History YMMV / TheWorldEndsWithYou

** Flip phones and other types of cellphones with ten-key pads are ubiquitous in this game. Had this game been made 10 years later, everyone would be using smartphones with touchscreens instead. When the 2021 anime was announced, the game's creative staff lampshaded this phenomenon by remarking that many people around Neku's age [[AluminiumChristmasTrees wouldn't even know what a flip-phone is]], even though they feature heavily in the plot. Sure enough, the anime adaptation [[SettingUpdate swaps out those "dumb" phones for more modern smartphones]].

** [[BrilliantButLazy Kariya]], thanks to his [[MellowFellow laid-back attitude]], NiceGuy demeanor, [[BestBossEver great boss fight]], and entertaining dynamic with [[AlphaBitch Uzuki.]] On top of that, Uzuki is also quite popular thanks to her LaughablyEvil AlphaBitch personality and [[EvilIsSexy attractive looks.]] When the two were revealed to still be around for VideoGame/{{NEO|TheWorldEndsWithYou}}, the fandom ''rejoiced.''

* EvilIsSexy: Konishi's design invokes a SexySecretary, whereas Minamimoto is TallDarkAndHandsome and bares his midriff upon [[spoiler:transforming into his Taboo form]]. Both are also the most wicked antagonists in the game.

** [[FourEyesZeroSoul Konishi]]'s coldness and cruelty would normally make her a HateSink, yet she is loved by the fans due to being perceived as [[EvilIsSexy one of the more attractive characters in the game]], as well as due to the fact that she poses a [[KnightOfCerebus far greater threat]] than the previous Game Masters.

** Despite only being a BonusBoss, [[AsianFoxSpirit Progfox]] is quite popular among the fanbase. Its [[DittoFighter mimic form of Neku in particular]] is the subject of quite a lot of fanart.

** In the DS version, combining the Speed Factor pin (reduces pin reboot time by 25%), the Lefty, Brainy, and Righty Cat pins (reduces pin reboot time by 40% when combined), and the Black Uranus pin (has a very fast reboot time of 3 seconds) lets Neku juggle [[BonusBoss Panthera Cantus]] [[CycleOfHurting with utter impunity]] on the bottom screen, albeit you still have to manually manage your partner on the top screen to avoid taking damage (Joshua is the most recommended partner for this strategy, as he can quickly teleport up in the air or back down to evade the boss's attacks).

* ThatOneSidequest: The six Darklit Planet pins. They're dropped on Ultimate at low percentages by... special enemies. To be exact: [[spoiler: The extremely rare Fifenfrog, [[HopelessBossFight Taboo Minamimoto]], [[ThatOneBoss Megumi Kitaniji]], [[FinalBoss Draco Cantus]], and [[BonusBoss Goth Metal Drake and Panthera Cantus.]]]] You can bypass the farming for ''one'' of the six, randomly selected when you start your file, which will be available for purchase at [=WildKat=] once you complete the main story.[[note]]DS players can sometimes reshuffle their pin by playing on a different console. Y'know, if you happen to have extras lying around...[[/note]] As for the other five... good luck.

** Flip phones and other types of cellphones with ten-key pads are ubiquitous in this game. Had this game been made 10 years later, everyone would be using smartphones with touchscreens instead. When the anime was announced, the game's creative staff lampshaded this phenomenon by remarking that many people around Neku's age [[AluminiumChristmasTrees wouldn't even know what a flip-phone is]], even though they feature heavily in the plot.

** When the anime was announced, the game's creative staff lampshaded this phenomenon by remarking that many people around Neku's age [[AluminiumChristmasTrees wouldn't even know what a flip-phone is]], even though they feature heavily in the plot.

* CrazyIsCool: Minamimoto. Not many villains can claim to activate their ultimate attack by reciting [[AMouthfulofPi pi.]]

* EvilIsSexy: Konishi's design invokes a SexySecretary, whereas Minamimoto is TallDarkAndHandsome and [[BareYourMidriff bares his midriff]] upon [[spoiler:transforming into his Taboo form]]. Both are also the most wicked antagonists in the game.

