History NightmareFuel / KidIcarus

* Another enemy, Erinus, is a cloaked monster that makes its home in the final stage, where it paces around and gesticulates its hands, occassionally firing a projectile at Pit. If shot, Erinus splits into three pieces, which then float across the screen a la paper, threatening to ram into Pit - all while the monster's two-frame gesticulating animation continues to play. Although the effect was probably intended to be humorous (and ''[[CrossesTheLineTwice is]]'', depending on your perspective), the idea of getting split into three pieces while still living and moving is [[BodyHorror none too pleasant]].

* Another enemy, Erinus, is a cloaked monster that makes its home in the final stage, where it paces around and gesticulates its hands, occassionally firing a projectile at Pit. If shot, Erinus splits into three pieces, which then float across the screen a la paper, threatening to ram into Pit - all while the monster's two-frame gesticulating animation continues to play. Although the effect was probably intended to be humorous (and ''[[ActuallyPrettyFunny is]]'', depending on your perspective), the idea of getting split into three pieces while still living and moving is [[BodyHorror none too pleasant]].

!! ''VideoGame/KidIcarus''

[[quoteright:231:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1ecc8157d7976f06fe0a918bd1f58369.png]]
[[caption-width-right:231:''Do do do do dooo [[HellIsThatNoise doooo]] '''[[OneHitKill doooooo]]'''...'']]

The ''Kid Icarus'' series is another reminder that just because a series looks cute doesn't mean it doesn't have [[NightmareFuel scary moments]].

!! ''VideoGame/KidIcarusUprising''
[[AC:General]]
* Clubberskulls. While the rest of the enemies are UglyCute at worst, Clubberskulls resemble walking human hearts with one eye in the middle. Oh, and they're one of the strongest enemies in the game.
** Similarly, the Forces of Nature has the Clobbler, which is the counterpart to the Clubberskull. At first glance, it looks like a cute little walking flower... until Pit foolishly attacks it. At which point, it morphs into a [[EldritchAbomination puffy, monstrous...]] [[EldritchAbomination ''thing'']] with multiple eyes and attacks Pit in a rage. Like the Clubberskull, it's one of the toughest enemies in the game. And according to its idol description, once angered, it takes ''three days'' for it to calm down.
* The Orne, pictured on the right. Besides the fact that this enemy will OneHitKill you if you touch it: an ominous 8-bit song plays when it's present, the screen shakes when it gets close, skulls pop out of its mouth whenever it screams, and according to its idol, anyone who touches it has their mind shattered before dying. Some Ornes will move in a pattern, making them simple enough to avoid if you take the time to watch their movements, but others will chase you--slowly, yes, but stall long enough and the next thing you'll see is a destroyed LifeMeter. Your only comfort is that you can destroy them with the Three Sacred Treasures in Chapter 9 and Chapter 23. The Ornes also appear in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. for 3DS and Wii U'', as if ''one'' game of them appearing was bad enough.
* The Tempura Wizard. He's like the Eggplant Wizard, except he turns Pit into a giant tempura that's constantly tired and chases after him, his single eye morphing into a colossal, hungry mouth. If he catches Pit, he is [[ToServeMan devo]][[ImAHumanitarian ured]] [[EatenAlive alive]] for a OneHitKill!
* Mimicuties and Pandora's Boxes are both potent forms of ParanoiaFuel. The former is a ChestMonster that looks harmless at first glance, but attacks with powerful kicks if you get too close. It's also [[DemonicSpiders one of the toughest enemies in the game]]. The latter also looks harmless, but will unleash a flurry of energy blasts when opened. Pit lampshades the scariness of Mimicuties in Chapter 15, when he encounters several in a row and screams for his life each time he comes across one. And then there are chests that have no loot and are used as bait for trap rooms. The worst part of all this is that [[TrialAndErrorGameplay there is no way to tell which chests are harmless unless you open them]].
* The game does not stop you from shooting forces that have allied with you (e.g. Forces of Nature and Underworld troops in the Aurum arc) if they have target markers over them, and will even [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential reward you for it]]. If you're trying to ''not'' shoot them, it's easy to do so by accident if actual enemies are present.
* While most of the villains in ''Uprising'' are lovable, quirky, and outright [[LaughablyEvil hilarious]], two of them [[VileVillainSaccharineShow manage to be a cut above the rest in terms of sheer evil.]]
** [[EverybodyHatesHades Hades]], [[GodOfEvil the God of the Underworld]]. While he's definitely entertaining, he also proves to be one of the most evil characters in the game. He's an endlessly cruel and sadistic being with a warped sense of humor and [[LackOfEmpathy total disregard for all life]] who views other beings as mere playthings. He [[TheChessmaster masterminded the entire plot of the game]], [[ManipulativeBastard tricking the humans into fighting each other]] over a fake Wish Seed, all to [[YourSoulIsMine harvest their souls]]. It's later revealed that he uses the collected souls to either [[TheHeartless create his underworld monsters]] or to eat them, an act that [[CessationOfExistence removes them from existence entirely]]. He reveals in death and destruction and gleefully admits that it's his idea of a [[ForTheEvulz good time]]. Even when he [[EnemyMine helps out during the Aurum Arc]], he can't resist taking opportunities to [[EvilIsPetty torment Pit]], and he openly admits that the only reason he's helping is that so he can [[PragmaticVillainy have the Earth]] [[ItsAllAboutMe to himself]].
** The [[ChaosIsEvil Chaos Kin]]. A malevolent, parasitic manifestation of chaos and evil that is mindlessly driven by a singular desire to [[OmnicidalManiac spread anarchy and disorder]]. It resembles a grotesque mix of a [[BigCreepyCrawlies scorpion, spider, and a moth]]. It can [[DemonicPossession possess its victims]] and [[YourSoulIsMine feed on their souls]] while controlling them. It was once [[SealedEvilInACan sealed in the Lunar Sanctum]] by Viridi prior to the game. Having been [[NiceJobBreakingItHero inadvertently freed by Pit]], the beast possesses Palutena and has her seal Pit's soul in a ring while using Pit's lifeless body to attack the human world. [[NearVillainVictory In the span of three years, it managed to do more damage to the world]] than even ''Hades'', and unlike him, [[KnightOfCerebus it has no humorous traits to detract from its villainy]].

