History YMMV / ValkyriaChronicles

** With Largo, it's understandable that a veteran soldier would have reservations about taking orders from someone who he has reason to beleive only got his rank through education and social status. However, Largo was offered promotion several times, but rejected the offer because he wanted to stay on the front lines. Saying you don't want somthing and then holding a grudge about someone else getting it can be seen as...well, childish...

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Rosie and Largo may have their reasons for their behaviour in their EstablishingCharacterMoment (disrespecting Welkin, being insubordinate to Alisha and harassing Isara) and they do grow out of it, but [[NeverLiveItDown some fans find it difficult to overlook]]. Especially regarding Isara, since it's a 30 year old man and an [[ChristmasCake (almost) 30]] year old woman [[AdultFear picking a fight with a girl who's half their age.]]

* JerksAreWorseThanVillains: Maximilian is an imperialistic warmonger who wants to conquer Europa and rule it in his image. However, in the eyes of the players, he is more hated for being an opportunistic ManipulativeBastard who commits casual acts of DomesticAbuse [[spoiler: and orders said lover to [[YouHaveFailedMe become a suicide bomber]] when she is no longer of use to him]].

* AuthorsSavingThrow: A lot of fans took issue with how the game never explored the consequences of [[spoiler:Alicia awakening her Valkyria powers in depth. In the anime, Damon forcibly enlists Alicia into the regular army to use her against the Imperials. Not only that, Damon and to a lesser extent the regular army's cruel treatment of her as nothing more than a weapon emphasises how the regular army is NotSoDifferent from the Imperials, mitigating the BrokenAesop in the game.]]

* MagnificentBastard: [[TheEvilPrince Prince Maximilian Gaius Von Reginrave]] is the young and brilliant leader of TheEmpire who masterminds the invasion of Gallia. Having lost his beloved mother in an assassination attempt by another royal at a young age, Maximilian resolved to [[WillNotBeAVictim never be helpless again]], ruthlessly scheming his way to the throne by eliminating his rivals. Seeking to harness the power of the Valkyrur through his right-hand woman Selvaria, Maximilian masterminds brilliant strategies and gambits against Gallia that nearly sees the nation fall multiple times. To wipe out the Gallian army, Maximilian manipulates Selvaria into sacrificing herself in a suicide attack that takes out the Gallian royal command, with the only thing stopping him being the heroine Alicia awakening her own Valkyrur powers. One of [[YoungConqueror the most brilliant conquerors]] in the Empire's history, Maximilian is driven by the desire to control all he sees and make certain his late mother is honored forever.

** There are two times the game tricks you into thinking [[spoiler:Alicia]] may die. One is a chapter preview that shows [[spoiler:Alicia in the crosshairs of a sniper rifle, which is especially notable because it comes shortly after the FinalDeath of Isara due to a sniper bullet]]. The second is when [[spoiler:Alicia starts building up the nuke attack that Selvaria used to commit massively destructive suicide]]. Neither results in [[spoiler:her]] death, but since similar situations did just recently kill others, it might have you worried.

** "Chapter 9: [[spoiler:Kidnapping of Cordelia]]." You have to block an APC and shoot it down with bullets alone, no explosives [[spoiler:as that would harm the princess]]. The city streets don't leave much room to maneuver, though, and if you're not careful, the APC can easily gun down one of your soldiers and then [[FinalDeath run them over]]. If you don't take the game-provided hint of blocking the first few streets, the APC can easily outpace your non-Scout troops. Alternatively, see BreatherLevel. The small number of units makes Orders disproportionately strong (notably, the Lancer-unlockable ones that increase vehicle damage).

