Line #4 YMMV/ParanoiaAgent


1	* AlternateCharacterInterpretation:
2	** In the last few episodes, Lil' Slugger [[spoiler:nearly levels Tokyo]]. Fans disagree about whether this happened because [[spoiler:Misae gave him a serious TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, which seemed to cause him physical pain, and may have made him flip out]], or if it was just a buildup of the [[spoiler:lies, fears, and desperation that created Lil' Slugger and drew him to his victims in the first place]]. It basically depends on whether or not you view Lil' Slugger as an [[spoiler:actual person with thoughts, emotions, and everything, or just a force of nature acting without any real agency over its own actions, akin to a landslide or a flood.]]
3	** Harumi Chono and Maria. [[spoiler:Is Harumi the primary alter or is it really Maria? All we know is that they're aware of each other.]]
4	* {{Anvilicious}}: ''Paranoia Agent'' is not remotely subtle in its message that part of being an adult means accepting the world as it is rather than hiding behind [[{{Escapism}} fantasy]] or [[NeverMyFault denial]]. While the first few episodes only contain very subtle hints, the later episodes sometimes hit the viewer with the series' main message like a golden bat to the head. [[spoiler:For example, it sure is obvious what Creator/SatoshiKon was trying to say when Ikari destroys that creepy-ass paper town with a baseball bat while admitting that he has to face the reality that he no longer has a place in the world.]] Then again, given the MindScrew nature of the series, it's possible that this was intentional so that viewers would not miss the point in all of the confusion.
5	* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-anabfAg06U The opening theme]], a cheesy, bombastic, electronic tune whose cheerfulness contrasts the series itself in an odd, yet satisfactory manner.
6	* BrokenBase: [[spoiler:How much at fault ''is'' Tsukiko over the creation of Lil' Slugger? Some fans point out her refusal to admit blame over the death of her dog Maromi, who inspired the mascot of the same name, is so she'd be looked as a victim. Others have countered that thanks to her implied schizophrenia, she ''didn't'' know her actions would cause so much chaos.]]
7	* CrossesTheLineTwice: "Happy Family Planning". Suicide pacts should ''not'' be so hilarious.
8	* DiagnosedByTheAudience: Tsukiko routinely hallucinates and is perpetually stoic. She shows many symptoms of what could be interpreted as schizophrenia.[[note]]This includes having vivid hallucinations and delusions, having difficulty interacting with other people, emotional fragility, and the inability to comprehend life in a logical fashion.[[/note]] This interpretation is usually held as a criticism of the anime's aesop of [[spoiler:having to deal with one's own problems]], since it'd be unfair to ask Tsukiko to acknowledge her delusions when schizophrenia would make it very hard for her to perceive the difference between them and reality.
9	* FanNickname: Due to his actions in the series, Masami Hirukawa is often called "Lolicop."
10	* HarsherInHindsight:
11	** A line in the opening sequence. "No need to worry about a tsunami or anything..." Turns out [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_Tōhoku_earthquake_and_tsunami they needed to worry about a tsunami after all.]]
12	** The series revolves around the idea of a single strange attack [[spoiler:that began as a hoax]] that gets picked up by the media, incidents increase, and rapidly becomes a national crisis. As WebVideo/SuperEyepatchWolf points out, this ends up bearing an eerie resemblance to reports of clown attacks in 2016.
13	* HilariousInHindsight:
14	** The series revolves around a young boy coming to those who are desperate and screwing badly with their lives and thereby rendering their previous worries mostly moot, to the point of putting them at mortal danger, who's earned the moniker "[[Literature/{{Murderess}} Ha...]]" er, "Bat Lad".
15	** Episode 5 features Kozuka taking Ikari and Maniwa through the world of his fantasy role-playing game, framing his crimes as him defeating various monsters and villains. Throughout the entire FantasySequence, Ikari stays in his work clothes while Maniwa becomes a character in the adventure to get more information out of Kozuka. In the English dub, Kozuka and Maniwa are voiced by Creator/SamRiegel and Creator/LiamOBrien, respectively, who would later come together on the ''D&D'' web series ''WebVideo/CriticalRole''.