[[AC:Medusa Arc]]
* Chapter 1, Twinbellows's [[http://www.kidicaruswiki.org/images/7/75/Twinbellows_Artwork.jpg design]] in this game is quite frightening compared to his 8-bit version.
* Chapter 2.
** Dark Lord Gaol looks quite intimidating due to his NonStandardCharacterDesign, looking like a FinalBoss out of a RPG game. His [[VoiceOfTheLegion demonic voice]] does not help. The scariness goes away at the end when Gaol is revealed to be a human woman and a close friend of Magnus who was brainwashed by the Underworld. She later appears in Ch 24 to help test Pit for the Great Sacred Treasure.
** Magnus's backstory has a bit of AdultFear in it. It's implied he became a mercenary because he lost a child to the Underworld Forces.
* Chapter 4
** The chapter is part StealthBasedMission, with several hallways where you try to sneak past Reapers patrolling the area, under threat of a Reaper ass-kicking if you get caught. Most of the scare comes from the suspense.
** The chapter also introduces us to the [[KingMook Great Reaper]]. When first encountered, it looks like a regular reaper, but the moment it spots Pit, it quickly reveals its true form, which is massive and much more intimidating. Also, according to its idol description, it gained its strength by eating souls.
* Chapter 5
** Pandora's Labyrinth of Deceit, a maze with an unsettling ArtShift full of [[AlienGeometries textureless polygons]] that would not be out of place in a UsefulNotes/SuperNES game using the Super FX chip. The Labyrinth also messes with Pit's and Palutena's senses, showing a [[MoodWhiplash cheerful landscape]] before suddenly blacking it out and revealing that they're still trapped inside. The threat of running out of the Power of Flight is encountered for the first time here, thanks to Pit and Palutena coming across several dead ends trying to find a landing point, although fortunately no such scenario happens.
** During the invisible path section, there's an easy-to-reach chest. [[SchmuckBait Feel free to open it]]...if you can outrun the Orne that [[JumpScare pops up out of nowhere]] when you approach it.
* The Air Battle of Chapter 7 has Pit flying through a parted ocean by Lord Poseidon to get to the Seafloor Palace where Thanatos resides. There, Pit comes across the remains of a human city. When Palutena asks what happened, Poseidon calmly says that he sunk it long ago when the humans got too unruly. It's a cruel reminder that the gods in this game are capable of turning on humanity at any time. At the least, he's more calm about it than Viridi. (See below)
* Chapter 8 has the [[http://www.kidicaruswiki.org/images/b/b0/GalacticKraken_artwork.png Space Kraken]], a monstrous squid that inhabits the Galactic Sea that eats practically anything. The monster [[EstablishingCharacterMoment makes its entrance by eating the Space Pirate Captain]] before turning its sights on Pit.
* Chapter 9
** The Underworld Castle, Medusa's base of operations, is a hellish, gothic nightmare factory filled with Clubberskulls, Ornes, Tempura Wizards, AlienGeometries, and all other sorts of nasty surprises.
** The final battle with Medusa. After taking extensive damage, Medusa is forced to use her full strength and reveals her true hideous appearance before '''''ripping her head off her body and sending it flying after Pit!''''' The final leg of the fight is Pit being chased by her ''living, decapitated head'' as it fires lasers from its eye and dark energy blasts.
** Hades revealing himself by literally ripping the credits away. It's PlayedForLaughs mostly, but given the NoFourthWall nature of the game, it's more like TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou.
---> '''Hades:''' ''(during the fake credits)'' "[[WhamLine Now wait]] [[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle just a second!]]"
* Chapter 10:
** Phoenix Mountain. A hellish volcanic region that, according to its idol description, is so hot that it's nearly uninhabitable. The only reason Pit is able to venture there is due to Palutena's Power of Cooling.
** Hades's story as to why he wants the Wish Seed. He claims he wants to use the Wish Seed to revive a girl's parents, who he killed in a chariot accident. The story is [[BlatantLies completely false]], of course. But it's the casual way he talks about it that makes it so frightening. The fact that he can so freely talk about killing someone, accidental or not, is truly horrifying and shows how much respect for life he lacks.
** TheReveal that the Wish Seed is a fake and Hades had spread the rumor about it to tempt the humans into attacking the Phoenix. By the time Pit and Palutena realize this, it's far too late to turn back. [[XanatosGambit If Pit defeats the Phoenix, the humans will go to war with each other. If Pit spares the Phoenix, it will attack humanity itself. Either way, millions will die and Hades will get more souls for his realm]].

[[AC:Forces of Nature Arc]]
* In Chapter 11:
** Seeing human armies savagely destroy each other over the [[AppleOfDiscord fake Wish Seed]] is simultaneously terrifying and [[TearJerker depressing]], and reminds the player that HumansAreBastards. In a way, it's basically World War III!
---> '''Pit:''' It's like they've lost their humanity and all that's left is...brutality!
** The result of the Reset Bomb: The blast radius is turned into a purple, sickly-looking spherical forest full of monsters, with some humans still alive and bound up.
** The Reset Bomb in general. It is, for all intents and purposes, the ''Kid Icarus'' equivalent of the ''[[WeaponOfMassDestruction Atomic Bomb!]]'' And the one controlling it is a genocidal nature goddess who views humanity in the worst possible light and will not hesitate to use it when she feels it necessary. Who knows how many people were killed by the blast.
** Viridi's EstablishingCharacterMoment. After dropping her Reset Bomb and killing nearly the ''entire human army'', Viridi's AstralProjection appears, ''[[InLoveWithYourCarnage gleefully laughing at the destruction she caused]].'' Makes it hard to believe that this is the same character that would end up pulling a HeelFaceTurn later in the game.

