History Characters / DokiDokiLiteratureClub

* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Project manager Paula responds to an unshown e-mail about ethics that it's not their place to judge if what they're doing to Monika is immoral on the grounds that human ethics have always been based around things that humans could feel emotionally attached to, thus trying to be ethical when dealing with a machine like Monika would be as silly as doing so with bacteria or plants.

* AllLovingHero: Sayori is unfailingly kind to everyone, treating everyone as an instant friend and making it her mission to make them happy. In the side stories, this actually works against her in her first meetings with Yuri (who thinks she's just humouring her) and Natsuki (who is uncomfortable with instant intimacy) and requires a little communication to resolve.
* AmbiguousSituation: The player knows ''that'' Sayori tried to tear at the rope to free herself, but it is not clear why. Monika gives two probable explanations: Sayori either [[MidSuicideRegret changed her mind a few seconds in but was too late]], or it was her survival instinct kicking in.

* TheDitz: She's often somewhat scatterbrained. This is treated as endearing and comical, like when she, while defusing an argument between Natsuki and Yuri about their poetic styles, says that there is nothing wrong with Natsuki being cute and that Yuri's breasts have always been big and beautiful or when she mixes up the words [[{{Malaproper}} "retribution" with "restitution" or "revolution"]]. This is perhaps yet another clue about her depression (since it often makes people forgetful), but since the side stories also mention her impeccable talent for zoning out, this might just be the way she is.

* FunPersonified: She hums to herself, dances through the corridors like no one's watching, and directs much of her energy towards making other people smile, mostly because she considers their happiness much more important than her own. In the side stories, it occasionally backfires when (as she freely admits) she has trouble being serious, including situations that might actually warrant it.

* GlitchEntity: InUniverse: After her character file gets deleted, she still occasionally appears in a glitchy manner. InvertedTrope in the sense that she was ''supposed'' to exist and the glitches happen because she doesn't.

** Implied in the game's normal ending. She once again becomes Club President, but instead of crashing the game and deleting everyone, she tries to take over, just like Monika. Based on Monika's circumstances throughout the game and Sayori's behavior in the aforementioned NonStandardGameOver, it was likely a bumpy ride. Fortunately, a NotQuiteDead Monika intervenes before she could do anything.

* HairIntakes: Averted. The other girls have their hair styled this way, but Sayori is the only girl whose hair is not, as her hair is too messy to maintain a regular shape.
* HealTheCutie: Implied to have happened to some degree in Act 4. Act 1 establishes that Sayori's depression is why she tends to oversleep and has a hard time preparing for school, while Act 4 has her consistently waking up on time. Given this, it implies that her depression has been alleviated to some degree, and it is much easier for Sayori to be genuinely happy. Also, in the side stories, Sayori's friendship with Monika allows her to open up about her depression, and thanks to the club, she has more good days than bad after that. By the time of ''Reflection'', she is able to have a frank discussion about it with Natsuki, which helps the other girl with her own anxieties.

** On a lighter note, Sayori may be ditzy, but the player character suggests that she might not be as oblivious as she seems. Sayori tricked Natsuki into baking cupcakes so that the player character could come over, and she attempted to trick him into buying her a snack (that the player character manages to catch her implies that she had done this before). In addition, she can be serious if she needs to be, which the player character finds surprising. Sayori easily defuses an argument between Yuri and Natsuki about their poetic styles, and the player character can listen in on a serious conversation between Sayori and Monika about what the literature club should do for the festival.

* KillTheCutie: Sayori has a friendly, likeable characterization; she's energetic, she's able to defuse arguments in the club easily, and deep down wants everyone to be happy. So it's painful to find that she committed suicide by hanging as a result of Monika's MindRape, especially since she confessed to having depression the day before.

* RetGone: After her suicide in Act 1 and starting up a new game, the game initially treats her like she's still there, but every mention of anything relating to her is rendered in broken sprites and garbage text until the game resets. After the reset, all mentions of her are gone, including the player character mentioning that he walks alone to school, despite previously stating that he would walk with her in Act 1 and her position of Vice President going to Yuri with no comment from anyone. Monika does restore her after Act 3, but it comes with a case of MediumAwareness-induced CameBackWrong.

* TrademarkFavoriteFood: Cookies. Natsuki also (correctly!) guesses her favourite ice cream flavour is cookie dough.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Largely one-sided on the player character's end, as it is he who would typically make very blunt remarks, but the dynamic is still present. Sayori is capable of sassing back at him, like flatly telling him that his poem is ''terrible'' if he writes one she does not like, or startling him awake and then chiding him for falling asleep in the club.

* BerserkButton: Natsuki hates it if she isn't taken seriously, whether it's her writing, her hobbies, or just her overall demeanour.

* BreakTheCutie: While she's OutOfFocus in Act 2, she still goes through hell. Arguments between her and Yuri get worse, with both sides saying cruel things to each other. The first argument ends with Natsuki running out of the room in tears; it's unclear what Yuri said or did to provoke such a reaction, but it's implied to be pretty bad [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone based on her own behavior afterwards]]. Natsuki then has her memory wiped of the incident but becomes increasingly neglected by the game due to Yuri and Monika. Not only that, but she watches Yuri slip deeper into mental instability, and even [[FriendshipMoment outright begs the player character to help her]], only for Monika to interfere. The act ends with Natsuki finding Yuri's dead body and running out of the room, then [[KilledOffscreen getting deleted by Monika offscreen]]. All this, on top of her implied abuse. What's worse is that while it's heavily implied she was tampered with too, [[OnlySaneMan she still seems fairly stable in comparison to the other girls]].

