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Elite Beat Agents

"Agents are...GO!"
Commander Kahn's battle cry

Elite Beat Agents (an Americanized sequel to the Japanese game Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan) is a Rhythm Game for the Nintendo DS that makes extensive and exclusive use of the stylus. It stars the EBA, Men In Black who solve the world's problems through music and dance, as opposed to the uniquely-Japanese male cheerleaders from its Japanese progenitor.

Known primarily for its weird Japanese charm and unique control scheme, Ouendan became a hit among import gamers, prompting Nintendo and its developer to bring the game to North America under its alternate name, retaining most of the visual charm of the original, but (understandably) replacing the J-Pop music with various popular American songs.

A second Ouendan game was released in Japan, and it is not known (as of this edit) whether Elite Beat Agents will see a sequel in the States (though considering all of the video game editor awards it won, not to mention Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime's affection for the game, the possibility is definitely there). Apparently, a Nintendo press site has listed Elite Beat Agents 2. Let's hope this is true.

These games provide examples of:

  • Abusive Parent: The mother from ABC, who entrusts her 1-year-old baby with $10,000 china, and leaves it alone with a cat.
    • Probably less abusive and more idiot.
      • Or maybe she's aware that cat's smarter than it looks...
  • All Men Are Perverts: Cap White aims to defeat Mr. Virus. Mr. Virus intends to rip off her clothes.
  • Anime Hair: J.
  • Badass Beard: Agent Chieftain.
  • Badly Battered Babysitter: One of the bonus levels, where a cat tries to save a baby from a dangerous construction site (could also describe Jane from the first level, depending on how poorly you perform).
  • Bare Your Midriff: The Elite Beat Divas.
  • Battle Aura: The final level, which combines it with a Spirit Bomb.
  • Better Than It Sounds: Anyone trying to explain this game to someone will invariably say this at some point
  • Bilingual Dialogue: Sure, the agents can somehow hear the dog Sam yelling 'HEEEAAAALLPP!!!'. But how they perfectly decipher its wish to go home is beyond this troper. Oh well, not that it has to make sense.
    • Hell, one can understand (almost) all of the stories in Ouendan 1 and 2 without knowing a lick of Japanese!
  • Blank White Eyes: Everyone, in every level. At least four times per level, even. Sometimes more. (The "HEEEAAALLLP!" before each stage, as well as during each segment of each song if you're doing well.)
  • Call On Me
  • Calling Your Attacks: Hulk named his pitches and plate stealing maneuvers..
  • Catch Phrase (Several, including Leo's "Si!" and Hulk's "You bet, kid!")
    • AGENTS ARE GO!!
      • ARE YOU READY? THREE, TWO, ONE, GO!
  • Clothing Damage: Happens to Cap White (the Anthropomorphic Personification of a white blood cell) if you fail a section on the "La La" stage, and to the ninja during "Canned Heat" for a similar failure.
  • Cool Shades
  • Couch Gag: The way the agents enter the situations.
  • Crazy Enough To Work: Forget the inane and insane ways many of the problems are handled in the game (Fighting a golem with baseball?), you're telling me someone made a game about a bunch of MIBs helping people through the magic of song and dance...and it's GOOD?
    • Yes. That's exactly what we're telling you.
  • Crowning Moment Game of Awesome: Believe me.
    • "E... B... A... E... B... A... E! B! A! E-B-A! E-B-A! E-B-A! E-B-A! E-B-A! YEAH!!"
    • Music LIVES!
  • Crowning Moment Of Heartwarming: If you can watch the good ending to the Highway Star mission, where Sam the pug's owner welcomes him back with open arms, without feeling a little soft inside, you might not have a soul.
    • And if you can't get through the Christmas mission first time around without getting a LITTLE misty eyed, you DEFINITELY have no soul.
      • It's heartwarming enough when you add the fridge logic: the girl is the only person the EBA ever helped who didn't ask for help. Kahn is just than nice of a guy.
      • This troper likes to add to the heartwarming by always choosing Commander Kahn for the Christmas level, imagining that he was so touched by the little girl's plea that he stepped out of retirement to handle this mission himself.
      • How about right at the end when Lucy from the Christmas mission is the one who kicks off the Clap Your Hands If You Believe rescue of our heroes?
    • This troper personally was touched by Sofie Hudson. Those who say you can't help the weather just isn't trying hard enough.
    • This troper found the first bonus level, "Believe", to be touching. What drove it home was that instead of the typical handwaving with flashing star background after every section, instead we have a small montage of the girl's expressions shifting from doubt, to determination, to hope, with more and more people backing her with each passing section. Even the agents are kneeling respectfully during the openings.