[[AC:Invasion Arc]]
* Chapters 15-17 introduce us to the Aurum. Having fought Underworld and Forces of Nature troops, the Aurum in contrast are creepy, soulless, [[AlienGeometries geometric abominations]] that try to make copies of the aforementioned factions' troops, and they seek to [[PlanetEater devour the Earth and everything in it]].
* In Chapter 17,
** Palutena tries to bring Pit out after Pyrrhon takes over the Aurum Brain, but it doesn't work! As Pit goes beyond the 5-minute time limit for the Power of Flight, he almost falls hundreds of kilometers out of the sky to his death. Thankfully, he's caught by Viridi's forces carrying a platform.
** The original platform to Pyrrhon. It's piloted by noble centurions that can be killed if they take heavy damage. Luckily, Palutena's reserves have two extra, but if those guys go, it's a NonStandardGameOver.
** Pyrrhon nearly [[KillItWithFire frying Pit alive with a Pyroblaster]]. Had Viridi's Nutskis not performed a HeroicSacrifice, he would have been killed right then and there.
*** Pyrrhon in general in this chapter. Last two chapters, he was an affable, eccentric, somewhat egotistical fellow who seemingly wanted to help the gang, but then it's revealed that [[ManipulativeBastard he was using everyone to help him reach the Aurum Brain]] so he could [[AGodAmI take it over and control the Aurum to become the strongest God in existence]]. It's quite frightening how he was able to pull the wool over everyone's eyes while masking his true nature. It gets [[FromBadToWorse even worse]] when the [[EvilIsNotAToy Aurum Brain outwills him and retakes control]], using his fire powers to enhance the Aurum.

[[AC:Chaos Arc]]
* Chapter 18, the WhamEpisode:
** There is something seriously creepy about a little girl [[GrandTheftMe having her body hijacked by Pit]]. The music doesn't help.
** TheReveal that Pit's body has been mindlessly rampaging and slaughtering the human race for three years while his soul has been trapped in the ring. It begs the question, ''how many people were killed in those three years?''
---> '''Magnus:''' "Yesterday? Try ''[[WhamLine three years]]'', buddy!" \\
'''Magnus:''' "How's this for starters? You've become the enemy of mankind!"
** The Air Battle section. Viridi escorts Pit to Skyworld, where Pit discovers, much to his horror, that Skyworld has been turned into SceneryGorn, featuring dry, lifeless masses of land with cracked structures and a perpetually cloudy sky. At the very end of it, Pit sees Palutena, only to discover that she's apparently performed a FaceHeelTurn and tells Pit that she's tired of dealing with humans and especially with Pit. It's both terrifying and heartrending to see Pit's goddess behave like a mother snapping at her child, and for no apparent reason. The only solace is that it turns out that Palutena is BrainwashedAndCrazy, which is another kind of NF together; see the Chaos Kin entry above.
* Chapter 20. The thought of fighting Palutena's troops is terrifying, as they're [[UnwittingPawn Unwitting Pawns]] in the Chaos Kin's plan and probably have no idea what they're doing. There's also the matter of accidentally killing Palutena, which you can do if you want a NonStandardGameOver.
* Chapter 21:
** Welcome to the Chaos Vortex! It's one massive EldritchLocation that is essentially the Labyrinth of Deceit [[UpToEleven on steroids]], with [[LivingShadow Living Shadows]], clones of the Chaos Kin, and recreated enemies of all factions you've encountered so far.
** Eyes! Eyes everywhere! Watching you.
** At one point, a few Underworld troops will block the camera. Given the game's NoFourthWall nature and the Chaos Vortex's anomalous properties, it feels as if TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou.
** At the end of the Air Battle section, Pit has to finish off the Chaos Kin right as his flight time runs out, and if he fails, [[NonStandardGameOver Viridi informs Pit that she can't pull him out, leaving him trapped in the Chaos Vortex]].
** There's two freaking Ornes in the Land Battle section!
** Did you think the chapter was over? Suddenly, the Chaos Kin, with its remaining strength, drags Dark Pit off the platform, forcing Pit to risk his wings and fly down to save Dark Pit. Fail to catch Dark Pit, and [[NonStandardGameOver they're finished]]. Succeed, and Pit catches him...only to ''nearly die'' from toasting his wings.
*** And after the ordeal is over, we get a ''[[SarcasmMode lovely]]'' view of Pit's burned wings, complete with blood and bones showing.
** Palutena's soul was held captive by the Chaos Kin for three years, fighting with all of her strength to remain intact. The Chaos Kin is one of the biggest threats in the series if it can keep one of the big three gods on the verge of being completely destroyed for so long!

