YMMV / Togainu no Chi

• Adorkable:
  • Akira is The Stoic one of the main cast, so it's only to be expected for him to be endearing when he shows off his more naive and innocent side, especially when he gets embarrassed about it.
  • Motomi may be the most world-weary of the characters and is usually the most put-together, but he can also be a silly dork in unexpected moments, especially when he gets flustered while he gets romantically sappy with expressing his growing feelings for Akira.
• Alternative Character Interpretation: Due to the grim setting and backstory of the game. Is Akira a brooding anti-hero or dark and apathetic due to his upbringing as a child soldier? Is Keisuke a spineless wimp or does he have reason to act the way he does?
• Awesome Music:
  • The whole soundtrack perfectly encapsulates the setting of the visual novel, whether the scene the player is currently going through is one of reprieve or of tension.
  • The soundtrack of the Animated Adaptation also counts, particularly its opening and ending themes, to the point that the opening song ("Rose Hip Bullet") became as synonymous with the game as the original opening theme ("GRIND"). Many fans have unanimously stated that the soundtrack is the only good thing about the anime.
• Base-Breaking Character:
  • There are some who like Keisuke for being flawed but still relatable to a degree and for serving a role that goes beyond the token "naïve tagalong childhood friend" trope. Then there are some who find his weaknesses and his fixation on Akira to be too annoying for their liking.
  • To describe Shiki's situation as this trope in a nutshell, he's a major threat to everyone and arrogant jerk who may possess Hidden Depths, but has no Freudian Excuse to explain his actions other than ambition and the desire to be the strongest. That being said, he undeniably has exceedingly good looks and a cool (if edgy) design, with a voice that's equally charming and chilling. So either you love him for that or you hate him, or you Love to Hate him. Or you just may not care altogether.
• Draco in Leather Pants: Shiki. He may not be an outright villain, but even in his better moments, he's still practically a raping murder machine. That doesn't stop the fangirls from creaming over him. What's even more amusing is that he literally does have leather pants, complete with zippers. Though on the other hand, his anime counterpart subverts this trope due to him committing one too many Kick the Dog moments that go straight into the Moral Event Horizon territory.
• Ensemble Dark Horse:
  • The Executioners, especially Gunji, have also gained a lot of popularity despite only having one (bad) ending each and not much involvement in the storyline besides that.
  • Kau also has quite the fans due to both his background and his backstory. Not to mention, some are intrigued by his BDSM-inspired design.
• Fan Nickname: Kurosuke for Keisuke after he takes Rein and becomes violent and murderous.
• Fanon Discontinuity: The Animated Adaptation, especially the ending, has been officially disowned by a lot of fans of the visual novel.
• Fan-Preferred Couple:
  • Shiki x Akira easily beats all other pairings in the English-speaking fandom. Granted, it is no more or less canon than any other pairing in the series.
  • Keisuke x Akira is very popular among the fans in Japan, moreso than it is overseas, due to the Childhood Friend Romance trope being a long-time popular staple in the country.
• Fashion-Victim Villain: Arbitro wears a mask, a red shirt with a bright green tie under a white suit... not to mention a purple feather boa. Several characters even comment on his tacky tastes.
• Launcher of a Thousand Ships: As is to be expected from a protagonist of a visual novel where there's multiple romance options, Akira is the poster boy of the trope for Togainu no Chi. It's even backed by canon, with almost every named character crossing his path except for a certain few wishing to have their way with him.
• Love to Hate: Shiki, to some fans at least. As the years go by, some of the fans start to take potshots at Shiki for ticking all the marks of a cliched "edgelord" Seme. Though given that Togainu no Chi was released in the early 2000s, where such a trope is actually the norm for both BL and non-BL works, such potshots are said with a measure of either affection or amusement.
• Moral Event Horizon: Shiki's not one to avoid crossing the line, but he more than goes way past it in the Animated Adaptation when he kills Keisuke, who was trying to protect Akira.
• Never Live It Down: While it's not hard to see why, it's hard to discuss Keisuke or his route without bringing up the screwdriver rape scene at least once.
• Retroactive Recognition: The artist and character designer for this game went on to do the art and character designs for Fire Emblem: Three Houses.^note Though they're credited under a different name here.
• Squick:
  • When Akira first steps foot in Toshima, Akira comes upon two people having sex. One of them Is. Not. Moving.
  • One of the bad endings has Keisuke ripping out Akira's intestines while proclaiming that he loves Akira. He's also sporting a look that makes it look like he's having an orgasm.
  • Another bad ending has Keisuke rape Akira with a screwdriver. Yep. And if the wrong option is chosen, it eventually results in Akira's insides getting so ruptured and wounded that he soon dies from blood loss.
• Tear Jerker:
  • Admit it, you thought that when Keisuke accidentally got Akira's blood on him, you thought he died.
  • Keisuke's death, no matter how it happens in anyone else's route. If that wasn't anymore heartbreaking, Akira finally sheds tears for him.
  • The simple fact the majority of the routes typically has at least one of Akira's other potential love interests die. Case in point, Keisuke dies in every route but his, Rin and Nano dies in Shiki's route, and Shiki dies in both Rin and Nano's routes.
• Too Bleak, Stopped Caring: Some fans feel this way about the visual novel due to the sheer dark tone of the plot, with only very few light-hearted moments diluting it.
• The Woobie: Everyone in the cast — with the exceptions of Emma, Gwen, the Vischio, and Shiki — counts somewhat as this.

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