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5[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/athena_flyer.png]]
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7->''"Who Am I?"\
8"I'm ATHENA — Heroine with miracle power.\
9Come And Join with me for Fantastic Adventure!"''
10-->--'''{{Tagline}}''', [[GratuitousEnglish as originally presented.]]
11
12In the wake of ''VideoGame/{{Super Mario Bros|1}},'' side-scrolling platformers with bright colorful graphics proliferated, and such mascots as VideoGame/WonderBoy and VideoGame/{{Kid Niki|RadicalNinja}} were born to the arcades. So Creator/{{SNK}} made their contribution to this genre with their take on [[Myth/ClassicalMythology Athena, the goddess of wisdom]]. After she grows [[RebelliousPrincess bored with living in her castle]], she opens the "Door Which Shouldn't be Opened" and takes a plunge into the Fantasy World, [[FlungClothing losing her dress]] and leaving her in little more than [[WalkingSwimsuitScene a red bikini]]. Since [[EverythingTryingToKillYou everything is trying to kill her]], the different kinds of weapons and armor lying hidden in the Fantasy World are key to victory.
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14''Athena'' was released as an UsefulNotes/ArcadeGame in 1986, and ports to the [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem NES]], Platform/Commodore64, and Platform/ZXSpectrum subsequently appeared. The former is the most well-known version outside of Japan ([[PortingDisaster but that doesn't mean it's a good one]]). The original arcade game wouldn't be officially ported to modern platforms until ''[[CompilationRerelease SNK Arcade Classics 0]]'', a 2011 compilation for Platform/PlayStationPortable with all of SNK's pre-Platform/NeoGeo games.
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16While Athena's future descendant, Athena Asamiya, appeared in ''VideoGame/PsychoSoldier'' and ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters,'' the original Athena would not appear in another game until the 2000s, when she appeared as a GuestFighter in ''VideoGame/SNKVsCapcomSVCChaos'' and ''VideoGame/NeoGeoBattleColiseum'', as well in various other games for handheld consoles. In the wake of renewed interest in the character, a sequel for mobile (''Athena: Full Throttle'') was released in 2006, using similar sprites and gameplay while introducing a second character in Athena's maid, Helene.
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18Website/TheOtherWiki has an article about this game [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena_(video_game) here]] as well [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athena:_Full_Throttle its sequel]]. To see more about Athena Asamiya, the descendant of this Athena, take a look at ''VideoGame/PsychoSoldier'' and ''Franchise/TheKingOfFighters''.
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20Not related to ''Series/AthenaGoddessOfWar'', except for how that's one of Myth/ClassicalMythology Athena's titles.
21----
22
23!!''Athena'' provides examples of the following tropes:
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25* AllTheWorldsAreAStage: The final world is made up mostly of bits and pieces of the previous levels strung together, including [[BossRush the bosses.]]
26* AllergicToRoutine: Athena was bored of the monotonous daily life in the palace and desired exciting adventures, the main reason why she opened the Door Which Shouldn't Be Opened.
27* AmericanKirbyIsHardcore: Bob Wakelin used [[http://i.imgur.com/ZGplVTk.jpg Lisa Lyon]] (a female UsefulNotes/{{bodybuilding}} pioneer) as the model for Athena for the game's [[http://i.imgur.com/BvbmJao.jpg cover art in the West.]]
28* BodyArmorAsHitPoints: Any armor and headdresses the player picks up will have seperate hitpoints and will break after they take enough damage.
29* BossRush: The final stage has you fighting all the previous bosses.
30* CastFromHitPoints: The strongest weapon, a massive sword tipped with red flames, will obliterate everything in one swing--and also eats through Athena's health.
31* ClothingDamage: When Athena's armor breaks, the player gets greeted with her {{Stripperific}} red bikini.
32* ComicBookAdaptation: [[AllThereInTheManual As part of the manual]], Athena also has a comic book that serves as a prequel to the events occurring in the game.
33* {{Expy}}: Multiple occurrences:
34** Athena, obviously, is based on the goddess of wisdom from Myth/ClassicalMythology. Also, various of the monsters in this game came from the same base.
35** The final boss of the first game, Dante, is ''not'' based on [[Literature/DantesInferno Dante]], but rather [[{{Hellhound}} Cerberus]].
36** Helene, Athena's maid and the second playable character in ''Full Throttle'', is loosely based on Helene of Troy.
37* FlungClothing: The opening of the arcade game shows Athena losing her dress while falling into the Fantasy World. Whether this is because of the wind during the fall or if Athena actively took off her dress is anyone's guess.
38* GenkiGirl: Perhaps due to her godly nature, Athena does not age much through the centuries and retains the maturity of a teenager: enthusiastic, self-centered, and moody.
39* GreenHillZone: World of Forest, the first level.
40* HereWeGoAgain: The plot of ''Athena: Full Throttle'' has Athena again being bored of her everyday life after going to "Fantasy World". Against the wishes of Helene, she opens the "Door Which Shoudn't Be Opened: B", which leads her to "Elysium World."
41* KickChick: Athena's default attack without a weapon is a simple kick.
42* LadyOfWar: Athena can fight demons not just armored or transformed, but also with her bare hands and feet.
43* {{Mascot}}: She was expressly designed to be a mascot for SNK, and filled the role in TheEighties before the role was passed to [[VideoGame/FatalFury Terry Bogard]].
44* MsFanservice: Athena herself.
45* OneWordTitle: Also a ProtagonistTitle.
46* PoisonMushroom: Poison potions reduce Athena's health, and broken hourglasses reduce the time limit.
47* ProtagonistTitle: Also a OneWordTitle.
48* SchmuckBait: The "Door Which Shouldn't Be Opened" in Castle Victory's basement. No points for guessing what Athena does.
49* {{Stripperiffic}}: Athena fights monsters and demons with just a red bikini. Also, Helene, a RoseHairedSweetie version of her, also fights in just a bikini, albeit a white one.
50* TimedMission: Each stage has a time limit, which can be extended by picking up hourglasses.
51* UnderTheSea: The World of Sea, where Athena needs a necklace to transform herself into a [[OurMermaidsAreDifferent mermaid]].
52* UnderwearOfPower: Athena's [[IconicOutfit default outfit]] of a red bra and panties is a subversion, as this is her ''weakest'' outfit.
53* VoluntaryShapeshifting: Thanks to certain {{MacGuffin}}s in the game, she can transform into a mermaid and an angel to pass certain stages.
54* WalkingSwimsuitScene: Athena goes about wearing nothing but her red bikini-style underwear.
55* WhenTreesAttack: The boss of the first world.
56* WizardingSchool: ''Full Throttle'' was followed up by ''Winning Witch Academy'', a game about new adventures for Athena and Helene in the latter's alma mater.

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