* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic: Even though it's a step-down to the previous games aside from recycling a handful of tracks from ''[=AC2=]'' (as well "Linkage" from ''3: Electrosphere'' as the briefing theme [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jE7_KR63wI in addition to a remix]]), ''Joint Assault'' [[AwesomeMusic/AceCombat still has a great score much as the others]].
* ClicheStorm: The game is basically ''Videogame/IndependenceDay'', only replace aliens with a combination of NGOSuperpower and NebulousEvilOrganization.
* HilariousInHindsight: Many years later, [[Videogame/ProjectWingman Crimson 1]] is arguably Sulejmani done right, [[spoiler: As his MotiveRant happen in the middle of the duel, not before, and the fight against Crimson 1 is a proper climax with no scripted invulnerability PlotArmor. To cap it all off, it is heavily implied that Presidia, the capital of Cascadia and the site of the final stage in Project Wingman, used to be San Fransisco... where the final battle against Sulejmani is fought.]]
* MemeticMutation:
** Oreos (Spoilers)[[labelnote:Explanation]]During the [[spoiler:Sulejmani]] fight in the [[spoiler:Varcolac, Sulejmani]], in the Japanese version, has a lot of dialogue that says "I will, or I am", or Ore wo, but due to Narm in effect, the Japanese make a meme that he's more obsessed with oreos.[[/labelnote]]
** "MY HONOR! MY PRIDE! MY LIFE!" (Spoilers)[[labelnote:Explanation]]In the English dub, [[spoiler:Sulejmani]] screams this upon receiving heavy damage before being finally taken down by Antares during his boss fight after bringing up his FreudianExcuse [[spoiler:regarding him being sold by his parents and becoming a ChildSoldier decades ago while planning to use his monetary gains to restore his lost life]]. Due to the Narmy voice acting in the English dub, his quote reeks of {{Wangst}}.[[/labelnote]]
** After the DLC missions for ''VideoGame/AceCombat7SkiesUnknown'' introduced Matias Torres, some started to jokingly refer to Nicolae Dumitrescu as Torres' long-lost cousin. It helps that the two look pretty similar and try to achieve their goals through nuclear bombardment.
* {{Narm}}: While not the same extent [[VideoGame/AceCombatXSkiesOfDeception as its predecessor]], the English voice acting can be cheesy at its worst, special mention goes to [[spoiler:Sulejmani and the rest of the Varcolac squadron]] due to them sounding like a bunch of stereotypical 1990s super-villains with jets.
* TheScrappy: [[spoiler: Sulejmani]] is generally agreed to be the worst Ace boss in the entire ''Ace Combat'' series, due to his rampant [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard disregard of physics]], extreme PlotArmor, and cheesy dialogue (especially in the English localization) that combines to make an unsatisfying ThatOneBoss. It is so bad that sometimes that the infamously broken final boss from ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'' is considered better than his final boss fight.
* TearJerker: [[spoiler:Gaviria and Oruma's reactions to their squadron mates' deaths in Reprisal, even if said "mate" is the utterly selfish Kiriakov. You can just feel the pain in their voice, and then you'll shoot them down as well. Sure, they were greedy enough to sell themselves out to murderous terrorists, but EvenEvilHasLovedOnes.]]
* ThatOneBoss: [[spoiler:Sulejmani]] is cheesy even by the standards of the series's superfighter final bosses. His GAF-1 Varcolac aircraft makes ''visibly physics defying'' turns constantly, which [[TheComputerIsACheatingBastard the player (or other enemies for that matter) cannot do at all]]. He has a ridiculous hyperspeed barrel roll that lets him dodge missiles with 100% efficiency, and he can make turns so fast, he can instantly snap into any direction in ''less than half a second'' from any direction, and make sharp angle turns or even an ''instant 180'' (Prior ''Assault Horizon'' and ''7: Skies Unknown'', where they introduced the ability to perform "post-stall maneuves"). As if the missile dodge wasn't enough, he also has a backwards-facing gun that shoots down 90% of the missiles, while his own missiles lock on to you instantly. To cap it all off, he has a long, cheesy speech to deliver throughout the boss fight, during which he is flat out invulnerable by PlotArmor. The best possible ways to take him out is either using an aircraft that's highly maneuverable when going toe-to-toe and using your trusty machine gun, attempting to exploit his barrel roll with a well-timed missile (preferrably the [[MacrossMissileMassacre XLAAs]]) hit as he sometimes dodges too early or use the ADF-01 Falken's [[WaveMotionGun tactical laser system]] [[spoiler:(though you must unlock it after beating Special Mission 2: "Ace of Aces" first)]].