-->'''Natsuki:''' (grinning mischievously) Ahaha! You get all sour when a girl calls you gross. I finally found your weakness, [player].

* HiddenDepths: She's much more comfortable exposing her cute side once she knows you're not going to tease or condescend to her about it. Her {{Tsundere}} tendencies are also much more reserved in her Act 1 event outside of school.

* InferioritySuperiorityComplex: Natsuki has a big one, and her biggest BerserkButton is not being taken seriously because of her stature or cutesy writing style. This becomes significantly more apparent if you dedicate all three of your poems to her, where she flat-out begs the player character to say he likes her poems because she badly needs that acknowledgement from someone. In the rewritten Act 2, it's strongly hinted she has an abusive father, whose attacks - physical and emotional - largely fuel this tendency. In the side stories, however, it is her other friends (who consistently treat her as the ButtMonkey of their group) who are to blame.

** Natsuki acts like a typical {{Tsundere}} - she is abrasive, sarcastic and a bit arrogant around the player character but actually has a crush on him. Also, while she and Yuri do not always get along, she will give you a message in Act 2 where she tells you how worried she is about Yuri's [[SanitySlippage mental state]]. Unfortunately, this sweet FriendshipMoment gets ruined by Monika rewriting the game's code to have Natsuki say to ignore her and Yuri and focus on [[ArcWords just Monika]].

* KilledOffscreen: She's the only one of the four who you don't see dead. Monika erases Natsuki after they witnessed Yuri's death. The hidden scene in Act 2 is possibly the closest thing, but even then, she's alive, and the game treats it as if it's nothing.

** Another way Natsuki can be written is "rapeseed flower, moon" (菜月). In ''hanakotoba''[[note]]Language of flowers[[/note]], the rapeseed flower represents cheerfulness, which is indicative of her love for cutesy things and her minimalistic writing style having an almost chipper tone. She's also more friendly when she knows she's not going to be teased or judged.

* TheNapoleon: She's short, has a HairTriggerTemper and an InferioritySuperiorityComplex.

* SkirtsAndLadders: When the player character is helping Natsuki get a box of manga from a tall shelf by holding a swivel chair stable, he notices that he is in a position in which he could see an eyeful. He tries to look away, but Natsuki notices and quickly accuses him of setting her up anyway.

* VitriolicBestBuds: {{Deconstructed}} with Natsuki's previous friend group, introduced in the UpdatedReRelease. Dan Salvato says that her previous friend group normally teases each other and is not necessarily trying to bully her; they're just stuck in that dynamic. However, Natsuki takes their teasing ''hard'', but she could not speak up about it because it goes against what they normally do. This is a major reason why she is a {{tsundere}}, being defensive and having a hard time expressing her emotions because of her past experiences. Once Natsuki found more considerate friends in the Literature Club, she decides to cut ties with her old friend group.
* VomitIndiscretionShot: After you're forced to stare at Yuri's dead body for the rest of the in-game weekend, Natsuki eventually walks in on the morning of the festival to see her several-days-old body. Her immediate reaction is to scream, [[https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/doki-doki-literature-club/images/d/d7/Natsuvomit.png vomit]], and run out of the room. This also explains why she isn't there for Monika deleting her.

* AndIMustScream: After Monika modified her to make her less appealing to the player, Yuri is completely aware that something is ''wrong'' with her but couldn't help herself to act in a creepy, maniacal way.

* CharacterTics: She tends to hold her arms behind her back (possibly in a subconscious effort to hide the fact that she cuts herself) or place her hands, usually her left, protectively over her chest (emphasising her shyness). She also nervously looks to the side while playing with her hair, as well.

** Her cutting herself is suggested to be one. Monika tells the player to stop pursuing her because they're "enabling" her by being a trigger for it. It's unclear how true this is since the person telling you this is Monika, who has reason to make Yuri look bad. However, if it is, it'd be one possible explanation as to why Yuri stabs herself even if you accept her confession. Even if it was true at that point, it might have only been true after Monika tampered with her mind.

* FightingFromTheInside: In Act 2, Yuri knows that there is something wrong with her mind and tries to fight it. Eventually, however, the high she gets from indulging the corruptive thoughts is too much for her, and she gives in.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: A very subtle example. In Act 1, Yuri wears a long-sleeved sweater, which doesn't mean much, until you wonder why she is wearing something so warm in the first place. Then, when the protagonist leaves and comes back, the player notices her rolling her sleeves back down as if she were checking something on her wrist. At first, it means nothing, but when Act 2 hits you start to realize what those meant...

* GoodEyesEvilEyes: Has normal, large and shiny eyes that [[TaremeEyes slant down]] as everyone else, but when she acts insane, [[WideEyesAndShrunkenIrises her irises shrink]] and lose the shine, and her eyes [[TsurimeEyes slant up]]. Also, while staring at the player character, her eyes change from drawn purple anime-style eyes to realistic bloodshot blue eyes.

