Line #169 Webcomic/KidRadd


1	%% Image selected per Image Pickin' thread: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=1297461227072440200&page=1
2	%% Please do not change or replace without starting a new thread.
3	%% Also, per the thread, do ''not'' replace with the old animated GIF.
4	%%
5	[[quoteright:114:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Radd_4154.jpg]]
6
7	->'''Narrator:''' Welcome to the world of the classic video game Kid Radd. Meet Radd, the hero of the game.\
8	'''Radd:''' Hey.\
9	'''Narrator:''' This strip will follow the exploits of Radd, heroic dude and all-around cool guy.\
10	'''Radd:''' Awesome.\
11	'''Narrator:''' Of course by "cool," we mean by mid-1980's standards.\
12	'''Radd:''' Air guitar! Woo!
13	-->-- '''[[http://www.bgreco.net/kidradd/comic1.htm#title The first strip]]'''
14
15	''[[http://www.bgreco.net/kidradd/index.htm Kid Radd]]'' (2002–2004) is an animated PixelArtComic in the style of a SpriteComic by Dan Miller. It follows the adventures of the eponymous VideoGame hero from ''VideoGame/TotallyRad'' after being [[FishOutOfWater released from his game]].
16
17	While the comic starts out as a lighthearted parody focusing on Radd's attempts to fit into a more complicated society, the plot eventually [[CerebusSyndrome expands into a far-reaching, well-plotted, epic examination of video game character mentality]]. [[AvertedTrope And it stays funny]].
18
19	Rose above most sprite comics for its blend of a deep plot, humor, and philosophical questioning, not to mention its unique style- by composing its comic panels from HTML frames and smaller images, Miller was able to easily slip animated sprites and backgrounds into the panels.
20
21	Though the original site is dead and gone from the face of the internet due to AT&T discontinuing their Worldnet service, the site was previously packaged into an archive which is still [[KeepCirculatingTheTapes circulating]]. One copy can be found [[http://tangent128.name/depot/kid_radd.zip here.]] A link with a browser to view it in is [[http://kidradd.niftihalostudios.com/ here.]] A fan has uploaded the comic onto his own site [[http://www.bgreco.net/kidradd/index.htm here.]] Another fan has re-coded the comic to work in modern browsers and uploaded it [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/ here.]]
22
23	There are spoilers below. Be warned.
24
25	----
26	!!Provides examples of:
27
28	%% TheEighties: When the ''Kid Radd'' games were made.
29	* TwoSiblingsInOne: Sheena's "sister" (a version of herself from ''Kid Radd 2'') is destroyed, but lives on through Sheena absorbing her code.
30	* AccidentalMisnaming: Radd keeps calling Kobayashi, the ninja that has been hired to assassinate him, "Kielbasa".
31	* AIIsACrapshoot: The Seer began life as a virus that was meant to destroy the entire Internet. But after it [[InstantAIJustAddWater gained intelligence]], it decided to rebel against its purpose. It become a peaceful dispenser of advice to pass the time [[spoiler:until it figures out how to destroy [[OmnicidalManiac everything]]]].
32	* AirGuitar: Radd does this to show his personality was based on what was cool in the mid 80s.
33	* AlasPoorVillain: [[spoiler:Crystal's motivations and FreudianExcuse are examined just before she becomes part of the Seer's chimera form, and they go a long way toward explaining her psychopathic, violent behavior. Similarly, G.I. Guy is given a very sympathetic treatment, though he is always presented as a violent AntiHero and, later, a WellIntentionedExtremist rather than a straight villain]].
34	* AllGravityIsTheSame: {{Justified\|Trope}}: gravity technically ''doesn't exist'' in video games. Rather, many sprites are programmed to fall down if there's nothing below them, and this common trait gives the ''appearance'' of gravity as a universal law, but in fact any given sprite will fall at its built-in rate regardless of where it is.
35	* AlmostKiss: It's a [[RunningGag running joke]] for a while that the Kid Radd game ends just before Radd would get to kiss Sheena. Also shows up outside the game a few times, e.g. in 364.
36	* AlwaysAccurateAttack: Kobayashi's shuriken, which comes as a surprise when he could never hit anything with any of his other attacks. Justified in that the shurikens aren't technically thrown; [[{{Hitscan}} they're programmed to "appear" on their target]], making it impossible for him to miss, since they were designed to be an instant kill move by the programmer of Kobayashi's original software.
37	* ArsonMurderAndJaywalking: "Hopetown Constitution: Abolished. Political rivals: Eliminated. Pleasantly evil new decor: Installed."
38	* ArtEvolution: Early action sequences, while good, resembled old fighting and action games ([[{{Retraux}} which makes sense within the story]]). Later action sequences used bullet time, cameras that moved around the characters, [[Film/TheMatrix Matrix]]-style, and resembled ''Manga/DragonBall Z'' more than anything.
39	* ArtInitiatesLife: WordOfGod stated that this is how all media works in the Kid Radd universe - anything created by humans in the shape of something the artist thinks is alive takes on their own life. However, video game characters are the only entities created by this process that can achieve true sentience and independence. Characters in paintings, drawings, and sculptures are trapped eternally in a single moment in time. Characters in books, movies, and plays must re-live the story again and again for all eternity with their memory reset periodically. Video game characters can go through many variations of the same narrative, and so eventually develop true sentience.
40	* BedmateReveal: After a party in Reset, Radd wakes up in bed with Bogey. Nothing happened, though, this turned out to be a prank played by Dr. Amp and Sheena.
41	* BigBad: Crystal. [[spoiler:[[TheManBehindTheMan Or not, as it turns out]]. It's really the Seer]].
42	* BloodKnight: GI Guy [[spoiler: especially when he betrays Radd]].
