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4[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/disgaea_3.png]]
5
6->''The Netherworld, a world spoiled by spite, cruelty, blood soaked taboos, and boundless riffraff.''\
7''They say that dark dwellers run rampant, causing horrifying disasters in these lands.''\
8''In the center of this Netherworld lies a school that endlessly continues to expand its grounds.''\
9''--The Nether Institute, Evil Academy.''\
10''With the Overlord as dean and greater demons for teachers, demon students that follow their baser instincts are labeled as honor students at this school of torment.''\
11''This is the root of evil in this tumultuous Netherworld...the Pandora's Box that spreads corruption and destruction.''\
12''Still, many continue to be fascinated by this darkness. If you have the courage to descend upon the lands of this Netherworld, beware of losing your mind to the chaos.''\
13''This is your only warning...''
14-->--'''OpeningNarration'''
15
16
17
18''Franchise/{{Disgaea}} 3: Absence of Justice'' is the third game in the TurnBasedStrategy series ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' by Creator/NipponIchi. It was released in 2008 for the Platform/{{PlayStation 3}}.
19
20The game involves the students of the [[AcademyOfEvil Nether Institute, Evil Academy]], an entire Netherworld devoted to "teaching" demons how to be evil. Honor students are those who beat up other students for milk money and cheat during exams, while delinquents attend class and perform good deeds in the community.
21
22Mao is the EvilGenius son of Evil Academy's Overlord, and is considered the school's No.1 Honor Student because he hasn't attended a single day of class. Looking to take out his father, Mao researches a method using [[GenreSavvy manga and video games]] as reference material and comes to the conclusion that since TheGoodGuysAlwaysWin, all he needs to do is become a DesignatedHero (by mugging a [[GameplayAndStoryIntegration "Hero" title]] off of some sap) and then [[GenreSavvy victory will be assured]].
23
24Unfortunately, [[WrongGenreSavvy his plan fails]], and Mao discovers to his horror that getting rid of the "Hero" title is going to be a lot harder than it was to acquire.
25
26Joining Mao is Almaz, a timid fanboy whose homemade "Hero" title was stolen by Mao; Raspberyl, Mao's childhood friend and rival whose goal is to become the worst delinquent in the history of Evil Academy; Princess Sapphire, the sweet but AxCrazy noble that Almaz has a crush on; and Mr. Champloo, the HotBlooded Home Economics teacher.
27
28The game features a lot of DownloadableContent which allow you to recruit characters from previous games or other Nippon Ichi games.
29
30Got an UpdatedRerelease called ''Makai Senki Disgaea 3 Return''/''Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention'' on the Platform/PlaystationVita.
31----
32!!This game provides examples of:
33
34* AbsurdlyPowerfulStudentCouncil:
35** The [[StudentCouncilPresident School Board President]] and her PTA army. The Diez Gentlemen may qualify as well, [[spoiler:the ones specifically working under Aurum at least]].
36** The Student Council also determines what clubs you have access to and what quality of goods are available in the school shops, right up to who among the Diez Gentlemen you may talk to and (in a specific instance) how fast your equipment improves. Also, the senior council members are level 1,000, even before you start levelling the enemies up. You're expected to be about level 100 by the time you reach the epilogue.
37* AcademyOfEvil
38* AIBreaker: You can use your base panel and the warp gates to block enemy units. This includes Baal.
39* [[AlmightyJanitor Almighty Home Economics Teacher]]: Champloo. [[spoiler:Salvatore notes this during her HeelFaceTurn, admitting she'd been shown the error of her ways by 'a mere chef'.]]
40* AnimalLover: Goro loves monsters (although they don't like him back and once tried to eat him). Also, the Beast Tamers like the monsters and ''are'' liked back by the monsters.
41* AntiFrustrationFeatures: On the Vita Remake, if you unlock the additional episodes when your party's level, calculated off Mao's level, is too low, the additional episodes scale back the enemy levels so they are still a challenge, but can be overcome by careful levelling of your characters.
42** However, as a subversion, most of the characters won't be unlocked until you get to the post-game anyway, to stop a common issue with previous DLC characters, where they could one-shot the entire game on their own.
43** In previous games, if you get a game over, you go back to the Title Screen and lose all progress you made before your last save, which is more frustrating if you haven't saved in a while. The Vita Remake just has you get sent back to the Nurse's office in your base. Though, defeats that result in an alternate ending, and thus a forced NewGamePlus, still has that ending happen. This feature has debuted in this game and has been used in every ''Disgaea'' game since.
44* AntiHero: Almaz starts out as a ClassicalAntiHero (i.e., kind of a loser). Much of the game's plot revolves around him graduating into a proper hero.
45* ArmorPiercingQuestion: Mao to Master Big Star, after part of the latter's name is stolen.
46-->'''Master Bigster:''' I have too much pride to be prancing around with this ridiculous name.
47-->'''Mao:''' Would you rather keep your new name for the rest of your life, Master Bigster?
48-->'''Master Bigster:''' Eh...! Well...!
49* ArtificialStupidity: The AI is prone to some frankly unexplainable cases of blind, insane aggression with no regard for friendly fire. The cases where they use wide-hitting skills and hit their allies in the crossfire is one thing that can be tenuously justified by those skills having a fixed strike zone, but it is also incredibly common to see them use magic to hit both you and their allies '''when they're close enough that they could reach with a single-target version of the same spell anyway.''' Particularly a hassle in some cases, as this behaviour can rob you of EXP.
