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5[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/parodius_saturn_cover.jpg]]
6[[caption-width-right:350:Are you sure you're sober when playing this?]]
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8->''Oh, we laugh at this game! Gradius is fine, but this is nicer!''
9-->-- '''''Parodius: Non-Sense Fantasy''''' (European release of ''Parodius Da!'')
10
11Leave your common sense at the door.
12
13''Parodius'' is a series of Main/ShootEmUp video games by {{Creator/Konami}}. The word "Parodius" is a portmanteau of "parody" and "''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}''". It plays much [[SelfParody like the series it parodies]], but [[LighterAndSofter cuter]] and [[DenserAndWackier sillier]], while also [[AffectionateParody poking fun at other Konami games and other popular culture]]. Many of the characters are drawn from other Konami games, including the [[VideoGame/{{Gradius}} Vic Viper]] (whose [[AttackDrone Option]] is itself playable in ''Sexy Parodius''), VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}, [[VideoGame/GanbareGoemon Goemon]], Pentarou the Penguin,[[note]]Who's the son of ''Penta Penguin'' from [[VideoGame/AntarcticAdventure Antarctic Adventure-series]][[/note]] VideoGame/KidDracula, and [[VideoGame/{{BioMiracleBokutteUpa}} Upa the Baby Prince]].
14
15The weapons and powerups are largely derived from ''Gradius'', ''Salamander'' and ''VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}'', but later games have characters equipped with weapons modeled after Konami's lesser-known {{Shoot Em Up}}s, such as ''VideoGame/ThunderCross'', ''VideoGame/{{Axelay}}'' and ''XEXEX'', and from other shooters such as ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}'', ''VideoGame/RType Leo'' and ''Truxton II''. The enemies are [[EverythingTryingToKillYou all over the place]], but if there are two common themes, it's penguins and moai.
16
17[[folder:Games in the main series]]
18!!''Parodius: The Octopus Saves the Earth''
19--> '''Japanese''': パロディウス ~タコは地球を救う~ (''Parodiusu: Tako wa Chikyū o Sukū'')
20--> '''First release''': 1988, {{Platform/MSX}}
21
22!!''Parodius! From Myth to Laughter''
23--> '''Japanese''': パロディウスだ! -神話からお笑いへ- (''Parodiusu Da! Shinwa kara Owarai e'', lit. "It's Parodius! From Myth to Laughter")
24--> '''First release''': 1990, arcade
25Also released on [[Platform/NintendoEntertainmentSystem the Famicom]], [[Platform/SuperNintendoEntertainmentSystem the Super Famicom]], Platform/GameBoy, [[Platform/TurboGrafx16 PC-Engine]], the Platform/PlayStation, the Platform/SegaSaturn, the Platform/SharpX68000, and [[Main/MobilePhoneGame mobile devices]]. Released in Europe as ''Parodius: Non-Sense Fantasy''.
26
27!!''Fantastic Parodius: Pursuing the Glory of the Past''
28--> '''Japanese''': 極上パロディウス ~過去の栄光を求めて~ (''Gokujō Parodiusu ~Kako no Eikō o Motomete~'')
29--> '''First release''': 1994, arcade
30Also released on the Super Famicom. Released in Europe as ''Fantastic Journey''.
31
32!!''Chatting Parodius Live''
33--> '''Japanese''': 実況おしゃべりパロディウス (''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodiusu'')
34--> '''First release''': 1995, Super Famicom
35Also released on the [=PlayStation=], Platform/PlayStationPortable[[note]]As part of the compilation ''Parodius Portable''[[/note]], and Sega Saturn.
36
37!!''Sexy Parodius''
38--> '''Japanese''': セクシーパロディウス (''Sekushī Parodiusu'')
39--> '''First release''': 1996, arcade
40Also released on the [=PlayStation=] and Sega Saturn.
41
42!! Related games and other media
43A TurnBasedStrategy spinoff, ''Paro Wars'', was released in 1997 for the Platform/PlayStation. There was also a ''Parodius'' Drama CD, and various pachinko and pachi-slot games. ''Parodius Portable'', a 2006 CompilationRerelease for the Platform/PlayStationPortable, includes all games except ''Paro Wars''.