43	* BossArenaIdiocy: Kobayashi's DeathTrap robot has hovering platforms that can be stepped on to shoot its core. When Radd asks why Kobayashi doesnt just cover up the glowing weak spot with the same indestructible metal the rest of it is made of, [[ComicallyMissingThePoint Kobayashi claims the weak spot would overheat]]
44	* BreakingTheFourthWall: The ending does this in a very awesome way. [[spoiler:You resurrect Bogey with a single click]].
45	* BreatherEpisode: Fourth-Wall Week, especially the fourth one.
46	* BrickJoke: In the credits, it appears that Kobayashi took some of Radd's advice to heart when making a new robot.
47	* BrokenAce: GI Guy. He's a powerful video game character and respected leader of the sprites, but he's extremely bitter and cynical as a result of his past failures.
48	* BrokenBridge: [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic472.htm#title "Halt! This road is closed!"]]
49	* BuffySpeak: Used by Dr. Amp; see "Technobabble" below.
50	* ButtonMashing: Sheena tells the player to do this [[SmashingSurvival to help Radd break free]] from Gnarl's JediMindTrick.
51	* CaptainErsatz: Radd's design was inspired by a video game character named Jake, from an old Jaleco game called ''VideoGame/TotallyRad'', as explained [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/credits.htm here.]] Radd's name also comes from said game.
52	* CapcomSequelStagnation: [[ImpliedTrope Implied]] with the game Fighter Heroes Second Edition Turbo B.
53	* CastFromHP:
54	** Some of G.I. Guy's attacks.
55	** In one case, Sheena's opponent in the fighting game tries every move in her arsenal, even one that sacrifices her own health, and loses when the time runs out because she took damage while Sheena remained unscathed.
56	* CerebusSyndrome: The strip starts out as a fairly standard sprite comic, but gradually explores and deconstructs video game tropes by showing sprites outside of their native environment.
57	* CharacterDevelopment: The CharacterDevelopment is practically a plot point: characters diverging from their pre-programmed actions is a major part of the plot; the heroes succeed because they have grown beyond what they were written to be, the villains fail because they have chosen to remain static characters.
58	* ChargedAttack: The Mega Radd, which becomes an important plot device later on.
59	* ChekhovsGun:
60	** The fact that [[spoiler: the Seer started life as a virus]].
61	** Also, ''two'' from the very first chapter: [[spoiler:everything hurts Radd equally]] and [[spoiler:the Mega Radd charges to a max value of 255 because "Hey, do I have to explain everything?"]] The latter ends up having almost literally Earth-shattering significance.
62	** Comic 592 is loaded with reminders of them from all across the comic.
63	--->[[spoiler:'''Seer''': Fools! This is only a game death! I'll still exist, and will still destroy this world!]]\
64	[[spoiler:'''GI Guy''': Most of the time when sprites battle, they're just playing with each others' programming... Live or die, no code is actually damaged]].\
65	'''Radd''': How did you "half" kill somebody?\
66	'''Kobayashi''': Um, he got better.
67	** The Lucky Penny item Elliot gives Radd just before the final battle. [[spoiler: It protects the bearer from one hit, which comes into play when The Seer is about to finish off Radd while he is on his last hit point during the final battle. The fact that Radd doesn't die throws the Seer off so badly that he gets sloppy, panics and goes to his final form.]]
68	* ClassicCheatCode: Parodying the tendency to make cheat codes spell something pronounceable (DULLARD, BARACUDA), the infinite Raddboard code is Right, Up, Right, A, Down, Down. (R U RADD?)
69	* ClippedWingAngel: [[spoiler: The Seer gains a controllable sprite to use to TakeOverTheWorld, but loses its omniscience in the process, which is what allows the heroes to defeat it]].
70	* CollisionDamage: Described as the "Touch of Death". In one CSI parody, this is how the murderer accidentally kills the victim.
71	* TheComicallySerious: GI Guy.
72	* ContemplateOurNavels: "What is a sprite? A miserable pile of pixels!" [[spoiler:The first attempt at civilization outside the games angsted itself to death, which didn't take much. Existential doubt is dangerous in the fireball-throwing hands of people who know ''exactly'' what they were created to do.]]
73	* CoolAirship: Itty Bitty has one of these in his inventory, intended for the protagonists of his original game once they reached a certain level cap and had amassed enough money.
74	* CoolButInefficient / BoringButPractical: Kobayashi has some cool and flashy attacks that never hit, and some boring attacks that never miss.
75	* CurbStompBattle:
76	** Radd, Sheena and Bogey's fights against their counterparts in the fighting game. They regretfully decide that they're not strong enough to take along.
77	** Much more dramatically, [[spoiler:Gnarl's]] fight with Radd after the former tracks him down--the degree to which he was completely out of his league was the plot's takeaway from the battle.
78	* CurseCutShort: The second comic almost describes Radd's PlayerCharacter role as "the player's little bitch", but Radd interrupts with "'''Don't''' say it."
79	* DeadpanSnarker: Nearly all of the main characters have their moments, but Bogey is the undisputed master of the art.
80	* DeathOfAThousandCuts: [[spoiler:The Seer, while fused with Crystal]], has 9999 HP, but takes one point of damage per attack regardless of the attack's strength, and so must be hit about ten thousand times.
81	* {{Deconstruction}}: Of video games, video game tropes, and probably some sprite comics as well. Game sprites act out their roles outside the game. At best, like Radd, they have a long way to go before they can channel their talents into something productive for society. At worst, they regress into violent behavior.
82	-->'''GI Guy''': Over absolutely nothing, dozens of sprites started fighting and killing each other.\
83	'''Radd''': But why?\
84	'''GI Guy''': ''Because that's what video game characters do''.
85	* DeconstructionCrossover: Using {{Captain Ersatz}}es and pastiches rather than actual trademarked VideoGame characters.