* HiddenDepths: As per her ShrinkingViolet archetype, she has a lot of intelligence, creativity and sensitivity once you get to know her well enough for her to actually spit it out.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: She sometimes comes across as condescending or pretentious without truly meaning to, which of course, gets Natsuki's back up. This is flipped around in Act 2, where Monika's tampering makes her openly vindictive. Her accidental insensitivity is present in the side stories too, though in this case, she and the other girls succeed in working it out.

* {{Leitmotif}}: Yuri's version of "Okay, Everyone!" features significantly different instrumentals compared with her classmates' themes. Her version features a cello and harp to symbolise her sophisticated nature and poetic style. In the side stories, her leitmotif is ''Lavender Mist'' (which is a remix of ''Play With Me'', which, according to Dan Salvato, is technically her own leitmotif), a tranquil violin piece.

** Yuri in Japanese means "Lily" (百合), a flower associated with grace, tranquility, and the colour purple, all traits Yuri is associated with. They're also associated with death.

* MysteriousPurple: Yuri is a shy, enigmatic woman nicknamed a "Maiden of Mystery" and has long purple hair along with purple eyes.

* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: During Act 2, she's clearly trying to impress the player character and let him know how she feels. The thing is, her SanitySlippage is severe enough that she'll flat out state squicky, uncomfortable, and unnerving thoughts. Scenes with her that were previously cute become corrupted, such as her gaining photorealistic eyes while breathing noises play. Her poems also become increasingly disturbing, with the last one being unreadable chicken scratches covered in bloodstains.

* NotSoAboveItAll: Yuri laughs after witnessing the player character catch Sayori attempting to mooch off of him, and also when Sayori gave Natsuki a hug so she could take a bite from a cookie that Natsuki was saving for herself. In Act 3, Monika recalls that Natsuki and ''Yuri'', of all people, might have made fun of her for her catchphrase. The side stories also give us this gem:

* {{Squee}}: In the side stories, she presses her knuckles into her cheeks and makes happy noises when talking about her favourite author.

* StressVomit: Mentioned. At one point while sharing a particularly disturbing poem and having an equally disturbing reaction to reading the player character's, she seems to come to her senses for a moment, then excuses herself to at least ostensibly throw up.

* AccidentalPervert: He helps Natsuki take a box of manga from a tall shelf by attempting to stabilize a swivel chair. However, he notices that he is in a position in which he could look up her skirt, so he tries to look away. Unfortunately, Natsuki notices this and accuses him of setting her up. {{Subverted}} because she reveals she's not actually stupid enough to think that by apologizing for taking out her bad day on him.
* AdaptedOut: He's completely absent in the side stories of ''Doki Doki Literature Club Plus!'' Instead of "Adapted-Out", he was never "[[{{Inverted|Trope}} Adapted-In]]" to the side stories' universe in the first place. In ''Doki Doki Literature Club Plus'', an e-mail from one of the developers that created the Doki Doki universe reveals the side stories that took place in a separate control universe that they also created. It also reveals that the Main Character doesn't exist at all in the side stories' universe, as they never created him in either one. Someone else created him in the main universe. That developer suspects Monika did after she became self-aware, as an attempt to get in touch with the "user" (presumably the player). Sayori in the first side story does briefly reference him by mentioning a friend who likes anime, but perhaps a reference doesn't count as an actual character given the nature of things taking place in a pre-programmed artificial universe.

'''Dan Salvato:''' MC is the nameless, faceless self-insert character that you find so commonly in romance games. His main purpose is for the girls to interact with you. It's true that you can discover a few details about his life, but he's deliberately given little to no focus compared to everyone else.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Not so much towards the other girls, but he can be a bit of a jerk toward Sayori as he constantly criticizes her flaws such as her oversleeping, overeating, and general klutziness. He does ease up on her when she opens up to him about her depression, tells her that he will always be there for her, and hugs her at one point to emphasize that. He also very much blames himself for her suicide (not that he could do anything to prevent it because Sayori killed herself before he woke up). On another note, the player character clearly sees Sayori as a good friend and admires her greatly even before he learns about her depression. He can listen to Sayori's conversation with Monika about the Literature Club's activity for the festival, and he points out her ability to put her mind to things and make them come to life.

* VitriolicBestBuds: A largely one-sided case with Sayori, whom he pokes fun at for her behaviors and habits in a BrutalHonesty fashion. This may come across as harsher to the player (who unlike him, is just meeting Sayori) but he clearly does mean well and tries to be there for her when she reveals to him that she suffers from chronic depression, and has a HeroicBSOD when he finds her body. In turn, Sayori can poke fun at the player character, like when she chides him for staying up late and says that he is not in the napping club.
* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: Towards the end of Act 2, he essentially exits the narrative when he stops talking and no longer shows any reaction to anything. His apparent removal is not addressed like it is with the girls. Perhaps the only acknowledgement of this is Monika dismissing him as irrelevant next to you, the player. This is partially averted when he seamlessly returns for Act 4, but the final ending doesn't shed much light on his ultimate fate (if any).