[[AC:Grand Finale Arc]]
* Chapter 22:
** The whole premise of the level. Pit is ''dying'' and the ''only'' way to save him is to use the Rewind Spring to heal his wings. After everything he's been through in the previous arc, it's both horrifying and heartbreaking to know TheHero of the story will die unless you help him. And it doesn't help that Hades shows up to make things a little harder for Dark Pit, as well as Pandora.
** The Soul-Eating Monster. A grotesque, whale-like creature with a multiple eyes, a [[MoreTeethThanTheOsmondFamily mouth full of razor-sharp teeth]], and sacks on its back to carry the souls it devours.
** TheReveal that Hades has been using the souls of fallen humans to either [[TheHeartless create his underworld monsters]] or to eat them, an act that [[CessationOfExistence removes them from existence entirely]]. And it takes multiple souls to create one monster. This is a being that is sadistic enough to not just kill you, but '''''torture your soul for eternity'''''. And at one point, he lusts after Dark Pit's soul.
* Chapter 23:
** The [[HopelessBossFight entire fight with Hades]], which shows just how powerful he is. At first, Pit is as confident and cocky as ever as he enters the Underworld, then [[JumpScare Hades appears out of nowhere]] and the two fight it out. However, despite being armed with the Three Sacred Treasures, [[NighInvulnerable Pit can't hurt him]]. Keep in mind, [[TheWorfBarrage these were the very weapons used to slay Medusa and they have no effect on him]]. [[OhCrap Hades then destroys the treasures]]. For the rest of the fight, Pit can barely fend off Hades until the latter swallows him whole.
** Pit gets EatenAlive by Hades and [[WombLevel has to fight his way out of Hades's innards]], full of pools of what looks like blood, gelatinous platforms, and grotesque versions of the Underworld forces. Also, Pit starts to [[GoMadFromTheIsolation lose his mind from being cut off from Palutena]]. Thankfully, it's PlayedForLaughs and he gets over it, but considering what happened to him in the previous chapters, it's not hard to assume he's really lost it.
* Chapter 25... on max difficulty. It gets insanely hard to fight Hades, especially during the BulletHell laser array, and then you have to avoid everything until Medusa comes. Oh and there's no heart containers.
----
-> ''[[GameOver I'M FINISHED!]] \\
\\
[[NightmareFuel/KidIcarus CONTINUE]] \\
[[VideoGame/KidIcarus RETURN TO MENU]]''

* The chiefest of the many examples of BodyHorror in ''Kid Icarus'' is none other than Medusa herself, who was transformed from a relatively normal-looking (even [[UglyCute somewhat]] [[CuteMonsterGirl beautiful]]) goddess into the massive, cycloptic monster seen in the game. Despite her villainy, Medusa's situation can be interpreted as somewhat [[TragicVillain tragic]], [[spoiler:especially after you get to see her original body after defeating her in the final battle]]. Never mind the [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation implications]] that ''[[BewareTheNiceOnes Palutena]]'' was the one responsible for [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Medusa's transformation]].

* The Orne, pictured on the right. Besides the fact that this enemy will OneHitKill you if you touch it: an ominous 8-bit song plays when it's present, the screen shakes when it gets close, skulls pop out of its mouth whenever it screams, and according to its idol, anyone who touches it has their mind shattered before dying. Some Ornes will move in a pattern, making them simple enough to avoid if you take the time to watch their movements, but others will chase you--slowly, yes, but stall long enough and the next thing you'll see is a destroyed LifeMeter. Your only comfort is that you can destroy them with the Three Sacred Treasures in Chapter 9 [[spoiler:and Chapter 23.]] The Ornes also appear in ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros. for 3DS and Wii U'', as if ''one'' game of them appearing was bad enough.

* The game does not stop you from shooting forces that have allied with you (e.g. [[spoiler:Forces of Nature and Underworld troops in the Aurum arc]]) if they have target markers over them, and will even [[VideoGameCrueltyPotential reward you for it]]. If you're trying to ''not'' shoot them, it's easy to do so by accident if actual enemies are present.

** [[spoiler:[[EverybodyHatesHades Hades]], [[GodOfEvil the God of the Underworld]]. While he's definitely entertaining, he also proves to be one of the most evil characters in the game. He's an endlessly cruel and sadistic being with a warped sense of humor and [[LackOfEmpathy total disregard for all life]] who views other beings as mere playthings. He [[TheChessmaster masterminded the entire plot of the game]], [[ManipulativeBastard tricking the humans into fighting each other]] over a fake Wish Seed, all to [[YourSoulIsMine harvest their souls]]. It's later revealed that he uses the collected souls to either [[TheHeartless create his underworld monsters]] or to eat them, an act that [[CessationOfExistence removes them from existence entirely]]. He reveals in death and destruction and gleefully admits that it's his idea of a [[ForTheEvulz good time]]. Even when he [[EnemyMine helps out during the Aurum Arc]], he can't resist taking opportunities to [[EvilIsPetty torment Pit]], and he openly admits that the only reason he's helping is that so he can [[PragmaticVillainy have the Earth]] [[ItsAllAboutMe to himself]].]]
** [[spoiler:The [[ChaosIsEvil Chaos Kin]]. A malevolent, parasitic manifestation of chaos and evil that is mindlessly driven by a singular desire to [[OmnicidalManiac spread anarchy and disorder]]. It resembles a grotesque mix of a [[BigCreepyCrawlies scorpion, spider, and a moth]]. It can [[DemonicPossession possess its victims]] and [[YourSoulIsMine feed on their souls]] while controlling them. It was once [[SealedEvilInACan sealed in the Lunar Sanctum]] by Viridi prior to the game. Having been [[NiceJobBreakingItHero inadvertently freed by Pit]], the beast possesses Palutena and has her seal Pit's soul in a ring while using Pit's lifeless body to attack the human world. [[NearVillainVictory In the span of three years, it managed to do more damage to the world]] than even ''Hades'', and unlike him, [[KnightOfCerebus it has no humorous traits to detract from its villainy]].]]

** Dark Lord Gaol looks quite intimidating due to his NonStandardCharacterDesign, looking like a FinalBoss out of a RPG game. His [[VoiceOfTheLegion demonic voice]] does not help. The scariness goes away at the end when [[spoiler:Gaol is revealed to be a human woman and a close friend of Magnus who was brainwashed by the Underworld. She later appears in Ch 24 to help test Pit for the Great Sacred Treasure]].
** Magnus's backstory has a bit of AdultFear in it. [[spoiler:It's implied he became a mercenary because he lost a child to the Underworld Forces.]]

** During the invisible path section, [[spoiler:there's an easy-to-reach chest. [[SchmuckBait Feel free to open it]]...if you can outrun the Orne that [[JumpScare pops up out of nowhere]] when you approach it.]]