86	* DescriptionCut:
87	** During his fight against Kobayashi's machine, Radd reassures himself that the hours his player spent "training" him were not wasted. Cut to "Somewhere in the real world," where we see a human (assumably Radd's former player) washing dishes, and thinking his mother was right: "Play video games all day, and you'll grow up a loser!"
88	** The chimeraized Gnarl/Kobayashi run to contact Dr. Amp for help with getting de-chimeraized, saying "They can't be too busy. It's not like they're entertaining guests or anything." Cut to the ''High Score,'' which is now filled with Shopkeeper [=NPCs=] and a very confused Itty Bitty.
89	* DesignatedGirlFight: Lampshaded.
90	-->'''Sheena''': Oh look, I'm up against a girl. Hooray for typecasting.
91	* DeusExMachina: {{Lampshaded}} as a running gag.
92	* DevelopersForesight: In-universe; the final boss of ''Mofo'', when defeated the "wrong" way, [[EasterEgg took the characters to a special screen]] where they were [[NoFairCheating chided for cheating]].
93	* DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu: Let's face it, even with the issues caused by the Seer's chimera form, defeating him was a pretty impressive achievement.
94	* DissonantSerenity: Due to his sprite's limitations, Dr. Amp is stuck with a goofy grin on his face even when he's having "[[https://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic511.htm#title moody recollections]]" about [[spoiler:his first attempt at a sprite settlement]].
95	-->'''Dr. Amp''': I'm scowling at you on the inside.
96	* DolledUpInstallment: Parodied with ''Kid Radd 2'', which poked fun at ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2''. There's also [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic423.htm#title Bogey Pinball]]...
97	* {{Doppelmerger}}: Sheena [[spoiler:ends up merging her code with that of her "sister"/sequel counterpart after the sequel ROM the former visited was destroyed]]. As a result, she can switch between her invincible NPC mode and battle mode at will. [[spoiler:Sequel Sheena's spirit]] also occasionally makes [[spoiler:herself]] known in situations where the two versions have a difference of opinion.
98	* EarthShatteringKaboom: In a Fourth Wall Week, comic, Radd invokes the spirit of Cheez Whiz, and ends up blowing up the Earth, the galaxy, and the universe as a result. "Oops..." indeed.
99	* EasterEgg: In-story. See LordBritishPostulate.
100	** In its usual sense, there's a EasterEgg in one of the last strips. See SelfDeprecatingHumor.
101	** Much like the above egg, [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic372.htm#p3 this panel]] provides one found in the same manner.
102	---> [[spoiler:'''Magical Maid Robo Sheena!''']]\
103	\
104	[[spoiler:I never understood why girls watch [[MagicalGirl these shows]]. I mean, boys don't watch shows with [[{{Fanservice}} near-naked men]]... Wait. Wrestling. Never mind.]]
105	* EightiesHair: Kid Radd's sequel counterpart has a mullet.
106	-->'''[=Radd2=]''': It's the latest in hair technology.
107	* EvilOverlordList: [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/dictator2.htm This]] is Gnarl's take on this idea.
108	* EvilTwin: Radd's 'brother' Gnarl.
109	* EvolvingCredits: If a comic takes place inside a game, the title page will be from that game as well. It also [[spoiler: gets more and more glitchy as the Kid Radd 2 game collapses]].
110	* FacelessEye: The Seer's avatar...Actually a bunch of {{Faceless Eye}}s, given that he's a HiveMind. [[spoiler: It sprouts a huge grinning mouth with a long lolling tongue while laughing at the idea of exterminating all life.]]
111	* FanService: See SelfDeprecatingHumor.
112	* FishOutOfWater: A lot of sprites don't fit into the world outside their games, either from inability to cope well (Many hero sprites) or actual handicaps (Many enemy sprites).
113	* FriendlyTarget: Taking Bogey into combat situations is dangerous, since he only has one HP and any encounters with heroes has a good chance of ending with his permanent death.
114	* FromNobodyToNightmare: Crystal, who started out as an RPG RandomEncounter and became the BigBad of the comic.
115	* FunWithAcronyms: The Kid Radd engine based on the comic is known as the Kid Radd Internal Map Editor, or KRIME for short.
116	* FunnyBackgroundEvent: In "[[https://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic504.htm#title JUST CAN'T WIN]]"
117	* FusionDance: Features a Mixed Form version mid way through the comic. Also features a Composite character very late on, with an actual dance that looks (in minimal pixels) very similar to the ''Manga/DragonBall Z'' TropeNamer version.
118	* GameBreaker: [[invoked]] Sprites who were balanced in their own games can be very broken in other games. Radd and Bogey find it very easy to StunLock fighting game characters, for example.
119	* GameBreakingBug: A major one at the climax. [[spoiler:The Seer attempts to exploit the fact that a "video game death" is not permanent, but unfortunately at this point he is made up of a selection of completely different sprites all fused together, all of which have different programming on death. Because of the conflicting death parameters, the chimerized sprite of the Seer crashes for good when the heroes kill him. A rare case of such a bug working in the ''heroes[='=]'' favor.]]
120	* GlassCannon: Radd, once outside of his own game--he's got enough raw power to [[spoiler:''affect the real world from the internet'']], but will die after four hits, no matter how trivial. [[MadeOfIron Or no matter how powerful.]]
121	* GoldfishPoopGang: Gnarl and Kobayashi, [[spoiler:though both of them perform [[HeelFaceTurn Heel Face Turns]] near the end of the story. Furthermore, Kobayashi subverts the trope by becoming scarily competent right before said HeelFaceTurn]].
122	* GoneHorriblyWrong: [[spoiler:The attempt to fuse murderous sprites with NPC sprites, rather than resulting in sprites that could live peacefully, resulted in ones that can kill without being defeatable. It took quite a bit of effort to round them up, and a collapsing video game ROM to destroy them]].