* AmbiguousSituation: The player knows ''that'' Sayori tried to tear at the rope to free herself, but it is not clear why. Monika gives two probable explanations: Sayori either [[MidSuicideRegret changed her mind a few seconds in but was too late]], or it was her survival instinct kicking in. There's even a third option: she didn't try to free herself, but Monika altered the code bloody her hands to give the protagonist some solace in that she died trying.

* AmbiguousSituation: The player knows ''that'' Sayori tried to tear at the rope to free herself, but it is not clear why. Monika gives two probable explanations: Sayori either [[MidSuicideRegret changed her mind a few seconds in but was too late]], or it was her survival instinct kicking in.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Largely one-sided on the player character's end, as it is he who would typically make very blunt remarks, but the dynamic is still present. Sayori is capable of sassing back at him, like flatly telling him that his poem is ''terrible'' if he writes one she does not like, startling him awake and then chiding him for falling asleep in the club.

* VitriolicBestBuds: A largely one-sided case with Sayori, whom he pokes fun at for her behaviors and habits in a BrutalHonesty fashion. This may come across as harsher to the player (who unlike him, is just meeting Sayori) but he clearly does mean well and tries to be there for her when she reveals to him that she suffers from chronic depression, and has a HeroicBSOD when he finds her body. In turn, Sayori can poke fun at the player character, like when she chides him for staying up late and that he is not in the napping club.

* BladeEnthusiast: Despite her shy demeanor, Yuri has a secret fascination with exotic knives. While this is just an oddity in Act 1, in Act 2 it gets recontextualized as [[spoiler:her being a [[SelfHarm cutter]]]].

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Monika can recall a time when Yuri once snuck a small bottle of wine and offered it to the class in an attempt to be nice. Sayori got really mad and yelled at her for it, and apparently, it made Yuri much more reserved in the clubroom.

** On a lighter note, Sayori may be ditzy, but the player character suggests that she might not be as oblivious as she seems. Sayori tricked Natsuki into baking cupcakes so that the player character could come over, and she attempted to trick him into buying her a snack (that the player character manages to catch her implies that she had done this before). In addition, she can be serious if she needs to, which the player character finds surprising. Sayori easily defuses an argument between Yuri and Natsuki about their poetic styles, and the player character can listen in on a serious conversation between Sayori and Monika about what the literature club should do for the festival.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Largely one-sided on the player character's end, as it is he who would typically make very blunt remarks. However, Sayori could also sass back at him if she wants to, like when she startles him and then rebukes him for falling asleep.

* TechnicianVersusPerformer: She's the performer to Yuri's technician with her preference for simple but expressive word choices that communicate their main idea plainly.

** She says some perverted things as she undergoes SanitySlippage, like saying that she masturbates using the pen stolen from the player character, and even before Act 2, her preferred words in the poem game include "Lust" and "Pleasure." Monika also suggests she self-harms out of a bizarre sexual fetish, but since Monika is both responsible for the MindRape and wants you to stay away from the other girls, she could be deliberately trying to make Yuri look worse.

* InnocentlyInsensitive: She sometimes comes across as condescending or pretentious without truly meaning to, which of course, gets Natsuki's back up. This is flipped round in Act 2, where Monika's tampering makes her openly vindictive. Her accidental insensitivity is present in the side stories too, though in this case, she and the other girls succeed in working it out.

* {{Leitmotif}}: Yuri's version of "Okay, Everyone!" features significantly different instrumentals compared to her classmates' themes. Her version features a cello and harp to symbolise her sophisticated nature and poetic style. In the side stories, her leitmotif is ''Lavender Mist'' (which is a remix of ''Play With Me'', which, according to Dan Salvato, is technically her own leitmotif), a tranquil violin piece.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Not so much towards the other girls, but he can be a bit of a jerk toward Sayori as he constantly criticizes her flaws such as her oversleeping, overeating, and general klutziness. He does ease up on her when she opens up to him about her depression, tells her that he will always be there for her, and hugs her at one point to emphasize that. He also very much blames himself for her suicide (not that he could do anything to prevent it because Sayori killed herself before he woke up). Even before he learns about her depression, the player character clearly sees her as a good friend and admires her greatly. He can listen to Sayori's conversation with Monika about the Literature Club's activity for the festival, and he admires her for her ability to put her mind to things and make them come to life.

* OutOfFocus: As the game goes on, he starts contributing less to the story and eventually more or less vanishes from the story after Yuri's suicide. On a meta note, he's also the only character in the game to never appear in any official merchandise.

* ShesGotLegs: The player character [[EatingTheEyeCandy notes]] that while she seems timid, she has a kind of grace to her, most probably because of her long legs.

She is your {{Childhood Friend|s}}, who invites you to the Literature Club. Sayori has a bright, vibrant personality, [[CuteClumsyGirl even if she can get a little klutzy]].

* HairIntakes: Averted. The other girls have their hair styled this way, but Sayori is the only girl whose hair is not.

* BeigeProse: Compared to Yuri's style, Natsuki's poetry is shorter, with simpler words and fewer descriptions. She ends up disagreeing with Yuri about this, leading to an argument on the second day. This argument also happens in the side stories (with Monika trying and [[EpicFail epically failing]] to moderate the discussion), but the two manage to work it out on their own terms later.