50* AutoRevive: [[VideoGame/PrinnyCanIReallyBeTheHero Hero Prinny]] is able to revive at the Base Panel when he's killed; however, it still lowers the number of units you can take out.
51* AwLookTheyReallyDoLoveEachOther: [[VideoGame/{{Disgaea 2 Cursed Memories}} Adell and Rozalin]] in their DLC -- both of them came to the ''Disgaea 3'' game world to make money for a gift for the other, if you do the first character's DLC mission first then the second, the second's mission changes to have the first character come in and confirm this. Sorta.
52* AxCrazy: Most exemplified by Sapphire, the [[{{Cloudcuckoolander}} ditzy]] human Princess who just happens to think that assassination is a great way to avoid having to worry about future enemies and [[WaifFu has the skills to back her ideas up, too]].
53* BadIsGoodAndGoodIsBad: Taken to full-circle conclusions. Since the game is set in a school for ''demons'', naturally the students are expected to do poorly, to slack off and bully each other. Therefore, "delinquents" are students who work hard and get good grades, in order to seem badass... by being good.
54* BadassBookworm:
55** Mao. There is nothing quite as geeky yet menacing as a demon with a stack of books in one hand and a {{BFS}} in the other. He has a serious {{mad scientist}} thing going on, as well. In one scene, he demands to know if Love is a disease, an acid, an alkaline, and... if it has a chemical formula. Later, after beating a rather strong boss, [[spoiler:specifically the FinalBoss, instead of merely killing him, he kidnaps him and straps him down in his secret lair to do research on him!]]
56** Raspberyl also applies. Bonus points for literately fighting with a book. Nasty spell caster to boot.
57* BadassNormal: Almaz is a good fighter. Sapphire is a jack of all trades type character but with an Archer student, she becomes nasty with a bow or gun.
58** Giving Sapphire an Axe is a pretty good idea, since she makes just as good a frontline fighter as Almaz. It's also rather fitting, seeing as how Princess Sapphire is an ''[[AxCrazy utter psychopath]]''. ([[HeroicComedicSociopath But in a good way.]])
59* BatmanGambit: [[spoiler:Mao's father pulls one of these from beyond the grave to counter ThePlan of Aurum. Essentially, he uses the personalities of Almaz and Raspberyl as pawns and Champloo (one of his most trusted servants) as the manipulator that put it all together, all in order for Mao to open his heart.]]
60* BattleCouple: Almaz and Sapphire.
61** Also to an extent Laharl and Flonne (though that may be more of a FanPreferredPairing), Adell and Rozalin, Captain Gordon and Jennifer (who also form a [[PowerTrio power trio]] with Thursday), and tons more with all the DLC characters.
62* BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind: Any time a level takes place within Mao's heart, it's essentially this. Fighting off parts of Mao's personality will actually change him in subtle ways even he doesn't notice.
63* BecauseYouWereNiceToMe: [[spoiler:When her mother died, Sapphire was decried by most people as a heartless monster for not mourning her death (which she couldn't do normally, as she's UnableToCry). One day, passing by the guards' barracks, she heard one boy not only defend her from these accusations, but noticed that she actually ''did'' mourn her mother's passing via an ImportantHaircut. This boy was Almaz.]]
64* BenevolentBoss: The previous overlord was quite good to work for.
65* BewareTheNiceOnes: ''[[AxCrazy Sapphire]]''. Her idea to "open the heart" of someone involves a ''chainsaw'' -- or if they complain, a scalpel. Upon hearing that an enemy would be busy ''in class'', she suggested that it would be a great time to assassinate them.
66* BigDamnHeroes: Raspberyl pulls this when Savvy Mao refuses to let Almaz and Sapphire turn Mao's heart back on. Turns out right parodic when the moment suddenly turns into a graduation ceremony for Raspberyl and friends, with Savvy Mao ''waiting'' for the graduation to end before confronting them again.
67* BlandNameProduct: Mao's ''[[Platform/PlaystationPortable Slaystation Portable]]'' in English. In Japanese, it's [[Platform/PlaystationPortable Death-OmegaStation Portable]].
68* BloodKnight: [[spoiler:Aurum]] combines this with ManipulativeBastard.
69* BonusLevelOfHell: The Land of Carnage makes a return, but with a vengeance. In the first two, you could take solace that at level 9999, enemies were {{cap}}ped. In this game, however, any enemy that would pass level 9999 gets a 1 percent stat increase for every 20 levels above said {{Cap}}, and thanks to how the Land of Carnage works (2000 percent level increase plus 200, and double stats), late-game enemies in the Item World will have ridiculously high stat numbers. [[spoiler:Baal]] in this one has a base level of 4000, doubling to 8000 in every subsequent fight afterwards, though he has reasonable stats. Fighting [[spoiler:Baal]] in the Land of Carnage after the first battle bumps his level to 9999, but thanks to all those extra levels being converted into stats (around 168k levels), his stats swell up considerably (in the area of about 40-50 million).
70** And even then you can pass the "Stronger Enemies" bill to get... [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin you guessed it]]. ''[[ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill Stronger enemies]]''.
71* BribingYourWayToVictory:
72** The game allows the player to purchase and download additional sidequests during the post-game, almost all of which have new characters as rewards. The player will have to fight most of these characters in order to recruit them. Many of the characters themselves are ridiculously powerful on their own, but some also have absurdly good equipment during the recruitment battles, which [[RedemptionDemotion they don't get to keep after they join]]... unless the player steals it from them during the battle. The player may also get some pretty sweet new weapons during the course of [[AnotherSideAnotherStory Raspberyl Mode]].