44[[/folder]]
45[[folder: Characters original to the series]]
46* Tako (Octopus), Takosuke, Takohiko & Belial: A family of octopuses. Takosuke and Takohiko's name are a portmanteau of ''tako'' (octopus in Japanese) and common endings for Japanese names.
47* Hikaru & Akane: [[RocketRide Torpedo-riding]] girls in PlayboyBunny outfits. Their weapon loadout is based on that of ''Thunder Cross''.
48* Mambo & Samba: Laser-shooting fish. Their weapon loadout consists of weapons based on ''VideoGame/{{RType}}'' and XEXEX.
49* Michael & Gabriel: Angelic pigs. Their weapon loadout is based on the Silver Hawk from ''VideoGame/{{Darius}}''
50* Mike & Ran: Neutered cats. Ran has a weapon from R-Type Leo.
51* Sue & Memim: A pair of [[OurFairiesAreDifferent faeries]].
52* Koitsu, Aitsu, Soitsu & Doitsu: Stick men riding paper airplanes.
53* Ivan & Toby: More penguins with UnusualEyebrows.
54[[/folder]]
55
56Compare ''VideoGame/HarmfulPark'' and ''VideoGame/BoogieWings'', similarly psychedelic, insanity-fueled arcade shmups released in the 1990s after the success of ''Parodius''.
57
58----
59!!The ''Parodius'' series provides examples of:
60* AngryCheekPuff: In the Volcano Valley stage of ''Parodius Da!'', the volcanoes' tell for when they erupt is angrily puffing up their cheeks and [[HighPressureEmotion turning bright red]].
61* AnnouncerChatter: ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius'' has Tako from the early ''Parodius'' games featured as the game's resident narrator, who won't shut up about anything you do. This is a nod to Konami's ''Live'' sports game series from that time: ''International Superstar Soccer'' and ''Live Powerful Pro Baseball''.
62* ArtShift: In ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius,'' the stages themed after ''Xexex'' and ''Lethal Enforcers'' use this.
63** In the Sega Saturn and [=PlayStation=] versions of ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius,'' the boss rush stage exclusive to those versions has bosses drawn in a different art style than the rest of the enemies.
64* AssKicksYou: [[spoiler: Happens to Takosuke at the end of ''Sexy Parodius''; he tries to escape past Kaori who ''sits'' on him. ]]
65* AttackDrone: Like ''Gradius'', many player characters have Option drones that attack alongside them.
66* AttackItsWeakPoint: There's usually an arrow with the word "SHOOT" as an indication for where to shoot to cause damage. ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius'' has the announcer point it out if you can't get the hint from that.
67* AttackOfThe50FootWhatever: Many bosses are giant [[FunnyAnimal anthropomorphic animals]] or [[GiantWoman giantesses]]. Bosses include giant mermaids, eagles, octopodes, pandas, etc.
68** There are numerous examples of giant women as stage endbosses in the series due to its raunchy humor. There's Chichibinta Rika, who appears in most of the games, the giant mermaid Eliza from ''Gokujō Parodius'', Honey from ''Parodius Da!'', "Enormous Hikaru and Akane" from ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius''. ''Sexy Parodius'' has Medusa, Tanuko the Tanuki (whenever it transforms into its female form), Yuko, and the final boss Kaori [[spoiler:whose only action kills the actual main villain for you]].
69** Applies to the player if they snag a Green Bell powerup. It causes your character to be temporarily enlarged and invincible. Although your weapons are disabled, you can simply fly into everything to inflict heavy CollisionDamage.
70* BackFromTheDead: Even though you clearly see him dead in a previous game, [[spoiler: Penguinofsky III, the penguin captain,]] [[NegativeContinuity comes back]] in ''Sexy Parodius'' as part of a boss rush.
71* BaitAndSwitch: Occurs in ''Fantastic Journey'' and [[spoiler:the treasure box at the end.]]
