History VideoGame / NoMoreHeroes

* ConsoleCameo: Travis has a UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 sitting on his shelf in the first game.

It was given a remaster (''No More Heroes: Red Zone Edition/Heroes' Paradise'') for the UsefulNotes/XBox360 and UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, exclusive to the latter in all regions except Japan, based on the belief that its poor sales were due to the Wii being unreceptive to this kind of game. This belief got a dose of reality when the game opened only a little better than the first game (on both systems), and sales legs dropped off even more quickly. Nevertheless, the game is an incremental step up from the original, featuring oodles of bonus content (including bosses from ''No More Heroes 2'') and gameplay tweaks (like allowing you to "stock" your special moves, which addressed the primary criticism of the original's semi-randomized SuperMode feature).

In 2017, Suda announced that he would be directing a new game in the series for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch, titled ''VideoGame/TravisStrikesAgainNoMoreHeroes''. In it, Travis gets trapped inside a video game alongside Bad Man, the vengeful father of Bad Girl, and together they must fight their way out. The game launched in January 2019, and it’s is the first game Suda has directed since the first ''No More Heroes''. On October of the same year it received ports for both PC (via {{UsefulNotes/Steam}}) and UsefulNotes/Playstation4.

* TryNotToDie: Used by Sylvia to Travis verbatim in in the game. Her usual parting statement (before her {{Catchphrase}}) before boss battles is predicting an increasingly high probability that he'll get killed.

** Also {{Subverted|Trope}}, as the instruction manual states that Naomi has a mysterious secret about her. All she does in the game is upgrade Travis' beam katana. Either this idea was dropped or [=Suda51=] loves messing with ya. This could also be a possible Franchise/MetalGear shout out. Rumors have it that Naomi is [[OlderThanTheyLook in her 60's]], which would probably be the secret.

* TheLostWoods: The Forest of Bewilderment, which makes up for the second half of the Rank 1 stage. It's an illusory forest (the place Travis reaches to after the highway chase sequence in the first half) with branching paths. Choosing the wrong way will take him back to the start, but the spirit of his late mentor guides him by pinpointing the correct paths. Interestingly, the boss ([[spoiler:Jeane, who [[BaitAndSwitchBoss ends up killing the 1st Rank assassin]]) is fought in a ShiftingSandLand battlefield.

It was given a remaster (''No More Heroes: Red Zone Edition/Heroes' Paradise'') for the UsefulNotes/XBox360 and UsefulNotes/PlayStation3, exclusive to the latter in all regions except Japan, based on the belief that its poor sales were due to the Wii being unreceptive to this kind of game. This belief got a dose of reality when the game opened only a little better than the first game (on both systems), and sales legs dropped off even more quickly. Nevertheless, the game is an incremental step up from the original, featuring oodles of bonus content (including {{Bonus Boss}}es from ''No More Heroes 2'') and gameplay tweaks (like allowing you to "stock" your special moves, which addressed the primary criticism of the original's semi-randomized SuperMode feature).

* BeachEpisode: The level and fight against Holly Summers takes place on Santa Destroy's beach, Body Slam Beach. It also features a gratuitous {{Fanservice}} skit with a bikini-clad Sylvia, with Travis applying sun lotion on her while she tells him about the fight.

* {{Bookends}}: The title screen takes place in the parking lot of the No More Heroes Motel. [[spoiler:The TrueFinalBoss is fought in this same parking lot.]]

* LongTitle: The song that Dr. Peace sings prior to his boss figth against Travis is called "The virgin child makes her wish without feeling anything".

* CameraScrew: The game switches from a controllable camera to a fixed camera when you hit the stairs to Travis's motel room. The camera angle changes such that if you hold down the control stick, Travis will hit the stairs, the camera will change, and Travis will run down the stairs and away from the hotel. It takes a very quick touch to hit the stairs at top running speed and not go backwards a few times.

* SurprisinglyGoodEnglish: Almost all the voiceovers are performed by professional American voice actors, the game features several songs in English, and even the in-game billboards are written in perfect (and oftentimes downright funny) English. And a number of minor characters in the game (namely the Part-Time Job guy, the clerk at K-Entertainment, the owner of Area 51, and Thunder Ryu) speak in thickly accented Engrish. Note that this is a game afraid to leave its players [[MindScrew scratching their heads]].

* PhallicWeapon: In this game and its sequels, Travis's Beam Sword recharges through shaking a dynamo within it. The way Travis charges it, however, has him holding the sword in front of his pelvic area, pointing outwards and slightly upwards, and him vigorously shaking it back and forth panting heavily, making it look amazingly like ADateWithRosiePalms. As Travis is vulnerable when he's recharging, and the sword's power frequently runs out in the heat of battle, you'll most often see Travis performing this animation in a remote corner, facing a wall. To make it even more obvious, the second game's charge meter for the sword looks like a red exclamation mark with a face that stands erect when the gauge is full and starts to flop more and more the emptier it gets.

** Travis Touchdown's physical appearance and antics are based on Johnny Knoxville.
** Sylvia's design was based on Scarlett Johansson.
** Henry was modeled after Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis.
** Travis' mentor Thunder Ryu was based on famous Japanese wrestler Genichiro Tenryu.

* EenieMeenieMinyMoai: Santa Destroy contains quite a few of these. Their placement suggests that they're some sort of secret but, no, they're just decoration.

%%* SexyWalk: Bad Girl.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: The bar "plastic model" shown in the game really exists. It's the favorite place of Creator/Suda51.

* VillainousIncest: At the end of the game, Travis (a very ''dark'' {{antihero}} to begin with) discovers that [[spoiler:Jeane (the FinalBoss, [[NamesTheSame not his]] [[MoralityPet pet cat]]), the girl he's been searching for and was once romantically involved with is [[BrotherSisterIncest his half-sister]]. Travis is as {{squick}}ed out as the player is. Jeane, on the other hand, doesn't seem to mind that it happened. In the end, [[DeathEqualsRedemption the two reconcile right before Travis kills Jeane]]]].

* BatterUp: Bad Girl's WeaponOfChoice and [[CallingYourAttacks apparently, one of her combos]]. Travis is also occasionally seen using his beam katana as a bat "substitute".

* BoozeFlamethrower: [[AxCrazy Bad Girl]] uses this to set her [[WeaponOfChoice baseball bat]] on fire when she TurnsRed.