** Jaeger, while he is more obviously heroic than he was in the games, was also hit with a massive case of AdaptationalJerkass. Since Johann takes the role that he had in-game of being a passive spectator to Maximillian and Selvaria's abusive relationship, Jaeger's characterization had to be retooled accordingly to avoid repetition. So the anime had him make disparaging and snarky remarks in reaction to Maximillian's abusive antics and every time Selvaria's feelings for him manifested themselves. All while positing himself as wanting to help her, and styling his [[StealthInsult Stealth Insults]] as much-needed ToughLove. However, to the viewers, this new characterization makes him come across as an arrogant and sanctimonious PoisonousFriend who chooses not to intervene because he takes pleasure in Selvaria's misfortune.

* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: All the Valkyria shown in the games are women (the anime even explicitly states that they are a OneGenderRace) who are seen as living weapons, are manipulated and abused by evil individuals to make use of their powers, and are motivated exclusively out of love for their handlers. A setup such as this one makes one wonder if the writers were trying to convey a message about misogyny and/or society's treatment of women in general.

* RescuedFromTheScrappyHeap: Cezary, arguably.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Rosie and Largo may have their reasons for their behaviour in their EstablishingCharacterMoment (disrespecting Welkin, being insubordinate to Alisha and harassing Isara) and they do grow out of it, but [[NeverLiveItDown some fans find it difficult to overlook]]. Especially regarding Isara, since it's a 30 year old man and an [[ChristmasCake (almost)30]] year old woman [[AdultFear picking a fight with a girl who's half their age.]]

** In Rosie's case, self-riotously trying to justify her bigotry towards the Darcsen by talking about the Darcsen Calamity wins her no points, [[spoiler: when it's discovered that the Darcsens were in fact the victims, not the instigators]]. Her personal reason for hating them is that [[spoiler: her parents were killed in a fire cause by a racist mob who were targeting the Darcsens who lived next door to them. Yes, it is horrible that she lost her family, but it wasn't the Darcsens who killed them. It was the bigots.]] Put simply, Rosie's vendetta is based almost entirely on Victim Blaming.

* UnintentionallyUnsympathetic: Rosie and Largo may have their reasons for their behaviour in their EstablishingCharacterMoment (disrespecting Welkin, being insubordinate to Alisha and harassing Isara) and they do grow out of it, but [[NeverLiveItDown some fans find it difficult to overlook]]. Especially reguarding the Isara, since it's a 30 year old man and an [[ChristmasCake (almost)30]] year old woman [[AdultFear picking a fight with a girl who's half their age.]]

** In Rosie's case, self-riotously trying to justify her bigotry towards the Darcsen by talking about the Darcsen Calamity wins her no points, [[spoiler: when it's discovered that the Darcsen's were in fact the victims, not the instigators]]. Her personal reason for hating them is that [[spoiler: her parents were killed in a fire cause by a racist mob who were targeting the Darcsen's who lived next door to them. Yes, it is horrible that she lost her family, but it wasn't the Darcsens who killed them. It was the bigots.]] Put simply, Rosie's vendetta is based almost entirely on Victim Blaming.

** In Rosie's case, self-riotously trying to justify her bigotry towards the Darcsen by talking about the Darcsen Calamity wins her no points, [[spoiler: when it's discovered that the Darcsen's were in fact the victims, not the instigators]]. Her personal reason for hating them is that [[spoiler: her parents were killed in a fire cause by a racist mob who were targeting the Darcsen's who lived next door to them. Yes, it is horrible that she lost her family, but it wasn't the Darcsens who killed them. It was the bigots.]] Put simply, Rosie's vendetta is based almost entirely on VictimBlameing.

** In Rosie's case, self-riotousconstantly trying to justify her bigotry towards the Darcsen by talking about the Darcsen Calamity wins her no points, [[spoiler: when it's discovered that the Darcsen's were in fact the victims, not the instigators]]. Her personal reason for hating them is that [[spoiler: her parents were killed in a fire cause by a racist mob who were targeting the Darcsen's who lived next door to them. Yes, it is horrible that she lost her family, but it wasn't the Darcsens who killed them. It was the bigots.]] Put simply, Rosie's vendetta is based almost entirly on VictimBlaming.

