiple pre-release materials like [[https://livedoor.sp.blogimg.jp/sag_alt-er_/imgs/e/f/ef47380e.jpg this screenshot]], two of the returning characters in ''Kuro I'' would be Jack and Halle, who haven't been seen since their debut in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky Trails in the Sky the 3rd]]''. ''In a minigame.''
** ''Kuro I'''s teaser trailer and "S-Craft Introduction video" showing [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Walter]] being playable caught quite a few people off guard, given how he's been shown to be among the less sympathetic of Ouroboros's Enforcers. [[spoiler:Granted, [[NeverTrustATrailer the player can't control him in the game proper]], but he does still team up with the party on a few occasions.]]
** ''Kuro I'''s teaser trailer and "S-Craft Introduction video" showing [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Walter]] being playable caught quite a few people off guard, given how he's been shown to be among the less sympathetic of Ouroboros's Enforcers. [[spoiler:Granted, [[NeverTrustATrailer the player can't control him in the game proper]], but he does still team up with the party on a few occasions.]]
to:
** As shown in multiple pre-release materials like [[https://livedoor.sp.blogimg.jp/sag_alt-er_/imgs/e/f/ef47380e.jpg this screenshot]], two of the returning characters in ''Kuro ''Daybreak I'' would be Jack and Halle, who haven't been seen since their debut in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky Trails in the Sky the 3rd]]''. ''In a minigame.''
**''Kuro ''Daybreak I'''s teaser trailer and "S-Craft Introduction video" showing [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Walter]] being playable caught quite a few people off guard, given how he's been shown to be among the less sympathetic of Ouroboros's Enforcers. [[spoiler:Granted, [[NeverTrustATrailer the player can't control him in the game proper]], but he does still team up with the party on a few occasions.]]
**
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** Elroy is, as he describes himself, the "worst". He often does a lot such minor evil acts like smoking in a no smoking area to outright villanous acts like [[spoiler:intentionally using dangerous chemical weapons]]. Yet it's because of his vileness that he's become popular with fans, with many hoping he would become a much more prominant antagonist in later games.
to:
** Elroy is, as he describes himself, the "worst". He often does a lot such as minor evil acts like smoking in a no smoking area to outright villanous acts like [[spoiler:intentionally using dangerous chemical weapons]]. Yet it's because of his vileness that he's become popular with fans, with many hoping he would become a much more prominant antagonist in later games.
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Restoring with a rewrite per here
Changed line(s) 24 (click to see context) from:
** Elroy is, as he describes himself, the "worst". He often does a lot such minor evil acts like smoking in a no smoking area to outright villanous acts like [[spoiler: intentionally using dangerous chemical weapons]]. Yet it's because of his vileness that he's become popular with fans, with many hoping he would become a much more prominant antagonist in later games.
to:
** Elroy is, as he describes himself, the "worst". He often does a lot such minor evil acts like smoking in a no smoking area to outright villanous acts like [[spoiler: intentionally [[spoiler:intentionally using dangerous chemical weapons]]. Yet it's because of his vileness that he's become popular with fans, with many hoping he would become a much more prominant antagonist in later games.games.
* MemeticLoser: Prior to the release of the first ''Daybreak'' game, Elaine received ridicule among some fans, whether it be because they either thought she was won’t be Van’s LoveInterest due to her status as his ChildhoodFriend and Agnés being billed as the game’s main heroine or being OvershadowedByAwesome by Shizuna. She did manage to shake off that reputation regarding the former when the game itself shows that Van has more romantic tension with her than any of the other girls.
* MemeticLoser: Prior to the release of the first ''Daybreak'' game, Elaine received ridicule among some fans, whether it be because they either thought she was won’t be Van’s LoveInterest due to her status as his ChildhoodFriend and Agnés being billed as the game’s main heroine or being OvershadowedByAwesome by Shizuna. She did manage to shake off that reputation regarding the former when the game itself shows that Van has more romantic tension with her than any of the other girls.
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YMMV can’t be played with.