** The final battle with Medusa. After taking extensive damage, Medusa is forced to use her full strength [[spoiler:and reveals her true hideous appearance before '''''ripping her head off her body and sending it flying after Pit!''''' The final leg of the fight is Pit being chased by her ''living, decapitated head'' as it fires lasers from its eye and dark energy blasts.]]
** [[spoiler:Hades revealing himself by literally ripping the credits away. It's PlayedForLaughs mostly, but given the NoFourthWall nature of the game, it's more like TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou.]]
---> [[spoiler:'''Hades:''' ''(during the fake credits)'' "[[WhamLine Now wait]] [[YourPrincessIsInAnotherCastle just a second!]]"]]

** [[spoiler:Hades's]] story as to why he wants the Wish Seed. He claims he wants to use the Wish Seed to revive a girl's parents, who he killed in a chariot accident. The story is [[BlatantLies completely false]], of course. But it's the casual way he talks about it that makes it so frightening. The fact that he can so freely talk about killing someone, accidental or not, is truly horrifying and shows how much respect for life he lacks.
** TheReveal that [[spoiler:the Wish Seed is a fake and Hades had spread the rumor about it to tempt the humans into attacking the Phoenix. By the time Pit and Palutena realize this, it's far too late to turn back. [[XanatosGambit If Pit defeats the Phoenix, the humans will go to war with each other. If Pit spares the Phoenix, it will attack humanity itself. Either way, millions will die and Hades will get more souls for his realm]].]]

** [[spoiler:Seeing human armies savagely destroy each other over the [[AppleOfDiscord fake Wish Seed]] is simultaneously terrifying and [[TearJerker depressing]], and reminds the player that HumansAreBastards. In a way, it's basically World War III!]]
---> '''Pit:''' [[spoiler:It's like they've lost their humanity and all that's left is...brutality!]]
** The result of the Reset Bomb: [[spoiler:The blast radius is turned into a purple, sickly-looking spherical forest full of monsters, with some humans still alive and bound up.]]

** Viridi's EstablishingCharacterMoment. After dropping her Reset Bomb and killing nearly the ''entire human army'', Viridi's AstralProjection appears, ''[[InLoveWithYourCarnage gleefully laughing at the destruction she caused]].'' Makes it hard to believe that this is the same character that would end up [[spoiler:pulling a HeelFaceTurn later in the game]].

* Chapters 15-17 introduce us to [[spoiler:the Aurum. Having fought Underworld and Forces of Nature troops, the Aurum in contrast are creepy, soulless, [[AlienGeometries geometric abominations]] that try to make copies of the aforementioned factions' troops, and they seek to [[PlanetEater devour the Earth and everything in it]].]]

** [[spoiler:Palutena tries to bring Pit out after Pyrrhon takes over the Aurum Brain, but it doesn't work! As Pit goes beyond the 5-minute time limit for the Power of Flight, he almost falls hundreds of kilometers out of the sky to his death. Thankfully, he's caught by Viridi's forces carrying a platform.]]

** Pyrrhon nearly [[spoiler:[[KillItWithFire frying Pit alive with a Pyroblaster]]. Had Viridi's Nutskis not performed a HeroicSacrifice, he would have been killed right then and there.]]
*** Pyrrhon in general in this chapter. Last two chapters, he was an affable, eccentric, somewhat egotistical fellow who seemingly wanted to help the gang, [[spoiler:but then it's revealed that [[ManipulativeBastard he was using everyone to help him reach the Aurum Brain]] so he could [[AGodAmI take it over and control the Aurum to become the strongest God in existence]]. It's quite frightening how he was able to pull the wool over everyone's eyes while masking his true nature. It gets [[FromBadToWorse even worse]] when the [[EvilIsNotAToy Aurum Brain outwills him and retakes control]], using his fire powers to enhance the Aurum.]]

** [[spoiler:There is something seriously creepy about a little girl [[GrandTheftMe having her body hijacked by Pit]]. The music doesn't help.]]
** TheReveal that [[spoiler:Pit's body has been mindlessly rampaging and slaughtering the human race for three years while his soul has been trapped in the ring]]. It begs the question, ''how many people were killed in those [[spoiler:three years]]?''
---> '''Magnus:''' "Yesterday? Try [[spoiler:''[[WhamLine three years]]'']], buddy!" \\
'''Magnus:''' "How's this for starters? You've become [[spoiler:the enemy of mankind]]!"
** The Air Battle section. [[spoiler:Viridi escorts Pit to Skyworld, where Pit discovers, much to his horror, that Skyworld has been turned into SceneryGorn, featuring dry, lifeless masses of land with cracked structures and a perpetually cloudy sky.]] At the very end of it, [[spoiler:Pit sees Palutena, only to discover that she's apparently performed a FaceHeelTurn and tells Pit that she's tired of dealing with humans and especially with Pit. It's both terrifying and heartrending to see Pit's goddess behave like a mother snapping at her child, and for no apparent reason. The only solace is that it turns out that Palutena is BrainwashedAndCrazy, which is another kind of NF together; see the Chaos Kin entry above]].
* Chapter 20. [[spoiler:The thought of fighting Palutena's troops is terrifying, as they're [[UnwittingPawn Unwitting Pawns]] in the Chaos Kin's plan and probably have no idea what they're doing. There's also the matter of accidentally killing Palutena, which you can do if you want a NonStandardGameOver.]]

** [[spoiler:Welcome to the Chaos Vortex! It's one massive EldritchLocation that is essentially the Labyrinth of Deceit [[UpToEleven on steroids]], with [[LivingShadow Living Shadows]], clones of the Chaos Kin, and recreated enemies of all factions you've encountered so far.]]
** [[spoiler:Eyes! Eyes everywhere! Watching you.]]
** At one point, a few Underworld troops will block the camera. Given the game's NoFourthWall nature [[spoiler:and the Chaos Vortex's anomalous properties]], it feels as if TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou.
** At the end of the Air Battle section, [[spoiler:Pit has to finish off the Chaos Kin right as his flight time runs out, and if he fails, [[NonStandardGameOver Viridi informs Pit that she can't pull him out, leaving him trapped in the Chaos Vortex]]]].