73** All of the ''Franchise/{{Disgaea}}'' games [[LampshadeHanging Lampshade]] this. The player can bribe members of the Dark Assembly with items in their bag to rule in the player's favor, making bill passing easier. Of course, if that doesn't work, the player can just force them through battle.
74* {{Butlerspace}}: Geoffrey combines this with CrazyPrepared. Whenever Mao orders him to prepare something, he would appear almost instantly with everything already finished.
75* TheCameo: The Tera spells in the UpdatedRerelease. Tera Star has Terra from ''VideoGame/RhapsodyAMusicalAdventure'', Tera Fire has Pirohiko from ''VideoGame/ZettaiHeroProject'', Tera Wind has the Putties from ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave'', and Tera Heal has Alouette from ''VideoGame/LaPucelle''. The Tera Ice spell is interesting; the character is from [[http://i45.servimg.com/u/f45/16/45/78/40/scan0016.jpg early concept art]] of ''VideoGame/Disgaea2CursedMemories''. She was apparently supposed to be ''Rozalin's mom''.
76* ChainsawGood: Sapphire in perhaps the most memorable joke of the game.
77* ChastityCouple: Almaz & Sapphire; [[spoiler:they get married but have not even held hands. They even spend their "honeymoon" in the Netherworld, helping Mao fight more demons]].
78* ChekhovsGunman: Geoffrey. Champloo has some elements of this which are revealed in chapter 8.
79* ChewToy: Almaz in the third. The universe does eventually decide to [[ThrowTheDogABone throw him a bone]] for all the crap it's put him through.
80** In light of this, [[spoiler:the Almaz ending is just plain cruel]].
81* ChewingTheScenery: '''TO MY LAB!'''
82** In a series where every Netherworld is a WorldOfHam, the Super Hero manga at the beginning of the game stands out as possibly the hammiest moment in the entire ''Disgaea'' series.
83* ChildhoodFriends: Mao and Raspberyl.
84* ClothingSwitch: The final DLC allows Raspberyl and Sapphire to swap clothes.
85* {{Cloudcuckoolander}}: Sapphire is a rather AxeCrazy version.
86* ComedicSociopathy: Raspberyl is more interested in her actions being seen as "good" (especially to other demons) as opposed to whether or not good actually happens because of them.
87* ContinuityNod:
88** During the third chapter of Raspberyl Mode, [[spoiler:one of the angels comments on how Raspberyl's "invasion" of Celestia reminds her of Laharl's invasion in the first game]]. Later in the same chapter, [[spoiler:Flonne has a monologue about how the heart of an angel and the heart of a demon is no different, which she often did in the first game. At the end of some of the episodes, Flonne would end by saying "And someday...", which she does do by the end of the third Raspberyl Mode chapter.]]
89** In the same chapter, there is one stage which has a [[spoiler:Flora Beast called "Vulcanus", whose title is "Former Archangel", referencing how Vulcanus got turned into a flower in the end of the first game]].
90** Unlike ''Disgaea 2'', ''Disgaea 3'' uses the OnTheNext Episode segments from the first game in between each episode, with each of the main characters taking turns as the star of the segment. Then, once you beat the main game, you get one last OnTheNext Episode segment [[spoiler:starring Etna, who did almost all of the segments in the [[VideoGame/DisgaeaHourOfDarkness first game]]]].
91* CoolDownHug: See DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu.
92** Descends into a parody of this and BigDamnHeroes when one is delivered [[spoiler:to Mao by Raspberyl, then Almaz and the rest of the group... followed by almost every single character that appeared in the game. At the same time. Regardless of importance or screentime.]]
93* CrazyPrepared: Geoffrey in the third game, often lampshaded by the rest of the cast. Usually, when this happens, [[{{Catchphrase}} he begins by saying]]:
94--> Geoffrey: I thought this might happen, so I...
95* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Almaz. Normally a coward, but when Sapphire's around, he becomes much braver and matures quite well as a hero.
96** Also implied in the flavor text for the Dreamer Axe: "Don't Underestimate a Dreamer."
97* CruelMercy: Mao to [[spoiler:Aurum]] in the normal ending.
98** The Getter Mao DLC in the 4th game reveals that Aurum is now being used as a living power source for Mao's HumongousMecha.
99* CuteLittleFangs: Almaz starts growing these as part of his transformation into a demon.
100* TheDandy: Master Bigstar.
101* ADayInTheLimelight / AnotherSideAnotherStory: Much like Etna before her, Raspberyl gets a chance at being the main character in the [[DownloadableContent downloadable]] Raspberyl Mode.
102** ''Absence of Detention'' has four new scenarios, including one starring two entirely new characters.
103* DeadAllAlong: [[spoiler:Mao's father, the previous Overlord who Mao had revealed the weakness of to Aurum. A combination of that and avoiding killing Mao with an Area of Effect [[NukeEm nuke]] attack. His ghost barely hangs on until Mao can come to grips with the guilt of what he did; something he buried tightly in his memory, literally, with the Heart Vault.]]
104* DeadpanSnarker: Almaz; justified as he's the OnlySaneMan.
105* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler:Aurum attempted to [[SuicideByCop end his own life by fighting the strongest Overlord]], Mao's father. Then when he ''won'', he decided to raise Mao to become even stronger still. Even at the end of the game, though, Mao chooses not to kill him and instead [[FateWorseThanDeath uses him for experimentation.]]]]
106* DevelopersForesight: Nippon Ichi are notorious for having multiple NonStandardGameOver conditions for losing to people you really should be able to defeat... ''Disgaea 3'' has them for WINNING on a stage! [[spoiler:Basically, WINNING against Mao's father in the first chapter of the game. The script basically goes 'That Just Happened?!?' and everything falls apart.]]
107* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Raspberyl keeps Mao's REALLY evil side in check by [[CooldownHug hugging]] Mao, twice.
108* DoubleEntendre: Mao knows. We all want that sandwich.
109* DownloadableContent: In addition to making almost every character from the past two games in the series plus other Nippon Ichi characters downloadable, players can download [[ADayInTheLimelight Raspberyl Mode]], which takes place some time after the events of the main game with Raspberyl replacing Mao as the main character.
110* EvenEvilHasStandards: [[spoiler:Super Hero Aurum]] gets a massive tongue-lashing from the entire party in the last chapter. Karma eventually bites him HARD. Also in the same game, Raspberyl chews out Mao when he plans to destroy the human world, saying that's not something an honor student does, but something scum does. This is a reoccurring theme between the 3 games, along with WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove and NobleDemon.
111* EvilLaugh: Mao. "Muahahaha!"
112* {{Expy}}: Geoffrey looks alot like The Schoolmaster from ''Film/TheWall'', and shares a few similarities, even, what with having a very strict agenda of constantly keeping the protagonist in unaltered shape.
113* EyeCatch: Used to break up episodes, along with a short skit.
114* AFatherToHisMen: Master Big Star.
115* FelonyMisdemeanor: Mao tries to tempt Almaz into doing terribly naughty and perverted things to Sapphire... like [[SweetheartSipping sipping drinks from the same glass]] or getting her to make him a sandwich.
116-->'''Mao:''' We all want that sandwich.
117* FieldOfBlades: The 'Infinite Graves' sword-special. Probably a direct reference to ''[[VisualNovel/FateStayNight Unlimited Blade Works]]''.
118* FissionMailed: The end of the first boss battle.
119* FlippingTheBird: During the game, you have to fight the hands of Mao's father. The middle finger of each hand (named the Bird, of course) has an evility where its stats double when it's the only enemy unit left standing. If you check its in-battle stats, it is also described as "cruel".
120* {{Foreshadowing}}:
121** Funnily enough, the little cutscenes that played before you fought and recruited DLC characters foreshadowed Raspberyl Mode slightly.
122** At one point, Raspberyl mentions that one's full potential could be unlocked by "reviving from the brink of death, or your best friend dying". [[spoiler:Guess what happens to Almaz a few chapters later...]]
123** Chapter 4 shows that Mao employs regression as a means of psychological defence against painful experiences, [[spoiler:which is exactly what he's been using to forget his involvement in his father's death for 200 years. Or that his father is dead at all]].
124*** After the first fight with his father, he says "Can't you rest in peace?!" [[spoiler:Turns out no, he literally can't.]]
125*** Even before that battle, he makes an off-hand comment and boast: [[spoiler:"I see through your moves. Dad, you're already dead."]]
126* FriendlessnessInsult: The Vato brothers try this on Mao, only for him to brush it off and declare that he doesn't need friends, which disturbs Almaz.
127* FullHealthBonus: Kyoko and Asuka have Evilities that increase their speed and attack power, respectively, when they're at max HP.
128* FunWithAcronyms: The P.T.A. = Perfectly Trained Assassins. Or, in Japan, Perfect Terminator Agents.
129* GenreSavvy: '''Everyone''', with the exception of [[spoiler:Aurum]], who doesn't realise [[spoiler:[[WrongGenreSavvy he's the bad guy]] until he goes OneWingedAngel]].
130* GirlWithPsychoWeapon: Sapphire and her chainsaw in perhaps one of the funniest moments of the game. Also proficient with axes.
131* GoldfishPoopGang: The Vato Brothers. When you meet the first one, the screen initially identifies him as "Obviously Weak".
132** They're even in not one, but ''two'' joke levels, [[spoiler:where by simply tossing an exploding barrel at a nearby Prinny, you'll cause an explosive chain reaction that wipes them out (along with every other enemy) in the first, and severely weakens them in the second]].
133* GratuitousEnglish:
134** Master Big Star in the Japanese version.
135** In the Japanese audio, the suave side of Mao uses English phrases like "Hey boy!" instead of the Japanese equivalents in practically every line he says.
136* GroomingTheEnemy: [[spoiler:Super Hero Aurum had been posing as Mao's butler, Geoffery, to guide him towards becoming a more powerful and evil overlord than his father had ever been so he could defeat him, believing he no longer had a purpose after defeating the strongest villain.]]
137* HeIsNotMyBoyfriend: Raspberyl reacts in this way when she's asked by others if she has a thing for Mao.
138* HostileShowTakeover: Etna shows up to announce ''Disgaea 3'''s "sidequest" -- i.e., postgame -- has started after the end credits. And during the postgame, Laharl valiantly leads (or tries to, at least) the main cast of the original game in repeated attempts to reclaim the role(s) of main character(s).
139* HotForStudent:
140** A couple of the teachers at Mao's school have...''deep''..feelings for their students. Of course we should probably expect this, seeing as they often ''are'' SuccubiAndIncubi. Since it's the Netherworld, stuff like that may even be encouraged.