123	* GoodBadBugs: Turns out to be a major, dramatic plot point. [[spoiler: Because of programmer laziness, the charged Mega Radd just charges until the variable limit has been reached. In his original game, this put Radd's maximum damage at 255. On modern systems, the limit is high enough to cause [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt ...problems]]]].[[invoked]]
124	** Itty Bitty's sprite being rendered only above counter level is one he takes advantage of; by crouching down all the way, he becomes invisible.
125	** Also how the main villain is finally defeated. [[spoiler: Combining so many different types of sprites causes his "death code" not to know what to do, and permanently lock up.]]
126	* GoodIsDumb: Inverted by [[spoiler:Kobayashi]] in rather awesome fashion - see GoldfishPoopGang.
127	* TheGoomba: Bogey's role in the ''Webcomic/KidRadd'' games.
128	* GrandFinale: Plus an epilogue.
129	* GravityIsAHarshMistress: Physics doesn't exist. Characters fall at the rates they're programmed to fall.
130	* GrewBeyondTheirProgramming:
131	** {{Discussed\|Trope}} at one point between Radd and Sheena. Sheena loves Radd, but isn't sure that pursuing a relationship with Radd is the right thing, because it was what they were "programmed" to do. Radd counters that while some sprites could benefit from a complete change from their pre-programmed state, some others were better off staying the way they were initially--and for most sprites, it was a matter of finding the right balance between their "programming" and development beyond it. This discussion leads directly to their RelationshipUpgrade.
132	** This is also part of Radd's TheReasonYouSuckSpeech to Gnarl, talking about how the fact that Radd grew beyond his programming and Gnarl didn't is the reason Gnarl would never be a match for Radd now.
133	* GrievousHarmWithABody:
134	** Radd uses Sheena as a club to defeat Kobayashi. Fortunately for her, she has NPC invulnerability. It's still "[[ThisIsWrongOnSoManyLevels a whole new kind of ]]'''[[ThisIsWrongOnSoManyLevels wrong]]'''."
135	** Itty Bitty uses one of those unnamed RedshirtArmy {{Mooks}} as a bowling ball to knock down dozens of them.
136	* GroinAttack: Radd to Kobayashi at the end of their first encounter. (See {{WhatWouldXDo}} below.)
137	* {{Hammerspace}}: Used by Sheena, after the GrievousHarmWithABody event. It's also an ability of her "Magical Maid" form.
138	* HandWave: Often parodied.
139	* HeKnowsAboutTimedHits: When Radd is [[MindControl brought under Gnarl's control]], Sheena tells him to "Pound the buttons or something" to break free.
140	* HenshinHero: Sheena later acquires a temporary mode where she becomes like a player character, being able to attack like a (mostly) stronger version of Radd but losing her invincibility.
141	** SuperpoweredAlterEgo: This is the result of merging with the code she has in the sequel to Kid Radd. Also, she seems to have the ability to switch modes at will, giving her the best of both worlds.
142	* HeroicSacrifice: [[spoiler:Bogey, to give Radd acess to the health item he carried in his code, although he got resurrected at the end]].
143	* HeroicSecondWind: Parodied in [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic220.htm#title a gag comic]]; after Radd gets beaten up by Koyabashi, Bogey approaches him with a book full of "epiphanies", saying: "After the hero gets his ass kicked, he or she has a defining moment, which somehow makes them a bajillion times stronger."
144	* {{Hitscan}}: Kobayashi's shuriken are revealed to be hitscan weapons that pretty much teleport right to the target.
145	* HiveMind: The Seer is a conglomeration of various bots in a computer virus, effectively allowing him omniscience. [[spoiler:Still didn't stop him from getting blown to next Thursday]].
146	* HockeyMaskAndChainsaw: One of the nameless sprites, presumably the villain in whatever game he originated from.
147	* HomoeroticSubtext: Gnarl and Kobayashi again.
148	--> '''Gnarl''': [[HaveIMentionedIAmHeterosexualToday Er, did I mention my unquenchable love of the ladies?]]
149	** A similar joke is used when [[spoiler:Radd talks to the guy who controlled him in the game.]]
150	* HumansAreCthulhu:
151	** Sprites use the term "humanlike power" as we might say "godlike power." They're treated as gods, and many characters spend a good deal of time contemplating the implications and cruelty of what most videogames are created for. [[spoiler:Though it's the villains who try to RageAgainstTheHeavens]]. Pretty accurate, really, except when they assume the humans know what they're doing (and that all humans are programmers).
152	** [[spoiler: The Seer, originally being a virus, knows what humans really are.]]
153	* HyperspaceArsenal: Itty Bitty can carry an entire spaceship in his inventory.
154	* HyperspaceMallet: Magical Maid Robo Sheena uses one when Radd asks if she has any other abilities besides shooting pink Mega Radds and "[[MostCommonSuperpower the ability to fit in that slinky getup]]".
155	-->'''Sheena:''' Hey, look! Another ability!
156	-->'''Radd:''' Comedy relief doesn't count!
157	* ImmortalityField: The world of ''Kid Radd'' works similarly to ''WesternAnimation/WreckItRalph''; stay in your own game and you're fine, leave the game and you'll die permanently. However, at the end, a loophole is found where if the "ghost" of a dead character travels back to a copy of their original game and said game is rebooted, the character will resurrect because the alive/dead variable is able to be reset.
158	* IneffectualSympatheticVillain: Kobayashi and Gnarl.
159	* InformedJudaism: Kobayashi reveals he is Jewish in a holiday strip. Whether or not it's {{Canon}} is irrelevant to RuleOfFunny.
160	* InterchangeableAntimatterKeys: Itty-Bitty ''has an infinite supply'', being a shopkeeper sprite programmed to sell them. When law-enforcement member QB discovers this he is quite suitably appalled.