  • Crowning Moment of Hilarious: Every fail cutscene ever made, plus the agents' dance moves (of particular note are the dances in Makes no Difference, The Anthem and YMCA (and yes, the Agents (but not the Divas) do the dance)). Hell, they even do Avril Lavigne's infamous Poser Hop.
    • Lisa del Giocondo running from the bulls as Leo paints like made to make a picture to distract them.
    • Major exception: If you laugh at the third failure scene in "You're the Inspiration", you are a monster.
    • "You pay massive damages!"
    • The reactions of the animals when the two stranded Carrington sisters use their assets.
    • Using your Awesome Baseball Skills to win back the heart of a fan? Eh. Using your Awesome Baseball Skills to defeat the lava-breathing rock golem that has your estranged fan hostage? Hell yes! You bet, kid!
    • Don't forget failing the first part of You're my inspiration when the picture falls out of the album and it's hot man on man action. Kinda ruins the tone of the song and this heart broken little girl, but hillarious all the same.
  • Crowning Music Of Awesome: Let's just say the whole damn game is this and call it a day.
    • Though especially "Jumpin Jack Flash."
  • Culture Police: The Rhombulan aliens, who hate music (which is also their Achilles Heel).
  • Clap Your Hands If You Believe: The last level, where everybody claps and shouts out the names of the agents to free them from the aliens' petrifying beam.
  • Defeat By Modesty: Mr. Virus to Cap White.
  • The Ditz: Missy fits this criteria.
  • Distaff Counterpart: The Divas
  • Downer Ending: If you mess up on some levels, your character will either die or be badly injured. Even completing the level, but getting an X on all the cutscenes isn't likely going to end well.
  • Ear Worm: Come on. Try not to sing one of the songs from this game in public after hearing it.
  • Emotionless Girl: Lisa, to the point where Leo's entire mission is to get her to smile for a picture. Her response to an oncoming herd of bulls? "BULLS."
  • Everythings Better With Sparkles: Especially at the end of missions.
  • Everythings Deader With Zombies: A bonus level.
  • Excited Episode Title
  • Executive Meddling: Several songs were purportedly chosen because Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime liked them. In addition, many rumors of a sequel exist purely based on the fact that Reggie was apparently quite fond of the game.
    • Not that him getting us a sequel would be a bad thing.
    • In fact, it seems that September and a Jamiroquai track have to be in every music game Nintendo has some hand in, being as they are in EBA, Donkey Konga and... well, that's it.
  • Fanservice: Any reason the Divas' butts feature prominently in their dancing? Then there's their Stripperific outfits...
  • Fetish Fuel: One character's white blood cells are all actually sexy nurses, and the Carrington sisters can command animals by bouncing their breasts.
  • Funny Afro: Agent Derek.
    • Morris also has an afro, but it's less noticable because of his fedora.
  • Gainaxing: The Carrington sisters.
    • And the Elite Beat Divas during certain dances
  • Getting Crap Past The Radar: Many, many times,
    • Jiggling boobs, a song that talks about playing with yourself, American AND Japanese stereotypes? That is an understatement.
  • Hey Its That Guy: A few characters from Ouendan appear in this game, especially noticable with the lead actor in Romancing Meowzilla, who previously appeared as a character in the second stage in Ouendan.
  • Hey Its That Voice: The covers of Walkie Talkie Man and Canned Heat are sung by Jason Paige, best known for his Pokemon theme.
  • Historical Domain Character: Leonardo Da Vinci is some Bishonen lady killer, but when he finds, Lisa del Giocondo, the woman of his dreams, the agents help him woo her, and when she smiles, he models her for the Mona Lisa. Not historically accurate (Lisa was married already), but that's clearly not the point.
  • Hit Flash: Sure, they could have shown the Agents' horse-drawn carrage flying through the air dramatically... but why do that when they can enter with speed lines and the written sound effect "Clappity-SWOOSH!"?
  • Hype Aversion: This troper was almost put off from buying the game thanks to Nintendo Power constantly praising it and everything. When he did get it, he realized that Nintendo Power had a right to give it respect.
  • Idiosyncratic Difficulty Levels: "Breezin'", "Cruisin'", "Sweatin'", and "Hard Rock!". Clearing every song on the last one and reaching the highest point rank allows you to use Commander Kahn in Versus Mode.
  • I Know Madden Kombat: Hulk, who beats up a fire golem with baseball skills (and cheers from the Agents, of course)
  • Jet Pack: The Agents enter the "Makes No Difference" stage wearing them.
  • The Jimmy Hart Version: Virtually all the songs are covers, likely to save development costs and help prolong the licenses to use them.