72** The final "boss" in ''Sexy Parodius'' [[spoiler:isn't fought in any way. She defeats the true villain of the game, Takosuke, by sitting on him.]]
73* BattleshipRaid: A giant Moai battleship is encountered in ''Parodius Da!'', and appears again in ''Gokujō Parodius''. On front of the Moai battleship is a giant Moai that wears CoolShades and shoots boogers out of its nose at you, along with the typical energy ring attack of the Moai.
74* BlushSticker: Archangel pigs Michael and Gabriel have them.
75* BossWarningSiren: At one point in ''Fantastic Journey'', the player encounters the [[BattleshipRaid Moai Battleship]], with its placement randomly determined inbetween two of the regular stages. When the player is about to encounter it after clearing one of the stages, its own music theme plays instead of the chosen player character's theme and the message '''WARNING''' flashes on the screen.
76* {{Bowdlerise}}: The NES/Famicom version of ''Parodius Da!'' censors the burlesque dancer boss, Chichibinta, into a much more modestly-dressed circus ringleader named Miss Mishitarina.
77* CallBack: The subtitle for the second ''Parodius'' game, ''From Myth To Laughter'', is a follow-on from the subtitle of ''Gradius III'', which was ''From Legend To Myth''.
78* TheCanKickedHim: In ''Sexy Parodius'', the Boss of the Bathhouse stage is a giant penguin with a helmet made from a toilet; he attacks [[WeaponizedHeadgear by shooting giant bubbles from it.]]
79* ComebackMechanic: Depending on game settings, you can revive on the spot after dying (a departure from the [[ContinuingIsPainful checkpoint restart mechanic]] from the older ''Gradius'' games) and spawn several bell items. One of them is always a green bell, which makes you completely invincible while dealing CollisionDamage to enemies and obstacles. This makes recovery much easier for less experienced players.
80* ContinuityNod: the second level of ''Gokujō Parodius'' (a.k.a. ''Fantastic Journey'') has you going underwater at one point. There you will find the [[TakenForGranite corpses of the Pirate Penguin, his crew]], and the remains of the Cat Battleship MK I, who were the first boss and miniboss in ''Non-Sense Fantasy,'' respectively.
81* CoolOldGuy: According to ''Non-Sense Fantasy,'' [[SapientShip Vic Viper]] is 58 years old. Vic's weapons loadout are pretty average compared with the other characters, but he is the only character that appears in every ''Parodius'' game.
82* CuteEmUp: It's ''Gradius'' re-skinned to be as cute and silly as possible.
83* DefeatByModesty: Many of the giant lady bosses are defeated this way, their clothes burned off right before they cover their chests with an arm and fall off the screen.
84* DifficultyByRegion: The megaphone powerup in the second game is slightly more powerful in the European ''Non-Sense Fantasy'' than the Japanese ''Da!'', due to the English silly phrases tending to be longer.
85* DownerEnding:
86** ''Fantastic Journey.'' [[spoiler: After several stages of wackyness, you have finally defeated the Octo-Queen. You find the treasure you've been looking for...only to find that there is a sentient classic cartoon bomb that has taken the place of the treasure. Its fuse has already burned to its last moments, and as a result, the dance club base is utterly destroyed by the ensuing explosion. During the credits, enjoy watching your character float amongst the shattered remains of the club you just raided (and you can find it funny somehow, as you can see bras floating around). However, [[NotQuiteDead that doesn't stop you from entering the]] [[BrutalBonusLevel Special Stage.]]]]
87* DynamicDifficulty: Inherited from ''Gradius''. The better you're doing, the more difficult the game becomes. Upon dying, the game decreases the amount of enemies on-screen as well as the severity of their attacks, and may toss in a few freebies to give you a chance to recover. How long you last without dying has a permanent effect on difficulty as well.
88* {{Eagleland}} (Flavor 1): Eagle Sabu, a bald eagle dressed as Uncle Sam, serves as a boss in ''Non-Sense Fantasy.'' When he is defeated, he [[InstantlyDefeatheredBird loses all his feathers]] while becoming [[InstantBandages covered in comical bandages]] and falling off the screen.