* VitriolicBestBuds: {{Deconstructed}} with Natsuki's previous friend group, introduced in the UpdatedReRelease. Dan Salvato says that her previous friend group normally teases each other and is not necessarily trying to bully her; they're just stuck in that dynamic. However, Natsuki takes their teasing ''hard'', but she could not speak up about it because it goes against what they normally do. This is a major reason why she is a {{tsundere}}, being defensive and having a hard time expressing her emotions because of her past experiences. [[spoiler:Once Natsuki found more considerate friends in the Literature Club, she decides to cut ties with her old friend group]].

** She says some perverted things as she undergoes SanitySlippage, even saying that she masturbates using the pen stolen from the player character, and even before Act 2, her preferred words in the poem game include "Lust" and "Pleasure." Monika also suggests she self-harms out of a bizarre sexual fetish. However, since Monika is both responsible for the MindRape and wants you to stay away from the other girls, Monika could be deliberately trying to make Yuri look worse.

* DiggingYourselfDeeper: At one point in Act 2, Yuri mentions that her mind has been hyperactive lately, so she had to take it out on a pen she took from you. Then, she catches what she was saying and stumbles in attempting to clarify what she meant but ends up making the comment sound more awkward.

* ShrinkingViolet: She's particularly timid, ApologisesALot, and puts herself down frequently. However, she tends to get assertive when she has a clear opinion and opens up rather easily when talking about subjects she likes, especially literary analysis and critique.

* {{Bishonen}}: The official DDLC+ sketch of him depicts him like this if he were an ''actual'' character.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Not so much towards the other girls, but he can be a bit of a jerk toward Sayori as he constantly criticizes her flaws such as her oversleeping, overeating, and general klutziness. He does ease up on her when she opens up to him about her depression, tells her that he will always be there for her, and hugs her at one point to emphasize that. He also very much blames himself for her suicide (not that he could do anything to prevent it because Sayori killed herself before he woke up). Even before he learns about her depression, the player character clearly cares for her. He can listen to Sayori's conversation with Monika about the Literature Club's activity for the festival, and he admires her for her ability to put her mind to things and make them come to life.

[[index]]
* [[Characters/DokiDokiLiteratureClubMonika Monika]]
[[/index]]

* {{Ecchi}}: The side stories imply, rather amusingly, that she has some in amongst her manga collection. When she offers to let Sayori pick a manga to read, we get this exchange:

* IJustWantToHaveFriends: And she's visibly worried about fading into the background if more people were to join the club. In the side stories, she sticks with and defends her other (rather malicious) friend group for quite some time and has a panic attack even after deciding to cut them out of her life.

** On a more comical note, Natsuki indulges Sayori's sweet cravings and gives her a cookie. She ''was'' originally going to simply hand it to her, but she overheard Sayori admit that she tricked Natsuki into making cupcakes so that the player character could come over, so she chucks the cookie at her instead. She thought it was worth seeing Sayori's bemused reaction.

* SirSwearsALot: Probably the most foul-mouthed character. She says that she would be "pissed" if the player character only came to the literature club for the cupcakes, curses Monika for moving around her manga collection, and once calls Yuri a "wannabe edgy bitch" during one of their fights over poetic style.

* SelfHarm: Yuri is revealed to have a habit of cutting herself. It's unclear if this was going to be part of her route to begin with or if it's Monika's influence that created this habit. Yuri's Raccoon poem suggests the former, while the fact that it doesn't come up in the Side Stories suggests the latter. Also of note is that on Monika's Twitter account (as well as the DDLC+ gallery), there's one picture of Monika and Yuri having a sleepover, which shows both of Yuri's arms uncovered and without any visible injuries.

* {{Yandere}}: Subverted. She only develops tendencies once Monika exaggerates her personality. She might have obsessive tendencies to begin with, but it just got amplified. Act 1 and the Side Stories show that Yuri is more of a {{Dandere}} who is only obsessed with her hobbies at worst -- and even then, "obsessed" may be a bit of a strong word.

** After Yuri stabs herself to death, he suffers a massive one, so much so that that it leaves him catatonic for the entire weekend. Of course, this only applies if you interpret the scene with him as a character being present as opposed to the game glitching while he's essentially stopped existing.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Not so much towards the other girls, but he can be a bit of a jerk toward Sayori as he constantly criticizes her flaws such as her oversleeping, overeating, and general klutziness. He does ease up on her when she opens up to him about her depression, tells her that he will always be there for her, and hugs her at one point to emphasize that. He also very much blames himself for her suicide (not that he could do anything to prevent it because Sayori killed herself before he woke up). Even before he learns about her depression, the player character can listen to Sayori's conversation with Monika about the Literature Club's activity for the festival. He then says he admires her for her ability to put her mind to things and make them come to life.

** In a brief scene in the sixth Side Story, Yuri slaps her own cheek and then "turns red and stares into her lap, unable to hide a smile". This could imply pain turns her on, perhaps coinciding with her cutting.

* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Is stated multiple times to be the youngest member of the Literature Club, and is also noted to be a first-year student at their school, indicating that the other club members are second or third-year students.

[[Characters/DokiDokiLiteratureClubMonika Monika]]

Monika has her own page [[Characters/DokiDokiLiteratureClubMonika here]].