161	* InternetJerk: Very much present in the chatrooms where Radd serves as an avatar. He's rather dismayed at the immaturity and rudeness used in those conversations.
162	* InvulnerableCivilians: Described as "NPC Invulnerability".
163	* JediMindTrick: "''You have the urge to do some accounting...''"
164	* JennysNumber: The password to the Chimerization Chamber is 8675309.
165	* KirkSummation:
166	** Radd gives one of these in response to Gnarl's MotiveRant.
167	--->'''Radd:''' Sigh... as much as I'd like to say no, Gnarl, I think I do understand...Because I'm a playable character, a "hero." My programming is different from yours, but I too have felt the desire to follow it. I'm meant to be an empty shell, just a puppet for a human player to control. In the game, if a human didn't touch the controller, I'd stand in one place all day, never doing anything on my own. And unsurprisingly, that's pretty much what I continued to do when I left the game. I lacked ambition, and didn't know what to do without a human taking the wheel. Like you, I just did... what I do. Nothing. But unlike you, I've grown since then; I've developed my own desires. I'm not a mere slave to my programming; my goals are ''truly'' my own. Can you understand that?
168	** After giving Gnarl his TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, Radd continues into this.
169	--->'''Radd:''' Moron. I'm doing this because I care about you. You'll learn soon enough that blindly following your pre-programmed desires isn't true happiness. Sure, it's fun once in a while, but it isn't everything. [[YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre You are more than just your programming.]] We all are. And it'd be a terrible waste if you never even tried to expand yourself. So get out there and forge a life on your own. It won't be long before you discover things that make you far happier than stupid set patterns. Later, Gnarl. Good luck on the path ahead, whatever you make it to be.
170	* LampshadeHanging: {{Tropes}} in general.
171	* LethalJokeCharacter: Recruiting these is the strategy the Seer recommends for opposing the Moderators.
172	* LifeMeter: Visually depicted for dramatic purposes.
173	* LimitBreak: After firing 500 times, Sheena in PC Mode can unleash Pretty Armageddon, a screen-clearing special move.
174	* LordBritishPostulate: The boss of ''Mofo'' is defeated using an unintended method. The [[DevelopersForesight developers of the game]] [[NoFairCheating thought of this one]].
175	* LoveTriangle: Both Radd and Bogey are vying for Sheena. Sheena's starting to develop relations for Radd, which would leave Bogey a HopelessSuitor, were it not for the fact that Sheena's code-absorbed 'sister' personality from Kid Radd 2 [[ImTakingHerHomeWithMe wants to take Bogey home]].
176	* LowerHalfReveal: Itty Bitty is a shopkeeper NPC, and is thus only ever seen from behind a counter. When he first steps away from the counter, it's revealed his entire lower body isn't even rendered and he's just a floating torso.
177	* LukeIAmYourFather: Brother rather than father, but Gnarl says this the first time he and Radd meet in the game.
178	* {{MST}}: At the Moderators Tour Ride and the Third Fourth-Wall Week. The episode is even called [[Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000 Deep 13]].
179	-->'''Captain QB:''' Guys, talking during a movie is NOT funny.\
180	'''Kid Radd:''' It's not?\
181	'''Bogey:''' [[VideoGame/ZeroWing What you say?]]
182	* TheManBehindTheMan: [[spoiler:The Seer, behind Crystal]].
183	* TheMedic:
184	** Itty Bitty has an infinite supply of healing items. He is also immune to damage, being an NPC. However, he has no means of attacking within the confines of a game outside of taking advantage of ReviveKillsZombie, so inside ''Mofo'', he's confined to a support role.
185	** The Nurse from ''Old Daedalus'' also fills this role, though she's a specialist and can only cure the avocado curse.
186	* MercyInvincibility: Being from a PlatformGame, Radd unsurprisingly has it. This becomes fairly significant when he and the others travel to a FightingGame, where it utterly disables the effective use of {{Combos}} by opposing sprites.
187	* MergingMachine: The Chimera program.
188	* MirrorBoss: Gnarl was this in Radd's original game.
189	* MotionComic: A lot of strips involve animated [=GIFs=].
190	* MotiveRant: Gnarl gives one of these to Radd during their battle.
191	--> '''Gnarl''': Let me tell you a little story, Radd. It begins where our old game ended... When I was set "free" into the cyberworld, it was unnerving. I didn't know what to do with myself. Sure, I followed the same routine as everyone else, got a job, and tried to be "civilized." But it all seemed so... pointless. I knew that this world was just as fake as the game I came from, and that it wasn't what I was made for. I could no longer live the lie.\
192	I realized the truth: Computer programs are at their happiest when they're following their programming. Thus, video game characters like ourselves can only be truly happy when we do what we were made to do. It's that simple. Even if it means that one of us dies, I ''have'' to try to kill you, or else be unfulfilled. You understand that, don't you?
193	* MusicalThemeNaming: About half of the comics are named after 80s songs.
194	* NeutralFemale: Lampshaded by Sheena. "I just stand around."
195	* NiceGuy: Bogey. "And boy, does it stink."
196	* NighInvulnerability: Due to the way NPC's are coded, most of them cannot be hurt or destroyed in ''any'' way, even outside their games. The only way would be if their code was damaged or deleted, which normally cant be done from inside the Internet.
197	* NoFairCheating: In ''Mofo'', the VideoGame/EarthBound1994-ersatz. They have to [[spoiler:deplete the boss' HP in a single round, since they don't have the character necessary to kill him the right way]]. When this happens, the game sends them to a [[DevelopersRoom behind-the-sceens area]], where a sprite chides them for cheating, rather than continuing the plot of the game.
198	* NoFourthWall: A lot of the bonus material.
199	** When Sheena [[SpotlightStealingSquad starts taking up too much screen time]], Radd takes her to [[PaintingTheMedium stand in front of the title page]] of the comic and points out that this is his comic because it's HIS name on there.