** Did you think the chapter was over? [[spoiler:Suddenly, the Chaos Kin, with its remaining strength, drags Dark Pit off the platform, forcing Pit to risk his wings and fly down to save Dark Pit. Fail to catch Dark Pit, and [[NonStandardGameOver they're finished]]. Succeed, and Pit catches him...only to ''nearly die'' from toasting his wings.]]
*** And after the ordeal is over, [[spoiler:we get a ''[[SarcasmMode lovely]]'' view of Pit's burned wings, complete with blood and bones showing]].
** [[spoiler:Palutena's soul was held captive by the Chaos Kin for three years, fighting with all of her strength to remain intact. The Chaos Kin is one of the biggest threats in the series if it can keep one of the big three gods on the verge of being completely destroyed for so long!]]

** The whole premise of the level. [[spoiler:Pit is ''dying'' and the ''only'' way to save him is to use the Rewind Spring to heal his wings. After everything he's been through in the previous arc, it's both horrifying and heartbreaking to know TheHero of the story will die unless you help him. And it doesn't help that Hades shows up to make things a little harder for Dark Pit, as well as Pandora.]]

** TheReveal that [[spoiler:Hades has been using the souls of fallen humans to either [[TheHeartless create his underworld monsters]] or to eat them, an act that [[CessationOfExistence removes them from existence entirely]]. And it takes multiple souls to create one monster. This is a being that is sadistic enough to not just kill you, but '''''torture your soul for eternity'''''. And at one point, he lusts after Dark Pit's soul.]]

** [[spoiler:The [[HopelessBossFight entire fight with Hades]], which shows just how powerful he is. At first, Pit is as confident and cocky as ever as he enters the Underworld, then [[JumpScare Hades appears out of nowhere]] and the two fight it out. However, despite being armed with the Three Sacred Treasures, [[NighInvulnerable Pit can't hurt him]]. Keep in mind, [[TheWorfBarrage these were the very weapons used to slay Medusa and they have no effect on him]]. [[OhCrap Hades then destroys the treasures]]. For the rest of the fight, Pit can barely fend off Hades until the latter swallows him whole.]]
** [[spoiler:Pit gets EatenAlive by Hades and [[WombLevel has to fight his way out of Hades's innards]], full of pools of what looks like blood, gelatinous platforms, and grotesque versions of the Underworld forces. Also, Pit starts to [[GoMadFromTheIsolation lose his mind from being cut off from Palutena]]. Thankfully, it's PlayedForLaughs and he gets over it, but considering what happened to him in the previous chapters, it's not hard to assume he's really lost it.]]
* Chapter 25... on max difficulty. [[spoiler:It gets insanely hard to fight Hades, especially during the BulletHell laser array, and then you have to avoid everything until Medusa comes. Oh and there's no heart containers.]]

[[caption-width-right:231:''Do do do do [[EarWorm dooo]] [[HellIsThatNoise doooo]] '''[[OneHitKill doooooo]]'''...'']]

* The chiefest of the many examples of BodyHorror in ''Kid Icarus'' is none other than Medusa herself, who was transformed from a relatively normal-looking (even [[UglyCute somewhat]] [[CuteMonsterGirl beautiful]]) goddess into the massive, cycloptic monster seen in the game. Despite her villainy, Medusa's situation can be interpreted as somewhat [[TragicVillain tragic]], [[spoiler:especially after you get to see her original body after defeating her in the final battle]]. Never mind the [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation implications]] that ''Palutena'' was the one responsible for [[NiceJobBreakingItHero Medusa's transformation]].

* The chiefest of the many examples of BodyHorror in ''Kid Icarus'' is none other than Medusa herself, who was transformed from a relatively normal-looking (even [[UglyCute somewhat]] [[CuteMonsterGirl beautiful]]) goddess into the massive, cycloptic monster seen in the game. Despite her villainy, Medusa's situation can be interpreted as somewhat [[TragicVillain tragic]], [[spoiler:especially after you get to see her original body after defeating her in the final battle]]. Never mind the [[AlternateCharacterInterpretation implications]] that ''Palutena'' was the one responsible for [[NiceJobFixingItHero Medusa's transformation]].

* The Tempura Wizard. He's like the Eggplant Wizard, except he turns Pit into a giant tempura that's constantly tired and chases after him, his single eye morphing into a colossal, hungry mouth. If he catches Pit, he is [[ToServeMan devo]][[ImAHumanitarian ured]] [[FateWorseThanDeath alive]] for a OneHitKill!