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* MemeticLoser: Prior to the release of the first ''Daybreak'' game, Elaine received ridicule among some fans, whether it be because they thought she was destined to "lose the 'Van Bowl'"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Her status as his ChildhoodFriend (an archetype that often gets this label in the romantic department), Agnès's status as the game's official "heroine," and a shot in the PV showing Van just walking past her while she looks on longingly are generally seen as signs of a HopelessSuitor.[[/labelnote]] or because she was almost completely [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] by Shizuna in the fanart department.[[note]]In spite of both girls [[EarlyBirdCameo debuting]] in ''Reverie'' and being shown off in the initial teaser trailer[[/note]] [[SubvertedTrope Not so much]] post-release, however, as barring a few scenes,[[labelnote:ENDGAME SPOILER]]The biggest example being the lead-up to the FinalBoss, where she and Renne are denied access to the fight due to a barrier blocking their way, requiring the rest of the main party to go in and rescue Van[[/labelnote]] she's more or less turned the tables; as of the 2nd popularity poll, she is now ''the'' most popular female character,[[note]]With many fans who initially preferred Agnès switching to Elaine's side after playing through the story[[/note]], and the game itself shows that Van has more romantic tension with her than any of the other girls.
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Changed line(s) 25 (click to see context) from:
* MemeticLoser: Prior to the release of the first ''Daybreak'' game, Elaine received ridicule among some fans, whether it be because they thought she was destined to "lose the 'Van Bowl'"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Her status as his ChildhoodFriend (an archetype that often gets this label in the romantic department), Agnes's status as the game's official "heroine," and a shot in the PV showing Van just walking past her while she looks on longingly are generally seen as signs of a HopelessSuitor.[[/labelnote]] or because she was almost completely [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] by Shizuna in the fanart department.[[note]]In spite of both girls [[EarlyBirdCameo debuting]] in ''Reverie'' and being shown off in the initial teaser trailer[[/note]] [[SubvertedTrope Not so much]] post-release, however, as barring a few scenes,[[labelnote:ENDGAME SPOILER]]The biggest example being the lead-up to the FinalBoss, where she and Renne are denied access to the fight due to a barrier blocking their way, requiring the rest of the main party to go in and rescue Van[[/labelnote]] she's more or less turned the tables; as of the 2nd popularity poll, she is now ''the'' most popular female character,[[note]]With many fans who initially preferred Agnes switching to Elaine's side after playing through the story[[/note]], and the game itself shows that Van has more romantic tension with her than any of the other girls.
to:
* MemeticLoser: Prior to the release of the first ''Daybreak'' game, Elaine received ridicule among some fans, whether it be because they thought she was destined to "lose the 'Van Bowl'"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Her status as his ChildhoodFriend (an archetype that often gets this label in the romantic department), Agnes's Agnès's status as the game's official "heroine," and a shot in the PV showing Van just walking past her while she looks on longingly are generally seen as signs of a HopelessSuitor.[[/labelnote]] or because she was almost completely [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] by Shizuna in the fanart department.[[note]]In spite of both girls [[EarlyBirdCameo debuting]] in ''Reverie'' and being shown off in the initial teaser trailer[[/note]] [[SubvertedTrope Not so much]] post-release, however, as barring a few scenes,[[labelnote:ENDGAME SPOILER]]The biggest example being the lead-up to the FinalBoss, where she and Renne are denied access to the fight due to a barrier blocking their way, requiring the rest of the main party to go in and rescue Van[[/labelnote]] she's more or less turned the tables; as of the 2nd popularity poll, she is now ''the'' most popular female character,[[note]]With many fans who initially preferred Agnes Agnès switching to Elaine's side after playing through the story[[/note]], and the game itself shows that Van has more romantic tension with her than any of the other girls.
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* ShipToShipCombat: When the first ''Daybreak'' game was initially released, there was a rabid fight between the Van/Agnes and Van/Elaine ships due to the amount of ShipTease Van has with the two of them onscreen.
to:
* ShipToShipCombat: When the first ''Daybreak'' game was initially released, there was a rabid fight between the Van/Agnes Van/Agnès and Van/Elaine ships due to the amount of ShipTease Van has with the two of them onscreen.