200	** After a party scene where the reader could click on different buttons to play through different dancing animations:
201	--->'''Sheena:''' Wow, that was a short party.\
202	'''Bogey:''' I guess the reader's John Ashcroft.
203	* NormalFishInATinyPond: Radd himself, due to some lazy programming.
204	* TheNoseless: Everyone. Lampshaded in a Fourth Wall Week strip. Justified because every character is from older video games, which means they were sprited without noses due to graphic limitations.
205	* OhCrap: [[spoiler:The Seer; "Oh yeah, the control room. [[CurseCutShort OH SHI-]]"]]
206	* OmnicidalManiac: Two characters: [[spoiler:GI and the Seer, both of whom attempt to destroy the world, for very [[WellIntentionedExtremist different]] [[AxCrazy reasons]]. The Seer goes the extra mile by planning to travel to other planets, the slow way, in hope of finding more life so he can destroy that as well]].
207	* TheOmniscient: The Seer. [[spoiler:He ends up being NotSoOmniscientAfterAll]].
208	* OmniscientMoralityLicense: The Moderators destroy game worlds in their quest to free video game sprites. They argue it is for the sprites' best, but the sprites get no say as their world is doomed as soon as the Moderators enter it. Sheena, however, has doubts about this, and decides to tender her resignation just before she learns of the plot to kill Radd.
209	* PairTheSpares: At the very end, [[spoiler:Bogey and Joule]] glomp each other adorably... and accidentally.
210	* PantsFree: For a while, Itty Bitty is only seen standing behind a counter. He eventually comes out from behind the counter, revealing that he has ''nothing'' below his midsection. (As in, not just no pants, but ''no body''.) This is presumably because he spent all his time in his game behind a counter, therefore the game artists only needed to draw him from the waist up. His arms also disappear if he drops them below his waist. This also applies to the nurse the team picks up.
211	* PeoplePuppets: One of G.I. Guy's abilities allows him to take control of another person's body. However, they have to either be incredibly weak to begin with, or he has to weaken them to at least 30% of their HP before he can take control.
212	* PersonOfMassDestruction: Radd, on modern systems (see below).
213	* RandomEncounter: The BigBad [[FromNobodyToNightmare started as one]] in her source game. Being utterly irrelevant to her own game's plot, she reacts with resentment and contempt towards sprites who behave as though their in-story roles actually have any real significance.
214	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech:
215	** Radd gives one of these to Gnarl after blasting him with a 999 Damage Mega Radd, leaving him with 1 HP left, but refusing to finish him off.
216	--->'''Radd:''' Sorry Gnarl, but you're gonna hafta deal with the struggle of living just like the rest of us. [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming I'm no longer a puppet to my programming, or to a human. I don't just mimic my former player's goals and moves, but have developed new ones on my own.]] You, on the other hand, have stayed the same as you always were, changing none, improving none. You've learned nothing. Which is why you can't beat me. I'll continue to change, and you'll stay the same. The difference between us will forever grow. You'll never be able to have a "real" battle with me, and I'll never kill you. [[FateWorseThanDeath Your programming will forever go unfulfilled.]]
217	** G.I. Guy also gives one, although it's more a "The Reason We All Suck" Speech.
218	--->'''G.I. Guy:''' You know the game I came from was cruel, but my player was even crueller. He'd spend hours leveling me up, looking for every damn secret treasure and hidden ability. Utter torture... The only thing that kept me going was the vague knowledge that somehow, despite its harshness, the world I was in was not real. It was an illusion created by wicked humans who exploited our pain for their pleasure. When I finally escaped that game, the joy at starting over was immense. Finally, I had comrades like myself, who happily worked with me to create a new world, a better one than the fake existences we knew before. How naive I was. We were still killers, and that was a fate we could never escape.\
219	As disturbing it was, the revelation came gradually. During the failure of Protos, an unsettling pattern became apparent. Almost every game the humans made shared a common theme: destruction. Whether it was overt bloody slaughter, or simply "defeating" enemies by jumping on them, game after game required you to kill several hundred enemies to win. Even the most seemingly innocent games shared this trait. Puzzle games destroy blocks, sports games glorify violence. Every damn game, always about pain and death... [...]\
220	The humans have imbued us with their tainted nature. We're made in their image. We reek of their natural instincts. Our synthetic souls are mirrors of theirs, so we, like them, take pleasure in violence. And ''that'' is precisely why my dream of a perfect world came crashing down. Twice.\
221	Knowing our true nature, I realize there is no hope for us. Evil cannot create good. Humans cannot create anything better than themselves, and neither can we. No matter how hard we try to rise above it, we programs are just as deserving of death as those horrific humans. We '''all''' create pain, and will continue to do so until stopped. Which brings us to the obvious solution: if we can't improve our situation, there's only one way to end the suffering... Destroy it all.
222	* RedPillBluePill: In a ''[[Film/TheMatrix Matrix]]'' parody Radd is offered the usual red and blue pills. But there's also the purple pill to relieve acid indigestion and an orange pill to reduce your cholesterol. The yellow pill is for erm... personal reasons (because the blue pill was already taken). And Radd can't just choose any pill, first he must [[SideEffectsInclude ask his doctor if they're right for him]].
223	* RelationshipUpgrade: Downplayed. Radd and Sheena are the OfficialCouple for a long time because that's what they were programmed to be. Near the end of the comic, they've [[GrewBeyondTheirProgramming grown past that programming]], but even so, they ''choose'' to be together.
224	* RescueRomance: Joule gets a little crush on Radd after he saves her from Kobayashi. It eventually grows to full-blown jealousy of Sheena's relationship with Radd.
225	* TheReveal: Hoo boy. [[spoiler:The Seer stepping out from behind [[TheManBehindTheMan The Man]]; see below]].