** [[spoiler: [[EverybodyHatesHades Hades]], [[GodOfEvil the God of the Underworld]]. While he's definitely entertaining, he also proves to be one of the most evil characters in the game. He's an endlessly cruel and sadistic being with a warped sense of humor and [[LackOfEmpathy total disregard for all life]] who views other beings as mere playthings. He [[TheChessmaster masterminded the entire plot of the game]], [[ManipulativeBastard tricking the humans into fighting each other]] over a fake Wish Seed all to [[YourSoulIsMine harvest their souls]]. It's later revealed that he uses the collected souls to either [[TheHeartless create his underworld monsters]] or to eat them, an act that [[CessationOfExistence removes them from existence entirely]]. He reveals in death and destruction and gleefully admits that it's his idea of a [[ForTheEvulz good time]]. Even when he [[EnemyMine helps out during the Aurum Arc]], he can't resist taking opportunities to [[EvilIsPetty torment Pit]], and he openly admits that the only reason he's helping is that so he can [[PragmaticVillainy have the Earth]] [[ItsAllAboutMe to himself]].]]
** [[spoiler: The [[ChaosIsEvil Chaos Kin]]. A malevolent, parasitic manifestation of chaos and evil that is mindlessly driven by a singular desire to [[OmnicidalManiac spread anarchy and disorder]]. It resembles a grotesque mix of a [[BigCreepyCrawlies scorpion, spider, and a moth]]. It can [[DemonicPossession possess its victims]] and [[YourSoulIsMine feed on their souls]] while controlling them. It was once [[SealedEvilInACan sealed in the Lunar Sanctum]] by Viridi prior to the game. Having been [[NiceJobBreakingItHero inadvertently freed by Pit]], the beast possesses Palutena and has her seal Pit's soul in a ring while using Pit's lifeless body to attack the human world. [[NearVillainVictory In the spam of three years, it managed to do more damage to the world]] than even ''Hades'' and unlike him, [[KnightOfCerebus it has no humorous traits to detract from its villainy]].]]

** Dark Lord Gaol looks quite intimidating due to his NonStandardCharacterDesign, looking like a FinalBoss out of a RPG game. His [[VoiceOfTheLegion demonic voice]] does not help. The scariness goes away at the end when [[spoiler: Gaol is revealed to be a human woman and a close friend of Magnus who was brainwashed by the Underworld. She later appears in Ch 24 to help test Pit for the Great Sacred Treasure]].

** [[spoiler: Hades revealing himself by literally ripping the credits away. It's PlayedForLaughs mostly, but given the NoFourthWall nature of the game, it's more like TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou.]]

** TheReveal that [[spoiler:the Wish Seed is a fake and Hades had spread the rumor about it to tempt the humans into attacking the Phoenix By the time Pit and Palutena realize this, it's far too late to turn back. [[XanatosGambit If Pit defeats the Phoenix, the humans will go to war with each other. If Pit spares the Phoenix, it will attack humanity itself. Either way, millions will die and Hades will get more souls for his realm]].]]

** Viridi's EstablishingCharacterMoment. After dropping her Reset Bomb and killing nearly the ''entire human army'', Viridi's AstralProjection appears, ''[[InLoveWithYourCarnage gleefully laughing at the destruction she caused]].'' Makes it hard to believe that this is the same character that would end up [[spoiler: pulling a HeelFaceTurn later in the game]].

* Chapters 15-17 introduce us to [[spoiler:the Aurum. Having fought Underworld and Forces of Nature troops, the Aurum in contrast are creepy, soulless, [[AlienGeometries geometric abominations]] that try to make copies of the aforementioned factions' troops and they seek to [[PlanetEater devour the Earth and everything in it]].]]

** The original platform to Pyrrhon. It's piloted by noble centurions that can be killed if they take heavy damage. Luckily Palutena's reserves have two extra, but if those guys go, it's a NonStandardGameOver.
** Pyrrhon nearly [[spoiler: [[KillItWithFire frying Pit alive with a Pyroblaster]]. Had Viridi's Nutskis not performed a HeroicSacrifice, he would have been killed right then and there.]]
*** Pyrrhon in general in this chapter. Last two chapters he was an affable, eccentric, somewhat egotistic fellow who seemingly wanted to help the gang, [[spoiler: but then it's revealed that [[ManipulativeBastard he was using everyone to help him reach the Aurum Brain]] so he could [[AGodAmI take it over and control the Aurum to become the strongest God in existence]]. It's quite frightening how he was able to pull the wool over everyone's eyes while masking his true nature. It gets [[FromBadToWorse even worse]] when the [[EvilIsNotAToy Aurum Brain outwills him and retakes control]], using his fire powers to enhance the Aurum.]]

** TheReveal that [[spoiler:Pit's body has been mindlessly rampaging and slaughtering the human race for three years while his soul has been trapped in the ring.]] It begs the question, ''how many people were killed in those [[spoiler:three years]]?''

** The Air Battle section. [[spoiler:Viridi escorts Pit to Skyworld, where Pit discovers, much to his horror, that Skyworld has been turned into SceneryGorn, featuring dry, lifeless masses of land with cracked structures and a perpetually cloudy sky.]] At the very end of it, [[spoiler:Pit sees Palutena, only to discover that she's apparently performed a FaceHeelTurn and tells Pit that she's tired of dealing with humans and especially with Pit. It's both terrifying and heartrending to see Pit's goddess behave like a mother snapping at her child, and for no apparent reason. The only solace is that it turns out that Palutena is BrainwashedAndCrazy, which is another kind of NF together; see the Chaos Kin entry above.]]
* Chapter 20. [[spoiler:The thought of fighting Palutena's troops is terrifying as they're [[UnwittingPawn Unwitting Pawns]] in the Chaos Kin's plan and probably have no idea what they're doing. There's also the matter of accidentally killing Palutena, which you can do if you want a NonStandardGameOver.]]

** [[spoiler:Welcome to the Chaos Vortex! It's one masssive EldritchLocation that is essentially the Labyrinth of Deceit [[UpToEleven on steroids]]. with [[LivingShadow Living Shadows]], clones of the Chaos Kin, and recreated enemies of all factions you've encountered so far.]]

** At the end of the Air Battle section, [[spoiler:Pit has to finish off the Chaos Kin right as his flight time runs out, and if he fails, [[NonStandardGameOver Viridi informs Pit that she can't pull him out, leaving him trapped in the Chaos Vortex]].]]

** Did you think the chapter was over? [[spoiler:Suddenly, the Chaos Kin, with remaining strength, drags Dark Pit off the platform, forcing Pit to risk his wings and fly down to save Dark Pit. Fail to catch Dark Pit, and [[NonStandardGameOver they're finished]]. Succeed, and Pit catches him...only to ''nearly die'' from toasting his wings.]]
*** And after the ordeal is over, [[spoiler: We get a ''[[SarcasmMode lovely]]'' view of Pit's burned wings, complete with blood and bones showing.]]