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** The pre-release info for ''Kuro II'' confirmed that the Solutions Office members, barring Agnes, will be keeping [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks the same default outfits they had in the first game]]. While it's definitely not the first ''Trails'' game to do this, it still left some fans disappointed, made worse by how the official artwork for most of these characters remained unchanged.
to:
** The pre-release info for ''Kuro II'' confirmed that the Solutions Office members, barring Agnes, Agnès, will be keeping [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks the same default outfits they had in the first game]]. While it's definitely not the first ''Trails'' game to do this, it still left some fans disappointed, made worse by how the official artwork for most of these characters remained unchanged.
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* AccidentalAesop: The correct choices for an optional side quest in Chapter 4 of ''Daybreak I'' that involves racing cars in the highway is to practice safety driving instead of gunning for speed.
* {{Adorkable}}: Shizuna can evoke this reaction from fans whenever she's not in a fight. This is especially prominent in the updated version of the first ''Daybreak'''s final chapter, where [[spoiler:she becomes Van's passenger and is seen marveling at the sights of Edith, including taking a picture of the tower while half of her body is outside the passenger window. Van has to struggle to put her back in the car so that she doesn't get runover by a random car.]]
* BaseBreakingCharacter: See [[BaseBreakingCharacter/TrailsSeries here]].
* CompleteMonster:
** [[BigBad Gerard Dantès]] is [[TheDon the leader]] of the [[Characters/TrailsSeriesCalvardMiscellaneous Almata mafia syndicate]]. Having been born into the D∴G Cult, Gerard steals the Demonic Essence of a young Van Arkride, and proceeds to join and become the leader of Almata in order to enact his plan to become the personification of fear. Gerard proceeds to manipulate a young girl to brainwash a large film festival; turns the bodyguard of a prince into a demon; and [[NukeEm nukes a small town]] despite someone pleading that he spare the town--or at least [[WouldHurtAChild the children]]--before threatening to do the same to the far larger town of Oracion if the various parties in the story don't fight each other for his own amusement. Even after death, his evil doesn't end, becoming an immortal and having the capital frozen in time before turning himself into a demon in one final attempt to kill the party. Even when Gerard dies for real, he goes out gloating that his goal of the ultimate fear will be achieved by Van in his stead.
** [[AxCrazy Melchior]] is one of the Wardens of The Garden, and is [[TheDragon the second-in-command]] and TheHeavy of Almata. In his status as a Warden and one of the founders of the Garden, Melchior has children kidnapped and trained as [[ChildSoldiers assassins]]. For the sake of Gerard's plan, Melchior murders and turns a Jaeger corps into mindless and bloodthirsty revenants; turns Aaron Wei into the demonic Tycoon; spreads drugs through the tobacco at a film festival; manipulates a professor into trying to create a nuclear bomb; and gives his boss Gerard Dantès the idea to nuke Creil Village and the combat game in Oracion. After Gerard's death, Melchior freezes the capital of Edith in time, and then summons demons to kill all of the people who were unfrozen while also bringing back all of the captured or deceased members of Almata. After turning himself into a demon and losing to [[Characters/TrailsSeriesCalvardArkrideSolutionsOffice Van and company]], Melchior dies mocking the party, becoming the only person in this game that Van sees as completely irredeemable.
* ContinuityLockOut: The arc heavily borrows a lot of its plot points from past games that may confuse someone if they're starting here. Some examples from the first game include:
** Sky Arc: Renne's [[spoiler:[[PastExperienceNightmare break down]] in the final chapter.]]
** Crossbell Arc: The Gnosis drug [[spoiler:and the DG Cult. In fact, Gerard was one of its members.]]
** Erebonia Arc: The [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashing mask]], the DanceOff in chapter 3, [[spoiler:and the existence of the Beyond.]]
%%* EnsembleDarkhorse: Dingo ends up becoming a fan favorite after the release of the first game for [[spoiler:his DyingMomentOfAwesome by being a normal journalist exposing a superpowered madman by taking a bunch of pictures to expose his crimes when Gerard nukes Creil Village.]]
* FanNickname:
** Some fans refer to Giacomo as "Tacoman" due to him eating a taco during his introduction and not having much else to remember him by.
** Pre-release, fans referred to Bergard as "[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater Big Boss]]" due to how he looked with his eyepatch. [[ActorAllusion It gained more]] prominence when his [[Creator/AkioOtsuka Japanese voice actor]] was revealed.
