History YMMV / AoOni

* EnsembleDarkhorse: ''Naoki''. He only shows up in one version of the game (and even then, only in a dream), but he's so popular in the fandom that he's practically become, more or less, the unofficial SixthRanger to the main cast.

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Like other RPG Maker games of its time, Ao Oni was struck with this hard. The game has just the titular oni to prop itself up with, due to the ExcusePlot, and there are other RPG Maker horror games that use the concept of a chaser enemy better while also having a compelling story. Back when it was released, home made horror games, especially those made in RPG Maker, could be counted on one hand and the mechanics used in the game are quite complex given the limitations of the engine. Much of the horror was effective because it messed with the player's anticipation.
** The jokes its fanbase made about the titular oni being a sexual predator tend not to go down well with a modern audience.

The jokes its fanbase made about the titular oni being a sexual predator tend not to go down well with a modern audience.

* SignatureScene: The jail scene.

--->'''LetsPlay/{{Markiplier}}:''' Ah! No, he's blonde!!

* FanNickname: The giant, buff, oni is called "Squatto", due to a videdo of two Japanese let's players commenting that the pounding animation it does looks like it's preforming a series of Hindu Squats.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:

** The Blockman Oni from version 6, as well. It only makes two appearances ([[spoiler: one as a chaser, and one in the aforementioned Oni prison room]]), and never appears again. [[spoiler: Unless you enter "BLOCKMAN" as Hiroshi's name.]]

* SeinfeldIsUnfunny: Like other RPG Maker games of its time, Ao Oni was struck with this hard. The game has just the titular oni to prop itself up with, due to the ExcusePlot, and there are other RPG Maker horror games that use the concept of a chaser enemy better while also having a compelling story.

* UncannyValley: The monsters.

** For the Oni, we have "It's Raping Time" and "Shut up and Sleep with me".

** Some people consider the blue monster's face to be adorable, goofy, or derpy rather than scary; it's even been referred to as blue UsefulNotes/BarackObama. Or a [[Franchise/TheSmurfs japanese Smurf.]] Maybe it's [[Series/GakiNoTsukaiYaArahende a suffocating Matsumoto?]] One member of a pair of Japanese walkthroughers (known as Borzoi Project) said that the Oni was kind of cute when they came face-to-face with it a second time, to which his buddy responded, "Are you an idiot?"

** Let's just say that many of the puzzles in the game are very confusing and requires checking everything and using everything on everything else.

* WhatAnIdiot: In version 6, Hiroshi finds [[spoiler: Takuro after apparently being killed by the Oni, in the Oni prison room, having appeared out of nowhere.]] Oh sure, [[spoiler: bring him along]], WhatCouldPossiblyGoWrong

* ParanoiaFuel: The Oni's breathing. In version 6, the heavy breathing noises of the Oni are heard throughout the Dark basement. With only a lighter, you cannot see the whole screen, and the monster could pop up from any direction.