  • Karma Houdini (The Colonel's wife, who is Easily Forgiven by the Colonel after losing his vast fortune and then breaking up with him because he's poor. Wait, what?.)
    • Also, the baby from ABC, although for some, all-you-can-eat fish is torture.
    • Well, Colonel Bob did offer one of the Carringtons a diamond. I guess a Rich Bitch wife gets a Rich Bitch husband.
  • Large Ham: The agents. ("Music LIVES!!!!!")
    • It totally works, though.
  • Lazy Artist: In the last stage, when everybody is doing the arm waving thing, sure they bothered to update Colonel Bob and Bill's sprites (so that they are in their formal wear and tracksuit, respectively), but for some reason, not Captain Brooke and Ken.
    • To be fair, the one guy had to draw everything in the entire game and he had less than a year to do it. No easy feat.
  • Lyrical Dissonance: A retired baseball player saves an amusement park from a giant golem and earns the adoration of one of his biggest fans, leading to a successful comeback. Set to an upbeat cover of a song about how the singer doesn't want success or role models.
  • Mars Needs Women: The Carrington sisters. Dear God, the Carrington sisters. List of things they've won over via Gainaxing: raccoons, a gorilla, a lion, a bear, an elephant, and an airplane (yes, the airplane itself) in Material Girl, Sam the pug in "Highway Star", and a team of Rhombulan alien soldiers sent specifically to destroy anyone singing, dancing, or enjoying the music in Jumpin' Jack Flash.
    • Seems more like the plane was attracted to the credit card...
  • Meaningful Name: The virus that athlete Bill Mitchell receives is named... Mr. Virus.
    • And the equally subtle name of the aliens. They're called the Rhombulans... and their leader happens to be a giant eye inside a rhombus.
    • Chris Silverscreen the director.
  • Mega Neko: The cat from the "Romancing Meowzilla" level.
  • Memetic Mutation: You bet, kid!
  • MIB: The Agents themselves.
  • Misplaced Wildlife: Foxes, gorillas, bears and cows apparently live in the wild together, and there are parrots, monkeys, lions and elephants on a nearby deserted island.
  • Mondegreen: What the heck is that high-pitched voice saying in Highway Star? (In the original version, the lyrics were quite obvious, but in the game, it sounds more like, "I drive it! Argh, need it! Ah bleed it the same!" The correct lyrics are actually, "I LOVE IT! I NEED IT! I BLEED IT!")
    • This troper always heard the the pre-chorus to Jumpin' Jack Flash as "And it's all right now, back as you can." Which is a nonsense phrase that makes no sense, but that's really what it sounds like. He normally wouldn't consider individual mistake like that to be noteworthy, except that he just saw a thread on Game FA Qs where someone else made literally the exact same mistake. (The actual lyrics are "But it's all right now, in fact it's a gas.")
  • Mood Whiplash: You're the Inspiration" takes on a somber and serious tone as opposed to the usual wacky, off-the-wall scenarios.
  • Multiple Endings: Every level has a "Good End", "Normal End", and "Bad End".
  • Must Make Her Laugh: Leo's goal is to get Lisa to smile.
  • Nice Hat: Agent Morris and Agent Chieftan.
  • Ninja: Ken Ozu. Initially subverted in that he's a Lovable Coward son of an auto dealer, but if you play the level the right way, he becomes very formidable.
  • Nintendo Hard
    • Somehow, I managed to get all 300's (as in, tapping every note perfectly) on Jumping Jack Flash. He is now pondering his status as a human.
    • One almost can't beat that level without a perfect score.
      • Seemingly ironically, the easiest mode of EBA seems at times to be the hardest, due to the lower density of beats making it harder to keep beat. This troper has S Ranked almost all of the higher difficulty songs, yet finds it extremely hard to do so for Easy's "Rock This Town".
  • Oh Crap: The Faceless Eye leader of the Rhombulans upon seeing the massive Spirit Bomb about to blow it up, and getting bigger, and bigger, and bigger....
    • But it Can't Stop The Rockin'.
  • Our Monsters Are Different: One bonus level has giggling zombies, controlled by some kind of mushroom spider thing, that can only be defeated by bad tasting peanuts (and dance). You heard me.
  • Perpetual Frowner: The guy from the aforementioned "giggling zombie" level has a permanent angry scowl on his face.
    • Except when you lose and he gets turned into a zombie.
      • He smiles on the advertisement for peanuts and the end of the stage.
    • Agent Derek. The reason why his afro is funny.
  • Pose Of Supplication
  • The Power Of Rock: The entire point of the game.
  • Rebus Bubble: Anything = Football, according to star high school wide receiver Don Tanner.
  • Refuge In Audacity: The game couldn't get away with half its stuff otherwise.
  • Required Spinoff Crossover: Inverted; the Elite Beat Agents are playable in Ouendan 2, rather than the other way around.
  • Rich Bitch: The Carrington sisters, who are definitely not modeled after similar real-life socialites. Colonel Bob (the oil tycoon from the "Let's Dance" level) is married to one.