* GameBreaker: See [[GameBreaker/TrailsSeries here.]]
* IKnewIt:
** While Bergard's voice actor was initially listed as "???" for some unknown reason, plenty of fans predicted right off the bat that Creator/AkioOtsuka would be voicing him, long before ''Daybreak I'''s short PV confirmed it to be true.
** Plenty of fans speculated that, at some point, Van and Aaron were going to fight each other. The short PV revealed that this was indeed happening, though unsurprisingly, the exact circumstances leading up to it were unknown at the time.
** Upon seeing a man in a blue fur coat in certain screenshots, many fans automatically assumed that he would be Ouroboros's Fourth Anguis, the "Thousand Oathbreaker," due to him being seen with Lucrezia.[[labelnote:Explanation]]It was stated in ''Cold Steel III'' that Sharon joined the society at the same time as Enforcer No. III (the Golden Butterfly) and the Fourth Anguis, and Lucrezia was introduced as said Enforcer.[[/labelnote]] It was later confirmed that this man (named "Ellroy Harwood") was indeed the very same Anguis.
** Bergard being the former Eighth Dominion, Barkhorn, had been predicted by fans pretty much from the moment his looks and bio were revealed. The actual game doesn't really do much to hide this, as Van actually calls him "Master Barkhorn" before the name "Bergard" is even brought up in-dialogue.
** Grendel-Zolga's identity being [[spoiler:Dingo Brad]] was something fans figured out before the release date. The only thing fans didn't get to figure out was that [[spoiler:he's only a shard of Dingo who only survived thanks to the 8th Genesis. He really did die in that explosion.]]
* LoveToHate:
** Both Gerard and Melchior are some of the most blatantly evil characters the ''Trails'' series had featured up to this point. Both were also well-received by fans due to how they played their roles as villains quite well, especially for those who felt that ''Azure'', ''Cold Steel'', and ''Reverie'' played their characters too safely, inadvertently making them UnintentionallyUnsympathetic.
** Elroy is, as he describes himself, the "worst". He often does a lot such minor evil acts like smoking in a no smoking area to outright villanous acts like [[spoiler: intentionally using dangerous chemical weapons]]. Yet it's because of his vileness that he's become popular with fans, with many hoping he would become a much more prominant antagonist in later games.
* MemeticLoser: Prior to the release of the first ''Daybreak'' game, Elaine received ridicule among some fans, whether it be because they thought she was destined to "lose the 'Van Bowl'"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Her status as his ChildhoodFriend (an archetype that often gets this label in the romantic department), Agnes's status as the game's official "heroine," and a shot in the PV showing Van just walking past her while she looks on longingly are generally seen as signs of a HopelessSuitor.[[/labelnote]] or because she was almost completely [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] by Shizuna in the fanart department.[[note]]In spite of both girls [[EarlyBirdCameo debuting]] in ''Reverie'' and being shown off in the initial teaser trailer[[/note]] [[SubvertedTrope Not so much]] post-release, however, as barring a few scenes,[[labelnote:ENDGAME SPOILER]]The biggest example being the lead-up to the FinalBoss, where she and Renne are denied access to the fight due to a barrier blocking their way, requiring the rest of the main party to go in and rescue Van[[/labelnote]] she's more or less turned the tables; as of the 2nd popularity poll, she is now ''the'' most popular female character,[[note]]With many fans who initially preferred Agnes switching to Elaine's side after playing through the story[[/note]], and the game itself shows that Van has more romantic tension with her than any of the other girls.
* MemeticMolester: After the first game came out, Shizuna began getting this label due to her obsession with her "little brother" Rean. [[spoiler:After fighting the party, it turns out that she ended up learning Spirit Unification because she saw him that one time using it and decided to copy it. And in one of her Connect events, it turns out she actually kept the broken tip of Rean's tachi and used it as a part of her sheathe, reasoning that her sword needs a strong sheathe.]]
* MemeticMutation: See [[Memes/TrailsSeries here]].
* MoralEventHorizon: Gerard crossed it in Chapter 5 of the first game when he [[spoiler:''nuked the entire village of Creil'', killing off everyone including Dingo.]]