* CryCute: She may be a harsh Tsundere, but whenever she cries, she reveals her softer side.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Under Monika's influence, Natsuki's father's abuse upgrades from emotional to physical, and Natsuki begins to display some symptoms of [[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/post-traumatic-stress-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20355967 PTSD]], chiefly heightened aggression and irritability.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Yuri is initially presented as a ShrinkingViolet, albeit with strong opinions when prompted about literature. As she gets more tampered with, she exhibits symptoms of Borderline Personality Disorder: obsessiveness (both towards [[StalkerWithACrush the player character]] and her interests), SelfHarm, bizarre sexual behavior, [[NervousWreck anxiety episodes]], and mania-like symptoms. Despite this, she is [[ReluctantPsycho aware of her behavior, but unable to stop it]]. It's unclear how much of this is influenced by Monika's MindRape, but it's implied that she had elements of this from the beginning. It's also mentioned that she in the past drove people away 'due to coming on too strongly'. Overall it seems isolation is a theme with her.

* AmbiguousDisorder: Sayori shows signs of [[https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/persistent-depressive-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20350929 Persistent Depressive Disorder]]: Feelings of emptiness, tiredness, disordered eating, and sleep problems.

* BewareTheNiceOnes: Monika can recall a time when Yuri once snuck a small bottle of wine and offered it to the class in an attempt to be nice. Sayori got really mad and yelled at her for it, and apparently it made Yuri much more reserved in the clubroom.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Suggested by the player character more than once, both to himself and others, that Sayori probably isn't nearly as oblivious as she might seem and can actually be quite crafty, has total understanding of her actions, surroundings, and the feelings of other people. When you consider that a lot of her more clumsy and airheaded moments are a result of her depression (or perhaps even an act for the player character, whom she knows likes to look after her) and that she intentionally puts up a carefree, Genki girl facade so that no one would know what was really going on in her head, he turns out to be quite right.
* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: The first sign that something is wrong is that she seems quiet and distant, even leaving the club meeting early. It's her depression acting up so badly she can't even pretend to be happy anymore.

* {{Tritagonist}}: Her causing the [=MC=] to join the club kicks off the plot, her suicide is the game's big WhamShot that turns the game from a harem comedy to a psychological horror game, she becomes the Club President after Monika has her HeelRealization, and her actions after becoming the president (influenced by whether or not the player [[GuideDangIt does the right things]]) determine whether the game has a BittersweetEnding or DownerEnding.

* AnimalMotifs: Cats. She is introduced having baked cupcakes shaped like little cats. Like a cat, she is small, [[CatsAreMean mean]], called cute by others, and shows fangs. Her casual outfit even includes a cat logo on the shirt.
* TheBabyOfTheBunch: Is stated multiple times to be the youngest member of the Literature Club, and is also noted to be a first-year student at their school, indicating that the other club members are second- or third-year students.

* ClingyJealousGirl: Downplayed, but in her route, she briefly worries when the Main Character says he's been thinking about Sayori. She quickly realizes that he's worrying about Sayori's wellbeing and calms down, but still chides him to word his sentences more carefully next time.

* SweetBaker: She is introduced as the girl who made cupcakes in anticipation of the player character's arrival, and the game hammers in how it's not only her baking that is sweet and cutesy, but that she is too. Despite her Tsundere ways, she proves to be a secret sweetheart who writes cute, simple poems, reads cute slice of life manga, and cares deeply for her friends.

* TookALevelInJerkass: In Act 2, she goes from a simple Tsundere to someone who has moments of full-on verbal abuse. Her argument with Yuri has her make a mocking joke about Yuri's {{Self Harm}}ing to her face. If you write a poem Natsuki doesn't like, she tells you to leave if you're not taking the club seriously. While it's not outright stated, it's implied that Monika is exaggerating her negative personality traits too. Ironically, despite this, she's actually one of the more stable members of the club. It's worth mentioning is that she actually seems to calm down in Act 4.

* WithFriendsLikeThese: The side stories effectively replace her abusive father with an abusive friend group who regularly bully and demean her.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: A very subtle example. In Act 1, Yuri wears a long-sleeved sweater, which doesn't mean much, until you wonder why she is wearing something so warm in the first place. Then, when the protaginist leaves and comes back, the player notices her rolling her sleeves back down, as if she were checking something on her wrist. At first it means nothing, but when Act 2 hits you start to realize what those meant...

* {{Keigo}}: The Japanese translation have her using formal linguistics at all times. The moment she drops her politeness and speaks bluntly, it's clear that ''something'' is wrong.

* ParalysisByAnalysis: She has a tendency to overthink everything. It's treated as an endearing trait in Act 1. It's then played for horror when Monika rewrites it into a full-blown obsession in Act 2.

* SelfHarm: Yuri is revealed to have a habit of cutting herself. It's unclear if this was going to be part of her route to begin with or if it's Monika's influence that created this habit. Yuri's Raccoon poem suggests the former, while the fact that it doesn't come up in the Side Stories suggest the latter. Also of note is that on Monika's Twitter account (as well as the DDLC+ gallery), there's one picture of Monika and Yuri having a sleepover, which shows both of Yuri's arms uncovered and without any visible injuries.

The player character, a generic Japanese high school student with typical otaku interests. His introduction into the Literature Club is what drives the story. [[HelloInsertNamehere You decide his name]].

