History VideoGame / DotHackGU

* CounterAttack: Counter attacks are big in the combat system of this game. Either a skill or a charge attack can be used to counter a skill or item use in progress and interrupt or cancel it. If one performs a counter attack in the arena using a skill, it is called a hangeki (反撃) attack, raises your party morale as long as your other party members are alive, and decreases the enemy party's morale. They do not double the damage of a skill, unlike rengeki attacks. In the UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 version, hangeki attacks are mistakenly called rengeki attacks. This is fixed for the Windows version.

** Played with as of "Last Recode". While most anime versions tend to show a controller similar to that of a UsefulNotes/PlayStation controller - and in contrast with the originals - "Last Recode" mutes the voices whenever a button is mentioned, so the subtitles will say a button but the character might be saying something else to fit the actual controller they're using. Silabus in certain email chains also mentions using the portable virtual reality device called an [=M2D=] to play as well, which looks more like a cross between a joystick and a gaming mouse, making for probably radically different controls.

** When one performs a CounterAttack in the arena, the English UsefulNotes/PlayStation2 version mistakenly calls it a rengeki which means combo attack, when it really should be a hangeki which means counter attack. It also shows the kanji for rengeki (連撃) in the background instead of the kanji for hangeki (反撃) by mistake. Volume 1 also plays the sound for rengeki as well. Volumes 2 and 3 play the correct sound for hangeki, but display the graphics for rengeki. The Windows version fixes this by displaying the correct graphics and playing the correct sound.

* BonusBoss
** Doppelgangers in every volume.
** The Guardians, The One Sin, and God Eater in ''Reminisce''.
** Cernunnos, Lord of the Underworld and God of Death in ''Rebirth'', as well as his full power True Cernunnos form in ''Redemption''.
** In each volume, if you're following the Bounty Hunter sidequest, there are seven dangerous [=PKs=] known as chaotic [=PKs=] that will initially be much higher level than you are and with much better equipment, and if you encounter one early enough you're likely to be dead in one hit. Unlike the Doppelgangers, though, they are not scaled to your level.

* BraggingRightsReward: The DG-Z [[InfinityPlusOneSword (level 150 weapon, strongest Dual Guns)]] and the Guide to Divinity (level 150 accessory that boosts skills and increases skill XP gain) in Redemption are both '''extremely''' powerful pieces of equipment, obtained ''only'' upon the defeat of final boss of [[BonusDungeon the Forest of Pain optional event]], [[BonusBoss the God of Death, Cernunnos]]...and they're practically useless by that point, since you've already beaten the ultimate bosses. They can be used to take on a BonusBoss-esque arena team, the Sweepstakers, but outside of that you're pretty much done with the game by the time you get the stuff.

** This can actually lead to hilarious cases of abuse, such as having the [[BonusBoss Doppelganger]] die from [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO9Fpxixqb4 having a monster dozens of levels above him thrown at him]], or the FinalBoss of the 3rd game [[HoistByHisOwnPetard killing itself in one attack]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-Fai2cRmyQ by having an overly low level ally equipped with a counter customized armor]].

* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTdvz0HVAf4&feature=related The fight against Magus]], when Haseo's avatar goes berserk, is probably the most brutal, one-sided fights of the entire game.

* WakeUpCallBoss: Greedy Cervantes. When you first run into him shortly after clearing the Bounty Hunter Test quest in Rebirth, he will inflict a TotalPartyKill against your party unless you manage to seriously outsmart him in the battle, you avoid clearing the Bounty Hunter Test quest until you have leveled up, or you avoid entering battle areas until you level up.
* WeCannotGoOnWithoutYou: Take out the enemy party leader in an arena battle to win the battle.

* UsefulNotes/FurryFandom: At least two guilds and several message board posts in the game play this trope straight (and rather innocuously compared to many Western works that reference the phenomenon).

* BladeOnAStick: Used by the Lord Partizan Class. This class deals high damage per second against single enemies and has great AntiAir attacks, but can be taken down easily by either magic or by mobs of enemies because this class can only perform frontal attacks.

* WhatAnIdiot: A forum user using the username "Train Dog" always lusts after beautiful female Chaotic [=PKs=] who PK him and steal his rare weapons in The World. Other forum users invoked this trope by calling Train Dog an idiot in the threads he starts regarding his lusting after the [=PKs=] that PK him and steal his rare weapons.

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Averted with the CC Corp higher ups this time around. Unlike Lios and the system admins in R1, who got better through CharacterDevelopment and gave the .hackers their full support when the true scope of the threat was apparent, the current batch of CC admins are completely useless at best; more often, though, they're either obstructive, outright malicious, or damaging The World and its players through their sheer incompetence. They're painfully out of their depth and have [[PoliceAreUseless no idea how to handle the AIDA epidemic]], [[spoiler:[[WhatAnIdiot bowing down to the demands of a psychotic ten-year-old boy and granting him ultimate power over the system]] (which he, of course, abuses for all it's worth) in a desperate attempt to keep up the charade of control. They then attempt to [[NeverMyFault cover up the entire fiasco by falsifying evidence and looking to scapegoat Ovan for the whole thing, despite knowing it goes far deeper, although it thankfully backfires thanks to the separate efforts of Professor Sugai, and an anonymous Yata.]] The only CC Corp members with a clue seem to be the ones in your own party, and none of them have much power in the company. Any others, like Pi's older brother Jun Bansyoya, who did have more power, were made a scapegoat like Junichiro Tokuoka before him. Bansyoya's log also indicate that Lios and the system admins in R1 were a minority, and the rest of CC Corp was, and always had been greedy, self-interested, and short-sighted bastards]] Another potential example is Genius from ''LINK'', who was indicated to be active during this era, who shows SOME better self-awareness about the issue much like late-game Lios did.