* DracoInLeatherPants: '''Selvaria'''. Maximilian used her genuine love for him to his advantage, subjected her to constant emotional manipulation for his own ends, and goaded her into [[spoiler:she committing mass murder-suicide]], so she's TheWoobie instead of an unapologetic slayer of thousands who describes conquering Gallia with a rape metaphor.

* DracoInLeatherPants: '''Selvaria'''. Maximilian doesn't love her back and [[spoiler:she commits mass murder-suicide]], so she's TheWoobie instead of an unapologetic slayer of thousands who describes conquering Gallia with a rape metaphor.

* AccidentalAesop: Overlaps with HardTruthAesop. Selvaria's story arc can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about DomesticAbuse. Strong, intelligent, and accomplished people aren't immune to being victims of emotional manipulation. Someone who tries to make you feel like their love can only be earned or won through hard work doesn't actually love you, but is trying to use you for their ends. Defining yourself by someone else's vision is not only unhealthy but dangerous, and can cause pain to yourself and others.

* AccidentalAesop: Overlaps with FamilyUnfriendlyAesop. Selvaria's story arc can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about DomesticAbuse. Strong, intelligent, and accomplished people aren't immune to being victims of emotional manipulation. Someone who tries to make you feel like their love can only be earned or won through hard work doesn't actually love you, but is trying to use you for their ends. Defining yourself by someone else's vision is not only unhealthy but dangerous, and can cause pain to yourself and others.

* AccidentalAesop: Selvaria's story arc can be interpreted as a cautionary tale about DomesticAbuse. Strong, intelligent, and accomplished people aren't immune to being victims of emotional manipulation. Someone who tries to make you feel like their love can only be earned or won through hard work doesn't actually love you, but is trying to use you for their ends. Defining yourself by someone else's vision is not only unhealthy but dangerous, and can cause pain to yourself and others.

** The grading system. Unlike, say, {{VideoGame/DevilMayCry}}, time is weighted as the heaviest factor in score rather than finesse, and while the majority of the game favors speed the grading system in particular is ''extremely'' unforgiving of your turn count. Most A rank walkthroughs for missions consist of buffing Alicia and sending her for a jog straight towards the objective, and in the opposite direction of fun, so that she can shove the soldiers out of it with a grenade and claim it before any time consuming combat occurs. Most new players are advised to ignore rank entirely rather than restructure their entire playstyle to fit it's whims.

* TheScrappy: Between his FantasticRacism and DirtyCoward tendencies, Cezary is considered so obnoxious many players choose to not use him ([[VideoGameCrueltyPotential or straight up send him to his death]]), despite the fact he is one of the better snipers in the game.

* LesYay: Dallas. It's as if the developers had gone through ''[[{{Anvilicious}} incredible lengths]]'' to let you know that she is totally obsessed with Alicia. Pretty much ''all'' of her potentials scream out this fact. And then there's Jann, and his massive crush on Largo. Squad 7 doesn't believe in "don't ask don't tell." Even more amazingly, Alicia and Largo have their respective admirers listed as friends. They even have special lines for the characters in question for getting them a medic. So . . . even if they don't return the affection outright, apparently they're cool with it.

** Welkin Order: Penetrate (Ignore Armor), Order: Attack Weak Point (every hit is a critical hit, as long as it does any damage at all.) Takes 5 command points, but whoever that's ordered those two items will shred any tank or anything else in their vicinity.
*** Even just Penetrate by itself can be pretty effective. Using it on a Shocktrooper can allow you to slowly but surely chip away at the health of tough armored targets like Jaeger's Lupus supertank, [[spoiler:the Valkof lance tip, and even Valkyria Maximilian]].

** Also enemy ace Tyr the Immortal kinda counts, if you don't know what you're doing when you first encounter him during chapter 4. [[note]]He's set so he pops out of tall grass when your units have gone by, and is basically designed to kill whatever engineer you have clinging to the back of the Eidelweiss[[/note]]