** The soundtrack kicks ass, but [[FridgeLogic if you think about it for 30 seconds]], you realize that a lot of it is a bunch of Japanese singers [[TotallyRadical trying to sound like gangstas as they rap]]. But they put so much energy and effort into their performance, it's just adorable. [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic And the songs still somehow manage to be completely awesome!]] It gets even better if you listen to the lyrics of some of the songs. For example, "Game Over" is apparently sung by a businessman signing contracts and climbing up the corporate ladder.
** Not to mention, the soundtrack makes a bit of sense because Neku is wearing headphones throughout the entire game--it's what he's listening to!

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The game's voice acting--in the days of the Vita, 3DS, and the Nintendo Switch, it's hard to believe just what was so special about this game and ''VideoGame/DeathJr'' back in [[TurnOfTheMillennium the 2000s]]. Portable games just didn't have voice acting ''period'' outside of VoiceGrunting and compressed voice clips (That many people found annoying.)

* AuthorsSavingThrow: Upon release, ''[[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch Final Remix]]'''s $60 price tag was rather divisive, considering it was a slightly UpdatedReRelease of the $18 ''[[MobilePhoneGame Solo Remix]]''. Since then, the price has been slightly lowered[[note]] to around $40-50 for a physical copy, and $50 on the eShop[[/note]], and it goes on sale often.

* SignatureScene:
** The opening credits to the game, with all of it being set to [[SurrealThemeTune Twister.]]
** Neku’s full death scene at the hands of [[spoiler:Joshua]], for how much it changes the entire context of the story and the killer's character as a whole.
** Rhyme’s HeroicSacrifice, pushing Beat out of the way of a shark Noise at the cost of her own life.
** [[spoiler: Shiki’s [[TheReveal reveal]] about what her Entry Fee actually was and subsequent emotional breakdown over it. This, along with Neku’s encouragement of her and Eri’s reaffirmation of their friendship,]] is what fans mark as the one of the game’s most [[{{Tearjerker}} emotional]] [[SugarWiki/CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming moments.]]
** [[spoiler: Joshua's (fake) HeroicSacrifice, showcasing him pushing Neku away from Sho's Level ''i'' Flare and taking the blast head on. ''But Neku, I thought you couldn't afford to lose...'']]

* SidetrackedByTheGoldSaucer: Creator/SquareEnix has a habit of making [[JustOneMoreLevel too many addictive minigames]], and it's even acknowledged in-universe. [[spoiler:The reason why Joshua was not in the last week up until the final day was because he was too caught up in playing Tin Pin in Another Day]]. And you can do exactly the same.

* UncannyValley: The character designs for some of the younger characters (particularly the main cast) are pretty damn skinny (especially noticeable Shiki since she shows the most skin) compared to Nomura's other designs, which some people have noticed. When the cast makes a cameo appearance in ''VideoGame/KingdomHearts3DDreamDropDistance'', it becomes especially noticeable (and again, Shiki still stands out) when you can compare Neku and Sora's physiques once they meet one another.

** Despite only being a BonusBoss, [[{{Kitsune}} Progfox]] is quite popular among the fanbase. Its [[DittoFighter mimic form of Neku in particular]] is the subject of quite a lot of fanart.

** Kariya is either too lazy to get promoted, or he enjoys Uzuki's company so much he doesn't want to leave their partnership. Or he's perfectly aware of how corrupt the higher-ups are and has no intention of joining them.
** Another Day does a number on Rhyme. Is she a genuinely pure, wise little girl, or is that just a façade to obscure her cruel, manipulative nature?

** Neku, being the main character and all, is easily this. He’s been shipped with [[MoralityChain Shiki]], [[HoYay Joshua]], [[BashBrothers Beat]], [[FoeYay Minamimoto, Coco, Kariya, Uzuki]], [[MentorShip Hanekoma]], the shopkeepers, [[CrossoverShip Sora, Riku, and Roxas]] from ''Franchise/KingdomHearts'', etc. It also doesn’t help that he has cases of both being a ChickMagnet [[EvenTheGuysWantHim AND]] a DudeMagnet.