89* EverythingTryingToKillYou: Intentional due to its ridiculous premise. The most common enemies are penguins taking on the role of [[{{Mook}} common enemies]] found in the ''Gradius'' games, and Moai. One of the most unusual enemies is [[UsefulNotes/KentuckyFriedChicken Colonel Sanders]] riding a unicycle while throwing fried chicken at you in the first stage of ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius''. Some versions of the latter game change Colonel Sanders into Santa Claus (who still throws fried chicken at you).
90* ExcusePlot: Most of the ''Parodius'' games [[NoPlotNoProblem have no actual plot]]; ''Sexy Parodius''' plot involves Takosuke organizing an agency with the characters in the previous games to handle troubles for clients, all of which involve fighting goofy mooks and bosses.
91* FaceHeelTurn: [[spoiler:Takosuke]] in ''Sexy Parodius'' does one of these just before the last level in an attempt to escape with all the money you earned in-game. [[spoiler: He doesn't get far unless you let the time run out.]]
92* FlyAtTheCameraEnding: Parodied in ''Non-Sense Fantasy.'' After having destroyed the Bacterian base, our hero flies at the camera and [[CameraAbuse smashes]] the screen. [[http://www.vazcomics.org/mamend/P/parodius.htm See for yourself]]!
93* FunnyBackgroundEvent: Many levels are full of things happening in the background, most of them related to penguins.
94* GorgeousGorgon: One serves as the end boss of one of two possible third levels in ''Sexy Parodius''. Of course, given that level pays homage to ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'', and [[{{Creator/Konami}} who made both]], this is a given.
95* GroinAttack: The tanuki boss's secondary weakness in ''Sexy Parodius;'' fitting since [[spoiler: being a tanuki, he has a ridiculously large nutsack.]] It is tempting to shoot him there [[NotCheatingUnlessYouGetCaught while he's meditating.]] Not only does he react realistically by clutching his groin and [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl effeminately squealing in pain]], but [[spoiler: he also [[SuperGenderBender briefly transforms into a human woman]] if you exploit this incredibly corny and juvenile yet hilarious joke enough times during the fight.]]
96* InertiaIsACruelMistress: Just like in ''Gradius,'' too many Speed Ups can make it even harder to maneuver in tight spaces
97* InvincibleMinorMinion: The 16-Bit Block, a UniqueEnemy that only shows up near the end of ''Gokujō Parodius''. It's [[StoneWall completely impossible to destroy]] in the few seconds that it appears on screen; it has [[UsefulNotes/PowersOfTwoMinusOne 65,535 HP]], and any attack it takes only deals ScratchDamage. The regular enemies it's a GiantMook of also qualify, save for the one in each set that has only 16 HP instead of 256.
98* InvincibilityPowerUp: Collecting green bell will make the playable character grow larger and become invulnerable for a short period with the tradeoff of not being able to use the weapons.
99* JigglePhysics: Eliza, the giant mermaid; her breasts bounce ''a lot'' during boss battles involving her.
100* KaizoTrap: There are several in the series.
101** In ''Sexy Parodius'', after defeating the boss of the girl factory (one of the possible 4th stages), its penguin operator will exit and shoot a machine gun. The machine gun bullets are extremely short-ranged, but if you are either too close or tempt fate, the bullets will kill you, forcing you to restart the boss fight.
102** In ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius,'' the Decoration Core boss from Stage 3 of ''Gokujō Parodius'' makes a return in Stage 5 as Decoration Core MK II. After you defeat it, its halves will move towards you and try to crush you in between. In higher difficulties, this sequence happens extremely quickly.
103** The final boss of ''Sexy Parodius'', Kaori, [[spoiler: may help you win the game by defeating the true villain, but she raises her legs while doing so. Colliding with her legs kills you, forcing you to restart the stage with even less time on the timer.]]
104* {{Leitmotif}}: Most of the ships have their own themes. Additionally, some bosses have theirs too (Hot Lips is always fought to the ''Can Can'').