  • Rule Of Funny and Rule Of Cool: It's hard to determine where one stops and the other starts, really.
  • Scrappy Level: "Canned Heat" on the "Sweatin'" and "Hard Rock!" difficulties.
    • This Troper can narrow it down to Scrappy Section- the third section of "Jumpin' Jack Flash" on "Sweatin'"/"Hard Rock!".
    • Canned Heat is hard on low difficulty levels because it's difficult to hear the rhythm—you're used to tapping on the lyrics, especially after ABC and Material Girl. Canned Heat on "Hard Rock!" gives you the benefit of enough markers to figure out what beat developers wanted you to be tapping.
    • ABC, on pretty much any difficulty. If you're going for all-300s on the higher difficulties, the sliders during the "A-B-C! Easy as 1-2-3!" part are pure murder, since to hit the beat right after it (which is across the screen), your reflexes tend toward jumping off the slider a millisecond before the slider actually ends, leading to a 100 (if not an outright combo break). Considering the (mostly) consistent beatspacing, the fact that that beat across the screen is pretty much the very next beat is frustrating for many.
  • Shout Out: The top screen during "Survivor" is quite reminiscent of survival-horror Light Gun Games such as The House Of The Dead. (Or, Resident Evil: Survivor. ) And if you fail the second section, the cutscene has the protagonist out of ammo, with "RELOAD!" flashing on the screen as zombies effortlessly creep towards him.
    • Said level is also a glorified Shout Out to another blond-haired-buzzcut hero, complete with freakish "end boss" looking similar to an Octobrain.
    • Also, one of the agents is named Agent J.
      • The "ABC" level is an obvious homage to Tom and Jerry (minus the mouse). Specifically the episode where the two have to protect a baby that crawls onto a construction site. Its worth noting that Tom and Jerry is quite popular in both America and Japan.
  • Single Stroke Battle: The ending to the YMCA level. Also, Cap White VS Mr. Virus.
  • Spam Attack: That pug Sam performs HOKUTO HYAKURETSU KEN. I wish I was making that up...
  • Speed Stripes
  • Sucking In Lines: The Rhombulan mothership, when powering up its petrification ray.
  • Surreal Theme Tune: Basically, the game involves helping people do stuff while playing unfitting music... that actually fits surprisingly well.
  • Tear Jerker: "You're The Inspiration". If you didn't cry, there's something wrong with you.
    • Additionally, this "E... B... A. E... B... A... E... B... A! E B A! E B A! E-B-A! E-B-A!" makes this troper tear up every time.
      • So good that the second Ouendan game shamelessly copied it. And many Manly Tears were shed.
  • They Changed It Now It Sucks: This seems to be the opinion among several of the uh... more militant Japanophile fans of the original Ouendan, even though this game clearly retains all the Widget Series charm of its counterpart.
    • To be fair, it might be more about the Americanized song selection than the actual content. Honestly, just looking at the song list made me gag MANY times. But then I actually played it.
    • This seems a bit hypocritical when you realize that many of the songs in Ouendan are viewed in much the same light as Americans view the songs in EBA. Vapid pop music becomes much more bearable when you can't understand the lyrics, apparently.
  • This Is SPARTA: Commander Kahn's rallying cry, as noted above.
  • Those Two Guys (part of the Power Trio in each difficulty play, following up from Ouendan. Their names are Morris and Derek, by the way.)
  • Too Dumb To Live: The Carrington Sisters. If it weren't for their sex appeal they'd be long dead by now (literally).
    Carringtons: (holding an apple, pear and banana bunch) How do you, like, eat this?
  • Tsundere: Thomas' assistant/girlfriend Angelina.
  • Unsound Effect: Clappity-SWOOSH! XA-LAPOWABOOM!!
  • Unusually Uninteresting Sight: That's right; don't mind the dancing FBI agents...
  • Verbal Tic: I believe Thomas the magician has one!
  • Weaksauce Weakness: The Rhombulans hate music for good reason. Too bad they're in a game full of it.
  • What Do You Mean Its Not Awesome?: Somehow, this game manages to make Sk8er Boi awesome.
    • Forget Sk8er Boi. It manages to make La-La tolerable, as well as a host of other songs that had no right to be in a game like this.
    • Can you believe that VH-1 and Blender voted "You're The Inspiration" one of the fifty worst songs of all time?
  • Woolseyism: To the point where it's a new game around the same gameplay concepts, just to make the humor and quirkiness hold appeal outside Japan.
  • Wolverine Publicity: Agent J is only playable on one difficulty (Cruisin'), but he's on all of the game's advertising, the box, the title screen, and a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
    • To be fair, Morris and Derek are in the trophy in Brawl as well. Also, it'd be hard to fit all of the agents/divas on the front of the box.

Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan!
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