226	* RidingIntoTheSunset: Gnarl does this after his outside the game fight with Radd.
227	* RunningGag:
228	** Whenever Dr Amp explains a piece of science, whoever he's talking to says "So it's a ripoff of X," to which he replies, "Well, [[OlderThanTheyThink Y actually]]. But yeah."
229	** When the player wins Kid Radd's original game, the title character leans in to kiss his 'girlfriend' Sheena, only to be rudely cut off by a FadeToBlack and the victory credits. [[spoiler:This fate seems to follow the two even once they leave the game; on several occasions, the two lean in to kiss, only to be interrupted by someone or something. Including in the closing animation of the comic.]]
230	* SaveThePrincess: The plot of the ''Kid Radd'' game.
231	* SelfDeprecatingHumor: [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic594.htm#p6 This strip]] combines Fanservice, with Spoilers, with Self-Deprecating humor, with an EasterEgg. 4 for the price of one! [[spoiler:If you highlight the bottom part of the panel, you can read "Undoubtedly the lowest this strip has stooped."]]
232	* ShadowArchetype: [[spoiler:The Seer]] for the main characters.
233	* ShaggyDogStory: Subverted. At first glance, Dr. Amp's explanation of how the heroes defeated the BigBad seems like they didn't need to do anything. A little thought shows that they did have to win first, but they know that this villain's not coming back.
234	* ShootTheMessenger: Crystal. (She settles for "infliction of gratuitous pain" -- almost as much fun as killing him, but less wasteful and less cliché.)
235	* ShopliftAndDie: Used as part of [[spoiler: Radd's army of sprites with unusual game mechanics]]. No boss, however powerful and convoluted, can possibly be a match (in the long run) for an invincible shopkeeper with an attack...
236	* ShoutOut: Has its own page now.
237	* ShutUpKirk: Gnarl responds to one of Radd's [[KirkSummation Kirk Summations]] this way.
238	-->'''Gnarl:''' No, Radd. And I don't ''want'' to, because this fight is all there is to me. This is my moment of supreme happiness, and I will never abandon it for anything else!
239	* TheSlacker: Radd. While most [=NPCs=] follow their programming, he doesn't do anything unless his player is controlling him, and is thus initially unmotivated. It's indicated that this is a problem for most [=PCs=].
240	* SmartBomb: PC Sheena's "Pretty Armageddon" is one of these in ''Kid Radd 2,'' and has a similar effect outside the game, though what defines a "screen" outside the game is indeterminate.
241	* SmashingSurvival: Gnarl has a mind-control attack that turns Radd into an accountant. Sheena tells him to "pound the buttons", which somehow breaks him free despite the fact that [[HeKnowsAboutTimedHits nobody involved knows what "pound the buttons" means]].
242	* SmoochOfVictory: Subverted. Radd expects to get one of these at the end of his namesake game, but instead he gets a AWinnerIsYou ending that cuts to the credits before a smooch can happen.
243	* SociopathicHero: The intrinsic nature of a staggering majority of video game heroes, once they try to live together.
244	* SoundOfNoDamage: Lampshaded in [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic197.htm#title Comic 197]].
245	-->Fool! My traps are protected with an indestructible alloy! I shall laugh as your pathetic attacks bounce off with a cutesy "clink" sound! Mwa ha and ha!
246	* SpikesOfDoom: "Sharp Painful Object Land".
247	* StationaryBoss: The Gnarlborg, [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic348.htm#title much to Crystal's amusement]].
248	* StevenUlyssesPerhero: A subtle one. The Seer's original name as a virus was 'Cool Ragnarok'. Now take the initials: CR. Now what does that sound like when said aloud?
249	* SweetheartSipping: [=Sheena2=] wants to do this with Bogey. See the link at the trope page.
250	* TakeThat: A few potshots are taken at the ''Franchise/YuGiOh'' anime and how frequently it uses [[{{Exposition}} the characters sitting around and talking]] in place of any actual action.
251	* TalkingIsAFreeAction:
252	** Averted. Twice, Kid Radd has an inner monologue in the middle of a battle, and both times, he takes another hit as a result of his opponent still attacking and his MercyInvincibility wearing off.
253	-->'''Radd:''' Note to self: Learn to think and dodge at the same time.
254	** [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] in [[https://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic549.htm#title one of the]] [[NoFourthWall "Fourth Wall Week"]] strips, which discusses how, more often than not, the transition of manga to anime often results in the creation of these to fill time, since it's simpler and cheaper to animate lengthy conversations between characters instead of action sequences.
255	* {{Technobabble}}: Inverted and lampshaded at all times by Dr. Amp:
256	-->'''Dr. Amp:''' Wait a minute - this could be just what we're looking for! The sensors are picking up some '''stuff!'''\
257	'''Itty Bitty:''' "Stuff?"\
258	'''Dr. Amp:''' Stuff.\
259	'''Itty Bitty:''' [[LaymansTerms I don't suppose you could say that in non-English?]]\
260	'''Dr. Amp:''' I've already told you, I suck at technobabble. Make up your own.\
261	'''Itty Bitty:''' So what's special about this "stuff?"\
262	'''Dr. Amp:''' Well, it's got [[BuffySpeak a wavy line thingy]] -\
263	'''Itty Bitty:''' Ahem.\
264	'''Dr. Amp:''' Uh, I mean... "energy signature?"\
265	'''Itty Bitty:''' Better.
266	* TemptingFate: Radd: [[RockBottom "There couldn't possibly be a more humiliating way to die!"]]
267	* ThereIsNoKillLikeOverkill: In ''Mofo'', Radd enjoys charging his attack to the maximum, regardless of how much is needed to defeat the enemy. [[note]]It's a turn-based RPG, so he can get away with this. And for the record, it's (possibly) a 12-bit system, though G.I. Guy's attack against the final boss (9990) suggests Radd might actually be be ''cutting off'' before the real limit.[[/note]]
268	* TookALevelInBadass: Gnarl and Kobayashi, [[spoiler:right before their HeelFaceTurn]].