* {{Narm}}: Van's BadassCreed when he transforms into Grendel [[spoiler:starting during the first game's Intermission level has him speak in both Japanese and GratuitousEnglish, especially with how the sentence ends: "I am Nightmare, I am Grendel ''Biting Myself''.]] English-speaking players who can also read Japanese had a chuckle or two at the sentence.
* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading: Van's relationship with Renne is largely supposed to resemble an older brother looking out for a younger sister he hasn't seen in a long time instead of a potential romance, with any flirty-sounding comments on her end being attributed to her just being TheTease. Unfortunately, some of their scenes together portray her as more touchy-feely with him than the people she's supposed to be the closest to, which can make it very easy to see her as having a crush on him. Him giving her the series' signature [[MemeticMutation head pat]],[[note]]Even if Van does this towards most people younger than him, even Aaron[[/note]][[spoiler:both having a common connection as victims of the DG Cult, and him giving her a BridalCarry after saving her during the first game's final chapter]] doesn't help.
* SalvagedGameplayMechanic: ''Kuro II'' introduces Connect Events that cover multiple characters at once, such as one for Feri & Aaron. This is largely seen as a step in the right direction, as a common complaint for Bonding Events and their variations was how the interactions within them are often limited to just the protagonist and the one character who triggered it.
* ScrappyMechanic: Or rather, Scrappy ''lack of a'' Mechanic especially compared to the previous games. In the first game, players could no longer skip craft or art animations which means players are forced to watch the animations over and over again. Averted after version 1.10 was released a month after initial launch, as Falcom adds skipping animations in addition to unlocked framerate, changes in select cutscenes, and more.
* ShipToShipCombat: When the first ''Daybreak'' game was initially released, there was a rabid fight between the Van/Agnes and Van/Elaine ships due to the amount of ShipTease Van has with the two of them onscreen.
* ShockingMoments: Van ends up killing a live person ''on screen''. This only signified that this arc was going to be much darker than anticipated.
* SignatureScene: Van [[MercyKill stabbing the undead Aida]] in Chapter 1 of the first game. It showcases how the Calvard arc was going to be far darker and bloodier than anything that came before it.
* TaintedByThePreview:
** When [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STBqjrdh0Z4 the first game's S-Craft introduction video]] was first dropped, the apparent lack of [[SuperMovePortraitAttack character cut-ins]] was generally met with disappointment.
** The news revealing that players won't be able to talk to everyone they see on the map also had somewhat of a negative reception.
** The fact that ''Daybreak I'' lacked a fishing minigame irked some series veterans who wanted to see Van join the ranks of ''Trails''' fishing protagonists.
** More than a few fans were disappointed upon finding out that all mandatory encounters were restricted to turn-based combat, since many were curious to see how bosses reacted in real time.
** The pre-release info for ''Kuro II'' confirmed that the Solutions Office members, barring Agnes, will be keeping [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks the same default outfits they had in the first game]]. While it's definitely not the first ''Trails'' game to do this, it still left some fans disappointed, made worse by how the official artwork for most of these characters remained unchanged.
* UnexpectedCharacter:
** ''Daybreak I''[='s=] initial teaser trailer gave fans something they weren't anticipating: Fie as a playable character for the sixth game in a row.
** Likewise, the first game's short PV revealing Rixia in her Yin guise as playable was something of a surprise, as plenty of players assumed she had little reason to return to Calvard after previous games established Arc-en-Ciel as where she belongs.
** As shown in multiple pre-release materials like [[https://livedoor.sp.blogimg.jp/sag_alt-er_/imgs/e/f/ef47380e.jpg this screenshot]], two of the returning characters in ''Kuro I'' would be Jack and Halle, who haven't been seen since their debut in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky Trails in the Sky the 3rd]]''. ''In a minigame.''
** ''Kuro I'''s teaser trailer and "S-Craft Introduction video" showing [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Walter]] being playable caught quite a few people off guard, given how he's been shown to be among the less sympathetic of Ouroboros's Enforcers. [[spoiler:Granted, [[NeverTrustATrailer the player can't control him in the game proper]], but he does still team up with the party on a few occasions.]]
* TheUntwist: Bergard is actually the former eighth Dominion, Barkhorn, previously thought dead in-universe. It doesn't even count as a spoiler, as Van introduces him as "Master Barkhorn" before the name "Bergard" is established. The real surprise was in how ''Daybreak I'' didn't try to be coy about the whole thing.