%%* BareYourMidriff: Most female characters, and some male characters. Most notably Haseo himself.

A [[UpdatedRerelease remaster]] of the game, '''.hack//G.U. last Recode''' was released in 2017 on PS4 and Steam to celebrate both the original trilogy's tenth anniversary and the 15th anniversary of the the .hack franchise as a whole. It features various enhancements, a new form for Haseo, and an entirely new fourth volume of the story: Reconnection, “Or Dreams the Snakes That Spin the World Dream.”

A [[UpdatedRerelease remaster]] of the game, '''.hack//G.U. last Recode''' was announced to celebrate both the original trilogy's tenth anniversary and the 15th anniversary of the the .hack franchise as a whole. It is set to be released on the [=PS4=] and PC through Steam, with various enhancements, a new form for Haseo, and an entirely new fourth volume of the story: Reconnection, “Or Dreams the Snakes That Spin the World Dream.” [[https://youtu.be/ljiWOrULppk Here's the first teaser]].

* CamWhore: NAOO, a minor NPC, somehow attracts a following of devoted male players who go so far as to form a guild based entirely on finding stuff to give her just by acting flirty. [[SmallNameBigEgo She comes to expect this from everybody]].

** Some of the AIDA attacks are named after programming languages. Algol Laser, Prolog Lazer, Lisp Tackle are some examples.

** All of the leaders of Moon Tree are named after various trees in Japanese (with Sophora and Zelkova switched to their latin genus names in English). The guild name itself is a pun ("Tsuki no Ki") on one of the Japanese words for the tree ''Zelkova serrata'' ("tsukinoki"). Some of these names count as {{Meaningful Name}}s too.

* TooManyBelts: Haseo, to the point where he's depicted as wearing [[UpToEleven FIFTY TWO BELTS]].

* IllGirl: [[spoiler:Aina, Ovan's little sister. Sakubo's player is also an IllBoy]].

** Endrance is Kaoru Ichinose, once Elk. Aside from becoming one of a few [[StarterVillain Starter Villains]], he becomes crucial in saving Haseo's bacon big time in two instances, even playing a minor gambit to ensure Haseo's success that Elk would never have been able to come up with.

** Endrance is Kaoru Ichinose, once Elk. Aside from becoming one of a few StarterVillains, he becomes crucial in saving Haseo's bacon big time in two instances, even playing a minor gambit to ensure Haseo's success that Elk would never have been able to come up with.

** Haseo annihilating a party of [=PKers=] in the beginning.

** Even opponents get this at least twice in the first game. In the first battles with Bordeaux and Alkaid in the Demon Palace Tournament it's made clear that Haseo is getting his butt kicked. In actual combat it's entirely possible for you to wipe the floor with them.

* HeadsIWinTailsYouLose: Particularly in the Arena but in other boss fights as well, Haseo can be overleveled and defeat bosses in just a few moves, only to have the cutscene start and have Haseo on his last legs or utterly curbstomped.

* TheRedMage: Macabre Dancers are able to use healing, attack, and status magic, but do not learn the highest level spells of the other magic classes (Harvest Clerics and Shadow Warlocks). This class is the only class that can learn how to cast StatusBuff and StatusAilment spells by using skill points instead of requiring the use of a consumable item in order to do so, and also have some decent damage to their regular attacks if they need to resort to those.

* TarotMotifs: The consumables that inflict StandardStatusEffects are named after Major Arcana cards:

* WhiteMage: The Harvest Cleric class, which specializes more on healing and buffing magic rather than offensive ones. This class is great at healing and buffing abilities, but skilled physical attackers can easily take Harvest Clerics down with [[CounterAttack counter attacks]], especially with hangeki attacks in the arena because these counter attacks cancel the magical abilities being attempted. Skilled players can ShootTheMedicFirst in the arena, so it is much better to teach every member of an arena party healing spells including those that fix StandardStatusEffects rather than depending just on a Harvest Cleric for their healing needs. The only real advantage of having a Harvest Cleric in the arena is that one can execute much better healing and buffing spells than the spells that can be purchased from magic shops and be taught to party members.

* GreyAndGrayMorality: [[spoiler: Barring Bordeaux, IYOTEN, and Asta, most villains can fall into WellIntentionedExtremist territory or are simply pawns in Ovan's or Sakaki's games, with or without conscious knowledge. "Tri-Edge" Azure Kite is Aura's method of trying to stop AIDA herself, most Arena enemies perform a HeelFaceTurn later on or are infected by AIDA, and even Ovan is just trying to perform a SuicideByCop with Haseo because he can't stop the AIDA power in his arm himself. This is especially notable with Endrance and Alkaid, who are major arc villains of Volume 1 only to become two of Haseo's strongest allies by the end of Volume 2. Even the exceptionally antagonistic Bordeaux turns out to be NotSoDifferent from Haseo with a much less healthy background and pulls a HeelFaceTurn postgame in an attempt to heal and mend, and IYOTEN and Asta are among those who answered Haseo's GondorCallsForAid, along with Bordeaux and other [=PKs=]. The only ones who are truly black and can't be wholly redeemed are Sakaki and Cubia, but even then, Cubia is excusable because it's not sapient to begin with[[note]]no matter what the non-canon ''XXXX'' manga that made him a sentient AI would tell you[[/note]], so has no concept of morality to be considered truly evil, leaving Sakaki[[note]]a ten-year-old boy who knew full well what he was doing and damn proud of it[[/note]], as the only truly evil main character in the entire story.]]

%%* CampGay:
** Hiiragi, the captain of Fifth Division of Moon Tree.
** The Chaotic PK'er Garden Michelle too.