141** A full chapter is devoted to going to class so that Ms. Machiko, the "sexy teacher" (that is her in-game title) can teach you how to use the power of "crush"... by wiggling your butt at people. Complete with demonstrations and practice.
142* HowDareYouDieOnMe: [[spoiler:Mao's reaction to Almaz's death, which involves, among other things, ordering him to come back to life.]]
143* HumansAreBastards: Mao, due to Super Hero Aurum.
144* AnIcePerson: Mao, Rozalin, and Pram.
145* ImageSong: Both Mao ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZM6ML8qqbhA "Go, Mao!"]]) and Almaz ([[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsNoQk57UXQ "Unlucky Hero"]]) have one.
146* IncomingHam: Mr. Champloo announces his presence by making a bold speech about the passion of cooking -- and for bonus points, he is literally inside a hunk of meat while doing so.
147* IneffectualLoner: Mao starts off as one of these. The whole story is about him learning to open up a bit.
148* InsaneTrollLogic:
149** So to recap everything we hear about Evil Academy, its purpose is to teach students to be proper demons, but they're discouraged from ever attending classes, and in fact teachers will try to stop you from attending classes to so they don't have to work, because they get paid regardless, and nobody ever graduates, except Raspberryl, Kyoko, and Asuka because the teachers were sick of them. Really, the "school" is nothing more than a money pit where teachers are paid to do nothing.
150** As it's a boarding school, one could easily imagine demons sending their offspring there simply to get them out of their hair for a few centuries. And considering the satirical nature of the series, it may be a somewhat cynical BatmanGambit; if your goal is to make sure your kids end up as cruel, lazy, violent cheaters, what better place to put them than high school?
151* IntangibleTheft: In the post-game, a mysterious thief steals Salvatore's "womanliness", a "space and letter A" from Master Big Star's name (turning him into Master Bigster), Prism Red's friends, Laharl's height and his screen time in the new game, Axel's stardom, Marona's "pure heart", and a game in which Asagi (a RunningGag N1 character) is the main character. When Salvatore shows up in DLC for ''VideoGame/Disgaea5AllianceOfVengeance'', her character description claims her "womanliness" is still missing. [[spoiler:The mysterious thief is Overlord Baal in his incarnation as an insanely overpowered yet cutesey mushroom. He says he doesn't remember ''all'' of the things listed, meaning some might be just insurance fraud.]]
152* TheJeeves
153--> "Unnaturally efficient as always, Geoffrey."
154* JokeCharacter: Prism Red. Other than one S-Rank magichange skill (which generic monsters usually have), he only has ONE skill with the lowest base power in the game and that hits only one adjacent enemy. He also can't learn secondary evilities by himself and his unique evility is way below average for a primary evility.
155* JustOneMoreLevel: [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in the PSN trophy "Consult your physician" (seen [[http://www.ps3trophies.org/game/disgaea-3/trophies/ here]]).
156* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler:Super Hero Aurum]] in the Super Hero Mao ending.
157* KickedUpstairs: Nether Academy finally gets rid of [[spoiler:Raspberyl and her cronies]] by [[spoiler:making them ''graduate''. Raspberyl is quite happy with this outcome because it makes her the first student to ever graduate from Nether Academy, thus securing the place in history she desired]].
158* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: An important plot point, even. [[spoiler:Mao was a big fan of Aurum, so when the Super Hero shows up on his doorstep after his dad accidentally crushes his Slaystation, he's happy to trade the Overlord's location and weak points for an autograph. It doesn't occur to him that he's just condemned his father to death until it's too late.]]
159* LadyOfWar: Sapphire.
160* LaserGuidedKarma: The net source of Almaz's ThrowTheDogABone and RagsToRoyalty moment.
161* LittleMissBadass: Raspberyl.
162* LukeIAmYourFather: Thoroughly spoofed in one of the endings, where [[spoiler:Laharl pops up and claims to be Mao's father, while Flonne and Etna have trouble deciding which one of them is the mother. Mao reasonably finds the whole thing ridiculous]].
163* ManIFeelLikeAWoman: Gender-flipped in an omake sequence. Female shapeshifter Beyond X switches through a variety of forms, stopping with Super Hero Aurum, at which point she emits a cloud of hearts until interrupted by the real Aurum.
164* MarshmallowHell: A girl-on-girl example where Sapphire picks up the tiny, [[FunSize fun-sized]] Raspberyl and subjects her to MarshmallowHell. Unsurprisingly, this has sparked a pairing.
165* MediumAwareness:
166** Present during the story, as Mao thinks that to beat the Overlord, he must become a Hero and thus works to change his class to said title, and exaggerated during the post-story, with characters trying to become the main cast so they have more screentime and other exclusive features.
167** The event in which '''Captain Gordon, the Defender of Earth''' is recruited. Simply put, Mao is suspicious of Gordon being the real deal and checks Gordon's status screen, with his proof being that Gordon is wielding a weapon specified only for monster-types. Then to further prove his point, he dares Gordon to magichange, which Gordon accepts, only to plop on the ground as a lightsaber.
168** Everyone in the world seems to wear a nametag or something (not shown in their portraits) bearing their name and title, too. There's the whole deal with Mao stealing Almaz's homemade Hero title, plus there's...
169-->'''Mao:''' Huh? What's happened to your name?