** The whole premise of the level. [[spoiler: Pit is ''dying'' and the ''only'' way to save him is to use the Rewind Spring to heal his wings. After everything he's been through in the previous arc, it's both horrifying and heartbreaking to know TheHero of the story will die unless you help him. And it doesn't help that Hades shows up to make things a little harder for Dark Pit, as well as Pandora.]]

** TheReveal that [[spoiler:Hades has been using the souls of fallen humans to either [[TheHeartless create his underworld monsters]] or to eat them, an act that [[CessationOfExistence removes them from existence entirely]]. And it takes mulitple souls to create one monster. This is a being that is sadistic enough to not just kill you, but '''''torture your soul for eternity'''''. And at one point, he lusts after Dark Pit's soul.]]

** [[spoiler: The [[HopelessBossFight entire fight with Hades]], which shows just how powerful he is. At first, Pit is as confident and cocky as ever as he enters the Underworld, then [[JumpScare Hades appears out of nowhere]] and the two fight it out. However, despite being armed with the Three Sacred Treasures, [[NighInvulnerable Pit can't hurt him]]. Keep in mind, [[TheWorfBarrage these were the very weapons used to slay Medusa and they have no effect on him]]. [[OhCrap Hades then destroys the treasures]]. For the rest of the fight, Pit can barely fend off Hades until the latter swallows him whole.]]

* The Tempura Wizard. He's like the Eggplant Wizard, except he turns Pit into tempura that's constantly tired and chases after him. If he catches Pit, Pit is [[ToServeMan gob]][[ImAHumanitarian bled]] for a OneHitKill.

** [[spoiler: The [[ChaosIsEvil Chaos Kin]]. A malevolent manifestation of chaos and evil that is mindlessly driven by a singular desire to [[OmnicidalManiac spread anarchy and disorder]]. It resembles a grotesque mix of a [[BigCreepyCrawlies scorpion, spider, and a moth]]. It can [[DemonicPossession possess its victims]] and [[YourSoulIsMine feeds on their souls]] while controlling them. It was once [[SealedEvilInACan sealed in the Lunar Sanctum]] by Viridi prior to the game. Having been [[NiceJobBreakingItHero inadvertently freed by Pit]], the beast possesses Palutena and has her seal Pit's soul in a ring while using Pit's lifeless body to attack the human world. [[NearVillainVictory In the spam of three years, it managed to do more damage to the world]] than even ''Hades'' and unlike him, [[KnightOfCerebus it has no humorous traits to detract from its villainy]].]]

[[caption-width-right:231:''Do do do do dooo [[EarWorm doooo]] '''[[OneHitKill doooooo]]'''...'']]

** Similarly, the Forces of Nature has the Clobbler, which is the counterpart to the Clubberskull. At first glance, it looks like a cute little walking flower... until Pit foolishly attacks it. At which point, it morphs into a puffy, monstrous... ''thing'' with multiple eyes and attacks Pit in a rage. Like the Clubberskull, it's one of the toughest enemies in the game. And according to its idol description, once angered, it takes ''three days'' for it to calm down.

** [[spoiler: The [[HopelessBossFight entire fight with Hades]], which shows just how powerful he is. At first, Pit is as confident and cocky as ever as he enters the Underworld, then [[JumpScare Hades appears out of nowhere]] and the two fight it out. However, despite being armed with the Three Sacred Treasures, [[NighInvulnerable Pit can't hurt him]]. Keep in mind, these were the very weapons used to slay Medusa and they have no effect on him. [[OhCrap Hades then destroys the treasures]]. For the rest of the fight, Pit can barely fend off Hades until the latter swallows him whole.]]

** [[spoiler: [[EverybodyHatesHades Hades]], [[GodOfEvil the God of the Underworld]]. While he's definitely entertaining, he also proves to be one of the most evil characters in the game. He's an endlessly cruel and sadistic being with a warped sense of humor and [[LackOfEmpathy total disregard for all life]] who views other beings as mere playthings. He [[TheChessmaster masterminded the entire plot of the game]], [[ManipulativeBastard tricking the humans into fighting each other]] over a fake Wish Seed all to [[YourSoulIsMine harvest their souls]]. It's later revealed that he uses the collected souls to either [[TheHeartless create his underworld monsters]] or to eat them, an act that [[CessationOfExistence removes them from existence entirely]]. He revels in death and destruction and gleefully admits that it's his idea of a [[ForTheEvulz good time]]. Even when he [[EnemyMine helps out during the Aurum Arc]], he can't resist taking opportunities to [[EvilIsPetty torment Pit]], and he openly admits that the only reason he's helping is that so he can [[PragmaticVillainy have the Earth]] [[ItsAllAboutMe to himself]].]]

** The final battle with Medusa. After taking extensive damage, Medusa is forced to use her full strength [[spoiler:and reveals her true hideous appearance before '''''ripping her head off her body and sending it flying after Pit!''''' The final leg of the fight is Pit being chased by her ''living, decapitated head'' as it fires lasers ffrom its eye and dark energy blasts.]]

** Did you think the chapter was over? [[spoiler:Suddenly, the Chaos Kin, with remaining strength, drags Dark Pit off the platform, forcing Pit to risk his wings and fly down to save Dark Pit. Fail to catch Dark Pit, and [[NonStandardGameOver they're fucked]]. Succeed, and Pit catches him...only to ''nearly die'' from toasting his wings.]]

* Chapter 25 on max difficulty. [[spoiler:It gets insanely hard to fight Hades, especially during the BulletHell laser array, and then you have to avoid everything until Medusa comes. Oh and there's no heart containers.]]

'''Magnus:''' "How's this for starters? You've become [[spoiler:the enemy of mankind!"