------
* {{Adorkable}}: Shizuna can evoke this reaction from fans whenever she's not in a fight. This is especially prominent in the updated version of the first ''Daybreak'''s final chapter, where [[spoiler:she becomes Van's passenger and is seen marveling at the sights of Edith, including taking a picture of the tower while half of her body is outside the passenger window. Van has to struggle to put her back in the car so that she doesn't get runover by a random car.]]
* BaseBreakingCharacter: See [[BaseBreakingCharacter/TrailsSeries here]].
* CompleteMonster:
** [[BigBad Gerard Dantès]] is [[TheDon the leader]] of the [[Characters/TrailsSeriesCalvardMiscellaneous Almata mafia syndicate]]. Having been born into the D∴G Cult, Gerard steals the Demonic Essence of a young Van Arkride, and proceeds to join and become the leader of Almata in order to enact his plan to become the personification of fear. Gerard proceeds to manipulate a young girl to brainwash a large film festival; turns the bodyguard of a prince into a demon; and [[NukeEm nukes a small town]] despite someone pleading that he spare the town--or at least [[WouldHurtAChild the children]]--before threatening to do the same to the far larger town of Oracion if the various parties in the story don't fight each other for his own amusement. Even after death, his evil doesn't end, becoming an immortal and having the capital frozen in time before turning himself into a demon in one final attempt to kill the party. Even when Gerard dies for real, he goes out gloating that his goal of the ultimate fear will be achieved by Van in his stead.
** [[AxCrazy Melchior]] is one of the Wardens of The Garden, and is [[TheDragon the second-in-command]] and TheHeavy of Almata. In his status as a Warden and one of the founders of the Garden, Melchior has children kidnapped and trained as [[ChildSoldiers assassins]]. For the sake of Gerard's plan, Melchior murders and turns a Jaeger corps into mindless and bloodthirsty revenants; turns Aaron Wei into the demonic Tycoon; spreads drugs through the tobacco at a film festival; manipulates a professor into trying to create a nuclear bomb; and gives his boss Gerard Dantès the idea to nuke Creil Village and the combat game in Oracion. After Gerard's death, Melchior freezes the capital of Edith in time, and then summons demons to kill all of the people who were unfrozen while also bringing back all of the captured or deceased members of Almata. After turning himself into a demon and losing to [[Characters/TrailsSeriesCalvardArkrideSolutionsOffice Van and company]], Melchior dies mocking the party, becoming the only person in this game that Van sees as completely irredeemable.
* ContinuityLockOut: The arc heavily borrows a lot of its plot points from past games that may confuse someone if they're starting here. Some examples from the first game include:
** Sky Arc: Renne's [[spoiler:[[PastExperienceNightmare break down]] in the final chapter.]]
** Crossbell Arc: The Gnosis drug [[spoiler:and the DG Cult. In fact, Gerard was one of its members.]]
** Erebonia Arc: The [[BrainwashedAndCrazy brainwashing mask]], the DanceOff in chapter 3, [[spoiler:and the existence of the Beyond.]]
%%* EnsembleDarkhorse: Dingo ends up becoming a fan favorite after the release of the first game for [[spoiler:his DyingMomentOfAwesome by being a normal journalist exposing a superpowered madman by taking a bunch of pictures to expose his crimes when Gerard nukes Creil Village.]]
* FanNickname:
** Some fans refer to Giacomo as "Tacoman" due to him eating a taco during his introduction and not having much else to remember him by.
** Pre-release, fans referred to Bergard as "[[VideoGame/MetalGearSolid3SnakeEater Big Boss]]" due to how he looked with his eyepatch. [[ActorAllusion It gained more]] prominence when his [[Creator/AkioOtsuka Japanese voice actor]] was revealed.
* GameBreaker: See [[GameBreaker/TrailsSeries here.]]
* IKnewIt:
** While Bergard's voice actor was initially listed as "???" for some unknown reason, plenty of fans predicted right off the bat that Creator/AkioOtsuka would be voicing him, long before ''Daybreak I'''s short PV confirmed it to be true.