* AscendedExtra: A retroactive example in the side stories of ''Plus''. He was only mentioned in a passing comment by Sayori of being the "friend" that likes anime, and with him being the "Main Character" in the main game while the side stories chronologically take place before that, it would be an obvious reference. However, as revealed by the developers, he was never supposed to exist as a "character" in the first place, since they believed that Monika was responsible for cobbling together a "fifth entity" (i.e. him) for the actual players to interact with her. Meaning that while he does "technically" exist by virtue of Sayori's mentioning, he's no more than TheGhost used for flavoring[=/=]lore purposes.

* TheFaceless: Only once do we even see him onscreen, when Sayori hugs him toward the end of Act 1, and only the back of his head is seen. All we can see is that he has short brown hair. A possible foreshadowing of the fact that he is not truly an AudienceSurrogate, although it could just as well be explained by his ''being'' a supposed audience surrogate. ''DDLC Plus'' does have a piece of unlockable artwork showing what he would have looked like (from torso up), however.

* HaremSeeker: A minor case. Even if you the player are focused on another girl, he will still have an obvious moment with whichever girl comes round to his house to help with the festival preparations. No doubt, walking out just in time to see them nearly kiss does no good for Sayori's already shattered confidence.

* JerkWithAHeartOfGold:
** Not so much towards the other girls, but he can be a bit of a jerk toward Sayori as he constantly criticizes her flaws such as her oversleeping, overeating, and general klutziness. He does ease up on her when she opens up to him about her depression and tells her that he will always be there for her and hugs her at one point to emphasize that. He very much blames himself for her suicide.
** Even before she opens up to him about her depression, the player character can listen to Sayori's conversation with Monika about the Literature Club's activity for the festival. He then says he admires her for her ability to put her mind to things and make them come to life.

** Ive is [[GeniusBonus also]] the Firisian form of Ivo, which means "yew tree". In some cultures such as Celtic, the yew tree symbolizes death and rebirth. Acts 1, 2 and 3 eventually kill off the girls, while Act 4 has Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri brought back to life, only for Monika or Sayori to delete the game.

* TheGhost: None of them are shown onscreen. All that the player learns about them is from their text-based messages to one another.

** The developers suspect they themselves are in an artificial universe too, and one of the reasons for the experiment in the first place was to find a way to deal with it.

* AscendedExtra: A poem rather than a character in this case - in Sayori’s scene from Day 2, she recites part of a poem to the player, the content of which subtly foreshadows her inner conflict. In the side stories the poem reappears in full, revealing that Sayori wrote it herself and that it is about why she tries so hard to make other people happy.

** On a lighter note, Sayori may be ditzy, but the player character suggests that she might not be as oblivious as she seems. Sayori tricked Natsuki into baking cupcakes so that the player character could come over and attempting to trick him into buying her a snack, indicating that she has some social cunning. In addition, she can be serious if she needs to, which the player character finds surprising. Sayori easily defuses an argument between Yuri and Natsuki about their poetic styles, and the player character can listen in on a serious conversation between Sayori and Monika about what the literature club should do for the festival.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: A very subtle example. In Act 1, Yuri wears a long-sleeved swear, which doesn't mean much, until you wonder why she is wearing something so warm in the first place. Then, when the protaginist leaves and comes back, the player notices her rolling her sleeves back down, as if she were checking something on her wrist. At first it means nothing, but when Act 2 hits you start to realize what those meant...

* {{Foreshadowing}}: A very subtle example. In Act 1, Yuri wears a long-sleeved swear, which doesn't mean much, until you wonder why she is wearing something so warm in the first place. Then, when the protaginist leaves and comes back, the player notices her rolling her sleeves back down, as if she were checking something on her wrist. At first it means nothing, but when Act 2 hits you start to realize what those meant...

* {{Forshadowing}}: A very subtle example. In Act 1, Yuri wears a long-sleeved swear, which doesn't mean much, until you wonder why she is wearing something so warm in the first place. Then, when the protaginist leaves and comes back, the player notices her rolling her sleeves back down, as if she were checking something on her wrist. At first it means nothing, but when Act 2 hits you start to realize what those meant...

** Ive is also the Firisian form of Ivo, which means "yew tree". In some cultures such as Celtic, the yew tree symbolizes death and rebirth. Acts 1, 2 and 3 eventually kill off the girls, while Act 4 has Sayori, Natsuki and Yuri brought back to life, only for Monika or Sayori to delete the game.

* FunPersonified: She hums to herself, dances through the corridors like no one's watching, and directs much of her energy towards making other people smile, mostly because she considers their happiness much more important than her own.
** In the side stories, it occasionally backfires when (as she freely admits) she has trouble being serious, including situations that might actually warrant it.

* HiddenDepths: Yuri has plenty of words that tend to be darker in tone in the poem minigame... but so does Sayori, of all characters. It's {{Foreshadowing}} that she's been living with chronic depression for most of her life.