170-->'''Master Bigster:''' As you can see, someone has stolen the space and letter "a" from my name. And I could only afford a new "e"...
171-->(a bit later)
172-->'''Mao:''' Maybe it's a text bug.
173-->'''Master Bigster:''' Impossible. I've reported it five times already, and they always say that's how it's supposed to look in this scene.
174* MomentKiller: Raspberyl's gang never learned how to LeaveTheTwoLovebirdsAlone.
175-->'''Kyoko:''' Ahh! My lady, watch this! It's a love scene, like we read about in our study guides!
176-->'''Asuka:''' Could it be possible they might do the high-level skill from the 48 expressions of affection, "the Kiss"!?
177-->'''Beryl:''' Calm down! Don't get too panicky! Kyoko, you go get the camera! Asuka, you prepare for the interviews!\
178'''Almaz:''' Um, do you mind ''not'' mocking us?
179* MoralityPet: Raspberyl to Mao. [[spoiler:Becomes a MoralityChain when she dies in the worst ending. Him losing it is the understatement of the century.]]
180* MundaneMadeAwesome: When Mao eats the dragon egg, the music and background change a upbeat tune and space background.
181--> '''Mao''': The Armageddon of Egginess!!
182* TheMusical: While the first two games have more traditional eyecandy-for-the-sake-of-it sequences set to an AnimeThemeSong, the third game instead presents its opening as a showtune with of course completely contextual lyrics and the voice actors themselves singing. It manages to be [[ShoutOut evocative]] of ''WesternAnimation/TheNightmareBeforeChristmas'', "Thriller", and "[[Literature/HaruhiSuzumiya Hare Hare Yukai]]"...all at once.
183** YMMV on which style of opening works best, but NIS seems to have returned to the original formula as of ''Disgaea 4''.
184* {{Nerf}}: The Majin class, again. Lowest movement in the game, shortest throw range, lowest aptitudes, requires twice the amount of exp. points to level up. The only point in raising one is to have it learn one of the most powerful evilities in the game then pass it to everyone else.
185* NiceJobBreakingItHero: At one point, Almaz turns accidentally reduces Mao to having the intelligence of a baby ([[GameplayAndStorySegregation though he still plays the same gameplay-wise]], [[RuleOfFunny just with all of his voice-over lines chanced to "Babloo", and his title changed to "Baby"]]).
186* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: Mr. Champloo = Emeril Lagasse. BAM! Er, BOOM!
187* NoFourthWall: Especially jarring here, wherein several characters comment that helpful explanations by various characters are "awfully useful for those out there playing this game for the first time."
188* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Almaz in the Almaz ending.
189* NobleDemon:
190** The delinquent Raspberyl fits this bill (Subverted/Lampshaded as she's considered the worst delinquent in school ''because'' she's a NobleDemon).
191** Champloo doesn't seem to bother with even the rudimentary evil most ''Disgaea'' demons display. Unless there's something sinister about being a HotBlooded LargeHam ''chef'', he might qualify as the nicest guy in the whole game, humans included. He is at least rumored to keep students prisoner indefinitely until they can cook to his absurdly high standards, which is why no one at the school can tell you where his class is.
192** In the Mao's Ambition Ending, Almaz becomes so Noble, he's actually Apologetic about it.
193* NonStandardCharacterDesign: Several of the DLC characters, such as Gig and Revya, owing to the fact that they come from games with wildly different art styles compared to ''Disgaea'', ''VideoGame/PhantomBrave'', or ''VideoGame/MakaiKingdom''
194* NonStandardGameOver: Plenty as usual. Notably, it even allows for Mao to actually win [[spoiler:against his father]], something which completely ruins the entire plot!
195* NotQuiteTheRightThing: The "Almaz" ending has Almaz personally standing up to Mao and kicking his ass, impressing Mao's father so much that Almaz is declared the next true Overlord. ThrowTheDogABone, right? Wrong. Mao ignores any sort of moral epiphany present in the regular ending and prepares to research how to kill Almaz. Sapphire decides she needs to assassinate Almaz sometime in the future because "all Overlords kidnap the princess!" Raspberyl and her friends say they can't possibly hang out with an Overlord, leaving Almaz friendless and confused. Worst promotion ever.
196* {{Ojou}}: Subverted with the AxeCrazy {{Cloudcuckoolander}} Sapphire.
197* OldSchoolBuilding: The setting for part of the second chapter.
198* OneStatToRuleThemAll: NIS games normally devolve into extreme offence postgame, but it shows up much sooner here compared to other Disgaea games thanks to some damage formula changes.
199* OneWingedAngel: Played straight with [[spoiler:Super Hero Aurum]], who had absorbed so many dark overlords and gods that his own class was "Dark God" during the fight. It's played with, though, when he decides to go to another area after you defeat him so he can [[NoFourthWall let you save]].
200** Hilariously [[LampshadeHanging lampshaded]] by Mao.
201--> '''Mao:''' Damn you for using such a convenient game mechanic!
202* TheOnlyOneAllowedToDefeatYou: Raspberyl and Mao, though technically the whole point between their rivalry is not necessarily to defeat each other, but to better each other as both a Delinquent and an Honor Student, respectively. Their rivalry is explored more heavily in Raspberyl Mode.
203* OnlySaneMan: Almaz, Master Big Star.
204* OptionalBoss: The Vita port also adds [[VideoGame/Disgaea4APromiseUnforgotten Fuka and Desco]] as optional bosses.