** Plenty of fans speculated that, at some point, Van and Aaron were going to fight each other. The short PV revealed that this was indeed happening, though unsurprisingly, the exact circumstances leading up to it were unknown at the time.
** Upon seeing a man in a blue fur coat in certain screenshots, many fans automatically assumed that he would be Ouroboros's Fourth Anguis, the "Thousand Oathbreaker," due to him being seen with Lucrezia.[[labelnote:Explanation]]It was stated in ''Cold Steel III'' that Sharon joined the society at the same time as Enforcer No. III (the Golden Butterfly) and the Fourth Anguis, and Lucrezia was introduced as said Enforcer.[[/labelnote]] It was later confirmed that this man (named "Ellroy Harwood") was indeed the very same Anguis.
** Bergard being the former Eighth Dominion, Barkhorn, had been predicted by fans pretty much from the moment his looks and bio were revealed. The actual game doesn't really do much to hide this, as Van actually calls him "Master Barkhorn" before the name "Bergard" is even brought up in-dialogue.
** Grendel-Zolga's identity being [[spoiler:Dingo Brad]] was something fans figured out before the release date. The only thing fans didn't get to figure out was that [[spoiler:he's only a shard of Dingo who only survived thanks to the 8th Genesis. He really did die in that explosion.]]
* LoveToHate:
** Both Gerard and Melchior are some of the most blatantly evil characters the ''Trails'' series had featured up to this point. Both were also well-received by fans due to how they played their roles as villains quite well, especially for those who felt that ''Azure'', ''Cold Steel'', and ''Reverie'' played their characters too safely, inadvertently making them UnintentionallyUnsympathetic.
** Elroy is, as he describes himself, the "worst". He often does a lot such minor evil acts like smoking in a no smoking area to outright villanous acts like [[spoiler: intentionally using dangerous chemical weapons]]. Yet it's because of his vileness that he's become popular with fans, with many hoping he would become a much more prominant antagonist in later games.
* MemeticLoser: Prior to the release of the first ''Daybreak'' game, Elaine received ridicule among some fans, whether it be because they thought she was destined to "lose the 'Van Bowl'"[[labelnote:Explanation]]Her status as his ChildhoodFriend (an archetype that often gets this label in the romantic department), Agnes's status as the game's official "heroine," and a shot in the PV showing Van just walking past her while she looks on longingly are generally seen as signs of a HopelessSuitor.[[/labelnote]] or because she was almost completely [[OvershadowedByAwesome overshadowed]] by Shizuna in the fanart department.[[note]]In spite of both girls [[EarlyBirdCameo debuting]] in ''Reverie'' and being shown off in the initial teaser trailer[[/note]] [[SubvertedTrope Not so much]] post-release, however, as barring a few scenes,[[labelnote:ENDGAME SPOILER]]The biggest example being the lead-up to the FinalBoss, where she and Renne are denied access to the fight due to a barrier blocking their way, requiring the rest of the main party to go in and rescue Van[[/labelnote]] she's more or less turned the tables; as of the 2nd popularity poll, she is now ''the'' most popular female character,[[note]]With many fans who initially preferred Agnes switching to Elaine's side after playing through the story[[/note]], and the game itself shows that Van has more romantic tension with her than any of the other girls.
* MemeticMolester: After the first game came out, Shizuna began getting this label due to her obsession with her "little brother" Rean. [[spoiler:After fighting the party, it turns out that she ended up learning Spirit Unification because she saw him that one time using it and decided to copy it. And in one of her Connect events, it turns out she actually kept the broken tip of Rean's tachi and used it as a part of her sheathe, reasoning that her sword needs a strong sheathe.]]
* MemeticMutation: See [[Memes/TrailsSeries here]].
* MoralEventHorizon: Gerard crossed it in Chapter 5 of the first game when he [[spoiler:''nuked the entire village of Creil'', killing off everyone including Dingo.]]
* {{Narm}}: Van's BadassCreed when he transforms into Grendel [[spoiler:starting during the first game's Intermission level has him speak in both Japanese and GratuitousEnglish, especially with how the sentence ends: "I am Nightmare, I am Grendel ''Biting Myself''.]] English-speaking players who can also read Japanese had a chuckle or two at the sentence.