105* LevelAte: most games have a cake- or candy-themed level.
106* MarshmallowHell: An actual attack of Boinbee, a boss in ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius'' that is a giant parody of ''VideoGame/{{Twinbee}}'''s main character wearing a [[TorpedoTits a giant bra]].
107* MeaningfulName: This game series is a '''paro'''dy of ''Gra'''dius'''''.
108* MisplacedWildlife: Most certainly [[RuleOfFunny intentional]]. One of the later levels in ''Non-Sense Fantasy'' is an icy underwater stage... swarming with tropical-looking fish.
109* MsFanservice: There's Eliza, the bikini-top wearing giant mermaid, there's Chichibinta Rika the giant showgirl, Yuko, a giant woman wearing only a blue sheet, a boss in the ''Sexy Parodius'' BossRush, and Kaori, a FinalBoss who's similar to Yuko. Plus the girls in the cutscenes (one of them shows Hikaru and Akane shampooing each other).
110* MoodWhiplash: The ending of ''Fantastic Journey.'' See DownerEnding above to see why.
111* MoonRabbit: In ''Gokujō Parodius'', a stage takes place on the moon, complete with rabbits as enemies pounding ''mochi'' with mallets. The stage ends with a boss fight against [[Literature/TheTaleOfTheBambooCutter Princess Kaguya]].
112* MultipleEndings: Should you fail to beat the last level in ''Sexy Parodius'' before the timer runs out, you'll get a bad ending.
113* NoblewomansLaugh: In ''Fantastic Journey'''s second stage, the mermaid boss, Eliza, attacks you with it.
114* OddballInTheSeries: ''Paro Wars'', the last game in the series, is a turn-based military strategy game.
115* OrgasmicCombat: The giant medusa Boss in ''Sexy Parodius'' is obviously enjoying the battle a little ''too'' much.
116* OurGiantsAreBigger: A recurring boss in the series is Chichibinta Rika, a giant woman in a Vegas showgirl uniform which parodies the Shadow Dancer.
117* OurMermaidsAreDifferent: A boss is a large mermaid who has attacks like a siren song (which appears as lyrics you can shoot) and making a giant wave with her tail.
118* PlayboyBunny: Hikaru and Akane are bunnysuit-wearing girls who ride missiles into battle.
119* PoisonMushroom: The "!?"/"OH!" on the power bar, which takes away all your powerups. It exists to add risk to using the powerup roulette.
120* PublicDomainSoundtrack: Most of the background music is based on classical and folk music.
121* RecurringBoss: Several bosses in the series reappear in multiple games. The Cat Battleship has seen the most appearances, having appeared from ''Non-Sense Fantasy'' all the way to ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius!''.
122* RefugeInAudacity: Being a wacky parody of the serious ''Gradius'' games, enemy spacecraft, aliens, and biological horrors are replaced with cute penguins, chickens, and cats. The Vic Viper and Lord British are rendered in a chibi style, while other player characters include neutered cats, bunny girls flying on torpedoes, and stickmen flying on paper airplanes with a ''condom'' as a shield. ''Sexy Parodius'' increases the wackiness by including, as boss enemies, giant women and a shapeshifting tanuki with a set of large testicles. There are also flashing Moais from ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius'', complete with pixelated genitalia...
123* ReReleaseSoundtrack: The song that was used originally in the first stage of ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius'' ("That's the Way (I Like It)", by KC & The Sunshine Band) was changed in the PSP version to the song "[=Brilliant2U=]" by Naoki Maeda. This happened to other tracks in the collection as well. Prior to it, the Platform/PlayStation and Platform/SegaSaturn release of ''Sexy Parodius'' replaced a arrangement of "El Bimbo" with "Symphony No. 40". The same thing was also done for "In the Mood" and "Mambo No. 5" in ''Gokujō Parodius'', along with ''Sexy Parodius'' during the Otohime boss battle, "Mayim Mayim" is replaced with "Korobeiniki".