205* OurGiantsAreBigger: Mao's Dad. His ''hand'' is one of the stages. He's possibly the biggest character in the ''Disgaea'' series. One has to wonder how his son wound up normal-sized... or how he... [[{{Squick}} um...]] maybe there's a ''reason'' we don't know who Mao's mom is...
206* PersonalitySwap: After Mao steals Almaz's "Hero" title, their personalities switch about; it's a bit of a subversion, though, since they act very much themselves.
207* PlayingWithFire: Raspberyl.
208* PokeThePoodle: In the worst ending, Mao goes to the human world to wreak terror upon it, and you even get news reports on how Mao is conducting experiments on thousands of people. But when his former friends confront him, he claims he's just been switching street signs, hiding people's shoes and making prank phone calls and that Super Hero Aurum is lying about him. His old friends don't believe him. [[spoiler:Then his MoralityChain is murdered and he proceeds to wipe out literally everything but himself.]]
209* [[ThePowerOfFriendship The Power of the Unknown Cosmos]] [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial (Which is definitely not friendship)]]: Mao gets a storyline powerup based on this. He refuses to acknowledge it, though.
210* ThePowerOfLove: Spoofed with Mao's attempts to unlock the PowerOfLove via research and mad science while [[WhatIsThisThingYouCallLove completely failing to get what love actually is.]]
211* PrejudiceAesop: Human guardsman Almaz even brings mention to his own prejudices against demons prior to working with Mao and company, coming to view the group as good friends.
212* RagsToRoyalty: [[spoiler:Almaz.]]
213* RealMenWearPink: ...Or, more accurately, real men teach Home Ec. And they do without a license or benefits!
214* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: There's a lot, but the most biting one comes from [[spoiler:Mao chewing out Super Hero Aurum]].
215-->'''[[spoiler:Aurum:]]''' Oh, don't gang up and bully me now. It was necessary. All of it.
216-->'''Mao:''' ...Hmph, I stay quiet and listen, and you continue to blab. It was only you alone that wanted any of this. Was a hero such a dinky existence that you couldn't shine without an enemy? Were you so pitiful that you had to watch out for what the people thought, and be afraid of being forgotten? Is is a hero's job to raise an enemy just to make yourself look greater? Did you want praise for your efforts?
217-->'''[[spoiler:Aurum:]]''' You...! You dare insult me, the Super Hero?!\
218'''Mao:''' [[BigShutUp Shut up, you fool!]] You're no hero, nor human! [[YouMonster You're just miserable evil clutching to distorted justice.]] The human world is what you should've been protecting! The moment you stopped, you lost the right to be a hero! "A hero must act with courage to protect that which is precious!"
219-->'''[[spoiler:Aurum:]]''' Huh! That's...!
220-->'''Mao:''' For those whom you must protect, for things precious to you, a hero squeezes out every bit of courage he has... Yes...a guy like this Almaz is the true hero, don't you think?!
221* RunningGag: Almaz owes Raspberyl upwards of three autographs.
222* SamusIsAGirl: As Mao and co. find out when they meet Salvatore of the Diez Gentlemen. In fact, half of the Diez Gentlemen are made up of girls.
223* SaveThePrincess: Subverted. Almaz makes the instant assumption that Princess = [[DamselInDistress Must Be Saved]], even if said princess is a trigger-happy [[LadyOfWar Lady Of]] AxCrazy (Sapphire). The situation ended in comical pain.
224** In a more serious note, this is ''why'' Sapphire is crazy. As a child, she witnessed a constant stream of heroes going out and getting themselves killed in her name. She swore that this would never again happen, no matter what she had to become.
225* SexyDiscretionShot: A [[SuccubiAndIncubi Succubus]] teaches a class on how to "influence" people. We don't see her "lecture", just Mao's excited reaction... And [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments his attempts to imitate her moves]].
226* ShoutOut: [[{{ShoutOut/Disgaea}} Has its own page.]]
227* [[spoiler:SickeninglySweethearts: Almaz and Sapphire after they get married.]]
228* SingleWomanSeeksGoodMan: Sapphire.
229* SmartPeopleWearGlasses Mao. Raspberyl tends to take them as her own on occasion (see the picture) as if to cement her [[TheSmartGuy Smart Guy]] status. She eventually gets her own pair in Raspberyl Mode.
230* [[spoiler:SorryThatImDying: Almaz apologizes to Princess Sapphire that he couldn't keep his promise to not die for her sake, after being pricked with a poisoned needle in a trap aimed at her.]]
231* StandardHeroReward: Referenced by Mao after he learns why Almaz was in the Netherworld in the first place.
232* StatusInflictionAttack: The Sorceror, who specializes in using ailment spells. The remakes gave them the "Curse Storm" skill that can inflict all ailments to enemy targets.
233* SuicidalCosmicTemperTantrum: Mao's reaction to [[spoiler:Raspberyl]]'s death in the worst ending.
234* SuperpoweredEvilSide: [[spoiler:Mao]] would have gotten one, but...
235* SweetAndSourGrapes: In Chapter 3, Mao chooses [[spoiler:to abandon the competition to become Freshman Leader in order to rescue Beryl. This decision impresses his peers enough that they make him leader anyway. ''However'', this was done with the idea of, basically, "The Student Council must be defeated! Then I will truly be evil!"... which is mainly why he became Freshman Leader anyway]].
236* TakeThat: The dialogue before the DLC battle against Thursday is an obvious take that at fuel companies and their recent price gouging. Go Mao.