* PlatonicWritingRomanticReading: Van's relationship with Renne is largely supposed to resemble an older brother looking out for a younger sister he hasn't seen in a long time instead of a potential romance, with any flirty-sounding comments on her end being attributed to her just being TheTease. Unfortunately, some of their scenes together portray her as more touchy-feely with him than the people she's supposed to be the closest to, which can make it very easy to see her as having a crush on him. Him giving her the series' signature [[MemeticMutation head pat]],[[note]]Even if Van does this towards most people younger than him, even Aaron[[/note]][[spoiler:both having a common connection as victims of the DG Cult, and him giving her a BridalCarry after saving her during the first game's final chapter]] doesn't help.
* SalvagedGameplayMechanic: ''Kuro II'' introduces Connect Events that cover multiple characters at once, such as one for Feri & Aaron. This is largely seen as a step in the right direction, as a common complaint for Bonding Events and their variations was how the interactions within them are often limited to just the protagonist and the one character who triggered it.
* ScrappyMechanic: Or rather, Scrappy ''lack of a'' Mechanic especially compared to the previous games. In the first game, players could no longer skip craft or art animations which means players are forced to watch the animations over and over again. Averted after version 1.10 was released a month after initial launch, as Falcom adds skipping animations in addition to unlocked framerate, changes in select cutscenes, and more.
* ShipToShipCombat: When the first ''Daybreak'' game was initially released, there was a rabid fight between the Van/Agnes and Van/Elaine ships due to the amount of ShipTease Van has with the two of them onscreen.
* ShockingMoments: Van ends up killing a live person ''on screen''. This only signified that this arc was going to be much darker than anticipated.
* SignatureScene: Van [[MercyKill stabbing the undead Aida]] in Chapter 1 of the first game. It showcases how the Calvard arc was going to be far darker and bloodier than anything that came before it.
* TaintedByThePreview:
** When [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STBqjrdh0Z4 the first game's S-Craft introduction video]] was first dropped, the apparent lack of [[SuperMovePortraitAttack character cut-ins]] was generally met with disappointment.
** The news revealing that players won't be able to talk to everyone they see on the map also had somewhat of a negative reception.
** The fact that ''Daybreak I'' lacked a fishing minigame irked some series veterans who wanted to see Van join the ranks of ''Trails''' fishing protagonists.
** More than a few fans were disappointed upon finding out that all mandatory encounters were restricted to turn-based combat, since many were curious to see how bosses reacted in real time.
** The pre-release info for ''Kuro II'' confirmed that the Solutions Office members, barring Agnes, will be keeping [[ItsTheSameNowItSucks the same default outfits they had in the first game]]. While it's definitely not the first ''Trails'' game to do this, it still left some fans disappointed, made worse by how the official artwork for most of these characters remained unchanged.
* UnexpectedCharacter:
** ''Daybreak I''[='s=] initial teaser trailer gave fans something they weren't anticipating: Fie as a playable character for the sixth game in a row.
** Likewise, the first game's short PV revealing Rixia in her Yin guise as playable was something of a surprise, as plenty of players assumed she had little reason to return to Calvard after previous games established Arc-en-Ciel as where she belongs.
** As shown in multiple pre-release materials like [[https://livedoor.sp.blogimg.jp/sag_alt-er_/imgs/e/f/ef47380e.jpg this screenshot]], two of the returning characters in ''Kuro I'' would be Jack and Halle, who haven't been seen since their debut in ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfHeroesTrailsInTheSky Trails in the Sky the 3rd]]''. ''In a minigame.''
** ''Kuro I'''s teaser trailer and "S-Craft Introduction video" showing [[ArrogantKungFuGuy Walter]] being playable caught quite a few people off guard, given how he's been shown to be among the less sympathetic of Ouroboros's Enforcers. [[spoiler:Granted, [[NeverTrustATrailer the player can't control him in the game proper]], but he does still team up with the party on a few occasions.]]
* TheUntwist: Bergard is actually the former eighth Dominion, Barkhorn, previously thought dead in-universe. It doesn't even count as a spoiler, as Van introduces him as "Master Barkhorn" before the name "Bergard" is established. The real surprise was in how ''Daybreak I'' didn't try to be coy about the whole thing.
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