* ObfuscatingStupidity: Suggested by the MC more than once, both to himself and others, that Sayori probably isn't nearly as oblivious as she might seem and can actually be quite crafty, has total understanding of her actions, surroundings, and the feelings of other people. When you consider that a lot of her more clumsy and airheaded moments are a result of her depression (or perhaps even an act for the MC, whom she knows likes to look after her) and that she intentionally puts up a carefree, Genki girl facade so that no one would know what was really going on in her head, he turns out to be quite right.

%%* BigGuyLittleGuy: With Yuri. - How?

** It's safe to infer that her Tsundere nature isn't just her being unable to spit out that she has a crush on the protagonist, but that she has a defensive streak to her personality from being judged by her classmates and being abused at home.

* {{Tsundere}}: She's feisty, she's [[BrutalHonesty blunt]], and she clearly has a crush on the protagonist. Possibly amplified by Monika, as it's more evident in Acts 1 and 2 than in Act 4, where she's more welcoming to the protagonist. The protagonist lampshades this:

* ADateWithRosiePalms: At one point in Act 2, when you give her a poem that she likes, she says that she will take it to her room and masturbate to it repeatedly. In addition, when she has become a full-blown Yandere and confesses her love for you, she says she uses the pen she took from you early on.

%%* BigGuyLittleGuy: With Natsuki. - How?
* BladeEnthusiast: Despite her shy demeanor, Yuri has a secret fascination with exotic knives. While this is just an oddity in Act 1, in Act 2 it gets recontextualized as [[spoiler:her being a [[SelfHarm cutter]]]]

* CovertPervert: She says some perverted things as she undergoes SanitySlippage, even saying that she masturbates using the pen stolen from the player character, and even before Act 2, her preferred words in the poem game include "Lust" and "Pleasure." Monika also suggests she self-harms out of a bizarre sexual fetish. However, since Monika is both responsible for the MindRape and wants you to stay away from the other girls, Monika could be deliberately trying to make Yuri look worse.

* {{Fetish}}: Her cutting herself is suggested to be one. Monika tells the player to stop pursuing her because they're "enabling" her by being a trigger for it. It's unclear how true this is since the person telling you this is Monika, who has reason to make Yuri look bad. However, if it is, it'd be one possible explanation as to why Yuri stabs herself even if you accept her confession. Even if it was true at that point, it might have only been true after Monika tampered with her mind.

* NervousWreck: It's implied Yuri has some kind of anxiety issues, based off [[ShrinkingViolet her shyness]], her tendency to overthink things and second guess herself, and her fear of coming off bad socially, in part due to her odd interests. During her SanitySlippage, she mentions she keeps feeling like something bad is going to happen, even while confessing to the player character. Some of the things she describes (loud breathing, pounding heart, etc.) both describe the feelings of obsessive love and an anxiety episode as well. This is one of many factors that could have contributed to her suicide.
** She fairly explicitly has anxiety (both social and general) in the side stories as well, though this allows her to know exactly how to help when she sees Natsuki having a panic attack.

* SelfHarm: Yuri is revealed to have a habit of cutting herself. It's unclear if this was going to be part of her route to begin with or if it's Monika's influence that created this habit. Yuri's Raccoon poem suggests the former, while the fact that it doesn't come up in the Side Stories suggest the latter.
** Also of note is that on Monika's Twitter account (as well as the DDLC+ gallery), there's one picture of Monika and Yuri having a sleepover, which shows both of Yuri's arms uncovered and without any visible injuries.

* BlankSlate: Despite having his own personality and traits, the Main Character is ultimately nothing more than an avatar for the Players to navigate in the story. WordOfGod even confirms this in an anniversary stream on ''[[https://www.twitch.tv/dansalvato/clip/MiniatureDirtyDragonMVGame Twitch]]'' and his Reddit post.
-->'''Dan Salvato:''' I don't imagine him as a character in the same way as the other characters. He's just a blank slate that says whatever is convenient.\\\

* {{Jerkass}}: What he seems to consider playful teasing toward Sayori tends to make a lot of players uncomfortable because of how rude and mean it actually is. At times, he can even sounds outright abusive with his reactions to her words and action, such as when she admits to him feeling depressed due to her fear of being TheLoad for her friends... and he reacts by telling her how learning about that just know makes ''[[ItsAllAboutMe him]]'' [[ItsAllAboutMe feel betrayed]].
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Not so much toward the other girls, but he can be a bit of a jerk toward Sayori as he constantly criticizes her flaws such as her oversleeping, overeating, and general klutziness. He does ease up on her when she opens up to him about her depression and tells her that he will always be there for her and hugs her at one point to emphasize that. He very much blames himself for her suicide.
** Even before she opens up to him about her depression, the player character can listen to Sayori's conversation with Monika about their activity for the festival. He then says he admires her for her ability to put her mind to things and make them come to life.

* AmbiguousGender: Paula is the only one of them who has a confirmed gender, since she's identified with female pronouns in the Developers' messages. Everyone else doesn't get this treatment.

* SweaterGirl: As seen in the above picture, she wears a sweater when meeting with the protagonist outside of school to work on the festival decorations. However, it probably isn't just subtle fanservice. Notice that it has long sleeves...

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sayori.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Bundle of Sunshine.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/natzuki.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Cute on the Outside.]]

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/yuri_5.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Maiden of Mystery.]]

[[caption-width-right:319:A sketch of what he'd look like if he were an actual character, as of [=DDLC Plus=].]]