124* SapientShip: In the ''Parodius'' games, Vic Viper and Lord British are depicted as sapient beings rather than space fighters with pilots in them. This is played up for comedy, given the parodic nature of the series.
125* SchoolSettingSimulation: One of the stages in ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius'' is set in a parody of ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial''. This is the only stage which, on most versions, has an optional theme with sung lyrics.
126* ShoutOut: In addition to the [[{{Expy}} exported characters]] and ShootEmUp homages, many of the stages, starting in ''Gokujō Parodius'', are on other Konami properties, including but not limited to ''VisualNovel/TokimekiMemorial'', ''VideoGame/GanbareGoemon'', ''VideoGame/LethalEnforcers'', ''Taisen Puzzle Dama'', ''Franchise/{{Castlevania}}'', ''VideoGame/YieArKungFu'', and ''[[VideoGame/LivePowerfulProBaseball Jikkyō Powerful Pro Yakyuu]]''.
127** The Moai Battleship in ''Gokujō Parodius'' is a parody of ''Anime/SpaceBattleshipYamato''.
128** The intro to ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius'' shows the antagonists doing a ColonyDrop. Undoubtedly an homage to ''Anime/MobileSuitGundam''.
129* SultryBellyDancer: Chichibinta Rika (this series's version of the endgame Shadow Dancer robots) is a giant showgirl that can't be shot dead. You have to fly either between her arms or legs to survive.
130* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Sue and Memim are these for Hikaru and Akane [[spoiler:who are for once not on your side]] in ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius''.
131* TalkingPoo: You can see a living poo come out of a toilet if you destroy an specific Moai head in the second stage of ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius''. It's dressed in a way reminiscent of a [[Anime/SailorMoon certain magical girl show]].
132* TrueFinalBoss: [[spoiler:The Mecha Penguin]], fought at the end of the [[BrutalBonusLevel Special Stage]] in ''Fantastic Journey.''
133* UpdatedRerelease: A compilation of most of the games (except the SpinOff ''Paro Wars'') was released for the PSP in 2006. It contained a remake of the MSX original, the PSX version of ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius'' and the arcade versions of rest. Due to copyrights involving some of the songs, Konami replaced a few of the tracks with replacement music. There is also a Japan-only compilation of the second and third games, released as ''Gokujō Parodius DA!!''
134* WeaponsGradeVocabulary: The White Bell temporary powerup equips you with a megaphone, temporarily replacing your weapons. It spits out various nonsense phrases such as "SHAVING IS BORING" that do heavy damage and absorb standard bullets.
135** The mermaid boss in the second stage of ''Fantastic Journey'' attacks with laughter.
136* WeHelpTheHelpless: The plot in Sexy Parodius revolves around Takosuke opening an agency to help people in whatever problem they have. [[spoiler: In the end, however, Takosuke isn't exactly intent on staying faithful to that.]]
137* WelcomeBackTraitor: After fighting them in ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius'', [[spoiler:Hikaru and Akane]] return to being playable characters in ''Sexy Parodius''.
138* WhatTheHellPlayer: Normally, bosses have a pop-up telling you [[AttackItsWeakPoint where to shoot]]. In ''Sexy Parodius'', if you try shooting the tanuki boss in the groin, it tells you NOT to shoot there.
139* {{Yokai}}: Being a Japanese-made video game series, there are several enemies and bosses based on ''yōkai'':
140** The FinalBoss of ''The Octopus Saves the Earth'' is a {{Baku}} named Bug, who puts up a brutal fight, unlike the typical ''Gradius'' [[AnticlimaxBoss final bosses]].
141** ''Parodius! From Myth to Laughter'' has a MiniBoss that consists of a group of {{Karakasa}} looping around the screen (parodying Iron Maiden from ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}} III'') after it starts to rain in a haunted level.
142* ZeroEffortBoss: Like ''VideoGame/{{Gradius}}'', the final bosses are complete pushovers. The final boss from ''Jikkyō Oshaberi Parodius'' downplays this, as the boss can kill you, but still is intentionally weak. Bug from ''The Octopus Saves the Earth'' is the exception.

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