237* TakingTheBullet: [[spoiler:DoubleSubverted. Almaz takes the brunt of a trap intended for Sapphire, and much dramatic grief over his sacrifice ensues before Almaz points out that he's perfectly fine... at least until the IncurableCoughOfDeath begins.]]
238* TeamDad: Mr. Champloo tends to act like this, BOOM!
239* TenderTears: Almaz sheds a few for Mao after Mao is accepted as Freshman Class Leader [[spoiler:and even right before his own death]].
240* ThemeNaming: The names of the main cast are connected to science, in a way.
241** Mao, aside from literally meaning 'demon lord', can also stand for monoamine oxidase.
242** Almaz, Almandine, Beryl, Sapphire, and Rhodonite are gems or minerals.
243** Aurum is Latin for gold.
244* ThirdPersonPerson: Gold Knuckle.
245* ThrowTheDogABone: Almaz.
246* TryNotToDie: Sapphire is horrified when Almaz tells her that he would die for her if necessary (particularly since she's seen far too many would-be-heroes charge to their deaths for her sake), and instead makes him promise that he'll stay alive for her instead. [[spoiler:This doesn't stop him from TakingTheBullet for her.]]
247* {{Tsundere}}:
248** Mao and Raspberyl. Being rivals, they constantly fight and mock each other for choosing their respective positions in the Academy, but they occasionally show that they do care about each other. However, if they are questioned about it, they instantly deny it and say that their actions were only meant to further their own goals. Depending on how one may look at their relationship, it may be a case of BelligerentSexualTension.
249** If you fight Adell after defeating Rozalin in the DLC, Raspberyl gets overly excited over Rozalin's use of the ''Tsundere Skill'' (Rozalin hiding the fact that she's getting Adell a present).
250* UnableToCry: Sapphire can't even cry for the death of her own mother, and finds herself labeled as cold and heartless by those around her.
251** [[spoiler:She is finally able to cry TearsOfJoy when Almaz is [[BackFromTheDead resurrected]].]]
252* UnexplainedRecovery: [[spoiler:Geoffrey at the start of chapter 6.]]
253--> "I wore a BulletProofVest."
254* {{Unwinnable}}: Spoofed in the Mao's Ambition ending, where Mao and Almaz accidentally render the game unwinnable through some SequenceBreaking.
255* VerbalTic:
256** Mister Champloo. BOOM!
257** The Prinnies, dood!
258** And the Vato Bros., Homes! (Ese!)(Weddo!)
259* ViolenceIsTheOnlyOption[=/=]ViolenceReallyIsTheAnswer: Even the ''good'' demons are subject to this trope. As long as it results in you making friends, Raspberyl encourages people to break into another person's house and challenge them to a fist fight.
260** Also, a meta example: The Majin class demon's last Evility is often seen as the best, as it boosts all stats by 50%. Granted, it cuts EXP gain, but at lv9999 that doesn't matter. The name of that Evility? ''Violence''.
261* ViolentlyProtectiveGirlfriend: Sapphire. Already AxeCrazy as is, many of her murderous impulses are derived from this trope.
262* WhatMeasureIsAMook: A meta-aversion in ''Absence of Detention.'' Generics all have unique abilities now. Before you could justifiably say they existed only to prop up the story characters whose stats are better, but a lot of their unique skills and spells bring a whole new level of utility to the generics.
263* WhereItAllBegan: The final episode of the main story and the final battle of the Raspberyl story both occur in the same location as episode 1.
264* WithGreatPowerComesGreatInsanity: Parodied. [[spoiler:Mao, once he defeats the hero fanboy Almaz and steals his power, starts slowly acting like a hero himself. Likewise, Almaz starts slowly acting ''less'' like a hero, and more like a demon.]]
265* WorldOfHam: It is a ''Disgaea'' game, after all. What did you expect?
266* WrongGenreSavvy:
267** Mao is convinced that studying video games, manga, anime, and toku shows is the way to learn how to beat an overlord, and attempts to use his knowledge of Fantasy / Scifi RPG tropes to further his goals. Unfortunately, ''Disgaea'' is, for the most part, a ''parody'' of those tropes...
268** At least as far as plot is concerned. Now, if he had only studied up on acquiring [[InvokedTrope Game]] [[GameBreaker Breakers]] and proper LevelGrinding...
269--> '''Mao''': ''I don't know the meaning of the words "level grinding"!''
270** That's because grinding requires patience and hard work and there's no way the top Honor Student would bother with that. Plus, he makes the Prinnies do the grinding for him.
271** When Almaz points out the necessity of level grinding, Mao retorts that most games ''also'' have an instant max level cheat ("What was it? [[KonamiCode Up, up, down, down...]]"). He is annoyed that ''Disgaea'' is apparently not one of these games.
272* XanatosGambit: [[spoiler:Geoffrey, aka Super Hero Aurum, grooming Mao to be the perfect overlord so he would have a new opponent to beat, or at least [[DeathSeeker go down remembered as a hero]]. [[WhatTheHellHero It doesn't work]].]] The reason being that someone decided to TakeAThirdOption to counter it. [[spoiler:Champloo instructing Almaz on the heart of a hero so he can help Mao open his. It flies in the face of Aurum's gambit, too, effectively nuking two hundred years worth of work, though Aurum has no idea until it's too late that this was all engineered against him.]]
273* YankTheDogsChain: The Almaz ending.

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