269	* TormentByAnnoyance: At one point Radd's group are trapped in an RPG battle that rooted each of them to one spot, with an opponent who seemed likely to kill Radd or Bogey within the next couple of turns. Sheena decided to just stall forever on her turn, but the others objected[[note]][[FateWorseThanDeath Trapped forever with a beautiful girl we can see]], but never touch...oh, and [[BigBad Crystal's]] army will be taking over cyberspace and stuff[[/note]] and Radd sang badly until she gave in.
270	-->'''Radd:''' ''[does {{air guitar}}]'' One more time! ''[[Music/DuranDuran Her name is Rio and she dances on the saaand!]]''\
271	'''Sheena:''' Alright, alright! I'll take the damn turn!!
272	* TotallyRadical: Done intentionally and {{lampshaded}}. [[MST3KMantra "Just go with it."]]
273	* TrailersAlwaysSpoil: Averted. The further along the story goes, the less descriptive the chapter descriptions get.
274	* TransformationSequence: "Magical Maid Robo Sheena"
275	* {{Tsundere}}: Sheena. [[spoiler:Moreso after fusing with her "sister" from ''Kid Radd 2''.]]
276	* UselessUsefulSpell[=/=]ContractualBossImmunity: Discussed between Sheena and Amp [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic391.htm#title here]].
277	* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler: As revealed in the fight with him, the Seer does ''not like'' variables he didn't predict]].
278	* WakingUpElsewhere: Radd, after taking some infected code, wakes up in the Moderators' infirmary, initially believing that he's in hell before he opens his eyes.
279	* WarriorTherapist: Radd to Gnarl, resulting [[spoiler:in an eventual HeelFaceTurn]].
280	* WaveMotionGun: Sheena's "Pretty Armageddon"
281	* WellExcuseMePrincess: Radd and Sheena, oh so much.
282	* WellIntentionedExtremist: Radd gives a nicely succinct [[http://kidradd.muddasheep.com/kidradd_guillaume/comic544.htm#p2 description of the trope]] when referring to [[spoiler:G.I. Guy]]:
283	-->'''Sheena''': You're actually sympathizing with him?\
284	'''Radd''': No way! He was just... well, like a lot of madmen. Somewhat accurate view of the problem, really insane view of the solution.
285	** Captain QB decides to have Radd killed, believing that Crystal's plan will help free the rest of the sprites. He later realizes that he was wrong and apologizes ''profusely'' to Radd.
286	* WhamEpisode: TheReveal above.
287	* WhamLine:
288	** "Crystal? No, no, no, Crystal has left the building. '''YOU'RE TALKING TO THE SEER.'''"
289	** The fate of Protos, the First City:
290	--->'''[[spoiler:G.I. Guy]]:''' Over absolutely nothing, [[spoiler: dozens of sprites started fighting and killing each other.]]\
291	'''Radd:''' But why?\
292	'''[[spoiler: G.I. Guy]]:''' ''[[spoiler: Because that's what video game characters do]].''
293	** '''Sheena:''' Besides, if you'd died, how could I arrest you?
294	** Sheena announcing that [[spoiler:the Moderators already took Reset]] after she and Radd defeat the fleet at the portals.
295	** '''4095''' counts as one, as it's the first indication that the 255-damage limit of Kid Radd's Mega Radd attack is not the hard cap everyone thought it was.
296	** Radd: So... [[BreakingTheFourthWall how about it human?]] ''GAME START - OK''
297	* WhamShot: Kobayashi and Gnarl stumble upon an abandoned facility, and one of the monitors has a single word- [[spoiler:CHIMERA]], revealing that [[spoiler:it's Chimera Point, the keystone to Crystal's plans]]. Without knowing what they've stumbled upon, the two start up the machine, [[spoiler:and end up fused together]].
298	* WhatWouldXDo: Discussed in Radd's first fight with Koyabashi.
299	-->'''Radd:''' When I'm in trouble, I like to ask myself: What would ol' J.C. do?\
300	'''Koyabashi:''' J.C.? [[Literature/TheBible Jesus Christ?]]\
301	'''Radd:''' [[Franchise/MortalKombat Johnny Cage.]] (Crouches down and [[GroinAttack hits Koyabashi in the groin.]]) The funny thing is, that's Johnny's answer to everything.\
302	'''Koyabashi:''' (whispering) not... the nards... again...
303	* WhyDontYaJustShootHim?: Justified and Averted. In the final battle, Radd puts up with the villain's monologue to get time to charge his attack. He fires as soon as he finds out how much HP the villain has, and realizes that he has charged sufficiently to instantly kill [[spoiler: The Seer. It doesn't work.]].
304	* WingedSoulFliesOffAtDeath: As demonstrated in one of the early comics, Radd's death animation is to turn into a cute little chibi angel and float off the top of the screen.
305	* AWinnerIsYou: Radd's namesake game ends with Radd and Sheena standing in a field, with the text "AND SO SHEENA WAS SAVED THANKS TO KID RADD. THE END." Radd's expecting a SmoochOfVictory at this point, but the game abruptly cuts to the credits before he gets it.
306	* {{Wishplosion}}: anyone who consults the Seer becomes destined to die within a few weeks[[note]]or so most sprites believe, at least[[/note]], so Crystal asks him how to become immortal.
307	* YouGetWhatYouPayFor: A couple of flunkies are given ten grand to buy the very best assassin to kill Kid Radd while he's in jail. The flunkies decide to get a discount ninja for twenty bucks and keep the rest. The ninja can't hit the broad side of a barn.

Context Webcomic / KidRadd