** [[HoYay Shut up and walk, dear.]] [[labelnote:Explanation]]"Another Day" somehow manages to make Joshua [[UpToEleven even more suspect than before]].[[/labelnote]]

** Several of the male shop keepers crush on the players as hard as the females when you get their Friendship up--the le Grand clerk in Cadoi City's offering to help the player slip into his purchases being the most explicit. He will drop several sexual compliments on the party as they shop and there's only a one-third chance that there's even a girl in the party, meaning two times out of three he's hitting on a pair of fifteen year-old boys.

** Joshua too. Although Neku is by ''far'' his most popular option, he regularly gets shipped with Hanekoma, Minamimoto, Kitaniji, and [[ShipsThatPassInTheNight Rhyme]]. Shiki and Beat are rarer but also exist, and he's a favorite for crossover ships.
* LGBTFanbase: A *huge* portion of the game (and series') fanbase is LGBT.

** Megumi Kitaniji is the true BigBad of the game, second in power only to Joshua. Ruling the underground of Shibuya in Joshua's absence as its Conductor, Kitaniji assigns Game Masters to each week to act as his Proxy while vying for control against Joshua and seeking to give order to Shibuya through the O-Pins. Kitaniji takes non-refundable entry fees — including Neku's memories — and forces Neku to play another Game while holding Shiki as his new fee. As Neku begins the game, he takes Shiki as his entry fee knowing very well how much she meant to the boy. Kitaniji also has Beat hunt his own friends down in an attempt to erase them. In the third week, Kitaniji brainwashes the entire town with the O-Pins and merges with Joshua to become the final threat. Despite this, he has nothing but praise for his minions and even Neku, and gracefully concedes defeat to Joshua once he's proven himself better.
** [[PhysicalGod Yoshiya "Joshua" Kiryu]] starts the game as a helpful if obnoxious partner in Week 2. In reality, he is Shibuya's UG Composer making him the GreaterScopeVillain of the Reaper's Game. Besides handing out orders from behind the scenes he fools Neku, the game's protagonist, into believing he risked his life for Neku and defeated Neku's killer. In reality, he killed Neku to use as a Proxy to win the True Game with the game's actual BigBad Megumi Kitaniji: the Conductor. While he may have originally planned to erase Shibuya, Neku's reliance on the people around him restored his faith in humanity, convincing all the players — even the ones who didn't make it — a second chance at life. Neku monologues in the end that while he couldn't stand Joshua, he's grateful for meeting him and he trusts him, even being unable to shoot him when Joshua offers to make him the Composer through his own death. Even in the failure of his own goals of destroying Shibuya, Joshua still managed to win in the end.

** [=BikbokbokBIK=]! - The sound of landing a full four hit combo will never get old.

** Not to mention, the soundtrack makes a bit of sense because Neku is wearing headphones throughout the entire game - it's what he's listening to!

** Before you fight Minamimoto, Neku finally remembers how he died - [[spoiler:he was shot not by Joshua, ''but by Minamimoto'' himself. We even get to see his flashback, in which he is happily looking at Hanekoma's mural, before the man shows up from nowhere to assassinate him. And because Minamimoto is ThatOneBoss, you’ll most likely get to see Neku's death over, and over, and over...]] Then at the end of the game, you find out [[spoiler:his memory was still incomplete. It really ''was'' Joshua who shot Neku, and had been manipulating him for the entire game]].

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: The game's voice acting - in the days of the Vita, 3DS, and the Nintendo Switch, it's hard to believe just what was so special about this game and ''VideoGame/DeathJr'' back in [[TurnOfTheMillennium the 2000s]]. Portable games just didn't have voice acting ''period'' outside of VoiceGrunting and compressed voice clips (That many people found annoying.)

** Rhyme’s HeroicSacrifice in the form of her pushing Beat out of the way of a shark Noise at the cost of her own life.

* TheyChangedItNowItSucks: Some reactions towards the iOS and Switch releases fall under this, due to the revised partner system and use of a divisive graphical technique known as [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pixel-art_scaling_algorithms Sprite Smoothing]].