16	* {{Squick}}: Hirukawa taking pictures of [[spoiler:''his own daughter undressing in her bedroom'' with a hidden camera]]. Indeed, anybody else would've probably also thrown up after discovering something so vile [[spoiler:about one of their own parents]].
17	* UglyCute: Maromi is an intentional example; designed to resemble something innocent and approachable like Hello Kitty, but with an unsettling twist. His head and body form the shape of a mushroom cloud.
18	* UnintentionalUncannyValley:
19	** Tsukiko's seemingly constant lifeless stare.
20	** Kawazu, who's wild-eyed, perverted grin almost comes across as froglike at times.
21	** Maria, [[spoiler:Harumi's alter-ego]], who often sports a deranged, puppet-like grin.
22	** Hirukawa, a short, stout man with a gaping huge mouth and large lips to boot.
23	* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotPolitical: It is commonly believed that ''Paranoia Agent'' is a commentary on Japan using the UsefulNotes/{{Kawaisa}} culture and imaginary enemies to downplay the responsibility for UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. The nuclear mushroom cloud in the opening and the final episode showing that the society has effectively forgotten about the tragedies are cited as parallels. While ''Paranoia Agent'' is a TakeThat on society tending to avoid responsibility, the series and Creator/SatoshiKon don't make any specific anti-war messages.
24	* TheWoobie:
25	** Tsukiko. [[spoiler:Having your dog killed at a young age and then pinning the blame on a fake attacker to not get in trouble and having ''that'' become a living entity that begins attacking (and later on) destroys Tokyo really leaves a mark on someone.]]
26	** The delusional Kozuka is apprehended and suspected of being Lil' Slugger, [[spoiler:but is killed by the real one. Lil' Slugger attacks those driven into corners, and Kozuka was stressed by the intense and physically abusive interrogation from Ikari - as well as the rest of his life, as implied in "Happy Family Planning", to the point that he wanted to die, much like Zebra, Fuyubachi, and Kamome. Unlike them, however, [[BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor he gets his wish]] when he is bloodily beaten to death at the hands of Lil' Slugger.]]
27	** Tsuki and the trainee in the episode "Mellow Maromi" qualify.
28	** Yuichi is something of a JerkassWoobie. He's a SpoiledBrat who was essentially bound to take a dose of HumblePie sooner or later, and reacts quite badly when he does, constantly antagonizing someone completely innocent and even being ''happy'' as they're attacked by the Lil' Slugger. However, he's also dealing with being ostracized by absolutely every one of his peers: bullying is never nice, much less when just a day ago everyone loved him.
29	** Harumi Chono is a young schoolteacher who just wants to live a happy, normal life after she's proposed to by a fellow teacher. [[spoiler:Unfortunately, she has severe mental health problems that manifest as another personality; a prostitute named Maria. If that wasn't bad enough, Harumi has been receiving threatening voicemails from Maria, and the more she tries to keep a handle on everything, the more she blacks out and starts losing control. While she does have a therapist, and her fiancé remains supportive of her, it's clear that Harumi should have been institutionalized a long time ago, if only for her own safety.]]
30	** Each member of the animation team could be a JerkassWoobie. They were pressured to reach some deadline, and because of Lil' Slugger -by extension, themselves- they each ''died'' to complete the first episode of a series. However, the Jerkass part comes from them picking on the idiot of the team, and ''also'' from the fact that none of them cared if the others died to complete the show, so long as the show was completed.
31	** Maniwa. [[spoiler:He ends up going insane and ruining his life, but it's necessary in order to combat Lil' Slugger, and in case something akin to Lil' Slugger ever appears in the future.]]
32	** Misae Ikari, [[spoiler:who's struggling with multiple illnesses and such and yet devotes everything to her husband despite her fears and insecurities that he doesn't love her anymore/could be cheating on her, a very sad MunDanger that most spouses deal with. She does, however, become a IronWoobie since unlike half of the characters who are attacked by Lil' Slugger, she just accepts reality as it is and refuses to back down despite feeling broken and tired]].
33	* {{Woolseyism}}: The choice to change Shonen Bat's name to Lil' Slugger for the English dub. If they had gone for a more direct translation, it would have been "Bat Boy," which doesn't sound quite as iconic and besides, [[Magazine/WeeklyWorldNews it's already taken]].
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Context YMMV / ParanoiaAgent